NESC newsletter
September 2020
The NESC at a Glance
NESC Student Services
Year in Numbers: 2019-2020
NESC proudly supports its member districts by facilitating student programs and services for curriculum enrichment at the school, district, and regional levels. During the 2019-20 school year, the NESC facilitated 5 large-scale events, engaging 435* students! Our staff also facilitated 87 programs involving 9,744* students! While our year of program implementation was cut short due to COVID-19, we were still able to achieve a wide reach across our region! Thank you, educators, for partnering in this work! Our staff greatly enjoy working directly with you and the students, and we look forward to the projects that will bring us together in the 2020-21 school year!

*duplicated, participating count
Members at Work
Celebrations!
Congrats,
2021 ND County Teachers of the Year!
Chad Berger, high school social studies teacher at Dakota Prairie School in Petersburg, and Diane Mertens, special education teacher at Devils Lake High School, were recently awarded 2021 ND County Teachers of the Year for Nelson and Ramsey Counties, respectively. Congratulations!

NESC Awarded BCBSND Caring For Kids Grant
With the help of BCBSND Caring Foundation, NESC will introduce a new, virtual professional learning series to engage North Dakota preK-6 classroom teachers, support staff, and administrators on the importance of safe and healthy play every day. The NESC will be partnering with Playworks to provide the professional learning which is scheduled to begin in late September. (Register here: https://tinyurl.com/NESC-PowerOfPlay)

“Creating an environment for children to safely exercise is a priority for us,” said Amber Blomberg, BCBSND Caring Foundation Manager. “We’re excited to see this program empower educators and staff to discover innovative and healthy ways to get kids moving.”
PD for Our PD Staff
The NESC launched a new series for professional learning facilitators across North Dakota focused on collaboration and continuous improvement. The first session in this Virtual Professional Learning Roundtable series was hosted on September 3rd, bringing together 27 facilitators from various Regional Education Associations, state education entities, and school districts. The group will meet monthly throughout this year, studying and sharing best practices while maintaining a commitment to continued, high-quality professional learning for all North Dakota educators.
NESC Learning Opportunities
Workshop Contact:
Derryn Johnson, 888-701-6372
Registration also gets you access to Playworks' "Safe Return to Play" Guide, Recess Lab website, and Recess Check-up!
Professional Learning for pK-6 Recess Planners and Supervisors
The NESC is partnering with Playworks to help kids stay active and build valuable life skills through play! Join us for our 2020-21 professional learning series!

Our full series includes the following recess workshops
(Registration and participation available in this order):
  1. Power of Play
  2. Group Management (session 1 = prerequisite)
  3. Indoor Recess (session 1 = prerequisite)
  4. Recess Program Sustainability (session 1 & 2 = prerequisite)
  5. Recess Youth Leadership (session 1 & 2 = prerequisite)

The first workshop in the series, "Power of Play," is open for registration! "Power of Play" introduces the importance of play and lays the foundation for creating a safe, healthy, and respectful environment for youth. This workshop gives you and your staff the introductory tools needed to create safe and inclusive play opportunities for all students. Additionally, each of our first three Playworks workshops will include "Keep Playing" strategies that address supporting play in virtual settings (facilitation, modifications, connections to social emotional learning, and more!).

When/Where:
This is a one-hour, virtual workshop with 3 options for dates and times!
  • Sept. 29 - "Power of Play" virtual workshop - 3:00-4:00 PM (option 1)

  • Sept. 30 - "Power of Play" virtual workshop - 8:00-9:00 AM (option 2)

  • Oct. 15 - "Power of Play" virtual workshop - 6:00-7:00 PM (option 3)

Facilitator: Playworks

Resources: Provided by NESC and Playworks

Intended audience: pK-6 recess planners and supervisors

Cost: FREE!


Registration deadline: 1 week prior to your workshop
(Register early! There is a maximum capacity of 25 participants per webinar. If your registration exceeds the maximum capacity, you will be contacted about moving to a different date/time.)

NESC Educators: This virtual workshop can be applied towards the 2020-21 NESC Cafeteria Plan for graduate credit through VCSU.

This professional learning series is made possible through the NESC Caring For Kids Grant in partnership with the Blue Cross Blue Shield North Dakota Caring Foundation.
Click the registration link to view workshop descriptions!
Workshop Contact:
Derryn Johnson, 888-701-6372
The Learning Continues

Virtual sessions: 4:00-5:30 PM

FREE to NESC educators!

  • Oct. 13 - Creating Remarkable Virtual Learning Experiences

  • Nov. 12 - A Framework for Sustaining the Practice of Mattering in School and Online

  • Jan. 14 - Liberating Genius of Every Student

Register for the full series or individual webinars: https://tinyurl.com/NESC-AngelaMaiersSeries

Registration deadline is 1 week prior to each workshop.

NESC Educators: These Angela Maiers webinars can be applied towards the 2020-21 NESC Cafeteria Plan for graduate credit through VCSU.
Literacy Workshops


FREE to NESC educators!


Sessions will be virtual.

Sessions will take place from 8:30 AM - 3:00 PM.
  • A one-hour lunch break will be provided.
  • Exception: The Writing Reboot will be one-hour sessions according to grade levels/grade spans, scheduled back-to-back throughout the day on October 21st.

Attendance is required for both days of the multi-day workshops.

No material/curriculum purchases are required.
  • Workshop materials will be provided to participants by Steve Dunn and the NESC.

Click on the workshop titles or registration links (to the right) to view the workshop descriptions.

Registration deadlines are 1 week prior to each workshop start date.

Register early! Registration for any remaining spots will be opened to educators outside the NESC 2 weeks prior to the start of each workshop.

NESC Educators: Steve Dunn Literacy Workshop days can be applied towards the 2020-21 NESC Cafeteria Plan for graduate credit through VCSU.

Workshop Contact: Derryn Johnson, 888-701-6372

This professional learning series is made possible through the Native Youth Community Project Grant from the US Department of Education.
Available Workshops:

Grade K-12 Writing Reboot
(Refresher/Support Session)
Oct. 21
(This is a 1-hour session per grade level/cohort for teachers who previously completed the Steve Dunn Writing Workshop training. Click on the registration link for a session description.)


Oct. 19 (option 1)
Mar. 10 (option 2)


Mar. 9 (1 day only)


Dec. 15 (day 1)
Mar. 8 (day 2)


Oct. 20 (day 1)
Nov. 24 (day 2)


Nov. 23 (day 1)
Dec. 16 (day 2)


Nov. 25 (day 1)
Dec. 14 (day 2)
Your school has access to Virtual Job Shadow! The NESC holds a license for all middle and high school students and all interested school staff members to engage with this career exploration tool! This can be a great in-person and distance learning support for college and career counseling services.

VJS is now offering free webinars tailored to specific learning communities, in addition to general informational webinars. Each guided tour takes approximately 20 minutes, and is a great first step to learn how this resource can empower your school.

For more information regarding your school's VJS access, contact Erin.Lacina@nescnd.org.
chalkboard-teacher.jpg
We have many professional learning opportunities in the works for 2020-21 including workshops for individuals, teams, and school systems.

  • Beginning Teacher workshops
  • More Playworks (recess) workshops
  • STEAM workshops
  • NDMTSS PBIS workshops
  • And more!

Dates and registration information will be released soon!

NESC Graduate Credit
The NESC is partnering with Valley City State University to offer graduate credit to member educators for NESC professional learning events.


NESC Partner & North Dakota Learning Opportunities
Afterschool Quality Coaching Book Study
Sept. 16 - Oct. 21
Virtual (Free!)

2020 NDCEL Virtual Fall Conference
Oct. 22-23
Virtual

NDMTSS - Leading Implementation of Systemic Social Emotional Learning
Oct. - Dec.

NDMTSS - Enhancing FBAs & BIPs (Tier 3 Support)
Oct. or Feb. - Mar.

NDMTSS - TIPS Needs Assessment (Trauma-Informed Practices for Schools)
Jan.

NDMTSS - TATE: Technical Adequacy Tool for Evaluation (Tier 3 Support)
Jan.

NDMTSS - Prevent Teach Reinforce Series (Tier 3 Support)
November, plus Boosers in Jan. - Mar.

NDMTSS - Prevent Teach Reinforce Master Coach Series
Mar. - Jun.









51-minute, recorded REL West webinar
Past NESC Workshops - Continued Support
Self-Care for Educators with Dr. Tina Boogren

The First Days of School with Dr. Harry Wong & Rosemary Wong

20 Instructional Strategies That Engage the Brain with Dr. Marcia Tate

Safe and Civil Schools
  • The Tough Kid (presented for the NESC by Tricia McKale Skyles)
  • Explicit Instruction
  • Welcoming the Kids Back

from Dr. Adam Sáenz (Guest Presenter of Angela Maiers, 2020 NESC Regional Fall In-service)

Social Emotional Learning resources, College & Career Readiness resources, and more from
Everfi (2020 NESC Regional Winter In-service Presenter)
Mission
The NESC supports schools through leadership and collaborative opportunities.

Vision 
The NESC positively impacts schools' capacity to offer high-quality education.