Thomasville City Schools students enjoyed an extra-long Presidents Day weekend while administrators, faculty, and staff made use of their Professional Learning Day on February 14, 2020, to target a variety of educational topics. Employees from across the district exchanged ideas and interacted through an intricately planned day of learning.
Pictured above: Scholars Academy social studies teacher Dana Rainey and MacIntyre Park Middle School social studies teacher Billye Young were afforded time to work closely on pacing guides for middle school courses.
Elementary school English/language arts teachers for grades K-5 participated in a session with Journeys Reading Program representative and school-level Instructional Coaches. Middle school English/language arts teachers for grades 6 - 8 participated in a session with Collections Reading Program representative and MPMS Instructional Coach Katie McCloud. Math teachers for grades 3-5 met with District K-5 Curriculum Coordinator Brian Beaty and Early Intervention Program teacher Pam Gardner to examine pacing guides and benchmark assessment data.
Math teachers for grades 6-12 met with MPMS Instructional Coach Neal Ford and Scholars Academy Assistant Director Jennifer Jordan, science teachers for grades 6-12 met with Instructional Coach Denise Heard, and social studies teachers for grades 6-12 met with Director of Teaching, Learning, and Assessment and 6-12 Curriculum Coordinator Dana Rollins to examine pacing guides and benchmark assessment data for edits. English teachers for grades 6-12 met with Heard and Rollins in a separate session to review and discuss pacing guides and benchmark data.
Approximately 50 teachers from all six of the district’s campus sites gathered for MindSet instructor training. The purpose of this training program is to facilitate insight, raise awareness, enhance skills, and ultimately certify professionals in a system of preventing and managing aggressive behavior. The goal of the MindSet training curriculum is to set in motion a process of increased awareness, skill development, and appropriate parameters for individuals and organizations to eliminate the need for physical restraint or seclusion. All other staff members in the district have been previously trained in the MindSet program.
All other teachers, staff, and paraprofessionals engaged in a Google for Education refresher course delivered by Russell Paine from Southwest Georgia RESA.
Math teachers from MacIntyre Park Middle School, Scholars Academy, and Thomasville High School collaborated during their analysis of benchmark assessment data.
Harper Elementary Special Education Paraprofessional Janice Gosier and Media Specialist Michele Sedam engaged in hands-on activities during the Google training.
English/language arts teachers from Harper, Jerger, and Scott engage in their ongoing professional learning for the Journeys Reading Program.