In Michigan, state law dictates that public schools begin the day after Labor Day and end approximately 182 learning days later. This typically means that school ends the second or third week of June.
From the last day of school through Labor Day, students are busy enjoying the best weather and activities that West Michigan has to offer. What are the teachers doing during their summer breaks?
This summer, Georgetown teachers were busy doing the following:
- Graduate Studies: Additional course work to further their understanding of how to better prepare all children to succeed as learners (expenses paid for by the teacher)
- Special coursework in writing studies
- Specialty coursework in social studies
- Specialty coursework in behavior management
- Non-credit workshops (personally covered by teachers rather than the district) in writing, reading, math and learning disability studies
- Book study reading preparation for our professional development work this coming year.
- Curriculum writing and development for instruction in the coming year.
As a staff group, we began the year by focusing on ways to improve our instruction of math, reading and writing grades PK-5. Our foundational book for this work was Focus: Elevating the Essentials to Radically Improve Student Learning by Mike Schmoker. This text helped us to identify the best of what we were currently utilizing and refine practices that would benefit all learners.
Last week, we spent four days working together on how to focus on essential learning practices for our students–it was energizing and exciting. The staff at Georgetown is truly an amazing group of people, teachers and learners! We are ready for the new school year to begin!
