Professional Development Update: Faculty & Staff Excellence

Dear Golda Och Academy Community,

 

While our students are off on November 5, our teachers will be engaged in meaningful, collaborative learning alongside their peers from the three other Greater MetroWest Jewish day schools. At Golda Och Academy, we care deeply about professional development and growth. As the Deans of Faculty, we would like to give you some insight about the innovative work in which our teachers are engaged. 

 

In our roles, we oversee all aspects of the professional development program for the faculty and guide each staff member towards exciting opportunities to further develop their teaching practice. This includes designing, coordinating and implementing training that is aligned with our school’s mission. Additionally, we work closely with individual teachers and department chairs with a focus on mentorship, growth and collaboration. Another valuable part of our work is visiting classrooms and providing constructive feedback. Above all, we provide our faculty with support and encouragement, gratified to see the results of our joint efforts.

 

Our teachers are eager to learn and constantly seek opportunities to enhance their practice. Attending professional development fulfills individual, departmental and schoolwide goals. Even more importantly, teachers work collaboratively to learn from and with one another. Our faculty actively welcome opportunities to be teacher-leaders. Whether by leading lunch-and-learn sessions for their colleagues, offering an open classroom for visitation, or presenting at schoolwide faculty meetings, teachers are motivated and inspired by the chance to help others develop and grow. 

 

In addition to the work that is taking place in our school, we collaborate throughout the year with all of the other Greater MetroWest NJ Day Schools (Gottesman RTW Academy, Joseph Kushner Hebrew Academy and the Jewish Educational Center of Elizabeth) as part of the Greater MetroWest Day School Initiative. This initiative is part of a $1 million+ effort from the Jewish Federation of Greater MetroWest to enhance professional development in our schools. It supports meetings for Heads of Schools and Deans of Faculty, as well as the Quest for Teaching Excellence Conference held every two years. The conference brings together a total of more than 600 classroom teachers, experiential educators, staff and administration, cultivating relationships between faculty and staff across the schools. 

 

The theme of this year’s conference, which takes place on Tuesday, November 5, is The World in Our Jewish Day Schools: How the Social, Cultural, and Political Climate in Which We Live Impacts Our Work. Participants have the opportunity to attend workshops as well as network in affinity groups with their counterparts from the other schools. This conference has been the impetus for tremendous learning for our school and for changes we have made in teaching and learning. 

 

We are truly grateful for the support from the Day School Initiative and our own school resources that allow us to invest in our faculty and staff and help us continue to provide excellent academics. We look forward to sharing updates throughout the year on the exciting professional development opportunities our teachers are engaged in and how these innovative ideas translate into the classroom. As always, we thank you for your support of our teachers and staff and their passion to continuously grow and develop.

 

Dean of Faculty, Lower School