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Foundations First: A Launchpad for Classroom Success
An Interactive Workshop for Jewish Day School Educators
Each year, teachers lose a significant amount of instructional time addressing challenging behaviors. That’s why it’s essential to begin the year with foundations first: a strong plan for community building, clear structures and routines, and proactive behavior management.
Join Ali Shwartz and Jodi Katz—Gateways’ Mental Health Specialist and Behavioral Specialist—for an interactive workshop designed to help educators build a successful school year from day one. This engaging session will equip educators with practical tools and ready-to-use materials to lay a strong foundation for a thriving classroom. You’ll gain actionable strategies you can implement immediately, from proactive behavior plans and classroom management tools to frameworks for effective communication with families and school teams. The workshop will also explore how to naturally embed social-emotional learning into daily classroom life, supporting student growth and well-being in the context of a positive, structured environment.
Ongoing consultation and support from Ali and Jodi throughout the school year will build upon these important proactive strategies, helping you stay confident, prepared, and supported every step of the way.
Cost
$25 per person. This training is heavily subsidized using grant funding.
Workshop Presenters
Ali Shwartz, M.Ed, Mental Health Specialist
Ali joins Gateways following six years as the Director of Support and Counseling at Schechter Boston. She has worked as a school psychologist in both the public and private sector, providing comprehensive mental health supports. Ali has experience working with a broad range of students from kindergarten through eighth grade, conducting a wide array of assessment methods, employing multiple consultation techniques, and implementing therapeutic and behavioral interventions. Her past experience also includes ACCEPT Education Collaborative, where she worked in a substantially separate therapeutic program for K-8 students who were unable to make adequate social and emotional progress in traditional classrooms, and also co-developed a program to provide short-term stabilization, assessment, and instructional services to students who were temporarily excluded from their educational placement due to emotional and behavioral challenges. Ali believes that if all children feel safe and loved, and are given the supports they need, they will thrive.
Jodi Katz, MS, BCBA, LABA, Behavioral Specialist
Jodi Katz is a graduate of Wheaton College in Norton MA with a bachelor’s degree in Neuroscience. After graduation, she wanted to work in a school for students with developmental disabilities. She worked at the May Institute in Wilmington for 5 years, where she had roles on both the education and behavior teams for students ranging from 5-22 years old. She continued her education at Simmons University, where she received the Sutcliffe Award and graduated with a master’s degree in behavioral analysis. She is now a Board-Certified Behavior Specialist (BCBA) and has worked with multiple populations including ASD, ADHD, ODD, global development delay, down syndrome, and others using a range of assessments including VB-Mapp, ABBLS-R, Functional Behavioral Assessment (FBA), and Functional Analyses (FA). She is excited to be at Gateways as the mission aligns with her personal belief that every student should feel empowered to create meaningful relationships with those around them.