JANUARY 14, 2026
JANUARY 14, 2026
MVYPS Professional Development Day
This half day of professional development is entirely structured around teacher-directed professional learning and development. It is MVYPS' hopes that teachers will take advantage of this day to engage in professional development that is collaborative, authentic and relevant to their practice, related to individual professional development plans, and enriches the learning experience of the students in their classrooms (see note below). ESPs have a normal contractual work day on this PD day (see below for ESP PD options).
MVRHS- 11:00 am to 4:00 pm
K-8 Schools- 12:00 pm to 5:00 pm
The following opportunities have been organized by MVYPS leaders and educators to provide rich, high quality PD and Collaboartive meeting time on this day.
ALL teachers are asked to complete a PD google form (to be sent out on January 14). This is the tracker for your PD and will award you the PDPs for your work.
Collaborative Meetings, including COPs and PLCs
Collaborative Meetings are opportunities to connect with colleagues to deepen instructional work and collaboration. These meetings have a variety of purposes, including vertical transitions, grade level and content alignment, collaborative planning and team building. Continuous engagement with a specific meeting group over the course of two years may result in 5 PDPs (more information about how this can occur to come).
Here is the current collaborative meeting schedule.
Contact Sara Dingledy with any questions
PD: Children's Cove Presentation by Anna Colby
When: 1:30-3:00
Who: Open to all MVYPS Staff
Where: In person at MVRHS AND Virtual on Zoom PLEASE RSVP HERE BY JANUARY 13
Purpose:
This presentation provides educators with a foundational understanding of child exploitation. Emphasis is placed on identifying risk factors, recognizing behavioral and situational indicators, and understanding the role of educators in prevention and early intervention. The presentation supports informed, developmentally appropriate responses and highlights the importance of collaboration with school-based and community partners to promote student safety and well-being.
Anna Colby is the Child Exploitation Program Coordinator at Children’s Cove: the Cape and Islands Child Advocacy Center, where she has served for the past 2.5 years. A lifelong Cape Cod resident, Anna brings an interdisciplinary background to their role, including prior experience as a high school educator. Her professional work centers on prevention efforts, professional training, and multidisciplinary collaboration to address issues related to child exploitation.
Contact Amy Lilavois with any questions
PD: Introduction to Collaborative Problem Solving
[2 PDPs upon completion]
Who: All MVYPS educators and staff interested in learning the foundations and theory behind Collaborative Problem Solving*.
Time: Self-directed, self-paced virtual learning series
Purpose: MVYPS has worked with Think:Kids to provide MVYPS educators and staff free access to this learning module.
This 2-hour, self-paced course introduces the basic principles of Collaborative Problem Solving, an innovative, trauma-informed, and evidence-based approach to understanding and helping kids and adults with behavioral challenges. The principles of Collaborative Problem Solving® will be discussed, while outlining how the approach is uniquely suited to the needs of today's educators and students. The CPS approach aligns with CASEL's 5 core competencies, integrates with MTSS frameworks, PBIS, and restorative practices, is evidence-based, neurobiologically and trauma-informed, and child and family-centered.
Participants learn a more empathic and accurate understanding of what causes unmet expectations and challenging behavior and are exposed to an overview of the three key components of the approach. These courses lay the foundation for attending Essential Foundation in Collaborative Problem Solving (Level 1)
Objectives:
Understand what really causes challenging behavior or unmet expectations in others.
Discover the limitations of motivational approaches as a solution to unwanted behavior.
Learn three ways to respond to unwanted behavior and the best times to use them.
See how the approach can positively change interactions and outcomes with youth and adults.
Location: A link to the learning platform will be provided upon registration. Please register here by 1/13 to receive access.
Contact Hope MacLeod with questions.
Focus Area(s):
Bucket 1- A System-wide Commitment to Our Children >
Emphasis on teaching models
Emphasis on physical and emotional welfare of our students
Prioritize alternative approaches to discipline
Bucket 2- A Commitment to Nurturing the Culture within Our Schools >
Emphasis on relationships and themes of care
Strategies to improve school climate
*Note: This course is not for those educators who have been trained in Level 1 or Level 2 CPS Practices. This course is for those educators/staff who are curious about CPS and want to develop a foundational understanding for the practice.
Please follow this link for the day's agenda at MVRHS
Purpose: Users will learn how to navigate Everyday Speech as a Tier 1-3 Social Skills resource. New users and existing users are welcome to attend, as we're sure all users will have something new to take away. Please email Kim Garrison by 1/13 if you need an account.
Objectives:
In just 60 short minutes, you will be able to:
Navigate the Everyday Speech platform.
Build your student profiles and groups for the school year.
Plan and track progress using goal banks and assessments.
Organize materials using playlists.
Create personalized sessions for your students/groups.
Implement practical strategies to enhance your students’ social skills and emotional well-being.
Time: 1:30 PM- 2:30 PM
Facilitator: Krystle Favreau, Everyday Speech
Location: Zoom:-https://us02web.zoom.us/j/82339044394?jst=2
No Registration Required.
Special Instruction: Please be prepared to navigate alongside Krystle for the presentation. You will be given time to explore and use the materials in the Everyday Speech toolkit live during the session. Please also try to login prior to the session to ensure you can access the site. If you have any trouble, reach krystle@everydayspeech.com.
Who: All MVYPS Educational Support Professionals (ESPs)
Purpose: The Department of Elementary and Secondary Education is pleased to share a new and growing set of resources to support the onboarding and continued professional learning for paraeducators across Massachusetts. District administrators, school leaders, and paraeducators are welcome to access and use the first two e-learning modules in a larger series aimed at providing targeted learning and support for paraeducators. Paraeducators across Massachusetts informed the design and directly contributed to these modules.
Objectives: Varies based on module
Time: Asynchronous
Facilitators: MA Department of Elementary and Secondary Education
Location: Click the links to specific topics (available by clicking on the videos on the right-side of the page or by going directly to DESE's webpage)
Registration: No prior registration required
MVYPS focus area(s):
Note: Professional development points are not relevant/awarded for these asynchronous sessions.