In Today's Newsletter:
1. Farm to School Grantees
2. A Toolkit for our Indigenous Students
3. Provide Feedback on Assessments
4. Introduction to Alaska's Literacy Blueprint
5. We are Hiring!
6. Free SAT Bootcamp
7. New Monthly Event: Coffee and Content
8. Task Force on Child Care
9. Federal School Safety Grants
10. State Board Meets Tomorrow
11. TODAY: Family Engagement Webinar
12. School Spotlights
13. World Eskimo-Indian Olympics |
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The USDA Patrick Leahy Farm to School Grant program supports state and regional organizations to grow farm to school efforts. The FY2023 Alaska Grantees will help address childhood hunger and student learning.
The Chatham School District in Angoon will expand their Farm to School Programming in Gustavus to stregthen school-to-home connections, address child hunfer and nutrition challenges, create a generation of growers, support food sovereignty for isolated communities, and tangibly link classroom learning with necessary life skills.
The Rural Alaska Community Action Program, Inc (RurAL CAP) will build an Anchorage-based Edible Garden Project. It will provide locally grown, culturally-responsive food to children in need, give students real-life experiences with plant and gardening ecology, and build infrastructure for sustained community engagement in school gardens.
Southeast Island School District will build upon on established greenhouse and agricultural program in Thorne Bay. The project incorporates both students and community volunteers and provides food for the school breakfast and lunch program.
Circles of Reflection is an interactive, easy-to-use toolkit that guides participants through the three Circles with printable and customizable worksheets, facilitation guides, and other supporting materials. In the first two Circles, participants will explore six key categories, featuring Reflection Questions that can be adjusted to meet and accommodate the unique needs that exist across states and Tribes. The Reflection Questions will help participants gain authentic understanding about partners, stakeholders, and Tribes’ various perspectives on crucial topics to Native education. Based on the priorities identified in Circles one and two, Third Circle participants will develop short and long-term goals to improve the education and well-being of Native students.
The Native Education Collaborative, supported by the National Comprehensive Center (NCC) and funded by the U.S. Department of Education, developed the Circles of Reflection to engage state education agencies (SEAs), Tribal education departments (TEDs), and local education agencies (LEAs), in rich, reflective discussions and strategic planning to provide high-quality, motivating educational experiences that improve Native students’ educational attainment.
DEED is recruiting for three virtual events that Alaska educators can be involved in the assessment item development process for AK STAR, the Alaska Science Assessment, or both! If you have a strong understanding of Alaska's current academic standards, we'd love to have you participate:
AK STAR Field Test Item Review
Alaska educators will evaluate and provide feedback on new AK STAR test items, verify alignment to Alaska’s ELA and mathematics academic standards, and review for bias and sensitivity. The review will be held during off contract hours and participants receive a $250 stipend for full participation.
Friday, August 25 – 4:00 pm – 8:00 pm
Saturday, August 26 – 8:00 am – 5:00 pm
Alaska Science Assessment Data Review
Alaska educators will review and provide feedback on test item data from the spring 2023 administration. This review will assist DEED and DRC in building operational assessments for future administrations. The data review will be held during off contract hours and participants receive a $100 stipend for full participation.
Wednesday, October 3 – 4:00 pm – 8:00 pm
Alaska Science Assessment Item Review
Alaska educators will provide feedback on newly developed test items to be field tested in spring 2024. Selected panelists will review for content, alignment to the K-12 Science Standards for Alaska, and bias and sensitivity. The review will be held during off contract hours and participants receive a $250 stipend for full participation.
Friday, October 6 – 4:00 pm – 8:00 pm
Saturday, October 7 – 8:00 am – 4:00 pm
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Alaska's Literacy Blueprint details the types of assessments administered to our students, and how the data can be helpful to educators, districts, students, and families.
There are 3 timeslots available to participate in this introductory webinar:
10:00 AM Thursday, July 20th
2:00 PM Wednesday, August 2nd
5:00 PM Thursday, August 3rd
Teacher, Alyeska Reading Academy and Institute
The Alaska Department of Education & Early Development is seeking experienced, committed education professionals to provide direct reading instruction to at-risk students. In addition to working with students, teachers may be called upon to provide adult learning opportunities including lesson demonstrations, coaching, and professional development, depending on their skill sets in those areas.
Both full-time and part-time positions are available. Salary will be based on candidate's education and experience, with a minimum salary (based on a bachelor's degree and one year of experience) will be $51,697.88 annually.
Positions are open until filled.
Public Board Members, The Council on Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault
Did you know the Department of Education and Early Development has a board representative on the Council on Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault (CDVSA)?
The Department of Public Safety (DPS) CDVSA is recruiting two new Public Board members. A new public member seat was added this year to the CDVSA Board of Directors; this new position must be a representative of an Alaska Native organization or tribe. The second position is a general public member position and will be vacant August 1, 2023. Public members cannot be state employees or work for agencies providing services, prevention and/or referral to victims of DVSA.
If you are interested in this position you can apply to Boards and Commissions at: Apply for a Board Appointment - Mike Dunleavy (alaska.gov). For additional information contact L. Diane Casto, Executive Director at diane.casto@alaska.gov.
Administrative Officer 2 and Prevention Program Coordinator 2, The Council on Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault
The Department of Public Safety CDVSA is recruiting for two State positions – an Administrative Officer 2 and a Prevention Program Coordinator 2.
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Schoolhouse is offering a free four-week bootcamp to help students prepare for the August 26th SAT. Registration opened on July 16th and the course is from July 27th-August 24th.
Starting in September, DEED will host an amazing line up of Science of Reading speakers. Each month, a new reading leader will share a direct to classroom technique or strategy to add to your SOR toolkit (curricular agnostic), followed by some casual educator chat.
Have questions about reading or choosing interventions? Perhaps you are a single teacher in a village school needing a collaboration partner, or maybe a student just has you stuck and you want a brainstorming partner? This will be an open time for conversation, sharing, and problem solving!
Dr. Timothy Rasinski will be joining us for September 18th.
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In April, Governor Dunleavy created the Task Force of Child Care through an Administrative Order:
"The purpose of the Task Force is to develop a plan to improve availability and affordability of quality child care throughout Alaska"
The group's next meeting is tomorrow, July 26th from noon until 1:30pm. Members of the public must register to receive a Zoom link.
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Do you need help applying for federal school safety grants?
The Greenlights Grant Initiative will help schools apply for grants under the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act through the U.S. Department of Education; the STOP School Violence Act grants through the Department of Justice, and Project AWARE and Mental Health Awareness Training grants through the Department of Health and Human Services.
Every school district is eligible to receive grant alerts, tutorials, webinars, grant writing guidance, and other tools to help apply for these grants.
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On Wednesday, July 26, the Alaska State Board of Education and Early Development will host its quarterly meeting virtually. Acting Commissioner Heidi Teshner will give an update, new board members Barbara Tyndall and Pamela Dupras will be sworn in, and the board will take action on two proposed regulation changes.
Anyone can listen in, and Zoom login information is provided in the agenda.
Research suggests that 70% of jobs will require education or training beyond high school by 2027. The Unlocking Career Successes initiative is one of many ways that education and workforce systems are coming together to equip students and families with resources to prepare this generation for the workforce of the future. While family engagement is often most robust in the early grades, strong partnerships between home and school are essential supports in secondary school to help students navigate possible career pathways.
The U.S. Department of Education is leading efforts with other federal agencies, community organizations and workforce leaders to help prepare students to thrive in their future careers. We will hear from education leaders and practitioners who will share the latest research and on-the-ground lessons for how family engagement is supporting young people to navigate career pathways and unlock career success.
Join us on Tuesday, July 25 from 1-2:30 p.m. EDT (9-10:30 a.m. Alaska Time)
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Starting in September, DEED will resume hosting a monthly Alaska School Spotlight for the 2023-2024 school year.
Has your school proven great success increasing student reading proficiency utilizing evidence-based curriculum and materials? Do you have something you are really excited about as an outcome of a shift to Science of Reading best practices? We are interested in hearing what amazing things are happening in your school to positively impact student reading proficiency and achievement. Please submit your story to the e-mail below. You may be chosen as the next school spotlight in a future edition of the Alaska Reading Newsletter!
Please e-mail your submissions or questions to: Jenn.Miller@alaska.gov
You can view the 2022-2023 School Year Alaska School Spotlights here.
In mid-July, hundreds of competitors arrived in Fairbanks for the annual World Eskimo-Indian Olympics. Traditional games include the Knuckle Hop, Four Man Carry, Ear Weight, Ear Pull, Drop the Bomb, High Kicks, One-Hand Reach Stick Pulls, Toe Kick, Arm Pull, Blanket Toss, Fish Cutting, Seal Skinning, Maktak Eating, Greased Pole Walk, and Bench Reach.
A teacher in Utqiagvik, Michelle Kuleak, was the 2022 Miss WEIO, and she passed the title to this year's winner, Tehya Titus of Minto, Ontario.
Congratulations to all the Alaskans who participated in this international competition!
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