Guy Fenter Education Service Cooperative, AR - Students First | Connect Grow Serve

Another productive day of learning at GFESC!⭐️ Today’s GFESC Hearing, Vision, BMI & Scoliosis Training provided school nurses with the essential training needed to complete mandated screenings with confidence and accuracy. Participants received hands-on guidance and practical updates to ensure they are fully prepared to serve students in their districts. Thank you to Katelyn Chambers and our dedicated school nurses for your commitment to keeping students healthy and ready to learn. Your work truly makes a difference every day! #GFESC #SchoolNurses #ServingSchools

Great day at the GFESC Elementary & Secondary Principals Meeting today! Our principals came together to collaborate, share updates, and discuss the important work happening across our districts. Meetings like this provide valuable time to connect, problem-solve, and focus on supporting students, teachers, and school communities. We appreciate the leadership and dedication each principal brings to their school every day. Working together makes us stronger! #GFESC #PrincipalsMeeting #SupportingSchools

Today at Guy Fenter, we kicked off the day with a comprehensive overview workshop of Triand (Rollcall) in the morning session, ensuring all users feel confident navigating and utilizing the system effectively. In the afternoon, participants transitioned into hands-on work with the New Year DataBase (NYDB) System. Together, we began copying the current school year into the 2026–2027 school year, making necessary updates, building next year’s calendars, and reviewing the rules that will guide the upcoming year. It’s always exciting to prepare ahead and make sure our systems are ready to support schools for a successful new year! Thank you to Debbie Featherston, Angel Peugh, and everyone who participated and collaborated today. #GFESC #NYDBS #StrongerTogether

GFESC hosted a Virtual Watch Party on campus today for the Act 504 K-12 Cybersecurity Policy Regional Workshop Series – Phase 2, led by Matt Pipkins. Participants joined Jeff Killingsworth and Krissy Cross for a hands-on session focused on the ADE K-12 Cybersecurity Policy. This training highlighted one of the six Phase 2 policy control groups set to take effect July 1, 2026. Attendees also received a customizable spreadsheet tool to help districts review, assess readiness, and plan for compliance. Thank you to everyone who participated and collaborated with district and state peers to strengthen cybersecurity readiness across our schools! #GFESC #Cybersecurity

📢 Early Childhood Substitute Portal Workshop Interested in becoming an early childhood substitute? Join us for a drop-in workshop designed to help you get started! 🗓 Today, February 12th ⏰ 9:00 AM – 2:00 PM 📍 GFESC – Suite D 3010 E. Hwy 22, Branch, AR 72928 During this workshop, participants can: ✅ Complete Criminal Background & Child Maltreatment Checks ✅ Set up Online Orientation Training ✅ Create and customize a Red Rover account Please bring a government-issued ID (driver’s license), a copy of your high school diploma or GED, and a laptop if available. Serving Crawford, Franklin, & Logan Counties To sign up, contact Elizabeth Churchman: 📧 localleads@wscstarfish.com 📞 (479) 965-2191 ext. 306 #EarlyChildhood #SubstituteTeachers #LocalLeads

Today, GFESC hosted the AHA CPR/First Aid/AED Instructor Training! This important training, led by Katy Chambers, conducted in partnership with Emergency Education Associates, provided participants with the opportunity to become certified instructors through a combined BLS and HeartSaver Instructor Course. The American Heart Association continues to seek dedicated professionals who are passionate about saving lives and empowering others through hands-on learning. We appreciate everyone who participated and took a step toward helping make our schools and communities safer and better prepared for emergencies. #GFESC #InstructorTraining #StrongerTogether

GFESC hosted Day 3 of 4 of the Special Education Novice Teacher Training today! Through this training, the Guy Fenter Education Service Cooperative is partnering with member districts, administrators, special education supervisors, DESE, and other agencies to support novice special education teachers as they build the knowledge and skills needed to serve students with disabilities. Day 3 focused on important topics including reevaluation and annual reviews, helping educators ensure students receive the support and services they need to succeed. We appreciate the dedication of these teachers as they continue learning and growing to better serve their students! #GFESC #NoviceTraining #ConnectGrowServe

GFESC was proud to host University of Arkansas Fort Smith interns for a day of professional development! We appreciate the outside administrators who shared their time and expertise, and big thanks to Jennifer King for leading an engaging and informative workshop. We love supporting future educators and leaders as they grow and learn! #GFESC #UAFSInterns #ProfessionalDevelopment

GFESC was pleased to host today’s Dyslexia Contact Meeting, led by Elizabeth Reeves. This meeting provided valuable updates, resources, and collaboration opportunities for those supporting students with dyslexia across our districts. We appreciate the dedication of our educators and specialists who work every day to ensure students receive the support they need to succeed. Thank you to everyone who attended and contributed to meaningful conversations and shared learning! #GFESC #Dyslexia #StrongerTogether

Booneville Elementary’snew teachers showing Paw Pride🐾 and leading students with heart💜.

GFESC hosted a CTF (Capture the Flag) Computer Science Cybersecurity Event today! 💻🔐 This exciting event gave students the opportunity to challenge themselves while exploring computer science and problem-solving concepts in a fun, interactive way. Through challenges designed like a “digital escape room meets scavenger hunt,” students worked to solve cybersecurity tasks that encouraged critical thinking, collaboration, and perseverance. This free event was open to students in grades 6–12 and provided a great opportunity to spark interest in computer science and cybersecurity pathways. We love seeing students engage, learn, and grow through hands-on experiences like this! Results are in: ⭐️1st Place - Mansfield ⭐️2nd Place - Lavaca ⭐️3rd Place - Paris Congratulations to all teams!! #GFESC #CaptureTheFlag #ComputerScience

GFESC was pleased to host our monthly Counselors Meeting today! This meeting provides an opportunity for counselors from across our region to receive important updates, collaborate with one another, and learn from guest speakers on relevant and timely topics. We had many that attended through zoom today, we appreciate the dedication our counselors show in supporting students’ academic success, well-being, and future goals. #GFESC #CouselorMeeting #ProfessionalLearning

More of Van Buren School District’s new teachers jumping into second semester with confidence and heart♥️

Over the past three days, educators participated in the GFESC Infant/Toddler CLASS Observer Certification Training. This multi-day training prepared learners to become certified, reliable CLASS observers by building a strong understanding of the CLASS 2nd Edition Infant–Toddler tool. Participants practiced observing and scoring real classroom interactions, learned key observer responsibilities, and strengthened observation practices that reduce bias. A great three days of learning and professional growth! #GFESC #EarlyChildhoodEducation #StrongerTogether

Secondary principals from across the region met at GFESC today for our monthly meeting. The day focused on collaboration, sharing updates, and discussing strategies to support students, staff, and school success. Always a valuable time to connect and work together! #GFESC #SecondaryPrincipals #ConnectGrowServe

Van Buren School District’s newest teachers creating success in the classroom.

Elementary principals from across the region gathered at GFESC today for our monthly meeting. A great time for collaboration, sharing updates, and discussing strategies to support students, staff, and schools. Always valuable to connect and learn together! #GFESC #ElementaryPrincipals #BetterTogether

Federal Programs Coordinators and Curriculum Coordinators gathered on the GFESC campus today for their monthly meeting, followed by an AR App Workday this afternoon. In partnership with DESE, Education Service Cooperatives are supporting districts through a series of hands-on workdays from January–May to guide the AR App process. Each session focuses on a different component, helping districts conduct comprehensive needs assessments, analyze data, build AR App teams, and write goals and actions aligned to district needs. Productive collaboration and meaningful planning to support high-quality district strategic plans—great work today! 👏 #GFESC #FederalPrograms #EducationCollaboration

Full house this past Saturday for ArPEP Year 1-2 at GFESC!

Excited to have had the Jr High 5A and up tournament on site today at GFESC! We had 12 teams onsite today: Alma: Middle and Freshmen teams. Fort Smith: Southside Freshman, Northside Freshman, Kimmons, Ramsey, Darby, Chaffin. Greenwood: Freshman and Jr High. Van Buren: Northridge and Butterfield These teams were full of enthusiasm and competitive spirit. We had some coin tosses for tiebreakers after rounds and lots of encouragement for each other. Parents, Districts, and communities should be so proud of these students!! First Place: Fort Smith Southside Freshman Second Place: Van Buren Northridge Third Place: Greenwood Freshman Better Luck Next Time - Ramsey MVP: Chase Wilson - Alma Freshman Team #GFESC #QuizBowl #ThinkFast