MRVED Business

Upcoming Meetings
November 20, 2015  Principals' Council (11:30 a.m. start)
November 25, 2015  Superintendents' Council

December 1, 2015  Industrial Technology
December 3, 2015  English Language Arts
December 4, 2015  Title III Teachers
December 7, 2015  District Assessment Coordinators (DAC)
December 8, 2015  World Languages
December 11, 2015  Social Studies

MELT Networking Facilitators - Last Chance

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 interest.  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 3:00p.m. on Friday November 20.  If you have any questions or cannot access the form, please contact Brandon (braymo@mrved.net).


MELT NETWORKING FACILITATOR SIGN UP LINK



Best Practice Meeting Updates
Title I
The Title I teachers came to the MRVED on November 3rd.  The Title I teachers get a treat every year as Brandon and Karen both run the meeting.  In the morning the group spent some time with Karen discussing Mindset.  The conversations were awesome!  After Mindset, the group read and discussed an article on learning styles.  Lunch was amazing as usual.  In the afternoon the group networked and shared a wealth of resources.   Brandon then talked about how to search Google effectively and efficiently and the day was over.  A very productive day for all.

Phy Ed & Health
The Phy Ed and Health teachers gathered at the MRVED in early November for their annual best practice meeting.  The morning was centered around a great conversation on grading practices in the classroom.  It has been really neat to see how each content area approaches this topic.  The activity has expanded the thinking of many.  Then the group aligned their curriculum with the standards using a Google Doc.  In the afternoon, the group networked and finished the day with aligning the health standards.  It was a very productive day with some great conversation.

FACS
The MRVED meeting with the FACS teachers was combined with the Southwest West Central Service Cooperatives meeting this year.  The two meetings were scheduled so close together that it was in the best interest of the teachers to combine.  The teachers had the opportunity to hear from their state specialist as well as an introduction to the Frameworks for FACS Education.  In the afternoon we heard from Neal, who works at the U of M as a researcher in the field of food defense.  Yes, food defense!  Basically defending our food supply from any terrorist attacks, both foreign and domestic.  It was another awesome day with a great group of ladies!

Agriculture
Brandon and the Ag teachers ventured to Hutchinson on a beautiful Friday afternoon.  The morning was spent on the Ridgewater campus, touring and meeting with faculty in the manufacturing department.  In the afternoon, we toured MITGI on the Hutchinson Technology Campus.  After a short meeting with the President of MITGI as well as the HR and Safety Director, we had the opportunity to tour the building.  MITGI is a precision carbide cutting tool manufacturer.  Not only was the process amazing to watch, but the atmosphere at MITGI and the way the business is ran is awesome.  Overall it was a great day of learning about what higher ed is looking for as well as employers in the industry.

MRVED Business

Upcoming Meetings

October 7, 2015  Music Best Practices
October 9, 2015  CURE Event (all day) Mussels in the River
October 14, 2015  MRVED Common Day
October 22, 2015  Art Best Practices (Mini Meander)
October 23, 2015  Principals' Council (11:30 a.m. Start Time)
October 27, 2015  Math Best Practices
October 28, 2015  Superintendents' Council
October 29, 2015  Business Best Practices

Host a School Garden Workshop

Host a School Garden Workshop at your School

Minnesota Agriculture in the Classroom is providing free school garden workshops for educators at schools this year featuring hands-on, standards-based lessons. Participants will complete a variety of lessons that will serve as a starting point for brainstorming opportunities to use school gardens as a vehicle for contextualizing learning in science, social studies, language arts, math and health/nutrition. Each workshop is designed to fit the specific needs of your school and build on your current garden use (or give you the tools to start a garden!). FREE resources and lessons will be shared. For more information and to schedule a workshop, please contact Zoe Hastings at zoe.hastings@state.mn.us or 651-201-6260.

MRVED Business

Best Practice Meeting Updates
Agriculture
The Agriculture teachers kicked off the 2014-2015 best practices meetings on September 30 with a tour of Ralco Agnition in Balaton and ADM in Marshall. Agnition develops cutting-edge technologies that improve the quality of soil and the health of crops. The Agnition tour was amazing with the day starting with an overview of the company and then a tour of building. The business is located in the old school in Balaton. They modernized the building and gave it more of a business feel. It was neat to see how an old abandon school could still be utilized in a small community. In the afternoon we stopped by ADM (Archer Daniels Midland) in Marshall on our way home. This company converts corn, oilseeds, wheat, and cocoa into products for food, animal feed, industrial and energy uses. Again, another amazing experience to see what actually happens in that place and to see the volume of corn products that pass through every day.

Music
The music teachers came to the MRVED on Thursday, October 2 for their annual best practice meeting. The day was filled with visiting and idea gathering. The day started with an activity about parent and community involvement and groups brainstormed possible ways in which they can include both into their classrooms. Before lunch the group spent some time looking at the new National Common Core Arts Standards. Pizza Ranch was filled with more stories and laughter. After lunch the group had the opportunity to network and create a plan for the MELT. The group was energetic as always and it was a great meeting for all.


Upcoming Meetings
October 7, 2014 Science
October 10, 2014 Art (Ben Lecy Farm, Echo) NEW DATE
October 10, 2014 Title III Paraprofessionals
October 15, 2014 MRVED Professional Development Day
October 21, 2014 Math
October 22, 2014 Community Ed
October 23, 2014 Business

MRVED Business

Agriculture and Industrial Technology Meetings
The agriculture instructors met at the MRVED on Tuesday, March 4 and the industrial technology teachers met on Thursday, March 6.  The morning was spent getting all their program approval forms and documents ready to be submitted to the state as a requirement to obtain Perkins funding.  Both groups filled up on pizza, chicken, mashed potatoes, and salad at Pizza Ranch over lunch hour.  In the afternoon the group participated in a 21st century skills activity and networked.  As usual it was a great time with a great bunch of people!

Communication Briefings (by Mary)
This will be a new section to our weekly blog.  Communication Briefings is a monthly newsletter that our office used to receive. As I was organizing my workspace, I came across a binder of these newsletters and started perusing them.  The more I looked through them, the more I thought that I should share some of the tidbits in the newsletters in an effort to promote clearer communication among our peers and students.  So each week, I will select a little something that I found interesting and worth sharing.


Tricky Pairs is this week's title.

1. Accept and except. Accept is a verb meaning receive or take. Example: “Please accept my apology.” Except is most commonly used as a preposition meaning excluding. Example: “I like all your ideas except the last one.”
2. Affect and effect. Affect is a verb that means to alter or influence. Example: “How will the cutbacks affect our budget?” Effect is a noun meaning result. Example: “The cumulative effect will be dramatic.”
3. Between and among. Use the word between when describing a one-on-one relationship between two subjects. Example: “That is between you and Bob.” Use among when referring to more than two subjects. Example: “I divided my tasks among my co-workers.”
4. Cite and site. Cite is a verb meaning to mention. Example: “Can you cite your sources?” Site is a noun referring to location; these days it often refers to an Internet page. Example: “I hired someone to update our site.”
5. Complement and compliment. Both words can be used as nouns or verbs. Complement refers to completeness. Example: “We offer a full complement of products to meet your needs.” “That brooch complements your outfit.” Compliment means praise. Example: “I want to pass along a compliment.” “We must compliment you on your grace under pressure.”

Upcoming Meetings
March 11  FACS
March 14  Title III Paraprofessionals
March 17  CEO meeting
March 18  Guidance Counselors
March 20  Social Workers
March 21  Business
March 25  Pathways to Postsecondary
March 26  Superintendents' Council
March 28  MRVED Professional Development Day - trainings at LQPV and Dawson-Boyd (contact Brandon Raymo - braymo@mrved.net - to register or for more information on these trainings.)

MRVED Business

Call for MELT Presentations & Session Ideas

The MRVED is once again looking for people to present at the annual MELT conference in January.  The 2014 installment of the MELT will be held at Lac Qui Parle Valley High School on January 20.  This is a great day to showcase some of the great things you are doing in your classrooms.  Presenters will be paid a small stipend for their efforts.  If you are interested in providing a session, please click on the link below and fill out the form.  Filling out the form does not guarantee or bind you to providing a session.  If you don't want to present, but have great ideas for possible sessions, please click on the correct link below to provide the MRVED with your suggestions.

If you are willing to present and provide a session click HERE

If you do not want to present, but have ideas for sessions, click HERE

Agriculture Best Practice Meeting Update

The Agriculture instructors assembled on Thursday September 26 at K&M Manufacturing in Renville.  The group had the opportunity to tour the building, seeing new equipment and techniques.  They also had the chance to visit with management talking about the process as well as what skills are needed to succeed in this area.  Great conversation was had over lunch.  In the afternoon, Gail Polejewski met with the instructors to talk Perkins and the group shared resources and ideas for the rest of the afternoon.  Overall it was a great tour and another chance to get together and network.

Last Chance To Register for October 16 Common Day Activities
Registration will close on Wednesday, October 9 at 4:00 to participate in any of the professional development activities.  See the flyer for registration information.  Sessions being offered are:

Google Docs @ LQPV
Middle School Math Data Day @ MRVED
MCIS Training @ MVALC
Diversity Day @ Prairie's Edge Casino

October 16 Flyer Link

Meet Karen Jacobson

Karen Jacobson is the Director of the MRVED. Hired as Assistant Director in November 2001, Karen became the MRVED Director in July 2007. Prior to joining the MRVED, Karen worked as the Community Initiatives Director for the Southwest Minnesota Initiative Foundation, served as the Drug and Alcohol Prevention Coordinator for several area schools, and began her career as an Extension Educator in Chippewa County. She earned her Masters of Education from the University of Minnesota, Twin Cities campus, in 1990.

Karen and her husband, Steve, have two grown sons. Scott is a Mechanical Engineer for K & M Manufacturing in Renville and is married to Michelle who is the finance manager for Yellow Medicine County. Thomas is a registered nurse at the Chippewa County Montevideo Hospital. He is single. ;-) When not at work, Karen enjoys wine tasting, traveling, following football (Go Bears!), spending time with her new horse, and is a volunteer Pole Vault coach for the Montevideo Track and Field team.


Upcoming Meetings
October 4: Online Teachers
October 8: Title I Teachers
October 9: Music
October 10: Art
October 11: Title III Paraprofessionals

MRVED Business

Week Ahead
We will have a busy week at the MRVED next week as the Teacher Advisory Council will be in on Tuesday, the Superintendents on Wednesday, and agriculture instructors will be touring K&M Manufacturing on Thursday.  Please be sure to check the MRVED calendar for all the meeting dates this upcoming school year. We look forward to working with all of you.

Meet the MRVED

Meet Mary Brown. Mary is the Administrative Assistant for the MRVED. She is originally from the Iron Range, spent several years in the Twin Cities area, and moved to Montevideo in 1992. She joined the MRVED in 1993 and has seen many changes over the years. She has a Bachelor of Science degree in Criminal Justice from Northern Michigan University and in a former life worked as a probation officer (who knew???). She and her husband have a daughter, Lana, who is an athletic trainer in northern Minnesota, and a son, Matthew, who owns Prairieland Builders in Montevideo and is married with two “beautiful” daughters with a third baby on the way. Mary enjoys playing with her grandbabies, cooking, baking bread, and spending time 320 miles north at their cabin on Lake Vermilion.