MRVED Business

TAC/Principal Joint Meeting Update
The Teacher Advisory Council and Principal Council held their annual joint meeting on Tuesday, April 8 at the MRVED.  This meeting is a great opportunity for teachers and principals to hear from one another on various issues addressing our schools.  Part of the morning was spent in district teams, while the other part was spent in mixed groups.  The topic of discussion was looking at the "big picture" of education.  Where does everything fit?  There was great discussion over various topics throughout the morning.

Communication Briefings
Utilize vs. use.  Avoid utilize altogether; opt for use instead.  In most contexts, use is more simple and clear - an many readers consider utilize pretentious.  If you do choose utilize, the best use for that word is to make use of.  Example: "Ryan utilized his laptop in the library mainly as a pillow to rest his head on."

Upcoming Meetings
April 23, 2014  Superintendents' Council
April 23, 2014  MRVED Board (7 p.m.)
May 28, 2014  Superintendents' Council
June 4, 2014    MRVED Board (7 p.m.)
June 25, 2014  Superintendents' Council

MRVED Summer Professional Development

Registration for this summer's professional development classes is now open. It is a diverse set of classes. One of the sessions, The Outdoor Classroom, must have 20 participants in order to run. This class was offered at the MELT in January and was very well received. It looks like any grade level or discipline could benefit from this session.

Take a look at our offerings and sign up early. Registration closes Friday, May 2, 2014.

MRVED Summer Professional Development Brochure

Registration Link

At a Glance

June 16 - Strengthen Students' Fine Motor Skills in the Educational Setting with Stacy Geerdes (Occupational Therapist, Montevideo)

June 17 - Device Neutral Tools and Assignments with Brandon Raymo (Assistant Director, MRVED)

June 18 - Grant Writers' Workshop with Karen Jacobson (Director, MRVED)

July 10 - Teaching and Learning Online, Best Practices to teaching an online course with Brandon Raymo (Assistant Director, MRVED)

July 21 - The Outdoor Classroom, Team Teaching with Mother Nature with Sil & Ed Pembleton (Jeffers Foundation)

July 29 - Academic/Behavior Interventions & Data Collection with Tes Ketelsen (Special Education Teacher, Montevideo)

First Days of School - The Ready Classroom

"Teachers who are ready maximize student learning and minimize student misbehavior."

As we continue our First Days of School series, we will look at the ready classroom.  Wong starts by comparing the classroom to a restaurant. When you go to eat at a successful restaurant, the table is ready, the dining room is ready, and the staff is ready.  Aside from good food and service, being ready is a large part to being a successful business.  A successful teacher is ready; their work is ready, the room is ready, and the teacher is ready.  When you walk into a restaurant, office, or store, you expect them to be ready; why would you expect anything less from yourself?

Prepare the Floor Space

• Make sure you have enough desks and chairs.
• Fix broken furniture.
• Be friendly with your custodian, they are there to help prepare your classroom.
• Place desks and chairs where students can easily see the teacher.
• Keep high-traffic areas clear.
• Have a strategic location ready for students who need to be isolated from the whole group.

Prepare the Work Area

• Arrange work area so all students can be monitored from any place in the room.
• Make sure you have enough chairs.
• Be sure to have all necessary supplies.
• Test any equipment.

Prepare the Student Area

• Provide a space or routine for students to place their belongings they bring to class.
• Have a "lost and found" area.

Prepare the Wall Space

• Prepare a bulletin board to be used for student work.
• Discipline plan should be in a prominent place.
• Post procedures, schedules, charts, maps, directions, etc... in a prominent place.
• Have a consistent place for listing the day's work and/or learning target.
• Have a display for the feature topic or theme.

Prepare the Bookcases

• Rotate materials on the shelf.
• Do not place bookshelf near an exit where it may block the exit.

Prepare the Teacher Area

• Place teacher desk in a spot that does not place a barrier between the students and the teacher.
• Teacher desk should be in a spot where you can easily monitor behavior from.
• If you have lots of personal belongings in your desk, make it clear from the beginning the rules and procedures for going into your desk.

Prepare the Teaching Materials

• Have all basic materials ready and handy.  (Paper, pencils, erasers, markers, crayons, glue, etc...)
• Store seldom-used materials out of the way.
• Have a method ready for seating the students.

Prepare Yourself

• Keep your personal belongings in a safe place.
• Know where your emergency materials are.
• Know procedures for fire, tornado, or lock down drill.

"Teachers who are ready maximize student learning and minimize student misbehavior."

One of my professors in college had a phrase he used frequently, and it is one that I will never forget; 

"Prior Planning Prevents Poor Performance"

Tech Tip

Turtle Diary
Turtle Diary is a website with a collection of games that focus on content specific skills for Pre-K through 3rd grade students.  There are some really great games that would be awesome on your interactive whiteboard.  You can also track progress of kids throughout the games.  If you have a child this age, or teacher children this age, give it a quick glance today!