It was a day of preparation for the district’s 15 newest teachers as they gathered in the Elwood Middle School library on Aug. 28 for the first day of their New Teacher Orientation. The two-day orientation program allowed the new staff members to be officially introduced to the district through key tools and information.

Director of Humanities Pam Fine and Director of Math, Science and Technology Eileen Kelly-Gorman hosted the first day of orientation, where the focus was on curriculum and instruction. New staff members were welcomed with a special breakfast to kick off the day and met with the administrative team. To get better acquainted with each other, the group took part in icebreaker challenges including a round of “Two Truths and a Lie.” 

In addition, Executive Director of Special Education Dianne Wilkinson presented on special education and the group learned about student engagement and the expectations for instruction. At the end of the day, the new teachers took a bus tour of Elwood to familiarize themselves with the district. 

During the second day of orientation, the new teachers honed their technology skills under the guidance of Executive Director for Technology and Transportation Gene Tranchino and Instructional Technology Specialist Krista Albrecht. They created their own Google websites, worked with technology tools utilized in the classroom and were introduced to Google Expeditions, a new hands-on virtual reality gadget that the district will use during the new school year.