Philadelphia Collaborative Teacher Center

SHARE YOUR WORKSPACE PHILLY TEACHERS! The Philadelphia Collaborative Teacher Center is holding a contest for all Philadelphia-based teachers (public, charter and private). The first 40 teachers to post a photo of their current workspace on the PCTC Facebook site will receive a $25 Staples gift card to help cover the cost of home office supplies or anything else you need. Don't be shy, your space doesn't have to look perfect or even pretty (see below). RULES:... 1) To be eligible for the contest you must either reside or teach in the City of Philadelphia. Teachers, teacher assistants and other school-based instructional personnel are eligible. 2) Contest will begin on Wednesday, April 8 at 7 p.m. (Posts before then are fine, but will not be eligible for the contest) Please include your school, grade and subject in your posting. 3) When posting your photo, please also email your name, school and address to [email protected] in order to be eligible for the gift card. 4) A maximum of 10 private school teachers and 15 charter school teachers will be eligible for prizes. PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE forward and share this message to other teachers, school leaders and others who might be interested! [Email [email protected] with any questions or ideas for future contests or projects or if you are interested in learning more about PCTC]

https://www.tolerance.org//a-trauma-informed-approach-to-t

Philadelphia's teachers deserve better than stale donuts and brief conversations! This Giving Tuesday please help the Philadelphia Collaborative Teacher Center provide 100 Philadelphia teachers with the opportunity to share ideas, discuss the latest research on learning and education, and support each others' work during the cold and dark months of January and February. PCTC's Conversational Dinners will provide groups of 4-5 teachers with gift cards to Philadelphia restaura...nts to discuss education topics of their choosing. Whether it's a group of 3rd grade teachers, a group of science teachers, or a mix of new and veteran teachers, we believe that our program will recharge teachers, serve as fertile ground for new ideas, and foster leadership within our city's teaching ranks. Our goal is $3000. Please donate via the 'Donate' button on our Facebook page or on our website at www.phillyctc.org!

As 2016 comes to a close, we would like to thank Philadelphia's teachers for their dedication, perseverance and creativity. Please consider supporting PCTC with a donation as we work to expand our reach and encourage greater collaboration in the year ahead. Thank you, in advance, for your support and enjoy a wonderful holiday season! (PCTC is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization)

Academy at Palumbo teachers Colleen Lawson, Christy Chen and Sania Mirzanschall used the funds from their PCTC & PhilaSoup grant to plan and execute a school-wide international fair called Diversity Day in June 2016. This event featured student-developed and led cultural workshops, an international film fest, sports and games in Hawthorne Park, food trucks, performances by our school's choir and musicians from Tabadul, and a fashion showcase. Thanks to the funds they were able to explore different cultural programs and delicious cuisines in order to identify community partners and vendors for Diversity Day. The teachers are continuing their collaboration this year by presenting at UPenn's Global Education Forum, where they will share the project and resources with other teachers, and by planning another fair for the Spring!

At The U School, we are using our PCTC/PhilaSoup grant to support bi-weekly whole-staff meals. In our break between school and our weekly Wednesday PD, 2-3 staf...f are working together to bring lunch for the rest of our staff. This week, we had vegetarian purple sweet potato chili, cornbread, salad, and some leftover donuts! Good til the last drop! We're using the grant money to buy supplies for these lunches - including $10-15 grants for educators to buy supplies to use in their own cooking. In the midst of a busy week, this is a great opportunity for us to relax, share our cooking/baking skills, and build community.

Excited to see the Literacy Nook that Judy Willner and fellow teachers at Potter Thomas Elementary School designed for their students through a Collaboration Grant through the Philadelphia Collaborative Teacher Center and PhilaSoup. This space is for both teachers and students to kick up their feet and "get lost in a good book."

Oops, I accidentally published photos of the Nebinger Art Professional Development without the accompanying text! Anyway, last month, PCTC was delighted to collaborate with Nebinger Elementary, and superstar art teacher Leslie Grace, for a 1/2 day professional development event. Teachers and staff, and even a student or two, painted 4 murals in the school's stairwellls using a geometric taping technique and concluded by sharing their thoughts around how the joint project he...lped to build teamwork, communication, and school spirit. Efforts like this may not produce measurable 'outcomes' or immediate test score gains, but they most definitely bring teachers together, foster partnership, and break down walls. To learn more about this project and see the final results, visit Leslie's blog at: https://msgraceface.wordpress.com//20/collaboration-is-key/