About 100 staff and teachers attended the first session of Delaware City School’s Summer Academy Wednesday at Willis Education Center.
Assistant Superintendent Craig Heath said this year’s two-day Summer Academy sessions are divided into three categories: Teaching and Learning, Whole Child Framework and Community Engagement.
Heath said the sessions in the Teaching and Learning category revolve around the curriculum review process, the instructional practices, and the digital resources teachers utilize within their classrooms. The Whole Child sessions include strategies on trauma-informed classrooms, working with students with anxiety, and supporting the non-academic needs of all students in the district.
Heath said in the Community Engagement sessions, instructors will be sharing information on tools and strategies to communicate with parents effectively, as well as pre-apprenticeships and experiential learning connections the district is developing with business and industry partners around the Delaware community.
“Our hope is that our staff will develop a greater understanding of the goals, strategies, and action steps we will be taking as a school district as we implement the strategic plan,” Heath said. “They will also discover the many ways they can support the strategic plan initiatives in their classrooms on a daily basis beginning in the 2022-23 school year.”
Heath said the purpose of the Summer Academy sessions is to have teachers return to the classroom this fall with new lessons and skills.
“The ultimate goal of any professional development activities we do as a district is to have teachers implement what they have learned in their classrooms,” Heath said. “The quality of our presenters is excellent, so we know our staff members will learn a great deal in these two days of Summer Academy.”
The Summer Academy was held Wednesday and will continue today. Heath added the building principals will attend a series of six sessions over the next three weeks to review policies and procedures, learn about the strategic plan, and collaborate on “the development of our Multi-Tiered Systems of Support (MTSS) framework to be implemented over the next two to three years in our district.”
Heath said there will be additional professional development activities in August focused on Delaware City Schools’ Strategic Plan initiatives, the district’s Restorative Practices training, and its Sheltered Instruction Observation Protocols.
“These activities will prepare our teachers for their work with all of our students throughout the 2022-23 school year,” Heath said.
