Category: Uncategorized

Productive Math Interventions

Posted on by Richard Gabriel 
Date:     November 17, 2026
Time:     9:00am – 3:00pm

Type:     In-Person

Location: WRESA
          200 Ridgefield Ct, Suite 206
          Asheville, NC 28806

 Fee:     $ 70 WRESA Members
          $105 Non-members

**NOTE: We have a No Refund policy for our WRESA courses. However, you
are welcome to send a colleague in your place. If you need to change the
name of the person attending, send an email to registrations@wresa.org
with the information of the person who will attend in your place.

CEUs:      5 Contact Hours
Limit:    35 Participants
Audience: K-5 Classroom Teachers and Curriculum Coaches
What to bring?: Your own charged device

Description:
In this interactive one-day learning experience, educators will explore how to use student
thinking to identify instructional priorities, make key mathematical ideas explicit through
purposeful representations and mathematical language, and design intervention experiences
that include routines, contextual problems, and meaningful practice or games.
Together, we will consider how intervention can go beyond “more practice” to offer students
intentional access to important mathematical ideas. Participants will engage in examples and
plan instructional experiences that connect conceptual understanding, problem solving, fluency,
and communication.

Presenter: 
Meredith Stanley is an independent math coach and specialist for K-8. A former
elementary classroom teacher and instructional coach for Buncombe County, she is a
two-time finalist for the Presidential Award for Math and Science, a Buncombe County
Teacher of the Year, a Buncombe County Math Teacher of the Year, and a National
Board certified teacher. She received her Master’s in Mathematics Teaching from Mount
Holyoke College and currently lives in Asheville with her husband and two children. She
loves to run, hike, and gather random assortments of objects for counting collections.
You can find her (and a bank of her recommended instructional resources) at
www.meredith4math.com and @meredith4math.

If you have additional questions, contact Candie Sellers at  csellers@wresa.org

If you are unsure whether your school system is a WRESA member, click  WRESA MEMBER List.

REGISTER

From Open Way Learning: Using Storytelling in Your Classroom

Posted on by Richard Gabriel 
Date:     March 18, 2027
Time:     9:00am – 3:00pm

Type:     In-Person

Location: Mountain Horticultural Crops Research and Ext. Center
          455 Research Drive
          Mills River, NC 28759

 Fee:      $75 - WRESA Members
          $115 - Non-members

**NOTE: We have a No Refund Policy for our WRESA
Courses. However, you are welcome to send a colleague
in your place. Send an email to registrations@wresa.org 
if you need someone to take your place.

CEUs:      5 Contact Hours
Limit:    45 Participants
Audience:  Grades 3-12 Teachers (any subject)
What to bring?: Your own device

Description:

Discover how to use student voice and choice to strengthen learning and extend a lesson’s impact beyond the classroom. Whether you teach art, science, ELA, history, or any other subject, students must communicate information. Students also must interpret a variety of data and information that is communicated in visual formats. This session will use a variety of resources (digital to analog) to highlight this skill. Join us to incorporate some amazing tools into your lessons and explore more ways for you and your students to express yourself. (This session highlights the SEP: Obtaining, Evaluating and Communicating Information and the Communication Skill in NC Portrait of a Graduate.- best suited for teachers of grades 3-12, any subject).

For more information about the class, contact Michelle Taylor at michelle@openwaylearning.org and/or 828-206-3014

For questions/issues about registering for the course, send an email to registrations@wresa.org or call WRESA at 828-774-5681

If you are unsure whether your school system is a WRESA member, click  WRESA MEMBER List.

REGISTER

Get Your Co-Teaching Year Off on the Right Foot!

Posted on by Richard Gabriel 
Date:     Schedule a time between Sept 1st and Dec 15th, 2026
Time:     45 minutes, scheduled at the team's convenience

Type:     Virtual - 45-Minute Meeting with Rick Welsh

Fee:      $35 per co-teaching team of 2
CEUs:     2 Contact Hours
Limit:    One co-teaching pair per session
Audience: Co-teachers Grades 2-12
What to bring to the meeting with Rick Welsh?: 2 devices, 1 device for
the Zoom meeting and another to run a Microsoft Powerpoint.

Description:

Early in the school year is the right time to establish strong co- teaching behaviors. Provide your co-teaching staff with a live, team-by-team, professional development, designed to help them reflect, recalibrate, and strengthen their collaborative practice.

Teams Receive:

  • A Window into Co-Teaching- An introduction to 20 behaviors that contribute to successful co- teaching.
  • A detailed analysis of their co-teaching relationship (based on a brief, confidential, 5 – 10 – minute survey).
  • Your PlayBook for Co-Teaching- a digital resource with over 100 field-tested coteaching strategies.
  • A 35–45-minute private consultation, via Zoom, with Rick Welsh, Director of CoTeach America, to discuss their data and to learn how to use Your PlayBook for Co-Teaching to enhance their co-teaching practices throughout the year.

Presenter: Rick Welsh has over 40 years of experience working with teachers and students. He is currently the Director of Co-Teach America. Following Graduate School at UNC in 1980 he served as a Public School Speech/Language Pathologist. Since 1994 he has worked in the field, consulting with teachers to support their co-teaching efforts.

If you have additional questions contact April Spencer at aspencer@wresa.org  

If you are unsure whether your school system is a WRESA member, click  WRESA MEMBER List. 

REGISTER

 

Finance Series for Superintendents, Finance Officers & HR Directors

Posted on by Webster 
Date:     September 22, 2026, October 13, November 3, January 12, 2027, and March 9, 2027  
Time:     11:30am – 3:00pm

Type:     In-Person

Location: WRESA
          200 Ridgefield Ct. Suite 206
          Asheville, NC 28806

Fee:      FREE with lunch included

CEUs:     3.5 Contact Hours per session or 1.75 for the entire 5 sessions
Limit:    45 Participants
Audience: Superintendents, Finance Officers & HR Directors
What to bring?: Your own device

Description:
WRESA, in partnership with NCASBO, is providing  a structured, professional development series
for superintendents, finance officers, and human resource directors across the Western Carolina
Region.
This series will strengthen financial leadership capacity, improve transparency, and ensure
accountability in the management of public school funds. Training to be led by teams consisting of
one superintendent and one finance officer – a pairing that reflects the essential collaboration
required for effective financial management in school districts.

OUTCOMES –  Participants will:
• Leave each session with at least one ready to use tool
• Strengthen collaboration
• Increase operational efficiency
• Improve compliance readiness
• Understand the fiscal cycle
• Build a regional network of peers

Session 1: September 22, 2026 – Laying the Foundation
• NC Public School Fiscal Control Act/Fund Accounting/Chart of Accounts
• Financial Reporting Requirements
• Current Year Allotments
• Continuing Budget Resolutions & Budget Adoption
• Position Control & Staffing Alignment

Session 2:  October 13, 2026 – Building & Communicating the Budget
• Presenting Budgets to Boards of Ed. & Stakeholders
• Working on Budgets with Central Office Directors & Principals
• Annual External Audit & Preparing for Annual Audit Presentation
• Spending Projections for Current Year
• State & Federal Allotments for Special Populations
• Cash Management Requirements
• Investment of Idle Funds

Session 3: November 3, 2026 – Operational Controls & Assets
• Purchasing & Compliance – Board Approval Requirements
• Fixed Asset Tracking
• Property Disposal Rules
• Internal Controls & Risk Management
• Long Term Planning for Declining Enrollment

Session 4: January 12, 2027 – Preparing for the New Fiscal Year
• State Planning Allotments for 2027-2028
• Budget Projections for 2027-2028
• Salary Audit Exceptions

Session 5: March 9, 2027 – Fiscal Year End Close
• Planning and Preparing for Year-End Fiscal Close out
• Allotment Projects
• Fund Balance Projects

REGISTER

 

Shaping School Culture…One Conversation at a Time

Posted on by Richard Gabriel 
Date:     January 28, 2027
Time:     9:00am – 3:00pm

Type:     In-Person

Location: WRESA
          200 Ridgefield Ct, Suite 206
          Asheville, NC 28806

 Fee:     $45 WRESA Members
          $70 Non-members

**NOTE: We have a No Refund policy for our WRESA courses. However, you
are welcome to send a colleague in your place. If you need to change the
name of the person attending, send an email to registrations@wresa.org
with the information of the person who will attend in your place.

CEUs:      5 Contact Hours
Limit:    45 Participants
Audience: K-12 Administrators and Aspiring Administrators
What to bring?: Your own device

How Great Leaders Build Trust, Accountability, and High Expectations Through Everyday
Conversations

Description: 

Have you ever wondered why some schools naturally develop a positive, high-performing
culture while others struggle with conflict, inconsistency, and low morale? Or have you ever
walked away from a difficult conversation with an employee wondering, “Did I handle that the
right way?”

The reality is that school culture isn’t built through programs, slogans, or initiatives. It is shaped
by the conversations leaders have every day. Every interaction either strengthens trust,
reinforces expectations, or weakens the culture you’re trying to create.

In this interactive, full-day workshop, school leaders will discover practical strategies for creating
a culture where relationships matter, accountability is embraced, and teaching and learning
thrive. Participants will explore the Core Four of Leadership—Judgment, Relationships, Work
Ethic, and Integrity—and learn how those leadership qualities are brought to life through the
Five C’s of Sustainable School Culture: Communication, Consistency, Collaboration,
Commitment, and Compassion.

Throughout the day, participants will engage in realistic leadership scenarios, practice
navigating challenging conversations, and learn how to use artificial intelligence as a leadership
coach to prepare for difficult discussions, strengthen communication, and become more
reflective, confident leaders.

Participants will leave with practical conversation frameworks, AI-powered leadership tools, and
strategies they can immediately apply to shape a stronger school culture—one conversation at
a time.

Presenter BIO:

Scott Rhodes – Assistant Superintendent for Human Resources with Henderson County Public Schools
Mr. Rhodes is starting his 34th year in public education. He has served in Henderson County as
a teacher, coach, assistant principal, middle and high school principal, and now serves as
assistant superintendent for Human Resources.

Mr. Rhodes received his undergraduate degree in Health and Physical Education from Western
Carolina University and his master’s degree in School Administration from Gardner Webb
University.

Mr. Rhodes was selected as the 2015 NASSP, North Carolina Secondary Principal of the Year.

If you have additional questions, contact Candie Sellers at  csellers@wresa.org

If you are unsure whether your school system is a WRESA member, click  WRESA MEMBER List.

REGISTER

Substitute Teaching 101: Online User Registration

Posted on by Richard Gabriel

Register below. If you are a New User (which means that this is the first WRESA Online course you have taken),  enter you First Name, Last Name, Username, Email and a password in the form below and click “Submit”. Please record your email and password for future reference.

If you are a Returning User (which means you have already taken one of our online courses and thus, have a WRESA login with an email and password ), scroll down to the Returning User registration for instructions.

If you have questions, send an email to registrations@wresa.org or call 828-774-5681 

New User:

Substitute Teaching 101: Online - New User

Substitute Teaching 101 Online Course for registrants who need to create a New User account on our WRESA online course platform so they can gain access to work on the course.

Name
Password

Returning User:

If you have previously registered for a WRESA Online Learning Course and have a username and password, login with your username and password in the top left corner. After logging in, scroll back down and fill out the information under Returning User, and click “Submit”.

Oops! You need to be logged in to use this form.

Facilitating Meaningful Math Discourse

Posted on by Richard Gabriel 
Date:     November, 4, 2026
Time:     9:00am – 3:00pm

Type:     In-Person

Location: WRESA
          200 Ridgefield Ct, Suite 206
          Asheville, NC 28806

 Fee:     $ 65 WRESA Members
          $100 Non-members

**NOTE: We have a No Refund policy for our WRESA courses. However, you
are welcome to send a colleague in your place. If you need to change the
name of the person attending, send an email to registrations@wresa.org
with the information of the person who will attend in your place.

CEUs:      5 Contact Hours
Limit:    45 Participants
Audience: K-5 Classroom Teachers and Instructional Coaches
What to bring?: Your own device

Description:
This session focuses on strengthening classroom discourse through purposeful
planning and facilitation using the 5 Practices for Orchestrating Productive
Mathematical Discussions and the Launch–Explore–Discuss framework. Participants
will explore how to anticipate student thinking, monitor and select student work,
and sequence and connect ideas to build deep mathematical understanding. Through
hands-on tasks and reflection, educators will learn strategies to create inclusive,
student-centered discussions that elevate reasoning, promote equity of voice, and
make thinking visible. By the end of the session, teachers will leave with practical
tools to support meaningful discourse that advances both engagement and conceptual
understanding.

Presenter:
Meredith Stanley is a K–8 math specialist who partners with schools and districts
across North Carolina to provide student-centered professional learning. A former
elementary classroom teacher and instructional coach in Buncombe County, Meredith is
a two-time finalist for the Presidential Award for Excellence in Mathematics and
Science Teaching, a Buncombe County Teacher of the Year, a Buncombe County
Math Teacher of the Year, and a National Board–certified educator. She earned her
Master of Mathematics Teaching from Mount Holyoke College, where she also serves
as an instructor.
Meredith’s passion is helping students and teachers see themselves as confident,
capable mathematicians—a mission that drives all of her professional work. Learn more
and explore her recommended instructional resources at meredith4math.com.

If you have additional questions, contact Candie Sellers at csellers@wresa.org

If you are unsure whether your school system is a WRESA member, click  WRESA MEMBER List.

REGISTER

Early Planning for a Successful Retirement – January 2027

Posted on by Richard Gabriel 
Date:     January 27, 2027
Time:     9:00am - 3:00pm

LOCATION: WRESA   
          200 Ridgefield Ct, Suite 206
          Asheville, NC 28806

FEE:      $45 WRESA Members
          $70 Non-members 

LIMIT:    35 Participants

Description:

This one-day session focuses on teachers/administrators who have taught 0 – 30 years and want assistance with critical retirement information and decision making before they retire.  This session will review the implications and repercussions of early-mid career decisions, laws, policies and processes, benefit options and investment plans.  Whether you are just starting your career or close to the end- you will learn how to maximize your benefits and be ready to make better decisions for the future. The workshop will be conducted by Sherry Dixon, April Spencer and Deborah Rapetski.  You will leave the day tired, but much better informed.

If you have questions, contact April at aspencer@wresa.org

If you are unsure whether your school system is a WRESA member, click  WRESA MEMBER List.

Registration

WRESA Job Opportunity: Part Time Middle/Secondary Education Coordinator

Posted on by Webster

The Western Region Education Service Alliance (WRESA) is seeking an energetic, knowledgeable, and innovative educator with expertise in middle and high school curriculum to join our team.

This position requires a strong understanding of North Carolina’s middle and high school curricula, state standards for grades 6–12, and best instructional practices. Candidates must have a minimum of five years of teaching experience, hold at least a master’s degree in education, and have prior experience presenting to adult learners.

Preferred qualifications include a willingness to pursue additional training in response to the evolving needs of local school systems, strong collaboration and networking skills, and flexibility. Proficiency in using technology for both in-person and virtual instruction is essential. This role will require travel, particularly within western North Carolina.

WRESA serves educators across eighteen school systems in Western North Carolina. The organization provides professional development, facilitates regional collaboration, coordinates job-alike meetings, pursues grant opportunities, organizes regional and statewide conferences, and supports school systems based on their changing needs. WRESA is a 501(c)(3) organization. Salary will be commensurate with qualifications and responsibilities. The anticipated start date for this position is Fall 2026.

For more information, please contact:
Dr. Jan Webster at 828-774-5681 ext. 101 or jwebster@wresa.org
Dr. April Spencer at 828-774-5681 ext. 103 or aspencer@wresa.org

To apply, please complete the application.  Part Time Middle/Secondary Education Coordinator

WRESA is an equal opportunity employer and administers employment in compliance with all applicable state and federal laws. Employment decisions are made without regard to race, religion, national or ethnic origin, color, age, military service, disability, or gender, except where exemptions are permitted by law.