Mount Vernon City School District administrators participated in an informative professional development retreat on Thursday, June 27, 2024, at SUNY Purchase. They organized and prepared for the upcoming school year and heard from several guest speakers.
Acting Superintendent Dr. K. Veronica Smith began the day by recognizing the new principals who have just completed their first year. She also expressed how proud she was of the success the District had throughout the year academically.
“It is very important for us as leaders to come together, do our training, collaborate and prepare, so this was a priority for me,” said Dr. Smith.
Assistant Superintendent for Curriculum and Instruction and Administration Dr. Jamal Doggett led the professional development session and introduced guest speakers throughout the day.
Errol Bedford, president and founder of Higher Learning Network, was the first speaker and talked about creating team problem solving capabilities, goal setting and building learning and systems thinking. His discussion aligned with the theme of the retreat, which was based on the book “Focus” by Mike Schmoker, which administrators read in preparation.
Administrators reviewed and made suggestions to the District’s mission and vision statements. They also went through mindfulness and team building activities, and they reviewed chapters of the book they read about focused leadership.
Dr. Harold A. Coles, the district superintendent for Southern Westchester Board of Cooperative Educational Services, also spoke. He connected his discussion of New York State graduation requirements into the District’s theme in the upcoming year of moving “forward to mastery.” He discussed what will be expected of students to graduate moving forward and how it would affect educators. He discussed the state’s portrait of a graduate, which entails preparing students for different aspects of life, including academics, essential skills and civic readiness.
“The portrait of a graduate is going to be the theme behind this in looking at how this is being done,” said Dr. Coles. “Students will be able to have different ways to show their proficiency – that’s critical.”
Administrators learned more about each other through team building activities such as the beach ball toss where they answered questions about themselves. They also played an educational game where they danced, and it loosened them up while still reinforcing their learning about curriculum and instruction.
At the end of the session, Dr. Doggett recognized the administrators who have been working towards their doctorates and congratulated them on their progress. Administrators are meeting again on Friday, June 28, to continue their development on the final day of the retreat.
