Welcome back!Welcome back from April Break. I hope you had time to rest and rejuvenate. I know there were a number of student field trips over break and we can't wait to hear about their world adventures. The next few months of the school year bring with it an increased hub of activities for our students, and for us. Be sure to enjoy those joyful moments where our students are able to show how much they learned, accomplished, and grew this year. --Maureen Tuesday is School bus driver Appreciation dayPlease give a shout out and high five to our school bus drivers who are up before the break of dawn an with our students on their late evening commutes. We appreciate you! Wednesday is Administrative professionals DayBe sure to give all of our incredible administrative professionals some love this Wednesday. Thanks for keeping our buildings running! MuRSD Multicultural NightOn Thursday, May 9th from 5:30pm to 7:30pm MURSD will be hosting our annual Multicultural Night at Nipmuc. This is a fun celebration of the rich diversity of our school community. At this event we have student performances, tables featuring country and culture-themed activities, highlights from student travel within the district, food trucks and more. If you are interested in leading a student group to perform at the event or participate in another way, please contact Meagan Pike at [email protected]. If you are interested in hosting a table to share something special about your own culture fill out this Google Form, or share it with students who would like to participate. BVEF Grants OpenThe Blackstone Valley Education Foundation is pleased to announce the opening of the 2024-2025 School Grant Program application cycle for all of the member districts for which the Foundation serves. School districts with membership to the Blackstone Valley Education foundation are invited to encourage their faculty, administrators, and counselors to submit a proposal for funding under one of our four grant opportunities. The BVEF School Grant Program is made possible by contributions from local businesses that have a strong commitment to education within the Blackstone Valley and to the mission of the Blackstone Valley Education Foundation. Important Dates: April 8th - School Grant Program Application Opens May 10th - School Grant Program Application Closes June 3rd - School Grant Program Decision Notification Applicants are encouraged to reach out with any questions concerning the program or application prior to submitting their proposal. Please take note of the budget information requirements listed on the application as well as the guidelines for each category of grant opportunities. The grant opportunities are as follows: *UniBank Enrichment Grant - Grant proposals focused on creating enriching learning activities that extend beyond the traditional classroom. *BVCC Community Education / Transportation Grant - Grant proposals focused on career-oriented field trips which allow students to enhance their awareness of career opportunities. *BVEF Innovative Academic Grant - Grant proposals focused on ONE or more of the following:
Please use the following link to complete this year's application: 2024-2025 BVEF School Grant Program Application Summer curriculum projectsWe are seeking proposals from MURSD educators for paid summer curriculum projects for summer 2024. Projects will be selected based on how the project aligns to the District's goals and objectives of the Strategic Plan, School Improvement Plans, and other relevant factors. Priority will be given to collaborative projects with principal endorsement focused on the following areas:
--Cheryl Ed Tech Teacher Summer LearningWe're excited to share some news with you regarding our upcoming professional development offerings. Summer is nearly upon us, and we're thrilled to announce the return of the EdTechTeacher Summer Learning Pass for 2024! Following the resounding success of last year's program, we've curated an even more dynamic lineup of learning opportunities tailored to educators like yourself. With the EdTechTeacher Summer Learning Pass, educators will enjoy access to ALL workshops scheduled throughout the summer with just one membership! Over the span of six weeks, we will be hosting over 24 engaging workshops, each featuring three live one-hour webinars accompanied by a plethora of valuable resources. Additionally, be sure to keep an eye out for our special one-day seminars designed to provide intensive learning experiences. Workshops topics include topics on: Differentiation, Accessibility and UDL, Creativity and Authentic Student Projects, Artificial Intelligence (AI) in Education (a variety of topics), App-Specific Sessions on Google for Education, Adobe Express, Kami, Minecraft, Magic School, Eduaide, Gamma, EverWrite (By Newsela), Formative and more!, Stem for Elementary Teachers, Digital Portfolios, Research and Writing and more. All the information is listed here. Ready to immerse yourself in an enriching summer of growth and discovery? Simply click the link below to secure your pass and reserve your spot: REGISTER Curriculum Mapping Learning and resourcesWe heard from several departments that folks need a little refreshers with our curriculum mapping software, ATLAS. We want you to know that the platform has several self-serve, asynchronous webinars that will help you familiarize yourself with the system and the basics of curriculum mapping. Log onto ATLAS and click on the "learn" link to be brought to the webinars. As folks start to think about capturing the amazing things they did this year, ATLAS is a great place to do it. It links with Google Drive and enables all of the folks on your team to map out resources and lesson plans together. Reach out to Cheryl or Brittany if you have any trouble accessing these resources. Additionally, there is a great library of videos on our website reminding folks about the stages of curriculum mapping using the Understanding by Design (UbD) framework. Department Chairs and Curriculum Assistants are encouraged to refresh your understanding of these concepts as we prepare to re-establish curriculum review cycles. Primary Source Summer Learning OpportunitiesPrimary Source has announced its summer learning offerings for 2024. Access their flyer here. Although Primary Source tends to focus on history themes mostly, there are some offerings that might be interesting to a broader audience: Catch the Magic: New & Notable Global Books for Middle & Teen Readers, Engaging Culturally & Linguistically Diverse Students & Families (Elementary and Secondary), and Preparing Students to be Global Citizens (Right in line with our POL Competencies). Control Google Slides with your phoneDo you use Google Slides in your classroom? Do you find you are tied to your computer to advance your slides? Do you want an easier way to control your Google Slides without having to stand next to your computer? Check out this video to learn how you can control your slides with your cell phone or an iPad. This Chrome Extension will save you so much time! laughter is the best medicine
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Multicultural NightOn Thursday, May 9th from 5:30pm to 7:30pm MURSD will be hosting our annual Multicultural Night at Nipmuc. This is a fun celebration of the rich diversity of our school community. At this event we have student performances, tables featuring country and culture-themed activities, highlights from student travel within the district, food trucks and more. If you are interested in leading a student group to perform at the event or participate in another way, please contact Meagan Pike at [email protected]. If you are interested in hosting a table to share something special about your own culture fill out this Google Form, or share it with students who would like to participate. HOMEWORK GUIDELINESWith the April vacation coming up soon, this is a friendly reminder to review our district homework guidelines, in particular, related to no homework over vacation and references to religious holidays listed below from our guidelines. If you haven't read through our district guidelines, please do so.
Blackstone Valley job FairLet your friends know, MURSD will be represented at the Blackstone Valley Job Fair being held at Milford High School from 4:30-6:30 on Tuesday, April 9th. MURSD educators are often our best networkers, so tell folks who might be interested in joining the team to stop by. summer curriculum ProjectsWe are looking ahead to the summer and will be seeking proposals from MURSD educators for summer curriculum projects for summer 2024. Projects will be selected based on how the project aligns to the District's goals and objectives of the Strategic Plan, School Improvement Plans, and other relevant factors. A high priority will be placed on continuing to realign new curriculum to grade-level standards, developing common, formative assessments, creating sharable resources that can support inclusion in general education classrooms, and developing deeper, authentic learning opportunities (project-based learning, activities that develop our portrait of a learner, etc.) that can be embedded into existing curriculum. Priority will be given to collaborative projects and all projects must have principal endorsement. We will post a form after April break that you can fill out to have your project considered, but we wanted to put this on your radar now to enable you to start thinking about this and discussing your ideas with your principals. --Cheryl Unlocking english learners' potential - meeting ThursdayOur district book study of Unlocking English Learners' Potential continues on THURSDAY from 4:00-5:00 with a third (optional) book discussion. We've included these as ways for folks who like to discuss the book to get together, but changed the date from Monday so as not to conflict with the eclipse. We're looking forward to focusing on Chapters 3 and 9. --Cheryl Curriculum mapping refresherWe heard from several departments that folks need a little refreshers with our curriculum mapping software, ATLAS. We want you to know that the platform has several self-serve, asynchronous webinars that will help you familiarize yourself with the system and the basics of curriculum mapping. Log onto ATLAS and click on the "learn" link to be brought to the webinars. As folks start to think about capturing the amazing things they did this year, ATLAS is a great place to do it. It links with Google Drive and enables all of the folks on your team to map out resources and lesson plans together. Reach out to Cheryl or Brittany if you have any trouble accessing these resources. TEaching about the solar eclipesAre you looking for some lessons to teach about the solar eclipse? Here are some different sites and blogs to help you. As you know the Solar Eclipse is happening on 4.8.24! To get ready for the day this blog post has 4 different solar eclipse themed activities you can do with your class. You could try a digital breakout, play a game, create a stop motion video or write a myth. Most important is to go out and observe the eclipse on the big day if you can! Edweek put out this article about the solar eclipse to provide important information as well as some additional ideas for your classroom. PBS Learning Media and this resource will provide you with additional tools to teach about the eclipse. Virtual Field Trips You Can take today!Would you like to take your students on a field trip? Check out these 9 different virtual field trips you can with your students. https://classtechtips.com/2024/02/28/spring-virtual-field-trips/. Journey to Washington State to check out tulips, enjoy the national parks, listen to the symphony or even make your way through the rainforest! Laughter is the best medicineTime to celebratePlease join us in celebrating our assistant principals, paraprofessionals, ABA Techs and school librarian's this week! Spread the word - inclusionThis idea, submitted by another Miscoe teacher, is focused on creating inclusive environments through belonging and kindness: "The 5th grade has been using the videos from Steve Hartman's Kindess 101. Each 5 minute video teaches a lesson or message in Kindness. Each Kindness 101 lesson follows the same format. The videos are hosted by Steve's own two children who begin each show by introducing a topic/concept through a vocabulary word (character trait) and its definition. There is always a life connection or example discussed, followed by a special feature video on someone who has demonstrated this "character trait" in the real world. The video concludes with Steve and his children reflecting on the person who was spotlighted. CBS Morning News anchors end the show by recapping Steve's lesson. My personal goal is to have 5th grade students at Miscoe recreate their own Kindness 101 video following the same format by connecting with the community to spotlight local people who are demonstrating strong "character traits" - PBL-style, letting students lead the way." WOW! What a cool personal goal. What else do you have, MURSD?!? Share your ideas here. --Cheryl Deeper Learning - Authenticity
Technology TipsAi Tool for TeachersTwee is the ultimate AI tool for teacher efficiency, and it’s currently free! Generate a whole slew of content and resources for you and your students. Twee offers the ability to:
AI: Impact on Education - VIRTUAL PANEL DISCUSSIONMassCUE is joining forces with educational organizations from across the commonwealth to offer a virtual panel discussion entitled, AI: Impact on Education. Join us for this free event on April 11 from 7:00-8:30 pm, where we’ll discuss the opportunities and challenges associated with AI in education. Representatives from the Collaborative for Educational Services (CES), the Computer Science Teachers Association (CSTA), the Massachusetts Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development (MASCD), the Massachusetts Educational Technology Administrators Association (METAA), and the Massachusetts School Library Association (MSLA) will join MassCUE to share ideas and highlight some of the work that is being done in educational settings throughout Massachusetts. This event promises to offer fresh perspectives and new voices on these emerging technologies. We’ll talk about what’s happening now and what might be in store for the future of AI in education. Visit the Better Together event page to see a complete list of panelists and moderators for this event. This should be an interesting and informative event. Clever is changingPlease be aware of changes coming to the Clever portal: Your teachers’ portals will switch to the Enhanced Teacher Portal by default the week of April 1. You can switch back to the Classic Teacher Portal until July 2024. To help prepare for the transition to the Enhanced Teacher Portal in July 2024, Clever is making it the default portal so that teachers can get some experience with the improved version before the end of the school year. Here’s what to expect next:
learning walks - observing practice for learningOver the last few weeks you have supported the learning of over 75 teachers from our own district and others by opening your classrooms for learning walks. Whether the focus was on elements of deeper, inclusive learning or co-teaching, educators have benefited by seeing practices in your classrooms that they can consider applying to their own. Thank you to all who have supported learning walks. Last New Teacher Workshop of the year - Tuesday, 4/2Tuesday, April 2nd, educators in their first year will gather for the last time in 23-24. We'll gather at the Miscoe staff room at 3:45. The goal of our last meeting is to reflect and consider how we bring the the positive from this year into year 2. MPY Webinar - best practices for multi-lingual learnersUpRiver Education invites K-12 educators to our comprehensive 5-part webinar series, “Best Practices for Multilingual Learners.” This webinar series will delve into the core principles of the WIDA 2020 framework, exploring its “Four Big Ideas” and the ELD Standards Framework. Participants will gain valuable insights and practical strategies for integrating principles into their teaching or administrative practices, ensuring best outcomes for multilingual learners. Register through your free MPY account. All sessions run from 9:30-11:30. Once you register you will receive the recordings to view when you can. Session 1: April 26th - Introduction to the K-12 English Language Development Framework (WIDA)Session 2: May 10th - Unpacking the 4 Big Ideas: Equity & Integration Session 3: May 17th - Unpacking the 4 Big Ideas: Functional Approach & Collaboration Session 4: May 24th - The ELD Standards Framework: Diving into Language Session 5: June 7th - Action Planning and Implementation Laughter is the best medicineFY2025 BudgetOn last Monday, March 25th the School Committee held it's Open Budget Hearing and voted to approve the proposed FY2025 Budget. If you did not have a chance to view the hearing, I recommend that you take a close look at the presentation materials and in-particular the budget book which provides more explanations. The hearing, as well as all of our budget presentations are available on the MURSD YouTube page. Below is an overview to give you more insight into the budget. Process The regional school budget cycle is an annual and ongoing process. At the beginning of the school year the Superintendent meets with the School Committee, Budget Subcommittee, and respective district and school leaders to establish timelines and parameters for the budget development process. This year we began the budget development process early in the budget cycle in October 2023. At this time district and school leaders sought input from departments and school staff on site-based budgetary priorities. In November and December, the Superintendent, Assistant Superintendent, and Director of Finance and Operations held individual meetings regarding budgetary requests. Beginning in December, budget presentations by departments and schools were provided at each of our School Committee meetings with their initial budget requests. I encouraged all of our schools and departments to come forward with what they feel will be the most important needs, even though we knew that we would not likely be able to meet all of the requests. Throughout the year, the budget subcommittee meets to review current (local and state) revenue and expenditure estimates, provide feedback on budgetary requests, and track year-to-date expenditures. In the months of February and March, with the release of the Governor’s budget and through conversations with town administrators, the district leadership continues to refine the preliminary budget. At the March open budget meeting, the budget is certified and assessments to the towns are communicated. The budget continues to be refined in April-May as the state releases the House and Senate budgets. The local assessments are presented at town meetings in May for town approval. Goals and Guiding Principles in FY2025 Budget Development Our goals for this year's budget are to have continued high quality service and instruction for students. We aim to sustain class sizes, programs, instruction, and services at their current standards. Second, we recognize the ongoing impact of the pandemic and continue to prioritize supporting a comprehensive multi-tiered system of support. Third, we are committed to our strategic priorities and fostering the development of the Portrait of a Learner and will continue to allocate resources for PD, tech integration, and authentic learning experiences. We remain steadfast in our commitment to work collaboratively with town officials in both Mendon and Upton, to provide transparent budget presentations and information, to preserve our current high-quality education, while addressing short and long-term needs, and most importantly to adhere to student-centered decision-making. Budget Prioritization A crucial aspect of the budget prioritization process involves crafting a budget that effectively addresses the critical needs of our students, upholds existing service standards, propels our strategic objectives forward, and ensures compliance with external mandates and regulations. This process unfolds against the backdrop of diminishing state funding and heightened state expectations for localized support, all amid ongoing post-pandemic recovery efforts. This year, we initiate our prioritization process by establishing a baseline focused on maintaining existing services and preserving class sizes and programs. For the FY2025 we are trying to maintain a Level Service Budget. A Level Service Budget maintains existing programs, services, and staffing levels without significant changes or enhancements. It serves as a baseline to sustain current operations, covering essential expenditures such as salaries, utilities, and mandated services. While crucial for maintaining continuity and stability, a Level Service Budget may not adequately address emerging needs or foster innovation within our educational system. Since we have a shortfall in revenue to meet the growing expenditures this year, it is difficult to fill the investment budgetary requests that address all of our growing needs and to make strategic investments. The last two years we were able to implement a partial Needs Based Budget which prioritizes resources to tackle pressing challenges and gaps within our district. A Needs Based Budget identifies areas such as student support services, class size reductions or academic interventions that require immediate attention to enhance student outcomes and well-being. We always aim for a strategic and competitive budget investments that goes beyond sustaining current operations; which aims to elevate the quality of education by investing in increased innovative programs, technological sustainability, infrastructure upgrades, and increased programming options. While some of the investment requests may need to be on hold, we will continue to look for opportunities to address these needs and to advocate in future budgets for a larger influx of community funds when we get to the inflection point where even Level Services are not able to be provided for. We anticipate that the FY2026 budget will require more funding than the current town’s levy capacity, even to maintain level services. Challenges for FY2025 This fiscal year, we are faced with greater fiscal constraints posed by increasing fixed costs, decreasing state aid, and limited local funding. We are not alone in the Commonwealth as many communities are facing large deficits last year and this year as costs are increasing at rates disproportionate to revenue increases, and federal/state grants associated with the pandemic end. Fortunately, in our district over the last few years we have responsibly managed our budget and grant funds to maintain level services and implement gradual needs-based and strategic investments. For example, we did not invest ESSER funds in staffing, knowing that those funds would run out as did many of the other districts who are facing 3-9 million dollar shortfalls as a result. What are the key expenditure drivers for the next school year?
What are the funds available for next school year? 1. State Aid: Unfortunately, at this time we are receiving a decrease in $149,898 in state aid (Chapter 70 funding, transportation reimbursement, charter tuition reimbursement) from the last fiscal year, which is adding to the shortfall this year. 2. Local Aid: both towns have been extremely supportive in providing as much funds as they have available to support the school budget. Mendon is providing $529,765 additional and Upton is providing $357, 805 additional. 3. District Funds: we use $150,000 from our revolving funds and $85,000 from Medicaid Reimbursement to support our budget. Additionally, we have what is called an Excess and Deficiency Fund (E&D) which is similar to a town's free cash account, where unspent funds from the operational budget then can remain in E&D. This fund is meant to be used for one-time emergency reserve, not for supporting the operational budget. We have allocated more from this account the last two years to avoid the need for town overrides. This is the last year we will be able to use as much of E&D as we have to support the budget. We also have School Choice funds that we are applying funds to support the budget and we are increasing use of this for the coming year to avoid staff layoffs. Next steps Our primary goal for this year’s budget is to maintain level services and to identify strategies for reducing the $1 million budget shortfall with minimal impact on any future reductions in staff or services. In order to close the approximately one million gap, it includes some reductions of open positions that have not been filled, using grant funds for operational needs, negotiating health care changes, and using emergency one-time funds. We also have reduced multiple line-item requests Resources Spread the Word - InclusionWe received this idea from a Miscoe Hill teacher who had taken Katie Novak's online class on UDL with another MURSD colleague last summer. They learned about choice boards which provide voice and choice for students as they work toward grade-level standards. In their class they used a choice board to facilitate small group instruction. On her website, Katie Novak also shares some teacher tips on taking choice boards to the next level. Keep your ideas coming about how you and your team are committing to new, inclusive practices as we spread the word about inclusion. Co-Teaching Learning Walks for Elementary TeachersElementary school co-teachers will get an opportunity to participate in learning walks on Tuesday and Thursday of this week form 9:00-12:00. Co-teachers from Clough will visit Memorial on Tuesday, 3/26 and then Memorial Co-teachers will visit Clough on Thursday, 3/28. Coaches Mara Powers and Michele Mercurio will work with folks to debrief and apply what we learn to our own classrooms. --Cheryl Level-based PD Committee meetingsPD Committees at the elementary, middle and high schools will be meeting between now and April vacation to make plans for our last 1/2 day PD day of the year on May 17th. These meetings are open to all who would like to participate. Keep your eyes on your school newsletters or email to learn when your school's PD Committee will be meeting. Additionally, on April 30th, we'll have our next district-wide PD Committee meeting of the year at 3:45 in the Miscoe Hill Staff Room. All are welcome. last new educator workshop - April 2ndTech TipsThe Solar Eclipse is happening on 4.8.24! To get ready for the day this blog post has 4 different solar eclipse themed activities you can do with your class. You could try a digital breakout, play a game, create a stop motion video or write a myth. Most important is to go out and observe the eclipse on the big day if you can! Edweek put out this article about the solar eclipse to provide important information as well as some additional ideas for your classroom. This is an exciting time as the last solar eclipse occurred in 2017. Clever is ChangingPlease be aware of changes coming to the Clever portal: Your teachers’ portals will switch to the Enhanced Teacher Portal by default the week of April 1. You can switch back to the Classic Teacher Portal until July 2024. To help prepare for the transition to the Enhanced Teacher Portal in July 2024, Clever is making it the default portal so that teachers can get some experience with the improved version before the end of the school year. Here’s what to expect next:
Your thouthts are still neededPlease take a moment and fill out this brief form to assist us with examining some of the technology tools you use on a regular basis. This form is important to help us better understand some of the software you are using and how you are using it in your classroom. Laughter is the best medicineThe MURSD journey in the making
Last week, educators at Nipmuc charted their students' journey from 9th grade through 12th grade as part of their efforts to "level up" authentic learning experiences that bring the portrait of a learner (POL) to life for students. As they talked and planned they asked, "How do students consider the POL competencies through authentic learning experiences throughout the district?" Through their acting, writing, figuring, and artistic expression, the answer are all around us. It's exciting to see the different ways educators help students reflect on and develop these competencies over the course of their MURSD journey.
spread the word - Inclusion
This idea came from an educator at Miscoe Hill who says underscores the importance of selecting content that represents ALL of our students. In response to the question, "What is one thing your team is trying to make your classroom more accessible and inclusive?" this educator writes that the team was inspired by #classroombookaday and adds, "The books we read show students of all races, abilities, and ethnicity that ALL are WELCOME here." #Classroombookaday is a concept that can even be applied to all levels in a way that quickly introduces important themes and concepts in ways that all can access. Here's a video blog that explains it a bit (watch the first 10 min).
Help us spread the word about inclusion by sharing your/your teams' idea about what you are doing here. --Cheryl
ramadan
Ramadan began March 10 and extends to April 9. As stated in this resource, it is important to know how it may impact the spiritual and physical needs and abilities of students (remembering not all families observe or celebrate in the same ways). Please keep this in mind over the next several weeks.
mursd book study - Virtual meeting March 20th
Our district-wide book study of Unlocking English learners' Potential will be meeting for one of our optional, join-from-your-home conversations about concepts in the book, and connecting them with ideas from each other and available resources. For this conversation we will welcome one of our amazing EL teachers, Kim Lopes, who has assembled some amazing curriculum accommodation resources for address the needs of ELs. Looking forward to seeing folks --Cheryl
learning walks for new educators - thank you!!
Today and Wednesday our district will be visited by over 50 new educators from our partner districts Ashland and Milford. These folks will observe many of you teaching, and then come back to reflect on how they might be able to adapt the incredible things they see into their own practice. We have offered Learning Walks for new educators for years through this partnership and we consistently get feedback that it is some of the best PD these educators get. It is all thanks to you!! Your classrooms are where the magic happens, and your willingness to open your doors so other teachers can learn is an incredible gift. Many, many thanks!! --Cheryl
Elementary co-teaching learning walks
Next week on March 26th and 28th we will host learning walks for co-teaching pairs at our elementary schools. Co-teachers will get to observe other co-teachng classrooms and then have a chance to debrief and consider how to bring ideas they saw into their own classrooms.
inclusive schooling summit
You are invited to register for a 2-day online summit next week, streamed from Australia on March 27th and 28th. Register here by March 22nd for free access to live speakers beginning at 9:00 a.m. (7:00 p.m. our time) and 72-hour asynchronous access after the event. Consider choosing this over Netflix on 3/27 & 3/28!
How to organize your Google Drive
Our Google Drive can get out of control very quickly! Is yours looking like a disaster? Want to learn some tips to help you organize? Let's Marie Kondo your Google Drive! I put together these slides to provide you with some tips to get you started. Good Luck! ☘️
Do you like to listen to podcasts? I definitely do and one of my favorites is Shukes and Giff. What I like about this podcast, besides being only 30 minutes, are the quick tech tips I learn. The podcast has changed through the years, initially recorded by two women Jen Giffen and Kim Pollishuke but now it is just hosted by Jen Giffen. Even with the change to one host the information is quick, easy to apply/learn and informative. Give it a go https://www.shukesandgiff.com/ Wordle Addict?
Are you a Wordle addict? Do you wake up every morning, complete the Wordle for the day, and share it with your friends? Have you tried the new game https://www.nytimes.com/games/connections? Fair warning its addictive. You can also make a Connections game for your students with Canva. These two games are examples you can use to set up your own Connections game.
Please take a moment and fill out this brief form to assist us with examining some of the technology tools you use on a regular basis. This form is important to help us better understand some of the software you are using and how you are using it in your classroom.
laughter is the best medicinefor inspirationSpring ahead
As we "Spring Ahead" Daylight Savings Time, I certainly was thrilled to start feeling slightly warmer temps and enjoyed the bit of sunshine on my face yesterday. For me personally as a mom, the start of spring indicates that baseball is starting up for my son Liam and we are that much closer to the end of my son Connor's senior year. As educators, sometimes March can be tough as the winter tries to still hold on a bit longer and as we begin MCAS testing season, the year sometimes to start feel like it is speeding up. With the slightly warmer and (hopefully sunnier) weather, try to take some breaks to get outside to breathe in the fresh air or to take a walk. If you see your colleagues struggling or getting down, see what you can do to listen and support them. If you see some of your students growing restless too, see if a change in routine will help. As we spring ahead, we have three months left of the school year to keep our focus on student learning and growth and I am so thankful for all of you for your continued laser focus on our mission and vision for students.
Ramadan
Ramadan began yesterday on Sunday, March 10 and extends to April 9. As stated in this resource, it is important to know how it may impact the spiritual and physical needs and abilities of students (remembering not all families observe or celebrate in the same ways). For example:
• Try not to plan strenuous activities/lessons during this time. • Be flexible with PE participation and athletic attendance policies as fasting can be physically limiting for students. • Discourage teachers from using edible treats as incentives or prizes. • Offer an alternative social space at lunch time in lieu of the cafeteria, as sitting around others who are eating may be difficult. • Steer clear of comments that may be perceived as negative toward fasting (e.g., “You have to drink water or you will dehydrate.”) Spread the word - inclusion
In so many ways educators at across MURSD are building cultures and practices that show that we are committed to inclusion! during our PD Day, educators were invited to sign their names to signal their commitment - check out the bulletin board now! We invite you to spread the word by sharing what you or your team is trying that will make your classroom even more inclusive and accessible than they already are? Take 2 minutes to fill out this form to spread the word and share what you are trying this month. We'll share your ideas in upcoming newsletters. We hope that we have so many that the sharing continues well beyond March!! See an opportunity for inclusion-focused PD below.--Cheryl
The Making of a MURSD journey and so much more
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Last Tuesday's PD was a day of connecting and collaborating across the district, enabling vertical teams to trace a very focused part of a students' MURSD journey. There are so many to thank for facilitating our vertical teaming in the morning and curriculum/technology resource workshops in the afternoon. All the Department Leaders did a great job facilitating the conversations - thank you! Thanks also to several MURSD presenters including Rina Manser, Maria Desruisseaux, Tara Bennett, Darcy Daniels, Brianna Zalusky, Leah Hagen, Molly Smith, Liz Garden, and Nick Cuomo. Thanks to Colleen Terrill and her colleagues who offered super-cool workshops focused on technology resources. And, of course many thanks to all who helped get rooms ready, tech working, and lunch served including, Sam, Simon, the Nipmuc Office staff and custodians, and Brittany O'Neil. If you haven't already, please respond to our PD feedback form. Your Department Leaders will follow-up with you in the coming weeks about next steps in our curriculum review cycles. --Cheryl
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Elementary (for teachers and administrators K-5)
Spring: March 19- April 17, 2024 PDPs/Credits: 22.5 PDPs; 1 graduate credit ($160) |
Secondary (for teachers and administrators 6-12)
Spring: March 19- April 17, 2024 PDPs/Credits: 22.5 PDPs; 1 graduate credit available ($160) |
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Do you want to try some new technology in your class? Do you want to learn how you can enhance a lesson with technology? Maybe you have heard about Flip, Clips, AI tools, etc and you want to incorporate them into a lesson but not sure where to begin, I can help you. Just click this link Request an appointment with Colleen (also found on my email signature line) and we can figure out the best tool for the lesson.
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