Presbyterian Christian School (PCS) continues to prioritize faculty growth with a series of dynamic Professional Development (PD) Days throughout the 2024-2025 school year. These sessions are designed to improve instructional practices, foster collaboration, and support the school’s mission of academic excellence and Christian values.
Recent PD Days featured specialized breakout sessions for different grade levels and subjects. Highlights included:
– The God Piece: Practical Evidence for Biblical Integration in a Christian School Classroom, led by Jeremy Sandefur, Head of School at The King’s Academy, focused on Biblical integration in the classroom.
– SAIS Accreditation Overview, led by Dr. Keith Rice (Assistant Head of School for Academics), offering faculty an understanding of the accreditation process and the importance of continuous academic improvement.
– Crisis Go App Training, led by Mr. Brandon Brown (Campus Safety & Operations Director), enhancing campus safety with real-time communication tools.
– Admissions Testing for Early Childhood Educators, led by April Messer (Admissions Director), ensuring proper placement for incoming preschool and kindergarten students.
– ELA Curriculum Review, led by Ginny Graham (Elementary Campus Director) for elementary teachers, exploring materials from HMH, Heggerty, and McGraw-Hill.
– Effective Parent Communication: Strategies for Secondary Teachers, led by Brandi Richardson, Secondary Campus Director.
– Popcorn & Podcasts, led by Brandi Richardson, Secondary Campus Director, allowed teachers to select a short podcast and enjoy a popcorn snack while listening to podcasts. Topics included using TikTok in the math classroom, spring cleaning for teachers, using movement to increase creativity and focus, and what makes students excited to learn.
Other notable sessions this year included a Dyslexia Simulation by Beth Murray (Director of Learning Diversity at Jackson Academy), helping teachers better support students with diverse learning needs, and a workshop on Bloom’s Taxonomy for creating engaging test questions, led by Melinda Moore (social science faculty) and Libby Chance (retired math faculty).
Throughout the year we have emphasized cross-collaboration, with faculty from various divisions sharing best practices. The PD sessions reflect PCS’s commitment to ongoing faculty development, ensuring that educators have the tools to deliver a rigorous, well-rounded education. As PCS moves forward, investing in professional growth remains a cornerstone of the Vision Plan (strategic plan). Jimmy Messer, Head of School, shared, “PCS has made professional development a priority for the last two years! We want to provide the opportunities and resources our staff deserve to continue improving and growing as educators.”
PCS is fully accredited by MAIS and Cognia