IN THIS EDITION...January CPI Workshops | NEW 2022 IEFA Webinar Series | AIM User Guide: Mode of Instruction | CRDC Resources | IC Data Days & Master Scheduling | MECC Social Studies Review | NEW Meet Our Facilitators Feature | SSoM Welcomes New Team Member | Joke of the Week | Additional Resources | About SSoM

SSoM is hosting 3 Crisis Prevention Institute classes in January 2022 in Gallatin County. REGISTER NOW by clicking the link below with your preferred date/location, and be sure to get your online course completed before class begins:

Jan. 17, 8am - 12pm in Manhattan

Jan. 28, 12:30pm - 4:30pm in Three Forks

Please note that these CPI courses will be hybrid – you will be required to complete a 4 hour course online prior to the live training at the above dates to be certified. For this reason, registration will close approximately one week prior to each course to provide you with sufficient time to complete the online portion of the course. 

Click here for more details about our CPI workshops, including hosting, or contact:

NEW Webinar Series

Join us in 2022 for a series of (4) 2-hour webinars facilitated by Dottie Susag. The goal of the series is to experience lessons that authentically integrate the Essential Understandings Regarding Montana Indians. After an interactive lesson, participants will debrief and discuss ideas for adapting and integrating the lesson into your classroom. Sessions will be recorded; join live or watch the recorded session.

OPI Renewal Units: earn 2 for each 2-hour session you join, or earn 4 per session by implementing the lesson in your classroom and completing a follow-up reflection form.

This USER GUIDE explains the process for entering student and school Modes of Instruction. The data should be maintained continually throughout the school year to ensure accurate reporting during the following collection times:

FALL: 11/1/2021 - 12/10/2021

TEST WINDOW: 4/7/2022 - 5/27/2022

END OF YEAR: 5/9/2022 - 6/30/2022

~ with love from your favorite Tech Minion ~

CRDC New User Starter Guide - Department of Education (PDF)

This toolkit is designed to provide all entities and users with the information they need to begin their data collection and submission process in the CRDC data submission system.

CRDC 2020-21 School Form - Office for Civil Rights (PDF)

CRDC Quick Start Guide - Infinite Campus

TIMELINE: collection phase began 12/13/21 & runs 75 calendar days, ending 2/28/22

Nugget of Useful CRDC Info - School Characteristics & Null vs. 0 Values [click here]

One flat fee covers your ENTIRE district's registration. Discounts are available for SSoM Member Districts and Passport customers.

MECC 21-22 MEETING & EVENTS CALENDAR

Includes a list of events with full descriptions & registration links for 21-22 MECC advisory meetings & curriculum reviews, and teaser details about Science Summer Institute 2022.

Contact our Director of Education Services for more info:

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

- this week's Meet Our Facilitators feature -

Since her retirement from teaching, Dottie has worked as a curriculum specialist and has written and edited several secondary-level ELA Units as well as the 2013 publication Birthright: Born to Poetry - a Collection of Montana Indian Poetry, for the Montana Office of Public Instruction. In 2017, she was one of six to receive the Montana Governor's Humanities Award given every two years.

During COVID, she conducted presentations through Humanities Montana to secondary and college-level classes through Zoom or Google Classroom. She now lives in Oakdale, Minnesota, and she travels to Montana whenever the opportunity arises.

AREAS OF EXPERTISE: Community-based Education; Teaching Native American Literature; Assessment Strategies; Technical Writing; Family & Community History

Meet Our Facilitators is a new section of SSoM Professional Learning. Check it out for more details about Dottie Susag and all of the SSoM facilitators. For questions or additional information, please contact:

Melissa Tovaas, SSoM Director of Education Services, mtovaas@mt-schools.org

Have you read the latest edition?

The December 2021 Edition of our Medicaid Billing Provider Service Portal newsletter features:

Lisa Waterman, SSoM Medicaid Billing Program Specialist, lwaterman@mt-schools.org

Tamara joined the SSoM team about a month ago as the Campus Tech Support Assistant and was certified as support by Infinite Campus at the end of November.

She hails from Gonzaga University having studied law in the early 90’s, then abandoned the trade for a career as a K-12 educator. Tamara spent the last 15 years with the Frenchtown School District where she honed her Infinite Campus student information system skills. She is eager to assist districts across Montana with ALL of their Infinite Campus questions and issues.

Click here for more about Tamara, and check out what our Tech Education department has to offer!

Tamara Blanchard, Campus Tech Support Assistant | tblanchard@mt-schools.org

In this energy-themed program, teachers gain hands-on experience in state-of-the-art engineering research labs and will visit multiple energy facilities such as hydroelectric dams and oil refineries. The field trips include visits to nearby American Indian cultural sites and discussions about Indigenous perspectives in engineering, with a focus on integrating STEM with Montana's Indian Education For All curriculum. No specific STEM background is required, and all elementary teachers are encouraged to apply.

Read the MSU press release, visit the program website for more info, and download & print this flyer to help spread the word! Application deadline = Friday, Feb. 4, 2022.

Here is your curated list of virtual events and learning opportunities happening in the next 60 days: Virtual Workshops and Webinars; most events are complimentary & under 1 hour!

TRY BEFORE YOU BUY WITH A 60 DAY FREE TRIAL includes full digital access to all Collaborative Classroom curricula; SIGN UP HERE

OPI Monthly Compass - December 2021 edition

The site's 'Nearby Projects' section currently features a teacher from Emily Dickenson Elementary School in Bozeman, MT! This is a great site to share with...well, everyone involved with public schools in Montana. Check out the site today!

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

Region I (Eastern MT) | Region II | Region III | Region IV | Region V (Western 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.