April 2022 | Monthly news for and about the staff of Northwest Education Services
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Recognizing Our Excellent Team
Dear North Ed Staff,
April showers bring May flowers – and employee appreciation.
As we count down the weeks to the close of the 2021-22 school year, we approach our annual staff recognition events and celebrations.
On May 3, we will have our North Ed Staff Breakfast – something we are excited to host in-person again after a brief hiatus due to the pandemic. Also, I am hopeful you had the opportunity to submit a candidate for this year’s Standard School Award of Excellence, which is given to recognize a North Ed employee who goes above and beyond in their service to our students and communities. I look forward to honoring this year’s recipient at our in-person Staff Recognition Night on May 10. These occasions present a wonderful opportunity to recognize our hardworking employees and celebrate their achievements. Please mark your calendars and watch for more details to be shared soon.
We also have 17 employees retiring this year who have a combined total of more than 360 years of experience with us! Your support for our students and educators has been deeply appreciated, and we hope you enjoy some well-deserved free time knowing that you have greatly improved our schools and communities. Additionally, nearly 90 employees are celebrating a career milestone year of service, having been a supporter of North Ed’s students and communities for 5, 10, 15, 20 or 25 years. Congratulations to each of you, and thank you for continuing to demonstrate excellence and for providing outstanding service to the region.
I am continually impressed by the people we have at North Ed. Each and every day, you do amazing work that impacts thousands of lives and our communities are that much stronger because of you. I look forward to celebrating all of your efforts and accomplishments at our upcoming events!
Respectfully,
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Dr. Nick Ceglarek
Northwest Education Services Superintendent
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Celebrating Autism in April
April is Autism Awareness/Acceptance Month, and we’re celebrating the differences that make all of us unique. More than 5 million people in the United States have autism, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Statewide, nearly 11% of all students in the 2020-21 school year were eligible to receive special education services for autism. That includes the nearly 280 students we served within North Ed’s five-county footprint. Learn more about autism through the Statewide Autism Resources & Training (START) Project, OCALI, the Autism Alliance of Michigan and the Autism Society.
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Lunch & Learn: Autism
April’s Lunch & Learn, co-hosted by the North Ed DEIB and Wellness committees, will focus on autism. Join us from 11:30 a.m. to 12:15 p.m. Thursday, April 21 for a discussion on episodes 1 and 2 of “ Love on the Spectrum” (available on Netflix) and this short YouTube video about Anthony Ianni, a former Michigan State University basketball player with autism. Please watch the videos on your own time. For those unable to join the discussion, you are welcome to share your thoughts through our Lunch & Learn Google Classroom. |
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Trivia!
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), how many children are being identified as having autism?
A. 1 in 76 children
B. 1 in 225 children
C. 1 in 100 children
D. 1 in 44 children
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Autumn Droste
Teacher Assistant, New Horizons at East Middle School
Previous work: Wine buyer
Education: Stony Brook University
Interests: Hiking, reading, cooking and watching movies
Fun Fact: Lived all over the U.S. including Portland, OR, the Hamptons, and in a Zen Monastery
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Marcia Inman
Technology Support Specialist
Previous work: Borg Warner and TCAPS
Education: Saginaw Valley State University
Interests: Photography, camping and kayaking
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Andrew McHugh
Parapro, Robotics & Automation, Career Tech
Previous work: Matthew Botanical Gardens, Nichols Arboretum
Education: Buckley Community Schools, University of Michigan
Interests: Skiing and nature
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Elizabeth Miller
Health Sciences Instructor, Career Tech
Previous work: RN for Cancer and Hematology Centers of Western Michigan
Education: Saline High School, BSN Michigan State University
Interests: Paddling, swimming, running, camping, and a big fan of leisure and naps
Fun Fact: Traveled the United States as a nurse
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Kaitlyn Randall
ASD Teacher, Bridgeway at West Senior HS
Previous work: Substitute teacher and preschool assistant teacher
Education: TCAPS West Senior High School, Eastern Michigan University
Interests: Movies and hiking with her two dogs
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Maeve Denise Melius
Born March 25, 2022
8 lbs., 5 oz., 20.5" long to
Sarah Melius, Engagement/Behavior Specialist
Harper Rae Rademacher
Born April 1, 2022
8 lbs., 2 oz., 21" long to
Kathryn Rademacher, Autism Program Coordinator
Owen Battle Larabee
Born April 6, 2022
9 lbs., 12 oz., 23" long to
Kaitlyn Larabee, School Psychologist
Wesley Maxwell Meyer
Born April 7, 2022
6 lbs., 7 oz., 20" long to
Maria Meyer (Occupational Therapist) & Greg Meyer (SSW)
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Learn How to 'Talk the Talk'
North Ed’s strategic planning process identified a goal of developing an effective system of communication. To help with that, survey data was gathered from our staff and community that guided the creation of the North Ed Communications Plan. You’ll find steps you can begin taking right now, and things to watch for in the future as we put that plan into action. Please take a few minutes to read the plan! |
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Update your Voicemail Message
If you haven't already, update your voicemail message with North Ed lingo and remove references to TBAISD. Here is a LINK that explains how to change your voicemail message.
Getting it Right
Speaking of lingo, as you talk about Northwest Education Services (North Ed), it is important that we all use the correct choice of words and represent the organization in unified fashion. The integrity of the brand depends on each of us supporting the same standards. If you have questions about rebranding or need a logo for an event, document or presentation, please reach out to the Communications Department at NorthEdNews@NorthwestEd.org for all your rebrand needs!
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North Ed Network News
Learn more about North Ed programs, services, students and colleagues in the latest newsletters linked below!
YOGA Class - All skill levels welcome! Learn more HERE
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Be sure to get ALL the news!
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If you read the newsletter in your email inbox, you may be missing the full story! |
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MARSP Pension Seminars
The Michigan Association of Retired School Personnel (MARSP) will hold virtual seminars in April that are designed to help school employees understand the newest laws and how they affect you as you plan for retirement.
Pension Plus/DC Seminar: Tuesday, April 19, 2022
BASIC/MIP/DC Converted Seminar: Wednesday, April 20, 2022
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$500 Referral Bonus Continues
North Ed staff can earn a $500 bonus for successfully referring someone who joins our team as a teacher assistant. Due to an ongoing need to fill vacant TA positions, this opportunity will remain in place until vacancies are filled. Simply email the name of your referral to HR Generalist Jaime Lewis. If that person is hired, you will get a $500 bonus in your paycheck. |
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A Salute to North Ed Staff
Join us as we recognize 17 staff members who are retiring in 2021-22 as well as those who have met significant milestones in their service to the region.
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SAVE THE DATE: May 10, 2022
Please plan to join us to honor these individuals and reflect on the past year's accomplishments. More detail to come.
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Commemorative artwork by Kelly Kochanny, Teacher Consultant |
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Nominations due Friday, 4/22!
North Ed, in collaboration with Traverse Connect and TBA Credit Union, is seeking nominations from the community and school districts across northwest Michigan for outstanding educators and educational support staff.
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March SAILOR on Deck!
North Ed early childhood services staff member Tracy Spincich was recently honored by the Board of Education for her dedication to the value of Service as recognized by her North Ed colleagues through the SAIL Organizational Recognition System (ORS).
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Happy Birthday!
See who celebrates in May
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Dream Team of Northern Michigan is gearing up for another great season! Set your calendar for opening Day, Saturday, May 14 at 10 a.m. at the Grand Traverse Civic Center. Player registration has begun. Pre-game, play-assist and post-game volunteers are needed!
Player registration: HERE.
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Cards of Comfort
Former employee Penney Gavigan worked for North Ed as a teacher assistant at New Horizons. She retired in 2018 and has stage 4 cancer. Penney has her good and bad days but she is keeping a positive spirit. Those who wish to send her a card of encouragement may send it to her home address at 3490 Village Circle, Traverse City, MI 49686.
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Registration Open for Northern Michigan Startup Week |
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From May 9-15 in Traverse City, Northern Michigan Startup Week offers an action-packed week celebrating entrepreneurship and innovation. Events are scheduled for each day of the week and include Techstars Startup
Weekend, three pitch competitions (with a team of North Ed Career Tech students participating), and events featuring local space industry experts, investors and the broad startup community. All events are open to the public and will offer opportunities for both students and adults to learn about tech entrepreneurship and the startup ecosystem, make new connections and develop new business ideas. Click the button at the right for more information.
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TCAPS Changing Oak Park Preschool Program
At the end of this school year, Traverse City Area Public Schools (TCAPS) will be discontinuing the preschool program at the Oak Park School location, where North Ed's Bridgeway program is housed. Northwest Education Services will be able to use the entire building for programming starting next school year.
If you have already registered for next year’s preschool program and would like to choose another preschool location, your registration will be honored with your original date of submission for placement purposes.
TCAPS will maintain the discounted rate of $145 for the five-day option; $41 per day for the two and three-day options. The specific locations and the start/dismissal times available for the preschool employee discount are listed below:
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With the change in location, the programs will now run the same as the building's start and end times. Therefore, if you need care before or after school, please visit www.tcaps.net/programs/extendedday for more information.
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Career Tech Students Get Rotary Recognition
Congratulations to Sara Bagley (Writer's Studio, TC West) and Charlie Black (Power Equipment, TC Central) for being honored as Rotary Outstanding Students. They were recognized on April 12 at the Rotary Luncheon at the Park Place Ballroom in Traverse City.
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Life Skills Center students took part in a spring break door competition, using their creative skills to decorate doorways at the school late last month. Click on the button below to view more: |
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Career Fair Connections
With a final count of more than 90 area businesses represented, the 14th annual Career Fair for North Ed Career Tech students was a huge success. The event, held Tuesday, April 12, at Career Tech, offered students a chance to talk with a variety of employers as they explored potential career paths.
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Several students from the Career Tech Writers Studio program will gain some recognition as their creative writing skills come to life for the 11th annual Young Playwrights Festival, taking place at 1:30 p.m., Sunday, April 24 at the City Opera House in Traverse City. The festival competition challenges high schoolers to submit original one-act plays, with finalists getting the chance to see their works performed on stage. The event is free and open to the public.
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Apps Under Review
The IT industry forecasts school districts will be subject to new regulations in the coming years requiring public disclosure of technology applications (apps) available to students, as well as the data used or collected by these apps on all school devices.
North Ed Tech Services’ app review process is ongoing, with more than 200 apps having been approved as student-data compliant for iPads, Chromebooks and Windows computers. The formal review ensures apps and software have been verified for compliance with FERPA, CIPA, COPPA, etc.
The review process takes substantial time and any initial review by instructors, department and building directors can help expedite this process. Items such as the following are a great place to start:
- What data is collected? (user information)
- What data is made available to the app? (Google Drive access, etc.)
- Is data processed? (Where is the data processed, client-side or server-side?)
- Where is data stored? (country, cloud service provider)
- Is data transferred or sold? (third-parties, across country-lines)
- How long is data stored? (minutes, days, weeks, years)
- Are there age restrictions and parental consent?
Approved apps can be located in the following ways: Google apps, extensions and add-ons can be found in the Chrome Web Store or Marketplace; iPad apps may be found in the Self-Service on the iPad homepage; or file a ticket for Tech Support regarding available Windows apps. A public list is currently in development.
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North Ed TECH HELP
Need help with a technology issue? Try this:
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Research common problems and solutions through North Ed's Help Desk Shared Google Drive.
- Call the Help Desk at 231.922.6307. Leave a message if your call goes unanswered.
- Submit a Help Desk ticket online by clicking the link below.
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Provide feedback or offer comments via the Help Desk Survey instead of responding with a final note of appreciation through the system ticket (which re-opens the service request).
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North Ed Apparel Store Now Open
At long last, North Ed swag is now available for purchase! Order direct from our approved supplier. It's easy! Browse the North Ed online catalog TODAY!
Website link location:
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Board of Education Links
General Resources
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COVID-19 Resources
Communication Links
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Trivia Answer: D. 1 in 44 children
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Northwest Education Services
1101 Red Drive, Traverse City, MI 49684
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