|
January 24, 2025
No new updates
Governor Tim Walz has proclaimed the week of January 20–26, 2025, as Paraprofessional Recognition Week.
Paraprofessionals work in a variety of positions and are included in a range of important school roles. We celebrate paraprofessionals with you and have provided suggestions of how their contributions can be recognized. MDE invites you to share any additional suggestions you may wish to offer.
Read the full memo from Commissioner Willie Jett, including ideas for recognizing and celebrating paraprofessionals next week. Schools can use this signed certificate from Commissioner Jett to honor each of the paraprofessionals in your school community.
The Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Center is offering Restorative Practices trainings in-person February 24-27. Restorative practices are an approach schools can use to improve school climate and repair relationships, based in the knowledge and world-view of many Indigenous cultures and communities of color around the world. The trainings will be facilitated by restorative practices trainers who work in or with schools. The trainings will be held at the Minnesota Department of Education building. Register for Restorative Practices Circle Trainings.
If you have questions, please contact Restorative Practices Consultant, Grace Yang.
Please review this memorandum regarding changes to Teacher Development and Evaluation (TDE) and Q Comp, and share this communication with members of your leadership or oversight teams who are leading the implementation of TDE/Q Comp. This memo was previously shared in August 2024.
We also encourage local TDE/Q Comp program leadership to sign up for the TDE/Q Comp newsletter.
For assistance with questions about this communication, contact our team at mde.workforcecenter@state.mn.us.
Please share this information with your communities
Even if you are not required to file Minnesota income tax returns, you can still file to claim valuable Minnesota tax benefits. The Working Family Credit and Child Tax Credits deliver tax relief to individuals whose income is below a certain level. Both credits are refundable, meaning you can receive a refund even if you do not owe tax.
The new Child Tax Credit is available to Minnesotans who have children under age 18. By filing a Minnesota tax return, you may qualify for $1,750 per child with no limit on the number of children.
The Working Family Credit is available to Minnesotans who earned income during the year. The maximum Working Family Credit is $350 if your earned income is $8,750 or more, and it can increase by:
- $350 for no qualifying child
- $1,275 for one qualifying child age 18 or older
- $2,450 for two qualifying children age 18 or older
- $2,850 for three or more qualifying children age 18 or older
For more information, please visit the Working Family Credit webpage and Child Tax Credit webpage on the Minnesota Department of Revenue website.
High school students and their families are invited to join our Career and College Readiness team virtually at 7 p.m. February 11 to learn about the different ways high school students can earn college credit while in high school. The team will discuss Advanced Placement (AP) and International Baccalaureate (IB) courses and explain the differences between Postsecondary Enrollment Options (PSEO) and College in the High School. They will provide information about some benefits of the different programs and courses, eligibility requirements, and how to access these options. Hmong, Spanish and Somali interpretation will be available. Share this registration link with high school students and their families who may be interested in learning more about opportunities to Earn College Credit in High School.
Ready Set FAFSA! is a series of free financial aid events available to Minnesota students and families via Zoom. The series, running on Tuesday evenings in January, is intended for current high school students and will cover general information about the college application and financial aid process; details on the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) and the Minnesota Dream Act for undocumented students; and other ways to pay for college. All sessions will have interpretation in Spanish, Somali and Hmong. Attendees can ask questions in the chat and have them answered during the event by financial aid experts. Students who attend any of the sessions will be entered into a drawing to win a $1,000 scholarship (one entry per session attended).
These sessions are offered by the Minnesota Office of Higher Education, Minnesota Department of Education, ECMC The College Place and Minnesota Goes to College. For session dates, topics and registration, visit the Ready Set FAFSA! landing page. For promotional materials for schools in English, Hmong, Somali and Spanish, visit the Minnesota Goes to College website.
Back to Top
|
