BrightWorks & SparkPath welcome you to a new school year!

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Subject: BrightWorks & SparkPath welcome you to a new school year!

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August/September 2023, Vol. 31, No. 1

A Minnesota Service Cooperative

www.brightworksmn.org

Let's Work Together!

BrightWorks (formerly Metro ECSU) is a member-driven educational cooperative providing resources & services to districts & schools in the seven-county metro.

View our Fall 2023 Professional Learning Catalog

BrightWorks (formerly Metro ECSU) is excited to offer 30+ professional learning opportunities to our metro districts this fall. We have been listening to what our districts need and are excited to have you join us at our events or collaborate to bring these offerings to your district/school!

Our course offerings focus on the following strands:

Leadership Development
Multi-Tiered Systems of Support
Trauma Responsive Practices
Literacy/The Science of Reading
Equity & Cultural Competency
Student and Family Engagement
Restorative Practices
Educator Wellness
Paraprofessional Courses and Assessment

Six people at a professional development event.

BrightWorks hosted Elevating Student Voice Through Caring & Committed Conversations earlier this month. View the BrightWorks Fall Professional Development catalog!

Greetings from BrightWorks' Executive Director!

John Schultz, BrightWorks Executive Director

Hello!

The Minnesota Service Cooperative in the metropolitan area, now called BrightWorks, had a busy 2022-2023 program year. In addition to facilitating our programs, we completed strategic planning and set goals for the next few years. Our planning was centered on how we can better provide quality services and be dedicated partners with our member school districts.

We have stepped up our leadership to engage more with member district leaders to understand BrightWorks' role in embracing a rapidly changing education landscape. We will take on the important work of evaluating these programs and services to ensure they are relevant and engaging. BrightWorks is in a new place and stands ready to partner with and serve metropolitan school districts. We will strive to attain the goals below by facilitating the economy of scale that comes with district leaders working together to impact student learning.

BrightWorks will serve as a:

• First-call partner serving all school districts,

• Lab and think tank for innovating and launching ideas and initiatives,

• Broadly known and valued organization with a clear and compelling identity, and

• Sustainably funded and fiscally stable economic engine to support the mission.

Our strategic planning and the hard work of the BrightWorks and SparkPath staff compiled the list below of many programs and services that we offer. We have taken on a culture of asking member districts about their needs, researching programs to meet their needs, and evaluating them to ensure relevant, quality programming.

Our 2023-2024 Programs and Services include:

Professional Development

Elevating Student Voice
Equity & Cultural Competency
Leadership Development – Principal Coaching and Development
Literacy Instruction Support (in partnership with MDE)
Optimizing Systems – MTSS
Paraprofessional Support
Trauma-Informed Practices

Administrative Services & Publications

Annual Class Size Study
Composite Calendar
Cooperative Purchasing (satisfies Minnesota competing bidding requirements)
Education Policy Development
Mental Health Services for School Staff
ParaPro and ParaEducator Testing
Professional Development Catalog

Special Education - State-Initiated, Federally Funded Programs

Early intervention strategies for children with disabilities
Greater MN Launch PAD
Minnesota School-Wide Positive Behavior Interventions & Supports
Network development, conferences, and cutting-edge staff training
Professional development and technical assistance for staff in the low-incidence areas of Special Education
Special Education libraries (Judy Wolff Library, Zot Artz Library, DeafBlind Toy Lending Library)

Health & Safety

COVID-19 response and recovery resources
Health Equity
Monthly safety meetings and professional development
Management assistance services

State-Initiated, Federally Funded Mental Health and Nursing Programs:

Network development, conferences, professional development

SparkPath Student Programs - Field Trips & Competitions for Grades 3-12

CreativeCon
Creativity Festival
Future City Competition
Knowledge Bowl
Math Masters
Spelling Bee
STEMLink
Young Authors Conference

We are very excited to work with you this school year!

Sincerely,

John Schultz, PhD

Executive Director

612-638-1525

john.schultz@brightworksmn.org

Free online courses offering nursing CEUs available soon!

Three 30-minute modules designed for school nurses and school district staff who work in Special Education will be available free of charge and offer nursing CEUs in mid-September.

The three online courses describe best practices and the big-picture role of the licensed school nurse in Special Education. The modules also point out that there is variability among district processes.

Titles include:

Introduction to the role of the LSN in the Special Education Process
Third-Party Reimbursement for PCA Services and the Role of the Qualified Professional
Third-Party Reimbursement for Nursing Services on an IEP

The courses will be available on the BrightWorks Events & Education web page.

For more information, contact Mary Heiman, Health Services Coordinator at BrightWorks.

The modules were developed in partnership with the Minnesota Department of Health
(MDH), the Minnesota Department of Education, and the Minnesota Department of Human Services. Funding for the modules was made possible through COVID-19 Public Health Workforce supplemental funding from the CDC, administered by the MDH in collaboration with BrightWorks.

SparkPath is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization that presents its programs (field trips and academic competitions) in collaboration with BrightWorks. BrightWorks member districts/schools save 30% to 50% on registration fees.

Learn more about BrightWorks membership.

Explore SparkPath's Field Trips and Academic Competitions!

Registration opens on September 1!

Click the squares below to view each program's website and learn more about Early Bird registration dates and registration fees.

Field Trips:

Academic Competitions:

Paraprofessionals: Get Ready for the 2023-2024 School Year!

BrightWorks Offers Both Praxis ParaPro Assessments and ParaEducator Courses and Testing!

Paraprofessionals who assist with classroom instruction must meet state requirements beyond a high school diploma, or its equivalent. BrightWorks offers two options to satisfy this demand: The ParaEducator Courses and Assessment and the Praxis ParaPro Assessment. Both programs are designed to fulfill requirements of the federally legislated No Child Left Behind Act of 2002, which measures the math, reading, and English skills of practicing or aspiring Paraprofessionals, as well as their ability to apply these skills and knowledge when assisting in a classroom setting.

Advantages to using these value-added services through BrightWorks:

Flexible exam scheduling (morning and afternoon availability, Tuesday-Friday)
Appointments offered on an individual basis
Access to a computer with pre-loaded exam
Conveniently located metro exam site
Test-takers receive their score immediately after taking the exam

Learn more about ParaEducator courses and testing.

Learn more about the Praxis ParaPro Assessment.

If you have questions about either exam process, or to schedule an exam appointment, contact Angela Skrade at 612-638-1528.

Here We Grow Again!

As we all know, not all growth is easily measured! So while the Minnesota Centers of Excellence (MNCoE) may not be growing in size, we’re so fortunate to be growing in knowledge and experience with the addition of our newest Early Childhood Special Education (ECSE) Professional Development Facilitator (PDF), Chastity Engelstad!

Chastity Engelstad earned her Bachelor of Science degree in Speech Language Hearing Sciences and a Master of Science degree in Early Childhood Special Education. She is currently working toward completion of a Director of Special Education Program through Minnesota State University Mankato. Chastity holds a Minnesota teaching license in Early Childhood Special Education and Physical and Health Disabilities.

Chastity has been working in the field of education since 2000 and has spent most of her time as a Part C early intervention teacher, evaluation specialist, and peer coach with high-quality inclusive practices as a priority. Outside of education, Chastity lives in Savage, Minnesota, with her family which includes her husband, four children, and many pets. She enjoys music, sports, biking, and anything outdoors. Contact Chastity at chastity.engelstad@brightworksmn.org or 612-479-7022.

Accompanying growth can be seen in our new and refreshed Professional Development offerings for Regions 6, 8, and 11. As we continuously monitor feedback from ECSE leader and practitioner surveys, our content continues to grow based on their needs.

Offerings for the 23-24 school year include in-person and virtual options such as Building Your Blueprint for Behavior, Reflective Consultation for ECSE Leaders and B-3 Providers, Best Practices for Multilingual Learners with Lillian Duran (flipped classroom), and Transitions and Responding to Challenging Behavior (Gerety Education Courses).

For additional information, please contact Jennifer Blank at 612-638-1540.

MASA now links to Express!

The Minnesota Association of School Administrators (MASA) is pleased to announce a new partnership with Cooperative Purchasing Connection (CPC) as we launch the new CPC Online Marketplace!

The CPC Online Marketplace offers MASA members access to a wide range of products and services, including office supplies, technology, facility maintenance, and transportation, allowing you to conveniently find everything you need to meet your district purchasing needs in one place.

The CPC Online Marketplace will save you time by eliminating the need for time-consuming bids and multiple price quotes. You’ll be able to quickly and easily find the compliant and competitively solicited contracts all in one place, streamlined so you can get the best value for your organization!

We invite you to explore our new CPC Online Marketplace hosted on the MASA website at www.mnasa.org/cpc-online-marketplace. In order to access the full features of the online marketplace, you will need to log into your CPC’s Express Online Marketplace account.

Thank you for considering the CPC Online Marketplace as a valuable resource for your organization!

The staff at BrightWorks wishes you a fantastic start to the 2023-24 school year!

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Subject: BrightWorks & SparkPath welcome you to a new school year!