900 teachers coming to Du Quoin on Friday

The class size will grow to 900 on Friday at the Du Quoin High School as this city--for the first time--hosts the annual fall Jackson/Perry County Regional Teachers Institute.

Retired teachers and administrators are invited, as well.

For local students it will mean a four-day weekend. Students will be out of class on Friday because of the conference and out of class on Monday because of the Columbus Day holiday.

All schools in the two counties will be closed.

The annual meeting has been held for the last three years at Carbondale Community High School and before that on the campus of Southern Illinois University at Carbondale.

Next year's assemblage will pose a new challenge as the regional office grows to five counties instead of two. Union, Alexander and Pulaski County school districts will become part of the region.

Hosting the meeting is a prestigious feather for Supt. Gary Kelly & Co. and a chance to show off the new Du Quoin High School and its athletic and academic campus. One reason the meeting was moved off the SIU campus was to give teachers and principals a chance to see how other school districts do it.

The office of Donna Boros, regional school superintendent, is doing the planning and covering a lot of the costs.

For Du Quoin, it poses some logistical challenges. Du Quoin teachers will be asked to park on the R.A. Wheatley School parking lot. Guest teachers and administrators will take over student parking at the Du Quoin High School.

The day will open with a joint meeting in the Du Quoin High School gymnasium following coffee and doughnuts in the commons at 8 a.m.

Du Quoin restaurants all received letters in recent weeks advising them of the institute. Some teachers will dine in Du Quoin. Others may stop along the way when they go home. The conference ends at noon.

Topics this year will address academic, social/emotional, and physical needs of students as well as "safe at school" topics. For more detailed information, please go to www.roe30.org to view the program.

As in years past, there will be three sessions of breakouts for teachers and administrators. Some of the topics to be discussed are: Mental Health in Schools - Dealing with Students Who Self-Harm, Creating a Formative Assessment Culture Session, Implementing Standards Based Report Cards, Aligning Common Core State Standards to Individualized Education Plans, College Planning from Day 1 with Overgrad, University of Illinois Extension Programs, TRS Benefits and Pension Updates, Google Classroom, Next Generation Science Standards, Social Studies Teachers Remembering the Wall and more.

The Jackson-Perry Regional Office of Education will partner with the Perry County Health Department in providing flu shots. The clinic will be open from 7:30 a.m. until 9 a.m.

For further information, please contact

Donna S. Boros, Regional Superintendent, at 618/687-7289.