School is in Session for SHA Educators

Great Neck, N.Y.—Learning doesn’t stop in the summer if you are a teacher at the Silverstein Hebrew Academy (SHA)! Teachers have been preparing for the new school year by participating in many innovative teaching workshops. Staff joined different summer workshops, run by Better Lessons and the AviChai Foundation, to learn together and train to become instructional coaches or grow in their own practice.

“We are working on personalizing the learning experience even more for our students,” said Shireen Deen-Butman, Head of School. “Our teachers are eager to incorporate many of the new strategies taught at these workshops into their lesson plans.”

SHA was able to have 15 educators attend training in New York City at the Design Studio. The 2-day training program focused on actionable plans that can be implemented to enhance student growth. Participants left the workshop with a specific plan for implementation. In addition, each educator will have access to a Better Lesson coach for a year. Educators are required to meet online each month with their coach to work on set goals that help personalize student learning.

The entire early childhood team participated in a workshop on Conscious Discipline--a practice that focuses on incorporating social-emotional wellbeing into the entire educational system through systematically enhancing the social-emotional skills of administrators, teachers, students and families. A few middle school teachers attended a 3-day workshop on responsive classrooms which features an approach of well-designed practices intended to create a safe, joyful, and engaging classroom and school community.

Teachers weren’t the only ones benefiting from hands-on professional development programs. Associate Head of School, Chanie Geisinsky joined the Harvard School of Education as part of the LEV (Leadership an Evolving Vision) Program. Mrs. Geisinsky joined with a cohort of deep thinking Jewish Day School leaders in learning ways to improve their schools, with a special focus on their Jewish mission and vision.

For more information on the Silverstein Hebrew Academy and programs for PreK through 8th grade students, please call 516-466-8522.