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MPCSD kicks off school year with Teacher Opening Day
Teachers gathered this week for breakfasts as they prepare for the upcoming school year
MT. PLEASANT — Classes haven’t started yet, but Mt. Pleasant Community School District teachers kicked off preparations for the 2023-24 school year this week with new teacher training, an educators’ breakfast, preparing classrooms, and professional development this week.
Monday the school district hosted an optional day for new teachers to come in and meet with instructional coaches. The official first day for new teachers began Tuesday morning with breakfast.
“We had a great turn out,” Director of Instruction Angie Butler said. “Thirty-six of 38 new teachers came in.”
“It was about supporting them and them getting to know each other and kind of easing the nervousness they had coming into a new job,” she said. “It was an opportunity to ask questions, get to know the coaches, get to know the routines as far as expectations.”
Technical support staff also made themselves available during the optional new teacher day to work out any issues prior to hitting the ground running next week when classes begin.
Other benefits of participating in the first day of school for new teachers included learning about the community, time in their specific buildings, and meeting their principals.
Earlier in the week the school board agreed their top legislative priorities included teacher recruitment, licensure, professional development, and retention.
Reports from Iowa State Education Association saying a leading cause for teacher loss came from these professionals not feeling supportive.
Butler shared an emphasis on making sure new teachers understood supports available to them in these first couple days of professional development.
According to Butler, an important part of these first two days for new teachers was to “ … let them know what supports are in place for them.”
One way this was accomplished for the incoming teachers was through lunches with mentors on Tuesday afternoon.
Wednesday morning every teacher was welcomed back to school with an educators’ breakfast organized by the Mt. Pleasant Chamber of Commerce in the beautifully decorated high school commons.
“I want to thank our chamber for breakfast,” Superintendent John Henriksen said.
According to Henriksen, the chamber partnered with Hy-Vee and Walmart to provide breakfast and prize drawings for what he calls “Teacher Opening Day.”
“One bit of feedback we received last year was that we had a lot of learning time and not a lot of time in classrooms,” Butler explained. “So, in order to get more time in classrooms we will spend a lot less time learning during the rest of the week and a lot more time learning on just one day.”
According to Butler, much of the learning content available during this week of preparation is optional.
“That way they’re getting the learning they need but still having more time in their classrooms,” she said.
This commitment to professional development and cultivating a culture saturated in support will continue throughout the year as MPCSD adjusts to early outs nearly every Friday.
“A bulk of our professional learning happens on these Fridays,” Butler said.
Once a month an early out Friday will be set aside for building level specific professional development. The other weeks will consist of collaborative learning lead by individuals trained by Butler.
Elementary building staff will rotate which buildings they meet in each month on these building specific workdays as the district continues toward grade-alike elementaries.
Comments: AnnaMarie.Ward@southeastiowaunion.com
