Metro ECSU's edNews - December 2021❄️

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Subject: Metro ECSU's edNews - December 2021❄️

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edNews - December 2021, Vol. 29, No. 2

Metro ECSU - 2 Pine Tree Drive, Suite 101, Arden Hills, MN 55112

Metro ECSU Executive Director: John Schultz

edNews editor: Colleen Feller

Young Authors Conference Word Have Power video

Success Beyond the Classroom enrichment programs: reaching students virtually and in person!

Virtual Young Authors Conference 2022 February 1 to March 31, 2022

SBC's Virtual Young Authors Conference (YAC) will take place from February 1 - March 31, 2022. Content will include six author video blogs (three released in February and three released in March), four recorded sessions (released in February), and three live sessions (see dates/times below). Virtual YAC will also include a student writing gallery, advice from authors, book-themed games, and spotlights on writing contests and local independent book stores.

Students in 4th-8th grades are invited to participate.

Register today!

Author video blogs:

Abby Cooper – The Courage to Revise
Janet Graber – I Brought a Mouse to School!
Heidi Grosch – Language All Around Us
Naomi Kinsman – What Will You Write Next?
David LaRochelle – Pumpkin Carving Creativity!
Zarlasht Niaz – My Writing Journey

Recorded sessions:

Naomi Kinsman – Courageous Characters
Jacqueline West – Get a Clue: Starting Your Own Mystery
Heidi Haavan Grosch – Stop, Look, and See: Finding the Poem in Pictures
Dr. Artika Tyner - Writing for Justice

Live sessions:

Kao Kalia Yang - The Writer's Origin (February 9, 2022 from 4:00 – 5:00pm)
Danielle Daniel - Courageous Stories (February 24, 2022 from 4:30 – 5:30pm)
Ty Chapman - The Courage to Tell Your Story (March 3, 2022 from 4:30 – 5:30pm)

In-person Young Authors Conference, March 18, 2022, May 24-27, 2022

SBC's In-Person Young Authors Conference (YAC) is a one-day field trip for students in grades 4-8 that takes place at Bethel University in March and May. Students attend a keynote and three breakout sessions and learn from and write with over 25 Minnesota authors and professional writers!

Breakout sessions are engaging, interactive, and informative. A variety of topics are offered, including poetry, journalism, spoken word, short stories, memoir, playwriting, songwriting, and more. Live music, open mic, and a book fair are also a part of this celebration of writing! Students take with them new strategies, skills, and inspiration to help them become better writers.

Learn about our keynotes!

Register today!

Student writing in a notebook. Young Authors Conference 2022.

Creativity Festival & CreativeCon return!

Get ready to dance, paint, and engineer in March 2022

Creativity Festival and CreativeCon dates - March 8, 9, and 10, 2022 at the Univeristy of Minnesota Ted Mann Concert Hall

Be a part of this exciting day that brings students together with STEM and arts professionals! SBC's Creativity Festival (for grades 3-5) and CreativeCon (for grades 5-8) will grow your students’ creativity, strengthen their problem-solving skills, and ignite their imagination. Students attend three outstanding breakout sessions and a dynamic opening performance.

Learn more and register!

Students participating in Tales of India session

Students participating in Indonesian music session

Metro Area Regional Spelling Bee - Register by December 31, 2021!

The 6th Annual Metro ECSU Regional Spelling Bee will take place on March 15, 2022, at the Fridley High School Complex, 6000 West Moore Lake Drive, Fridley, MN 55432.

We are planning for an in-person competition for school champions, but will base our final decision on format in accordance with public health guidelines closer to our regional bee date. If we are unable to host our event in-person, we will once again use the Scripps online format. Whether our bee is held in-person, or virtually, the champion of our local competition will represent our region in the 2022 Scripps National Spelling Bee. Bee week will take place Memorial Day week at the Gaylord National Resort & Convention Center in the Washington, D.C. area.

Make sure to register your school at spellingbee.com. Once again, Scripps will honor the $175 enrollment fee with no price increase through the final registration deadline of December 31, 2021!

Questions? Contact Angela Skrade at 612-638-1528 or

angela.skrade@metroecsu.org

We are pleased to continue providing this fantastic opportunity to metro area students!

Bianca Virnig and Metro ECSU's Health & Safety Program recognized for their outstanding work

On the afternoon of Saturday, November 6^th, a youth COVID-19 vaccine clinic was held in partnership with Dakota Child and Family and Community Care Clinics of Minnesota at Easter by the Lake in Eagan. Over 600 students from ages 5-11 were vaccinated and 36 adults received boosters.

This event was very child-friendly with volunteers in costume, balloons, and a photo booth. The community provided donations for door prizes, snacks for volunteers, Clorox wipes, cleaning supplies, and small rewards for each child.

"This was an excellent grassroots partnership with community organizations, parents, and Metro ECSU," said Bianca Virnig, Facilities and Environmental Health & Safety Specialist. "We engaged several community partners to target underserved populations. Over 70 people volunteered to help and we had 18 vaccinators. Drive through vaccine services and private vaccination spaces were provided as well."

Metro ECSU is working with other local community health clinics to offer additional COVID-19 vaccine clinics this fall and winter.

Photo of students and parent after they receive their first Covid-19 vaccine

Photo booth for students who received their first COVID-19 vaccine at the November clinic!

Save the dates!

Registered Unlicensed Electrical training sessions will be held virtually on January 10, 2022 and April 11, 2022.

Learn more and register.

Interested in joining Metro ECSU's Health & Safety/Building Management Assistance Program?

Contact Bianca Virnig, Facilities and Environmental Health & Safety Specialist, at 612-638-1512 or bianca.virnig@metroecsu.org

OSHA COVID-19 Vaccinations and Testing

The ETS on Vaccination and Testing was officially filed in the Office of the Federal Register on November 4, 2021, and it became effective when it was published on November 5, 2021. Written comments on any aspect of the ETS must be submitted by December 6, 2021 in Docket number OSHA-2021-0007. Written comments on the information collection determination as described in V.K. of the ETS preamble [2021-23643] must be submitted by January 4, 2022 in Docket number OSHA-2021-0008. Find information on the COVID-19 Healthcare ETS or on Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19).

Currently, there is a stay order in the courts. This information is subject to change.

OSHA COVID-19 Vaccinations and Testing

Currently, there is a stay order in the courts. This information is subject to change.

Coming in January: Metro ECSU's 2022 Book Study for K-12 Educators

We Got This book cover by Cornelius Minor

Virtual book club meetings will held on January 11, 18, 25 and February 1 from 4:00-5:15pm.

In We Got This: Equity, Access, and the Quest to Be Who Our Students Need Us to Be, Cornelius Minor challenges the trope of the lone teacher saving the world one child at a time, and instead shows readers that what makes teachers “heroic” is their willingness and ability to authentically listen to kids. It is through authentic listening that teachers can, both individually and collectively, make powerful moves toward equity and work to disrupt oppressive systems.

Each chapter lays out not only the why, but also provides tools and strategies to help teachers get to the how:

Learn how to plan and revise lessons to ensure access and equity
Investigate ways to look anew at explicit and tacit rules that consistently affect groups of students unequally
Review suggestions for leaning into classroom community when it feels like the kids are against you
Study ideas for using universal design that make curriculum relevant and accessible
Select advocacy strategies for making classroom and schoolwide changes that expand access to opportunity to your students

This book study will be facilitated by Martina Wagner, Ed.D.

Download flyer

Register today!

Dr. Martina Wagner has a background in serving English Language Learners that has spanned over twenty years in grades pre-K through adult education. Her professional passions and expertise include best practice and programming for ELs, Sheltered Instruction (SIOP®), Co-teaching, Special Education Identifications of ELs, WIDA assessments, and English Language Learning assessments and data.

Metro ECSU welcomes Brandy Johanson Sebera!

Brandy Johanson Sebera joined Metro ECSU this fall as the new Family Engagement Coordinator for the MN DeafBlind Project. Brandy lives in the Mankato area with her husband and their four energetic children.

Brandy's undergraduate degree is in Community Psychology, and she holds a Master’s degree in Special Education. Brandy has worked with children with complex needs, including deaf-blindness, and their families 10 years.

"I fell in love with this population of students and dedicated myself to finding continuing education in the areas of visual impairments, cortical visual impairments, and deafblindness to ensure I was providing the best educational programming possible," said Brandy.

One of Brandy's roles was working as a homebound instructor with students who were unable to attend school for a variety of reasons.

"This gave me a unique opportunity to work closely with families within their own homes," said Brandy. "I was able to see firsthand the challenges and successes that families experienced with their children. I developed so much respect, appreciation and empathy for these families and their advocacy for their children."

Before coming to Metro ECSU, Brandy worked with the South Dakota DeafBlind Project in the role of Program Instructor. Brandy worked in collaboration with the National Center on DeafBlindness (NCDB) to develop a Concentration in DeafBlindness series of graduate courses offered through the University of South Dakota. These four 3-credit graduate courses are available nationally; Brandy developed and teaches the first two courses. In addition, Brandy is also facilitating a National DeafBlind Educator Network Community of Practice through NCDB.

"I am thrilled to be joining the MN DeafBlind Team and Metro ECSU! I am ready to work hard to support and empower families and their children, said Brandy. "I am excited to meet you all and look forward to future collaborations."

You can reach Brandy at brandy.johanson.sebera@metroecsu.org or 612-638-1505.

Props to Our Profs!

As ECSE "as we knew it" returns across MN, professional development "as we knew it" hasn’t seen quite the same re-iteration. As Professional Development Facilitators (PDFs) evolve to connect, support, and empower leaders/programs, in-person and virtually, we continue to reﬁne and grow from “as we knew it”. By tapping into the following national experts, we are reﬂecting on our own understanding of evidence-based practices (EBPs) as well as bringing our regional questions and concerns to the table.

Phil Strain, Ph.D. University of Colorado, offers expertise around inclusive preschool options, comprehensive services for young children with autism, and prevention and intervention for children with challenging behaviors. Dr. Strain is a consultant for the Pyramid Model Innovation and is a collaborator on 21-22 PDF-supported pop-up PD events as well as Prevent-Teach-Reinforce for Young Children (PTR-YC) case studies.

Lillian Durán, Ph.D. University of Oregon, offers expertise around improving instructional and assessment practices with preschool-aged dual language learners (DLLs). Dr. Duran is a valued cultural and linguistic consultant to MNCoE, most recently providing feedback and recommendations for the Evidence-Based Quality Intervention Practices (EQIP) Innovation training content in these areas.

Dathan D. Rush, Ed.D., Director of the Family, Infant and Preschool Program (FIPP) in North Carolina, offers consultation around coaching in early childhood and the use of a primary service provider approach to teaming. He has been a frequent resource for the EQIP Innovation. In 21-22, he is facilitating video review and coaching of PDFs speciﬁc to the implementation of the Primary Coach Approach to teaming in MN.

M’Lisa Shelden, PT, Ph.D. Wichita State University, former Director/Researcher of FIPP, works alongside Dr. Rush in providing ongoing technical assistance to EQIP as it evolves. In 21-22, she is teaming with Dr. Rush on the above-mentioned PD as well as having recently provided an all day interactive and reﬂective training event to EI teams and their PDFs.

Whether it’s updating PD content to authentically reﬂect cultural and linguistic considerations, collaborating on pop-up PD sessions for those short on time, or engaging in our own research-to-practice learning, PDFs love our higher education connections!

For more information visit https://mncoe.org/mncoe/index.htm

Over 100M Procured Over the CPC Contract in FY20

Cooperative Purchasing Connection (CPC), the award-winning procurement service of Metro ECSU and 7 other Minnesota Service Cooperatives, works hard to be the go-to purchasing vehicle for Minnesota education communities, municipalities, and nonprofit organizations. Over the past several years CPC has developed an extensive portfolio of facilities and grounds, instructional resources, and office supply contracts as well as the thriving eProcurement marketplace, Express.

Now, for the first time, over 100 million dollars was procured using the CPC Contract in a single fiscal year! Reaching this milestone has inspired the CPC Team to continue innovating and looking for new ways to serve Minnesota’s education, municipal, and nonprofit communities while also continuing to deliver the exceptional level of service that members have come to expect from CPC over the years.

For more information on the CPC Contract offerings, visit www.PurchasingConnection.org.

Cooperative Purchasing Connection product logos

Metro ECSU wishes you a healthy and joyful holiday season! See you in 2022!

edNews is a quarterly publication of the Metro ECSU.

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Subject: Metro ECSU's edNews - December 2021❄️