Bloomfield High School was abuzz Tuesday - a day before the first day of school - as about 500 certified and non-certified teachers participated in more than 75 professional-development sessions.
The WINS Day - What I Need to Succeed - topics included team-building, understanding emotional trauma, connecting with families, proactive and collaborative problem-solving, teaching multilingual learners and leveraging technology to improve student performance.
Lisa Lamenzo, the district’s director of school improvement, said teachers are excited to begin the new school year. The PD sessions were “tailored to meet the needs of staff’' and most were led by Bloomfield teachers with an expertise in a certain area, she said.
This year, there are 25 new teachers in district.
The school system also cultivates the development of future teachers by providing hands-on classroom experience. There will be six student-teachers in classrooms this year. They attend the University of St. Joseph, Eastern Connecticut State University, the University of Hartford and Central Connecticut State University. Additionally, 14 student-interns, interested in a career in education, will be observing classroom-instruction -- and performing light tasks - each week.