Southern Oaks Middle School Presents: Hawk Academy
Southern Oaks Middle School proudly launched Hawk Academy, our in-house professional learning series built by teachers, for teachers. Our very first session of the 2026–2027 school year kicked off this year’s professional learning series on Thursday, September 10th, held during teachers’ scheduled planning periods in the Media Center, with the topic “Accountable Talk” — building meaningful, evidence-based student discourse in every classroom.
Teachers walked away with quick, actionable strategies to get students talking and listening critically, ready-to-use sentence stems and discussion protocols, and a chance to collaborate and connect with colleagues. As the flyer promised, staff learned to engage students in meaningful discussions, collaborate effectively with peers, build on one another’s ideas, support responses with evidence, and increase engagement and participation.
And what a success it was! Teachers brought thoughtful participation and collaboration to our learning on Accountable Talk as an engagement strategy to promote student discourse — their enthusiasm and willingness to share ideas demonstrated a collective commitment to creating engaging learning environments for our students. We are excited to see how accountable talk supports increased engagement, critical thinking, and student voice throughout the year.
Hawk Academy is more than a meeting — it’s a celebration of growth, collaboration, and our shared belief that when teachers learn together, students soar.
One School. One Team. Soaring Together. HAWKS SOAR!
