Local educators invite peers to Belfast session

BELFAST, Maine - Alpha Psi Maine, an organization for women educators, will host the second annual "S-T-R-E-T-C-H Your Teaching" workshop March 17 in Belfast.

Maine educators will present development sessions on teaching strategies and implementation of effective lessons. Classroom-related topics include stress reduction, integrating compassion into content teaching, autism, human rights, and more.

Local educator, Lisa Dow, who teaches grade 8 math and science at Presque Isle Middle School, will present a session entitled Interactive Math and Science. She will share activities used in her classroom to energize students.

The statewide workshop will take place from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Hutchison Center in Belfast, and includes sessions on all areas of curricula, including math, science, social studies, ELA and others. The daylong event is sponsored by Maine State Organization of Delta Kappa Gamma International Society of Women Educators.

Alpha Psi State President Elaine Hendrickson, a retired teacher from Presque Isle, said, "Alpha Psi Maine is excited to offer teachers from all corners of Maine our second annual professional development workshop designed to enhance classroom instruction and student learning. Our keynoter, Sylvie Bastien-Doss, will offer strategies that will promote better communication at all levels and curricula."

Bastien-Doss of Montreal is a well-known educator and international speaker for DKG. She will share her experiences and expertise in the fields of education, communications, public relations, fundraising and school management. She particularly enjoys effective communication between parents and school, and also helps teachers and principals with team mobilization, conflict prevention and management in the workplace.

She will address interpersonal communications at all levels - among peers, home/school, teacher/principal, etc., in the school and other environments. She will also lead a session that digs deeper into how to effect interpersonal communication at all levels.

Registration is $30 if received by Feb. 15, or $40 after that date. Participants must register by March 10 to be guaranteed lunch. Preservice teachers may attend for $10; DKG members are $20.

More details and registration forms are accessible at https://alphapsimaine.weebly.com/index.html, or by contacting workshop chair Mary Whitten at maryinmaine@roadrunner.com, (207) 778-1777.