PTLC TeacherSPACE

All moved out...

2009-08-13T14:27:00.001-07:00

Friends,
As of tonight (August 13, 2009), we will officially be OUT of our start up space in rear of Wissahickon Charter School. We have no solid plans for our next move, and welcome ideas you might have! In the meantime, PTLC meetings happen every Thursday from 4:45-6:45. Email me (cpuntel@philasd.org) if you would like a schedule.

In the meantime, have a wonderful summer's end and a super start to your school year.

Peace,
Christina

Come and Get It 2

2009-06-08T17:25:00.000-07:00

Stop by to pick up quality, free classroom resources. We still have some nice sets of books for middle school and elementary school as well as many, many books to add to your classroom libraries. Lots of great manipulatives and magazines for projects... So much to chose from!

Be there:
Saturday, June 13
10am-1pm
@ TeacherSPACE, 4700 WIssahickon Ave
(side, rear entrance of Wissahickon Charter School
2nd to the last door!!!)

HUGE Moving Event! Free, quality classroom supplies and resources!

2009-05-22T08:06:00.000-07:00

We have to move out of our TeacherSPACE room at Wissahickon Charter School because the school is expanding. People will be looking into other locations. Meanwhile, here are two important dates for the TeacherSPACE.

SATURDAY, MAY 30th, 10 am until 3 pm COME AND GET IT. Please come to get supplies you will be able to use for projects perfect for the end of school: paper, magic markers, arts and crafts supplies.

WEDNESDAY, JULY 8th, 9 am - whenever. THE BIG CLEAN OUT.

We want to assure those of you who donated things TeacherSPACE that we will not be randomly throwing things away. We will be letting go of materials that are obviously worn out and outdated.

PLEASE COME ON MAY 30TH TO GET STUFF FOR YOUR CLASSROOM
PLEASE COME JULY 8TH TO HELP GET READY FOR A MOVE

What we learned from our author talk events

2009-01-25T11:32:00.000-08:00

We were fortunate enough to welcome two authors of children and young adult literature to TeacherSPACE over the last few months. Paul Langan & Deborah Kogan Ray. Each shared their unique stories of becoming writers (and, for Deborah, an illustrator), what inspires their work, and the messages they hope to share with their readers. Paul talked about how, growing up, he found that writing gave him a "voice" to speak up against injustices and challenges. As an author, he aims to invite urban youth into reading by creating novels that speak of their own experiences, thus, giving a voice to their own lives. His series of novels - the Bluford Series- follows the life and times of urban adolescents and the many choices and challenges they face.

Deborah Kogan Ray came into writing through her love of art and illustration. She talked about how the subjects of her books often come to her in a serendipitous manner - they "speak" to her, and she feels a kinship with the story. Her stories and illustrations often celebrate nature, beauty, creativity, and the complexity of interpersonal relationships and family. Though many of her biographical books are of individuals that are not typically taught about in schools (i.e. George Washington, Abraham Lincoln), the underlying themes of family, overcoming challenges, and finding a "voice" resonate throughout them, and connect strongly with readers of all ages.

As teachers, we learned so much about how inspiration comes, the hard work and research that is involved in writing, and the role of finding and sharing a "voice" through writing. It reminds us to keep finding ways to learn about students driving interests, voices, and support them through providing them with a diverse range of experiences and materials.

Below are some photos from the event:

Deborah Kogan Ray discusses her work

Deborah Kogan Ray - Signing her latest book "Wanda Gag: The Girl Who Loved to Draw"

Paul Langan signing a book for one of his fans

Teachers AND students attended Paul Langan's Talk

To learn more about the authors:
Visit www.dkray.com for Deborah Kogan Ray's website
and
Visit www.townsendpress.com for Townsend Press, which publishes the Bluford Series

Anyone else who were any either of the events an wants to chime with their thoughts- feel free!!

-Kira

Author Talk Series with Big Blue Marble Bookstore

2008-12-11T18:08:00.000-08:00

Educators, teachers, and parents, you are invited to the Children's Literature Author-Talk Workshop series! The free workshop series offers an interactive format for authors to discuss their work with educators, and share ideas for teaching and learning through literature. Teachers can receive Act 48 credits if they attend.
The series is sponsored by Big Blue Marble and TeacherSPACE, a teacher resource center located directly behind the Wissahickon Charter school. All workshops will be held at TeacherSPACE.If you are interested in attending, please email ptlcteacherspace@yahoo.com

Author Talk Workshop Series Upcoming Author:
January 24th 1-3pm - Deborah Kogan Ray
Deborah is the author of nine books and the illustrator of more than sixty books for children. Among her many awards are the Drexel Citation for Career Distinction in the Field of Books for Children and the Louis Comfort Tiffany Foundation Grant Award for Painting. Her newest book, Wanda Gag: The Girl Who Lived to Draw, was published this fall.

2008-12-11T18:07:00.000-08:00

TeacherSPACE opened! December 6th and December 20th, 10-2

2008-12-04T18:50:00.000-08:00

We would love to see you. Great ideas for curriculum, simple book making, warm drinks, and great teacherly vibes. Please take class sets for YOUR classroom. We have so many resources that you can take back with you.

267 402 7479 for more information!

Paul Langan brings Bluford High to TeacherSPACE!

2008-10-27T17:17:00.000-07:00

Saturday, November 1st
1pm to 3pm
Paul Langan, one of the authors of the Bluford High series visits TeacherSPACE. Join in lively discussion, enjoy light refreshments, and leave with great books!

RSVP if you can, come no matter what!
ptlcteacherspace@yahoo.com
267 402 7479

Peace,
Christina

How to visit TeacherSPACE these days...

2008-10-06T18:28:00.001-07:00

TeacherSPACE is a warm, engaging place with great curricular materials to borrow or browse. We do not have regular fall drop in hours, but we DO encourage you to email to arrange a time for a visit. We would love to open the doors for you and send you back to your classroom or homeschool with beaucoup materials and ideas.

Email Christina: lapuntel@hotmail.com

Watch for some great author's events this school year. We welcome Paul Langan, an author of the Bluford Series, on November 1st at TeacherSPACE. Stay tuned for more details. All are welcome... students, teachers, and other readers of these edgy YA fictions.

Summer Organization Days at TeacherSPACE

2008-06-30T10:41:00.000-07:00

Summer is here and we finally have a chance to catch a collective breathe! We invite you and your kind to drop off new or gently used teacher materials to TeacherSPACE. Stay around and browse some great classroom stuff before you leave. We also invite you to stop by if you'd like to offer some organizational skills to the SPACE.

Monday, July 14th, 10:00-12:30
BASTILLE DAY! We'll have yummy pastries, fresh fruit, and cool beverages.

Tuesday, July 15th, 10:00-12:30

Can't wait to see ya!

267 402 7479 (my cell)

PTLC Meeting @ TeacherSPACE on Thursday, April 3 from 4 to 7

2008-03-30T11:23:00.000-07:00

We would love to see you on Thursday for a Descriptive Review of a 7th grader at TeacherSPACE. You might also want to browse through our class sets of books, interesting curricular materials, and student work.

We are working out details about our Spring hours, so stay tuned for that! Send an email, in the meantime, if you need to get your hands on something. We have some interesting ideas percolating and as soon as we have details firmed up, we'll let you all know.

See you Thursday, we hope!

TeacherSPACE now open on SATURDAYS!

2008-01-24T17:07:00.000-08:00

TeacherSPACE is open on Saturdays from 10-12 for browsing, borrowing, and donation drop off until March 8th! Some information you will need to know:

- We are located in the back of Wissahickon Charter School. We will leave the gate open for you!

- Drive all the way around the to very back of the building and you will see our signs. We even have a doorbell now, thanks to Julie!

Hot coffee, internet access, rich curricular materials and the company of other teachers on Saturdays @ TeacherSPACE.

(We could use a few extra hands to organize books and posters. Many hands make light work.)

Winter Saturday Workshops and Networking

2008-01-10T15:54:00.001-08:00

TeacherSPACE invites you to our first Saturday workshop on January 19th from 10-12. We will be open for browsing and borrowing the amazing resources we have compiled for classroom use.

You are also invited to attend a workshop during this time!
Gingerbread Houses: An integrated curriculum
Lynne Strieb will talk about different aspects of her gingerbread house curriculum (math, architecture, reading, cultural studies, and science connections a plenty). This is a heads on and hands on workshop and we sure hope to see you all there.

More workshop information to follow about our Winter Schedule!

Winter Professional Development Schedule at TeacherSPACE

2007-12-05T16:09:00.001-08:00

Welcome to Winter! Soon, this blog will announce our Winter Professional Development offerings... We are proud to offer intriguing, relevant, and inspiring professional development at TeacherSPACE during the winter months. You will notice that our hours will change as well. We will open on select Saturdays for specific workshops as well as your own browsing, borrowing, and classroom planning/provisioning. Check back to this blog for updates and for the TeacherSPACE Winter Professional Development offerings.

It was great seeing so many of you on November 30th at our Happy Hour! Joanne, Allison and her friend from Mariana Bracetti Academy, Koke, Betsy and David, Helen, Barbara, Charlie, Diane, Cheryl, Christina, Mark and Jonah, Kira and Jules, Steve, Paul, Amy, and Mary Lou made the evening sparkle. (I'm sure I've left someone out... Sorry!) We all did lots of networking, arranging classroom visitations among other things. If you haven't had time to stop by this Fall, we sure hope to see you on a few of these wintery Saturdays!

TeacherSPACE Party, Friday November 30th and Winter Professional Development Opportunities

2007-11-14T11:23:00.000-08:00

TeacherSPACE has been up and running for almost four months! We invite you to celebrate with us on Friday, November 30th from 5-7pm. Stop by for light fare, great conversation, chocolates, and fine friends. Everyone that comes will be the first to get their hands on the TeacherSPACE Winter Schedule! We have some Saturday Act 48 workshops planned as well as other interesting happenings.

If you need a ride, Joanne is coordinating a car pool list: jdonahue@phila.k12.pa.us

Also in November:
- We are CLOSED Wednesday, November 14th and Wednesday, November 21st
- We are OPENED Wednesday, November 28th; PTLC Planning Meeting at TeacherSPACE on 11/29, and PARTY! on 11/30

Join us! Wednesday, 10/24/07 - Making Fluency Fun

2007-10-14T16:47:00.001-07:00

Teaching reading is joyful work. Learning, even these days, can be fun! At TeacherSPACE, we believe that students of all ages learn best when they are able to join in as makers of knowledge. This workshop focuses on Reader's Theater and making story boxes and even simple costumes for different stories. While we will focus on plays of favorite children's stories (Bony Legs, Anansi and the Moss Covered Rock, Bringing the Rain to Kapiti Plain and others), teachers of middle school and high school students might see this as a perfect service learning opportunity for your older students, and a great way to reinforce leadership skills! Excellent workshop for teachers and parents of English Language Learners and students who receive Learning Support, really-- for every child. Join your colleagues for a FREE afternoon workshop at TeacherSPACE and receive Act 48 credits on Wednesday, October 24 from 4:00-7:00.

RSVP to ptlcteacherspace@yahoo.com if you will attend. Space is limited, so feel free to tell a friend (teacher, parent, even grandparent) but make sure to reserve your spot!!

10/4 Guided Reading Meeting

2007-10-05T15:54:00.000-07:00

The PTLC Guided Reading meeting yesterday was inspiring, fascinating and incredibly interesting. Joyce Kemmler, a long-time PTLC member, spoke about her experiences teaching emerging and struggling readers, traveling to New Zealand to learn about Reading Recovery and Guided Reading strategies, and common questions and problems teachers come across when teaching guided reading. Afterwards, Christina Puntel facilated a whole group discussion which was part question-and-answer and part idea/experience sharing. Finally attendees were able to peruse some of the book sets selected by Joyce and Betsy Wice which are PTLC favorites and available to borrow at TeacherSPACE. Big thanks to all who attended and helped to organize the meeting! Below are some pictures of the event, and the most recent changes to the space.

Fall Into Wednesdays With TeacherSPACE

2007-09-07T17:03:00.000-07:00

This Fall, TeacherSPACE will open on Wednesdays from 4:00 until 8:00 in the evening. We will meet informally on Wednesdays to talk about teaching and community, get ideas for projects, help organize the curriculum library, and just spend some time browsing the library of resources at TeacherSPACE.

Mark your calendars! Starting Wednesday, September 26th and ending on Wednesday, December 12th we invite you to stop by and bring a friend or two. (Reminder: We will not open the Wednesday evening before Thanksgiving.)

Look for a brochure with special discussions and Saturday workshops soon. In the meantime, squirrel away a few Wednesdays to enjoy the company of other teachers, parents, and school folk. We'll be there when you knock and so will the monarchs, if you stop by before they leave for Mexico...

(See the side bar for more information about where we are located, directions, etc.)

Back to School Workshop at TeacherSPACE

2007-08-17T15:50:00.000-07:00

We invite you to experience TeacherSPACE

on Thursday, August 30, 2007 from 4:00-7:00.

As you prepare your classroom for the new school year...

-share ideas with colleagues from across the city

-join in a make and take session centered around community building activities

-peruse the lending library of cross curricular resources

We don’t even think about this as a workshop… It’s an inspirationshop!

Email ptlcteacherspace@yahoo.com for more information. Invite a friend.

Action Report from TeacherSPACE !

2007-07-26T10:31:00.000-07:00

The hundreds of science, math, social studies, art, music, literature, and professional books have been put on their shelves.
The math manipulatives, science materials, audio-visual equipment, and class project displays have been organized and set up. We have a huge meeting-space area, cozy couches, and coffee pots galore --
In sum - WE'RE PSYCHED!
Thanks to everyone who came out today to set things up, brainstorm and work their tails off on making such a nice cozy space. The next few meetings will entail doing some minor sorting of books and supplies, and some long range action planning. We look forward to seeing anyone who can make it -- Oh, and when you come, you can also PERUSE or BORROW some teaching materials!

Thanks again to all who donated supplies and/or came out to help set up!
Kira

PS. Pictures will be coming soon!

WOOOHOO!!

2007-06-21T11:56:00.000-07:00

Great news! We have been awarded a Sparkplug Foundation grant (see www.sparkplugfoundation.org) for TeacherSPACE!!! With the funds, we can host several workshops over the year, as well as push forward on cataloging our projects and ideas into a working curriculum resource library. We are looking forward to the great programming and resources we will be able to share with each other.

Also, we've made a schedule of days that TeacherSPACE will be open over the summer for various activities. Below is a detailed version of the schedule. A summary of the open dates is also on the side bar.

Drop off/Set up dates (when people can come by with donations, help catalog things and set up the space)
June 28th 9-11am –Christina hosts.
July 19th 4-7pm – Betsy hosts

Grant Planning meetings & Drop off/Set up: (plan for grants and set up the space)
July 26th , Time 9am-12pm– Hosts: Betsy, Lynne
August 2nd, Time 9am-12pm – Hosts: Kira, Joanne

Make & Take/ Communal Planning - Plan for classroom set-up, get/share ideas
August 30th, 4-7pm – Christina Hosts

And coming in the future....
Fall Open-Houses: Wednesday evenings, 4-8pm starting Sept. 5th.
Each time will have a “theme” i.e. art teachers, science etc, but will be open to all who want to visit, schmooze, and collaborate/talk with other teachers.
We’ll also have PTLC meetings there about once a month or so.

Next Planning Meeting Date

2007-06-12T08:18:00.000-07:00

We will meet at Helen Lamont's apartment on Thursday, June 21st from 10:30 until 12:00 to finalize "open house" days (days when you can come to hang out/ work on things together), grant planning meetings, and other activites occuring over the summer and early fall. We will also go into more detail on current grantwritng plans. If you need Helen's address, please email ptlcteacherspace@yahoo.com . If you'd like to be there, but can't make it, please also email us, and we'll send you a copy of the meeting notes.

Hope to see you there!

The best gifts were....

2007-05-31T16:50:00.000-07:00

Today we had a fabulous "Shower" party for TeacherSPACE.
Many PTLC'ers came with donations for the space, such as teaching materials (maps, instructional videos, classroom organizers....), furniture, and decorations. The best gifts by far, however, were the energy and ideas that people shared. We started the afternoon discussing what we brought and why, and then launched into a conversation about ideas for the future. Many ideas about partnerships, resource sharing, and use of the space emerged -- and Christina and I were so happy to hear that many of the ideas were similar to some of the grants we've been thinking about applying to. We decided that we'll probably have a few planning sessions over the summer at TeacherSPACE about these projects and grants. We'll make the date announcements over the listserv and blog. Please share comments to this post of other ways you'd like to see the space being used over the summer (book clubs, joint material-making, other get-togethers, etc.).

After our discussion, we got right into working on the space - setting up, organizing and cleaning. It's really starting to feel like a home away from home. Below are some pictures:

A cozy spot

starting to fill the book cases with materials...

Some of the great book donations we've gotten - class sets, children's literature, professional books - all so wonderful!

An appetizing collection of hors d'ouerves
Some of us at the end of the meeting (many folks who came earlier are not pictured here)

Thanks again to everyone who came - this is a great start to the summer!!!

Kira

Update & Reminder

2007-05-30T11:34:00.000-07:00

All,

First, I would like to acknowledge the passing of a great teacher, colleague, and to many of us, friend, Marci Resnick. Our thoughts and prayers go out to her and her family.

Tomorrow is the big "TeacherSPACE Shower" Party. We invite everyone to come, generate ideas, and spiff the place up for the Summer. We also hope that visitors will bring a "shower gift" (i.e. donation) for the space. Please take a look at the wishlist for ideas. The only change in the list is that we seem to be doing okay at this point with chairs/couches.

Look forward to seeing everyone!

-Kira

A big thank you...

2007-05-19T16:03:00.000-07:00

To all who helped by donating furniture, books and supplies and everyone who helped unload stuff today - you are the best! We've decided that since we're waiting on several grants about paints etc. that we'd set up the space as best we could to cover exposed walls etc. - and it looks GREAT! Sorry I didn't bring my camera - will have some pictures up soon though. It is cozy, useful, creative and warm - you can tell we've poured our hearts into it. I will have a more official "thank you" list up names up soon - but I wanted to get this message out asap!

-Kira

PS. mad props to Christina for renting the big uhaul and going to several pick up spots before 10:30 in the morning (it arrived FULL at TeacherSPACE).

Just a box of rain...

2007-05-16T06:38:00.000-07:00

Well, not really.

In reality, on Saturday, May 19th we have a packed 17' UHAUL truckload of TeacherSPACE "stuff" to unload. We hope to arrive at TeacherSPACE with this grand ol' thing sometime before noon and we need a major push to help unload and set things up for temporary use.

If you are available and would like to help out, here is what you can do:

Email lapuntel@hotmail.com (christina) and leave a cell phone number or someplace we can reach you to let you know we are nearing TeacherSPACE on Saturday morning.

THANKS!

A temporary spiffing up

2007-05-10T18:02:00.000-07:00

We had our first-ever PTLC meeting at TeacherSPACE today. Although we haven't painted yet, we wanted to make the place feel homey enough for a meeting, so we did some temporary spiffing up from the donated furnitures and supplies we had at hand. Here's a few shots from the meeting (excuse the picture quality - they are from a cell phone)

We've have some great donations of furniture come in so that helped a lot (thanks especially to Diane for the shelving and drawer set, and Mark for the recliner chairs!). Please keep em' coming!

Words Words Words

2007-05-02T09:54:00.000-07:00

Another addition to the sidebar: articles and research by or about PTLC and its members. There are inspirational, incredible, and valuable stories of our teaching and learning in these papers, so if you have a chance, read one or two - or share them with a friend!

Oh and special thanks to Christina for compiling these!

First official meetings planned at TeacherSPACE

2007-04-26T10:24:00.000-07:00

The new schedule for PTLC meetings is up - located on the side bar.

Two meetings on the schedule are located at TeacherSPACE. We are hoping these meetings will fuel our efforts in developing the space.

For the May 10th meeting, we hope that people will bring a sample of a great project/activity they do in their classroom, so we can begin to make a display of classroom projects.

By May 30th we're assuming a lot of people are probably starting to clean out their classrooms for the summer (or at least dream about it). So we're having a TeacherSPACE "Shower" (similar to a baby shower); we're asking for people to bring donations of supplies from the wish list. It should be a fun, end of year event, where we can also think together about the future of the space.

Look forward to seeing you there.

How to communicate

2007-04-25T06:49:00.000-07:00

Up to now, we've been relying on people to send out messages to the ptlc email list (mostly Lynne -thank you, by the way). We'd like to make it easier to have a discussion and converse about the teacher center. So here are three ways to do so:

1. Comment on the blog - for those of you new to blogging, you can comment on any message posted by going to the bottom of the message and clicking "comment"

2. Join our new listserve- there is a new link on the blog (to your right) just enter in your email address and you will be signed up. When you sign up you can chose to have a "digest" of emails sent daily/weekly, or individual daily emails. You will also be able to post messages to everyone on the listserve.

3. Email ptlcteacherspace@yahoo.com - christina or kira will be checking it every few days.

Lets get the conversation going!!

Here are a few things to talk about -
Grant ideas
Fixing up the space
Workshop ideas (or, as Helen likes to say, "play"shop ideas - fun, making things)
Networking/partnership possibilities
Where to get donations

Also - if you have any "ptlc" pictures (of meetings or fun things we do), you can send them to the ptlcteacherspace@yahoo.com and we will post them in the "PTLC favorites" section of the blog, which is now currently featuring "Discovering Silkworms."

Have a good week everyone!

Phase One Complete!

2007-04-22T15:17:00.000-07:00

Thanks to all our great volunteers, we managed to clear out our space (donated generously by Wissahickon Charter School), and start the clean up. It had been used as a storage space by the school, so the first job was to clear out all the old boxes.

Here is a "before" picture:

First we took out the boxes,

Then we cleaned the walls and the floor,

uncovered the window,

and pretty much cleared the place out.

Everyone had a great time

and even the little ones helped out...

Phase Two will be painting the walls, putting in shelving, and organizing our donations for the space. We're looking forward to another Fiesta or two this summer to complete Phase two.

Thanks to all who helped:

Karl
Sol
Lynne
Dan
Tonya
Paula
Joanne
Kaya
Marta
Chelsea
Doron
Rhoda
Lisa
Amy
Helen
Kokie
Al
Jeremy
Chris
Sophia
Mark
Allison
Jules
Jonah
Judi
Christina
Kira

We have a space, now what?

2007-04-16T17:22:00.000-07:00

After months (and to some of us, years) of work envisioning a teacher resource center, we finally have a space to build it. So we're throwing a party - or as Christina likes to say, "Fiesta de Limpieza!" It's this Sunday, so we'll update everyone (and yes, share pictures) on it next week.

If you are a teacher in Philly reading this, and you'd like to get involved or support TeacherSPACE, here are some easy ways to become involved:

1. Donate supplies for the center (see our wish list below).
2. Join our planning committee: we meet once a month to plan, envision and strategize for about the center.
3. Spread the word: do you know some person or group who would be a good partner or resource for our center? If so, help us connect with them!
4. Share your opinions and ideas. Please email us or comment with any ideas you have for the center. Or ask us to put you on the e-news list.

Our WISHLIST

These are a few examples of what we need. If you have any of these items or anything else that might help, please let us know, and we can pick them up. We’ll also offer a lending service for teaching supplies, so please tell us if you’d like to loan anything .

Furniture & Homewares
Table
Chairs
Rug
Foam Mats
Wall hangings/Pictures
Plants
Pillows
Couch/Chairs
Tablecloth

Technology & Equipment
Computer (Laptop)
Printer
Radio/CD player
Coffee Machine
Microwave
Electric frying pan/Stove
Phone
Clock

Cleaning & Construction Supplies
Rags
Rope
Duct Tape
Scissors
Mop/Broom
Bucket
Soap/Cleansers
Tools (hammer, screwdriver etc.)
Nails, screws
Wall putty

Teaching & Office Supplies
Arts & Crafts supplies
Paper (white, construction, newsprint)
Posters
Books
Videos
Tapes
Records
Science Supplies
Bulk supplies
Board Games
Puzzles