Busy Summer Getting Ready For Students' Return For Chappaqua Teachers

Press release from the Chappaqua Central School District :

In anticipation of the arrival of 3,500+ students this fall, summertime here in CCSD has been action-packed with District educators participating in a wide variety of professional learning opportunities designed to ensure that our students have access to the most powerful instructional experiences available.

Below, find some of the highlights from this summer’s professional learning and curriculum work. We are excited to see this work realized with our students this school year.

Grades K-2-Unpacking the Revised TCRWP Units
K-2 teachers explored the revised Units of Study from the Teacher's College Reading and Writing Project and planned instruction for the new school year.

Middles School Co-Teaching & Collaboration
Middle school special education teachers and co-teachers worked together to explore co-teaching models for inclusive classrooms and universal design for learning.

Visible Learning
Teachers Zoomed with educational researcher John Hattie and learned how his research on effective instructional practices can refine our learning to better meet the needs of our students.

Fifth Grade Teams: Learning Environment, Community & Curriculum
Fifth grade teachers collaborated to develop a research-based understanding of content, build relationships, and deepen their thinking on the optimal learning environment for ten-year-old learners.

Cultural Competency and Communication
Using the New York State Culturally Responsive Sustaining Education Framework as well as other texts and media, teachers explored the steps needed to create student-centered learning environments that affirm students’ identities, voices, and experiences.

Hydroponics Classroom Learning with NYSunworks
Elementary and middle school teachers across different subject areas will collaborate with NYSunworks to prepare our new Greenhouse Classrooms for the upcoming school year and to develop experiences that connect to our K-12 Sustainability Standards.

High School World Language Curriculum Implementation
World Language teachers at Greeley continued their curriculum alignment with NY State World Language standards, reflecting on best practices, reviewing data and curriculum materials, and mapping out the scope and sequence for next year.

Night in a Day
English 10 and Global 10 teachers worked together to plan a full-day educational experience about the Holocaust centered around reading Elie Wiesel's Night.

Developing AI Toolkits and Curricular Resources
Secondary teacher leaders and innovators developed curricular resources and guiding documents to support teachers and students in powerful and appropriate uses of artificial intelligence in our schools.

Teachers also engaged in summer curriculum planning in multiple grade levels in English, Math, Science, and Social Studies, and more. Additional summer professional learning focused on topics included:

• AP Seminar Curriculum Launch
• Apple Learning: Creator's Camp
• K-1 Classroom Library Revision
• MS Living Environment Curriculum Development/Planning
• MS STEAM Software and Curriculum Planning
• New Teacher Orientation
• Sustainability Research Center Curriculum Connections (Year 2 Implementation)
• Virtual Enterprise (VE) Curriculum Launch at Greeley

This press release was produced by the Chappaqua Central School District. The views expressed are the author's own.