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IN THIS EDITION |
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ACTION ITEMS |
NOTE: This message was also sent to the subscribers of School Nutrition Programs and Food Distribution Program listservs.
On Monday, May 2, 2016, CRF Frozen Foods of Pasco, Washington expanded their April 23, 2016, voluntary recall of frozen organic and traditional fruits and vegetables due to possible contamination with Listeria monocytogenes. More information about Listeria monocytogenes can be found at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention website.
This expanded recall includes all of the frozen organic and traditional fruit and vegetable products manufactured or processed in CRF Frozen Foods' Pasco facility since May 1, 2014. All affected products have the best by dates or sell by dates between April 26, 2016, and April 26, 2018. These include approximately 358 consumer products sold under 42 separate brands.
On May 5, 2016, Minnesota Department of Education-Food Distribution Program was notified that eight truckloads were delivered and are affected by this HOLD.
Minnesota has received five truckloads of 100348 Corn Frz Ctn-30 Lb shipped between October 2014 and December 2014 and three truckloads of 100351 Beans Green Frz Ctn-30 Lb shipped between August 2015 and November 2015. Production codes for Corn Frz Ctn-30 Lb include the following: 26714, 27514, 27614, 27914, 28814, 28914, 29014, 29314, 29414, 32814, and 32914. Production codes for Beans Green Frz Ctn-30 Lb include the following: 21015, 26715, 31415 and 26515. These products must be placed on HOLD immediately.
Release and disposition instructions will follow as more information becomes available.
More information about this recall and a complete list of affected products can be found on the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s website.
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The Minnesota Department of Education is continuing to recruit schools and districts for participation in the Kindergarten Entry Profile (KEP). The KEP is an important tool that supports your district’s World’s Best Workforce goal for measuring school rediness. Participation in the KEP is optional. In January, the department contacted a small sample of schools to participate and we are pleased to announce that many schools have joined and slots have been taken, but more are available and your district can still participate.
Benefits of participating in the KEP include: (a) school choice of a tool from our menu, (b) free training for teachers and administrators, (c) free online subscriptions for all kindergarten students in the KEP, and (d) free technical assistance on analyzing and reporting World’s Best Workforce goal #1.
Webinars May 19 and June 9
If you are interested in learning more, please visit the KEP website or sign up now for an upcoming free webinar May 19 or June 9. If you would like immediate assistance with questions regarding the process or outcomes, please don’t hesitate to contact mde.kep@state.mn.us.
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The Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) Drinking Water Program provides guidance to school administrators on the sources and health effects of lead and copper in drinking water. The guidance manual, Reducing Lead in Drinking Water: A Technical Guidance for Minnesota’s School and Child Care Facilities, is intended for use by all public and private schools in Minnesota.
The manual is designed to assist Minnesota's schools in minimizing student and staff lead exposure. It provides instructions regarding testing and corrective actions intended for school health, safety, and maintenance personnel as well as consultants working with educational agencies. MDH also encourages school administrators to distribute lead information to parents so that they can evaluate exposure to lead from all potential sources in their homes.
The following information and guidance materials are available on the Drinking Water in Schools page of the MDH website.
- Reducing Lead in Drinking Water: A Technical Guidance for Minnesota’s School and Child Care Facilities
- Reducing Children’s Exposure to Lead in Drinking Water
- Let it Run…..and Get the Lead Out!!! (English, Spanish and Hmong versions)
Access additional information about Lead in Schools on the MDH website. Local water suppliers are also a great first resource/partner for information about water quality.
Lead Testing and Abatement – Allowable Uses of Long-Term Facilities Maintenance Revenue
Districts are encouraged to perform lead in water testing every five years, or when pipes or fixtures are modified. The cost of sampling and analysis of water, paint and soil due to possible lead contamination qualify for funding. More detailed information is available on the Minnesota Department of Education Facilities and Technology website. See Page 7 of Long-Term Facilities Maintenance Revenue Guide for Allowable Expenditures. See also Minnesota Statutes, sections 144.9501-144.9509, Lead in water; Testing and Mitigation.
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PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT OPPORTUNITIES |
These free sessions provide administrators, teachers, and other district staff with additional perspectives and tools to use in addressing challenging situations that are traditionally thought of as discipline issues.
Panelists include presenters from the Minnesota Department of Education’s divisions of Compliance and Assistance, Special Education, and School Safety Technical Assistance Center.
Presenters will share stories based on compliance calls received from parents and school districts. We will brainstorm new ideas and solutions to the most relevant discipline challenges faced by our schools; touch on broader compliance issues like alternatives to suspension, closing the achievement gap, diversity and equity, and restorative justice; and discover how all of these issues intersect.
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Discipline Webinar Series – Scenarios 2. This webinar, held Wednesday, May 18, 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., will explore a new discipline scenario and new issues. Participation in previous webinar(s) is not required. CEU credits will be available. Register for May 18 webinar.
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Discipline Webinar Series – Scenarios 3: This webinar, held Wednesday, June 8, 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., will explore a new discipline scenario and new issues. Participation in previous webinar(s) is not required. CEU credits will be available. Register for June 8 webinar.
If you have any questions, contact Sarah Knoph at 651-582-8359.
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The School Support Division is offering a variety of teacher development and evaluation and Q Comp workshop opportunities beginning in June 2016. Session topics include:
- Introduction to Peer Review: A Roadmap for Success for New Peer Reviewer
- Intermediate Peer Review: A Review for Refinement of Practice
- Student Learning Goals: Designing and Improving Systems for Student Success
- Student Engagement: Measuring Teacher Impact for Success
- Planning, Preparing, and Conducting Summative Evaluations
- Pressing the Restart Button on Professional Learning Teams
- Improving the Design and Implementation of Local Teacher Development and Evaluation Models
For more information and to register, read the “2016 Workshops – Teacher Development and Evaluation” announcement on the Professional Development page.
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ITEM OF INTEREST |
ED Review provides a biweekly update on U.S. Department of Education initiatives and activities. See the latest ED Review posting on the U.S. Department of Education website.
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