Professional Development Opportunities
September Workshops
Exploring NYSED’S Mental Health Briefs: A Two-Part Series
New York State Education Department recently released a series of Mental Health Briefs designed to support schools in building and sustaining comprehensive mental health systems. This two-part workshop series offers participants the opportunity to dig into the content together, reflect on current practices, and consider implications for their school communities.
Workshop 1 focuses on Briefs 2–4, examining the value of a team-based approach to school mental health, the power of partnerships between schools, families, and community organizations, and the role that school climate and culture play in student well-being.
Workshop 2 continues the exploration with Briefs 5–6, addressing Tier 1 mental health promotion and prevention strategies and the continuum of targeted and intensive interventions available to support students with greater needs. (Held on November 4th.)
Participants are encouraged to attend both sessions, though each workshop is designed to stand on its own. All briefs are available at on the NYSED website.
Workshop 1: September 17, 2026 – 8:30-3:00
Costello Center
New Teacher Training: For Teachers in Their First 4 Years of Service
Join us for three days of connection, learning, and practical strategies to support your success in the classroom. Bring your ideas, questions, and growth mindset as we explore topics to help you thrive as a newer educator. An additional benefit of is building relationships with the SCD department for ongoing support beyond these days!
Day 1 – September 22, 2026 – 8:30-3:00
Costello Center
This session is based on the books Mentoring Matters (Lipton & Wellman) and Tell Me So I Can Hear You (Drago Severson & Blum-DeStefano). These sessions will highlight the mentor’s role in building a supportive school culture through their expertise in: understanding new teachers, generational differences, and offering support. Participants will explore: the process of brainstorming ideas, increasing professional knowledge, and examining the four “Ways of Knowing” (how adults receive and give feedback).
September 23, 2025 – 8:30-11:30
Costello Center
Getting Your Sundays Back: An A.I. Work Session
Do you miss your Sundays? Would you like to recapture some of your “free” time?
This interactive workshop is designed to meet you where you are in your AI journey. Whether you're brand new and curious, have only dabbled with AI for emails or letters, or already feel comfortable and want to push into lesson design or student feedback, this is your space. You'll receive
personalized guidance as you explore how AI can streamline your planning, instruction, and professional tasks.
The session will be free-flowing and hands-on, with plenty of time to try tools, ask questions, and test ideas. Most importantly, bring something you want to accomplish–a unit you'd like to rework, lessons you need to plan, or student work you want to analyze–and leave with real progress made. All levels of comfort are welcome, and you'll walk away with practical skills you can immediately apply to save time and elevate your work!
September 25, 2026 – 8:30-3:00
Costello Center
Come to Instructional Coaching Professional Learning Group to connect with others in the region, learn, and share best practices around instructional coaching of teachers.
September 30, 2026 – 9:00-2:30
OHM BOCES
October Workshops
APPR Recertification
APPR Recertification is an asynchronous course for administrators in the Madison-Oneida BOCES region who were unable to attend our summer offerings and who received “Initial APPR Certification” at some point in the past. This course allows you to work at your own pace and can completed at any time between October 5, 2026 and May 31, 2027.
October 6, 2026
Asynchronous
Less Help, More Learning: Building Student Independence in the Classroom
As aides and assistants, our instinct to help students is one of our greatest strengths — but knowing when to step back is just as important as knowing when to step in. This session explores the concept of productive struggle: the idea that working through challenges is not a sign that a student needs rescuing, but a powerful part of how learning actually happens. We'll examine how our everyday interactions — a prompt, a pause, or even a well-timed silence — can either build a student's confidence or quietly undermine it. Together, we'll reflect on practical strategies for encouraging independence while still providing the meaningful support students need. You'll leave with a clearer sense of your role in fostering engaged, resilient learners who believe in their own ability to figure things out.
October 9, 2026 – 8:30-11:00
Rossetti Forum, Madison-Oneida BOCES Main Campus
Project Based Learning (PBL) is a foundational training inspired by the work of the Buck Institute for Education, New Tech Network, Edutopia, and Expeditionary Learning. Through a balanced blend of direct instruction, exploration, resource sharing, peer collaboration and feedback, and work time, attendees will learn how to develop a PBL experience by participating in many of it’s inherent structures.
By the end of the workshop participants will have the foundation for a PBL experience that can be implemented in their own classrooms!
October 14, 15, 21, 22, 2026 – 8:30-3:00
Costello Center
Join us for a dynamic, hands-on workshop focused on boosting student engagement through practical routines and instructional structures that work across all grade levels and subject areas. In the morning, you'll explore easy-to-implement strategies to keep students actively involved in learning. In the afternoon, you'll have dedicated time to apply these ideas directly to your own lesson plans with support from facilitators and peers. Leave with ready-to-use tools that can make an immediate impact in your classroom..
October 15, 2026 – 8:30-3:00
Costello Center
Unlocking Play-Based Early Learning
How can we create engaging, play-based learning experiences that support early childhood development?
Join us for an interactive training designed to deepen your understanding of early childhood education through the New York State Reflection and Resource Tool. Learn how to effectively use a Unit Planning Template to design engaging, play-based activities that support all areas of development while ensuring alignment with early learning standards. You’ll also gain hands-on experience and have time to explore the valuable kits and other resources in the M-O Media Library, available to all Madison-Oneida component districts. Best of all, you’ll have dedicated work time to bring your play-based learning plans to life!
October 29, 2026 – 8:30-3:00
Costello Center
November Workshops
Exploring NYSED’S Mental Health Briefs: A Two-Part Series
New York State Education Department recently released a series of Mental Health Briefs designed to support schools in building and sustaining comprehensive mental health systems. This two-part workshop series offers participants the opportunity to dig into the content together, reflect on current practices, and consider implications for their school communities.
Workshop 1 focuses on Briefs 2–4, examining the value of a team-based approach to school mental health, the power of partnerships between schools, families, and community organizations, and the role that school climate and culture play in student well-being.
Workshop 2 continues the exploration with Briefs 5–6, addressing Tier 1 mental health promotion and prevention strategies and the continuum of targeted and intensive interventions available to support students with greater needs. (Held on November 4th.)
Participants are encouraged to attend both sessions, though each workshop is designed to stand on its own. All briefs are available at on the NYSED website.
Workshop 2: November 4, 2026 – 8:30-3:00
Costello Center
Think Fast, Think Deep: On-Demand Performance Tasks
Traditional tests measure what students memorized. Performance tasks measure what students can actually DO with their learning. These assessments ask students to transfer knowledge to novel, authentic challenges—think "You're a botanist diagnosing a greenhouse problem" instead of "Define photosynthesis." They're rigorous, standards-aligned, and connect with the state’s NY Inspires initiative. And here's the thing: they work for ALL students—the ones who freeze on written tests, the ones who ace everything but can't apply it, and everyone in between…because life isn't a series of bubble sheets.
In this workshop, you'll experience an on-demand task as a learner (we're talking real cognitive work!), analyze what makes it effective, and design your own for your classroom. You'll leave with a complete, tomorrow-ready assessment: authentic scenario, curated materials, aligned rubric, and an implementation plan. No wishing you had time to figure this out later. No vague ideas you'll "get to eventually." You'll walk out with an assessment you can actually use!
November 5, 2026 – 12:00-3:00
Costello Center
Let Them Talk: The Art of the Socratic Seminar
Your students can recite facts. They can bubble in answers. But can they actually think—analyze complex texts, construct evidence-based arguments, and engage in civil discourse when it counts? Socratic Seminars assess what multiple-choice tests can't: real-time critical thinking and collaborative inquiry.
Let Them Talk puts you in the student seat first. You'll participate in a full Socratic Seminar, then deconstruct what made it work so you can design your own tomorrow-ready assessment. Walk away with protocols, rubrics, sentence stems, and strategies for managing the fears that keep teachers from trying seminars: "What if no one talks?" "What if three students dominate?" "How do I grade a conversation fairly?" This isn't about forcing awkward class discussions—it's about creating the conditions where students want to think out loud, challenge ideas respectfully, and build understanding together. If NY Inspires demands performance-based assessment, let's give students something worth performing.
November 9, 2026 – 12:00-3:00
Costello Center
Breakout Boxes
Looking for a fresh way to motivate your students? Breakout boxes and escape rooms can engage even your most resistant learners! In this training, you'll explore a variety of tools and platform options for creating challenges for students to complete. Most of these resources work across grade levels and content areas. You'll also have dedicated work time to start building
your own breakout box or puzzle challenge!
November 16, 2026 – 8:30-3:00
TriPlexus Seminar Room 105
The Not So Simple View of Writing
What must be a part of writing instruction for K-5 educators in order to build competent writers? In this workshop participants will learn about the necessity of transcription instruction for our primary students to lead to the composition skills needed for intermediate students. Resources will be shared and time for implementation planning will be worked into the day. All work is aligned to New York State ELA Learning Standards and NYSED’s Best Instructional Practices in writing.
November 20, 2026 – 8:30-3:00
Costello Center
December Workshops
New Teacher Training: For Teachers in Their First 4 Years of Service
Join us for three days of connection, learning, and practical strategies to support your success in the classroom. Bring your ideas, questions, and growth mindset as we explore topics to help you thrive as a newer educator. An additional benefit of is building relationships with the SCD department for ongoing support beyond these days!
Day 2 – December 9, 2026 – 8:30-3:00
Costello Center
Teaching Through Games: A New Adventure!
Game Time – Round 2!
Come hang out with us to preview, play, and learn how to use games at your grade level to support all learners. This is Part 2 of our game based learning series — but no worries if you missed the first one! If you joined us for part 1, we’ll be checking out new games so you can keep building your toolkit (and finally put those dusty ones to good use!). We will also make connections to the NYS Portrait of a Graduate.
Everyone’s welcome – let’s play and learn together!
December 8, 2025 – 8:30-3:00
Costello Center