Official Site of The State of New Jersey
Issue 18: October 2024
Jill Falletta
2024-2025 Ocean County Teacher of the Year
Beach Haven School
Beach Haven School District
October is a magical time of transformation in New Jersey Public Schools! As the weather cools down and leaves begin to change, we are empowered to dive deeply into instruction, curriculum, and learning. Students and teachers have adjusted to their new surroundings and settled into a consistent routine. As a result, we can work on developing strong relationships, a sense of trust, and establishing connections with our students and their families. We can build confidence in our learners, make them feel safe, and encourage them to take educational risks. Push your learners, even the littlest ones, to move outside their comfort zone and soar.
As an elementary school teacher for the last seventeen years, I aim to create lifelong learners who feel confident enough to ask questions, have the natural curiosity to investigate, and have the grit and determination to dig deeper. We can spark ambition and drive by providing our students with hands-on, authentic learning opportunities. Early childhood educators play a critical role in the future outcomes and achievements of our students. We possess the power to create a generation of lifelong learners, and that is not a task to be taken lightly. Be that teacher who enables all learners—regardless of age or ability—to build the confidence needed to spread their wings and take flight!
Featured NJDOE Topics of the Month—Early Learning Mathematics Across the P–3 Continuum: Professional Learning Opportunities
The Office of K–3 Education in the Division of Early Childhood Services (DECS) is excited to once again offer virtual high-quality professional learning sessions to enable teachers and leaders to build their capacity in best practices of early learning mathematics. These sessions are part of our 2024-25 professional development series for Preschool to Third Grade (P–3) educators and leaders. We look forward to the learning that will take place and the opportunity to collaborate with our amazing P–3 educators across the state. Please join us!
Our approach to teacher and leader professional development is grounded in principles of equity, excellence, and access, with a commitment to reducing opportunity gaps in mathematics that often begin in the early years.
Quality early mathematics instruction and learning is key to future academic achievement and long-term learning. Research shows that it is important to build mathematics understanding early because student understanding and reasoning in mathematics in the early years is a strong predictor of overall school achievement in later grades.
Virtual Professional Learning for Teachers
Topics will focus on pedagogical content knowledge, equity, access, and the systems and structures that support success in early learning mathematics instruction. Educators will receive practical strategies and tools to enhance their mathematics instruction to help them deliver high-quality instruction in their P–3 classrooms.
| Topic | Date |
|---|---|
| Developmental Learning Trajectories in Early Mathematics across the P–3 Continuum | October 10, 2024 |
| Developmentally Appropriate Daily Mathematics Routines across the P–3 Continuum | December 5, 2024 |
| Equity Based Practices in Mathematics across the P–3 Continuum | February 20, 2025 |
| Fluency in Early Mathematics across the P–3 Continuum | April 3, 2025 |
Virtual Professional Learning for Leaders
To build leadership capacity in early learning mathematics, Early Learning Mathematics Leadership Consortium (ELMC) members are invited to professional learning sessions and collaborative conversations around specific topics in leadership and early learning mathematics. During these sessions, early mathematics leaders will engage in rich discussions with the presenter and colleagues to share successes and challenges in specific areas of interest in early mathematics and leadership. All leaders in P–3 mathematics, from superintendents to coaches, are invited to join these sessions and become a part this consortium of leaders dedicated to their district’s or school’s success in early learning mathematics.
| Topic | Date |
|---|---|
| Social Emotional Leadership in the Early Learning Mathematics Space (P–3) | November 14, 2024 |
| Systems and Structures that Support Early Learning Mathematics Success (P–3) | January 23, 2025 |
| Reflective Feedback for Early Mathematics Classrooms (P–3) | March 20, 2025 |
Registration
Register on the New Jersey Department of Education’s Events Registration Page. Teams may attend the training session, or individual staff members may attend and turnkey the information to others in their school district. All educators who attend will receive a certificate as proof of attendance. Visit the DECS website, under the ‘Educators’ tab to see all professional development session recordings and resources.