MRVED Business

Welcome Back

Some schools have been in session for a couple of weeks already!  Welcome back to the 2015-16 school year.  We hope your summer was rejuvenating and you are ready for another great year of learning.  As always, the MRVED is here to help you meet your educational goals for your classroom and school.  If you ever need any help meeting your goals, please give the MRVED a call.  We are here to serve our member schools.

MRVED Mussel's Field Day with CURE with Bernard Sietman

About Bernard Sietman

You will be hard pressed to find anyone as passionate and as knowledgeable about mussels as this transplanted Missourian. Since 2002, he has worked across Minnesota surveying mussels. One of the more exciting aspects of his job is the potential discovery of a new species in the Minnesota River Basin, the Mapleleaf.

Bernard received his Master of Science degree in Biology from the Emporia State University where he studied the ecology and genetics of freshwater mussels in two local rivers. After graduation he worked as a Natural History Biologist for the Missouri Department of Conservation surveying freshwater mussels, conducting landowner interviews and assisting with stream fish surveys. Sietman spent time as an Aquatic Ecologist and Assistant Technical Scientist with the Illinois Natural History Survey. Here he assisted with overseeing of a nationally renowned mollusk and fish collections.

When: October 9, 2015 from 9:00 - 2:30

Where: Meet at Yellow Medicine East High School Board Room at 9:00 for an introduction and presentation by Bernard.

Who: All K-12 Teachers. There will be many applications to science and history.

Lunch: Provided

Transportation to the River from Granite Falls: Provided

What to bring: dress for water, bring boots or water shoes and an extra set of dry clothes. Other things to consider are a walking stick to support you while walking in the water, sunscreen and bug spray. There is an outdoor bathroom facility available on site.

Cost: Free - Funds provided by CURE and MRVED

(Nonmembers of MRVED $10 per person - covers lunch and transportation)

Registration: Register by September 25. Space is limited. Click here to register.

MRVED UPCOMING MEETINGS:
September 16, 2015 MRVED Board (7:00 p.m.)
September 18, 2015  Principals' Council (11:30 a.m.)
September 22, 2015 Teachers' Advisory Council
September 23, 2015  Superintendents' Council

Cohort Opportunities for Secondary Social Studies Teachers

Pop Culture and American Indian History Cohorts

The Minnesota Historical Society is taking applications until October 9 for 20 teachers to be a part of each of the cohorts.  These cohorts are a great way to meet other teachers from around the state to learn and share ideas.

US Pop Culture Cohort Information

American Indian History Cohort Information

Tech Tip - 9/11 Television Archive

9/11 Television Archive
Most of our students today were not alive on Septemeber 11, 2001.  To help students understand what that day was like, head over to the National Archives website devoted specifically to 9/11.  This collection has the actual newscasts from September 11 and the days following.  It's an awesome collection to be able to show students what people were thinking, saying, and doing on a day in history most of us will never forget.

Summer Learning Loss - Know the Facts

As we start the new school year, we need to be reminded that summer learning loss is real.  According to the National Summer Learning Association,

• All young people experience learning losses when they do not engage in educational activities during the summer. Research spanning 100 years shows that students typically score lower on standardized tests at the end of summer vacation than they do on the same tests at the beginning of the summer (White, 1906; Heyns, 1978; Entwisle & Alexander 1992; Cooper, 1996; Downey et al, 2004). 
• Most students lose about two months of grade level equivalency in mathematical computation skills over the summer months. Low-income students also lose more than two months in reading achievement, despite the fact that their middle-class peers make slight gains (Cooper, 1996). 
• More than half of the achievement gap between lower- and higher-income youth can be explained by unequal access to summer learning opportunities. As a result, low-income youth are less likely to graduate from high school or enter college (Alexander et al, 2007). 
• Children lose more than academic knowledge over the summer. Most children—particularly children at high risk of obesity—gain weight more rapidly when they are out of school during summer break (Von Hippel et al, 2007). 
• Parents consistently cite summer as the most difficult time to ensure that their children have productive things to do (Duffett et al, 2004).

This research is critical in how teachers start the year off.  We are all anxious to get into the curriculum and standards of the grade level we are teaching, but don't forget to add in a quick review of the previous years material.  Get kids back to where they were at the end of last year, and then move forward.  It will make for a much easier transition to the current curriculum.

Information taken from http://www.summerlearning.org/?page=know_the_facts