Equipping Our Faculty to Flourish
NOVEMBER BROUGHT MULTIPLE OPPORTUNITIES TO CONTINUE LEARNING ON BEHALF OF OUR STUDENTS.
Students and parents typically only see our teachers when they are in action, whether teaching classes, helping a student with a certain concept, or supporting our students at various athletic or fine arts events. Today, we wanted to allow you to look “behind the scenes” to learn more about what our faculty and staff are doing on a consistent basis to help ensure Wesleyan students are growing and improving as we continually implement best practices in education from kindergarten through 12th grade.
ACSI Institute
Four of our administrators traveled to Atlanta, Georgia, in early November to participate in the Flourishing Schools Institute sponsored by the Association of Christian Schools International (ACSI), one of our main accrediting organizations. Developed specifically for school leaders, the purpose of this institute was to create a model to measure school culture and community.
According to Becky Owens, Associate Head of School, “This training allowed us to grow as leaders and to attain valuable information to share with our Wesleyan teachers for schoolwide growth. We were also able to network with other schools to share and glean new and innovative skills and programs that have been beneficial for students and ACSI schools throughout the world.“
Professional Development Day
On November 1, our TK – 12 teachers benefited from the hands-on instruction of Educational Assessment Expert Mary Lou Capan with Capan Consultants, Elementary Principal Emily Orman, and Enrichment Center Principal Nadine Griffin. Two goals guided us throughout the day:
- To increase our proficiency in using standardized test data to tailor our curriculum and enable us to better measure student growth.
- To stay abreast of best practices as it relates to identifying and working with students who have experienced a learning gap, in addition to recognizing and challenging students who master concepts at a quicker pace. As part of this goal, our teachers learned new strategies for implementing curriculum on a more individualized basis when needed.
These are goals recognized by both ACSI and CESA (The Council on Educational Standards and Accountability), our accrediting agencies, as being vital to our school improvement plan.
IDA 2022 Annual Reading, Literacy and Learning Conference | DyslexiaCON
Earlier this month, three Wesleyan teachers representing our Enrichment Center and Resource Program, traveled to San Antonio, Texas, to participate in the 3-day IDA 2022 Annual Reading, Literacy and Learning Conference. Fondly known as DyslexiaCON, this conference is sponsored by the International Dyslexia Association. Mrs. Holly Barber (Resource), Mrs. Jenna Farrell (Enrichment) and Mrs. Mary Pat Ray (Enrichment) enjoyed learning the latest medical research and best practices for teaching students with dyslexia and related learning differences.
According to Mrs. Ray, the conference was excellent, “We heard from many researchers who presented their findings on longitudinal studies regarding the brain and dyslexia …. (and) we learned how to apply the research to our teaching.” Mrs. Ray added, “The most impactful session was the dyslexia simulation. We had the opportunity to get a feel for what it’s like to have dyslexia—which was incredibly eye opening.“
The International Dyslexia Association, Inc. (IDA) is a non profit organization organized and operated to provide advocacy, resources and services to teaching professionals, advocates, individuals and families impacted by dyslexia and other related learning differences.
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As each year unfolds, teachers participate in similar experiences to enable our faculty to maintain best practices in every subject and grade level. Mrs. Owens added, “It’s a true blessing to work with Wesleyan teachers. They are passionate about learning and eager to use these new methods and skills to help our students succeed.“
Wesleyan Administration