October 8th was a day of learning for teachers. At Central School, we love to learn from each other! The day started with a wellness walk followed by mini-workshops presented by our staff. Mrs. Dubois, Mrs. Clark, Mrs. Quinlan, and Ms. Cattrano took us through phonemic awareness routines showing the progression from PreK through Second Grade. Phonemic awareness instruction, teaching children to notice, articulate and manipulate the smallest sounds in words, is essential in the progression of reading and gets reading and writing off to a strong start. Mrs. Dorr-Garrity taught a phonics lesson using the blending board. The blending board is used to introduce and reinforce previously taught phonics skills. Over time, this phonics blending activity helps students read with fluency. Mrs. Cleary shared our new SEL curriculum called Kimochis. We met the characters that are used to support students with their emotions. Mrs. Moore taught us how to play the math game, Treasure Hunt. This game helps students practice skip counting forwards and backward and can be easily adapted to different skill levels.
In the afternoon, Jermaine Moore led us through multiple case studies pertaining to diversity, equity, and inclusion. Our conversations and work with Jermaine are always thought-provoking and inspiring.
