In the last few weeks I attended 3 career fairs to help recruit teachers to our district. Many who visit our booth don’t know where Woodland is and after talking to one of us they often end up applying to a position we have. These career fairs give us visibility but they also allow us to let new teachers know about this wonderful district and the unique things we have to offer. We have begun to interview for positions and many of the applicants list the job fair as how they learned about the district. I have one more career fair in May at Clark College where we focus on hiring for classified positions, especially for KWRL bus drivers.
During conference week I offered a two-hour training to our paraeducators that focused on teamwork and how individual personalities play into the group dynamic. The training had self-reflection time as well as an opportunity for group interaction and it seemed to be well received. I look forward to offering more professional development opportunities to the classified staff of the district who are so vital to the district in their roles with students and certificated staff.
I also am working with Asha Riley and Malinda Huddleston in planning for the New Educator Training week for our new educators for the 2018-2019 school year. As we revisit what worked last year and what could be improved upon, we adjust our processes as needed. Last year we moved final processing and the HR/Business office overview to an earlier time in August to keep the new hires from feeling they get too much information at once. This year we are going to include technology in the earlier meeting as well.
On April 27, 2018, I will attend the KWRL appreciation luncheon. As we plan for our end of the year BBQ we often don’t see a high turnout of drivers because they are working to get students home! This luncheon gives us the chance to get to know them better and say thank you in a personal way for all they do for our students. This year we asked the 4 superintendents to donate money so we could buy door prizes to award. It is from 11:00-1:30 and you are welcome to join us.