MRVED Update - November 21, 2018

MRVED Business

The annual MELT is fast approaching and the MRVED has been busy making arrangements for the big day. The MELT will be held on January 21, 2019 at the LQPV High School.  Registration will open on December 5th and it will close on December 19th. 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.

Registration
Last year we sent out the MELT brochure a couple days prior to sending the registration link.  This allowed people to set their schedule and read through the descriptions prior to registering.  This seemed to work really well.  The process will be the same this year.  The brochure will come to you on Monday, December 3 from your Principal.  The link to register will come to you on Wednesday, morning from your Principal.  Principals, look for this information from Gloria please.

We cannot stress enough the importance of registering as early as possible.  Some sessions fill really fast, therefore the later you are in registering, the greater the risk of not being able to get into those sessions.

Upcoming Meetings

November 28, 2018  Superintendents’ Council

December 7, 2018 Title III Teachers

December 12, 2018  MRVED Board (6 p.m.)

December 13, 2018 TAC

December 14, 2018 Principals’ Council

December 19, 2018 Superintendents’ Council

January 11, 2019 Title III Paras
January 21, 2019 MELT
January 23, 2019 Superintendents
January 25, 2019 Principals

Minnesota Standards Updates (Physical Education & Science)

Developing a Shared Understanding of the 2018 Physical Education Standards and Benchmarks 2019 Training Schedule

In this training, actions and resources are recommended to help educator teams* develop a shared understanding of the 2018 Minnesota physical education standards and benchmarks, and initiate the curriculum review process. By attending this training, participants will develop a shared understanding of:

• The 2018 Minnesota K-12 Physical Education Standards and Grade-Level Benchmarks
• The shifts that drove changes in the standards
• The knowledge, skills and rigor represented in the learning progressions in the benchmarks within and across grade levels
• The curriculum review process and action planning as part of a continuous review cycle

*It is highly recommended that physical educators attend this training in school district teams.

Registration begins at 8 a.m. Training is from 8:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. Participants are asked to bring a brown bag lunch and beverages.

There is no cost to attend these trainings, but registration is required. Please register individually, even if attending as part of a school team.

To register, click below on the training you wish to attend.

Monday, January 14, 2019 - Minnesota Department of Education, Roseville, MN

Tuesday, January 15, 2019 - Minnesota Department of Education, Roseville, MN

Wednesday, January 23, 2019 - Metro Service Cooperative, Arden Hills, MN

Wednesday, January 30, 2019 - Minnesota Department of Education, Roseville, MN

Thursday, February 7, 2019 - Sourcewell-MN (formerly NJPA), Staples, MN

Tuesday, February 26, 2019 - Lake County Service Cooperative, Fergus Falls, MN

Thursday, March 21, 2019 - SW/WC Service Cooperative, Marshall, MN

Friday, March 29, 2019 - Resource and Training Solutions, Sartell, MN

Tuesday, April 30, 2019 - South Central Service Cooperative, North Mankato, MN

Friday, May 3, 2019 - Southeast Service Cooperative, Rochester, MN

Tuesday, May 7, 2019 - Northeast Service Cooperative, Mountain Iron, MN

Thursday, May 9, 2019 - Northwest Service Cooperative, Thief River Falls, MN

Tuesday, May 21, 2019 - Winona State University, Winona, MN

https://education.mn.gov/mde/dse/mde075000

1st Draft of the New Science Standards

Provide Feedback on the First Draft!

The first draft of the revised Minnesota K-12 Science Education Standards-2019 is now available (see below). The public is invited to provide feedback during its Public Review and Comment Period, November 9-26, 2018. Submit your feedback using the online form, or attend one of the Town Hall meetings (all have already been held) and provide your feedback in person.

Contact Terry Alvarado to request a reasonable accommodation to participate in this event. Please note: The Minnesota Department of Education (MDE) requires a two-week advance notice to provide accommodations and 48-hour notice to cancel the request.

The date by which all schools must implement the new standards will be determined during the rulemaking process.

For more information about the standards review process, contact John Olson 651-582-8673.

2019 K-12 Science Standards First Draft

ReMoved

I came across this short film series entitled ReMoved.  It's a story, from the kids perspective, about being placed into foster care and then going through having a brother adopted.  It's a very touching short story, and one that will make you think about how trauma affects our kids.  If you have 30 minutes, give both parts a watch today, it is well worth it!

ReMoved - Part 1

ReMoved - Part 2

Teach Like a Pirate - Part III Building a Better Pirate & Conclusion

Part III of Teach Like a Pirate provides us with a challenge to be better, tips on how to get started, and advice to surround ourselves with positive people.

My biggest takeaway out of Part III  was in the chapter Where do I start? Burgess talks about the five most common reasons why we never get started with something.

1. The fear of failure - people won't start something if there is a chance they can fail.  We don't have to embrace failure, but we can learn from it and not be afraid of it.  He uses the example of if a lesson fails, nobody dies, it's OK.  You are a teacher, not a brain surgeon, failure is OK in our world!

2. Believing you have to figure it all out before you begin - In reflection on my own life, this is a tough one for me.  I want to know everything before I start something.  I have worked hard in my personal and professional life to fix this attitude of mine.

3. Perfectionism - Some people wait for the "perfect" time to start something.  It goes back to the analogy from one of the previous chapters about creative people walking around getting "struck" by brilliant ideas.  If we wait for the perfect moment to strike, we'll never get started.

4. Lack of Focus - It's all about prioritization.  Being able to prioritize the truly important things in our lives, and not allowing the small things to take up the majority of our time.  We lose focus on what truly is important.

5. Fear of Criticism and Ridicule - Starting something new is not only different for you, but different for the people around you.  The people around you might not be ready for the change, don't let those people get in your way of progress.

Conclusion
Teach Like a Pirate is a book chalk full of strategies you can implement in your classroom tomorrow.  You don't have to be a great performer like Burgess to take the strategies and implement them into your classroom.  I felt the book was much deeper than just the strategies though.  One of the biggest "aha" moments for me was really thinking deeply about ALL aspects of the lesson plan.  The analogy of the BBQ is spot on, we have to bring all elements to the table on every single day in order to have a successful BBQ.

The other part of this book that really got me thinking was the aspect of presentation.  In the chapter about the 3 circles, Burgess is absolutely correct.  We spend so much of our professional development time on best practices and content, but never focus on the actual presentation of the material.  Without proper presentation, there is no engagement, without engagement, there is no learning.  This book made me think more deeply on how I do my own professional development.  How do I engage the learners in the audience?  How do I make my content sizzle?  Do I bring enough passion and energy to the table every day?

Public Comments for 1st Draft of New Phy Ed Standards

The Minnesota Department of Education is now soliciting public comments on the first draft of
the Minnesota K-12 Physical Education Standards dated February 27, 2017. The Public Review
and Comment Period is February 27 – March 16, 2017. View the draft standards document and
provide online feedback on the department’s website. The public is also invited to provide
feedback at one or more of four Town Hall Meetings to be held at the locations below.

Public Comment on the DRAFT Minnesota K-12 Academic Standards in Physical Education
February 27 – March 16, 2017
All Town Hall Meetings are scheduled from 5:30 to 7 p.m.

The public is invited to provide feedback on the first draft of the revised Minnesota physical
education standards at one or more of the meetings listed below. Written comments may be
submitted using an electronic feedback form that is available on the MDE Website February 27-
March 16, 2017. If you have questions, call 651-582-8749.

Thursday, March 2 – Fergus Falls, MN

Lakes Country Service Co-op

1001 E. Mount Faith

Fergus Falls, MN 56537

(218) 739-3273

(800) 739-3273

Tuesday, March 7 – Marshall, MN

Red Baron Arena & Expo

Vast Club Room

1651 Victory Drive

Marshall, MN 56258

(507) 537-1865

(Across from Marshall High School)

Thursday, March 9 – Duluth, MN

Denfeld High School

401 North 44th Avenue West

Duluth, MN 55807

(218) 336-8830

Tuesday, March 14 – Roseville, MN

Minnesota Department of Education

Conference Center A, Room 14

1500 Highway 36 West

Roseville, MN 55113

(651) 582-8200

MRVED Business

FitnessGram Webinar
The MRVED will be assisting in hosting a FitnessGram webinar for all Phy Ed teachers on Monday, May 9th from 3:15-4:00.  The purpose of the webinar is to dig deeper into the software and ask questions of the FitnessGram presenter.  If you need a refresher or just have a few questions, participate in the webinar on May 9th.  Contact Brandon before May 1st if you would like to participate and he will send you the webinar information.

Summer Professional Development
Due to decreasing participation numbers the last few summers, the MRVED will not be offering any summer professional development opportunities.  If you are in need of a relicensure area, contact Brandon and he can provide some assistance in finding other opportunities.

Upcoming Meetings
April 13, 2016  Community Ed
April 20, 2016  MRVED Board (7:00 p.m.)
April 22, 2016  Title III Teachers
April 27, 2016  Superintendents' Council

MRVED Business

FitnessGram Webinar
The MRVED will be assisting in hosting a FitnessGram webinar for all Phy Ed teachers on Monday, May 9th from 3:15-4:00.  The purpose of the webinar is to dig deeper into the software and ask questions of the FitnessGram presenter.  If you need a refresher or just have a few questions, participate in the webinar on May 9th.  Contact Brandon before May 1st if you would like to participate and he will send you the webinar information.

Upcoming Meetings
April 13, 2016  Community Ed
April 20, 2016  MRVED Board (7:00 p.m.)
April 22, 2016  Title III Teachers
April 27, 2016  Superintendents' Council

May 16, 2016  Principals' Council & TAC (11:30 a.m. start)
May 25, 2016  Superintendents' Council

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.

Tech Tip - GoNoodle

GoNoodle
If you are looking for a way to incorporate movement into your classroom, check out GoNoodle.  My 2nd grade daughter loves GoNoodle.  It has a variety of short, fun video clips to use in the classroom that will get your kids moving.  They have categories of clips from stretching, to kinesthetic movement, to calming techniques.  These can be used as a quick warm up or cool down after an activity.  Little kids love them and I would guess older kids might get a kick out of them from time to time.  Check it out today!

MDE Report on Physical Education in Minnesota

MDE Report on Physical Education in Minnesota
The Minnesota Department of Education has issued their 2015 report on Physical Education in Minnesota. This report provides the findings from a survey conducted of Minnesota schools to gather information about the duration and frequency at which students receive physical education; physical education requirements in high school; fitness testing measures used; educational preparation of physical education teachers; duration and frequency of recess for students in grades K-6; substitution of credits practices for high school students; earning physical education credits online; before and after school physical activity opportunities provided; and practices of coordination with developmentally adaptive physical education specialists.

Link to Report

MRVED Business

Physical Education and Health Best Practice Meeting Update
The day started off with Brandon showing the group some of the latest and greatest apps and websites for the Health and/or PE classroom.  After that, the group looked at the SAMR model for technology integration and had time to digest a lot of new information.  An article was read and discussed on competition in the Phy Ed classroom.  It was a very interesting discussion among groups on a somewhat controversial topic in physical education.  The group then split into districts teams and aligned the standards K-12.  Lunch was great as usual.  In the afternoon the group networked and looked at the health standards and had another productive discussion.

MRVED Meetings

November 13, 2014  Social Workers
November 18, 2014  FACS - MTG CHANGED TO DECEMBER 16, 2014
November 20, 2014  Industrial Technology
November 21, 2014  Community Ed
November 26, 2014  Superintendents' Council

Fall Conference Dates

Fall Conferences
Art Educators of Minnesota - November 7 & 8 in Rochester
Minnesota Business Educators - November 6 & 7 in Bloomington
Minnesota Association of Health/PE - November 3 & 4 in Wayzata
Minnesota Council of Teachers of English - Fall Workshop October 27 in Brooklyn Park
Education Minnesota - October 16 & 17 in St. Paul

MRVED Business

Physical Education/Health Best Practice Meeting Update
This year we ended up combining the physical education and health teachers for their annual best practice meeting.  It turned out to be a great day.  The group started off the day with a 21st century skills activity and had great discussion around what it means to be a 21st century educator and student.  The group then did an activity on providing effective feedback to students and had another great discussion.  Brandon shared some technology before lunch.  After lunch the teachers had the opportunity to network and share resources.  The day ended looking at academic vocabulary.  Another great year with a great bunch of teachers.

Social Studies Best Practice Meeting
Brandon's favorite group (because he is a social studies teacher) came to the MRVED on Thursday for their best practice meeting.  The day started once again with a 21st century skills activity.  Brandon then had the opportunity to model some technology and have a discussion about the impacts of AR technology on education.  The group broke for lunch and had a great time sharing stories and catching up over the dinner table.  After the lunch the teachers came back and had the opportunity to hear from a couple ladies from PBS as to what PBS can offer for their classrooms.  The last thing the teachers did was network and they were on their way home.  It's always nice for Brandon to catch up with his former colleagues and the teachers thoroughly enjoyed the day.

MRVED Meetings:
February 12, 2014  Principals' Council
February 20, 2014  Teachers' Advisory Council
February 26, 2014  Superintendents' Council
March 4, 2014        Agriculture
March 6, 2014        Industrial Technology

MRVED Business

Best Practice Meetings Resume & Weather Policy
Best practice meetings will resume next week with Phy Ed and Health on Tuesday and Social Studies on Thursday.  We look forward to seeing all your smiling faces.

As a reminder, please review the MRVED weather policy (posted below) in case of inclement weather.

MRVED Weather Policy

Since we are located in the Montevideo School District area, if Montevideo schools are open and on time, we will hold the meeting. If Montevideo has a late start, the meeting will be cancelled and rescheduled.

However, even if the meeting is still being held, if the weather is unsafe to travel in your area, stay home! We want you to be safe. If the meeting is on time and you cannot make it, please let us know (320-269-9297) so we don't worry about you. If you have any questions, feel free to call us at 320-269-9297.

MRVED will also submit meeting cancellations and/or updates on WCCO’s TV channel and website wcco.com (See School Closings under Quick Links). We will be listed under MRVED (just our initials.)

MRVED Meetings
February 4, 2014  Phy Ed & Health Combined
February 5, 2014  MRVED Board (7 p.m.)
February 6, 2014  Social Studies
February 7, 2014  Title III Teachers
February 12, 2014  Principals' Council
February 20, 2014  Teachers' Advisory Council
February 26, 2014  Superintendents' Council

MRVED Business

Happy New Year
The MRVED staff wishes you all a very happy new year!  We hope your year is filled with happiness and success!

Health Best Practice Meeting Rescheduled

The Health best practice meeting that was cancelled due to bad weather on December 5th will be rescheduled for February 4th.  This is the same day as the Physical Education best practice meeting as we will combine both groups this year.  If you have any questions, please let us know.  You will receive an agenda for the meeting approximately a week before.

MRVED Meetings:
January 20, 2014  MELT
January 15, 2014  Community Ed Meeting
January 22, 2014  Superintendents' Council
February 4, 2014  Phy Ed and Health Best Practices Combined
February 5, 2014  MRVED Board (7 p.m.)
February 6, 2014  Social Studies
February 7, 2014  Title III Teachers