A Brighter Future Together: Investing in our Teachers and Students
At Tahlequah Public Schools, we often share our vision of "Tigers ROAR," which stands for Removing Obstacles and Achieving Results. While those words look great on a banner, they represent a daily commitment to our students and our staff. We believe that by empowering our educators with the best tools available, we are directly investing in the success and guidance every child needs to succeed.
One of the most exciting aspects of our work is the ability to offer high-level professional development that keeps our teachers at the forefront of modern education. This year, thanks to our dedicated grant funding, we are sending 50 of our teachers to Tulsa for intensive Professional Learning Communities (PLC) training. You might wonder how a PLC affects your child's classroom. Essentially, it shifts the focus from teachers working in isolation to a culture of collective responsibility. In these groups, our staff works collaboratively to analyze data and improve teaching practices, ensuring that every instructional decision is geared toward better student outcomes. It is a results-oriented approach that fosters mutual respect and a culture of continuous improvement across the entire district.
Our commitment to growth doesn't stop at our district lines. We view Tahlequah as a hub for educational excellence, which is why we are pleased to invite educators from all our surrounding area schools to participate in our upcoming summer Professional Development Breakout sessions on July 20 and 21. These sessions are offered free of charge because we believe that when one teacher in our region grows, all our students benefit.
The lineup for this summer is incredibly diverse. We will be exploring how to empower teaching through AI and unlocking new levels of efficiency and creativity in the classroom. For our math and science teachers, the Teacher Institute will feature PRISMS VR, bringing virtual reality tools into the classroom. We are also focusing on the "whole child" with sessions on sensory processing, classroom motor challenges, and the "5 W’s" of Dyslexia. From integrating literacy with hands-on STEM to exploring the gift of music across the secondary core curriculum, these workshops give teachers practical strategies for the upcoming school year. We are even diving into specialized areas like "Gifted 101," classroom management, and "Making Phonics Stick" to ensure we are meeting every student exactly where they are.
While academic growth is our primary mission, we know that a student cannot learn effectively if their environment isn't conducive to success. This is where our recent TSET grants are making a massive impact. We are thrilled to have received the TSET Discovery Grant, which is bringing Farmers Markets to all our elementary schools and our neighboring schools as well. Additionally, the TSET Environment Grant is allowing us to perform much-needed renovations to our high school cafeteria this summer. By expanding from two serving lines to four, we can ensure our students spend less time waiting and more time refueling.
Every grant we apply for and every training session we host is a piece of a larger puzzle. We are dedicated to building a brighter future for Tahlequah, and we are so thankful for the community’s continued support. If you are an educator from a surrounding school interested in joining us this July, or if you have questions about these initiatives, please reach out to Lacie Wilson at wilsonl@tahlequahschools.org. Together we are building a brighter future for every student in Tahlequah!
Submitted by Lacie Wilson, Federal & State Programs and Grants Director