
October Professional Times

Now that the new school year is underway, we invite you to explore all that the Greece Professional Learning Center has to offer to you and your colleagues this fall. Visit our full catalog of course offerings at this link and discover the exciting new programs and resources available today to the educators we support. With a wide range of professional learning opportunities, online opportunities, and study groups, we're committed to helping educators like you stay up-to-date and inspired in your work. So what are you waiting for? See how we can enhance your teaching practice!
PL Updates for 2023-24
UPDATE 1: In order to expedite the awarding of PL hours throughout the school year, all Catalog activities should follow this quarterly time frame:
Summer:
7/1-9/1
Fall:
9/2-12/1
Winter:
12/2-3/1
Spring:
3/2-6/1
No more proposals after 6/1 for current school year without approval of ASI.
UPDATE 2: Possible of over 20 hours with payment
Beginning July 1, 2023, all PL requests above 20 hours will be approved at the building level. This will allow building leaders to determine if the additional Professional Learning is aligned to the building initiatives. The funding for the additional PL hours will come from the building budget. The teacher’s PL request in Frontline will be routed in advance to their supervisor. The building request will be routed to the principal for approval. Districtwide employees will be routed to their department supervisor. This is from the GTA contract, “Professional Learning beyond the 10 hours of choice PL per school year: Each Unit Member may complete up to 10 additional hours of approved PL outside of the contractual work day ($25 per hour). A Unit Member completing such PL will be paid at the PL rate outlined in Article 28 for such work. Should unit members wish to complete hours of PL beyond these 10, the PL must be approved in advance by the appropriate supervisor.”
PL hours rate of pay:
PL hours 0-10 are non-paid.
PL hours 11-20 are paid by the District.
PL hours beyond 20 are paid by the school budget approved in advance by the appropriate supervisor.
UPDATE 3: When submitting a webinar, either upload the certificate or answer questions in the form
UPDATE 4: New process for Digital Badges: Starting July 1, 2023, to earn PL hours for Digital Badges, GTA members will use the Professional Learning (PL) Hours Request Form (Free: Out of District or Virtual) and upload the Certificate that is awarded with each Digital Badge. Please refer to this resource for how to do this.
UPDATE 5: Now, all Frontline forms have been hyperlinked in the Professional Learning Guide. Be sure to first sign in to your Frontline (Professional Growth) account before clicking the links.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: Do we automatically get paid for up to 10 hours beyond the first 10 we are required to do? I saw that it will be paid next summer, but I want to know what I need to do to get paid at $25 per hour.
A: After the required initial 10 hours, you will be paid $25 for up to 10 additional hours. The Professional Learning Center will process the PL hours for you. The payment will be paid out summer 2023.
To find something that interests you:
* Within Frontline’s Activity Catalog, you will have access to Greece and other sponsored district’s catalogs. You can find an interesting topic by typing in a search term, program, or click on a course code.
SEARCH OUR PL CATALOG BY PROGRAM AREA
We know how busy our colleagues in education are right now and we value your time. To help you find upcoming relevant courses as quickly as possible, we have made it very easy to filter our digital PL course catalog by program area. Find what you need - when you need it! See what's currently running in each of these programs areas, and register today to reserve your spot!
- Art
- Business
- Data Driven Inquiry/Response to Intervention
- Diversity, Equity, Inclusion/ Social Emotional Learning
- English as a New Language
- English Language Arts
- Family and Consumer Science/Technology
- Health/Physical Education/Wellness
- Instructional Strategies
- Leadership
- Library Media Science
- Mathematics
- Music
- New Teacher Support, Coaching & Mentoring
- Professional Learning Day
- Science
- Social Studies
- Technology Integration
- Bilingual Education & World Languages
To track your completed PL hours:
* Log into your Greece Professional Growth account. On the left, click on “My Info”, the Portfolio-View by Purpose. Then you will see your completed PL hours. Click on “View Current Year” for this year’s info.
To track your PL hours in progress:
* Log into your Greece Professional Growth account. On the left, click on Insights. You can click on “Where I am Now” to see your current activities. You can also click on “Where I’ve been” to see completed professional learning and click on your portfolio. How to check your PL hours.
To find a useful guide containing important information:
How to Enroll or Lead
How to enroll in PL
To enroll in PL, you will log into Frontline. You will have access to Activity Catalogs from Greece as well as across the State of NY!<More Info Slide Deck> <Watch Video>
We also have an independent study option. <More Info Slide Deck> <Watch Video>
How to enroll in Non- catalog PL Hours
To enroll in PL that is offered by other vendors, professional organizations, or to participate in an Independent Study, you will log into Frontline and complete the Professional Learning Hours Request form. <More Info Slide Deck> <Watch Video>
How to facilitate, instruct or lead PL
To lead PL, you will log into Frontline and complete a Professional Learning Catalog Proposal Form (Choice Activities)<Slide Deck> <Watch Video>
What, Why & How
What, Why & How of the New GTA Professional Learning Contract
The Greater Rochester Teacher Center Network is providing professional learning to NYS Educators at no cost. <REGISTRATION INFO>
Featured Teacher Centers Programs
Triggering Inquiry with Phenomena
Starts on Monday, October 16th
Instructor: Toni Gamils
Triggering inquiry is about learning something new; triggering curiosity is no small feat. It takes modeling enthusiasm and learning something new to generate our confidence, even if it's something new about the content we've covered for years. This workshop will examine how phenomena and driving questions can be the key to student engagement. In addition, participants will discuss the many ways Phenomenal Phenomena supports equitable development of students' knowledge, engagement, and development of questioning skills. The content of this course will be delivered through synchronous meetings and asynchronous work in Google Classroom.
(10 hours)
Computer Science (CS) for the ARTS
Starts on Tuesday, October 17th
Instructor: Tim Needles
In this course, participants will review the basics of Computer Science and Digital Fluency in the arts. This in-depth course will explore creative, fun, project-based art projects and concepts that integrate technology and STEAM learning. Participants will explore a range of emerging and classic tools and media that teach the fundamentals and are cost-effective. This course will explain how to incorporate the principles of Computer Science & Digital Fluency, the arts along with how to engage students with creative projects. During this course, we will share ways to elevate the learning to the next level by adding elements such as collaboration, connection, and community.
The content of this course will be delivered through synchronous meetings and asynchronous work in Google Classroom. (6 hours)
GCSD Calendars for PL
December Professional Learning Calendar
Click here for the calendar view for the month of December.
November Professional Learning Calendar
Click here for the calendar view for the month of November
October Professional Learning Calendar
Badges
We're more than workshops!
We have an extensive professional lending library, ebooks & tech resources and academic resources. Our academic resource room is now open at no cost to you! VariQuest, the company that makes the electronic die cut machines, have a monthly newsletter that includes PL. Here is a quick video where you can learn how to make classroom resources for free! In addition, if you are looking for a way to collaborate with your colleagues (and get compensation!) reach out to your policy board rep for more information.
Classlink: Professional Learning Center
For GCSD employees, you can now access PL resources within Classlink. Resources:
New York State Teacher Centers PL Catalog
Come join educators from across NYS for free PL! Explore our catalog today! Other Teacher Centers have also opened up their catalog to teachers across NYS. Here is a list from the MESTRACT Teacher Center. Log into your Greece Frontline account first, then click here.
Outside Providers of PL,Use Request for PL Hours Form in Frontline Fill-in Forms
Accessing NYSED Workshops for PL Hours
The Office of Bilingual Education and World Languages provides online workshops to assist educators in making the transition to the revised NYS Learning Standards for World Languages.
- These slides provide directions for accessing pre-recorded workshops to receive professional learning hours in Greece CSD.
- To receive PL credit for LIVE webinars, go to Step #8 after you have received your CTLE certificate.
Strengthen your community’s understanding of social and emotional learning
CASEL has created a free, one-hour, virtual learning experience about SEL. The course includes reflection prompts, videos, and application activities and is designed to introduce SEL..
- Participants will build connections between SEL and their personal goals, reflect on ways they are already promoting SEL for young people, and identify intentional strategies for modeling SEL in their interactions.
- Anyone can take the course independently online
Newsela Certified Educator (NCE)
NCE is a free, self-paced program designed to recognize leaders in the Newsela Community.
- Get a certificate for 5 PL hours
- Know all things Newsela, from the building blocks to more advanced classroom applications.
- Be the first to know.
- Get early notice of new features.
- Test and give feedback on new ideas.
On-demand PL🔍 from Amplify Science
Amplify is offering no-cost, on-demand PD for K–8 science educators, featuring curriculum experts from UC Berkeley's Lawrence Hall of Science and topics specifically designed for you.
Sign up today to dive into the three webinar courses available:
- Establishing a Culture of Figuring Out in Your Next Generation Science Classroom
- Lead with Phenomena and the Three Dimensions Will Follow
- Leveraging Science to Accelerate Learning
Pick and choose which ones you’d like to complete to earn a certificate of completion (available for each course)!
Looking for book study ideas?
One page overview of recommended books.
As a Greece Central employee, you have access to books that you can download to a computer or an e-reader and read and listen to. You can type in a topic like feedback and the search will create a list of all the resources on feedback in the form of chapters in books or sections of books or maybe an entire book. You can save searches to your own library. Or, you can download a whole book and read the entire book. *This e-library collection is provided at no cost to GCSD employees with funding from the New York State Teacher Centers.
1. Go to Gale Virtual Reference Library
2. To Log-in click on the sign-in with Google and then sign in with your Greece Google account.
3. The blue View All button will show you all the book covers in our collection. The video linked here will walk you through all the ways you might want to use this Professional Library.
There are several ways to learn more about the instructional technology tools and digital programs we use in GCSD. This page is meant to collect and share the many opportunities that are offered from the edtech tools themselves! Most can be used to earn teachers' Professional Learning hours by submitting the PL Hours Request Form (see here for more info). Visit this page often as it will be updated with timely offerings!
The Greece CSD Instructional Technology Teachers (ITTs) have curated a landing page on our Instructional Technology website called, Recommended Professional Learning for Instructional Technology, to highlight high-quality content that can be used for self-paced professional learning for instructional technology. As a reminder, the Instructional Technology website can also be found in Classlink’s orange Technology Folder.
Free Webinars
Free Webinars with Learning Forward
Free Webinars with Corwin Press
Spend an hour with some of education’s most influential thought leaders
Join us for a free hour of professional learning to discuss a range of critical issues and gain practical tools and evidence-based strategies.
Greece Professional Learning Center
Email: marguerite.dimgba@greececsd.org
Website: https://www.greececsd.org/Page/296
Location: 1790 Latta Road, Rochester, NY, USA
Phone: 585-966-2130
Twitter: @greecementors
Greece Teachers Association
Email: Kara.Manjerovic@greececsd.org
Website: https://greeceteachers.com
Location: 120 Erie Canal Drive, Suite 320 Rochester, NY 14626
Phone: (585) 471-5765
Facebook: facebook.com/Greeceteachers/
Twitter: @greeceteachers