January 2024 | Monthly news for and about the staff of Northwest Education Services

Thank a Board Member

We often use this space to lift up the terrific work going on in our schools, and true enough, there is never a shortage of exciting things that we could share about our students and staff.

While student success would not be possible without the teachers, support staff and administrators who assist students in that effort, there is another group that serves a crucial role in our school districts as well – and these people often receive little to no praise for the work they do and the decisions they make.

January is School Board Recognition Month, and I encourage you to thank a school board member for their service to our communities.

Some of you may currently serve, or have served on a school board in the past, and you surely recognize the important role these governing bodies play in a school district. School boards everywhere must consider immense amounts of information and public input before making difficult decisions that have direct impacts on student learning, employee well-being and community priorities. It can be a challenging position, and one that requires a certain level of expertise, compassion and commitment.

I am proud to say that when it comes to possessing these characteristics, the North Ed Board of Education is nothing short of exemplary. As we embark on a new year, I want to call special attention to our outstanding board members:

• President Joe Fisher
• Vice President Jim Scherrer
• Treasurer Elizabeth Petrella
• Secretary Rachael Birgy
• Trustee Nicki Brown
• Trustee Beth Lajko
• Trustee Lisa Thomas

Collectively, our board members have 95 years of service, with more than 46 of those belonging to President Fisher. These seven individuals have provided North Ed with incredible leadership and they have clearly demonstrated a commitment to students and education through their actions. Their direction has benefitted our 600 staff members and the 20,000+ students we serve regionally, and together they continue to keep North Ed focused on its mission of “working together to develop learners with purpose, strong schools and engaged communities.”

If you see one of our board members, or anyone serving a local school district in this capacity, please join me in thanking them for their public service.

Respectfully,

Welcome to North Ed

Natalya Chegudi

Speech Pathologist

Previous work: Graduate student clinician at So. Godwin and Grand Rapids Public Schools

Education: TC West Senior HS, University of Michigan, Grand Valley State University

Interests: Spending time with family, traveling, hiking, kayaking, singing and exploring new coffee shops

Lisa Migazzi

MiSTEM Regional Director

Previous work: Traverse Bay Children's Advocacy Center

Education: St. Johns HS, Grand Valley State University

Interests: Kayaking, boating, hiking, visiting National Parks

Fun Facts: United States Coast Guard veteran

Glen Olsen

Precision Machining Paraprofessional, Career Tech

Previous work: Rhinevault Olsen Machine and Tool

Education: Heritage High School, Delta College

Interests: Aviation and extreme sports

Olivia Washburn

Behavior Specialist Assistant

Previous work: TCAPS Long Lake Elementary

Education: Garden City High School

Interests: Hiking and being outdoors

Marcia Carmoney

Secretary, Life Skills Center

Previous work: Grand Traverse County

Education: Buckley Community Schools, Northwestern Michigan College

Interests: Cooking, gardening and spending time outdoors

Kate Clair

Health Sciences Paraprofessional, Career Tech

Previous work: Medical transcriptionist, certified medical assistant at Northern Michigan Neurology

Education: Kingsley HS, Northwestern Michigan College

Interests: Cross-stitching, reading, spending time outdoors, and being with friends and family

Fun Fact: Sings for a band

Welcome the new arrival!

Ruth Colleen Schmalzried

Born December 12, 2023

7 lbs., 3 oz., 19" long to

Chelsea Schmalzried, physical therapist, Early Childhood

SAILORS On Deck!

North Ed Administrative Assistant Jenny Jesse was honored by the Board of Education on Dec. 5 for her dedication to the value of Excellence as recognized by her colleagues through the SAIL Organizational Recognition System (SAILORS). Congratulations!

Nominate Someone TODAY!

SAIL(ORS): Serving, Achieving, Inspiring and Learning Organizational Recognition System

Our strategic plan 2.0 (SAIL) continues to support and nurture the positive culture of our organization by recognizing the amazing work of North Ed staff. Use the form linked below to nominate a colleague who has gone above and beyond in their work. That colleague will receive an email copy of your nomination. One person is selected from the pool of nominees each month to be recognized by the North Ed Board of Education. 

Student Spotlight

Community Engagement

In December, students from the Transition Campus ACE Program (Adult Community Experience) made a trek out into the community to be bell ringers for the Traverse City Salvation Army. Without any doubt, these smiling faces helped make the season bright!

People Helping People

Piper Shumar has been buying bikes for other kids with money she raises through recycling cans and bottles. For her 1,000th bike she teamed up with Toys for Tots and Mclain Cycle and Fitness to get an adaptive one for JonCarlos, a student in our Bridgeway program. Piper, who’s also the daughter of Electrical Occupations instructor George Shumar at Career Tech, has been donating bikes to other kids for five years! Read more about it below:

Be sure to get ALL the news!

Click here to view in a web browser

Celebrations

Poverty Awareness

There are many in our community who may not have a warm place to spend New Year’s Eve, or who may be waiting to hear if they were lucky enough to be admitted to one of the few area shelters for a chance to escape the cold, anxiously checking their pocketbooks to see if the few dollars left will be enough to last until their next paycheck.

January is National Poverty Awareness Month, which aims to increase awareness and call attention to the steady growth of poverty in the U.S. About 37.9 million people, or 11.5% of the population, experience poverty, and many are simply victims of horrible circumstances.

In 2022, 13.4% of Michigan’s population of just over 10 million people fall at or below the poverty line, and the millions of people like this across the country may be just one crisis away from losing their homes or basic necessities.

Poverty is often a driver behind food insecurity, or the lack of access to enough food for an active, healthy life, according to Feeding America. In our region, the food insecurity population (rate) for children under age 18 is:

• Antrim County: 760 (17.4%)
• Benzie County: 500 (15%)
• Grand Traverse County: 2,430 (12.9%)
• Kalkaska County: 690 (18.8%)
• Leelanau County: 490 (13.2%) 

This month, please reflect and take some time to understand the realities of those who are confronted with poverty each day, and what you may be able to do to help change this issue, even if it’s just in our own backyard.

MLK Day

Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was just 35 years old when he won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1964. At the time, he was the youngest man to have received the award, motivated by “his non-violent struggle for civil rights for the Afro-American population.” Four years later, an assassin’s bullet took his life as he stood on the balcony of his motel room in Memphis.

We’ll never know what might have happened if Dr. King had lived, but 56 years later, his message of equality and universal respect remains a foundational value for social justice activists everywhere. We all hope that our “children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character” as King said in his infamous “I Have a Dream” speech.

As we celebrate Martin Luther King Jr. Day on Jan. 15, we remember his vision and look ahead to a world that one day is “transformed into an oasis of freedom and justice.”

• MARCH WITH US: Northern Michigan E3 is hosting a Freedom Walk and Celebration in conjunction with Right Brain Brewery on Jan. 13. You can find their flier here.

Resources

To further your learning about MLK Day, Poverty Awareness Month and Holocaust Memorial Day, CREG has cultivated a variety of resources for both in and out of the classroom. And visit our CREG website!

For Your Awareness Calendar

• National Slavery and Human Trafficking Prevention Month
• Poverty Awareness Month
• Jan. 4 - World Braille Day
• Jan. 15 - Martin Luther King Jr. Day
• Jan. 27 - International Holocaust Memorial Day

Dinner & Discussion: Creating Community Through Conversation

The North Ed Culturally Responsive Education Group (CREG) welcomes you to join Dinner & Discussion: Creating Community Through Conversation beginning at 4:30 p.m., Thursday, Jan. 18, at the Filling Station, 642 Railroad Place, Traverse City. These events serve as a time for anyone to join important discussions happening in our schools and communities and learn more about culturally responsive education. Each month will have a designated theme around which our discussion will focus. January’s theme is National Poverty in America Awareness Month. Check out this flier for more information.

While this is not required, please consider reviewing one or more

of the following resources in preparation for the Dinner & Discussion:

•  Why is it so hard to escape poverty? | Ann-Helén Bay
• The Brain on Poverty | Jessica Sharpe | TEDxGreenville

The questions below may be used to prompt conversation at our Dinner & Discussion on Jan. 18:

• What springs to mind when you hear the word ‘poverty’?
• What do you think a poverty trap is and is it easy for people to escape it?
• What is poverty?

Recognizing Women Leaders of Culturally Responsive Education

Women are a traditionally marginalized group in our society. While some 75% of all teachers are women, fewer than one-third of the superintendent jobs are held by women, indicating a

preferential bias toward men in leadership positions. In honor of Women’s History Month this March, North Ed’s Culturally Responsive Education Group (CREG) would like to recognize women who are making positive impacts in their classrooms and workspaces.

With a focus on building relationships and improving understanding among both student and adult populations, Culturally Responsive Education embraces diversity, strives for equity and inclusion, and supports a sense of belonging for all.

Use the link below to nominate a woman who is living and working in the values of Culturally Responsive Education. This recognition is open to all who work in education, whether that is directly with students in the classroom, as a support person, or serving as the district’s top administrator.

Using information contained in the nomination form below, nominees will be recognized through North Ed’s various internal and public-facing channels for Women's History Month in March.

Nominees will be contacted to verify their comfort with participating in this recognition. Additionally, we respect an individual’s right to disclose their gender and welcome all who identify as a woman to be part of this process.

Please complete this nomination by Jan. 26, 2023.

Take Action

North Ed's Culturally Responsive Education Group (CREG) supports North Ed's vision of ensuring every learner -- regardless of ability, socioeconomic status, race, ethnicity, etc. -- will have pathways to a meaningful life. If you're interested in serving with us, please complete the survey below by Jan. 5, 2024.

Develop Your Understanding

Educators from throughout the region are encouraged to register for An Introduction to Social Justice for Educators: The Core Course through Unified Talent. Beginning Jan. 16, the course will offer four sessions that engages participants in social justice concepts and personal growth to allow for a more culturally responsive approach to our work in education and daily interactions in our personal lives.

Questions? Email us at CREG@NorthwestEd.org.

Put it on the North Ed BULLETIN BOARD!

A NEW online North Ed Bulletin Board is now active on the staff intranet. Much like a community bulletin board, this webpage is for North Ed staff to share news, events and resources that are informative, create awareness or a caring concern for your colleagues. Information might include an explanation with a link to a Meal Train or GoFundMe page, student fundraiser, a classified ad listing of a treasure you'd like to sell, a retirement celebration or other like topics that create a supportive community among our staff members and within our workplace. Click the button to the left to learn more!

North Ed NETWORK NEWS

Learn more about North Ed programs, services, students and colleagues in all the latest newsletters linked below!

Link to past Staff Newsletters - Check it Out

REMC 2C Newsletter - December 2023

Assistive Technology Newsletter - November 2023 | December 2023

Farm to School Newsletter - November 2023 | December 2023

New Horizons Newsletter - December 2023

Find the 2023-24 School Year Calendar HERE

Best Practice - North Ed Forms

For the most current and up-to-date documents, please access all business and employee forms from the staff intranet as needed. The same applies to Special Education forms hosted on the public side of the website. North Ed forms are updated often and without notice, so to ensure you are using the most current version, please do not save North Ed forms to your own desktop or the network.

Snow Day Expectations

All North Ed buildings will remain open on snow days for those who are required to report by the nature of their work, required by a supervisor or prefer to report to the building they service. Staff guidelines for school closings can be found on the website links below. Any questions should be directed to your supervisor.

For complete details on School Closings & Alerts, including how we notify our community of school closures, visit our website.

Register for North Ed Text Alerts

North Ed shares important and timely information, such as school closures and urgent news alerts, with our school community via SMS text messaging. To participate in this service click on the School Closings & Alerts button above and follow the steps noted in the section titled "How We Notify Our School Community" under the Phone heading.

Employee Assistance Available

Resources are available to North Ed staff through our Employee Assistance Program (EAP) to help with any post-holiday stress and issues. The EAP provides staff members with a number of support services, including help with depression, relationship problems, substance abuse, gambling addictions and more. As a North Ed employee, you have access to counselors and consultants to help with many needs related to your health and well-being. For more information on the EAP and other resources, visit the Human Resources page on our staff intranet.

$500 Referral Bonus Continues

North Ed staff can earn a $500 bonus for successfully referring someone who joins our team for any of the following positions:

• Custodial Staff
• Speech and Language Pathologist
• Special Education Teacher
• Teacher Assistant

Due to an ongoing need to fill several positions, this opportunity will remain in place until vacancies are filled. Simply email the name of your referral to Personnel Specialist Vicki Akers. If that person is hired, you will get a $500 bonus in your paycheck.

• Click to see all current job postings (type "North Ed" in search)

Technology Updates

Nightly Network Shutdown

In an ongoing effort to safeguard our organization’s digital infrastructure, North Ed has implemented a nightly network shutdown from 11 p.m. to 5 a.m. to add an extra layer of protection against potential cyber threats. What this means for you:

• The network will be inaccessible when off site between 11 p.m. and 5 a.m. daily. This includes VPN, network drives (T:, H:, etc.), and PowerSchool access for staff and students.
• Any ongoing tasks or processes should be completed or paused before 11 p.m. to prevent data loss or disruption.
• In case of urgent requirements or exceptions, please reach out to the Technology Services Department in advance for assistance.
• WillSub along with Google web products like Google Drive and Gmail will remain accessible.

Learning with aiEDU & WiredTC

WiredTC is partnering with aiEDU to provide four professional learning opportunities for our local educators around the topic of artificial intelligence (AI). These virtual trainings are from 4-5 p.m. on Feb. 5 & 19, and March 4 & 11. Educators can find more information and a link to register at  www.wiredtc.net.

New PowerSchool User Interface

PowerSchool's new SIS Enhanced User Interface was enabled during winter break. 

These changes were specifically designed for administrators accessing PowerSchool through the Admin portal. Teacher accounts were not affected.  

To learn more about the new interface and how it will benefit you, please watch the training video presented by the North Ed team on Nov. 17:

We encourage all administrators to review the training video and familiarize themselves with the new interface. If you have any questions, please contact the PowerSchool support team by emailing PSSupport@NorthwestEd.org

North Ed TECH HELP

Need help with a technology issue? Try this:

• 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.
• 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).

General Interest

National Cherry Festival Supports Bridgeway

Thanks to the National Cherry Festival (NCF) for supporting Bridgeway families! Joe Harper, Bridgeway teacher, coordinated a giving tree to support eight Bridgeway families. Sally Lobb, Bridgeway teacher and longtime NCF volunteer, reached out to the NCF to help us meet our goal of filling all the tags. Above, from left: Joe Harper, Abby Woods (NCF event intern), Kat Paye (NCF CEO), Whitney Amann (NCF volunteer and donor engagement coordinator) and Sally Lobb.

Professional Development

See what is on the docket for JANUARY!

North Ed Apparel Store Open 24/7

North Ed swag is available for purchase. Order direct from our approved supplier. It's easy! Browse the North Ed online catalog TODAY!

Website link location:

Intranet/North Ed Brand/Be a Brand Ambassador

Staff Resources