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September 16, 2022
Updates in this email:
Join Minnesota educational experts in a virtual panel discussion on practical solutions to support the retention of teachers of color and American Indian educators new to the profession. Learn how district/charter and school leadership including principals and instructional coaches can support our new teachers to navigate climate, workload, and overcome barriers that lead to a strong sense of efficacy in practice.
MDE will host a conversation with practicing panelists that will come together from both urban and rural environments to discuss experiences in coaching and mentoring. Educator and Instructional Leader Nafeesah Muhammad will moderate the panel with Northfield High School Assistant Principal Rico Bohren, Teach for America Manager of Teacher Leadership Hazen Fairbanks, and District 287 Director of Mental Health and Family Engagement Tonya Allen.
The webinar will be held Wednesday, September 28, 2022 at 1 p.m. CT. Register for the event at Zoomgov.com.
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The Minnesota Department of Education (MDE) is pleased to announce a formal partnership with the New Teacher Center (NTC) to develop a statewide mentoring and induction model to support new teachers. Working with Minnesota stakeholders, MDE and NTC will develop a mentoring an induction framework that is
- Designed to retain teachers in general and teachers of color and American Indian teachers in particular
- Grounded in culturally responsive, inclusive and sustaining practices
- Based on research, including evidence-based practices as defined under the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA)
- Flexible enough to be adopted in a variety of school settings in Minnesota
- Compliant with Minnesota requirements for mentoring programs (MN Statutes, section 122A.70)
This framework is not intended as a statewide required model; rather, it is intended to be used as a guide for districts in the design and implementation in teacher induction and mentoring programs. MDE and NTC will work closely with Minnesota stakeholders to establish a vision for teacher induction and mentoring in the state, develop key induction resources and materials, and provide a pilot training experience to school leaders and mentors.
NTC believes that every student, from preschool through high school, deserves an excellent and equitable education that empowers them to reach their full potential in classrooms, communities, and beyond.
NTC’s mission is to disrupt the predictability of educational inequities for systemically underserved students by accelerating educator effectiveness. They do this by providing educators across school systems and at each stage of their career with humanized, equity-focused strategic planning and instructional coaching that balances students’ social, emotional, and academic needs and by supporting leaders to create an aligned instructional culture throughout schools and districts.
For information on MDE mentoring and induction supports, contact Chris Ramadan (651-582-8810) at the Minnesota Department of Education. For more information about the New Teacher Center visit Newteachercenter.org.
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of Education, Health & Human Services are thrilled to announce the 2022 School Behavioral Health Conference will be back in person at Cragun’s Conference Center in Brainerd, MN from November 2 through November 4. This year’s theme is Reshaping through Resiliency: School-Based Behavioral Health in Minnesota. This conference seeks to offer attendees purposeful tools and techniques to implement and produce a positive impact on behavioral health and mental wellness. Attendees include schools, community behavioral health providers, advocates, parents, consumers, policy makers, Tribal Nations, and state government. To register please go to Minnesota Department of Education, Health & Human Services School Behavioral Health Conference November 2-4, 2022 - Formstack
Please make sure the school nurse for your institution receives the message below.
This is an annual communication about vaccine-preventable diseases (VPDs) from the Minnesota Department of Health (MDH). The School Health Personnel Immunization and Disease Reporting website is organized to provide you with the information you need to implement the Minnesota school immunization law, report diseases, and provide information to students and families. Also included is a link to directions for completing the Annual Immunization Status Report (AISR).
We need you to:
Complete the AISR by December 1, 2022.
The 2022 AISR application is being updated. Make sure to subscribe to the School Health Personnel Immunization and Disease Reporting website and we’ll send you an email when it is ready.
Report diseases to MDH.
We recommend you:
Additional materials commonly used by school health personnel
Thank you for collaborating with MDH to both ensure compliance with our school immunization law and to further stop the spread of communicable diseases such as influenza, pertussis, varicella, and norovirus. All your work helps to keep Minnesota children healthy.
Questions?
A new school year will be here before we know it! Talk to your child’s health care provider to see what vaccines your child needs. https://www.health.state.mn.us/people/immunize/basics/kids.html
Keep your kids on track – schedule a well-child visit now. As children and adolescents are doing more in-person activities, and as we prepare for the next school year, this is a great time to make sure they are caught up on missed well-child visits to get vaccines and check-in on their physical, mental and emotional health. Contact your child’s health care provider to make an appointment. If your child does not have a regular health care provider, there are resources available to help you schedule an appointment: https://freechildcheckups.com/. #BackToSchool #VaxToSchool
The Minnesota Bilingual Seals Program is an excellent tool to recognize our multilingual learners’ linguistic and cultural assets. It provides an opportunity to earn credit at Minnesota State Colleges and Universities, making college pathway as a realistic goal for many of our multilingual learners. The MDE encourages all school districts to participate. Webinars are hosted throughout the school year for any school personnel to learn about the program and implementation. Review the dates and time and register for a webinar.
On August 11, 2022, the CDC updated their COVID-19 guidance to help people better understand their risk, how to protect themselves and others, what actions to take if exposed to COVID-19, and what actions to take if they are sick or test positive for the virus. As part of this update, CDC also revised their operational guidance for K-12 schools and child care programs. Changes to the guidance included:
- Removal of the recommendation to cohort
- Focused recommendations for conducting screening testing on high-risk activities during high COVID-19 community levels or in response to an outbreak
- Removal of the recommendation to quarantine, except in high-risk congregate settings
- Removed information about Test to Stay
- Added detailed information on when to wear a mask, managing cases and exposures, and responding to outbreaks
While the CDC no longer recommends quarantine (staying home) after an exposure to someone with COVID-19, it is still recommended that people take precautions, including getting tested and wearing a mask, regardless of vaccination status or if they had a previous infection.
MDH has updated the MDH Schools and Child Care: COVID-19 webpage to reflect these changes. The CDC guidance can also be accessed directly using the links below:
Questions about the CDC’s guidance can be directed to the MDH COVID-19 Schools and Child Care Team at health.schools.covid19@state.mn.us.
Purpose: $55,000 in State Fiscal Recovery Funds is available from the Minnesota Department of Education to reduce the financial burden for aspiring school bus drivers. The cost of the certification exam associated with obtaining the Class B Commercial Drivers License (CDL) w/School Bus/Passenger endorsement certification will be reimbursed. The cost of this license is approximately $55.
Program Requirements: The individual seeking reimbursement must have received their Class B CDL w/ School Bus/Passenger endorsement and been hired by a school or school bus company. Below is a link to request reimbursement of the above-mentioned certification costs.
Bus Driver Certification Reimbursement Form
Sixty percent of the funds will initially be available to bus drivers working in the seven-county metro area and 40% will be available to bus drivers working in the non-metro area. All funds will be available on a first come first served basis.
Visit the Driver and Vehicle Services School Bus Endorsement webpage for helpful information regarding how to obtain bus driver certification.
Funding availability: These funds will be available retro-active to February 2, 2022, and available through June 30, 2023.
Funding Information: Funding Source: U.S. Department of Education
CFDA 21.027, Coronavirus State and Local Fiscal Recovery Funds
Lights On Afterschool is Thursday, October 20, 2022. Lights On Afterschool is a part of a national afterschool movement and celebrates afterschool programs and their role in the lives of young people. As you prepare for your afterschool programming in the 2022-23 school year, please consider hosting an event in October to showcase your program to the community. For ideas on how your program could bring awareness and celebrate keeping the lights on, check out the Lights On Afterschool toolkit!
During the 2021 Legislative Session, legislation was passed on the use of individual-use screens in public prekindergarten and kindergarten classrooms. The legislation went into effect on July 1, 2022. The Division of Early Learning Services has created a document that provides guidance on applying the legislation to classrooms and instruction. You can find it on the High-Quality Early Learning webpage or access it using this link: Guidance: Screen Use Limits for Children in Publicly Funded Prekindergarten and Kindergarten Programs.
Children age 6 months to 5 years can now get their COVID-19 shots! Talk to your child’s health care provider and make a plan to get them vaccinated. Families can also search for vaccine locations on our Find Vaccine Locations map: https://mn.gov/covid19/vaccine/find-vaccine/locations/index.jsp. The map will be updated as more appointments become available. Demand is expected to be high, so please be patient if an appointment is not immediately available. There will be plenty of vaccine to protect our littlest children from COVID-19.
Additional information for parents, including in Hmong, Somali and Spanish can be found by visiting the Minnesota COVID-19 Response website.
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