PD OpportunitiesPBL 101 Training There are a few spots open for the LSDO sponsored PBL 101 Training this coming week (October 1-3). If you are interested in attending the PBL 101 Training, please let Maureen know as soon as possible and we might be able to get you a last spot for the training. Understanding Identities Training An examination of implicit bias and the impact bias can have on our actions, especially in education. This course engages staff in conversations that develop our understanding of identity, including race, gender, and LGBTQ+ as well as bias, privilege, and systemic discrimination. Participants will evaluate ways to address and respond to issues of race, sexuality, and gender on a personal and professional level and through expanding our lenses with reading, discussing, and self-reflection, each person will gain valuable strategies and resources to incorporate into policy, curriculum, classroom activities, and personal lives. Mondays: 10/21/19, 10/28/19, 11/4/19, 11/18/19 from 3:30 - 6:30pm in Bellingham Registration Information 10/9: BIT CAMP 3:30 - 4:30 PM. Vicki Grisanti, a MURSD parent, has offered to host a LittleBits workshop for teachers in Grades 3 - 6. littleBits are a composition of simple, magnetic circuits that can support your work implementing the science frameworks. A session description can be found here. October 11, 2019 PD DayThank you to everyone who has already submitted their proposals for the October 11th PD Day. We have a diverse line-up of offerings and we continue to add them into Teachpoint PD Tracker as we receive them. Here is a link to information on the October 11 PD day which outlines the process and form for submitting proposals. The final deadline for proposal submission is Friday, October 4th. Resources Jump into our year-long book study group of Onward for the month of October. We read one chapter a month and reflect upon a monthly discussion question within Google Classroom. E-mail Maureen if you are interested in joining in on the conversation. Self-Care Practice Simple-Habit App. Stress relief for busy people. Includes ranges of 1 min-20 min meditations. Customizable. Articles/Blogs from Twitter
Inspiration "Too many of us are not living our dreams because we are living our fears.”Les Brown Upcoming District Meetings
HomeworkPlease be mindful that Rosh Hashanah will begin in the evening of Sunday, September 29 and ends in the evening of Tuesday, October 1. As stated in our MURSD Homework Guidelines, Homework should not be assigned over legal/religious holidays or during school vacations as recognized by the School Committee. With the growing diversity in our district, educators should be sensitive to the reality that students and families may celebrate religious holidays that are not recognized by the School Committee.
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October 11, 2019 PD DayBased on overwhelming feedback from last year, our October 11, 2019 Professional Development Day is scheduled to be this year's teacher-directed day. Here is a link to information on the October 11 PD day which outlines the process and form for submitting proposals. The PD Committee met this week to review the outline and proposal process. We are currently working on confirming potential additional PD opportunities (CPR training, SMI/SRI training) that people requested from the PD survey for the date or from people reaching out to us. If you have questions or want to work directly with PD Committee members on plans for this PD day or future PD opportunities, here is a list of PD Committee members (and we happily will take more if you are interested in joining us). Brendon Rosenau (co-chair) John Clements Mary Ellen Kennedy Kerry Fagan Amy Gilchrist Chelsea LeMaire Deb Swain Olivia Hendricks Jan Gallagher Dave Quinn Dennis Todd Kathy Deschenes Pam Oglesby Mandated TrainingPlease go to the following mandated training webpage to view all directions and frequently asked questions regarding this year's mandated training. We have updated the FAQs based on recent questions received this past week. resourcesArticles/Blogs from Twitter this week Self-Care Practice: Recognizing your own distorted thinking. "The first step in changing our thoughts is recognizing what's unhelpful or inaccurate about them. What psychologists call distorted thinking comprises a set of patterns. These ways of thinking are hard to see because usually they'r habitual; we engage in them with little awareness and have done so for many years....What follows are the most common patterns of distorted thinking. As you read these, could you identify the ones you jump to most often? Distorted Thoughts
Inspiration: "Life begins at the end of your comfort zone."--Neale Donald Walsch Upcoming District Meetings
Mandated trainingPlease go to the following mandated training webpage to view all directions and frequently asked questions regarding this year's mandated training. We have updated the FAQs based on recent questions received this past week. Please go to the FAQ section to find answers to your mandated training questions. exsel NetworkOur exSEL Network will begin with its first network meeting on October 22nd and the second network meeting on December 12th. We are seeking 5+ teachers across all buildings who are willing to partner with our ExSEL Network team to pilot social-emotional learning strategies in the classroom that are shared at our ExSEL Network trainings. The participants just need to be willing to try out some new techniques this year in their classrooms and report back quarterly to the exSEL team about what's working and how their efforts to integrate SEL are progressing. E-mail Maureen Cohen if you are interested or want more information. Homework guidelinesWith our upcoming Open Houses occurring soon, please be sure to review our district guidelines for homework. october 11, 2019 PD DayBased on overwhelming feedback last year by teachers, the October 11th PD day this year will be the teacher-directed day. Although, we are four weeks away from the PD day, some planning has already begun. We already have some PD offerings available on that date, which are posted on our PD website and also listed in available events in the Teachpoint PD Tracker. The PD Committee is meeting this Tuesday afternoon and the formal proposal process and link will be communicated after the meeting. PD OpportunitiesPrimary Source Courses We are a member district with Primary Source, which provides high quality professional development in social studies, humanities, and civics. They have just released their course catalog for 2019-2020 courses and registration is open for fall courses. Please review the catalog and e-mail Maureen if you are interested in taking one of the courses or workshops this fall. We have five openings for the fall. Primary Source Catalog Facing History Facing History will be running 3 regional based Civics workshops this fall. The "central" regional workshop will be hosted by Hudson HS and will take place on October 9. Additional information can be found here. resourcesArticles/Blogs from Twitter this week
Self-assess your self-compassion: Self-Care Practice: Cultivating CompassionThe following GRACE process was developed and adapted from Joan Halifax, "G.R.A.C.E. for Nurses: Cultivating compassion in nurse/patient interactions," pp. 121-128, 2014 and adapted for teachers in the Mindfulness for Teachers book. This process helps you to act with compassion under stressful situations. Step 1. G is for "Gathering your attention." Take a pause and focus your attention on your body, the breath, and the sensation of your feet on the ground. As you bring your attention to the present moment, you can be a more helpful resource to yourself and your students. You will offer a fresh presence that is stable, discerning, and caring. Step 2. R is for "Recall your intention," that is, your reason for being a teacher. As you learned in Chapter 1, recalling your intention helps you align your behavior with your values and reignite your motivation. Your altruistic motivation primes you to act in caring and supportive ways. Step 3. A is for "Attune to yourself, your body, heart and mind, before you attune to those around you" and then attune to your students, to parents, and to colleagues. Attuning to yourself first let's you touch in to your biases, and what is arising in your body and mind at this moment. Then sense into what your student is feeling (empathy) and how he or she might see the world (perspective taking). Take time to tune in to what is happening. Assumptions often come from scripts--cognitive biases that interfere with the ability to perceive what is needed. Your scripts bias your perception. At this step, the key is just to notice these scripts and let them go. Step 4. C is for "Consider what will serve your students or colleagues." This might include institutional expectations, environmental features, social constraints, conflicting needs, and consequences. At this step, you engage in a process of discernment to ascertain what truly serve others. Step 5. E is for "Enacting and ending." The entire GRACE process results in a principled, ethical, and compassionate-based action: engaging or apply compassion in the service of others. This step is the conclusion--the point when the action is complete and it's time to move on to another activity, letting go of any lingering feelings that may keep us from being fully present for the next situation." ( Jennings, Patricia. Mindfulness for Teachers, pp. 128-129,) MURSD is Back in action!Mandated TrainingThis year we "get to" receive quality training in mandated safety topics such as bullying, cyberbullying, mandated reporting, civil rights, harassment, and health safety. Teachpoint has partnered with SafeSchools.com and Exceptional Child.com to provide online training modules that are accessible directly in Teachpoint and upon completion will note your acquired PDPs earned within your PD Tracking system. Background on Mandated Training Requirements:
To access the mandated training modules, log into Teachpoint, go to PD Tracker (graduation cap) and they are found under the My Activities tab. Click on the modules you are enrolled in and launch the course. Full directions and overview of the mandated training through PD Tracker in Teachpoint can be found at the following link: http://mursdpd.weebly.com/teachpoint.html If paraprofessionals need time during the school day to complete the trainings, your principals will work with you to schedule times for completion. FAQs As we receive frequently asked questions about the new modules, we will post them on the Teachpoint overview webpage linked above. Homework GuidelinesAs many of you may recall, a district homework committee was established in 2018 who developed district homework guidelines. These guidelines can be found on our MURSD Curriculum website. Here is a direct link to the Homework Overview Webpage. PD opportunitiesPrimary Source Courses We are a member district with Primary Source, which provides high quality professional development in social studies, humanities, and civics. They have just released their course catalog for 2019-2020 courses and registration is open for fall courses. Please review the catalog and e-mail Maureen if you are interested in taking one of the courses or workshops this fall. We have five openings for the fall. Primary Source Catalog PDI Courses We have a partnership with PDI Courses. Here is a link to their webpage of offerings: https://www.webteaching.com/ You save an extra 10% by using code “newsd” at checkout. PBL 101 Workshop Over the last two summers, many of our teachers have attended PBL 101 training in project-based learning, led by national trainers from the Buck Institute of Education. As a member district with LSDO we have at least two spots to attend a fall PBL 101 training on October 1-3 (8:30-3:30) in Bellingham. Please email Maureen if you are interested in attending the PBL 101 Workshop. District Meetings
ResourcesArticles/Blogs from Twitter Self-care practice: |