Hudson Junior/Senior High School
Hudson Junior/Senior High School
215 Harry Howard Avenue, Hudson, NY 12534
Keynote Speakers
Morning Keynote: 8:40-9:30 a.m. – Auditorium
Stephen “Dr. Bird” Birchak
Author, professor, counseling psychologist, former college wrestling coach of the year, hus-band, father, and reformed class clown, Dr. Bird is a nationally recognized speaker on issues of positive psychology and has spoken to over 250,000 professionals, service providers, educators, parents, and students nationwide. He is the author of 5 books including “It’s Not a Crisis – It’s an Inconvenience!” which has quickly become a workplace and personal motto for thousands of people across the nation who are infusing his principles of attitude change into their daily lives. He also wrote “The Jerk Whisperer” and “How to Build a Child’s Character by Tapping into Your Own.” Dr. Bird also wrote the popular children’s book “The Bird and the Bear” based on his own life. He offers small practical changes in our day-to-day behaviors that have been used by professionals, administrators, executives, fortune 500 corporate leaders, teachers, parents, and children. Dr. Birchak was honored as the “New York State Champion of Character,” and was presented with the “Friend of Education” award from the School Administrator’s Association of New York.
The Happiness Code: The 5 Active Reflections of Really Really Happy Educators!
How can we stay positive when life is getting tough? How do we re-energize when life seems to drain us? When the whole world is becom-ing more stressed, can organizations and individuals create a positive attitude change? Dr. Bird has spent nearly 4 decades as a college professor researching and teaching positive psychology and the effects of tension, stress, and change in our culture. He uses research, theory, humor, and reflection to explain and clarify the critical influences on happiness in our lives. He offers strategies and functional skills for dealing with toxic people, attitude change, and stressful situations. In this day and age of hostility and tension, we could all use a little more serenity and Dr. Bird leaves every audience with new essential skills as well as inspiration. The 5 active reflections not only change lives, they often save them as well.
Afternoon Keynote: 12:40-1:30 p.m. – Auditorium
Kevin Honeycutt
Kevin grew up in poverty and attended school in many cities across the United States. As he witnessed education around the country he collected powerful experiences that still influence his conversations and his work with educators. He spent 13 years teaching art K-12 in public school and for 17 years spent summers leading creative adventure camps for kids of all ages.
In 1991 he received the Making IT Happen Award which is an internationally recognized awards program for edu-cators and leaders in the field of educational technology integration in K–12 schools. The program identifies and rewards educational technology leaders around the world for their commitment and innovation.
Trends, Tools, & Tactics for 21st Century Learning
This keynote is a fun look at the exciting things that happen when educators step outside their boxes and try new tools. It reinforces the importance of relationships while encouraging teachers to become learners again through positive examples of student success.
Workshops
Session A Workshops – 9:45-10:30 a.m.
The 5 Golden Rules for Staying Connected to Students (Auditorium)
Students often come to school with scars that can’t be seen. Trauma, abuse, and poverty can adversely affect a child’s emotional, physical, and cognitive development. Dr. Bird will look at specific behaviors that allow effective practitioners to deal with the most challenging students. In an era of human disconnection, one of our greatest challenges is to examine effective strategies for connecting with all students and helping them develop more effective coping skills. Dr. Bird will give strategies for how to calm a student or a classroom, become a guide (not a dictator), create effective discipline systems, and create alliances with parents.
Questar III BOCES Teacher Toolbox (Literacy) (Room 22D)
We will present the “Teacher Toolbox” that was created as a resource for Questar III BOCES teachers. This toolbox contains various sections that cover important literacy procedures, tools and strategies. Examples include lists of literacy materials, procedures for Fountas and Pinnell Benchmark testing, tips and ideas for implementing literacy centers, strategies and tools for various areas of literacy (comprehension, vocabulary, decoding, fluency, etc.). The last section of the binder includes the Next Generation ELA Standards Checklists. These checklists were created by a group of Questar III teachers and administrative staff over the past year. Each list breaks down the Next Generation Standards into grade level bands and simplifies the language to provide teachers with a helpful, easy-to-read tool to guide their instruction.
Adapting New Visions Curriculum for Your Instruction (Room 42A)
New Visions for Public Schools creates high quality instructional resources that they share online for school and teachers to access at no cost. These materials can be adapted to meet the needs of individual students as they are all on Google platform and easily modified. Our workshop will introduce teachers to the resources that are available to them and how they can be easily adapted to fit their instruction. Participants will then have the opportunity to split into groups based on content area and explore the instructional materials and find activities that may aid in their instruction.
STEM Research Fellowship (Room 41B)
Learn more about the Questar III summer STEM Program. Through four years of participating as STEM fellows, we have developed lessons based on our experiences. We will explore lessons and discuss how our STEM Fellows’ experiences influence lesson design, increase student engagement and provide students a deeper understanding of technology integration and the sciences.
SHAPE-Self Help and Personal Enrichment (Room 26B)
SHAPE – Self Help and Personal Enrichment (Exploration) is a community process for students (and adults) who would like to help themselves. This program addresses the social and emotional part of the education process. Many adults here at Hudson High have expressed an interest in learning how to better help themselves and in turn help students navigate the transformation from adolescence into adulthood. This program teaches to the part of all human nature, the relationship with self.
Seal of Biliteracy (NYSSB) (Room 45)
In this Session, we will explore The New York State Seal of Biliteracy (NYSSB) which recognizes high school graduates who attain a high level of proficiency in one or more languages, in addition to English. The intent of the NYSSB is to encourage the study of languages, identify high school graduates with language and biliteracy skills for employers, provide universities with additional information about applicants seeking admission, prepare students with twenty-first century skills, recognize the value of foreign and native language instruction in schools, and affirm the value of diversity in a multilingual society. Through the presentation school staff become familiar with the Seal of Biliteracy program and have the information available to establish the program in their districts.
The Balancing Act: Work, Life, and Technology (Room 22C)
We live in a fast-paced world. How can you make time for all of life’s priorities? Learn strategies to help you find balance and live life to the fullest.
Sparking STEM – Inspiring Ingenuity in K-12 Education (Room 44)
Our world is changing faster than ever, and the pace of change will only increase. It’s a fact of life and an added challenge for K-12 educa-tors. How can we prepare our students for the jobs of tomorrow, when we’re less certain of what those jobs will be? Looking at education differently means looking at our school buildings differently. How can we create perfect places to learn? Yes, we want a school that is safe, secure and comfortable; but we also need buildings that are adaptable to changing needs, designed for efficiency, and focused on the future. As educators, your success leads to the education of the next generation of Siemens employees. As one of the largest employers of STEM professionals on the planet, It Is Imperative that Siemens be a partner in learning. This session will provide an overview of how Siemens. as a partner in education can bring advanced STEM learning activities, Project Based Learning initiatives, improved efficient infrastructure and integrated technologies to help create a perfect place to teach, learn and thrive.
Session B Workshops – 10:35-11:20 a.m.
Questar III BOCES Teacher Toolbox (Literacy) (Room 22D)
We will present the “Teacher Toolbox” that was created as a resource for Questar III BOCES teachers. This toolbox contains various sections that cover important literacy procedures, tools and strategies. Examples include lists of literacy materials, procedures for Fountas and Pinnell Benchmark testing, tips and ideas for implementing literacy centers, strategies and tools for various areas of literacy (comprehension, vocabulary, decoding, fluency, etc.). The last section of the binder includes the Next Generation ELA Standards Checklists. These checklists were created by a group of Questar III teachers and administrative staff over the past year. Each list breaks down the Next Generation Standards into grade level bands and simplifies the language to provide teachers with a helpful, easy-to-read tool to guide their instruction.
Adapting New Visions Curriculum for Your Instruction (Room 42A)
New Visions for Public Schools creates high quality instructional resources that they share online for school and teachers to access at no cost. These materials can be adapted to meet the needs of individual students as they are all on Google platform and easily modified. Our workshop will introduce teachers to the resources that are available to them and how they can be easily adapted to fit their instruction. Participants will then have the opportunity to split into groups based on content area and explore the instructional materials and find activities that may aid in their instruction.
Bee Keeping (Room 46A)
Through a grant from donorschoose.org, 2 hives and 2 honey bee colonies were purchased. The students learned all about Honey Bee biology, the incredible cast system and how to care for the bees. This project has been such a success that this past September the students extracted 50 pounds of honey and made over 300 beeswax lip balms and sold out both in the first week of sales. This project has provided a wonderful hands-on real-world learning opportunity for all the students in the course.
SHAPE-Self Help & Personal Enrichment (Room 26B)
SHAPE – Self Help and Personal Enrichment (Exploration) is a community process for students (and adults) who would like to help themselves. This program addresses the social and emotional part of the education process. Many adults here at Hudson High have expressed an interest in learning how to better help themselves and in turn help students navigate the transformation from adolescence into adulthood. This program teaches to the part of all human nature, the relationship with self.
The Culturally Responsive Schools (Room 45)
This presentation focuses on creating an awareness of cultural differences in schools. It provides a recognition of different learning styles and environments conducive for all students, regardless of their ethnic, cultural, or linguistic backgrounds. Culturally responsive teaching incorporates cultural knowledge, prior experiences, and performance methods that make learning more appropriate and effective.
Stress: Manage Stress Before It Manages You! (Room 22C)
Find out the keys to managing stress in today’s modern society. You’ll learn how to identify stress-related symptoms, how to categorize your stressors, and when to take action or use coping skills.
Sparking STEM – Inspiring Ingenuity in K-12 Education (Room 44)
Our world is changing faster than ever, and the pace of change will only increase. It’s a fact of life and an added challenge for K-12 educators. How can we prepare our students for the jobs of tomorrow, when we’re less certain of what those jobs will be? Looking at education differently means looking at our school buildings differently. How can we create perfect places to learn? Yes, we want a school that is safe, secure and comfortable; but we also need buildings that are adaptable to changing needs, designed for efficiency, and focused on the future. As educators, your success leads to the education of the next generation of Siemens employees. As one of the largest employers of STEM professionals on the planet, It Is Imperative that Siemens be a partner in learning. This session will provide an overview of how Siemens. as a partner in education can bring advanced STEM learning activities, Project Based Learning initiatives, improved efficient infrastructure and integrated technologies to help create a perfect place to teach, learn and thrive.
Co-Teach Models (Room 25)
In this presentation, we will explore the six co-teach models and share ways to implement them in your classroom. We will also discuss the positive and negative aspects of each co-teach model.
NYSAA Workshop (Room 50)
Opportunities for instruction and assessment using the ITI Student Learning Profiles – KITE.
Session AB Workshops – 9:45-11:15 a.m.
Writing in AP World and AP European History (Room 24)
This presentation will provide a variety of strategies for improving student understanding of the free-response sections of the AP World and AP European History exams. Instructional techniques, lesson plans, and rubric discussion centered around the SAQ, LEQ, and DBQ prompts will be offered. All materials presented will be given to attendees.
PBL 101 (Room 48A)
Intrigued by the idea of Project-Based Learning, but no idea where to start? Attend this session to begin planning your own product: use standards to promote active exploration of content, craft powerful driving questions, and grab management tips for the classroom experience.
Algebra I Best Practices (Room 48C)
Come and share your best ideas for engaging and encouraging your Algebra I students. Every student has to take Algebra I, so we have to reach a diverse group. I will create a document to share with participants, so we will all know what will be shared and/or needed.
A New York Family in the Civil War (Room 54)
The Penny family – teenagers Alfred and Archibald, mother Jane, and father Elijah – wrote letters to each other throughout the Civil War. Reading and analyzing historical records, like the Penny letters, provides an opportunity for students, and us all, to step back in time to engage in first person accounts of what it was like to be alive during a specific period-of-time. Students empathize with the authors and feel and experience major events and daily life. Historical records, as instructional tools, can be adapted for all students, every discipline, and help students practice and develop lifelong skills of: research, analysis, determining perspective, verifying authenticity, and determining, based on their own interpretation of events. All attendees will receive copies of the documents and supporting materials, links to additional resources, and will learn where to find letters, like the Penny’s, and other historical records in their local communities and online.
Creating a Dynamic Classroom (Room 26A)
Creating a dynamic classroom that empowers your students, encourages participation and inspires creativity all while meeting their individual needs takes innovation and the courage to initiate change. This workshop will model several strategies aimed at making all students active participants in their learning process regardless of their language or ability level and address the differentiation of instructional delivery that is necessary for their success. Be prepared for a hands-on, interactive experience that our students encounter on a daily basis.
Building Engagement in At-Risk-Students (Room 22B)
Building Engagement in At-Risk-Students will be an opportunity for teachers to reflect upon their students’ present mental health, as well as the culture and environment of their own schools and classrooms. This professional development session has three objectives. Each objective relates to engaging students in authentic and cooperative measures in the classroom, while building the teachers’ confidence in teaching at-risk students. Each teacher will leave with SMART goals for using the instructional strategies and a plan for implementation and assessment with the strategies. The two cooperative learning strategies that will be used are “tear and share” and “fishbowl discussion.” In order to meet SMART goal criteria, the goals that the teachers create will be “specific, measurable, aligned realistic, and time-framed.”
Literacy Strategies & Conferences (Room 48B)
Participants will focus on the “Reading and Writing Strategies” book by Jennifer Serravallo and will work with various strategies and practices to use with students when conferring with them as individuals, or in small groups. Participants will learn how to confer with students, allowing them the independence to be partners in assessing their own skills while working with the teacher to create a learning goal for reading and writing. We will then explore how to foster student work and mastery toward this goal and how participants can use several forms of formative assessment during this process to help the students monitor their growth toward this goal, when a goal is mastered and when to set a new goal.
Google Forms: Making Forms More Interactive with Branching Forms (Room 48D)
Google Forms can be used to add an ability to direct students to reinforcers in a quiz or scavenger hunt, or a teacher can create a self-grading test that can give videos and have students watch the video and try the question again. If you are interested, try out this workshop – we will look at this feature and create a simple branching form. Prerequisite: Please have an understanding of Google Forms before taking this workshop. Please bring your laptop or Chromebook to this workshop. iPads will not work with the creation of Google Forms.
School Safety Officer & SRO Roundtable (Room 22A)
This roundtable conversation will include talking points around the importance of building relationships with students. School Safety Programs, like Students Safety Patrol, that SROs have helped establish within their schools can be shared out.
Session C Workshops – 1:45-2:30 p.m.
Powerful Tools 4 Challenging Times (Auditorium)
In this presentation, I explore the amazing and abundant free and affordable tools that we can use to offset costs, maximize effect, and drive improvement in schools.
STEM Research Fellowship (Room 41B)
Learn more about the Questar III summer STEM Program. Through four years of participating as STEM fellows, we have developed lessons based on our experiences. We will explore lessons and discuss how our STEM Fellows’ experiences influence lesson design, increase student engagement and provide students a deeper understanding of technology integration and the sciences.
Leveraging Video in Your Classroom (Room 22A)
In this session we will explore two video creation tools for your classroom: Screencastify and Loom. You will record your first video and see examples of how component districts implemented these tools. Student video creation follows the Four C’s of Education: critical thinking, communication, collaboration, and creativity; these are essential to increase active learning, student motivation, and achievement. Additional material will be provided for further exploration. Please bring a device that you can log into, use Google Classroom, and install the extensions: Screencastify and Loom. Mobile operating systems CANNOT (iPads and cellphones) install extensions.
Bee Keeping (Room 46A)
Through a grant from donorschoose.org, 2 hives and 2 honey bee colonies were purchased. The students learned all about Honey Bee biology, the incredible cast system and how to care for the bees. This project has been such a success that this past September the students extracted 50 pounds of honey and made over 300 beeswax lip balms and sold out both in the first week of sales. This project has provided a wonderful hands-on real-world learning opportunity for all the students in the course.
ESSA Overview (Room 42B)
In this presentation, we will provide a summary of the accountability components of NYS’s accountability system under Every Student Succeeds Act. We will discuss the data that impacts the various measures of success and the criteria for measuring it.
Mental Health 101 (Room 22B)
In this workshop, we will understand mental health as an integral part of overall health. We will explore the prevalence and impact of youth mental health problems: signs and symptoms, as well as, risk and protective factors. We will investigate coping strategies for students and staff and promotion of help-seeking behaviors and the concept of recovery.
The Prescription Drug Abuse (Room 45)
In this workshop, we will discuss the “Pharmacists Teach” program which is a community outreach effort. A CVS pharmacist will share their unique perspective on the dangers of prescription drug abuse. The purpose is to dispel a widely held belief by teenagers that prescription drugs are safer than street drugs. We will look at the signs and consequences of prescription abuse, as well as explore tools to keep teens safe. This program can be brought into your classroom or school to educate teens and parents on this deadly problem.
Engage, Empower & Inspire through Science (Room 42D)
Come and explore ways to embed phenomena, the science and engineering practices, and crosscutting concepts into your science units as you transition to the Next Generation Standards. This workshop will give you the opportunity to collaborate with colleagues to exchange ideas and view specific examples of what these three instructional components look like.
Elementary PLC (HS Library)
In this Professional Learning Community, we will share our personal experiences, both positive and negative; reflect on our own teaching practices; and explore new ideas that increase student achievement. Bring lesson ideas, questions, and an open mind.
Secondary PLC (Room 22C)
In this Professional Learning Community, we will share our personal experiences, both positive and negative; reflect on our own teaching practices; and explore new ideas that increase student achievement. Bring lesson ideas, questions, and an open mind.
Co-Teach Models (Room 25)
In this presentation, we will explore the six co-teach models and share ways to implement them in your classroom. We will also discuss the positive and negative aspects of each co-teach model.