- Cama-i, quyana tailuci!
- (Central Yup’ik)
- "Greetings, thank you for coming!"
Last Call, New, Reminder
January 2023
NEW!
Tsunami Bowl Seeking T-Shirt Design by Alaskan High School Student
The Tsunami Bowl is seeking a 2023 T-Shirt Design! Participants enjoyed having student art on t-shirts last year so here we are making it happen again.
Designs must be:
- created by students attending high school in Alaska
- ocean themed
- no more than 4 colors
- a front of t-shirt design only
- submitted to uaf-tsunamibowl@alaska.edu no later than midnight January 17th, 2023.
The 2023 theme is Benefits and Impacts of Mariculture in Alaska.
Volunteer Opportunity: SERRC’s Alaska Decathlon Seeks Essay Readers
The Academic Decathlon is a rigorous scholastic program that challenges high school students in ten different subjects based on a yearly theme. Here in Alaska, this program engages 200+ students from more than 20 communities. We're looking for volunteers to read and grade essays from the comfort of their own homes using a national rubric and easy-to-use online system. There are multiple opportunities to read essays (scrimmages and state competitions) with the biggest need starting the week of January 9th. All volunteers are trained during a short, online, training session on how to use the grading system and rubric.
For more information, please contact Joan Pardes (907-433-7418) or find out more here.
REMINDER!
2023 RTI/MTSS Effective Instruction Conference
- Virtual Rural Pre-conference, January 21
- In-Person Conference, Dena’ina Center, Anchorage, January 28 & 29
(Online streaming option for certain sessions available).
We have an energizing group of nationally recognized educators to explore the latest research on what works now –- delivered in accessible and practical format.
Why Send Your Team:
Time for a Refresh: Many of the components of MTSS are not new practices. They’re the high-impact actions that educators have been doing for years. Coming back from COVID, it is time to focus on aligning those efforts again to help our students. MTSS isn’t reinventing the wheel—it’s bringing cohesion to the student-centered practices and data-driven decisions that already happen in many schools. MTSS helps increase the effectiveness of existing efforts, and uncovers areas where adjustments or enhancements are needed.
It’s All Connected: MTSS provides strong academic core instruction to help students meet grade-level expectations, but a student’s growth is not limited to just academics. MTSS also supports social-emotional learning, positive behavior, and mental health. This conference helps educators learn more about supporting academic and behavioral needs.
The Alaska Reads Act: The Alaska Reads Act places a stronger focus on MTSS as a strategy schools should use to ensure their reading programs support all students. The RTI/MTSS Conference has included components from the Alaska Reads Act to allow educators time to plan with their districts/schools on how best to support these new requirements.
Strands:
- MTSS Model Refresh
- Effective Instruction (General, Reading, Math)
- Leadership
- Behavior/SEL
- Preschool
More information and registration is here: https://cvent.me/mX7nny
Registration Code: We are happy to send you a group code so that you can have your team register and select sessions themselves online, and we will invoice the district after the conference. If you wish to register a group of 5 or more, please send a purchase order to asdn@alaskaacsa.org and we will send you a code for your group.
Alaska Society for Technology in Education (ASTE) Conference 2023
ASTE 2023 will be at the Hotel Captain Cook on February 18-22nd! The ASTE Board for 2022-2023, under the direction of President, Bill Burr, has selected Education Rewired as our theme. The idea is to reignite the spark in education and reinvent, redefine, and reimagine the work we do. The image we want our participants to picture is one where education across the globe was stretched and flattened. We entered the wormhole one way, but we are going to come out the other side in a new dimension that is better than we could have imagined. We want our attendees to ignite that spark that led them to become an educator. Our attendees will leave feeling reignited, passionate, and reenergized!
The Call for Proposal to Present is open through October 1, 2022. Registration will open after the schedule is finalized so participants can register and sign up for sessions at the same time. Interested vendors/exhibitors should contact director@aste.org.
Please visit www.aste.org/conference for more information.
Internet Discount Through the Affordable Connectivity Program
The Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP) is a U.S. government program run by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) program to help low-income households pay for internet service and connected devices like a laptop or tablet.
You are likely eligible if your household’s income is below 200% of the Federal Poverty Line, or if you or someone you live with currently receives a government benefit like SNAP, Medicaid, SSI, WIC, Pell Grant, or Free and Reduced-Price Lunch.
If your household is eligible, you could receive:
- Up to a $30/month discount on your internet service
- Up to a $75/month discount if your household is on qualifying Tribal lands
- A one-time discount of up to $100 for a laptop, tablet, or desktop computer (with a co-payment of more than $10 but less than $50)
- A low cost service plan that may be fully covered through the ACP*
Learn more and check your eligibility at https://www.affordableconnectivity.gov/
SERRC Hiring Rural Empowerment Specialist for Successful School Improvement
A cohort of five schools is working with DEED, R16CC, and SERRC on a new three-year school improvement plan process. The Rural Empowerment for School Improvement engages the school and community in addressing student needs within the local context. Next school year, more schools will have the opportunity to also work through the new school improvement plan process. If you are interested in becoming an Empowerment Specialist supporting schools on their path to improvement please reach out to Julie Staley, SERRC Executive Director, julies@serrc.org and apply here Empowerment Specialist
International Dyslexia Association - Alaska Branch - Continuing Education Scholarships
Scholarships are available through the International Dyslexia Association, Alaska Branch (IDA Alaska) for professional development opportunities – good for classroom educators, advocates, or parents. Also, check out the new FREE one-year membership for teachers!
IDA branches across the nation, as well as other organizations aligned with the Science of Reading, are successfully presenting high-quality virtual conferences, webinars, certification programs, and continuing education programs. IDA Alaska compiled a list of recommended opportunities and hopes to support educators on their continuing education journey. Continuing education opportunities not on this list, if aligned with the Science of Reading, can be eligible upon approval. For more information on IDA Alaska scholarship awards (up to $500 per participant) visit: www.ak.dyslexiaida.org, or go to IDA Alaska’s 2021 Q2 Newsletter
Enhanced Learning Maps Project helps students personalize path the student success
Enhanced Learning Maps provide standards-focused materials that foster the conditions for improving student achievement, including online tools deliberately designed to support and inform personalized learning.
These tools encourage interactions that elicit evidence of student thinking, leading to conversations that engage students and teachers in formative assessment processes.
Lee Waters, Ed.D. with the Anchorage School District in collaboration with the UAA Center for Human Development LEND Without Walls has created a manual to assist all those involved with the education of students with disabilities. This manual is designed to be a helpful resource for anyone involved with the transitional needs of students with disabilities from secondary to postsecondary education. The manual is available through ASD’s website: https://www.asdk12.org/PostsecondaryTransitionManual.
The Parent’s Guide to Filling out the FAFSA Form
While the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA®) form is the student’s application, we know that parents often play a large role in the process. With that in mind, the U.S. Department of Education wanted to provide instructions for parents who are starting the FAFSA form on behalf of their child.
U.S. Department of Education Releases Parent and Family Digital Learning Guide
The U.S. Department of Education released a new Parent and Family Digital Learning Guide, a resource to help parents and guardians understand how digital tools can provide tailored learning opportunities, engage students with course materials, encourage creative expression, and enrich the educational experience.
Are you interested in dual enrollment opportunities at the University of Alaska? Members of the University of Alaska Transition Coalition (UATC) are available to assist with curriculum alignment, dual enrollment, and other opportunities that support the transition of secondary students to continue their training and education at the postsecondary level.
Girls Who Code at Home Activities
Girls Who Code releases free computer science activities for students, educators, and parents on Mondays. Some online, some offline, of varying levels of difficulty. Each activity features a woman in tech who pioneered innovative technology.
Awareness Materials on Family and Youth Homelessness
As a result of the pandemic, and without the usual methods of outreach and identification, many families and youth experiencing homelessness may be even more disconnected from school and early childhood programs. The SchoolHouse Connection created PSAs and a social media toolkit to help raise awareness and provide information around educational rights.
Online Story Circles for Educators and Community Members
Educator Story Circles are opportunities for small groups of people (educators and engaged community members) to gather together to listen and share thoughts and stories related to a common theme. No preparation is necessary, and each participant has the option to share or simply listen to others. Story Circles aren’t about performing. Rather, the purpose is to listen and connect. Participants who want to lead Story Circles with their own students or community members will have access to a free toolkit and will be eligible for a $200 stipend from the Alaska Humanities Forum.