We Created, We Connected, We Collaborated…

Region 6 Conference Reflection
by Lisa Pagano, Melissa Mooney & Nancy Betler

Our second annual NCAEE Region 6 Conference was everything we hoped it would be…and more!  Nearly 75 elementary educators from across our region gathered together on a Saturday morning at Lansdowne IB Elementary School in Charlotte, North Carolina for a fun day of learning, creating, connecting, and collaborating!

After months of careful planning and collaboration, our dedicated Regional Advisory Council arrived early on the morning of March 1st and began preparing for the event. Snacks were organized and drinks were refrigerated, the Presenters’ Lounge was set up, signs were posted, and all technology was checked to ensure our day would run smoothly. We wanted to set the stage for a positive experience for everyone involved.

The day began with an inspiring, uplifting, and informative keynote session by Kathy Bumgardner. She validated the crowd and kept them engaged and smiling throughout her entire keynote with her wonderful sense of humor, entertaining photos and slides, and anecdotes. You could hear the laughter emerging from our crowd down the hallway! She also shared fun, practical, and interactive strategies to help students and meet and exceed expectations for CCSS in English Language Arts.

The breakout sessions were amazing!  We could not have asked for a group of better presenters.  We had sessions on topics such as Using Interactive Notebooks in the Content Areas with Jaime Deming, a session that taught teachers how to effectively utilize interactive notebooks into the content areas to help you differentiate instruction to Expanding the Impact of Great Teaching with Blended Learning with Romain Bertrand, which shared how blended learning can allow you to reach more students in a personalized way.

We also had sessions on technology integration, balanced literacy, student leadership, and differentiation to meet the needs of all learners. Our interactive and engaging breakout sessions truly provided something for everyone. Our participants were able to customize their experience at our conference. Experience our conference through the eyes of one of our presenters and attendees, Gretchen Schultek. Click here to read her blog post and see the terrific pictures she shared!

We enjoyed a delicious lunch from Firehouse Subs while connecting with one another. Each participant was entered for a chance to win door prizes. The two big door prizes were a session with Kathy Bumgardner and a Kindle Fire! These lucky winners were so excited and can’t wait to take advantage of their prizes.

Thank you to everyone who made our 2nd Annual Region 6 Conference a great success!  We can’t wait to start planning for our 2015 Region 6 Conference! In the meantime, you can keep up with our region by following us on Twitter, joining our Facebook group, and checking out our website.

We are thrilled that the 11th Annual State Elementary Conference will take place in our region-in Concord (October 19-21, 2014)! Have you registered yet?  We hope to see you there!