Winter Professional Development Schedule at TeacherSPACE

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

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

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

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

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

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 !

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!