SEEC Monthly
news & updates
|
|
What's new with SEEC?
- Welcome aboard to Molly Berg, SEEC Marketing, Training, and Office Coordinator!
- Meet the SEEC Special Education Team
- Child Care Aware team is still searching for two hires out West!
Member HIghlights:
- Wyndmere receives another National Blue Ribbon Award
- Valley City SEL Network Member Profile & Insights
- Dakota Bowl Roundup: Sheyenne, Jamestown, Kindred, Lamoure-L-M All Win State Titles
Program/Service Updates:
Get up to speed on what SEEC has been busy with:
- EL Bootcamp, Safty-Care training, LETRS training, Well-Equipped Therapist Conference, NDMTSS Advanced Applications of Data-Based Decision Making, and NDMTSS Developing Schoolwide Behavior Expectations
Upcoming Opportunities:
- Federal Programs Monitoring Support for EL and Title III Elements
- Reading/Literacy Supports: Foundations of Reading for K-5 & Supporting Secondary Struggling Readers (6-12)
- NDMTSS: PTR Foundations, TATE, Behavior Interventions to Support All Tiers
- ND Afterschool Network: Lights on Afterschool, Quality Standards, Grants/Funding, Training
- Full-Service Community Schools Consortium
Shared Resources & Outside Opportunities
- Building Tomorrow's Leaders
- Foundational Reading Assessments with Schools Cubed
- Kognito Behavioral Health Professional Development Training Indicator
- Source of Strength substance abuse, bullying, and suicide prevention program
- Quiver: Transforming the Educational Experience
|
|
|
SEEC news... come and get it! |
|
Meet Molly, SEEC's Marketing, Training, and Office Coordinator. She graduated from Minnesota State University Moorhead with two bachelor’s degrees: Theatre Arts (emphasis in Directing and Technology / Design) and Integrated Advertising and Public Relations, and two minors: Mass Communications and Media Analysis.
"I have the utmost respect for our educators in my region. It isn’t easy to stand in a classroom in front of a bunch of students; whom all have different personalities and backgrounds, trying to bring their full (or partial) attention to the lesson of the day. As I delved into the intricate details of the reasons why SEEC exists, I’ve understood that the REAs have expanded their collaborative services to provide for schools in areas that keep flourishing with flexibility so that the schools receive the important tools they need to support their staff and students. Therefore, my excitement, from reading the descriptions and values of SEEC, channeled me to sign up to become a part of an innovative agency that not only perfects professional development and services for their colleagues but progresses it to exhibit humility and openness for improvement."
|
|
Check out our Special Education team - you may recognize some of these faces from being in your buildings!
- Heather Eken, Physical Therapist
- Brittney Waloch, Occupational Therapist
- Taryn Nims, Occupational Therapist
- Brooke Tayer, Medicaid Specialist and Certified Occupational Therapy Assistant
- Amy Frericks, Regional Special Education Coordinator
- Noel Kangas, Special Education Elementary Setting Teacher
|
|
|
|
|
Child Care Aware Open Positions - Western ND |
Nearly all the positions have been hired, but we are still in search of a couple of staff to join the Child Care Aware Team:
|
|
A member of the ND SEL Network since January of 2021 the profile identifies Valley City's strength as, "A strong sense of teamwork, not only within the district but with outside agencies as well, has served as the foundation for its successes in systemic SEL work.
Notably, through their relationship with the Sheyenne Valley Special Education Unit, Valley City Public Schools has been able to learn from the practices and experiences of highly qualified specialists as well as other districts in its area."
Dive in and take a look at more of Valley City's information and other Network members including Problem of Practice, Growth Opportunities, Approaches to SEL, Facilitators of Systemic SEL
|
|
Photo and excerpt from Wahpeton Daily News.
Richland County, North Dakota, schools have received the U.S. Department of Education’s National Blue Ribbon Award three times since 2013.
The first honor went to Wyndmere Public School, in 2013. The second went to Richland Elementary, Abercrombie, in 2018. The third, for 2021, once again went to Wyndmere Public School. Whether kindergarteners or high schoolers, Warbird Nation’s youth shared their success with teachers, faculty, leaders and more at a Thursday, Nov. 4 ceremony.
“I don’t know about you guys, but I’ve got chills running down my spine,” Wyndmere High School Principal Scott Strenge said. “You guys did it.”
Throughout the celebration, there were reminders of how far Wyndmere Public School has come in the nearly two years since the COVID-19 pandemic was first identified in Richland County, as well as successes once in-person learning was able to resume.
|
|
Photo and excerpts from KVRR. |
|
Four North Dakota high school football state champions were crowned at the Dakota Bowl Friday. Congratulations!
|
|
LaMoure-Litchville-Marion won its first title since 1991 knocking off Cavalier 42-14.
Kindred won their first-ever state title in football taking down the top seed, Hillsboro-Central Valley 34-14.
Jamestown won the first ever 11A title with a 41-27 win over the one seed, Bismarck St. Mary’s.
In the 11AA title game, Sheyenne completed an undefeated season and took down West Fargo for the second time this season, 27-7.
|
|
Training here, conference there, SEEC staff
are everywhere this Fall!
|
|
 |
English Learner (EL) Bootcamp
Each November SEEC EL Specialist Kerri Whipple offers a two-day EL Bootcamp aimed to assist anyone newly assigned to the EL teacher or EL coordinator role – many participants come back year after year to stay up on changes in the EL field.
Participant feedback:
"This is a very well-organized training that included valuable information and good conversation that definitely increased my knowledge and helped to build my confidence in my role as EL coordinator at my school." (EL Teacher – North Sargent Public School)
"I loved the open discussion format of the training. Kerri was very knowledgeable and approachable for questions. She even spent extra time one on one to answer more questions and gave valuable feedback." (Teacher – Hatton-Eielson Elementary School)
|
|
|
|
Safety-Care® Training
"The overall feedback in the move to Safety-Care has been positive. Staff members that don’t always directly work with students have commented on how this has helped them understand the rationale for why we respond to escalated students in particular ways. This increases their ability to more confidently support staff and reinforce students to ensure a more consistent and cohesive behavior response building-wide."
|
|
|
|
|
Well-Equipped Therapist Conference for School-Based OTs and PTs
On Nov. 4-5 the SEEC and Apply EBP (Evidenced-Based Practices) held the first-ever conference completely focused on school-based occupational and physical therapy: The Well-Equipped Therapist.
The goal was 100 attendees, but we knew it was a long shot. To our surprise, 99 registrations flew in and we had a room so full of excitement, learning, and love for our students. What an amazing group oeople we have in our state… oh, yes – there are ONLY about 130 total school-based OTs and PTs in our state. So I think it’s fair to say this was a pretty fantastic idea and we were so happy to help make it happen!
|
|
|
|
LETRS® - Literacy & Writing Teacher Professional Development
NEW Jan. Cohort open for registration!
Along with the current cohorts in progress, there was still demand for more... and we're happy to announce a NEW cohort will kick off virtually on Jan. 5th!
LETRS® provides K-12 educators with an in-depth understanding of the science behind teaching literacy and gives them the background and depth of knowledge to teach language and literacy skills to every student. Designed to be the cornerstone of a multiyear, systemic literacy improvement initiative, LETRS® is the most respected comprehensive professional development course for instructors of reading, spelling, and related language skills.
|
|
|
|
|
NDMTSS: Advanced Applications of Data-Based Decision Making
The first of three sessions in this newly redesigned series with Wayne Callender, Partners for Learning, was held Nov. 3 in Jamestown. This is the NDMTSS Academic Year 3 series meaning these teams have completed both Developing Academic Pathways and Evaluating Your System.
Four teams from across the state came together (Kulm, North Sargent, Hankinson and Eight Mile – Trenton) take a deeper dive into their academic data.
|
|
|
|
NDMTSS: Developing Schoolwide Behavior Expectations
This five-session virtual series, led by Don Kincaid from Florida PBIS, kicked off on Nov. 15 with seven teams: Jamestown K12, Northern Cass K12, Nedrose K12, New Salem K12, St. John’s, Turtle Mountain Community High School, and West Fargo K12.
These teams will work to improve student engagement, behaviors, and school culture in their schools through the identification and teaching of school-wide expectations.
By year-end the goal is to not only have new learnings and understandings around implementation, core principals of PBIS, 10 critical elements of Tier 1, but to also have developed a draft action plan for tier 1 implementation!
|
|
|
|
Program/Service Upcoming Opportunities |
|
Dec. 2, Virtual - FREE
This training will help schools prepare evidence for their desk audit or site visit from DPI's federal programs office.
|
|
|
|
Reading / Literacy Supports
The series below are companion opportunities, both aligned to the Science of Reading, with one designed for K-5 and the other for 6-12. Led by consultant Shannon Harken we're offering multiple location options to reach a larger audience statewide - find what fits for you!
In these professional learning opportunities the content will focus on:
Curriculum - What we teach
Instruction - How we teach
Assessment - Data needed to guide the process
|
|
Three sessions: Feb. 7, March 7, April 4
Multiple locations: Minot, Jamestown, Williston, and Bismarck
Audience: K-5 classroom teachers, Title teachers, special education teachers, interventionists, coaches, and administrators that wish to improve outcomes for students in the area of reading.
This three-part learning series is designed to provide educators with the knowledge, skills, and tools necessary to address a variety of students' needs in reading.
The 2000 National Reading Panel Report states that students need instruction in the essential components of reading, also known as the Five Big Ideas of Reading: phonological awareness, phonics, fluency, comprehension, and vocabulary.
|
|
Two sessions: Feb. 8 and March 8
Multiple locations: Minot, Jamestown, Devils Lake, and Bismarck
Audience: 6-12 classroom teachers, ELA teachers, interventionists, special education teachers, literacy coaches, at-risk leaders, and administrators interested in "digging deeper" into the instructional needs of secondary struggling readers.
This two-part learning series is designed to provide secondary educators with the knowledge, skills, and tools necessary to respond to student reading needs by matching them to appropriate instructional strategies at the secondary level.
|
|
|
|
Dec. 16-17 - Minot
+ 4 virtual boosters and
Modeling in the Spring
Virtual: Jan. 3-17 recorded content
+ Jan. 19 Virtual Session
4 Virtual Sessions: Feb. 15, Feb. 22, March 1, March 8
Three sessions: Feb. 7, March 7, April 4
Multiple locations including Jamestown!
Two sessions: Feb. 8 and March 8
Multiple locations including Jamestown!
|
|
|
|
Highlight on Youth-Centered Program Design
|
|
|
|
ND Full-Service Community Schools Consortium |
NDFSCS takes an equitable approach to provide place-based programs and services through collaborative partnerships, leading to improved student learning, stronger families, and healthier communities.
ADVISORY MEMBER REFLECTION
“Through the ND Full-Service Community Schools Consortium, I have had the opportunity to share ideas for helping meet the food needs of children and parents in school communities, and to learn about other services that are available. The model is so helpful because it is based on collaboration and partnership. We have tried for many years to address problems in silos. It takes many of us working together to address root causes and needs of families and students in our community of care.”
-Karen Ehrens, Creating a Hunger Free North Dakota Coalition Coordinator
|
|
|
|
Outside opportunities worth checking out |
|
|
This comprehensive program is geared for high school students, which aims to strengthen leadership skills, build confidence in young adults, empower students for involvement in school and civic organizations, and in turn, build a sense of community. The program curriculum was developed by North Dakota State University Extension with support from the North Dakota Department of Public Instruction.
|
Kognito is a Behavior Health Professional Development Training Indicator: Knowledge of Behavioral Health Symptoms and Risks provided at no cost via the Department of Human Services Behavioral Health Division.
Kognito is a health simulation company that provides evidence-based simulations that build a variety of competencies and shape attitudes through role-play conversations with virtual humans, scientifically designed to mimic real-life behaviors. The simulation experience allows users to virtually interact with fully animated at-risk students or their parents in order to learn to recognize the signs of distress, use conversation to approach students and discuss concerns, and, if necessary, refer parents/students to the appropriate resources.
|
|
|
|
Presented by Pati Montgomery, Schools Cubed | FREE!
Feb. 3, 2022 | 9:30 - 11:30am CST
A quality assessment can guide our instruction in the teaching of the foundational skills in literacy. During this session you will learn what assessments you could be using, the subskills they measure, and general instructional strategies for each of the subskills.
Schools Cubed is an educational consulting group that takes underperforming schools and works with district and school leaders to create self-sustaining, high-achieving school systems. We focus on the three S’s: Systems, Structures and the Science of Reading.
|
Sources of Strength is an internationally recognized substance abuse, bullying, and suicide prevention program.
Is your school looking to implement an evidence-based, upstream program designed to prevent suicide, bullying, and substance abuse?
|
|
|
|
Highlights / Articles Worth Sharing |
|
Quiver: Transforming the Educational Experience - Quiver is a user-friendly application that transforms the educational experience by giving educators a simple way to measure student strengths every day, creating a record with meaningful feedback. As a result, the next generation of citizens will be better prepared to understand, embrace, and celebrate their uniqueness and passions, precipitating personal success.
Classroom WISE - Well-Being Information and Strategies for Educators is a FREE 3-part training package that assists K-12 educators in supporting the mental health of students in the classroom. Developed by the Mental Health Technology Transfer Center (MHTTC) Network in partnership with the National Center for School Mental Health, this package offers evidence-based strategies and skills to engage and support students with mental health concerns in the classroom.
SEL Opportunities for Kids through NDCDE - The North Dakota Center for Distance Education (NDCDE) is proud to be offering a vetted, credit-bearing SEL course to districts around the state to help your students build resilience and improve focus in this challenging year. Half of the cost of each enrollment is funded with ESSER funds through NDDPI. Here is a recent article from The Journal, written by an award-winning counselor about the positive impact of the program on students.
The data and outcomes I’ve seen from EmpowerU, a curriculum that is built on brain research, provides hope for tackling a growing problem of youth mental health. EmpowerU’s brief daily resilience exercises prompt students to reflect on their learning and invites students to apply their learning to their own lives and goals.
|
|
|
|
What's coming up on the SEEC Calendar...
(Events with active links are open for registration.)
|
November:
22: NDSoR K-6 ELA Curriculum Fair (9:00am, Fargo)
29: Foundations of Reading (Fargo)
December:
2: Health Tech & Trades Career Expo (Fargodome)
2: NDMTSS Evaluating Your System
3: SEEDS of Learning for 3-5-Year-Olds
6: NDSoR LETRS for Teachers - Cohort D
9: NDSoR LETRS for Teachers - Cohort A
13: NDMTSS Developing Schoolwide Behavior Expectations
14: NDSoR LETRS for Teaches - Cohort B
15: NDSoR LETRS for Teachers - Cohort C
16: NDMTSS Developing Academic Pathways
22: CHAMPS & Discipline in the Secondary
January:
12: LETRS for Administrators (Fargo)
13: NDMTSS Developing Academic Pathways
13: NDMTSS Evaluating Your System
17-18: SEEDS of Early Learning for 3-5-Year-Olds
24: NDMTSS Developing Schoolwide Behavior Expectations
|
|
|
Stay Connected on Social Media |
|
SOUTH EAST EDUCATION COOPERATIVE
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
