IN THIS EDITION...Flathead Valley IEFA Institute 3/16 | Members Only Copy Paper Sale | March is Women's History Month | SIPPS for Summer Reading | SSoM Program Updates & Save the Dates | SSoM Partner Resources | Joke of the Week | Addt'l Resources featuring IEFA, MT Historical Society, World Language Initiative, and more! | About SSoM

March 16, 2022 | 8:30am - 3pm

Flathead Valley Community College

Arts & Technology Building

777 Grandview Drive, Kalispell MT

SSoM MEMBER PROMO CODE: getssom

Not sure if your district is a member?

Click here for a current list of member districts.

-orders and payments due by the end of March TBD-

It's that time of year again - the SSoM truckload copy paper sale! This SSoM members-only co-op purchasing program offers great savings that can offset your membership dues, in-part or in-full!

SSoM receives a sweet delivered price quote on full truckloads (21 pallets, 40 cases / pallet) of copy paper, and SSoM member school districts place orders to be received at one of the pick up sites listed below. Payments are collected, and we coordinate a drop date with the supplier. Please keep in mind that a pallet of copy paper weighs 2000 lbs., so plan your pick up accordingly!

Truckload Deliveries will be scheduled in the first half of April TBD

East Helena (confirmed), Gallatin Valley (location TBD), & SW Montana TBD (Anaconda?)

Contact Jennifer ASAP to place your order & select your preferred pick up site!

March is Women's History Month – commemorating and encouraging the study, observance and celebration of the vital role of women in American history. Though the theme may change, the foremost goal of the month remains the same: to provide education on how women helped shape the nation and to empower children by introducing them to historical role models.

Do you have a favorite Women's History resource? Reply to this newsletter and we will share it in a March newsletter!

Nascar.com Women's History Month feature: Mamie Reynolds — the daughter of a former U.S. senator — drove race cars, bred horses, dogs and Pygmy goats and was also the first owner of the American Basketball Association’s Kentucky Colonels. Reynolds was also a Cup Series car owner at 19 and the first woman owner to win in NASCAR’s top division with Fred Lorenzen in 1962 at Augusta Speedway.

History.com has fantastic collection of information including why we celebrate, International Women's Day, the 2022 theme, and photo galleries with details of women leaders, women in sports, women in art, and women in science.

National Geographic Kids has a great page of resources for educators to share with students: how it started, notable women often spotlighted during this month, Women’s History Month today, historical women heroes, and the women's suffrage movement.

From the first settlers who came to our shores, from the first American Indian families who befriended them, men and women have worked together to build this nation. Too often the women were unsung, and sometimes their contributions went unnoticed. But the achievements, leadership, courage, strength, and love of the women who build America was as vital as that of the men whose names we know so well.

— President Jimmy Carter, 1980

A Collaborative Literacy Program

Systematic Instruction in Phonological Awareness,

Phonics, and Sight Words

Working on closing reading gaps from learning loss during the pandemic, or in preventing the summer slide? Contact Melissa Tovaas for more information about how schools around the country are using the SIPPS reading intervention system to accelerate reading this summer! Click here to read more.

Details coming soon on upcoming regional SIPPS training opportunities!

CO-OP FOOD PROGRAM SPRING 2022 DETAILS [more info here]

DELIVERY SCHEDULE #2: 2/21 - 3/11 | #3: 3/21 - 4/8 | #4: 4/18 - 5/6 | #5: 5/23-6/10

Contact: Jennifer Brekke, jbrekke@mt-schools.org

MEDICAID SERVICE PORTAL NEWSLETTER March 2022

Featuring: the Annual Medicaid Billing Notice, How to Log an Absence, Service Portal Secure Passwords, and Lisa's manuals for Personal Care and for Direct Care Therapy

Contact: Lisa Waterman, Lwaterman@mt-schools.org

LEVERAGING ASYNCHRONOUS COACHING April 7 | 2-3pm MST

Explore how using technology can deepen curriculum-based professional learning. Hear about the impact from a panel of coaches and educators. Details & Registration

Looking for more learning opportunities? Visit our Events Calendar.

OPI Education Compass - March 2022 Edition

FREE IEFA ETHNOBOTANY 2-PART SATURDAY WORKSHOP SERIES

...featuring a tribally-specific window into the practical, cultural, ecological, medicinal, and/or ceremonial importance of Montana's native plant series. Each session, presented by a tribal expert in ethnobotany, will provide a unique demonstration with their own personal stories. OPI renewal units available! Full details & registration here : )

MAKING IT REAL: A MONTANA HISTORICAL SOCIETY EDUCATOR WORKSHOP Butte - March 25 | Bozeman - April 4

Interested in engaging your students in active learning while helping them understand the world around them? Concerned about students’ inability to identify misinformation? This free workshop is for you. Resources include the newly published fourth-grade MT history curriculum, Montana: A History of Our Home. For more info, detailed agenda, and registration link, click here.

WLI is offering 4 week-long sessions of dynamic and engaging Language & Culture Camps for kids ages 5-17 in Spanish, French*, German, Mandarin, & Arabic*. Camps are filled with fun games, traditional art & cooking activities, storytelling, songs, and more, all led by experienced Language Coaches. Camps are held M - TH, 9am-3pm. 10% OFF early bird registration ends April 1st. Click here for details!

All 5 Montana CSPDs offer FREE VIRTUAL PD in their regions. Click for details:

Region I (Eastern MT) | Region II | Region III | Region IV (SW MT) | Region V (NW MT)

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.