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This November is Veterans and Service Member Appreciation Month. At the state level, we will be honoring those men and women who have bravely fought for our country, and I am hoping you and your students can help show how much Minnesota appreciates their service.
We are planning to send letters of appreciation to the veterans residing in Minnesota’s veterans homes at the end of November. Throughout the month, state government workers will be writing letters of appreciation, and we would love to include notes from your students. Whether it is in the form of a letter, a drawing, a card signed by an entire class or school; any creative way your students can think up to say thank you is welcome. All we ask is that it is able to be folded up for mailing purposes. All letters will be evenly divided and sent the state veterans homes.
For more information read the special notice for superintendents and directors that was sent October 31.
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ACTION ITEMS
If your district has not submitted the fall 2017, 0-4 census counts, the data is due to the Minnesota Department of Education (MDE) by December 1, 2017. The fall 2017, 0-4 census online data submission system is scheduled to be shut down on the December due date.
To access the 0-4 census online system, go to the MDE website. To submit data, click on districts, schools and educators, business and finance, data submission, and 0-4 census data reporting.
If you have any questions regarding the submission of 0-4 census data, please email Greg Sogaard or call 651-582-8858.
Please note that this does not apply to charter schools.
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Superintendents and charter school leaders are invited to participate in this monthly audio conference call hosted by Commissioner Brenda Cassellius. The next call is scheduled for Tuesday, November 7, 9:30-10:30 a.m. A notice providing dial-in instructions will be sent prior to the call. Comments to offer and/or questions you would like to ask are encouraged.
Conference call schedule: December 14, January 17, February 21, March 21, April 18 and May 16. All calls are from 9:30 to 10:30 a.m.
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Under Minnesota Statutes, section 120B.11, school districts are to develop a WBWF annual report and report summary for each school year. The district annual report and summary include the WBWF student achievement goals that were established last year, the strategies and initiatives that the district engaged in to meet the goals, and the subsequent progress made on those goals by the end of the school year. Districts post their annual reports on the district website, and submit the summary report to the Minnesota Department of Education each year.
A template format for districts to use to create their 2016-17 WBWF summary has been posted to the WBWF website. Summaries using this template should be submitted by December 15, 2017, to mde.worldsbestworkforce@state.mn.us.
The WBWF website also has a rubric that the department will use to review the summaries and provide feedback to districts. Districts should use this rubric as a guide when completing the summaries.
Please contact mde.worldsbestworkforce@state.mn.us with any questions.
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ITEMS OF INTEREST
Governor Dayton has declared the week of November 12-18, 2017, as Fraud Awareness and Prevention Week. The primary objectives are to raise awareness about the impact of fraud upon our society and to encourage employees to report any suspicious behaviors.
Preventing and detecting fraud is part of all of our jobs. There are several ways you can be proactive and do your part. The Minnesota Management and Budget Office has provided information and several resources on their website about fraud prevention and awareness.
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Letters about Literature asks student readers to write a letter to an author describing how his or her work touched their life in a personal way. Authors can be of any genre or time period and can come from any country.
The national contest focuses on reader response and reflective writing and has three competition levels. Level 1 for students in grades 4 through 6, level 2 for students in grades 7 and 8, and level 3 for students in grades 9 through 12. State level judges choose the top essayists from each of the three competition levels who will advance to the national level judging. Prizes will be awarded to the top three winners of each competition level.
A panel of national judges for the Center for the Book in the Library of Congress will select one national winner per competition level to receive a $1,000 cash award. The judges will also select one national honor per competition level to receive a $200 cash award. January 12, 2018, is the deadline for all three levels.
For official guidelines and entry forms, please visit www.thefriends.org.
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The 90-Second Newbery Film Festival is an annual video contest that impels kid filmmakers to make movies that creatively tell the entire stories of Newbery award/honor-winning books in ninety seconds or less. Making the film is a fun, creative and multi-faceted educational exercise that ties directly into reading, writing and media literacy standards. Kids cooperatively adapt, write, storyboard, produce, direct, costume, act, film, and edit their own movies.
Please help us spread the word about this fun opportunity.
Public librarians, school librarians, homeschool parents, and teachers are encouraged to work with their kids to make movies. Work with students should begin soon; the deadline to submit films is January 12, 2018.
Inspiration and more information, including how to submit films, can be found on the 90-Second Newbery website.
Don’t forget to mark your calendar for the fourth annual Minnesota screening of the year’s best entries on Saturday, February 1, 2018, from 3-4:30 p.m. at Hennepin County Library – Minneapolis Central. For more details, please email Jennifer Verbrugge or call 651-582-8356.
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The Minnesota Board of Teaching has taken the following licensure actions:
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Goolsby, Jennifer (FF #352130) Ms. Goolsby’s license was suspended on October 31, 2017, pursuant to Minnesota Statutes, section 270C.72, until she meets requirements of the Board of Teaching.
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Mosqueda, Thaddeus (FF# 497577) On October 30, 2017, the Board of Teaching lifted the stayed suspension of Mr. Mosqueda’s teaching license. Mr. Mosqueda’s teaching license is suspended for a period of one year.
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TRAININGS
The School Safety Technical Assistance Center is offering trainings designed to help building principals or their designees respond to and investigate reports of bullying and harassment. These trainings can also be applied to sexual misconduct, sexual harassment, and racial and religious discrimination complaints. During this training, participants will have the opportunity to practice interviewing skills, analyze case studies and walk through an investigation procedure designed to meet Office for Civil Rights complaint investigations. Register for one of three locations below.
Duluth - Monday, November 20, Fitger’s Event Center
Roseville - Tuesday, November 28, Minnesota Department of Education
Arden Hills - Tuesday, December 12, Metropolitan Educational Cooperative Service Unit
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MN Math Leaders networking sessions and math teacher webinars are sponsored by the Minnesota Department of Education (MDE) and MN Math Leaders, a committee of the Minnesota Council of Teachers of Mathematics (MCTM). The 2017-18 MN Math Leaders networking sessions and math teacher webinars will focus on implementation of collaborative structures to improve mathematics teaching and learning.
MN Math Leaders Networking Sessions
The networking sessions build upon the work of Tim Kanold’s sessions titled Inspiring Students to Learn Mathematics: Leading and Sustaining a Coherent Vision for Mathematics Teaching and Learning. We will use the book "Beyond the Common Core: A Handbook for Mathematics in a PLC at Work™, Leaders Guide" by Timothy D. Kanold and Matthew R. Larson (Solution Tree, 2015). It is highly recommended that you purchase this book as it will be referred to in the networking sessions.
Target audience: administrators and teacher leaders who are passionate about leading change in mathematics education for all students. The networking sessions are open to anyone who is in a department or team, school, or district leadership position, and are designed for leaders to give and receive support.
MN Math Leaders Networking Session dates:
MN Math Teacher Webinar dates:
If you have any questions contact Terry Alvarado.
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