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Thursday, October 13, 2016

MRVED Business

MELT Call for Presentation Proposals
The 2017 MELT Call for Presentation Proposals has been sent out,  See the previous weeks blog post explaining the Call for Presentation Proposals.  Proposals are due by October 26.  If you know someone who is doing awesome things in their classroom, encourage them to present.  Or, if you, yourself, are doing something awesome, show it off!

MRVED Upcoming Meetings

October 19, 2016  MRVED Common Day for Best Practice Meetings
October 26, 2016  Superintendents' Council
October 28, 2016  Principals' Council

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


October 19 Professional Development Day Information

October 19, 2016 Update

The MRVED Common Professional Development Day will soon be upon us.  Teachers will be attending this day either at the Montevideo High School or the Dawson-Boyd High School depending on their discipline or grade level.  Teachers should have received an email yesterday, Thursday, indicating where they will be attending and some additional details on the day.  The following information is probably redundant but it never hurts to reiterate details on the day.

Agenda: (Special Ed teachers have a slightly different agenda)
8:00 a.m. - Coffee and breakfast treats
8:30 a.m. - Meetings commence
11:30 a.m. - Lunch on site
12:00 p.m. - Afternoon meetings commence
2:30 p.m. - Day is done

Lunch:
  • We are allowing only a half hour for lunch so if you did not sign up for the catered meal, please bring a bag lunch.
  • Money is to be collected at each district. 
  • The district superintendents are providing the morning refreshments.
Transportation:
  • Check with your district office for transportation details.
  • If teachers drive themselves:
    • Dawson has parking available in the Community Center lot located on Chestnut St.; a small church parking lot across from the main doors on Chestnut St; and a small parking lot west of the building.
    • Montevideo has a very large parking lot on the south side of the building.
  • Buses can be parked:
    • Dawson - in the Community Center parking lot
    • Montevideo - in the bus garage parking lot across from the high school
Entrance Location:
  • In Dawson, enter through the main door located on Chestnut Street.
  • In Montevideo, enter through the main door on William Avenue (not the gym doors).  A sign above the door reads "Montevideo Senior High School Main Entrance" and the numeral 1.
  • There will be a registration table for teachers to pick up their agendas for the day, along with their lunch ticket if they selected to eat the catered meal.
You are strongly encouraged to bring a device.  WiFi will be available at both sites.

This is a new venture for us this year and we will be anxious to read your evaluations on the day.  You will receive an evaluation survey on Monday, 10/24/16 and we would appreciate it if you would take a few minutes to complete the survey.

Minnesota Educator Academy (MEA) Conference

MEA
The Minnesota Educator Academy (MEA) Conference is an awesome FREE education conference to attend.  This year is no exception.  There are many great sessions to choose from throughout the 2 day conference.  Click the link below to find out more!

MEA Conference Link


Tech Tip - Utah Education Network

Utah Education Network
This site is a hidden gem!  The Utah Education Network (UEN) has tons of resources for your classroom.  From lesson plans to an app search engine to a list of interactives.  There are TONS of things on this website for every educator.  Take a couple minutes today and browse through it!


What Great Teachers Do Differently - When You Say Something, Mean It

When You Say Something, Mean It
As we continue through the book, "What Great Teachers Do Differently- 17 Things That Matter Most", by Todd Whitaker, we will review the previous 2 weeks.

1. It's People, Not Programs
2. The Power of Expectations

Now we will examine the chapter titled, "If you say something, mean it".  This chapter is exactly as the title describes.  Great teachers follow through with what they say they are going to do.  This chapter focuses primarily on classroom management, but I believe it can apply to all facets of things including, but not limited to, helping organize school events, meeting preparation, attending student events, etc...  It's not about how many things you are involved in or how many events you attend, it's about following through when you say you will do something.

In terms of discipline, if you say there is going to be a consequence, then follow through on your consequence.  If kids know you don't follow through on consequences, they will push you to the limit, thus disrupting quality instructional time.  Whitaker also points out that, although follow through is important, so is how you deal with the misbehavior.  For instance, often times you can acknowledge a behavior, without letting the whole class know you have seen the behavior.  Often times the student misbehaving is seeking attention.  By acknowledging the misbehavior in a loud way, you are giving the student what they want, attention.  So communicating the consequence is often times just as important as following through on the consequence.

"Great teachers manage their classrooms thoughtfully.  When they say something, they mean it (Whitaker, 24)."