IN THIS EDITION... SSoM is Hiring! | Co-op Food Advisory Meetings REVISED | UPDATE TO SSI 2022 | Infinite Campus Resources & PD | NEW Grant Opportunities | SSoM Partner Resources | Joke of the Week | Addt'l Resources | About SSoM

TO APPLY: CLICK HERE for complete details; we are accepting applications until this position is filled.

PLEASE NOTE: If your Food Service Manager has NOT responded to the

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:

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!

CLICK HERE FOR PROGRAM DETAILS, or contact SSoM Purchasing Manager:

@ Montana State University-Bozeman

In light of the ridiculous checkbook draining summer hotel rates in the greater-Bozeman area, we have decided to change the dates for the Montana Science Summer Institute 2022. Montana State University on-campus housing will be available during these revised dates at a fraction of the cost of a hotel room, and just a short walk to the MSU Student Union Building with all the SSI 2022 excitement.

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!

mtovaas@mt-schools.org | (646) 831-7264

2ND ANNUAL VIRTUAL NATIONAL TRAINING WEEK November 15 - 19, 2021

For refreshers, questions, and assistance please contact SSoM Tech Minion ASAP:

The Klorane Botanical Foundation is committed to supporting programs to teach respect for the environment and protect nature through the preservation of plant species and biodiversity. The Foundation's Budding Botanist Grant program, administered by KidsGardening, will help students learn about plants, explore their world, and inspire them to take care of the life they discover in their local ecosystems. For the current grant cycle, eighteen high-need schools across the United States will be awarded $1,000 each in grant funding to support their youth garden programs. Applicants must be planning a new or expanding an existing school garden program designed to teach students about environmental sustainability and the importance of biodiversity. Any public school or private school serving students in grades K-12 in the United States that can demonstrate that at least 40% of their student population would qualify for free or reduced-price meals is eligible to apply.

The Rural Schools Collaborative’s Celia B. Godsil Grants in Place Fellows program provides grant awards to rural school teachers who engage their students in exemplary place-based learning. Eligible applicants should propose a place-based research project that will be completed by the end of the 2021-22 school year. We understand that this year is providing abnormal learning challenges for many teachers and schools, and they consider projects that lean heavily on digital interactions and virtual work. Also, if the impacts of COVID-19 on your school community necessitate a project revision, they will be pleased to work with the grant recipient in that regard. They anticipate selecting a cohort of dynamic and committed educators with purposeful and creative ideas. 

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.

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

REGISTER FOR VIRTUAL EVENTS - View All, Complete Descriptions, & Registration HERE

FREE IMPLEMENTING SOCIAL EMOTIONAL LEARNING IN MONTANA SCHOOLS

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:

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)

THE SCIENCE OF TEACHING READING, a 12 part series with Carrie Cole

"WLI-MT's mission is to make language & culture programming available FOR ALL MONTANAS."

Tuesdays at 2pm Newsletter Highlights Sept. 28, 2021

Check out the latest offerings, highlights, and more in the newsletter!

PLEASE NOTE: Fall classes begin the week of Oct 4th and run for 8 weeks. Click here to view the full program schedule.

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.

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