Welcome to the 2024-2025 school year and the first K-12 Principal Breakaway of the school year! Please join us in this PLN where you will network with fellow principals, walk away with leadership tools and return to your school with resources, ideas, solutions and inspiration! Retired OTHS # 203 Principal Rich Bickel will facilitate a session on Effectively Managing School Crisis: Preparation and Response. 

This session will focus on how administrators, supervisors, directors and leaders can implement effective professional practices in preparing for, and managing, crisis scenarios in the school environment.  Participants will delve into strategies, protocols, and best practices for navigating and responding to various crisis situations that may arise within educational settings.  From planning and preparation, to implementation, to execution – every facet of effectively managing crisis scenarios will be discussed.  Join Rich Bickel, former High School Principal of the Year (IPA Southwestern Region and former ISBE Teacher of the Year Finalist) as these pro-active and practical strategies have been proven to foster effective preparation, communication and response, promote a positive and nurturing school climate, and best of all can be implemented immediately. Upon the conclusion of this session time will be given to debrief and collaborate with fellow colleagues. Registration closes 4-5 days prior to the event unless tickets are sold out.

The two-day Instructional Coaching Summit is designed to meet the needs of instructional coaches at a variety of levels. Participants may choose to register for one day or both days depending on their needs and interest. Following the summit, virtual sessions may be held quarterly to continue learning. Instructional coaching has been shown to be an effective way to improve teacher practice through structured partnership and goal-oriented collaboration. Day 1: Key Characteristics of Effective Coaching This session will examine the presence of several components of effective instructional coaching programs: ○ What are the key characteristics of effective coaching? ○ How do currently used models align with the key characteristics? Dr. Becky Mathison, Assistant Superintendent of Innovation, Teaching and Learning from Winnetka School District 36 will share the perspectives of instructional coaches, teachers, and principals on the presence of key components of effective instructional coaching programs: building relationships, remaining connected to students and developing leadership skills. Lunch is on your own Registration closes 4-5 days prior to the event unless tickets are sold out.

The two-day (September 30 and October 1, 2024) Instructional Coaching Summit is designed to meet the needs of instructional coaches at a variety of levels. Participants may choose to register for one day or both days depending on their needs and interest. Following the summit, virtual sessions may be held quarterly to continue learning. Instructional coaching is a model of professional learning that involves partnership between an instructional coach and a teacher to promote teacher growth and development through job-embedded learning and reflection. Day 2: Implementing and Evaluating Effective Coaching ○ What tools may be used to ensure the presence of key characteristics of effective coaching? ○ How can coaching programs be evaluated? This session will analyze the perspectives of instructional coaches, teachers, and principals on the presence of key components of effective instructional coaching programs: developing leadership skills, modeling for teachers, building in plan time, and remaining focused on the goal. These areas may be bolstered by increasing connection with students through instructional coaches having a purposeful presence in the classroom, setting goals for coaching partnerships that incorporate student outcomes and learning standards, and positioning instructional coaches as strategy experts through the purposeful use of planning time. Dr. Becky Mathison, Assistant Superintendent of Innovation, Teaching and Learning from Winnetka School District 36 will share the perspectives of instructional coaches, teachers, and principals on the presence of effective instructional coaching programs through her doctoral work and within her current school district. Attendees will need to bring their OWN lunch to this session. Registration closes 4-5 days prior to the event unless tickets are sold out.

PD Co-op member district $180.00 Non PD Co-op district $200.00 (lunch is included on site)

This free virtual session is being provided by the IL SLDS Project.  Targeted audience: Administrators, Coaches, RTI Coordinators, Related Support Personnel This session will examine formative assessments and detail multiple ways in which formative assessments that can help guide instruction.  Participants will learn about various types of formative assessments such as pre-tests, exit slips, informal assessments, oral interviews and more.  Session facilitators will show specific protocols for what the assessments should and could be helping to determine.  Participants will also learn best practices when using assessments (daily, weekly, monthly) and how to seamlessly implement the assessment within lessons.  Templates will be provided on how to best analyze the various formative assessments. A virtual link will be sent prior to the event date.  Registration closes 4-5 days prior to the event date unless tickets are sold out.

Join retired administrator's Dr. Emma Cornelius and Melissa Rebman in this two-hour professional development leadership session.  Thanks to an SEL Grant this session is free for anyone to attend! Regardless of your role as a school administrator, you will explore effective strategies to cultivate an environment that supports both students and staff. This professional development course equips you with tools to build a collaborative and empowering learning community, leading to improved outcomes for everyone involved. During the session, you will gain a foundation to building consistency, connection, and community for a solid school culture to lead directly to instructional outcomes that you can immediately take back to your building. Registration will close 4-5 days prior to the session date.

Join Debi West in this free hands-on PD for art educators as she shares tried and true creative lesson ideas that are sure to inspire student engagement in the art classroom.  When students have the opportunity to explore a variety of media and add in creative prompts, their visual storytelling - aka ART - goes to the NEXT level!  The visual journal is the perfect way to get this started as student's use this teaching and learning tool to reflect on their art practice, pulling in social and emotional learning through their personal mark making. Participants will be grouped into grade level clusters and also share visual journaling ideas, choice-based learning tactics and create art individually and collaboratively! Registration closes 4-5 days prior to the event unless tickets are sold out.   Debi West will also be presenting on October 11 at the County Institute K-12 Art Educator Workshop (8:30am-1:00pm) at Joseph Arthur Middle School in O'Fallon (see website to register)

Thanks to an SEL Grant, this workshop is free for all to attend. Note - this event will be held at Joseph Arthur Middle School (Art Room) 160 St. Ellen Mine Rd. O'Fallon, IL 62269.  Join Debi West in this hands-on PD as she shares a plethora of creative teaching and learning tips including advocacy, assessment, choice-based ideas, STEAM-based ideas, SEL and Studio Habits of the Mind!  Are you looking for creative ways to start up a NAHS and/or art club? How about fun ways to incorporate art history and social justice issues? We will cover all of this and more as participants will work collaboratively sharing successes and creating a group mixed media quilt. Truly #togetherweARTbetter and when we do our students are the ultimate winners! Registration closes 4-5 days prior to the event unless tickets are sold out.