Crafting a positive classroom climate and fostering a healthy school culture are vital aspects of an effective learning environment. In this course, we will explore strategies and techniques that empower educators to cultivate a positive atmosphere, enhance student engagement, and contribute to a thriving school community. Join me on this journey of enhancing teaching practices and creating a more enriching educational experience for educators and students alike. CTLE Hours: 15 Cost: $0 Dates: 9/21 - 10/12/2026 Intended Audience: PK - 12 Teachers and Teacher Assistants* Location: online, asynchronous *Preference will be given to educators in the WNY Teacher Center Consortium Districts - Cheektowaga Central, Cheektowaga-Sloan, Cleveland Hill, Depew, Erie 1 BOCES, Lancaster, and Maryvale. If there are slots available, educators from outside the consortium may register. If not, you may be placed on the Wait List.

In an era of increasingly diverse student needs, AI offers a powerful solution for personalized learning. This asynchronous course empowers PreK-12 educators to move beyond "one-size-fits-all" instruction by leveraging cutting-edge AI platforms to automate differentiation. Participants will explore tools like Diffit and MagicSchool AI to bridge the gap for ENL students, learners with IEPs, and advanced students. Upon completion, participants in this workshop will be able to: 1. Generate leveled instructional materials (articles, summaries, and assessments) from any source text or video to match specific student reading levels in seconds. 2. Draft highly personalized IEP goals and classroom accommodations that align with student data while maintaining professional oversight. 3. Utilize AI-driven translation and communication tools to create accessible resources for multilingual learners and their families. CTLE Hours: 10 Cost: 0 Dates: 9/21 - 10/6/2026 Location: online asynchronous* Intended audience: All Teachers** Instructor: G. Stryker Ostafew * The instructor will email a link to the Google Classroom course on or just before the start date. **Preference will be given to educators in the WNY Teacher Center Consortium Districts - Cheektowaga Central, Cheektowaga-Sloan, Cleveland Hill, Depew, Erie 1 BOCES, Lancaster, and Maryvale. If there are slots available, educators from outside the consortium are welcome to register.

CHEMSHARE is a professional training series specifically designed to meet the needs of secondary Chemistry instructors in public and non-public schools throughout Western New York. The OBJECTIVES are to enable instructors to share ideas, activities, and strategies; expand the secondary Chemistry program by developing labs and kits; and increase linkage with higher education and business. The '25 - 26 CHEMSHARE sessions will focus on developing strategies that incorporate processes and applications to the classroom in order to meet the NYS MST standards. Google Drive will be utilized to save and share resources. CTLE Hours: 15 Cost: $0 Dates/Time: 9/21/26,10/19/26, 11/16/26, 12/21/26, 1/11/27,7 2/8/27: 4:00 pm to 6:30 pm. Location: First Session - Lancaster High School. Others TBD by participants at first session Facilitator - Kathy Gibbs

Great teachers are good managers! And there is a lot to manage: time, materials, relationships, learning goals, student attendance, behavior, and motivation. Participants in this asynchronous course will learn strategies and practices that create a physically and emotionally safe and orderly learning environment as well as a process for managing challenging behavior. CTLE/Hours: 12 Dates: September 25 - October 11, 2026 Location: online asynchronous* Intended audience: All teachers** Instructor: Jon Erwin * The instructor will email the course invitation on or shortly before the start date. ** Enrollment preference will be given to educators in the WNY Teacher Center Consortium Districts - Cheektowaga Central, Cheektowaga-Sloan, Cleveland Hill, Depew, Erie 1 BOCES, Lancaster, and Maryvale. If you are from outside our consortium, you may be placed on a waitlist. If there are slots available a few days before the course, you will be enrolled.

Upon completion of this book study book study, participants will be ready to make small changes with big gains. Do you feel overwhelmed with the never-ending list of requirements? It is time to overcome exhaustion, set boundaries, and rediscover your love for education. Let's shift the focus from "just pushing through” to sustainable, systemic change. In this book study you will learn to identify and set boundaries, add in self- care, and shift your mindset. This book study will encourage personal reflection and help you to "Banish the Burnout.” CTLE Hours: 15 Cost: 0 (Participants are responsible for acquiring a copy of the book Banish the Burnout: A Self-Care Guide for Educators by Marsha Woolery) Dates: 9/28 - 10/12/2026 Location: online asynchronous* Intended Audience: All Educators** Instructor: Marie Cierzo

Upon finishing this workshop, participants will be equipped to apply a variety of strategies and activities, both digital and hands-on, which are designed to improve students' retention of information. All are adaptable to various subjects and grade levels. CTLE Hours: 10 Cost: $0 Dates: 9/28 - 10/12/2026 Anticipated Audience: All Teachers and Teacher Assistants* Location: online, asynchronous Instructor: Julie Trzaska *Preference will be given to educators in the WNY Teacher Center Consortium Districts - Cheektowaga Central, Cheektowaga-Sloan, Cleveland Hill, Depew, Erie 1 BOCES, Lancaster, and Maryvale. If there are slots available, educators from outside the consortium may register. If not, you may be placed on the Wait List.

Engagement That Sticks is an online self-paced course for educators who want to use games to boost student engagement. Participants will explore a TED Talk, articles, and a variety of movement, focus, and team-building activities to fit their classrooms. Through hands-on exploration, reflection, and peer feedback, teachers will create a personalized toolkit of ready-to-use games. By the end, educators will have practical strategies to energize lessons, build classroom culture, and improve student engagement. By the end of this course, participants will be able to: 1. Understand how classroom games boost student engagement and relationships. 2. Find and categorize games for movement, focus, teamwork, and fun. 3. Plan and run games effectively in their classroom. 4. Reflect on and adjust games using notes and peer feedback. 5. Create a personal toolkit of ready-to-use games. 6. Use games to build classroom culture and connection. CTLE Hours: 15 Cost: 0 Dates: 9/25 - 10/15/2026 Location: Online Asynchronous* Intended Audience: PK-12 Teachers and Teacher Assistants** Instructor: Jennifer Kibler * The instructor will email a link to the Google Classroom course on or just before the start date. **Preference will be given to educators in the WNY Teacher Center Consortium Districts - Cheektowaga Central, Cheektowaga-Sloan, Cleveland Hill, Depew, Erie 1 BOCES, Lancaster, and Maryvale. If there are slots available, educators from outside the consortium are welcome to register.

In this course, educators will explore the power of microlearning-short, focused learning experiences designed to boost engagement, retention, and instructional efficiency. Participants will be able to: 1) Define microlearning and describe its key characteristics. 2) Explain cognitive science principles related to microlearning (working memory, spacing effect, retrieval practice). 3) Choose appropriate media formats for microlearning objects. 4) Develop a microlearning sequence aligned with learning standards. CTLE Hours: 12 Cost: 0 Dates: 10/2 - 10/12/2026 Location: online asynchronous* Intended audience: PK - 12 Teachers** Instructor: Mark Hanes * The instructor will email a link to the Google Classroom course on or just before the start date. **Preference will be given to educators in the WNY Teacher Center Consortium Districts - Cheektowaga Central, Cheektowaga-Sloan, Cleveland Hill, Depew, Erie 1 BOCES, Lancaster, and Maryvale. If there are slots available, educators from outside the consortium are welcome to register.

Grounded in the belief that talk is a fundamental thinking process in classrooms, this course invites educators to reimagine classroom discussion as a central driver of learning. Using Teaching Talk: A Practical Guide to Fostering Student Thinking and Conversation (Pranikoff, 2017) as a foundational resource, participants will explore how student-driven discussion deepens comprehension, strengthens independence, and builds a community of thinkers across content areas. This course positions dialogue as essential to rigorous work across ELA and Social Studies and directly connects to the NYSED Portrait of a Graduate goals of creating effective communicators and critical thinkers. Upon completion, participants in this course will understand and start to utilize practical classroom-based strategies to coach students toward independent, text-grounded conversations that build confidence, careful reasoning, and mindsets that transfer beyond the classroom. CTLE Hours: 15 Cost 0 (Participants are required to acquire a copy of Teaching Talk by Kara Pranikoff) Dates: Synchronous online meetings (4:00 pm to 5:30 pm): October 7, October 31, November 4, December 2, December 9, 2026. * Asynchronous assignments will be given between sessions. Intended audience: All teachers ** Instructor: Kara Pranikoff * The instructor will email a link to the Google Classroom course on or just before the start date. **Preference will be given to educators in the WNY Teacher Center Consortium Districts - Cheektowaga Central, Cheektowaga-Sloan, Cleveland Hill, Depew, Erie 1 BOCES, Lancaster, and Maryvale. If there are slots available, educators from outside the consortium are welcome to register.

Google's NotebookLM has become a powerhouse for synthesizing information using AI. Participants in this workshop will learn how to take a messy folder of PDFs, slide decks, and meeting notes and turn them into something useful for students or their own professional practice. Note: this workshop is limited to teachers who work in schools with Google Workspace for Education. CTLE Hours: 3 Cost: 0 Dates: 10/10 - 10/17/2026 Location: asynchronous online* Intended audience: All teachers who have access to Google Workspace for Education** Instructor: Sarah Janis

Upon completion, participants in this online course will understand the importance of explicitly teaching SEL skills and how DEI connects to social-emotional learning. They will explore how intentional read alouds and powerful book choice can easily be incorporating into their curriculum to reach these goals. Participants will leave this class with ready to go lesson plans. They will also have the opportunity to share with other professionals and work together to promote social emotional learning. CTLE/Hours: 15 Cost: FREE Dates: 10/12 - 11/1/2026 Location: online asynchronous* Intended Audience: PK - 4 Teachers and Teacher Assistants, Counselors, Social Workers, Therapists** Facilitator: Jessica Pacifio * The instructor will email the course invitation on or shortly before the start date. ** Enrollment preference will be given to educators in the WNY Teacher Center Consortium Districts - Cheektowaga Central, Cheektowaga-Sloan, Cleveland Hill, Depew, Erie 1 BOCES, Lancaster, and Maryvale. If you are from outside our consortium, you may be placed on a waitlist. If there are slots available a few days before the course, you will be enrolled.

Ready to move beyond basic Canva designs? This intermediate/advanced workshop helps educators design polished, interactive, and accessible learning materials Through short lessons and hands-on projects, participants will build templates, create student-ready resources, and streamline their work. CTLE Hours: 15 Cost: 0 Dates: 10/15 - 10/30/2026 Location: online asynchronous* Intended audience: All educators** Instructor: Kathy Halter * The instructor will email a link to the Google Classroom course on or just before the start date. **Preference will be given to educators in the WNY Teacher Center Consortium Districts - Cheektowaga Central, Cheektowaga-Sloan, Cleveland Hill, Depew, Erie 1 BOCES, Lancaster, and Maryvale. If there are slots available, educators from outside the consortium are welcome to reg

Foreign Language Share (FLAPPERS) is a professional training series specifically designed to meet the needs of instructors of Foreign Languages at the middle and secondary school level in Public and Non-Public schools throughout New York. The OBJECTIVES are to enable instructors (1) to share activities and instructional strategies, (2) to expand and enrich the foreign language arts programs by developing new activities aligned with the NYS Learning Standards, (3) to increase linkages with higher education, cultural and business enterprises, and (4) to facilitate implementation of TECHNOLOGY in the Foreign Language Arts program. TOPICS include: Technology implementation, cooperative learning strategies, field trip experiences, formative & summative assessments, ACTFL, Common Core and New York State Standards, and improving student fluency in speaking, reading, writing, and listening. CTLE/Hours: 15 Cost: $0 Dates/Time: Oct. 15, 2026; Nov. 5, 2026; Feb. 4, 2027; March 4, 2027; and April 15, 2027; 4:00 pm to 7:00 pm Location: Clarence High School, room 116 Facilitator: Melanie Williams

A Teacher's Guide to Managing ADHD Is a book study about how teachers can help their students who have ADHD. This book not only provides supports and strategies for teachers to use in their classroom, but also gives readers insight into the everyday life of a student trying to navigate school with ADHD. It also provides evidence-based practices that will help teachers be successful when working with students with ADHD. Participants will have to complete chapter-based discussion questions for all 15 chapters of the book. They will also have to comment on other teachers' posts in order to create a discussion-based platform. This will allow teachers to see what others are doing in their classrooms to help students with ADHD become successful. CTLE Hours: 15 Cost: $0 Dates: October 16 - November 6, 2026 Location: Online asynchronous* Intended Audience: K-12 Teachers who have students with ADHD Instructor: Alison Pepero * The instructor will send information about how to join the course on or just before the start date.

The objectives of the hybrid FACS Shared Learning Community are to enable instructors to: (1) share activities and instructional strategies (2) expand and enrich FACS programs by developing labs and new activities which are aligned with the NYS Learning Standards (3) increase linkages with higher education and our communities (4) facilitate implementation of technology in the FACS program. ** A Shared Google Drive will be utilized to save and share all resources we create! CTLE: 15 hours Cost: $0 Dates/Locations: 10-22-26 @ Mill Middle School, 505 Mill St., Buffalo, NY 14221; 11-12-26 (Location TBD); 1-21-27 (virtual); 2-25-27 (virtual); & 3-18-27 (TBD). Time: 4:00 pm to 7:00 pm for all meetings Facilitator: Andrea Pecori

Book: The SEL Solution: Integrating Social-Emotional Learning into the Curriculum and Build a Caring Climate for All (Free Spirit Publishing, 2019) - by Jonathan C. Erwin This book gives you everything you need to engage students in a social-emotional learning initiative. Based on a solid theoretical framework, this asynchronous book study: 1) Shows you how to integrate lessons on empathy, cooperation, self-regulation, leadership, problem-solving, and more into the ELA and social studies curricula. 2) Provides dozens of classroom-tested strategies for building trust, engaging students, and increasing student voice. 3) Introduces a useful metaphor to help students take responsibility for their behavior and their role in the classroom and school. 4) Helps students and adults master critical social and emotional skills, encourages student leadership, provides effective and compassionate behavior management techniques, and increases student success. CTLE Hours: 15 Cost: $0* Dates: Oct. 30 - November 15, 2026 Location: online asynchronous** * The book will be provided free of cost IF you are in the Erie 1 BOCES interoffice mail system or if you can stop by the Teacher Center on the Erie 1 BOCES Education Campus on Harlem Road in West Seneca. (Email Jon Erwin to notify him at jerwin@e1b.org) Otherwise, you are responsible for acquiring a copy of the book.2 (https://www.teachercreatedmaterials.com/products/the-sel-solution-integrate-social-emotional-learning-into-your-curriculum-and-build-a-caring-climate-for-all-899636) **The instructor will email a link to the course on the start date.