| | Transformative Learning, Empowered Leadership | | | | | | Professional Learning Offerings November - December 2025 - 2026 | | | | | Hi! We're the Professional Learning Team.
We're thrilled to share GCC's Professional Learning Newsletter with you! Every other month, you'll find upcoming PD sessions, resources, and ideas to support you—no matter where you are in your career. We can't wait to learn and grow alongside you. | | Adrian Peer Dr. Heather Gold Kimberly Smart Nicole Duran | | | | Not seeing what your campus needs? Fill out a PD Session Request Form. Not sure where to start? Check out our PD Catalog below. | | | | | | | Admin approval is required for daytime sessions but not for after-school sessions. Certificated staff will be paid the non-instructional rate for after school sessions. Teachers are required to secure a sub for their class. | | | | | | | Classified staff will be paid their hourly rate if they attend a session after school; admin approval required if exceeding 40 hours in a week or over 8 hours in a day. | | | | | | | | | | | | | Welcome to our Newsletter; we're happy you're here! | | | Check out the resources below. | | | | | Exciting News! Our Website is Live! | | We're thrilled to share our website, designed to provide quick and easy access to everything you need for instructional support, professional development, and more! We've built this site with you in mind! It can be found on the GCC homepage under "More". | | | | | | | Interested in Leading Your Own Session? | | | | | | | How to Navigate the Bookings Page | | Eager to sign up but need help navigating the platform? Watch this video for essential tools and tips to set you up for success! Select the icon to watch a video on how to book. | | | | | | | Signing up for Professional Learning has never been easier! Simply find the session you're interested in and click "Register Here." Once you book, you'll receive an email confirmation and an automatic calendar update — no extra steps required! | | | | | | Profession Learning Catalog | | Administrators - Interested in bringing PD to your site but not sure where to start? Explore our PD Catalog, featuring sessions across all disciplines. Be sure to check out the sessions marked with a ⭐, which align with our Instructional Action Framework. Complete the PD Session Request form to customize professional learning that fits your campus's needs. | | | | | | | | | | | Professional Learning During School Hours | | Requires Administrative Approval to Participate. Teachers are required to secure subs for their class. | | ELPAC Bootcamp: Boost Success for your Multilingual Learners | | | | | Get ready to build confidence in supporting your multilingual learners with ELPAC! In this hands-on session, teachers will dive into the purpose and structure of the assessment, explore strategies to integrate ELPAC aligned practices into daily instruction, and walk away with practial tools and resources.
Great for: ELD and General Education Teachers, Instructional Coaches
Date: November 7th Time: 1:30am - 3:30pm
Location: Central Office | | | | | | Early Career Training Series - We're All Language Teachers | | | | | Join us to explore how every teacher—whether in math, science, CTE, or any other subject—can use literacy strategies to strengthen student learning. Together, we'll dive into practical approaches such as close reading, Socratic seminars, and more to help students think critically, communicate effectively, and engage deeply with content. Discover how supporting literacy across all subjects can elevate understanding and success for every learner.
Great for: Intern Teachers, Induction Teachers, Early Career Teachers Instructional Coaches
Date: November 12th Time: 8:30-11:30 (Elementary) 12:30 - 3:30 (Secondary) Location: Central Office | | | | | TK Learning Day - Strengthening Instruction Through Aligned Assessment Practices | | | | | In this session, teachers will refine their essential standards using the foundations that were agreed upon for the report card. Teachers will then identify and create common assessments aligned to their refined essential standards and will document them in the Common Assessment Tracker. The team will collaborate to ensure that each assessment is purposeful, high-quality, and instructionally aligned. This foundational work prepares participants to fully build out the Assessment Tracker in a future session and ensures assessments are used effectively to monitor progress and support student achievement. The team will decide on 2-3 of the assessments that they will all do and bring to the February meeting.
Great for: TK Teachers, Instructional Coaches
Date: November 13th Time: 12:00 - 3:00 Location: Central Office | | | | | | NGSS Training Series (3rd-8th Grade) | | | | | This comprehensive professional development series is designed to deepen educators' understanding and implementation of the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) across grade levels and disciplines. Through interactive sessions, collaborative planning, and hands-on experiences, participants will explore the three-dimensional learning approach that integrates Science and Engineering Practices, Crosscutting Concepts, and Disciplinary Core Ideas.
Great for: 3rd - 8th Grade Science Teachers
Date: November 17th Time: 8:30 - 11:30 Location: Central Office | | | | | NGSS Training Series ( 9th- 12th Grade) | | | | | This comprehensive professional development series is designed to deepen educators' understanding and implementation of the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) across grade levels and disciplines. Through interactive sessions, collaborative planning, and hands-on experiences, participants will explore the three-dimensional learning approach that integrates Science and Engineering Practices, Crosscutting Concepts, and Disciplinary Core Ideas.
Great for: 9th - 12th Grade Science Teachers
Date: December 3rd Time: 8:30 - 11:30 Location: Central Office | | | | | | | Professional Learning After School Hours | | Certificated Staff - Paid Non-Instructional Rate/ No Admin Approval Needed Classified Staff - Paid Hourly Rate/ Admin Approval Needed if Exceeding 40 Hours in a week or 8 hours in a day. | | | | Interested in Leading Your Own Session? | | | | | | | | Closing Reading Gaps with Close Reading | | | | | Boost student vocabulary and reading comprehension with a flexible close reading routine that works across grade levels and subject areas. In this session, you'll learn a step-by-step process for guiding students through meaningful text analysis—whether in whole-class settings or small groups. You'll also see how AI tools can streamline lesson preparation, saving you time while keeping the focus on powerful literacy instruction.
Presenter: Lori Jenkins (VA)
Great for: Upper Elementary, Middle School, High School, CTE Teachers, Instructional Coaches
Date: Novemeber 17th Time: 3:30-4:30pm Location: Central Office | | | | | | I Have A Spreadsheet - Now What? | | | | | This hands-on session was requested as a follow-up to GCC Con's "I Don't Need a Spreadsheet, Do I?" Bring your spreadsheet- or data-related challenges, and we'll tackle them together. You'll learn how to clarify what you want from your data and discover how AI can help you generate formulas and organize your information more efficiently.
Presenter: Kari Nesler (CCCS)
Great for: Teachers, Clerical, Instructional Coaches, Anyone Who Uses Spreadsheets!
Date: December 2nd Time: 3:30-5:00pm Location: Central Office | | | | | Writing for Success: A Four Part Series on Effective Strategies and Genres | | | | | Teaching writing can be challenging, but you don't have to do it alone! In this four-part series, Session 1 will highlight evidence-based strategies to support all learners in developing strong writing skills. The next three sessions will dive into genre-specific approaches that guide students through the writing process with clarity and confidence. Teachers will leave each session with practical tools, streamlined graphic organizers, and scaffolds to help students grow into confident, effective writers.
Presenter: Kimberly Smart
Great for: TK-12th Grade Teachers, Instructional Coaches
Date: December 4th Time: 3:45-5:00pm Location: Central Office | | | | | | Where Core Meets Career: Strategies for Academic & CTE Integration
| | | | | In this session, we'll share practical strategies for bridging academic and CTE instruction in ways that make learning more relevant, rigorous, and connected for students. Drawing from our roles as an instructional coach and college and career readiness director, we'll explore what it looks like to integrate CTE concepts into core academic classes, as well as how to bring in core academic standards into CTE pathways. Participants at all grade levels will leave with simple, adaptable tools that support cross-disciplinary collaboration, student engagement, and real-world learning pathways. Our goal is to offer ideas that are grounded, doable, and responsive to the realities teachers face every day.
Presenters: Ashley Madden (Central Office) Tyler Madden (SAVA)
Great for: Upper Elementary, Middle School, High School Teachers, Instructional Coaches
Date: December 11th Time: 3:30-5:00pm Location: Central Office | | | | | | | | | | | Explore additional professional learning experiences offered by our community partners and external organizations. | | Free ParentSquare Classes and Training
| | | | | Looking to make the most of ParentSquare? Whether you're brand new or eager to explore advanced features, ParentSquare offers free, self-paced classes to help you streamline communication and connect more effectively with families. Learn at your own pace and unlock tools that make communication easier, clearer, and more impactful.
Great for: Teachers, Clerks, Admin, Any Staff Using ParentSquare
Complete at your own pace on your own time! | | | | | | Tools For Math Success: Leveraging the Framework, Instructional Materials, and Smarter Balanced Summative Assessment | | | | | This is the introductory presentation to the Moving the Needle webinar series. This presentation will provide an overview of the Mathematics Framework, aligned mathematics assessments, and the recent Mathematics Instructional Materials Adoption. It is designed to provide participants with an understanding of what they can do to prepare students for assessments.
Great for: 3rd - 12th Grade Teachers, Instructional Coaches, Staff Supporting SBAC
| | | | | Introduction to the Lexile Framework for Reading | | | | | On behalf of the California Department of Education, ETS invites you and your teachers to attend training sessions on Lexile® and Quantile® measures. These sessions will cover the associated tools that can be leveraged by California educators and families to support student learning. This virtual training series consists of two sessions providing general overviews of the Lexile Framework® and the Quantile Framework® along with live demonstrations of tools available within the Lexile & Quantile Hub®.
The primary audience for each of these trainings is teachers and testing coordinators. | | | | | | Introduction to the Lexile Framework for Math | | | | | On behalf of the California Department of Education, ETS invites you and your teachers to attend training sessions on Lexile® and Quantile® measures. These sessions will cover the associated tools that can be leveraged by California educators and families to support student learning. This virtual training series consists of two sessions providing general overviews of the Lexile Framework® and the Quantile Framework® along with live demonstrations of tools available within the Lexile & Quantile Hub®.
The primary audience for each of these trainings is teachers and testing coordinators. | | | | | | | | | Check out our future offerings. | | | | | Early Career Training - Differentiation The Sceience of Reading (LETRS) TK Learning Day - Data-Driven Instruction NGSS Training Series | | | | | | | | | | | | | Professional Learning Team 916-286-5129 | | | | | | | | |
