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February 3 Edition
Happy National School Counseling Week!
NCEC School Spotlight
Mrs. Schmidt, Anamoose Elementary School
Mrs. Schmidt created a 10-minute daily self-care challenge.

Here are her tips if you want to give it a try:

Self-Care Challenge: (10-15 minutes each day)
  • Journal three 'I am' statements (affirmations)
  • Journal three things you are grateful for today
  • Read or Listen to a podcast or personal development book (10 minutes or 10 pages)

Some favorite podcasts: EmpowerHER and Do Your Crap 


Thanks for the pep-talk, Mrs. Schmidt!

Share your out of the box activities with us--Email Us Your Stories!
Professional Development
Register Now! ND Educational Hub Classes Starting in February
CLSD
What We Can Do Now to Support Students with Reading Difficulties
An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure, so the saying goes.

The CLSD grant is assisting schools to prevent reading difficulties by implementing systems like universal screening to identify struggling students early and provide them with increasingly customized reading interventions. Building this seamless system takes a great deal of time and coordination.
But what can teachers do right now to help?

  1. Use academic learning time deliberately and purposefully to ensure students receive the maximum amount of evidence-based instruction. 
  2. Consider the value of the one-minute lesson. 
  3. Offer customized instruction that reflects students’ learning needs.
  4. Give struggling readers instruction in small groups, in pairs, or one on one.
  5. Create many opportunities to read a range of text types and a range of text levels. 
  6. Provide explicit instruction that incorporates clear feedback.
MTSS / SEL
Why Try Resources: Surrendering the 1-Up
The key to creating change doesn’t lie in the interventions alone, but in the relationship you establish with students. In almost every case, students find themselves “one-down” in relationships with adults. When you surrender the one-up, however, you are showing your students that they have great value and worth as human beings and that you believe in their ability to change.
The second half of the Why Try and Resilience for Youth trainings are scheduled for February. Contact Kaite for more information.
What You Need, When You Need It
The ND Behavioral Health Division has updated and streamlined their website to make it even easier to find services and support during the pandemic.
Visit https://www.behavioralhealth.nd.gov/helpishere to find the following supports and more:

  • Taking care of your mental health
  • Supporting your child
  • Educators
  • Talk with a trained counselor
  • Addiction or mental health treatment services
21st CCLC
Family Engagement through Art
Before COVID, Family Night was always a fun event to connect with families and give students a chance to share some of their After School activities with them.

Staying connected with families is more important than ever, so programs are finding creative ways to engage with them virtually.

Mo Willems is the award winning children's author and illustrator of the Pigeon Presents series. He has partnered with The Met to create this fun activity: Imaginary Patrons

Students can take their families on a virtual tour of the Met, then create their own art by adding the "missing patrons" to one of the printable scenes. Or if they can't print it, they can doodle on the picture using whatever photo editor is on their device. We used Microsoft Photos, but most basic photo editors have a drawing tool.

Visit our website for more virtual art lessons.
After School Grant Opportunity
The ND Afterschool Network & ND Council on the Arts is offering a new grant opportunity open to afterschool & summer learning programs in ND to assist with offering arts programming or bringing in an art educator. Grants range from $500 to $2000 and are awarded on a first-come, first-served basis.

If you have a project in mind, contact Aimee to discuss the application process.
 

Grades K-2
  • Thurs., February 11 21st Century Skills & the 4Cs 
  • Thurs., February 18 Career Exploration & Community Partners (Guest Artist / Facilitator)
  • Mon., February 22 Social & Emotional Learning 

Grades 3-5
  • Mon., February 8 21st Century Skills & the 4Cs 
  • Tues., February 16 Career Exploration & Community Partners (Guest Artist / Facilitator)
  • Tues., February 23 Social & Emotional Learning 

Grades 6-8
  • Thurs., February 4 STEAM & Problem-based Learning 
  • Tues., February 9 21st Century Skills & the 4Cs 
  • Tues., February 16 Career Exploration & Community Partners (Guest Artist / Facilitator)
  • Thurs., February 25 Social & Emotional Learning 
Student Supports
ACT Test Prep Webinars
The ACT test date will be here before you know it.

ACT offers two free webinars that may be helpful in preparing students for the big exam:

This webinar from ACT answers the question, "What kind of test prep is right for each student?"
 
How last-minute practice tools can help combat test anxiety.
WorkKeys Prep Tools
WorkKeys assessments vary in the kinds of skills they measure. Whether taking just one assessment or a series of them, targeted preparation helps students know what to expect.

Here are a few resources to help prepare and improve scores:

  1. Sample Questions
  2. Free Online Practice Test
  3. ACT WorkKeys Curriculum (has a fee)
STEM Career Day will be Virtual
The annual STEM Career Day will be held virtually this year.

NCEC in partnership with Dakota College at Bottineau will provide schools with materials for hands-on activities led by pre-recorded presenters from a variety of industry professionals. The activities will be geared for 8th and 9th grades.

Contact Aimee to receive registration information.
NDREA Impact
The North Dakota Regional Education Association (NDREA) provides support to strengthen the seven REAs across the state Through collaboration, a systemic approach, solution-oriented strategies and a focus on continuous improvement, the REAs strive to improve the quality of education across North Dakota.

Read the full report here: NDREA Impact Report
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