The Long Island PDRC is proud to support the upcoming 36th Annual RISE 2020 Conference. Registration is open to all religious and  independent school leaders and teachers in New York State. This year’s conference is 100% virtual and 100% free!

RISE 2020: NOVEMBER 9-12, 2020

Join us for the first ever virtual RISE Conference! Connect with educators from across NYS, learn with over 55 independent professional development sessions, and experience many renowned keynote speakers. Most sessions are CTLE eligible and will count towards your CTLE requirements.

For more information and registration: Visit Our Professional Development Resource Center!

Introducing our new Director of Strategic Partnerships: Molly Cavanaugh

We are happy to introduce the newest Director of Strategic Partnerships at Catapult Learning, Molly Cavanaugh. Molly will be on hand and live during the RISE Conference to answer your questions and provide guidance on how a partnership with Catapult Learning can help your school exceed its academic goals.

Leadership Corner: The Critical Role Emotional Intelligence Plays In School Leadership by Mitch Center

In this month’s installment I’d like to briefly introduce everyone to the work of Dr. Mark Brackett from The Yale Center for Social and Emotional Development. Brackett’s book, Permission to Feel: Unlocking the Power of Emotions to Help Our Kids, Ourselves and Our Society Thrive provides a great case for why – and how – we could better attend to our emotions in schools.

Before the pandemic, American students were stressed. A study of 22,000 teenagers in 2015 found that when kids were asked how they felt in school, 75% of them used negative words like “bored,” “tired” and “stressed.” And it’s not just the kids. Almost 70% of the 5,000 educators asked used words like “frustrated” and “overwhelmed.” And this is all before the pandemic radically changed the face of schools. “Why are you telling me this…are you trying to stress me out more?” you must be wondering. Well, here’s the good news!

Brackett’s research shows that when an emotionally skilled teacher is present, students disrupt less, focus more and perform better academically. What’s more, when a school leader is emotionally skilled, teachers report being less stressed. So it’s the opposite of – or the positive side of – “the fish stinks from the top,” and basically reinforces the notion that what the leader feels and experiences is reflected back in the entire community.

SUPPORTING OUR SCHOOLS WITH EMOTIONALLY SKILLED LEADERSHIP
Brackett’s RULER approach is used in countless classrooms across the country. It begins with his Mood Meter (google it), and teachers kids and adults to:
R: Recognize Emotion
U: Understand those feelings and where they come from
L: Label those emotions
E: Express those emotions
R: Regulate those emotions with practical strategies

I want to share those strategies with you here, and hope that you will take a moment to try them for yourself, with your teachers, and with the many students who are lucky to be in your care. The five emotion regulating strategies described in the book:

1. Mindful Breathing: Breathing slowly – in through the nose, out through the mouth.
2. Forward-thinking Skills: Anticipate an unwanted emotion and avoid the situation or imagine handling it better.
3. Attention-shifting Strategies: To decrease the impact of an emotion, distract yourself, walk away, or use positive self-talk.
4. Re-framing Strategies: Find a new way to look at your situation so you don’t despair. For example, if a clerk is rude to you at a store, try walking in their shoes and understanding that they might have their own stress, and their rudeness has nothing to do with you.
5. The Meta-Moment: First pause, take a breath, ask yourself “What would my best self do right now?” Bring to mind an image or a few adjectives that embody your best self and bridge the gap between your triggered self and this ideal self with a strategy from above – positive self-talk or reframing. How might you use this work for yourself, your staff, or the families and kids you serve?

Mitch Center provides leadership professional development and coaching for Catapult Learning and is a monthly contributor to our Leadership Corner Conversation.

Fall & Winter Virtual Workshops!

Registration for our CTLE-eligible Fall and Winter virtual workshops will be starting soon! Our no-cost sessions are offered to religious and independent school leaders and educators at times that work with busy schedules.

Spotlight Series: LEADERSHIP CIRCLES:
Purposely designed to build a community of leaders who learn and problem solve together, this 8-part series will address leading through change, effective communication, difficult conversations, SEL, equity and more. Join this leadership cohort every other Wednesday morning at 9:15am-10:15am. Reserve your spot by registering at: www.catapultlearning.com/nyspdrc/

More Upcoming Workshops!

  • Flipped Classroom for Hybrid
    Instruction: Nov. 17 at 4pm

  • Best Digital Tools to Integrate with
    Google Classroom: Nov. 19 at 4pm

  • Assessment Activities and Tools:
    Digital Tools Re-purposed for
    Assessment: Dec.1 at 4pm

  • Instructional Strategies for ALL
    Learners: Dec. 8 at 4pm

Spotlight Series: Becoming a Digital Expert!

This month’s topic: Refreshing Your Google Classroom Skills

Many educators have visited our website to refresh their Google Skills! Check out archived recordings of our popular Working with Google Series.

Toppics include:

• Working with Google: G-Suite and Google Apps
• Working with Google Classroom: an introduction
• Working with Google: Instructional Tools
• Working with Google: Assessment and Feedback

Access Webinars

Catapult Learning is proud to provide professional development to religious and independent schools on Long Island through our partnership with New York State Education Department and the Professional Development Resource Centers. The purpose of this monthly newsletter to share PD updates as well as relevant educational updates issued by NYSED. If you would like this newsletter emailed directly to additional staff members, please let us know by going to our website and complete the ‘Contact Us’ form: www.catapultlearning.com/nyspdrc/.

This newsletter is presented by Catapult Learning in partnership with the New York State Department of Education.

Catapult Learning, LLC 32 Broadway, Suite 1502, New York, NY 10004
For questions, or inquiries, please email rita.stavrou@catapultlearning.com
Or visit the Long Island PDRC website: www.catapultlearning.com/nyspdrc/

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