Enhancing one’s students to be motivated and think critically about the world around them is tantamount to the Common Core standards of learning in all subject areas. The study of the philosophy behind learning captivates students and infuses morality and integrity into their worlds. In this course, teachers will be exposed to a plethora of ideas that enable them to critically analyze, judge, delineate, and closely comprehend content area ideas and genre in order to create pertinent lessons for their students. Teachers will walk away with a multitude of interdisciplinary lessons for their classrooms. Materials include: picture books, non-fiction articles, creative techniques that enhance any classroom and empower everyone. • A must for K-12 educators!!!! ONLINE (3 credits/45 hours) in-service credit only

Course Description: This course is designed to assist educators in getting their students to become engaged and motivated. We will discuss how to get your classroom interested and involved in the learning process. Students who may have become bored or tired of the same day by day learning styles can become engaged again with the right strategies. A variety of practical and simple strategies will be shared. A multitude of materials will be discussed and distributed on how to motivate and engage your students again. Educators will learn to implement creative techniques to get your students to motivate themselves both physically and mentally and get involved once again. Educational articles and research in this area will also be studied. This is a must for all teachers of all disciplines K-12.

  Course Description: Global competence is the skills, values, and behaviors that prepare young people to thrive in a more diverse, interconnected world. Embracing a mind-set that translates personal global competence into professional classroom practice is crucial for teachers today. This course will enable participants to engage learners globally via transformative lessons that are relevant to every aspect of the world today – politics, science, culture, cross-cultural communication. Teachers will become familiar with the characteristics of globally competent students, be able to transcend that knowledge into their classrooms via language instruction, best practices of the world, and sensitivity to a wide gamut of issues on a global scale. A must for K-12 educators!!!! (3 credits/45 hours) – In-Service Credit

Course Description: This course will work with educators to help engage your students in learning.  When students tune out, teachers need to be armed with the tools to keep their classes engaged and ready to learn.  This course will share techniques and a plethora of strategies to keep your students ready to focus and learn.  A must for all educators of all levels grades K-12.

Course Description: This course will focus on how to engage parents and students as your partners in learning. Educators will work to learn the skills that will empower your students to achieve and become successful. This course is a must for all instructors of all levels K-12.

Schools experience a wide variety of crises that have the potential to harm the mental and physical health, learning environment, and safety of students and educators. A school crisis is any traumatic event that seriously disrupts coping and problem-solving abilities of students and school staff. It is typically sudden, unexpected, dramatic and forceful and may even threaten survival. A crisis can cause a drastic and tragic change to the environment. This change is generally overwhelming and uncontrollable as well as unwanted and frightening. It may create a sense of helplessness, hopelessness, and vulnerability combined with a loss of safety. This course will provide resources, tools, recommendations, and evidence-based practices for incorporating best practices in school mental health into school crisis plans. Different types of crisis will be discussed and strategies will be developed for teachers of all grade levels and subject areas. ON-LINE (3 credits/45 hours) In-service credit only

*New Course Children have an overwhelming need to be and to feel accepted not only by their peers but also, by their teachers. When students feel they are seen, understood, and respected, they typically are more motivated to work harder and take more academic risks in order to achieve. While you may already be aware of this fact, you may often ask yourself how you can build better relationships with each of your students – especially with growing class sizes! This course investigates the different ways in which you can both implicitly and explicitly communicate the care you have for your students through planning meaningful assignments for various personality types, creating support systems, changing up classroom procedures, and providing thoughtful feedback on assignments. These resources and assignments are meant to encourage you to reflect on your current units and classroom procedures to discover new perspectives and help you improve upon what you already practice (and do well!) each day. Suggested for all educators K-12! Course Objectives: 1. Participants will research how improved teacher-student rapport improves student achievement 2. Participants will consider current classroom procedures and teaching units in order to find ways to improve upon teacher-student communication 3. Participants will learn how to improve rapport with challenging students 4. Participants will learn how to communicate care for students both implicitly and explicitly 5. Participants will learn how to improve written and verbal feedback to enhance teacher-student rapport 6. Participants will gain resources to help improve teacher-student rapport ON-LINE (3 credits/45 hours) In-serice credit only

Instructor: Gayle Meinkes-Lumia – gaylelumia@yahoo.com In-Service Course – 3 Credits – 45 Hours Course Description: Facilitating the means for students to become leaders and succeed significantly in any classroom must be the role of all teachers. Acknowledging student strengths, providing ownership, encouraging their potentialities, all falls within the confines of the course. Participants will learn to create a vision for their students, empower them through effective coaching and feedback, and guide them with training, tools, and time. A wealth of strategies will be rendered and the means for implementing them full addressed. *A must for K-12 educators*

*New Course* Instructor: Kim Kittredge Kkittredgeliips@gmail.com 3 credits/45 hrs in service Dates: December (2024) 2, 3, 4, 9, 10, 11, 12, 16, 17, 18. How do we as educators deal with students that cheat? It’s a difficult problem to solve. In today’s world of cell phones, Chat GBT and classroom laptops, unfortunately access to cheating is right at our students fingertips. Students have also gotten pretty good at it! As teachers, we have to realize that although we don’t want cheating to happen, it is still going to happen and will still go on around us. In this course educators will explore methods on how to recognize and deal with students that cheat, and what punishments should be given for academic dishonestly. This course is a must for educators grades K-12.

*New Course* Instructor: Kim Kittredge Kkittredgeliips@gmail.com 3 credits/45 hrs in service Dates: December Break (2024) – Dec. 23rd-27th Finding the right balanced in your classroom can be difficult at times. As an educator we try to be positive with our students. We aim to balance our teaching material, our time management, our organization, differentiation, grading, structure and all while trying keeping a positive attitude. Maintaining balance is an art form for educators. In this course teachers will explore several of the strategies for balancing your teaching every day in order to create a positive classroom. This course is a must for educators grades K-12.

Aside from teaching, there are many responsibilities that are inherently part of what we do each day. Often, these tasks and obligations can be overwhelming and time-consuming. It has been proven that organization is one way to reduce stress, which is the primary focus of this course. Teachers enrolled will explore various simple ways of using Microsoft Excel for record-keeping. Even if you’re not a proficient computer whiz, Excel makes it easy to customize and maintain spreadsheets. The assignments are designed to help you simplify, minimize, maintain, and track data. Additionally, Annual Professional Performance Reviews (APPRs) now include an evaluative section on maintaining accurate records. Teachers enrolled in this course will learn new ways of improving this particular rating. ON-LINE (3 credits/45 hours) in-service credit only

Instructor: Gayle Meinkes-Lumia – gaylelumia@yahoo.com In-service Course – 3 Credits / 45 Hours Course Description: Creating a positive school environment begins with developing and implementing stellar character education, beginning with lessons on morality, responsibility, respect, peer to peer interactions. This course will enable teachers to glean the ways in which to infuse the ideas of moral understanding, psychological literature, and scientific methodology into their everyday encounters with students. Modeling and community outreach suggestions will intertwine with the course material to create a superb character education program for our students. *A must for K-12 educators*

  Course Description: This course will examine the role that homework plays in our school culture.  Homework is extremely important to all students in one aspect or another.  How do we assign effective and appropriate homework?  Ensure students complete it so that coursework can continue in class.  Educators will explore what different research and educators’ tell us about homework and its impact on the overall learning process.  This course is a must for all educators levels K-12. (updated course to include Post-Covid thinking and concepts)

  Instructor: Gayle Meinkes-Lumia – gaylelumia@yahoo.com (3 Credits/45 Hours) – In-Service Credit Course Description: It is much more difficult for our brains to unlearn something than to learn something new. Having the capacity to train our brains to make deep connections to learning is the purpose of this course. Participants will understand the factors that shape myelination in children and comprehend how it provides the foundation for brain connectivity and support of emergent cognitive and behavioral functioning. Studying the reasoning behind this neurodevelopment will enable teachers to create comprehensive lessons that support and engage learners from all walks of life. *A must for all K-12 educators and disciplines!!

Ranging from preschool to high school, writing is always a challenge for students. This course will provide you with the ingredients necessary to instruct students on how to attack the writing before it attacks them. Addressed will be the different forms of writing to provide students with, the new and innovative techniques by writing gurus, writing formulas, writing templates, journal topics, ELA writing guides,etc.. Students will simply beg for the pen and paper! A must for all K-12 educators!!! ON-LINE (3 Credits / 45 hours) in-service credit only

3 credits/45 hours) in-service credit only Instructor: Dr. Christopher Korolczuk Email: DrK.lips@gmail.com Course Description: This course offers a comprehensive view on tackling the mental health crisis in public schools, highlighting the importance of balancing emotional safety with resilience, addressing digital distractions, and navigating the complexities of social media and self-perception. It underscores the effects of COVID-19 on students, emphasizing the need for reconnection and support post-isolation. Further, it delves into the rise of medication for mental health issues among children, advocating for mindfulness and alternative strategies. The analysis of increasing anxiety and depression, the rethinking of ADHD approaches, and the role of parental boundaries in child development are crucial for understanding the multifaceted nature of students’ mental health challenges. Lastly, the discussion on engaging yet rigorous education offers insights into maintaining students’ interest without compromising academic standards. For school personnel, learning about these topics is vital post-COVID-19, as it equips them with the tools to support students’ mental well-being and adapt to the changing educational landscape, ensuring a holistic approach to student development and learning. NEW! This self-paced course uses an online learning platform called Canvas. All videos, reading materials, and assignments can be found in one online location. Also, you can simply type your assignments into the website and hit the “submit.” button. This new feature makes the course easier to navigate and more user-friendly than other courses.

This course will provide a foundation for understanding the history and development of Bilingual Education. The overall social and philosophical foundations of Bilingual Education will be reviewed in detail. Additionally, legislative changes throughout history for students of limited English proficiency will be examined by participants. By understanding the development of Bilingual Education over time, educators will be better prepared to meet the needs of English Language Learners (ELL). ON-LINE (3 credits/45 hours) in-service credit only

*New Course* Instructor: Gayle Meinkes-Lumia – gaylelumia@yahoo.com In-Service Class – 3 Credits – 45 Hours November 12,13,14,15, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 25 th East Meadow Location – 4:15-8:45 pm Course Description: Since the onset of the pandemic, so many students and families have become disconnected from school and absenteeism has skyrocketed. Re-engaging our students is essential for their success. Teachers have tremendous power to influence student attendance. In this course teachers will learn about the importance of using supportive rather than punitive language surrounding absenteeism, building meaningful relationships with families to support student attendance, engaging learners utilizing curiosity and wonder, and working strategically to bridge the gap between home and school. *A must for K-12 Educators*

  Initiating an on-line instructional platform can be difficult for teachers and students alike. Assisting our students with achieving their maximum potential, discovering the wonder of learning, and immersing themselves in creative activities will be at the forefront of the course. Strategies for reluctant learners will be focused on as well as lesson creations that are relevant to students’ cultures. A variety of ideas for multiple subject matters will be taught, including award winning books, mathematical strategies, and historical games. Teachers will emerge with lessons that show how to value quality over quantity and teach effectively.. All grade levels and subjects welcome. ON-LINE (3 credits/45 hours) in-service credit only