Hidden Sparks is a non-profit
fund whose purpose is to help children with learning
differences reach their full potential in school
and life. Hidden Sparks develops and supports professional
development programs for Jewish day schools to help
increase understanding and support for teaching
to diverse learners.
Hidden
Sparks Without Walls Successful Launch!
We are proud and pleased to announce
the completion of the first year of
Hidden Sparks Without Walls, our innovative
distance learning program for educators
in Jewish day schools. During this inaugural
year there were 265 total participants
in our classes, from 59 Jewish day schools
in 35 cities across the United States
and Canada.
These free, short-term classes allow
educators to participate from home in
interactive professional development
by phone and/or through the internet
with leading educational experts. They
provide teachers with concepts, strategies
and tools to deepen understanding of
the ways in which students learn and
behave.
We thank our presenters and salute all
of the educators who logged in in the
evenings for classes in: Language,
Learning and Literacy: Foundations of
Academic Success; The Role of Memory
in School Success; Communicating with
Parents; Social Cognition: The Science
of Relating; Attention; De-escalating
Intense Behavior; An Overview of How
We Learn; Analyzing a Lesson; Analyzing
Your Teaching Style; Analyzing Student
Work; Strategies for Peak Performance:
Effective Tools for Organizing Your
Students; and Exploring Learning Processes
in a Judaic Studies Curriculum.
We hope you enjoyed them! For those
who have yet to enjoy them, follow this
link
to our archived webinars to hear
the presentations and view the slideshows.
Please check back during the summer
for our Fall course offerings, and see
for yourself what all the excitement
over HS-WoW is about!
Hidden
Sparks without Walls makes
available short-term classes on
differentiated learning to teachers
in Jewish day schools and yeshivas
across North America.
Coach
Retreat, December 16, 2008 in Great
Neck
Hidden Sparks coaches and leadership
gathered for a day-long workshop and
training session. 40 coaches from 28
participating Hidden Sparks schools
in New York, New Jersey and Boston spent
an invigorating day together, led by
Hidden Sparks Educational Directors
Claire Wurtzel and Dr. Rona Novick.
Spring, 2008. The
PEJE National Assembly in Boston
offers Hidden Sparks an opportunity
to reach out nationally with a
session on “Deepening Your
School's Capacity To Meet the
Needs of Diverse Learners.”
Summer, 2008. Hidden Sparks
educators and coaches presented
a stimulating all day Curriculum
Institute on Literacy for Hidden
Sparks schools.
Fall, 2008. Hidden Sparks' ICP
Coordinator and Mentor Esther
Kramer presents "Looking
at Student Work" at the BJE
Professional Day.
What
People Are Saying About Hidden Sparks
Programs...
I
used to think that struggling students
have a hard time in a mainstream classroom
because it was too demanding. Until
Hidden Sparks, I did not fully appreciate
how each component of learning needed
to be analyzed.
Because
of Hidden Sparks, I now understand the
importance of collaboration between
principal, teachers, parents, and students
to help students succeed.
I
used to focus on the student’s
major weakness without looking enough
at the whole student. The constructs
allow me to check and look at the whole
student. (They) also taught me to focus
more on students’ affinity and
strengths.
Hidden
Sparks showed me that the more students
understand their own learning issues
the more able they will be to help themselves
develop strategies even after they leave
school.
I
used to feel helpless in the face of
learning issues. Now I feel I have tools
and resources for helping my students.
I thought
that I had a good understanding of how
to approach teaching children with learning
differences. Now I have been given a
toolkit, which has more precise tools
that will help me use my prior knowledge
and the “best” key to open
the door for more of my students.
Hidden Sparks was recently featured
at the PEJE National Assembly
in Boston on Deepening Your School's
Capacity To Meet the Needs of
Diverse Learners. Pictured from
left to right: Arlene Remz, Executive
Director Gateways, Boston; Dr.
Rona Novick, Educational Director
Hidden Sparks, Debbie Niderberg,
Executive Director Hidden Sparks,
Rabbi Gary Menchel, Menahel Yeshiva
Har Torah, Claire Wurtzel, Educational
Director Hidden Sparks, Ethel
Salomon, Rabbi Pesach Raymon Yeshiva.
Hidden Sparks schools recently
enjoyed a stimulating all day
Curriculum Institute on Literacy
with Claire Wurtzel and co-facilitated
by Marilyn Meltzer, Curriculum
Coordinator, General Studies at
the Ramaz Lower School and Hidden
Sparks Internal Coach and Minky
Bin-Nun, Hidden Sparks Internal
Coach at Yeshiva Tiffereth Moshe.
