Yellowstone River, Livingston MT | September 2021 | Photo Credits: Judd Mashaw, P Judson Photography
September 22, 2021 Edition
IN THIS EDITION... SSoM is Hiring! | VIRTUAL Common PIR Day THIS FRIDAY | SSoM Co-op Food Referral Program Details | Infinite Campus Resources & PD | Save the Date: SSI 2022 | Grant Opportunity | SSoM Partner Resources | Joke of the Week | Addt'l Resources | About SSoM


JOIN THE SCHOOL SERVICES of MONTANA TEAM:
CAMPUS TECH SUPPORT ASSISTANT
Full-Time | Permanent | Remote Position | Great Benefits
The Campus Technology Support Assistant will work closely with the SSoM Infinite Campus Support Administrator and the SSoM Medicaid Billing Program Specialist to provide front-line support to our client school districts on matters related to the Infinite Campus Student Information System and the CompuClaim Medicaid Billing software suites.

TO APPLY: CLICK HERE for complete details; we are accepting applications until this position is filled.
NOW VIRTUAL!!!
COMMON PIR DAY 2021
September 24 | (8:15am) 8:45 am - 3:30 pm
School Services of Montana, CSPD Region IV, and many member districts collaborate each year to provide a day of professional learning on a variety of topics related to supporting the whole child, whole school and whole community. We made the decision go 100% VIRTUAL late last week.

With the release of the Montana SEL Competencies from OPI in June 2021, it’ll be perfect timing to focus on:

  • Building the foundations and a common language for SEL
  • Strategies for explicit instruction in social and emotional skills
  • Integration of SEL with academic curriculum areas
  • Supporting the schoolwide community with SEL (adult learning, community / family engagement and support)
  • UPDATED Event Schedule & Session Details
Please contact SSoM Director of Education Services with questions:
Melissa Tovaas | (646) 831-7264 | mtovaas@mt-schools.org

>>> BRAND NEW <<<
CO-OP FOOD REFERRAL INCENTIVE PROGRAM
BENEFITS NEW, EXISTING, & FORMER PARTICIPANTS
Because of the support of Montana school districts who participate in our Cooperative Food Purchasing Program, this statewide program has continued to grow and increase our collective purchasing power. Our brand new Referral Incentive Program (RIP) makes participation even sweeter. Here's how it works:

  • A district who refers a new district or child-based organization to our program that places an order will be eligible to receive up to 100% off their admin fees. For example:
  • the new district places a Spring 2022 order and their admin fees total $100
  • your district's admin fee for your Spring 2022 order will be reduced by up to $100, or a maximum of 100% of your admin fee
  • BONUS INCENTIVE: we are also reducing our Spring 2022 admin fees for all new participants in the program by up to 25% (35% for SSoM member districts)
  • 'NEW' includes districts who haven't ordered in the past 2 years or have never participated

We encourage you to share the amazing savings our program has to offer with your colleagues across the state, and please let our Purchasing Manager, Jennifer Brekke, know so you get your RIP discount!

SPRING 2022 ORDER WINDOW OPEN NOV 1 - DEC 1, 2021
PLEASE NOTE: our Fall Advisory Committee Meetings are tentatively scheduled for Oct. 14 (Great Falls), 15 (Missoula), and 19 (Miles City); stay tuned for details : )

CLICK HERE FOR PROGRAM DETAILS, or contact SSoM Purchasing Manager:
Jennifer Brekke | jbrekke@mt-schools.org | (406) 580-7547
SWMSS IC Combo Logo

BRILLIANT USER GUIDES & NATIONAL TRAINING WEEK
GUIDES BY TECH MINION MARY ANNE SKINNER & INFINITE CAMPUS
2ND ANNUAL VIRTUAL NATIONAL TRAINING WEEK
November 15 - 19, 2021

LIVESTREAM LAUNCH PARTY | OCTOBER 18, 2021 | 2PM CST
*Exclusively for registered districts*

WHY join Infinite Campus for National Training Week?
Non-Passport Customers login & click HERE
Passport Customers login & click HERE

Discounts available for School Services of Montana member districts & Passport Customers!
For refreshers, questions, and assistance please contact SSoM Tech Minion ASAP:
Mary Anne Skinner | maskinner@mt-schools.org | (208) 631-2053
>>> SAVE THE DATE <<<
MONTANA SCIENCE SUMMER INSTITUTE 2022
August 1 - 3, 2022 @ Montana State University-Bozeman Campus!

We have reserved space on the MSU campus for 2022! Please email Melissa Tovaas with your requests for areas of focus you would like to see at next year's conference. We hope you'll join us!

Melissa Tovaas, Director of Education Services, School Services of Montana
mtovaas@mt-schools.org | (646) 831-7264
GRANT OPPORTUNITIES

...offered by the National Park Trust in partnership with the USDA Forest Service. This program will support the transportation and activity needs of nonprofit organizations and schools across the U.S. that are connecting elementary school-aged youth to public lands. Grants up to $5,000 will be provided to schools and organizations looking for the funding needed to connect kids in their community to local public lands and waters through a positive and impactful outdoor experience. Funded outdoor field trips should meet one or more of the following objectives: align with classroom curricula, encourage health and wellness through outdoor recreation, and/or foster future outdoor stewards. Special consideration will be given to requests that 1) are specifically engaging 4th grade students in outdoor outings, and/or 2) take place on USDA Forest Service lands. Application deadline October 6, 2021.
SSoM BUSINESS PARTNER RESOURCES

SSoM Partner COLLABORATIVE CLASSROOM
Now is the time to invest in high-quality curricula that will accelerate literacy learning, attend to students' social and emotional needs, and build inclusive, equitable communities for all learners.
BACK-TO-SCHOOL RESOURCES TO SUPPORT YOUR TEACHING & LEARNING

COLLABORATIVE CIRCLE Newsletter Issue 4, available in 2 formats: PDF and Flipbook
Featuring best practices for equity in writing instruction, SEL essentials, data-informed practices for foundational skills, and an interview with award-winning author and illustrator Juana Martinex-Neal

FALL 2021 SIPPS SYMPOSIUM Oct. 28, 2 - 5 pm EST
Appropriate for all K–12 literacy educators, this virtual Symposium offers free informational sessions for those who are unfamiliar with SIPPS. Click here for a flyer to share with your fellow educators. Learn more & register here!

ONLINE ELEMENTARY READING ACADEMY (OERA) Winter course begins Jan.20, 2022; learn more

  • Caring School Community, K-9 CASEL SELect Program: Oct. 6, Nov. 3, Jan. 5
  • SIPPS, K–12: Developing and Supporting Foundational Skills: Oct. 13, Nov. 10, Jan. 12
  • Being a Reader, K–2: Comprehensive Reading Instruction: Oct. 10, Nov. 22, Jan. 26
  • Making Meaning & Book Clubs, 3–6: Comprehensive Reading Instruction: Nov. 17, Jan. 19
  • Being a Writer, K–6: Comprehensive Writing Instruction: Oct. 20
  • Reaching all Readers: A Aligned System for RTI with Being a Reader & SIPPS: Dec. 8

GET THE RECONNECTING & REBUILDING TOOLKIT DOWNLOAD
JOKE OF THE WEEK
ADDITIONAL RESOURCES
MT OFFICE OF PUBLIC INSTRUCTION

OPI Monthly Compass Sept. 2021 UPDATED - 4 areas from the Sept. 3rd bulletin include new or corrected info - links to these sections found in updated version
FREE IMPLEMENTING SOCIAL EMOTIONAL LEARNING IN MONTANA SCHOOLS
5 Wednesday Evening Sessions from 4:30 - 5:30 pm: 10/13, 11/10, 1/12, 2/9, 3/9

Developing social and emotional skills builds a foundation for everyone’s success. As schools continue to respond and recover from the COVID-19 pandemic, the benefits of social emotional learning (SEL) are increasingly advantageous in supporting schools in their efforts to:
  • Address student learning loss
  • Manage difficult emotions in both students and school staff
  • Reconnect students and families to schools

This community of practice series will guide schools through the process of reviewing, adopting, and implementing SEL. This series is for school leaders who are taking steps to explore SEL implementation and/or strengthening their current SEL programs. Click here for details, dates, & registration.
FREE NEW CUTTING EDGE K-12 SCIENCE COURSE - 36 RU'S! 9/19 - 11/20

Looking to supercharge your science classroom with Montana data sets to bring research learning ALIVE in your classroom? Supercharge Your Classroom with Montana Field Science Data! is a job-embedded course that will take you through research-based approaches and best practices to the completion of a practical, applicable, and usable, product for your classroom.

Enrollment open NOW! And yes, you read that correctly: 36 Renewal Units!
INDIAN EDUCATION FOR ALL ETHNOBOTANY WEBINAR SERIES begins 10/5/21

This series of six FREE webinars will feature a tribally-specific window into the practical, cultural, ecological, medicinal, and/or ceremonial importance of Montana's native plant species. Each session, presented by a tribal expert in ethnobotany, will cover how to respectfully integrate knowledge learned about ethnobotany into your instruction; complete details & registration.

Webinars will be held from 4 - 5:30 pm on the first Tuesday of the month, October - March
Earn 2 renewal units per session, or 12 for all 6 sessions.
REGION IV CSPD offers FREE VIRTUAL PD for SW MT! (click here for website)

PRACTICAL TRAUMA-INFORMED STRATEGIES TO REDUCE ANXIETY IN STUDENTS - Jessica Minahan, MEd, BCBA
  • 4:00 - 6:30pm Sept. 17 & Sept. 28, Virtual Event
  • Through the use of case studies, humorous stories, and examples of everyday challenging situations, participants will learn easy to implement preventive tools, strategies, and interventions for reducing anxiety, increasing self-regulation, accurate thinking, and self-monitoring in students. Virtual classroom and traditional classroom examples will be shared.
  • 5 OPI Renewal Units; Register Here

VISUAL PHONICS with Meg Cech, 8:30-4pm 9/28/21, Residence Inn, Bozeman
  • Visual Phonics is a multi-sensory approach that allows student to learn faster and with great accuracy by building skills and confidence.
  • 6 OPI Renewal Units; Details & Registration Here

THE SCIENCE OF TEACHING READING, a 12 part series with Carrie Cole
  • 4 - 6pm Wednesdays, Sept. 8 - Dec. 1, via ZOOM
  • This comprehensive 12-part training will empower teachers to understand the what, why, and how of evidence-based reading instruction in foundational reading skills so they can better meet the diverse needs of their students.
  • Earn 2 OPI Renewal Units per session; Details & Registration Here
  • Region I & Region II training - click here
All 5 CSPDs offer FREE VIRTUAL PD for their respective regions. Click for details:
WORLD LANGUAGE INITIATIVE - MONTANA (WLI-MT)
"WLI-MT's mission is to make language & culture programming available FOR ALL MONTANAS."

Tuesdays at 2pm Newsletter Highlights Sept. 21, 2021
Check out the latest offerings, highlights, and more in the newsletter!
  • Now offering 5 GRANT-FUNDED YOUTH LANGUAGE PROGRAMS
  • FREE Online Arabic Language Programs for online & homeschoolers
  • Pay-what-you-can After-School German Programs
  • Pay-what-you-can Saturday Asian Languages Program
  • PLEASE NOTE: all classes begin the week of Oct 4th; complete details (language, age group, costs, etc) & registration link can be found HERE.
ABOUT SCHOOL SERVICES of MONTANA
SSoM is a non-profit education service agency committed to unlocking the full potential of every child in each and every school we serve across the state. We accomplish this by providing a wide variety of professional learning activities and business services designed to meet the specific needs of Montana’s excellent educators and administrators. Interested in supporting our work? Click here to make a donation, and be sure to read all about our organization on our website.

Website recently updated! Check it out by clicking our logo anywhere in the newsletter : )