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Happy New Year!
January Edition
NCEC Spotlight
Bottineau Elementary Program Receives Gift
Congratulations to the Bottineau Elementary School on receiving a $500 donation from North Central Electric Cooperative for the Storybook Treasures program.

The Storybook Treasures program provides students in grades PK-3 a book and "treasures" approximately five times a year. Teachers receive lesson plans and activities from the Storybook Treasures team, and the books are free to students and go home with them after they are finished with them in the classroom.

The generous donation from North Central Electric Cooperative will help to fund the program into the next school year.

Learn more about the Storybook Treasures program here: https://www.storybooktreasures.org/aboutus

We love sharing good news! Send us your Spotlight story for a future newsletter.
Professional Development
January Regional In-Service Keynote Speaker Sneak Peak
Dr. Jennifer Clifden

Dr. Clifden will present "Teacher Social and Emotional Well-Being"

Dr. Jennifer J. Clifden is the founder of Present Well-Being LLC and the creator of Present TeacherTM Training. Jennifer received her BA in Elementary Education from the University of Michigan and her MA in Socio-Cultural Foundations and Educational Thought from Western Michigan University.

Jennifer received her Ph.D. in Curriculum and Instruction at the University of Minnesota College of Education + Human Development with a focus on human-service professional mental and emotional well-being, dispositional development, and human-centered curriculum design and instruction. She researches human- service professional stress resilience and the process for "burning in" to heart-centered healing professions.

Read the rest of her bio here:  Dr. Jennifer Clifden -- Present Teacher Training
Christian Moore

Christian will present "The Resilience Breakthrough"

Christian Moore is an internationally-renowned speaker, licensed clinical social worker, and advocate for youth. He is the author of The Resilience Breakthrough: 27 Tools for Turning Adversity into Action.

Christian comes from a blended family of 12 children. By the time Christian reached second grade, he was diagnosed with ADHD, conduct disorder, and severe learning disabilities.

Because of these setbacks, he often felt socially isolated in school. He spent time both as bully and victim and often acted out to avoid answering the questions of teachers. Due to his poor grades and learning disabilities, he was informed that college was not a viable option.

But he never gave up. Christian found his passion in social work. In college, he developed what he called his “No F” game plan, enabling him to rise from a “troubled” special education student to a well-respected recipient of a master’s degree in social work and founder of the WhyTry Program, which has been implemented in over 25,000 organizations.

Christian’s engaging style combines humor and research with a powerful personal journey. He believes "resilience is not the path of least resistance. It takes place in the striving, not the accomplishing. And it only dies the moment you give up. I’ve learned that lifelong resilience is nothing more than a series of small and large comebacks—it’s making the effort to pick up the ball every single time you drop it.“

Read his full bio here: Christian Moore
Hub Spring Classes:
(starting late January)

The Resilience Breakthrough
All Learning is Social and Emotional

New Book Reads:
Teachers These Days
Mindset by Carol Dweck
Supporting Behavior for School Success

Self-Paced Classes Available:
Visit our website for updates on professional development being offered statewide.

If you are looking for a specific topic, let us know!

We are happy to work with your school, department, PLC team or any other group that would benefit from the flexibility the Hub provides.

Email Kevin Leier for more information.
21st CCLC Afterschool Programs
Welcome Arlene Wolf,
21st CCLC State Program Administrator

Arlene Wolf is the new 21st CCLC State Program Administrator.

She comes to DPI directly out of a classroom of phenomenal 5th graders at Pioneer Elementary School in Bismarck, North Dakota. She has been a 5th-grade teacher for almost 10 years, but before that worked at United Tribes Technical College as their Preparatory English Instructor in their Developmental Education Department.

She accepted the position as Pioneer Elementary Assistant Principal in 2018 and continued to serve in that role until 2021 when she stepped down to refocus on teaching her 5th-grade students. Many of those students were negatively impacted by COVID-19, distance learning, and everything else that came with a Title I school.

As the new Program Administrator and former teacher in a school with its own 21st CCLC funded after-school program, she will bring a unique insight and knowledge on how to further strengthen the 21st CCLC program.

Welcome, Arlene!
Free STEM Activities from Mystery Science

For a limited time, Mystery Science is offering teachers free access to their STEM lessons and content.

The standards-aligned content is geared for grades K-5 and includes science units, mini lessons and no-prep lessons.

Check out their site for ideas here: No-Prep Lessons for Grade 3
Now Available--ND Quality Standards for Out-of-School-Time Programs Guide

The North Dakota Afterschool Network is pleased to present the finished product--ND Quality Standards for Out-of-School-Time Programs guide. The guide is the result of months of work by the Quality Standards Committee researching best practices from across the nation and aligning those with the specific needs of North Dakota out-of-school-time programs. The guide is designed to help ND programs be the best they can be. Whether a program chooses to work through the guide from start to finish or focus on one standard at a time, the guide will assist programs to continuously improve what they do for ND young people.

View the entire document and tools here: https://ndafterschoolnetwork.com/booklet-resources/
Student Services
Free Career Planning Tools from BND
Bank of North Dakota has a page full of free career planning tools on their Counselor Resources page here: https://bnd.nd.gov/counselors/

Order printed copies or download electronic files of Bank of North Dakota’s educational materials including the Regional College Cost Sheet and checklists for parents and students, whether they are planning to enter the workforce, the military, an apprenticeship or continue education beyond high school.
SafeTALK - Suicide Prevention Training for Students
SafeTALK Suicide Prevention training empowers anyone to make a difference and create a safety network for those in need.

NCEC is now providing the training to students.

Contact Mandy McNeff for details on training requirements or to schedule a training for your school.
Save the Dates
Upcoming Events:

  • Jan 17th -- January Regional In-Service - Rugby
  • Feb 17th -- NCEC Regional MTSS Work Day - Bottineau
  • Feb 23rd -- Principal PLC - Bottineau