MRVED Business

MEETING UPDATES

Principals'Council
The Principals'Council gathered at the MRVED on Friday, September 9 for their first meeting of the year.  Time was spent getting caught up on Flexible Learning Year/Professional Development plans for the year.  We then spent time discussing and learning about "The Why" for school initiatives.  It was decided that the Principals'professional development for the year will be centered around "Leading School Change" by Todd Whitaker.  The day ended with the group networking.

TAC
The Teachers'Advisory Council met for the first time this school year on September 20.  Much like the Principals' Council the group was refreshed on the Flexible Learning Year/Professional Development plans for the year.  They also dove into the activity about "The Why" for school initiatives.  Lunch was excellent and there was great networking during that time.  The afternoon was spent primarily on MELT planning.  The TAC provided the MRVED with a wealth of session ideas.  Overall, it was a great day with some great people.

Title I
Title I teachers met at the MRVED on Friday, September 23.  The morning kicked off with Karen presenting on strategies when working with English Learner students, which can be applied to all students as well.  The group then participated in an activity called "Intervention Showcase", where each district got 5-10 minutes to showcase their favorite and most effective interventions.  Lunch was once again awesome!  The afternoon consisted of Brandon leading the group through activities centered around the topic of communication and having better conversations.  The day ended with a great networking session.

UPCOMING MEETINGS
October 7, 2016  Title III Paras
October 19, 2016  MRVED Common Day of Professional Development
October 26, 2016  Superintendents' Council
October 28, 2016  Principals' Council

November 18, 2016  Principals' Council
November 23, 2016 Superintendents' Council

MRVED Business

Meeting Recap
Teachers' Advisory Council
The Teachers' Advisory Council (TAC) met at the MRVED on Thursday February 19.  The morning consisted of learning more about the coaching and observation process.  The teachers had the opportunity to learn about their own personalities and how to work with people with like and different personalities.  Lunch was delicious and lots of great conversation was had.  The afternoon was spent looking over MELT evaluations and providing feedback on how to make the day better.  The group had great insight into what the MRVED can do to help make our teachers better.

Upcoming Meetings

February 25, 2015  Superintendents' Council

March 2, 2015  Agriculture
March 3, 2015  Industrial Technology
March 5, 2015  Business
March 13, 2015  Community Ed
March 17, 2015  Guidance Counselors
March 19, 2015  Social Workers

MRVED Business

The MRVED Staff would like to wish all of you a happy and relaxing holiday break.  The next MRVED Update will come Friday, January 9, 2015.  The MRVED offices will be open Monday and Tuesday of next week and will run a limited staff the following week.  If you need any assistance during this time you can try calling the office at 320-269-9297 or reach any of us by email.  Have a great holiday season!

Meeting Updates
DAC Meeting
The District Assessment Coordinators had the opportunity to meet at the MRVED on Monday before the ice storm moved through.  They spent a couple hours during the morning networking and asking questions of each other.  The District Assessment Coordinator in your district works very hard to ensure that all testing is completed and reported correctly.  In this holiday season, let them know how much you appreciate all they do!

FACS Best Practice Meeting
The FACS best practice meeting that was scheduled for Tuesday was cancelled due to the icy roads and numerous late starts.  They were scheduled to go to Willmar and tour Cashwise Foods and Bakery as well as Mr. B's Chocolates.  The meeting will be rescheduled for the Spring.

TAC Meeting
The Teachers Advisory Council met at the home of Karen and Steve Jacobson on Thursday.  Most of the day was spent learning about how to have a collaborative conversation as an instructional coach.  The group had the opportunity to practice the collaborative conversations.  They also spent some time viewing an actual lesson, scoring the teacher, and conversing as if they were helping that teacher get better.  The TAC also had the opportunity to look at the MELT sessions and provide feedback.  Overall, another great day of learning at the Jacobson farm!


Upcoming Meetings
January 9, 2015  Title III Paraprofessionals
January 16, 2015  Community Ed
January 19, 2015  MELT
January 28, 2015  Superintendents' Council

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 Business

TAC Meeting Update
The Teacher Advisory Council met at the MRVED on Thursday of this week.  The day consisted of multiple opportunities to network as well as a great activity on peer review and teacher evaluation.  The group enjoyed lunch at Pizza Ranch and more networking over the lunch hour.  The afternoon was spent looking at MELT evaluations and providing feedback on future professional development opportunities through the MRVED.  Lots of great ideas were generated in the afternoon.  The TAC does an excellent job of providing direction for the MRVED.  Thanks for a great day!

Upcoming Meetings
February 26, 2014  Superintendents' Council
March 4, 2014  Agriculture
March 6, 2014  Industrial Technology
March 11, 2014  FACS
March 14, 2014  Title III Paraprofessionals
March 18, 2014  Guidance Counselors
March 20, 2014  Social Workers
March 21, 2014  Business (NEW DATE)

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.