December 8, 2021 Edition
IN THIS EDITION...Please Welcome our Newest Team Member | January CPI Workshops! | CRDC RESOURCES | Meet Our Facilitators Feature | MECC Reviews & Updates | Joke of the Week | Additional Resources | About SSoM
~ Our office will be closed Dec. 23 & 24, and Dec. 30 & 31 for the Holidays ~
PLEASE WELCOME OUR NEW TEAM MEMBER
TAMARA BLANCHARD

Tamara joined the SSoM team less than 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
CPI Square
REGISTRATION OPEN!!!
JANUARY HYBRID
CPI WORKSHOPS
January 17, 21, & 28, 2022
Gallatin County, MT
SSoM is hosting 3 Crisis Prevention Institute classes in January 2022 in Gallatin County. Click a link below, and be sure to get your online course completed before class begins:

approx. 5 spots left!

approx. 10 spots left!
- class in Bozeman -

approx. 10 spots left!

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:
Tom Franta, SSoM Executive Director | tfranta@mt-schools.org
~ with love from your favorite Tech Minion ~
CIVIL RIGHTS DATA
COLLECTION (CRDC)
RESOURCES


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 FOR REPORTING
  • Data Review and Preliminary Data Collection: NOW through Dec. 13, 2021
  • Collection Phase Begins Dec. 13 and runs 75 calendar days, ending Feb. 28, 2022

Nugget of Useful CRDC Info - School Characteristics & Null vs. 0 Values [click here]
- this week's feature -
MEET OUR FACILITATORS:
GENEVIEVE THOMAS

With nearly two decades of experience in the education sector, Genevieve Thomas, President of Spark Educational Consulting, has served as a special education teacher, literacy specialist, teacher coach, school psychologist, and special education administrator. She holds graduate degrees in both special education and school psychology from Loyola Marymount University. 

Genevieve is passionate about special education policies and best practices for students with diverse learning needs, early literacy instruction and intervention, and multi-tiered systems of support. Click the link below for more details!

AREAS OF EXPERTISE: Special Education; Literacy Instruction and Intervention; Dyslexia; MTSS
MEET OUR FACILITATORS is a brand new page under SSoM Professional Learning.

For questions or additional information, please contact:
Melissa Tovaas, SSoM Director of Education Services, mtovaas@mt-schools.org
MECC UPDATES
& REVIEWS

<-- check out the new MECC logo!
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.

UPCOMING VIRTUAL REVIEWS
Dec. 8: Social Studies Standards-Based Assessment Alignment & Design 8:30-12pm
Jan. 13: Social Studies Unit Frameworks, Understanding By Design
Elementary (K-5) 8:30-11:30am) | Secondary (6-12) 12:30-3:30pm)

Contact our Director of Education Services for more info:
Melissa Tovaas | mtovaas@mt-schools.org | (646) 831-7264
SSoM BUSINESS PARTNER RESOURCES
MONTANA STATE UNIVERSITY OFFERS PAID SUMMER RESEARCH EXPERIENCE FOR ELEMENTARY TEACHERS!
June 20 - July 29, 2022

Are you a Montana elementary school teacher looking to enliven and improve how you teach STEM in your classroom? This 6-week summer program will be offered to 10 teachers per summer for 3 years starting in 2022, and it takes place in-person in Bozeman.

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.

  • Participants receive a $6,000 stipend; travel funding also available;
  • Housing & meals provided; all program & research costs covered;

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.

Questions? Contact Paul Gannon, MSU College of Engineering, pgannon@montana.edu

SSoM Partner COLLABORATIVE CLASSROOM

Check out this Holiday Wishes email sent to us today, chock full of Blogs, Virtual Events, and FREE resources!
RESOURCES TO SUPPORT YOUR TEACHING & LEARNING

CURATED LIST: VIRTUAL EVENTS & LEARNING OPPORTUNITIES
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
JOKE OF THE WEEK
ADDITIONAL RESOURCES
MT OFFICE OF PUBLIC INSTRUCTION

OPI Monthly Compass - December 2021 edition
Featuring: welcome to new staff, E-Rate grant, scholarships, and links to updates from OPI's units (AIM, ESSER, School Nutrition, and more!)
DONORSCHOOSE.ORG
Founded in 2000 by a high school teacher in the Bronx, NY, DonorsChoose empowers public school teachers from across the country to request much-needed materials for their students. Teachers can add their project to the site (Donorschoose.org matches donations from every donor for your first project!), and donors can make a one-time OR monthly donation.

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:
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.