MRVED Update - March 9, 2022

MRVED Business

MRVED Meetings 

Friday, March 11, 2022 - Title III Paraprofessionals

Friday, March 18, 2022 - Title III Teachers (Virtual)

Wednesday, March 23, 2022 - Superintendents' Council

April 14, 2022 Information

The April 14, 2022, MRVED Common Inservice Day will be held in Benson at the Benson High School.  Registration will be sent out early next week.  If you have a student teacher this spring, please have your student teacher register through the registration link as well.  We need to plan our seating accordingly.  

The schedule for the day is as followed:

9:00 a.m. - 10:00 a.m. - PJ Fleck

10:00 a.m. - 10:20 a.m. - Break/Breakfast

10:30 a.m. - 11:20 a.m. - Networking

11:35 a.m. - 12:20 p.m. - Community Building Activity

12:20 p.m. - 1:00 p.m. - Lunch

1:05 p.m. - 1:55 p.m. - District Choice

For lunch, your administration is asking everyone to eat at Benson High School due to a shortened lunch time.  The cost is $7.00 and is to be paid to your district. DO NOT SEND ANY MONEY TO THE MRVED.  The following are your lunch options:

Option #1:  Chef Salad with a breadstick, fruit, and a cookie.

OR

Option #2:  Chicken Salad Croissant with fresh vegetables, fruit, chips, ranch cup, and a cookie. 

If you choose NOT to eat the boxed lunch, you are asked to bring your own lunch to eat at Benson High School.  Please note that there is NOT a cooler to store your lunch and a microwave is NOT available to warm up food, so please plan accordingly.

You will receive an email prior to the April 14th Common Inservice Day with everything you need to know for the day.  A personalized agenda will be handed out when you arrive at the Benson High School. 

***Registration will close on Friday, March 25th @ 4:00 p.m.***

Resources

Ukraine/Russia Conflict Resources

As teachers we make an instructional decision to talk or not talk about current events. Sometimes we shy away from topics that may seem controversial, or we shy away from topics because we don't fully understand the topic ourselves. Either way, we know our kids are hearing and seeing news from Ukraine. Here are some resources to enrich your own knowledge of the Ukraine/Russia conflict.

• How to Talk to Kids About the Ukraine Invasion (PBS)
• Talking to Kids About the War in Ukraine

Legislative Update

You might have heard about Minnesota legislation pertaining to the "Parents Bill of Rights" or a requirement to have at least one, full-time social worker in every building. It can be very difficult to keep up to date on everything that is being proposed in the legislature. The Minnesota Rural Educators Association (MREA), does a fabulous job keeping track for you. Check out their latest legislative update. The Minnesota School Board Association also does a nice job with a summary document weekly.

Professional Learning

Testing 1,2,3

Testing 1,2,3  has been shared previously, but as we start gearing up to MCA testing, questions about testing seem to arise. The Testing 1,2,3 website developed by the Minnesota Department of Education is a great resource to help answer many of your questions. It has everything from data analytics, to test specs, to ideas on how to teach certain standards and benchmarks. There is a TON of information on this website, check it out today!

Book Study

Row the Boat - Chapter 7 & 8

Chapter 7 & 8 in Row the Boat by PJ Fleck is all about his first couple years in Minnesota. How he had to establish the RTB culture to a team that was divided. Going through the growing pains again of building the RTB culture.

Coach Fleck tells the story of Casey O'Brien, a five-time cancer survivor. Coach Fleck was looking for that one person in Minnesota that would be his rower. Casey O'Brien came to him one day and asked if he could join the team. He was everything that Coach Fleck was looking for. Check out the two videos below, the first one tells the story of Casey and the second video is him getting into his first college football game.

One part of this chapter, other than the Casey O'Brien story, is when Coach Fleck is talking about the decision to come to Minnesota. After making his decision, his wife told him, "You will make your biggest impact where it will be the hardest" (Fleck, 64) He quotes the Cadet's Prayer..."Make us to choose the harder right instead of the easier wrong, and never to be content with a half-truth when the whole can be won" (Fleck, 64).

MRVED Update - February 23, 2022

MRVED Business

MRVED Meetings

Friday, March 4, 2022 - Principals' Council 

Friday, March 11, 2022 - Title III Paraprofessionals

Friday, March 18, 2022 - Title III Teachers (Virtual)

Wednesday, March 23, 2022 - Superintendents' Council

April 14, 2022 Information

ESL Consultant Needed

The MRVED is looking for a part-time ESL consultant to help assist districts in creating a newcomer program. Must have an ESL license with at least 3 years of experience in the field. You can read a more detailed description on Edpost or contact Karen or I for more information.

Resources

The Advantages of Heterogeneous Student Groups in Math

I recently read an article from edutopia from Joseph Manfre that really made me think about teaching and learning in the classroom. The article talks about students who are fast processors of information, in this case math, are often times isolated from learning experiences. It really made me think about students who are fast & slow processors of information and then how do we effectively differentiate in our classrooms for those students. It's a quick read, and you won't be disappointed.

The Advantages of Heterogeneous Student Groups in Math by Joseph Manfre

Professional Learning

LETRS Training Offered Free from MDE

The Minnesota Department of Education (MDE) is excited to announce a new initiative to offer LETRS professional learning to educators across the state.

The Minnesota LETRS® Science of Reading Professional Learning Courses will provide sustained and job-embedded professional learning about the science of reading, at no cost to educators. These impactful courses will be based on Lexia’s LETRS (Language Essentials for Teachers of Reading and Spelling) literacy professional learning and are being offered to thousands of educators.

Who is eligible?
Funding is available for licensed Minnesota educators. Priority will be given to educators in the following roles:

• K-3 classroom teacher
• Administrator
• Elementary special education teacher with responsibility for reading instruction
• Elementary reading interventionist/reading specialist or literacy coach
• Literacy professor in MN Institute of Higher Education

Book Study

Row the Boat - Chapter 6

As we near our April 14th Common Inservice day with PJ Fleck, I'm getting more and more excited to hear him talk about Row The Boat. Chapter 6 is a short, but crucial chapter in the book. It provides the context and symbolism around RTB.

There are three key components to rowing the boat; the oar, the boat, and the compass. "The oar is the energy of your life - your mission and your purpose" (Fleck, 53). The oar (your energy) is the only thing that moves the boat. It is up to you if your oar is in the water or not. When the waters get rough, we need to row a little harder, but we need to keep rowing through the storm to get through it.

The second component is the boat. The boat represents sacrifice. The more you give the bigger your boat gets. During those rough seas, having a bigger boat helps you get through those times a little easier. 

The third component is the compass. The compass provides you with direction. If you want to be a doctor, point your compass in that direction, pack your boat, and keep rowing!