November 3, 2021 Edition
IN THIS EDITION...Spring 2022 Co-op Food Order Opens Nov 8 | MECC Social Studies Reviews | Feature: Native American Heritage Month | New Virtual Events Webpage | Your Medicaid Moment | Infinite Campus Resources & Events | NEW Grant Opportunity | NEW Partner Resources | Joke of the Week | Additional Resources | About SSoM

>> Attention Food Service Professionals <<
SPRING 2022 CO-OP FOOD ORDER
OPEN Nov 8 - Dec 7

Our next co-op food order window opens Monday, Nov 8, 2021! The Spring 2022 order features brand new items, a 5th delivery to support your summer food programs, and flexible program fee options. Mark your calendars, and click a button below for details:
Spring 2022 Delivery 1 begins Monday, Jan 24, 2022
Program open to ALL MT K-12 schools; membership NOT required!

NEW REFERRAL INCENTIVE PROGRAM [RIP]
We recently unveiled our Referral Incentive Program designed to reward districts who refer NEW districts to our co-op food order, AND it has the added benefit of a discount for NEW users!

If you've NEVER ordered through our program, there couldn't be a better time to try it out. If your district hasn't placed an order through our program for 2 or more years, you are also NEW! Click the button for details:
Spring 2022 Delivery 1 begins Monday, Jan 24, 2021
Program open to ALL MT K-12 schools; membership NOT required!

Jennifer Brekke, SSoM Purchasing Manager, jbrekke@mt-schools.org, (406) 580-7547
MECC Fall / Winter 2021 - 2022 Reviews
SOCIAL STUDIES CURRICULUM

Hello curriculum aficionados! Here are the details on the virtual Social Studies reviews we are offering this school year. These reviews are available to our Montana Education Curriculum Consortium members, and we would love to share how a MECC membership would benefit YOUR district!

MECC members - please pass this info along to your teachers and let Melissa Tovaas know if you have questions. We are brainstorming ways to provide additional support throughout this year and next summer for other areas of curriculum. Thank you to those that have provided feedback so far!

MECC Social Studies Curriculum Reviews
Melissa Tovaas, SSoM Director of Education Services, mtovaas@mt-schools.org
NOVEMBER IS NATIVE AMERICAN HERITAGE MONTH

A Word from our Tech Education Director


Happy November and welcome to Native American Heritage Month! This month I'll be sharing tech tips, sites, extensions, apps, etc. that can help educators better integrate more knowledge and culture within their classrooms. While most schools offer some sort of European language course, more and more schools are expanding to include some of the Native languages from the region.

This week I'd like to point out the incredible work that the Kalispell Tribe, centered just north of Spokane, has been doing regarding language. Their website includes written and audio resources and a curriculum for an introduction to Salish, as well as keyboard software to enable typing with Salish characters. Check it out!

Lemlmts! (Salish for 'Thank you'.)

Sabrina Holland-Kump, SSoM Director of Technology Education, sholland@mt-schools.org
BRAND NEW SSoM
VIRTUAL EVENTS WEBPAGE

Our Education Services department is excited to announce our brand new Virtual Events webpage! Many of the courses are self-paced, so register at your convenience and share with your fellow educators. Click here for details & registration options for the following:
IEFA Book Study - feat. 'Lies My Teacher Told Me' by James W. Loewen

Understanding & Supporting Students With Dyslexia - approx. 11 hours; self-paced

Implementing Professional Learning Communities in Montana Schools - approx. 3 hours; self-paced

Trauma-Informed Approaches for Educators - 45 OPI Renewal Units PER MODULE


Melissa Tovaas, SSoM Director of Education Services, mtovaas@mt-schools.org
Have you read our latest Medicaid newsletter?
YOUR MEDICAID MOMENT

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

Guidelines for Billing - Personal Care Services
  • Use the PCA & Nursing Wizard to add Personal Care Services & log minutes in the Service Portal
Adding Goals to a Student Account
  • Link to detailed instructions to add goals for each student in your caseload!
Missing Student?
  • Fill out the newly revised Student Information Sheet, a fillable PDF
Service Portal Tips & Manuals for:
  • Personal Care; Direct Care Therapy

Lisa Waterman, SSoM Medicaid Billing Program Specialist, lwaterman@mt-schools.org
SWMSS IC Combo Logo


USER GUIDES &
PROFESSIONAL LEARNING
USER GUIDES

REGISTRATION STILL OPEN FOR VIRTUAL NATIONAL TRAINING WEEK 11/15 - 19
Mary Anne Skinner, SSoM Campus Extraordinairre, maskinner@mt-schools.org, (208) 631-2053
GRANT OPPORTUNITY
YOUTH GARDEN GRANTS by KidsGardening.org
...awarded to support school and youth educational garden projects that enhance the quality of life for students and their communities. Any nonprofit organization, school, or youth program in the U.S. or U.S. territories planning a new garden program or expanding an established one that serves at least 15 youth between the ages of three and 18 is eligible to apply. Forty winners will receive award packages valued at $1,050 each. In addition, ten winners will receive the $1,050 award package plus additional prizes. The selection of winners is based on demonstrated program impact and sustainability.

Application deadline: December 17, 2021. Visit KidsGardening for guidelines and forms.
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.
NEW RESOURCES TO SUPPORT YOUR TEACHING & LEARNING

BEYOND GOOD INTENTIONS: TEACHING WITH A SOCIAL EMOTIONAL, & CULTURAL LENS
Dec. 1, 2021, 2-2:45pm Mountain
Join us for a conversation with Dr. Nancy Markowitz, Founder and Executive Director of the Center for Reaching & Teaching the Whole Child, and Dr. Suzanne Bouffard, VP of Publications at Learning Forward and Editor of The Learning Professional, as we discuss their book. Register here.

OERA WINTER 2022 COURSE Begins Jan 20, 2022
Register for the Online Elementary Reading Academy (OERA), a self-paced online course that teaches the essential components of reading instruction, offered in partnership with the Consortium on Reading Excellence in Education (CORE). Learn more & register here.

Learn how our evidence-based, ESSER-eligible curricula address the impact of lost instructional time, nurture strong learning communities, and support students socially, emotionally, and academically.

60 DAY FREE TRIAL
Sign up for a free trial license and receive full digital access to all Collaborative Classroom curricula for 60 days. Click here to begin trial.
JOKE OF THE WEEK
ADDITIONAL RESOURCES
MT OFFICE OF PUBLIC INSTRUCTION
FREE OPI PD: IMPLEMENTING SOCIAL EMOTIONAL LEARNING IN MONTANA SCHOOLS
4 remaining Wed. evening sessions, 4:30 - 5:30 pm: 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.
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.

THIS JUST IN! There are tons of new updates and new pages on our WEBSITE! Check them out by clicking our logo anywhere in the newsletter : )