Today at GFESC- Karen Grady led a collaborative meeting designed for K-12 counselors to come together and discuss current issues, share ideas, and prove feedback. These meetings aim to create an open space for connection, dialogue, new learning, and mutual support.
#GrowingLearningTogether #GFESC
We enjoyed having our Superintendents and area guests with us today for our Monthly Board Meeting and Superintendents meeting.
Today’s meeting was packed with valuable updates!
📚 Ken Warden, ADHE Commissioner, and Ross White, ACTE Director, shared insights on ACCESS, bachelor’s degree ROI, acceleration, and CTE pathways.
🩺 Katelyn Chambers (CHNS) brought important health updates for our region.
📊 We reviewed Atlas data to better understand local trends and needs.
🏛 Legislative updates kept us informed on changes impacting education.
🛡 We wrapped up with school safety resources and best practices to protect students and staff.
#LeadershipLivesHere #ConnectGrowServe every day at GFESC!
Yesterday at GFESC, Beth Euston came and presented to our Early Childhood department about Speech and Sound Disorders. Thank you Beth!
#GFESC #EarlyChildhood
🎉 Career Coaches on Campus – Back-to-School Kickoff!
Today we welcomed our amazing Career Coaches for a powerful start to the new school year! These dedicated professionals work in Arkansas schools to guide students in grades 7–12 through career exploration, academic planning, financial aid, and preparing for life after high school.
We’re grateful for the energy, insight, and commitment they bring to our campuses. Let’s make it a great year! 👏✨
#CareerCoaches #ARCareerEd #StudentSuccess #BackToSchool2025
Mansfield Elementary teachers are organizing centers and getting ready for next week! Looking forward to a great year!
#Mansfield #GFESC
3-6 RISE Day 5 - Text Level Comprehension workshop today on campus! Participants will examine factors that affect reading comprehension, review effective methods for teaching comprehension, and leave with the understanding that weakness in comprehension cannot be addressed until the weakness in the subskills of reading are identified and remediated. Thank you to Catherine Misfeldt, Casey Wade, and Lauren Cockrell!
#Comprehension #betterTOGETHER #GFESC
Hearing and Vision Training again today on the GFESC campus, led by Katelyn Chambers. This activity is to enable the learner to have the training necessary to complete mandated hearing and vision screenings.
#HearingVision #GFESC
🎉 GFESC Kickoff 2025-2026 was a tremendous success! Over 1,000 educators and staff from 10 school districts came together today to kick off the new year with purpose and passion.
We were inspired by Dr. Todd Whitaker, author of What Great Teachers Do Differently, as he reminded us what greatness in teaching truly looks like. He challenged us to be great—and see greatness in others. 💡
We laughed, we learned, and we got better—together. 💙
A huge THANK YOU to:
🏫 Alma School District for hosting us in their stunning Performing Arts Center
⚡️ AR Valley Electric Cooperative for sponsoring the day and supporting our area schools
We wrapped up the day with a resounding Hallelujah! 🎶
Here’s to a powerful start to the 2025-2026 school year! 🚀
#GFESC #GreatTeachers #BetterTogether
Gwen Couthren led an Early Childhood Updates session today on the GFESC campus. The session included:
-All early childhood updates
-Data digs
-Child Find committee meeting
-Armac training
-Mandated reporter training
-Bully training
-And file monitoring
#EarlyChildhood #GFESC #learningBETTERtogether
Today at GFESC, Katelyn Chambers led a training session for New School Nurses. This training will provide the new school nurses in our district with an overview of all school nurse duties, laws, and guidelines.
#SchoolNurses #GFESC #learningTOGETHER
Cycle 9 Workshop going on now at GFESC - reviewing the Cycle 9 process and FY25 Final Close procedures. Thank you to Regina Foster for leading this informative session!
Amber Cobb and Christian Storm held a workshop at GFESC today: Open Science Ed for Chemistry and Physical Science Integrated. In this workshop, teachers were provided an overview of the Open Science Ed instructional model, led through a sample chemistry unit launch, discovered how to access teacher materials, and unpacked teacher materials specific to chemistry and physical science integrated in Arkansas.
eSchool Medical Training today at GFESC! This training session provides school nurses with instruction on how to use the eschool medical tab. Thank you to Katelyn Chambers and Debbie Featherston!
#learningBETTERtogether #GFESC
Coding with Python and the Circuit Playground training today at GFESC! Combining the power of the Circuit Playground coding device with the visual excitement of Turtle graphics and the tangible engagement of physical computing.
#ComputerScience #GFESC
Today on campus, we have Kathleen Lancaster and Audrey Kengla here leading a workshop on Student Engagement to Increase Positive Behaviors in the Classroom. In this one day workshop, participants will enhance their strategies to engage students in a variety of classroom contexts, and they will learn about how student voice, student choice, and reinforcement can be leveraged to increase student involvement and motivation to learn.
#PositiveBehaviors #GFESC
John Wink held a two day conference in Van Buren these past two days; Mentoring ALL Teachers to Excellence! This was for educational leaders, mentoring teachers, and administrators. Based on his book, John taught participants how to help all teachers grow in both their knowledge and competence of the Hierarchy of Instructional Excellence through mentoring and leadership strategies.
#MentoringAllTeacherstoExcellence #JohnWick #GFESC
Participant are exploring Verbal and Non-Verbal Strategies for Preventing or De-escalating situations with students today at GFESC! This half-day session, led by Karen Grady, had discussions of situations teachers have dealt with, exploration of what might have been a trigger, and alternative options for working through the situation.
#learningBETTERtogether #GFESC
The Back to School Nurse Workshop was today at GFESC!! It provided school nurses with resources and up-to-date education for the upcoming school year. Topics covered included:
-RISK (Recognition of Impairment from Substances in K12)
-Anxiety in Elementary Students -Management of Sprains and Strains -Arkansas Department of Health Updates -Legislative updates and state-wide data by the best, Cheria McDonald Thank you to Katelyn Chambers and Joni Padilla for this very informative session! #SchoolNurses #GFESC
3-6 RISE Day 4:Vocabulary happening now on the GFESC campus today! This training focuses on a systematic, engaging approach aimed at developing learners' understandings of how words work and developing vocabulary knowledge through speaking, reading, and writing. Thank you again to Lauren Cockrell and Angelique Gray!
Kris Shinn has been at GFESC the past two days teaching a workshop on Everyday Behavior Tools. This training is highly informative and interactive, a must have for all educators! He made it easy for participants to relate to the material by using REAL life examples from within the classroom, home setting, and in the community! Thank you Kris!
#growingBETTERtogether #BehavioralTools #GFESC
