MRVED Update - November 6, 2019

MRVED Business

Upcoming Meetings

November 13, 2019 - Community Education Directors
November 15, 2019 - Principals' Council & Teacher Advisory Council Joint Meeting
November 27, 2019 - Superintendents' Council

MELT Information

The annual MELT conference is fast approaching and the MRVED has been busy making arrangements for the big day!  The MELT will be held on January 20, 2020 at the LqPV High School.  Registration will open on December 10, 2019 and will close on December 19, 2019.  Please remember to register early as sessions will fill up fast!!  There are new sessions offered this year as well as some popular sessions from years past.  Some groups will also have the opportunity to network.

We will be sending out the MELT brochure a couple days prior to sending out the open registration link.  This allows people to set their schedule (and alternative sessions if your top sessions are full) and read through the descriptions prior to registering.  This seems to work well.  

The MELT brochure will be sent to you on Thursday, December 5th.  The registration link will open on Tuesday, December 10th at 7:30 a.m.  Your principal will forward you the email with the brochure and registration link.  Principals, please keep your eyes out for this email and send it out as soon as possible.  The registration link will also be available on our MRVED website under "Latest News" - www.mrved.com.

We CANNOT stress enough the importance of registering as early as possible.  Some sessions fill quickly; therefore, the later you register, the greater the risk of not being able to get into those sessions.  Once you register for your sessions, you will not be able to switch sessions.  With over 650 registrants, it becomes difficult making all of those changes correctly.  Thank you for your understanding.

MELT Networking Facilitators Sign-Up

The MRVED is looking for facilitators of networking groups  As a facilitator you are not expected to be the expert in the room, but rather move the discussion along.  The goal of a networking group is to share resources and ideas with people who have the same interests.  They are meant to include a "give & take".  Bring something to share and take something away that someone else shared.  The only networking groups that will be offered are those that have a willing facilitator.  If a networking group does not have a facilitator, it will not be held!  If you would like to sign up, please click the link below and add your name to the list next to the group you would like to facilitate.  The networking sign up will close at 3:00 PM on November 21.  If you have any questions or cannot access the form, please contact Brandon (braymo@mrved.net)

MELT NETWORKING FACILITATOR SIGN UP LINK

Professional Development - New Science Standards

The Minnesota Department of Education will provide webinars and workshops on the new Science Standards to help districts, schools, teachers, administrators, informal educators and other science education providers prepare to implement the new science standards. This message and any updates are at: http://bit.ly/ScienceWorkshops2019. For questions contact John.C.Olson@state.mn.us 651-582-8673.

Webinars: Introducing the 2019 Minnesota Science Standards

This one-hour webinar will include the foundational ideas that informed the standards, the structure of the standards, and a suggested timeline for implementation. Upon registration the connection information will be sent via email.

Nov. 21, 8 a.m. Registration link
Nov. 21, 3:30 p.m. Registration link

Workshops: Preparing to Implement the New Science Standards

The 2019 K-12 Minnesota Science Standards envision new approaches to teaching and learning science. Learn about the pedagogy associated with the new standards, the timeline for implementation, and ways to prepare to teach the standards. This workshop is targeted for K-12 teachers of science and other science educators. John Olson, Science Specialist at the Minnesota Department of Education, will facilitate this workshop.

The tentative agenda is:

• Foundational ideas that informed the new standards
• Example of instruction
• Development and organization of MN standards
• Analyzing a benchmark and selecting phenomena for instruction
• Implementation timeline for the new standards
• Resources

There is no fee for the workshop, however no food is provided. So bring beverages, snacks and lunch if needed. Bring a laptop or tablet to access the slides, standards, and resources.

There is a facility limit to the number of people that can attend, so registration is first come/first served. Registration closes three business days before the event or when full. Persons registered by one week in advance will receive directions to the facility and the agenda. Registration Form, For questions contact John.C.Olson@state.mn.us 651-582-8673

Current list of Confirmed Workshops:

Nov. 18, 8 AM - noon - Roseville, Minnesota Department of Education
Dec. 2, 9 AM - 3 PM - Rochester, Southeast Service Cooperative
Dec. 3, 9 AM - 3 PM - Redwood Falls - FULL, Registration closed
Dec. 4, 9 AM - 3 PM - Redwood Falls Community Center
Dec. 6, 9 AM - 3 PM - Mankato, Southcentral Service Cooperative
Dec. 9, 9 AM - 3 PM - Fergus Falls, Lakes Country Service Cooperative
Dec. 10, 9 AM - 3 PM - Thief River Falls, Northwest Service Cooperative
Dec. 11, 9 AM - 3 PM - Staples, Sourcewell
Dec. 12, 9 AM - 3 PM - Mountain Iron, Northeast Service Cooperative
Dec. 16, 9 AM - 3 PM - Roseville, Minnesota Department of Education

To be determined

• St. Cloud area
• SW metro area (a Saturday workshop)

Book Study

Lead Like a Pirate - Chapters 10-12

Chapters 10 & 11 talk primarily about people.  Shelley Burgess, similarly to Dave Burgess, talks about putting the importance in the people, not the programs.  As ultimately, it is the people that need to work with the programs and carry though with the programs.  The programs, curriculum, etc... are only successful because of the people.  There is a great quote from chapter 10 that says, "programs don't teach kids; teachers do, and teachers are capable of making magic happen for kids" (Burgess, 94).

Chapter 11 talks about getting the right people on the ship.  This is crucial in anything you do with a team.  Burgess talks at length about filling openings with the right people and using good interview questions to see which candidates rise to the top.  If we take this out of the school setting, we can see the importance of putting the right people on the ship with you in any team task.  It's not only important for them to be on the ship, but they must also know where they are headed.  This can be accomplished by setting a clear mission/vision and being very explicit in your goals.

Chapter 12 was one of the most impactful chapters for me.  It's all about managing time.  The title of the chapter is "If it's important...make time for it".  A common excuse/reason I hear, and have said myself is, "I don't have time for that".  What is really being said is, "I don't think that is important, therefore I am not going to designate time for it".  Because if something was truly important, and there was value in it, time would be made for it.  It seems as though our schedules are all jam-packed with professional and personal obligations.  If we were to examine our time more wisely, or learn to creatively schedule, there really is time in your schedule somewhere.  I was watching an episode of Shark Tank recently and Robert Herjavec was talking about time management and was asked the question, "Why do you only sleep 3-4 hours a night", his answer was simple "because everything I do is important and I want to get it all in every day".  He is finding time for the things that are important in his life.