*NEW COURSE SPRING 2022

Course Description: Different types of physical activity trends come in and out of popularity throughout time. Keeping student engagement high is important to student participation in physical education classes. In order to keep engagement high physical education teachers must be on top of the latest fitness and physical activity trends that are popular with our students. Backyard, Lawn and Beach Games are growing quickly in popularity with school age children so how as teachers can we incorporate these popular activities into our physical education curriculum? 

This course will provide participants with an overview of various anxiety disorders with a focus on: definitions, prevalence, diagnosis, and treatment. Emphasis will be placed on recognition of the behaviors, signs and symptoms that may be observed in the classroom and what accommodations and strategies teachers may use to support their students. This course is appropriate for all educators K-12, ELA, Social Studies, Math, Science, ESL, Special Education, Art and Music, Physical Education, School Psychologists, Guidance Counselors ,Social Workers Speech/Language teachers and therapists, OT & PT’s. Common Core Learning Standards are addressed. This course is important for ALL educators! ON-LINE (3 Credits / 45 hours) in-service credit only

The mental health of students in schools is an often overlooked, yet extremely relevant issue for today’s educator. Educators are often the first to notice mental health problems and are in a unique position to make a difference when it comes to promoting and addressing student mental health concerns in and out of the classroom. Mental disorders: affect a student’s emotional well-being, affect a student’s ability to learn and may be a factor in why some students drop out of school. This course will cover: common mental health disorders, the role of educators to identify warning signs, communicating with parents and supporting students in the classroom. This course is relevant to all who work in schools with children ages 5-21 in both regular and special education settings. This course has been designed for school administrators, regular and special education teachers (grades K-12 and ages 5 to 21),special area teachers (gym, art, music, technology) school psychologists, school counselors, guidance counselors, social workers, speech and language therapists or speech pathologists and occupational or physical therapists. ON-LINE (3 Credits / 45 hours) in-service credit only

Each year, approximately 2–5% of children refuse to come to school. School refusal can be observed in kindergarten students who demonstrate relatively mild separation anxiety to more severe cases where a student misses weeks or months of school. As a result of the social and educational consequences associated with missing school, the issue needs to examined and addressed promptly. This course will look at the factors associated with and contributing to the occurrence of school refusal. Participants will examine the short and long term effects of absenteeism, the signs and symptoms commonly associated with school refusal and research solutions to the problem. This course is relevant to all who work in schools and with children ages 5-21 in both regular and special education settings. This course has been designed for school administrators, regular and special education teachers (grades K-12 and ages 5 to 21),special area teachers (gym, art, music) school psychologists, school counselors, guidance counselors, social workers, speech and language therapists and pathologists and occupational and physical therapists. ON-LINE (3 Credits / 45 hours) in-service credit only

formerly titled: Strategies to Promote Regulation and Calm in yourself, staff and students throughout the day

3 credits/45 hours … In service only 

Course Description:

Learning, thinking, listening, processing information, communicating and relationships with others are best when one is in a calm and regulated state.

Regulation in others, starts with our own skills of self-regulation. Then through the process of co-regulation, calm is shared and modeled which in turn develops and fosters the ability for students to self-regulate.  Appropriate for all Educators and Staff K-12.

(3 credits/45 hours) Instructor: Randi Miller  rmillerliips@gmail.com Selective Mutism is an anxiety disorder which significantly affects social/pragmatic language skills, social interactions, relationships as well as school performance. This course will focus on the development of SM and co-existing conditions (such as social anxiety). It will provide a review of evidence based practices for those working with students in a school setting students with SM (or those who may display) characteristics of Selective Mutism. Course objectives; After completing the coursework, participants will: Have knowledge of the diagnostic criteria and characteristics of SM and related disorders Have a foundation of information to support a student with SM in and out of the classroom. Be able to work with peers to support their classmate with SM Create/share resources for parents and colleagues This course is relevant to all who work in schools with children ages 5-21 in both regular and special education settings. This course has been designed for all school administrators, regular and special education teachers (grades K-12 and ages 5 to 21), special area teachers (gym, art, music, technology) school psychologists, school counselors, guidance counselors, social workers, speech and language therapists or speech pathologists and occupational or physical therapists.

Traumatic experiences come in many forms ranging from one-time events (like the current pandemic) to experiences that are prolonged and recurring. To date, approximately 50% of the nation’s children and adolescents have experienced at least one or more types of serious childhood trauma. The effects of these traumatic experiences impact how students focus, attend, learn, form relationships and behave in the classroom. Trauma informed interventions focus on building relationships, routines, choice-making and self-regulation skills. This course has been developed to provide all educators with content knowledge on the types and biology of trauma, ACES, and best practices in trauma-informed behavior and classroom management strategies. The course will provide participants with the knowledge and tools they need to create a safe, supportive learning environment for all students. A timely course given the current public health crisis and school shut down. A good opportunity to be prepared to meet the needs of staff and students when school re-opens. Course Objectives: Participants will: 1. Develop an understanding of what trauma is and the effect it has on brain development 2. Form an awareness of the role trauma can play in classroom performance and behavior 3. Become trauma aware and develop a trauma lens in which they can look at behavior in a different way 4. Examine traditional behavior and classroom management strategies and adapt them to be trauma informed and trauma focused 5. Create an action plan to address the needs of students impacted by the effects of trauma This course is relevant to all who work in schools with children ages 5-21 in both regular and special education settings. This course has been designed for all school administrators, regular and special education teachers (grades K-12 and ages 5 to 21),special area teachers (gym, art, music, technology) school psychologists, school counselors, guidance counselors, social workers, speech and language therapists or speech pathologists and occupational or physical therapists. ON-LINE (3 Credits / 45 hours) in-service credit only

Bullying whether in person on cyber bullying can have drastic ramifications. This act is a way for school staff to report any acts of “bullying” against students and see a change occur within the school. This course will explore what is DASA and how it applies in your school as well as the intricacies within. ON-LINE (3credits/45hours) In-service credit only

With the adoption of the CCLS one major instructional shift has been to incorporate more nonfiction into the classroom. As educators, one of our major goals is to prepare students to be college and career ready. Approximately ninety-five percent of daily work-related information is in expository form. Based upon this information, it is necessary for educators to teach students ways to navigate and comprehend this form of text. This course will help teachers improve nonfiction instruction and expository reading comprehension with their students. Topics covered in this class include: expository text structure, features and patterns strategies for vocabulary instruction metacognition strategies like activation of prior knowledge (new to known), self-monitoring skills, questioning the text, determining importance, and synthesizing As a result of this course participants will gather helpful unit plans of study for incorporating nonfiction for immediate classroom use. A must for all educators K-12!! ON-LINE (3 credits/45 hours) in-service credit only

“Fluency is the ability, to read smoothly, easily, and readily with freedom from word recognition problems. Fluency provides a bridge between word recognition and comprehension. It is not a stage of development at which readers can read all words quickly and easily. Fluency changes, depending on what readers are reading, their familiarity with the words, and the amount of their practice with reading text.” —National Institute for Literacy (NIFL) Fluent reading is a sign of a proficient reader and is a major goal of literacy instruction. When readers are fluent, they are free from word recognition challenges and are able to fully focus on meaning and comprehension. This course will explain fluency and the components of fluent reading in depth. Educators will learn key fluency terms including: phrasing, intonation, automaticity, and expression. Participants will learn how fluency develops and various methods/tools to assess/measure fluency. In addition, educators will research successful instructional strategies to implement within his/her own classroom. Teacher will gather many fluency lesson plans for immediate use with students. A must for all educators!! ON-LINE (3 credits/45 hours) in-service credit only

“America must provide students with a strong education in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) to prepare them to succeed in the global economy.” -U.S. Department of Education This course will examine the philosophy of STEM education as well as current research about the STEM initiative. The various methods of STEM implementation will be discussed. Participants will learn the components of successful STEM instruction and have the opportunity to research/evaluate useful STEM resources. Local resources and field trip opportunities will be explored in order to bring the STEM experience to life in the classroom. As a result of this course, participants will gather a variety of materials for effective STEM instruction that will be ready for immediate classroom use. A must for all educators K-12! ON-LINE (3 credits/45 hours) in-service credit only

The focus of this course will be to provide educators with an overview of the Next Generation Learning Standards recently adopted by New York State. Participants will have the opportunity to research and study the philosophy behind the new standards and the timeline for implementation. During this course, educators will research the ELA, Math, and Science standards appropriate to his/her grade level. In addition, educators will examine the differences between the Next Generation Learning Standards and the current Common Core Learning Standards. As a culminating activity, students will create dynamic lessons aligned to the Next Generation Learning standards utilizing the information learned in this course. ON-LINE (3 credits/45 hours) in-service credit only

“Rather than focusing solely on students’ academic achievement, the whole child approach to education focuses on students’ well-being beyond the classroom. It’s centered on the idea that preparing students for the future goes beyond preparation in academia.” –Edith Esperaza This course will examine the philosophy of whole child education, considering the health, safety, & social-emotional wellness of a student while they are supported & challenged within schools. Educators will learn the main components of whole child education and research effective practices in real-world examples from schools across the nation. In addition, participants will have the opportunity to research successful administrators as well as explore whole child action plans in order to turn-key information within his/her school/district. ON-LINE (3 credits/45 hours) in-service credit only