Professional Development

Introduction

At VSA, we prioritize professional learning to keep our teachers updated with the latest developments and best practices in curriculum, assessment, and more. We offer exceptional professional development opportunities, empowering our staff to continually improve and discover innovative ways to engage our students. Our commitment to professional growth ensures that our teachers are equipped to inspire students to value, strive, and act.

Professor Lucy Calkins

“Empowering Readers and Writers”

A 2-Day Reading and Writing Project Conference

November 13th-14th, 2023

For Pre K-K, Grade 1-2, Grade 3+

Victoria Shanghai Academy

19 Shum Wan Road, Aberdeen, Hong Kong

REgister now

Click for schedule

Join us for this unique opportunity to participate in a 2-day Reading and Writing Conference led by program founder Prof. Lucy Calkins and her team of professionals. The workshops are tailored for educators teaching in Kindergartens to Upper Primary Schools, and these sessions are designed to assist teachers in navigating the Reading and Writing Units of Study and gaining a deeper understanding of children’s literacy development.

The 2-day workshop pass is transferable between teaching professionals. This means that if multiple educators from the same institution wish to attend, they can share the pass, with one educator attending the reading workshop on the first day and another attending the writing workshop on the second day. We understand that both components are valuable and we want to accommodate the needs of all participants.

Keynotes by Professor Calkins include:

What Matters Most When Teaching Writing
"If you don't have a dream, how are you going to have a dream come true" Develop an Image of Best Practices in Teaching Reading

Message from Professor Calkins:

“I can't wait to share all our newest ideas for teaching young children to read and write well. Primary teachers will be brought into the rich discussions we've been having about the role of decodable texts, orthographic mapping and knowledge development--and you'll understand why we've developed very new units of study in both writing and reading. Teachers in the upper grades will get a sneak peek into the new ideas that will be released next Spring in the 3-5 Writing Units of Study. ”

Speaker Bios

Professor Lucy Calkins

Founding Director

Lucy is the Founding Director of both Mossflower Reading and Writing Project (formerly the Reading and Writing Project) and of Teachers College Reading and Writing Project (TCRWP). She’s been on the faculty at Teachers College, Columbia University for over four decades, as both the co-director of the Literacy Specialist Program and the Richard Robinson Professor of Children’s Literature. Lucy has written over fifty books, including the widely adopted Units of Study curriculum. Pathways to the Common Core was a New York Times best-seller selling book, and The Art of Teaching Writing is generally regarded as a foundational book in the teaching of writing. Recently, Lucy has edited a series of decodable books for children (Jump Rope Readers) and been the lead author for new editions of Units of Study for both reading and writing.

Lucy began her career as a teacher for elementary, middle and high school students, then joined Don Graves as a researcher on the National Institute of Education’s first major study of children as writers. That research has been credited with transforming the teaching of writing, bringing writing workshops, which were once the province of college classrooms, into K-8 classrooms. For decades since then, Lucy has devoted most of her time to leading organizations that aim to support best practices in the teaching of reading and writing. Lucy says,“It has been my greatest honor to work alongside the talented staff developers, teachers, and the school leaders who have helped develop, pilot, learn from, and teach reading and writing workshops, K-8.”

Jepilyn Matthis

Staff Developer

Jepi’s background equips her to help not only individual schools, but also entire districts. She came to the East Coast after serving for six years as the K-6 ELA Coordinator in a large Texas district, helping to bring reading and writing workshops to scale across scores of schools. In that capacity, she worked with literacy coaches, school leaders, data specialists and of course teachers to form supportive, assessment-based communities of practice. Although Jepi has a global vision for school reform, she is deeply interested in the fine details of early literacy. She has been a Reading Recovery teacher, she’s trained in dyslexia intervention and has served as both a literacy coach and a reading specialist. She teaches a course in literacy for the Preservice Program at Teachers College, and has been a staff developer with TCRWP. She is also the co-author of Meeting Characters in the first grade Units of Study and of the Blueberry Series, featuring Liann, in the Jump Rope Readers.

Schools that partner with Jepilyn will come to understand that all brains and all hearts learn differently and that the joy of teaching comes from striving to support each student’s unique ways of learning.

Casey Maxwell

Project Manager and Staff Developer

Casey assumes the role of Project Manager because of her deep, research-based understanding of the Sciences of Reading and her strong organizational leadership skills. In this role, she will have responsibility for spearheading work on new writing projects, communicating with state offices, and maintaining a strong relationship with Heinemann Publishing reps. To do this work, Casey will draw upon her extensive experience with online resources at Heinemann, her authorship of three books in the Units of Study series, and her deep connections to schools that are so important to her that she will also continue to serve as their staff developer.

Teach for America initially provided Casey with her introduction into the field of education, and she has since solidified her dedication to student-centered, developmentally appropriate literacy instruction. Casey is particularly interested in emergent literacy, in helping schools make the shifts to bring the Sciences of Reading into their curricula, and in play-based inquiry across all the disciplines.

Registration

Registration Fee

The registration fee is HK$1,900 per person.

The registration fee includes the following:

Shuttle bus transportation between designated locations on November 13-14, 2023
Workshop materials
Mid-morning snacks, hot lunch, and refreshments

How to Pay Your Registration Fee

The registration fee can be paid by credit card or PayPal via the registration form
For group registration, please email events@vsa.edu.hk with the attendees’ names, emails and workshop levels and we will provide you with a personalized payment link via email

Terms and Conditions of Registration

VSA reserves the right to alter the conference schedule without further notice; however, every effort will be made to ensure that the conference runs as advertised
Once payment is received, registration fees are non-refundable
Please note that cancellations will not be eligible for a refund

Travel Information for Overseas Guests

Transport between Hong Kong Airport and Your Hotel (Accommodation)

Participants are responsible for organizing their own transportation between Hong Kong International Airport and their hotel (accommodation).

Hotel Accommodation in Hong Kong

Participants are responsible for booking their own hotel accommodation if required.

VSA has negotiated discounted corporate rates at the following hotels near the campus. To avail of the discount, please email the sales representative and mention 'Victoria Shanghai Academy' during the booking process:

Nina Island South (reginafung@ninahotelgroup.com)
The ARCA (annechiu@yulangroup.com.hk)
The Fullerton Ocean Park Hotel Hong Kong (jennifer.lau@fullertonhotels.com)

Bus transportation will be provided to and from the above hotels to the campus for participants.

Visa for Entry into Hong Kong

Please consult your travel agent to determine whether you require a visa for entry into Hong Kong.

Shuttle Bus Information for All Guests

Event Summary

2-day Reading and Writing Conference: November 13-14, 2023

Victoria Shanghai Academy campus

HK$1,900

The registration fee includes:
Shuttle Bus transportation between designated locations on November 13-14
Workshop materials
Mid-morning snacks, hot lunch, and refreshments

Register now

In This Section

Introduction

Professor Lucy Calkins

“Empowering Readers and Writers”

Speaker Bios

Professor Lucy Calkins

Founding Director

Jepilyn Matthis

Staff Developer

Casey Maxwell

Project Manager and Staff Developer

Registration

Travel Information for Overseas Guests

Shuttle Bus Information for All Guests

Event Summary

Events Office