AGENDA
Wednesday, November 18, 2015
12:00 - 6:00
Check in
You will receive your welcome packet at the front desk.
6:00
Reception
Fireside Lounge
A buffet dinner will be served casual style. Join us for some, networking, light games and plenty
of laughs following dinner. The event is BYOB.
Thursday, November 19, 2015
Morning Sessions
7:30 – 8:30
Breakfast
Emily’s
Be sure to bring the meal voucher you received at check-in. This breakfast is one of the best in
town.
8:30 – 9:30
Reclaiming What Matters: Purpose and Mission
Board Room
State mandates, acronyms you can’t even remember, and little support in sight – these are the
realities of our districts. How can we continue when the regulations keep coming? Join us for a
look into the potential of our collective group, the ways we can carve out time for innovation,
creativity, and sharing, and a way for us to reclaim what matters.
9:30 – 10:30
Going Pink: Motivation and Innovation
Board Room
Daniel Pink considers motivation and innovation in his acclaimed book, Drive. What is the
potential for innovative practices in an age where state initiatives drive the local efforts to
improve teaching and learning? This session will move us toward an understanding of Pink’s
tenets of thought and a practical application of the motivation and innovation lacking in
education.
10:30 – 10:45
Coffee Break
10:45 – 11:45
Differentiated Professional Development
Board Room
Meeting the needs of teachers can be a tricky road to travel. Some are veteran with a need for
idea-infusion, some are brand new and need “high ropes” training, and some are reluctant to
do PD at all. In this session, we will share our current systems for differentiating professional
development based on the needs of teachers. Bring your own working ideas and plan to ignite
good thinking about best practices.
11:45 – 12:45
Lunch
Emily’s
Don’t forget your meal voucher for this lunch.
Thursday, November 19, 2015
AFTERNOON
12:45 – 1:15
Mission Makers
Board Room
This session continues the work of our first session with an eye on
refining and reflecting our purpose.
1:15 – 2:15
Concurrent Sessions: Please choose one to attend.
Session A: Characteristics of Highly Effective Instruction
Board Room
Objectives. Activities. Standards. Assessments. These are the elements that frame highly effective
instruction in the classroom. We all know, however, that there’s more to instruction than
objectives and standards. So what exactly is highly effective instruction and what does it look
like the classroom? How do we assess it? Support it? Improve it? Join us as we engage in a lively
discussion about some of the elements of highly effective instruction reclaiming what matters in
the classroom.
Session B: Creating Future Ready Schools
Fireside Lounge
Led by the US Department of Education and the Alliance for Excellent Education, the Future
Ready Schools (FRS) movement is a “free, bold effort to maximize digital learning opportunities
and help school districts move quickly toward preparing students for success in college, a
career, and citizenship” (Alliance for Excellent Education, 2015). This session will utilize the FRS
framework as a starting point for our discussion on (1) the evolution of schools, (2) the knowledge
and skills our students need to navigate an ever-changing academic and professional
landscape, and (3) how we move from patterns of the past to a future orientation. Share your
lofty ideas and ideals with your Delaware County colleagues as we create our own map toward
future readiness for schools, students, and educators.
2:15 – 3:15
New Teachers and Their Induction
Board Room
The people we hire are essential to our students’ success. Induction is an opportunity to help
new staff transition into the district and understand the expectations of their new work
environment. This can be challenging since people are hired for a variety of positions and with
different ranges of experience. In this session, participants will share their approaches to
induction and discuss ideas they may have for redesigning induction programs to be more
effective.
3:15 – 3:30
Break
3:30 – 4:30
Team Building Activity
Meet in the Fireside Lounge
Team Building: A test of cognitive skill, collaboration, and coordination! Dress comfortably.
4:30 – 5:30
FREE TIME
The boardwalk is nice and quiet at this time, and The Shoppes at Flanders Hotel (connected to
the first floor of the hotel) and the Mia’s Christmas Gallery (10th & Boardwalk) are great places to
start your holiday shopping early.
5:30 – 9:00
Dinner/Networking Activities
Terrace/Fireside Lounge
Please join us for dinner and our vendor presentation. The dress is casual and the fireside
networking activities are team bonding at its best. You do not need a meal voucher for this
event.
Friday, November 20, 2015
Morning Sessions
7:30 – 8:30
Breakfast
Emily’s
Be sure to bring the meal voucher you received at check-in.
8:30 – 9:30
Reclaiming What Matters: Purpose and Mission Wrap Up
Board Room
This session will focus on where the journey has taken us so far. Final reflections and thoughts will
lead us into our remaining sessions of the Summit.
9:30 – 10:15
Coffee Break and Open Spaces
Board Room/Fireside Lounge
Open Space Technology, conceptualized by organizational consultant Harrison Owen, is an
approach to conferences that allows time for organically developed conversations around
topics of interest and problems of practice. After working together in a variety of sessions, this
time allows participants the opportunity to seek out colleagues for continued discussion, mine
the room for resources, or gather your thoughts for new ideas.
10:15 – 11:15
Building Curriculum Director Capacity through Collaboration: Our Future Together
Board Room
Equipped with the various roles and responsibilities of our CD team in Delaware County, this
session is designed to promote small group collaboration on areas of shared interest and
responsibility. In addition, the CD team will discuss ways in which to continue the vibrant
discussions and collaboration throughout the year.
11:15 – 12:00
Summit Wrap Up
12:00
Lunch on your own