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| September 2016, Vol. 24, No. 1
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| Echoes and
Reflections: Elie Wiesel’s Night - Workshop offered September
29 |
| A workshop designed to support educators when teaching Elie
Wiesel’s memoir Night will be offered at Metro
ECSU on September 29, 2016.
Presented by Echoes and Reflections, this workshop will provide
the materials and strategies available to effectively teach the memoir, as well
as additional background materials about the Holocaust that can be integrated
into instruction. Teachers will learn strategies to help students make
connections with the past and gain relevant insight into human dilemmas and
difficult social challenges they face today.
Echoes and Reflections is a comprehensive Holocaust education program that delivers professional development and a variety of resources for middle and
high school educators. For more information or to register: http://www.metroecsu.org/registration/events |
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New! Math Consultants Available for Elementary and Secondary Support
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| Metro ECSU is excited to announce that two new math
specialists, Barb Everhart and Deb Rykken, are available to schools for onsite consulting and workshops.
Barb Everhart can support secondary educators as they navigate rigorous math
curriculum and work to meet the needs of different students. She
will provide coaching, mentoring, and curriculum support as well as
professional development opportunities related to equity, data analysis,
formative assessment and more. Barb was an educator in the Minneapolis Public Schools from
1990 to 2014. She began her own consulting business in 2015 and is working
with several school districts.
Deb Rykken specializes in supporting elementary educators. She brings 30+ years of mathematics education experience,
including mathematics curriculum facilitation and instructional coaching. Deb's professional experiences include Region 11 Math and Science
Teacher Academy Partnership facilitator, presenter and presider at MCTM
conferences, a planning member of the Mathematics Math Leaders networking
meetings, and a Fellow at the Science Museum of Minnesota providing professional
development for STEM leaders.
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| | MPA Presents Principal Baruti Kafele on October 5
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Metropolitan Principals’ Academy presents Closing the Attitude Gap: Fire Up Students
to Strive for Success with Principal Baruti Kafele on October 5, 2016. Two
sessions are offered, morning and afternoon.
Principal Kafele is one of the most sought after speakers for transforming the attitudes of at-risk student populations in America. A highly regarded urban public school educator in New Jersey for nearly 30
years, Baruti K. Kafele has distinguished himself both as a classroom teacher and as a school principal.
Principal Kafele asserts that the
achievement gap is a consequence of the failure to adequately address what he
calls the "Attitude Gap" (the gap
between those students who have the will to strive for academic excellence and
those who do not) that persists in American classrooms. Kafele provide
strategies for closing the attitude gap, including creating a climate and
culture of motivation, intentional excellence, and meaningful relationships with students.
For more information or to register, visit: http://www.metroecsu.org/registration/events
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| Mark your Calendar!
Metropolitan Principals’ Academy 2016-2017 programs:
- Closing the Attitude Gap: Fire Up Students to Strive for
Success with Baruti Kafele, October 5, 2016
- Leading in a Digital Age: Not How, Why with George Couros,
January 11, 2017
- Dealing with Difficult Teachers with Todd Whittaker,
February 22, 2017
Registration is open for all events.
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| | | | 6th-8th Graders are Invited to Experience why Creativity Matters
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| What: SBC's CreativeCon
When:
November 29, 30, December 1, 2, 2016
Where:
Science Museum of Minnesota (SMM)
Why: It's challenging, fun, and invigorating!
Who: 6th-8th graders
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CREATIVECON SNEAK PEEK:
Poetry & Spoken Word—Award winning author, Ed Bok Lee will captivate and inspire
students as a poet, playwright, and storyteller.
Cell Lab (SMM)—Explore the mysteries of the human body and microbes armed
with a microscope and expert guidance of museum staff.
Beatboxing—Terrell Woods, known as a “human beatboxer” in some
circles, shares his love for “the fifth element” of hip-hop that is all about vocal
percussion.
Political Cartooning—What better time than 2016 to study the art of political
cartooning with artist Harvey Pulver who is dedicated to speaking his mind
about things that matter.
Sci Fi Science (SMM)—Enter the world of science fiction science and the Star
Wars Universe with museum staff in a session focusing on holograms. Learn how
holograms are used in films and make a hologram viewer.
Additional Sessions to be Announced...
SBC's newly
configured CreativeCon is an event for 6th through 8th graders.
Students will expand and apply
critical thinking, engage in creative and alternative problem solving, and take
part in conversations on where and how creativity, arts, and STEM meet.
Students attend three interactive breakout sessions and will have time to
explore the Science Museum.
Learn more and register at:
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| | Experience the Transformative Power of Writing at SBC's 27th Annual Young Authors Conference
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| | Students in grades
4-8 are invited on March 16, 2017 or during the week of May 30 to June
2, 2017 to join us at the 27th annual Young
Authors Conference (YAC).
This year’s theme, Mirrors
and Doors, offers young writers an inside view of the transformative
power of writing. During their time at YAC, students will explore the many ways
writing acts as a mirror and a door -- by reflecting who we are in a way that
validates our story and by channeling us beyond our world into other worlds,
cultures, and experiences.
During this one-day
conference, the keynote address and hands-on breakout sessions led by published
authors, illustrators, journalists, filmmakers, poets, playwrights and more
will propel students to consider the potential of their own writing in new and
powerful ways.
From an educator who attended YAC in 2016:
The Young Authors
Conference shows students real life professionals who actually write for a career;
it helps kids realize that writing is real and why it is important in the real
world.
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| March 17 Keynote: Daniel Bergin
Young Authors Conference keynote speaker, filmmaker and Emmy
award winning writer/producer for Twin Cities PBS, Daniel Pierce Bergin, will
describe how writing for media offers exceptional opportunities to create
affirming mirrors for many audiences and doorways to other times, people, and
places. Bergin explains, “The literary metaphor Mirrors and Doors, is
uniquely suited to writing film and television because media offers unique
reflections and can create engaging, immersive ‘doorways’ into other worlds.”
Registration information for March YAC:
http://www.successbeyond.org/YAC_registration.html |
| May 30 - June 2 Keynote: Lea B. Olson
A nationally recognized sports journalist is only one of the
notorieties bestowed on keynote, Lea B. Olsen. Throughout her career in sports
broadcasting, Lea has tackled the roles of sideline reporter, sports analyst,
pre and post-game host, and ceremonial emcee. As a writer and producer, Lea has
assembled a collection of feature stories on extraordinary athletes at all
levels of competition. More recently Lea B. Olsen has parlayed her life-long
accomplishments in sport to public speaking with a focus on helping young women
find their voice and own their stories.
At YAC, Ms. Olsen will encourage our young writers to use their voices
as mirrors and doors highlighting the many opportunities available to writers
to bring their stories and the stories of other cultures and people to life.
Registration information for May/June YAC:
http://www.successbeyond.org/YAC_registration.html |
| | The Impact of STEMLink 2016...and Looking Forward to 2017!
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| In May, 900 fifth and sixth
grade students stormed the campuses of Century College and Normandale Community
College to discover and explore STEM careers in a college
setting. Students attended hands-on sessions in college labs led by college
faculty and other professionals from the STEM fields. How did students feel
about their experiences at STEMLink? |
| According to student evaluations, STEMLink inspired 94% of students to be more excited about
STEM.
In their own words:
- I’m going to start exploring more science and technology.
- I’m
going to research more opportunities for me that include math & science.
- I’m going to take
advanced science in 8th grade.
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| 97% of students said they were provided with real-world examples of STEM
work and workers.
- I liked learning about careers.
- They all [the sessions] helped me
understand things I can do with science, math, technology & engineering.
- STEMLink taught me what I can expect for my
future!
- It was really cool to see all the options for jobs I could
have in the future.
- I learned something
new in all my classes!
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| 94% of students now understand how. studying science and math can lead to exciting STEM careers
- It made me think about how I can help the world.
- I’m going to work harder in my classes so I
can get a good career.
Learn about the registration process for STEMLink 2017:
http://www.successbeyond.org/STEMlink_registration.html |
| | New to Knowledge Bowl? Bring a team to the Middle Grade KB Kickoff for Free!
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| Prepare your inspiring acceptance speech and practice your gracious loser face
in the mirror... We're rolling out the Middle Grades Knowledge Bowl Red Carpet Kick-Off!
Students in grades 6-8 are invited to compete in a full night of rigorous Knowledge Bowl
academic competition with awards for the top 5 placing teams and costume
contest for the Best Actor, Best Actress, Best Entourage, and Best Rebel.
New to Knowledge Bowl? Register a team free of charge and
see why 122 teams from 34 metro schools participate in Knowledge Bowl.
Red Carpet Kick-Off Dates/Locations:
- Thursday, November 10 at St. Anthony Village Middle School
- Tuesday, November 15 at Lake Harriet Upper School
Registration is open!
Learn more about MGKB. |
| | Senior High Knowledge Bowl - Teamwork, Triumph, and Pizza
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| Senior High Knowledge Bowl registration is open!
All metro high school students are invited to play. Over 120 teams from 30+
high schools participate from Hastings to Waconia, St. Francis to Prior Lake—get in on the fun!
Meets take place in the evening at high schools
around the Twin Cities (Prior Lake, Richfield, Blaine, South St. Paul, and
more). Meets consist of a Written Round and four Oral Rounds. There are three
regular season meets and two post season meets for teams that qualify.
Pictured above are the four metro teams that
placed in the top five at the 2016 state meet.
This
year the top 6 teams in the Metro will get a chance to battle their wits
against the best of the best in Minnesota at the State Meet at Cragun’s Resort
in Brainerd, MN on April 6 and 7, 2017.
KB is an excellent opportunity for students to meet competitors from all over the
region and test their smarts and chops against the brains of hundreds of other
high schoolers. Also, there’s pizza!
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| | Calling all Future Engineers! Explore the Power of Public Space while Participating in the Future City Competition
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| Registration for
the 2016-17 Future City Competition is open! Sixth through eighth grade
students will work together in teams on five different deliverables and present
their city models to local engineers at the Minnesota Regional Future City
Competition at Dunwoody Community College in Minneapolis on January 21, 2017.
This year’s theme is The Power of Public Space. The
challenge is to include in your future city a distributed network of
innovative, multiuse public spaces that serves your city’s diverse population.
Research resources for this topic are ample; the document found here
is a great starting point provided by the National Future City Competition.
Follow the Minnesota Regional Future City twitter at @FCCMN for some local examples and
anecdotes about public spaces in Minnesota. The National Future City Facebook page posts
helpful and interesting articles as well. Public, private, and home schools, as well as organized
youth groups (Boy Scouts, Girl Scouts, 4-H, Boys & Girls Club, etc.) in
Minnesota and the Dakotas, are welcome to form teams and compete in Future City
at Dunwoody Community College in January. The registration fee is only $25. For
more information and to register, please visit: www.futurecity.org/Minnesota
The winning team of the 2017 Minnesota Regional Future City competition is awarded a
trip for a team of three students, a mentor, and a teacher to participate in
the National Future City Competition in Washington, DC.
Pictured below: 2016 Minnesota Regional Future City Winners, city of Parapluie from Olson
Middle School in Bloomington, MN.
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| | | Michael Perry, 2016 YAC Keynote, Gives an Amazing Testament to the Event
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| Michael Perry gave kudos to the young writers who attended YAC in May:
"I gave my address four mornings in a row. Each day I looked out and saw
hundreds and hundreds of engaged, attentive, bright-eyed children of all
colors and creeds. That is not a slogan, that is not a hope, that is a
fact. Their energy and their intelligence were a live force in the room.
It was my privilege to be among them."
Read Michael Perry's enitre blog post
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| | SIM Strategies for Literacy ONLINE:
The Self-Questioning Strategy for Reading Comprehension
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| | Metro ECSU is offering a new SIM Strategies for Literacy
series online beginning October 11, 2016. SIM is an academic performance
intervention that has been shown to have positive impact on student literacy.
All that is needed to participate is a personal computer and an Internet
connection.
The Self-Questioning Strategy (for students grade 3-12)
Self-Questioning helps students understand any type of
reading passage through a questioning process. This motivating strategy helps
students create questions about reading passages, predict the answers, and
search for the answers as they read. Students’ reading comprehension improves as they learn to
actively engage with the text. A manual to guide teachers using the strategy
will be provided along with many practical examples and materials.
Schedule
Sessions will be held virtually 4 times on Tuesdays at 3:30
-5:30 p.m. All you need is a personal computer with internet access. If a
session is missed, teachers can access a recording (captioning available). Live
broadcast dates are: Oct 11, Nov 1, Nov 15, & Dec 6. The registration
deadline is September 30, 2016.
Register at: www.metroecsu.org/registration/Events For more details, follow this link
Questions?
Program Contact: Cathy Macdonald
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| | | Centers of Excellence Updates |
| The Centers of Excellence for Young Children with Disabilities works with local districts
to support, connect, and empower Early Childhood Special Education (ECSE) Leaders. In Region 11, a series of Community Conversations have been held to provide an opportunity for ECSE leaders to connect and learn from each other. Three Community Conversations have focused on increasing and strengthening inclusion settings for young children with disabilities.
Inclusion is not new. However, nationally, the number of young children receiving services in inclusion settings has increased only 5% during the past 25 years to 42.5%. Research has shown:
- All young children benefit attending early childhood settings together.
- Children with disabilities can be effectively educated in inclusive programs using specialized instruction.
- Families of all children generally have positive views of inclusion.
- Inclusion is not more expensive.
- Children do not need to be “ready” to participate in inclusion settings with same-age peers.
Community Conversations have focused on the different ways districts structure, staff, and support early education programs. Attendees also discuss parameters for high quality programs. Serving children together in the same classroom is the starting point, but the overall goal is to provide classrooms environments for all students which foster:
- A sense of belonging and membership,
- Positive social relationships and friendships, and
- Development and learning to reach their full potential.
The next Community Conversation on Inclusion is scheduled for September 28 and will
provide an opportunity for of Early Childhood Special Education Leaders and their Early
Childhood Partners to team and to plan ways to strengthen and increase inclusion options for all children.
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