Faculty Summer Research: Bullying, Grit and Self Control

Germantown Academy faculty pursue professional development during the summer months with the generous support of the Edward R. Kast Faculty Professional Development Fund.  Developing curriculum, attending conferences and workshops, writing, and traveling, teachers engage in their own learning so that they can effectively engage their students during the school year.

Dr. Janet Maurer, GA’s Director of Counseling, attended the American Psychological Association Convention, in Toronto, Canada this summer and discussed topics including bullying prevention, grit and self-control, and the impact of Alzheimer’s on families.  Click here for Dr. Maurer’s full report by clicking here.

Cracking the Code: Creating the Code

Coding has come to GA!  Want to know why…and what it is and how, please join us for our first 1^st Thursday on October 1, 2016, in the Beard Center for Innovation (this is a change from previous communications) from 3:30-5:00 p.m. 

 We will hear from Sue McHugh, Dan Stahl, and Zach Posnan, Lower School teachers, who will share their “GA groundbreaking” Summer 2015 Kast Grant work.  Additionally, we are fortunate to have join us Amanda Elefante, GA parent and founder of InspireTech, “a community partnership of tech companies and high schools in the Bucks & Montgomery County area that inspires a passion for technology among educators and local youth.”

“Every student should have the opportunity to learn computer science. It helps nurture problem-solving skills, logic and creativity. By starting early, students will have a foundation for success in any 21st-century career path. See more stats on Code.org by clicking here.”  Hour of Code

If you know nothing about coding, please come.  If you know a lot, please come as well and share your enthusiasm and expertise.

"Every Kid Needs a Champion" Rita Pierson at TED

The school year begins, and we create curriculum, set up schedules, build VLE sites, design activities and Smart lessons, and work hard to teach the students we value the subjects we value. Please take a minute to listen to this TED TALK; it reminds us that the foundation of all learning is relationship. Click here.

The People of Color Conference

“The People of Color Conference is the flagship of the National Association of Independent Schools' commitment to equity and justice in teaching and learning.  The mission of the conference is to provide a safe space for leadership and professional development and networking for people of color and allies of all backgrounds in independent schools.”

This year’s PoCC is in Tampa, Florida, December 3-5, 2015.

If you are interested, please send Carol Ayers, Co-Head of the US Modern Language Dept. and US Diversity Director, an email explaining how you believe this conference could benefit you and your teaching.  For more information about the conference click here.

Happy New Year!

At the school’s Opening Faculty and Staff Meeting, Middle School English Teacher, Assistant Director of Athletics for Middle School, and Varsity Track Coach, Pete Jennings delivered a provocative treatise on time and quoting Rudyard Kipling’s poem If, reminded us that “If you can fill the unforgiving minute with sixty seconds’ worth of distance run, yours is the Earth and everything that’s in it.” Pete says, “Kipling seems to be challenging us to recognize the hard truth that time moves on, and really our only choice is to cram whatever we can into each of these finite moments.”  To enjoy the whole convocation address, please click here.

Welcome to the 2015-2016 School Year!

Welcome to the newest addition to the GA Professional Development Program:  CraftED ~ evolving the art of teaching, a blog intended to keep you updated on the wide world of professional development at GA.

At GA we strive to connect members of the community with the many different kinds of meaningful experiences that will improve their ability to help GA evolve the art of teaching.

This blog will provide information on a whole range of PD topics including

Ed Tec, Opportunity/News, Travel, Peer to Peer, Mentorship, Lectures and Presentations, Research and Pedagogy, and Professional Learning Communities, Makerspace Ed.