Another great day of learning at GFESC! 🎉 Today marked Day 10 of the 2026–2027 ArPEP Year 1 Cohort, where educators continued building their knowledge, refining their skills, and preparing for a successful school year. Thank you to Jennifer King for leading today's session and to all the participants for your dedication to professional growth! #BetterTogether #ConnectGrowServe #ArPEP #TeacherGrowth #ProfessionalDevelopment #GFESC

Day 4 of our Early Childhood Professional Development week at GFESC was packed with learning, creativity, and fun! 🌟 Participants completed CPR training, explored engaging ideas through Tiny Toy Tales and Frog Street, and enjoyed an inspiring lunch session with our special guest from Forward AR CELS. It’s been an incredible week of growing together, and we’re looking forward to wrapping up our final day today! #GFESC #EarlyChildhoodEducation #ProfessionalLearning #CPRTraining #FrogStreet #TinyToyTales #ForwardARCELS #ArkansasEducators #LifelongLearning #BetterTogether #ConnectGrowServe

Designing meaningful IEPs means creating plans that truly support student success. 📚 Today at GFESC, educators explored practical strategies for designing, implementing, and monitoring IEPs that keep student strengths, collaboration, and meaningful learning at the center. Thank you to Tabitha Riendeau for leading this engaging and impactful workshop! #GFESC #SpecialEducation #IEP #StudentSuccess #ProfessionalLearning #EducatorGrowth #BetterTogether #ConnectGrowServe

Supporting students starts with well-prepared teams! Today at GFESC, nurses, paraprofessionals, and school leaders strengthened their knowledge of Personal Care certification, Medicaid billing requirements, and best practices for serving students with physical dependency needs. Thank you to Katelyn Chambers and Erbey Gomez for leading this valuable training! #GFESC #SchoolNurses #Paraprofessionals #PersonalCare #Medicaid #StudentSupport #ProfessionalLearning #BetterTogether #ConnectGrowServe

We’re over halfway through an incredible week of ECH learning at GFESC! Yesterday’s sessions gave early childhood educators practical tools they can take straight back to their classrooms! Participants explored topics including CPR, Navigating Early Childhood Special Education, Standardized Testing, and Demystifying Observations while continuing to grow their knowledge and skills!💙 We can’t wait to see what the last two days bring as this amazing week of professional learning continues! #GFESC #EarlyChildhoodEducation #ProfessionalLearning #StrongerTogether #EducatorGrowth #LifelongLearning

Today's Behavior Strategies 101 workshop equipped educators with practical, proactive strategies to address classroom behavior challenges with confidence. Through interactive discussions and real-world problem-solving, participants left with tools they can put to use right away. Thank you to everyone who joined us for a day of learning and collaboration! #GFESC #BehaviorStrategies #ClassroomManagement #ProfessionalLearning #EducatorSupport #BetterTogether #ConnectGrowServe

Another great day of learning at GFESC! 🎉 Our ArPEP Year 1 participants wrapped up Day 6 with Jennifer King today, continuing to build skills and confidence for the upcoming school year. Next up, Days 7,8, & 9 will take place at Lavaca High School before everyone returns to GFESC for Day 10 this Friday! Thank you, Jennifer, for leading today's session, and thank you to all of our educators for your dedication to professional growth! 🍎📚 #GFESC #ArPEP #ProfessionalLearning #EducatorExcellence #BetterTogether #ConnectGrowServe #ArkansasEducation

Learning came to life during The Power of Paper workshop last Friday! 🌲📄 Participants explored hands-on Project Learning Tree activities, discovered connections between science, sustainability, and career readiness, and toured the Georgia-Pacific Dixie Plant for a behind-the-scenes look at Arkansas's forest products industry. A big thank you to Amber Cobb for leading this engaging day of professional learning and to everyone who participated! #GFESC #ProjectLearningTree #ScienceEducation #CareerReadiness #Sustainability #ProfessionalLearning #BetterTogether #ConnectGrowServe #ArkansasEducation

Today's myPerspectives Recalibration workshop gave educators the opportunity to dive deeper into effective literacy instruction through thoughtful planning, pacing, and engaging classroom practices. Participants left with practical tools and greater confidence to make the most of the myPerspectives curriculum. Thank you to everyone who attended today's workshop! 📚✨ We appreciate your commitment to strengthening literacy instruction and investing in your students! #GFESC #Literacy #MyPerspectives #ELA #ProfessionalLearning #TeacherGrowth #EducationMatters #BetterTogether #ConnectGrowServe

Educators spent the last two days deepening their understanding of Systematic ELD and strengthening strategies to support English learners in every classroom. Through reflection, discussion, and collaborative planning, participants built on their learning to enhance English language acquisition and student success. Thank you to everyone who joined us for this valuable professional learning experience! 🌟 #GFESC #EnglishLearners #SystematicELD #ProfessionalLearning #TeacherGrowth #StudentSuccess #EducationMatters #BetterTogether #ConnectGrowServe

Today's Beyond the Core: Differentiation for Gifted & Advanced Learners workshop equipped educators with practical strategies to challenge and engage gifted and advanced students through meaningful curriculum differentiation. A special thank you to Karen Grady for leading this informative session and helping teachers expand opportunities for every learner! 🍎✨ #GFESC #GiftedEducation #Differentiation #ProfessionalLearning #TeacherGrowth #AdvancedLearners #EducationMatters #BetterTogether #ConnectGrowServe

Three days of learning, growing, and strengthening literacy instruction wrapped up today at GFESC! Throughout the Sonday Science of Reading Training, educators explored phonology, phonics, language structure, vocabulary, fluency, and comprehension while gaining practical, multisensory strategies to support struggling readers and improve student outcomes. Thank you to everyone who participated and invested in building stronger readers, one lesson at a time! #GFESC #ScienceOfReading #SondaySystem #Literacy #ReadingInstruction #ProfessionalLearning #BetterTogether #ConnectGrowServe

Keeping our schools safe starts with well-trained staff! Today's Maintenance & Custodial Safety Training provided school custodial and maintenance teams with essential safety knowledge, including hazardous chemical awareness, bloodborne pathogens, back safety, slip, trip and fall prevention, and heat stress. Thank you to Renea Craig for leading this important training and to all of our participants for their commitment to creating safe learning environments for students and staff. #GFESC #SchoolSafety #CustodialStaff #MaintenanceStaff #ProfessionalLearning #SafeSchools #BetterTogether #ConnectGrowServe

Math and creativity came together today at GFESC! Participants discovered how visual art can bring geometry to life by exploring lines, angles, shapes, symmetry, and patterns through hands-on artistic projects. It's a fun and engaging way to deepen mathematical understanding while inspiring creativity in the classroom. Thank you to Richard Jenkins for leading this creative and interactive workshop, and to everyone who joined us! #GFESC #MathEducation #VisualArt #Geometry #ArtsIntegration #ProfessionalLearning #CreativeClassrooms #BetterTogether #ConnectGrowServe

Today's workshop equipped educators with practical reading comprehension strategies that empower students to become confident readers and independent learners. Participants explored engaging lesson ideas, valuable resources, and connections to the Arkansas Library Media Standards and ATLAS Blueprints to support student success across all content areas. A big thank you to Cassandra Barnett for leading this informative and engaging session, and to everyone who joined us for a day of learning! #GFESC #ReadingComprehension #LibraryMedia #ArkansasEducation #ProfessionalLearning #ATLAS #IndependentLearners #BetterTogether #ConnectGrowServe

Today at GFESC, educators joined Kris Shinn for From Chaos to Calm: Moving Beyond Punishment to Solve Your Toughest Classroom Behaviors. Participants explored the "why" behind challenging behaviors and gained practical, research-based strategies to respond with understanding, build student skills, and create calmer, more supportive classrooms. Thank you, Kris, for sharing your expertise and to everyone who attended! #BetterTogether #ConnectGrowServe #GFESC #ProfessionalLearning #ClassroomManagement #BehaviorSupport #EducatorGrowth #StudentSuccess

Understanding the "why" behind student behavior is key to creating meaningful support. Today's GFESC Unraveling the Story of Behavior: A Journey Through Functional Behavior Assessment workshop provided educators with practical strategies for conducting effective FBAs and developing individualized behavior support plans. Thank you to Audrey Kengla for leading this engaging session and to everyone who participated! #BetterTogether #ConnectGrowServe #SpecialEducation #BehaviorSupport #FunctionalBehaviorAssessment #StudentSuccess

Today's GFESC Diabetes/Adrenal Insufficiency and Special Health Care Needs Train the Trainer workshop equipped district RNs with the knowledge and resources needed to train unlicensed school personnel to safely support students with specialized health care needs. Thank you to Katelyn Chambers for leading this important training and to all of the dedicated school nurses committed to keeping Arkansas students safe and healthy! #BetterTogether #ConnectGrowServe #GFESC #Diabetes #StudentSuccess

Great books inspire great readers! 📚✨ Today's GFESC Books & Banter workshop introduced educators to the latest trends in young adult literature while sharing practical strategies for engaging struggling readers, building successful book clubs, and fostering a culture of literacy in schools. A special thank you to Ashley Ziegler for leading this inspiring session and helping educators discover new ways to connect students with books they'll love! #BetterTogether #ConnectGrowServe #BooksAndBanter #SchoolLibraries #Literacy #ProfessionalLearning

History comes to life through art! 🎨📖 Today's GFESC Integrating Art in History Classrooms workshop equipped educators with strategies to use artwork as historical evidence, strengthening students' critical thinking, visual literacy, and understanding of historical events and perspectives. A special thank you to Sarah Bartmier for leading this engaging session and sharing practical tools to enrich social studies instruction. #BetterTogether #ConnectGrowServe #SocialStudies #ProfessionalLearning #VisualLiteracy #HistoryEducation