Monday, June 30, 2008

Prepare for the 22nd HSTW Summer Staff Development Conference

Cascade The HSTW Summer Conference Information To Help Meet Your HSTW School Improvement Goals

Download the 22nd Annual Staff Development Conference program
· Page 11-12 to describe session types, guidelines and program use tips.
· Page 18-19 to develop your personal schedule template.
· Page 130-132 to review Gaylord Convention Center map layout.
· Page 20 to NOTE the shuttle schedule IF not lodging at the conference hotel.
· Registration to be located in Delta Lobby B
· State Meeting will be held Wednesday, July 9 at 4:30 p.m. in Bayou E.
· DURING THE CONFERENCE: Appropriate clothing is business casual with layered clothing recommended for personal comfort. Comfortable walking shoes come highly recommended.
· Last, but critical – PLEASE PUT CELL PHONES ON SILENT during sessions.


To prepare your team for this conference:
1. Set your team expectations for attending sessions. To get the most from the conference each team and individual team member should develop a schedule designed to address school improvement needs focused around your school improvement goals. Require attendees to --
· Study the maps of the convention meeting space to get a general idea of the locations.
· Target a strand, goal, or floor to prevent the need to “roam” and not get a seat in a session.
· Attend sessions during all available time slots. Each attendee should identify a first, second and third choice session for each time slot for alternate choices.
· Arrive at sessions on time and remain for the entire session if it meets your need. If the session is not addressing what you expected, politely excuse yourself and go to your second choice session.
· Obtain handouts to take home and share. (Presenter handouts will be posted at www.sreb.org after the conference.)
· Network with representatives from other schools.


2. Participate in planning and delivering information to colleagues. Assign each team member a strand/goal (page 11-14 of program) to become “an expert.” Ask them to carry back the maximum amount of useful information for the purpose of reporting back to the school site team/faculty during monthly scheduled faculty/staff meetings.

3. For each general session and breakout session, collect at least one best practice/idea. Describe the practice in detail, how it was accomplished, what were the results, and how you might implement it at your school.

4. Get the name of at least one presenter in which to network or who would be good to conduct a local staff development workshop at your school. Provide a “quality expert” name to state coordinator for future professional development conferences and workshops.

5. Arrange a time (meeting rooms may be reserved between 5 p.m. and 9 p.m. by signing up at the SREB Conference Headquarters) and location for your school site team to meet daily. Discuss what each person has learned. This is critical in helping each individual clarify his/her ideas and focus on the goals for the remaining sessions that will have the most impact on your school improvement efforts.

6. Network over lunch and dinner to identify quality sessions/presenters.

7. Over 8,000 participants will be attending this conference. Practicing conference etiquette will ensure a more pleasant learning experience for all attendees. Please abide by the following guidelines to make for a more enjoyable conference:
·
Turn off cell phones during presentations.
· Take a seat quickly in the session room.
· Do not save seats. Move to the inside of the row to avoid individuals having to crawl over you.
· Do not leave empty seats between yourself and the next person—rooms will be crowded and every seat needs to be used.
· Find time to visit the exhibit area.

8. Due to luggage weight limits you may wish to collect your teams session handouts/materials and ship them back to the school.

9. Go home prepared to report to all teachers what you have learned at the conference. Get each attendee to serve as a team member on one or more of your site focus teams:
· Curriculum and Standards
· Guidance and Public Information
· Professional Development and/or
· Evaluation-Using Data

Contact Cheryl Bell for the Session Planning Worksheet to capture "One Big Idea" for your lunch or evening networking discussion at the conference.

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