In Today's Newsletter
1. NWEA Professional Learning
2. Expanding the Summer Food Service Program with Meals to You
3. Teacher Retention and Recruitment Convening
4. CORRECTION: District-Wide Early Education Grant Application
5. ADDITION: FY25 Application for District Wide Early Education Program Approval and 0.5 ADM / Foundation Formula Funding
6. Creative Writing Contest
7. Professional Teaching Practices Commission Update
8. Student Artist Submissions: Legislative Art Show
9. The Association of Alaska School Boards Annual Scholarship Award Competition
10. ASCA Youth Cultural Heritage Program
11. 2024 iDidaContest
12. MTSS/RTI 2024 Conference
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Comfortable with the basics of administering MAP Growth? Now get hands on with your reports. Learn to access, interpret, and apply MAP Growth data. Then plan how to use your data to inform ongoing work, with a particular focus on goal setting with students.
Essential Reports for Leaders
Wednesday, January 24, 10:00 a.m.–12:00 p.m.
- Use MAP Growth and other assessment data to identify school- or grade-level trends in growth and achievement data.
- Learn how to monitor testing and completion rates through operational reports to identify next steps for implementation.
Essential Reports for Teachers
Monday, January 29, 4:00–6:00 p.m.
- Explore student-centered decisions that are informed by MAP Growth data.
- Apply to classroom practices and instructional plans
Learn more and register here: Alaska Statewide Professional Learning (nwea.org)
Have you heard of Meals to You? Meals to You is a nutrition assistance program that has served children in rural communities throughout Alaska for the past three years, and DEED is taking over the program to expand access to food for our students!
Meals to You will be an expansion of DEED's Summer Food Service Program, which serves no-cost summer meals to school-aged children.
The first annual Teacher Retention and Recruitment Convening (TRRC) will be held February 29th - March 1st, 2024 at the Captain Cook in Anchorage. The event will provide engaging discussions, networking, and practical takeaways. It is sponsored jointly by Alaska Teachers & Personnel (AT&P) and DEED, and the AT&P Job Fair will be happening concurrently. Register here: Registration for TRRC - 2024 (alaskateacher.org)
Is your district ready to develop or improve a high-quality Early Education program?
The purpose of the FY2024-2027 Alaska Reads Act Early Education Program Grant is to provide funding for a three-year period for the development or improvement of a district-wide early education program (DWEEP).
Release Date:
Tuesday, January 16, 2024
DWEEP Grant Application Form
Technical Assistance Webinars:
Wednesday, January 24, 2024 at 10:00AM
Meeting Registration - Zoom
Due Date:
Thursday, February 15, 2024
DEED is inviting applications for FY2025 District Wide Early Education Program Approval. Those districts who receive approval will be eligible to report enrolled early education students in the district’s average daily membership (ADM) that determines Foundation Formula funding. Funding will be granted at a rate of 0.5 ADM for each eligible 4-year-old and 5-year-old student.
Approval will be determined according to compliance with these requirements:
- Operate an early education program for three or more years,
- Consult all high-quality childcare programs within the school district boundaries, including Head Start [Sec 14.03.410(c)],
- Successfully implement the Alaska Early Education Program Standards, and
- Employ early education teacher(s) with the required and current teacher certification.
Application Available:
January 25, 2024
DWEEP-ADM Intent Form - Education and Early Development (alaska.gov)
Technical Assistance Webinars:
Tuesday, February 13, 2024 at 12:00p.m. - Meeting Registration – Zoom
Wednesday, February 21, 2024 at 10:00a.m. - Meeting Registration – Zoom
Due Date:
Wednesday, May 15, 2024
For more information, visit education.alaska.gov/earlylearning or contact earlylearning@alaska.gov
The 41st annual statewide Creative Writing Contest, sponsored by the University of Alaska Anchorage and the Anchorage Daily News, encourages new writers of all ages to submit a piece of work before the February 15th deadline. There are cash prizes.
All entries must be submitted electronically. Entrants can submit up to three poems, one piece of fiction, and one piece of nonfiction. Teachers can assist students with posting submissions if needed, though permissions and student contact information must be provided. Published authors, librarians, creative writing instructors serve as volunteer judges for the contest.
Winning entries from previous contests can be found online at LitSite Alaska
The 2023-2024 Statewide Creative Writing Contest will open for entries on Sunday, November 6, 2023 and close on Thursday, February 15, 2024.
Helpful Reminders
The beginning of the semester is a good time to review the Code of Ethics of the Education Profession. It's also a good time to check the expiration date of your teaching certificate!
Upcoming Meetings
The Commission will meet on February 1-2, 2024 and April 11-12, 2024 to consider disciplinary actions against certificate holders, to conduct administrative reviews, and to discuss other Commission business.
The public is welcome. The meetings may be in person, but will also be held virtually by Zoom. More information, including a Zoom link, can be found online: PTPC
Learn More!
Have additional questions, concerns, or just want to learn more? Melody Mann, PTPC's Executive Director, is available to present information about PTPC to educators around the state. Send her an email to schedule an informational presentation.
Calling All Student Artists! The Alaska Council of School Administrators and the Alaska Arts Education Consortium every year host an art show and auction for our legislators in Juneau. Represent your school district at an art show that features student art from all across Alaska. Send in your pieces - whether paintings, drawings, sculptures, photography, mixed media - by filling out this form.
Know a student artist? Have a student artist in your life? Know an art teacher? Tell them about this chance to share work with a larger audience. Check out the form for more details, and if you have any questions reach out to Conor Lendrum at the Alaska Council of School Administrators: clendrum@alaksaacsa.org.
The form submission deadline is January 21, 2024 and the deadline for artwork to arrive in Juneau if mailed is January 28, 2024.
Applications are now open for the Association of Alaska School Board's (AASB) June Nelson Memorial Scholarship!
This scholarship program is open to Alaska students who:
- Are graduating this school year.
- Have been accepted as a full-time student by either a business, trade, or college institution
- Are graduating from an AASB's member school district.
The June Nelson Memorial Scholarship is named in honor of the late June Nelson, a longtime school board member from Kotzebue. June contributed much to the cause of education and will be remembered for her outstanding service on behalf of Alaska’s children. This is the 33rd year of this scholarship, which is made possible and funded by individual contributions of school board members and administrators from across the state.
This 2023-2024 school year, AASB will award up to fifteen $1,500 scholarships to apply toward post-secondary education! Up to two of these may be awarded to returning college sophomores. Up to two scholarships may specifically be given to students planning to attend trade/vocational schools.
The Youth Cultural Heritage Program (YCH), made possible by funding from Rasmuson Foundation and administered by the Alaska State Council on the Arts, is designed to support organizations and groups that deliver arts-based, cultural heritage programming to children and youth in Alaska.
Eligible Organizations and groups may apply for a Youth Cultural Heritage Project Grant of up to $10,000.00 in support of Youth Cultural Heritage activities through December 31, 2024. Youth Cultural Heritage Project Grantees will convene as a group for discussion and network development in 2024, with dates to be determined. This may include travel or virtual discussions, depending on availability of the grantee cohort. To learn more, contact the YCH team, or download guidelines and application materials visit our website at https://arts.alaska.gov/Youth-Cultural-Heritage-Grant-Program.
Deadline for application: January 31, 2024
In addition, YCH Fast Track Grants continue to be available on a rolling deadline, at least 30 days prior to the planned activity. Organizations and groups may apply for up to $2,000.00 in support of a Youth Cultural Heritage activity. Alaska, 501(c)3 nonprofit organizations, schools, units of state, local or tribal government, proposing YCH Program-aligned activities are eligible to receive grants within the program or to fiscally sponsor otherwise eligible community groups. Learn more about the YCH Fast Track and Project Grants at https://arts.alaska.gov/Youth-Cultural-Heritage-Grant-Program.
Alaska's Premier Student and Teacher Media Showcase
Each year, the Alaska Society for Technology Education (ASTE) celebrates excellence in digital media by showcasing the most outstanding photos, movies, documentaries, podcasts, music, books, and more. ASTE's ongoing partnership with the Alaska Council for Social Studies adds an exciting dimension with several Social Studies-themed categories.
ASTE is introducing new categories dedicated to Digital Art this year. Additionally, in a pioneering move, ASTE has launched a category specifically for projects that incorporate the power of Artificial Intelligence (AI). Teachers and students are encouraged to participate either individually or as part of a classroom project.
Submissions are now open, and you can submit your entries today. The deadline for submissions is January 31, 2024.
Winners will be announced at the iDidaNight showcase on February 18, 2024. ASTE is excited to inform you that the iDidaNight showcase will once again be broadcast live. Links for the stream will be provided in upcoming communications.
For more details and to participate, please visit the ASTE iDidaContest website.
Join in celebrating Alaskan innovation and creativity at its peak!
Attend the 13th annual MTSS/RTI Conference!
Meeting Students Where They Are!
There will be an energizing group of nationally recognized educators exploring the latest research on what works now – delivered in accessible and practical format.
Anchorage - Friday, January 26:
Trauma Engaged MTSS Pre-Conference
Keynotes: Dr. Linda Chamberlain, Doug Modig
Alaskan experts in trauma-informed education will share research, evidence-based strategies, and practical techniques to help you understand and respond to students affected by trauma.
Anchorage - Saturday, January 27 & Sunday, January 28:
MTSS Effective Instruction Conference:
Meeting Students Where They Are
Keynotes: Dr. John Hattie, Princess Lucaj, Dr. Julie Stern
Explore strategies to enhance multi-tiered systems of support and effective instruction in our schools. This conference aims to equip you with the knowledge, strategies, and resources to effectively meet the diverse academic, behavioral, and social emotional needs of your students.
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