The link above goes to a Google Drive folder containing resources from all presenters. The collection is currently incomplete. The Department of Catholic Schools is in the process of collecting resources.

We appreciate your honest feedback to help inform our planning for future spiritual gatherings and professional development opportunities. Elementary Staff Day Feedback Form

Did you know the Diocese of Oakland has online forums / email groups for every grade level and content area group!? If you started a collaboration at Elementary Staff Day, keep it going!

• 7:30-8:15 AM Hospitality and Fellowship
• 8:15-9:45 Session #1 with Welcome and Prayer
• 9:45-10:00 Break
• 10:00-11:00 Session #2
• 11:00-11:15 Break
• 11:15-11:45 Preparing for the Future
• 11:45-12:15 Lunch
• 12:15-1:15 Session #3
• 1:15-1:30 Break
• 1:30-2:30 Mass

SESSION #1 - 8:15-9:45

Sessions on Curriculum and Instruction to Support Student Learning

Blended Learning-Station Rotation for Math and Reading for Grades K-3 (Small Gym)

(Recommended for Administrators and K-3rd Grade Teachers)

Discover the Core Four elements of Personalized Learning-targeted instruction, data-informed decisions, student reflection and ownership, and integrated digital content. During this session, participants will learn about specific strategies in blended learning that can maximize student growth.

Presenter: Liliana Roberto has a master’s degree in education and literacy and is a primary teacher at Searles Elementary School in Union City. With 27 years in education, Liliana has served as a master teacher and presenter on Blended Learning in New Haven Unified School District.

Classroom Strategies for Students with ADHD/LD (Large Gym)

(Mandatory for Instructional Assistants and recommended for Counselors, Learning Support Coordinators, and Teachers)

Learn the hidden wounds of students with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) or Learning Disabilities (LD), including their psychological, emotional, and academic needs. This session will also address the critical periods of intervention, informal and formal accommodations, and the valuable resources available to support educators.

Presenter: Alan Siegel, Ph.D. is a California Licensed Psychologist (PSY8913) in independent practice in Berkeley. He has been helping children, adolescents, families and adults for over 40 years. Dr. Siegel specializes in comprehensive evaluation of children and adults using neuropsychological, psychological, academic, and developmental assessment tools. He also consults with parents and families, schools and school districts, and provides clinical supervision, expert witness evaluations and testimony, and professional continuing education seminars for mental health and educational professionals.

Desmos: Activities for Middle School Math and Algebra (Math Room)

(Recommended for 6-8 Math Teachers)

Desmos is a set of free math tools and activities for grades 6-12. This includes a graphing calculator, geometry tool, and hundreds of classroom activities to help students develop a deeper understanding of mathematics.

Presenter: Lisa Sanders is the Technology Coordinator and one of the junior high Math teachers at St. Mary School in Walnut Creek.

How to Ignite Creativity with Adobe Spark, Hands-on Intro (Science Room)

(Recommended for Administrators, Teachers, and Tech Coordinators)

Bring learning to life with Adobe Spark! Empower your students to demonstrate their understanding and tell their story by designing creative posters, one-pagers, presentations, and videos. Discover how simple and powerful tools within Adobe Spark can enhance learning and deepen content knowledge.

Presenter: Meredith Robinson is a K-12 Adobe Spark Specialist and K12 Tour Manager who works with school districts in the United States and Canada. To date, she has led over 75 Spark training sessions for educators and trainers in over 30 states (only 20 more to go!) Working closely with educators and trainers is a passion of Meredith’s. Prior to joining Adobe, she worked at Microsoft where she was an education sales and channel marketing manager. Her work involved projects in support of digital literacy for educators, equal access to technology, and creativity in the classroom. She was fortunate to have been involved in a “Teaching with Technology” task force that led to a partnership with UNESCO promoting digital literacy initiatives in developing nations in support of the United Nation’s Millennium Development Goals. She loves helping educators and young creators bring their creative vision to life using Adobe Spark in schools and believes this is her most important work – by far.

How Reading Assessments can Guide Instruction (Room 104)

(Recommended for Administrators, K-2nd Grade Teachers, and Learning Support Coordinators)

This session will focus on how reading assessments can guide instruction. The topics for this presentation includes reading benchmarks, decoding skills, and comprehension for students in K-2. The session will also encompass how reading levels are integrated into standards-based grading. Most importantly, assessments can be used to facilitate guided reading instruction and determine the reading needs of students.

Presenter: Laura Castillo is the Curriculum Support Director at St. Isidore School in Danville. With 24 years in education in both Catholic and public schools, Laura has served as a primary classroom teacher, reading specialist, and trained Reading Recovery teacher. She now works at all grade levels to support reading and writing instruction and curriculum adoption.

Lexia Data Coaching for TK-8th Grade Educators (Tech Lab)

(Recommended for Teachers using Lexia Core5 or PowerUp)

Deepen your understanding of myLexia reports in partnership with your colleagues. Engage in hands-on experiences unpacking your data using Lexia's Data Coaching protocol. Plan data-informed next steps aligned to your goals for student outcomes.

Presenter: Rebecca Bittner began her teaching career around the corner from her childhood home in Los Angeles. With a deep and personal passion for education, she's worked as a classroom teacher, an instructional designer for McGraw-Hill's Center for Innovation, and a district personalized learning manager. When she's not teaching, she can be found learning. Rebecca earned her BA in Literature from the College of Creative Studies at UCSB in 2004 and completed her Single Subject Teaching Credential program in English at CSULB. In 2015, she earned her MA in Social Entrepreneurship from Goldsmiths College, University of London, with an exceptional distinction for her dissertation on commoning as a pathway for innovation within schools.

Star Custom Standards Assessment Tools (Room 107)

(Recommended for Administrators and Core Teachers)

How do you know your students are making progress on the standards? With Star Custom, you can quickly check on students’ skill growth, identify specific skill gaps, and pinpoint where to differentiate instruction so you can confidently move every student toward mastery. In this session, participants will learn the features of Star Custom, utilize various Star reports to understand the academic needs of students, and create an assessment that can be implemented in the classroom.

Presenter: Margaret Heyen is a part-time Renaissance consultant who brings a passion for literacy and student academic growth to each session. She enjoys helping teachers learn how to increase student agency as each student explores how data affects their own learning. With a Masters of Education in Technology, Margaret spent six years as an Instructional Technology Specialist at a K-8 school helping teachers integrate technology into their classroom. Margaret believes that the teacher’s content knowledge and their pedagogical knowledge must lead before technology can be chosen to support the teacher’s vision. The right educational software will enhance student/teacher relationships in classrooms.

ST Math: School Implementation & Data Analysis (Upstairs Rooms 221-222)

(Mandatory full day session for specific schools)

Through this training, teachers will be empowered to build a greater understanding of how students learn, develop their math content knowledge, employ strategies that impact student learning, and effectively use ST Math.

Presenter: Meade Greenberg is an Education Success Manager for MIND Research Institute, the creator of ST Math. Prior to joining MIND, Meade was a teacher in San Francisco for 10 years, teaching 4^th grade, 1^st grade, and most recently, math for grades 5 through 8. Meade is passionate about math education and loves working with teachers to help their students learn. She lives in Oakland with her family.

Tech Tools (Hospitality Room)

(Recommended for Administrators, Teachers and Tech Coordinators)

Technology can be a powerful tool for enhancing student learning and an innovative way to maximize teacher time. However, when beginning to introduce technology into the classroom, it can at first be challenging to select and use the best tech tools for your instruction. Being able to incorporate technology that helps communicate with students and parents, manage student work and provide meaningful in-class assessments can not only continue to enhance the tech-rich environment of one’s classroom, but can also free up time for teachers to develop stronger connections with their students. This session will review frameworks for effective technology integration and provide time, space and opportunity for teachers to collaborate together and work with technology tools like Google Classroom, Google Sites, Google Forms, Class Dojo, Quizlet, QR Code Generator, Seesaw and Flipgrid, so they may begin to deepen their tech fluency.

Presenters:

Shannon Tabaldo is the Founding Director of the iDEAL Institute and Director of Digital Curriculum Integration and Development for the School of Education at Loyola Marymount University. With over 20 years of technology experience and a passion for teaching, she began to see the need for educational technology resources and the need for teacher training. Shannon is currently researching blended learning in K-12 Catholic schools to achieve digital literacy and close the achievement gap.

Meaghan Crowley-Sullivan, M.Ed., M.A., is the Bay Area Program Coordinator for the iDEAL Institute at Loyola Marymount University. Coming most recently from the Diocese of San Jose’s Katherine Drexel schools, she worked as a master teacher, instructional technology coach, data team lead and school mentor. Her work in San Jose led her to receive the Drexel Blended Learning award in 2015 and to represent her school in the 2018 and 2019 Blended Learning Catholic Schools Symposiums, where she presented on data-inspired instruction in 2019.

Sessions for Specific Groups

6th-8th Grade ELA Teachers - Best Practices and Collaboration (Room 116)

Facilitator: Roni Priego

6th-8th Grade Science Teachers - Best Practices and Collaboration (Room 115)

Facilitator: Eleanor Gilchrist

6th-8th Grade Social Studies Teachers - Best Practices and Collaboration (Room 113)

Facilitator: Dana Bayer

Bookkeepers & Office Staff on Insurance and Benefits/HR Matters (St. Isidore Room)

Presenters: Lisa Carlson, Gloria Espinoza, Kathleen Rabbuch

DCS Principals’ Meeting (Room 117)

(Mandatory for DCS Principals)

Presenters: Kathleen Radecke & Margo Tammen

Development Directors - Best Practices and Collaboration (Room 105)

Facilitator: Lucy Lopez

Fine Arts (Art, Dance, Drama, Music) - Roundtable Discussion on the Arts and the Creation of an Arts Council (Room 101)

Presenter: Ken Willers

Extended Care Directors - Best Practices and Collaboration (Room 110)

Facilitator: Cancelled

LCA Principals’ Meeting (Room 114)

(Mandatory for LCA Principals)

Presenter: Rodney Pierre-Antoine

Librarians - Collection Development (Library)

How do librarians select materials for a Catholic school library? In this session, we will discuss selection criteria, Collection Development guidelines, review sources and Weeding tips.

Presenter: Eva Volin, Supervising Children's Librarian, Alameda Free Library

Physical Education Teachers - Best Practices and Collaboration (Room 111)

Facilitators: Allen Bialza, Stuart Hashimoto, Shad Strong

Preschool Directors - Best Practices and Collaboration (Room 102)

Facilitator: Grace Beatty & Whitney Connors-Pasion

Spanish Teachers - Best Practices and Collaboration (Room 103)

Facilitator: Lilia Izarraras-Hamade

SESSION #2 - 10:00-11:00

Bookkeeper Training -Part I (Room 117)

(Mandatory for Bookkeepers)

Presenter: Margo Tammen

Building a Classroom Culture (Hospitality Room)

(Recommended for Administrators and Teachers)

Ask any teacher or educational researcher and they will tell you that students who feel physically and psychologically safe within a classroom and have a strongly developed sense of belonging will outright excel beyond those that don’t. In other words, we know that relationships are key to student success. Creating a strong Blended Learning classroom, therefore, begins by crafting a strong classroom culture. Connecting with your students, getting to know them and developing that overall rapport as a class is foundational in establishing a community where Blended Learning can thrive. By collaboratively developing norms for student interaction and by providing strong guidelines and expectations for procedures and routines, one can manage a classroom culture that is student-centered and focused on growth and learning. This session will review different ways to develop classroom culture and explore Eduprotocols, as a tool for promoting a smart start to culture building.

Presenters: Shannon Tabaldo & Meaghan Crowley-Sullivan

Data Collection, Growth and Analysis to Measure Impact and Inform Decision-Making

What data are we collecting and analyzing to measure growth and impact? How are we utilizing our data to inform our decision-making to improve student learning and develop a strong school culture? In this session, participants will engage in collaborative dialogue focused on these questions and develop a plan to maximize growth.

Facilitators:

• TK, K, 1st Grade (Small Gym)-Laura Castillo
• 6th-8th Grade Religion (Room 114) - David Wolf
• 6th-8th Grade Science (Room 115) - Eleanor Gilchrist
• Learning Support Coordinators (Math Room) - Shari Palladino & Sheryl Tamayo
• Art (Room 101)-Janice Bettiga and Mark Ritter
• Librarians (Library) - Stacey Hinton
• Music (Sacred Heart Room) -JaNet Hancock
• Physical Education Teachers (Room 111)-Allen Bialza, Stuart Hashimoto, Shad Strong
• Spanish Teachers (Room 103) -Lilia Izarraras-Hamade
• Development Directors (Room 104) -Lucy Lopez
• Extended Care Directors (Church) -Cancelled
• Preschool Directors (Room 102) -Grace Beatty & Whitney Connors-Pasion

How to Ignite Creativity with Adobe Spark, Tips and Tricks (Science Room)

(Recommended for Administrators and Teachers)

Discover new tips and ideas on how you can utilize Adobe Spark for digital storytelling, presentation, and formative assessments. Elevate learning by providing students opportunities to think critically, communicate effectively, and collaborate easily as they create engaging and content-rich graphics, scrolling web pages, and videos. Some basic knowledge of Adobe Spark would be helpful.

Presenter: Meredith Robinson

Lexia Data Coaching for Administrators (Tech Lab)

(Recommended for Administrators and Coaches supporting Lexia Core5 or PowerUp)

Deepen your understanding of myLexia reports in order to support your staff. Engage in hands-on experiences, unpacking your school's data using Lexia's Data Coaching protocol. Plan data-informed, vision-aligned next steps designed to meet students and staff where they're at and help your school community thrive.

Presenter: Rebecca Bittner

Office Staff Training -Part I (Room 116)

(Mandatory for Office Staff)

Presenters: Kathleen Radecke

School-Wide Star Data Analysis (St. Isidore Room)

(Recommended for Administrators, Data Teams, School Leadership Teams, Learning Support Coordinators, Tech Coordinators)

How can we drive school improvement using data? In this session, school leaders will meet to learn and share best practices for evaluating and monitoring Star data at the school level.

Presenter: Michael Dreyfus-Pai is the Director of Technology for the Department of Catholic Schools. Michael has worked in education for 14 years serving as a Technology Coordinator and Math teacher in Catholic and public schools.

ST Math: School Implementation & Data Analysis (Upstairs Rooms 221-222)

(Mandatory full day session for specific schools)

Through this training, teachers will be empowered to build a greater understanding of how students learn, develop their math content knowledge, employ strategies that impact student learning, and effectively use ST Math.

Presenter: Meade Greenberg

Star Data Conversations with Students to Discuss Progress and Goal-Setting

How can we involve students in understanding their Star data, setting goals, and monitoring academic progress? In this session, teachers will practice data conversations with students using best practices.

Facilitators:

• 2nd Grade (Room 105) - Lucia Prince
• 3rd Grade (Room 106) - Karen Goodshaw
• 4th Grade (Room 108) - Michael Sahlman
• 5th Grade (Room 110) - Lana Rocheford
• 6th-8th Grade ELA (Room 112) -Kelly Stevens
• 6th-8th Grade Math (Room 109) -Jessica Murray

Star Custom Standards Assessment Tools (Room 107)

(Recommended for Administrators and Core Teachers)

Learn to use Star Custom assessments to quickly and easily assess student skills. Star Custom assessments are short, 5 question quizzes on individual skills or standards. They are assigned through the Renaissance platform your students already use for Star Math and ELA tests and provide you with instant data!

Presenter: Margaret Heyen

Strategies in Action: Bringing Dr. Siegel’s Words to the Real World (Large Gym)

(Mandatory for Counselors and Instructional Assistants)

Now that you have a better understanding of the needs of students with ADHD or LD, let’s practice using the tools from Dr. Siegel’s presentation. Share your experiences through discussion with scenarios that take place in the classroom or on the playground.

Facilitators: Amy Martinez & Sara Swan

PREPARING FOR THE FUTURE -11:15-11:45

Get Real with Your Retirement (Church)

(Mandatory for all attendees)

Information about 403(b)

Presenters: Paul Bongiovanni & Michael Brody

LUNCH BREAK - 11:45-12:15

SESSION #3 - 12:15-1:15

Best Practices and Collaboration

What is a unit, lesson, project, or resource that consistently leads to positive results year after year? Come prepared to share an effective and impactful idea you implement at your school site to help empower your colleagues and strengthen our schools. During this session, you will also learn about the diocesan resources available and explore ways to continue professional and collaborative dialogue using a group email list, site, and discussion board.

Facilitators:

• TK (Kids Connection) - Corinne Vernon & Mallorie Willms
• K (Room 103) - Laura Delfino
• 1st Grade (Room 104) - MG Bertrand
• 2nd Grade (Room 105) - Laurie Lopez
• 3rd Grade (Room 106) -Mary McMillan
• 4th Grade (Room 108) -Stephanie Marcinkowski
• 5th Grade (Room 110) -Ellen Greco
• 6th-8th Math (Room 112) - Neil Sugay
• 6th-8th Grade Religion (Room 114)- David Wolf
• Administrators (Room 115) - Maria Ward
• Counselors (Room 109) - Amy Martinez & Sara Swan
• Learning Support Coordinators (Math Room) - Shari Palldino & Sheryl Tamayo
• Music Teachers (Sacred Heart Room) - JaNet Hancock
• Tech Coordinators (Maker Space) - Nathan Darnell

Called to Mission and Ministry (Large Gym)

(Recommended for Directors - Development, Extended Care, Preschool School; Instructional Assistants; Specialty Teachers - Art, Librarians, Music, PE, World Languages)

Presenter: Kathleen Radecke

Bookkeeper Training -Part II (Room 117)

(Mandatory for Bookkeepers)

Presenter: Margo Tammen

Differentiating with Renaissance Star Tools (Room 107)

(Recommended for Administrators, Core Teachers, and Learning Support Coordinators)

Learn to use the Renaissance Star Record Book, Star Custom, and the Planner to group your students, better understand their performance, and assign intervention activities. The Record Book lets you group students by performance, growth, or a combination. Then, assign a Star Custom quiz to assess student skills. Finally, use the Planner’s instructional resources to target a skill to meet the needs of that group. All this within the Renaissance platform you and your students already use for Star Math and ELA!

Presenter: Margaret Heyen

Elements of an Effective Environment (Hospitality Room)

(Recommended for Administrators and Teachers)

An effective classroom environment is one that is highly conducive to student learning. Its design is intentional, meeting the needs of the students within the class by not only taking into consideration their basic human needs, but also the political, economic, and social/religious needs that come from the changing world around them. By reflecting on what and who our classroom, its artifacts and the layout says is important and by purposefully ensuring that the essential elements of Blended Learning success are forefront and present, teachers will begin to not only better meet their instructional goals but also the personal needs of each and every one of their students. This session will review the essential elements of an effective classroom environment. We will look at various examples of these elements and provide time, space and opportunity for teachers to explore these examples and collaborate together towards ensuring these elements are forefront in their own classrooms.

Presenters: Shannon Tabaldo & Meaghan Crowley-Sullivan

Lexia Instructional Resources for TK-8th Grade Educators (Tech Lab)

(Recommended for Teachers using Lexia Core5 or PowerUp)

Deepen your understanding of Lexia's instructional resources in partnership with your colleagues. Engage in hands-on explorations of Lexia's Instructional Resources that will prepare you to leverage supports in response to students' needs.

Presenter: Rebecca Bittner

LCA-Marketing and Communication Workshop (Library)

Presenter: Helga Zambrano

Office Staff Training - Part II (Room 116)

(Mandatory for Office Staff)

Presenter: Michael Dreyfus-Pai & Brad Mohler

ST Math: School Implementation & Data Analysis (Upstairs Rooms 221-222)

(Mandatory full day session for specific schools)

Through this training, teachers will be empowered to build a greater understanding of how students learn, develop their math content knowledge, employ strategies that impact student learning, and effectively use ST Math.

Presenter: Meade Greenberg

Standards-Based Grading (St. Isidore Room)

(Recommended for K-5th Grade Teachers)

This workshop will focus on the basics of Standards-based Grading in grades K-5 including the rationale for Standards Based Grading, how to approach SGB, the importance of using rubrics, and where to find curriculum resources that support SGB.

Presenter: Kelly Stevens

Sharing your School Story with Adobe Spark (Science Room)

(Recommended for Administrators, Development Directors, and Teachers)

Celebrate the accomplishments and stories of your school, teachers, and students with easy to create videos, graphics (for print and to post on social media), and web pages with Adobe Spark. No design experience needed! Simply type your content, import images and in minutes you’ll have beautiful, branded content to keep your school community informed of all your news!

Presenter: Meredith Robinson

Star Deep Dive - Independent Practice (Small Gym)

(Recommended for Administrators and Core Teachers)

Would you like to continue your learning with Star reports, data conversations, or school-wide analysis? We are providing the space, time, and support for administrators and teachers to dive deeper into their own school and class reports to inform future instructional planning, professional development, and decision-making.

Facilitator: Jocelyn Pierre-Antoine

MASS - 1:30 - 2:30