This CoP will explore arts integration and the creative process as tools to support holistic learning across all subject areas. In community, we will further our understanding of both the social-emotional benefits and academic benefits of arts engagement and arts learning as a group. Through workshops and conversations, we will explore art practices that can easily be brought into classrooms and explore these larger themes together in real time. This CoP is designed to feed teachers’ creativity while realizing the vision of the Strategic Arts Education Plan: to increase access, support and capacity for an equitable, empowering and student-centered creative arts education. No prior art experience is required.

This year’s improvement work will continue to focus on practicing and refining PDSA cycles, sharing learning across teams, and applying strategies to support multilingual learners. District teams will participate in four learning sessions with Brandon Bennett. The sessions will include professional learning on the California EL Roadmap and its role in strengthening services for multilingual learners. Each participant will also receive Journey to Improvement: A Team Guide to Systems Change in Education, Health Care, and Social Welfare to support their learning.

Jeff Zwiers Instructional Leadership Community of Practice to support site teacher leaders and administrators in implementing professional learning at their sites on Engaging ALL students in Academic Talk Across Disciplines. 4 Full Days: The AM sessions will be spent in classrooms, Dr. Zwiers will be available to model lessons and/or coach at hosting site. Four different interested participating sites will be chosen to host. The PM sessions will be workshop time to learn and further develop content knowledge and plan professional learning specific to your site to expand and deepen implementation to increase quantity and quality of of academic oral language across disciplines. Dates: 10/16/25 Session 1: Getting the Work Started,  12/03/25 Session 2: Learning & Planning from Student Talk,  2/03/26  Session 3: Deeper Learning & Planning form Student Talk,  4/14/26  Session 4: Bringing it all Together. Reflecting, Celebrating, Next Steps.

Purpose: Strengthen your leadership skills to drive effective collaboration, foster a culture of trust, and improve student outcomes. Key Outcomes: By the end of this series, participants will be able to: Lead and inspire within a team Build trust and manage conflict productively Communicate with clarity and purpose Recognize student needs and address bias Use data effectively to guide decisions Build consensus and foster commitment Audience: Teacher leaders who guide grade-level, department teams, or guided coalitions to boost student achievement.

This Community of Practice brings together kindergarten through fifth grade educators with a shared goal: to build lifelong writing skills in all students. Together, we will explore strategies that promote student autonomy, confidence, and growth in writing—no matter each child’s starting point. Our work will focus on creating strong, sustainable classroom writing systems that support diverse learners and empower young writers to see themselves as capable, independent communicators. Participants are encouraged to bring both ideas and questions to fuel collaborative inquiry, deepen our collective understanding, and learn from one another. Whether you're refining your current approach or building something new, this CoP will provide a space to reflect, explore, and grow alongside passionate colleagues.

This Community of Practice brings together 6th - 12th grade educators with a shared goal: to build lifelong writing skills in all students. Together, we will explore strategies that promote student autonomy, confidence, and growth in writing. Our work will focus on creating strong, sustainable classroom writing systems that support diverse learners and empower writers to see themselves as capable, independent communicators. Participants are encouraged to bring both ideas and questions to fuel collaborative inquiry, deepen our collective understanding, and learn from one another. Whether you're refining your current approach or building something new, this CoP will provide a space to reflect, explore, and grow alongside passionate colleagues.

Come join us to collaborate and connect with other educators across Merced County. At each meeting we will be discussing and sharing resources being used by educators across the county. We will also have guest speakers sharing their expertise on Newcomers and how to best address their needs in the classroom. In addition we will also have our first-ever Newcomer Network Conference! This in-person event brings together educators and administrators from across Region 7 to explore strategies, share best practices, and build capacity to support Newcomer students. Come be part of a collaborative experience focused on creating inclusive and high-achieving learning environments for all.