November 18, 2021 Edition
IN THIS EDITION...Spring '22 Food Order Closes Dec. 7 | NEW Native American Heritage Month Resources | Social Studies Curriculum Reviews | Professional Learning Website Updates | NEW School-Based Mental Health Screening | Paid Summer Research Experience for Elementary Teachers | Joke of the Week | Additional Resources | About SSoM


SSoM SPRING 2022 CO-OP
FOOD ORDER NOW OPEN
>>Orders & Signature Pages Due by December 7th

The Spring 2022 order features several brand new items, a 5th delivery to support your summer food programs, and NEW program fee options! This program is open to ALL Montana K-12 schools, and SSoM membership is NOT required. Click a button below for details.

The first Delivery period begins January 24. Join over 150 school districts to SAVE BIG on quality K-12 food for your nutrition programs, receive up to FIVE deliveries (each approx. 1 month apart), get advance notices of your delivery date and emailed advance notices of order shorts (plan ahead!).
Questions? Need a refresher? Contact our Purchasing Manager today!
Jennifer Brekke | jbrekke@mt-schools.org | (406) 580-7547
A Word from our Tech Education Director
NOVEMBER IS
NATIVE AMERICAN HERITAGE MONTH

Welcome to another week of resources for Native American Heritage Month! This week I'm looking at curriculum resources and encourage you to dig through these to find the ideas that will work best for your classroom. The amount of information out there can be overwhelming, so I'd encourage you to focus on resources created by indigenous peoples, especially our nations here in Montana, and to amplify Native voices especially when addressing Thanksgiving.

MT Indian Education for All + OPI 

National Museum of the Native American @ the Smithsonian

California Indian Conference 2020 Digital Exhibition


What resources are you using this month and every month to better understand and educate about America's and Montana's indigenous peoples? Please let me know!

School Services of Montana Director of Technology Education
Sabrina Holland-Kump | sholland@mt-schools.org
MECC Fall / Winter 2021 - 2022
SOCIAL STUDIES CURRICULUM REVIEWS
<-- check out the new MECC logo!
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. Not a MECC member? We would LOVE to share how a MECC membership would benefit YOUR district! Click here for the updated MECC 21-22 Meeting & Events Calendar for a complete list of events, descriptions, and registration links.

UPCOMING VIRTUAL REVIEWS
Dec. 2: Prioritizing & Unpacking Social Studies Standards, 12:30-3:30pm
Dec. 8: Social Studies Standards-Based Assessment Alignment & Design 8:30am-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 the SSoM Director of Education Services for more:
Melissa Tovaas | mtovaas@mt-schools.org | (646) 831-7264
SSoM WEBSITE UPDATES: PROFESSIONAL LEARNING

Education Services is excited to announce
the following new & updated pages in
Professional Learning on our website!
SSoM UPCOMING EVENTS featuring our new facilitated IEFA Facilitated Course, 2022 Montana Science Summer Institute, a Feb. 2022 Tech Summit teaser (details coming soon), and more!

CUSTOMIZED DISTRICT PROFESSIONAL LEARNING for your school or district, based on the needs of your staff and students. We will work with you to create a professional learning plan that meets your needs. Whether it's in-person or virtual, we are flexible in our delivery and range of learning topics.

VIRTUAL COURSES currently features our IEFA Book Study, Dyslexia Course & Resources, PLC Implementation, and Trauma-Informed Approaches

THESE NEW PAGES & UPDATES COMING SOON
  • 21-22 SY Curriculum Consortium (MECC) updates
  • MECC calendar link updated above : )
  • Meet Our Facilitators (including photos, bios, areas of expertise, and shout-outs from happy educators)
  • Indian Education for All (IEFA)
  • Crisis Prevention/Intervention (CPI) Workshops

For questions or additional information, please contact:
Melissa Tovaas, SSoM Director of Education Services, mtovaas@mt-schools.org
MENTAL HEALTH RESOURCES

SCHOOL-BASED MENTAL HEALTH SCREENING

RBHI.org, a Montana-based nonprofit, is offering a suicide prevention intervention with strong evidence to Montana middle and high schools. The intervention, Screening Linked To Care (SLTC), consists of validated assessments for suicide risk, which students complete on a computer or smartphone. Screening takes 5-15 minutes. If a student indicates they have had recent suicidal thoughts or behaviors (planning, attempts), the screening system notifies a designated person at the school who then connects the student to same-day mental health care. If a school does not have a mental health provider available, RBHI will help arrange care, generally with therapists at Shodair Children’s Hospital.
Click a button above to learn more. A demo of the screening tool is also available.
Janet Lindow, Executive Director | jlindow@rbhi.org | (406) 439-8526
Julie Anderson, Implementation Director | janderson@rbhi.org | (406) 671-8900
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
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.
RESOURCES TO SUPPORT YOUR TEACHING & LEARNING
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 and under an hour!

FEATURE: BEYOND GOOD INTENTIONS: TEACHING WITH A SOCIAL EMOTIONAL, & CULTURAL LENS Dec. 1, 2021, 2-2:45pm Mountain Time


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 - November 2021 ed.
Featuring: MT School Law Conference; new Educator Licensure System; MT Executive Leadership Academy; link to important dates, 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!
22nd ANNUAL CAN THE GRIZ FOOD DRIVE WRAPS UP SATURDAY, NOV. 20!
Can the Griz (aka Can the Cats) is an off-field competition between Montana State University and the University of Montana to see which school can collect the most donations for its local food bank. Read the MSU press release here. The drive will conclude at the end of the first quarter of the annual Brawl of the Wild football game on Saturday, Nov. 20.

Everyone wins when you take part in this massive food drive to support the Gallatin Valley Food Bank and the Missoula Food Bank. Of course, Cat fans & Griz fans are also competing for BRAGGING RIGHTS. Make a food OR a monetary donation. $1 = 1 pound of food. It's so easy! They even accept donations via Venmo: @canthegriz.

It's all about supporting our fellow Montanans. Please support your local food bank.
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.

ONCE AGAIN! Oodles and oodles of new updates, new PD, and new pages on our WEBSITE! Click our logo anywhere in the newsletter to check it out : )