 Nine schools gathered on Saturday, March 22 at the Rialto Theatre in Lancaster, NH for the 4th annual North Country Middle School Film Festival. The theme, Celebrate What's Right in the North Country, helped showcase many of the assets of the region. Topics included recreational opportunities, health and safety systems, clubs and associations, as well as some of the notable people who have hailed from the region. Winning teams are featured in this newsletter and all entries are available on the NCES YouTube page.
We are pleased to announce next year's team will remain, Celebrate What's Right in the North Country. Open to grades 6 to 8 and grade 5 in K-6 schools, please consider advising a team for next year's festival.
We were able to give fabulous door prizes that also celebrate the many opportunities that our region affords. These included a zipline tour at Bretton Woods for a family of four, a family rafting trip from ELC Rafting, a family rolling dogsled tour by Muddy Paw Kennel, a family pack at Great Glen Trails, a trip up the Mount Washington Auto Road and a gift basket from Porky Gulch Bike Shop. Our thanks to the Neil & Louise Tillotson Fund for financial support of trophies and school awards, to the advisors volunteering their time, and to Dave Fuller of the Rialto Theatre for hosting the event.
Congratulations to all teams. It was a wonderful day showcasing films that highlighted the many positives of the region.
Lori Langlois
Executive Director
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750+ North Country Educators Gather for Wormeli Event
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On Friday March 28th, Rick Wormeli keynoted to a sold-out audience at Berlin Middle School auditorium. He spoke on the topic of grading and assessment. Feedback from the day included overwhelming positive comments such as, "What a terrific event. Easily one of the best conferences I've attended."
 The day was a collaboration of North Country Education Services and SAUs 3, 20, 23, 35, 58, 68 & 77. Support for the event included funding from the NH Department of Education and support for the book discussions prior to the event through Plymouth State University's Rural School Educator Effectiveness Collaborative and Transcanada.
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Wormeli Event Door Prize Winners
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Winners of $50 Amazon Gift Cards
Tammy Fauteux, Berlin Middle School
Patricia Peel, Groveton Elementary School
Teri Cote, Errol School
Dan Mackin, Stratford School
Ben Murphy, Berlin Middle School
Winner of the Porky Gulch Bike Shop Gift Basket
Christine Young-Rineer, Bethlehem Elementary School
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CAGS Courses Offered at NCES in July
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Plymouth State University’s Certificate of Advanced Graduate Studies (CAGS) program addresses the needs of practicing educators who have completed a master’s degree and who are interested in pursuing advanced academic work in educational change and leadership.
You have an opportunity to take two of the required courses this summer at NCES. Visit Graduate Admissions on the Plymouth.edu website or for more information contact Dr. Christie Sweeney at clsweeney@plymouth.edu.
School Finance & Negotiation
Instructor: Michael Morgan
Dates: Tues, July 8, Wed, July 9, Thurs, July 10 & Sat, July 19, 2014
Time: 8:30 to 4:30
Location: NCES, Gorham
The development of school budgets that support the planning processes within a school setting will be covered. Other relevant topics will include cost effectiveness, revenue sources, communication with the public, capital projects, state and federal programs, using the budget to promote excellence in the schools, and principles and practices in collective bargaining.
Legal Issues in Policy Making
Instructor: Theodore Comstock
Dates: Fridays, July 11,18 & 25, 2014
Time: 9:00 to 4:00
Location: NCES, Gorham
This course presents a discussion of ways institutions and their communities must deal with the legal and political environment in which they exist. Topics include current legal issues and how the stakeholders in society can use the law as a tool for social change. Institutions must advocate for positive change through the development of thoughtful legal policies and practices.
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Common Core + Common Sense = Improved Outcomes for Learners with Disabilities!
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with Carol Kosnitsky  If you believe "the whole is greater than the sum of its parts"... this workshop is for you! NH districts continue to struggle with providing access to challenging curriculum for students with disabilities. It’s essential that general and special educators engage in joint conversations on access to the Common Core now before we inadvertently repeat past mistakes. Capitalizing on the collaborative expertise of content and learner specialists, this session will identify the significant instructional shifts in CCSS and the challenges and opportunities they present. Come with a colleague and leave with a plan on how to think more strategically about the roles and responsibilities general and special educators share in the education of students with disabilities. Participants will be able to:
- Identify instructional shifts in the Common Core State Standards (CCSS) and the impact they may have on students with disabilities;
- Identify areas for collaboration between general and special educators on accommodations and the development and implementation of IEPs aligned to CCSS; and
- Identify specific resources to assist in supporting students with disabilities in ELA and Math.
Intended for: Administrators, general and special education teachers. Date: Thursday, May 29, 2014 from 8:30 to 3:30 (check-in starting at 8:00)Location: NCES, Gorham, NH Cost: $50 for Focus & Priority School staff, $125 staff of NCES member schools, $135 associates, $150 others, Registration Deadline: April 18thRegistration: Contact Lisa Blais at lisa@ncedservices.org, 800-268-5437, 603-466-5437 or online.
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Autism Spectrum Disorder Series with David Freschi
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Simply Good Ideas
Autism Spectrum Disorder Workshops
Behavior Mapping
Students with behavioral challenges, especially those in the ASD and similar categories, often have serious difficulty with self-regulation and choice making. Lectures and detention don’t seem to help much. This workshop will offer a variety of visual strategies to help students and staff map out choices and pathways to help clarify the steps to self-regulation and achieve success. Samples for all school ages from pre-school through high-school will be offered. Participants will have the opportunity to start to develop a Social Behavior Map for their students.
Date: Tuesday, April 15, 2014 from 3:45 to 5:45
Please register no later than the Friday before the session.
Cost: $20 staff of NCES member schools, $25 associates, $35 others
Functional Lessons
A lot more than meets the eye – Few would doubt the necessity of learning and instruction becoming functional. For the neuro-typical student much of this will come naturally. The student with ASD and/or related challenges is going to have a much more difficult time. So called “Life Skills” training often falls far short of helping a student become independent. This workshop will offer participants some new ways to look at functional instruction and a useful model for developing a functional lesson.
Date: Tuesday, May 20, 2014 from 3:45 to 5:45
Please register no later than the Friday before the session.
Cost: $20 staff of NCES member schools, $25 associates, $35 others
Location of all sessions: NCES, Gorham, NH
Registration: Contact Lisa Blais at lisa@ncedservices.org, 800-268-5437, 603-466-5437 or online.
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National Writing Project in New Hampshire
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Each of the nearly 200 NWP sites holds an invitational summer institute every summer. Several thousand teachers participate each year in these summer institutes, and every year new groups of summer fellows at local sites describe their summer institute experience as “a space for critical reflection so essential to good practice,” “causing a noticeable and great shift in all of my teaching,” “the best professional development I have had in all my years of teaching.”
The invitational summer institute is at the core of NWP’s model of “teachers teaching teachers.” For more about the intentional and complex design of NWP summer institutes and how they support teachers as professionals, as researchers, and as writers, visit the National Writing Project or check out our Summer Institute Brochure.
North Country participation is especially being sought. NWP in NH may offer reduced rate tuition, and pay for housing on campus and/or a mileage stipend. They might be able to pay some additional stipend to cover child care if that is necessary. They are looking for middle and elementary level teachers, but high school educators are also welcome. Contact Dr. Meg Petersen for more information at megjoanna@plymouth.edu.
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2014 NH SCRAP Field School
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The 2014 State Conservation and Rescue Archaeology Program (SCRAP) summer field school in archaeology will consist of complementary investigations at Mt. Jasper, a lithic source in Berlin, NH utilized for over 12,000 years, and a Paleoindian caribou hunting and processing encampment overlooking the Israel River in Jefferson, NH.
Field school students will engage in research at Mt. Jasper that will entail documentation of workshops and survey to expand the lithic sources. The students will also participate in excavations at the Jefferson VI Paleoindian site in Jefferson where many of the tools andassociated debris were made from the Mt. Jasper rhyolite. Basic site documentation, artifact identification, data recovery and artifact identification skills will be taught.Students will also be taught basics of field mapping including use of GPS technology and related environmental recordation.
The field school is structured in three sessions, each two weeks long (June 23 – July 3, July 7 –July 18 and July 21 –August 1). Fieldwork will take place daily on weekdays from 8 AM to 4PM, with occasional evening lectures. A field camp will be established in Randolph, NH where participants may reside during the field school. Those electing to use the field camp will need to provide their own tents and camping gear. An indoor kitchen with necessary supplies will be available for preparation of meals.
All fieldwork and instruction will be directed by Dr. Richard Boisvert, New Hampshire StateArchaeologist, and the field school will conform to standards for archaeology set by the National Park Service. For more information, contact the NH Division of Historical Resources at 603-271-6433 or at http://www.nh.gov/nhdhr/SCRAP.ht
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Coös NetWorks is here to support people of the region, the cultural and natural resources, future community and economic development of the region. This network is comprised of people who share a common passion for the greater Coös Region. If you're one of those people, please consider joining today.
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Have you joined?
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The New Hampshire Network is an online platform with features let users connect to educators, reach out to experts in the fi eld, explore hundreds of curated resources in its KnowledgeBase library and join the communities and networks that are being launched across the state. Access to The NH Network is through NH DOE Single Sign On System. Certified educators likely already have an account. Login at the following link: https://my.doe.nh.gov/myNHDOE/Login/Login.aspx
For those who do not hold certification through the NHDOE, you may still join the network. Follow the link above, go to “Create New User Account” and choose “No – I am not a New Hampshire Educator” then continue to follow the prompts accordingly.
FAQS and more information on The NH Network
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North Country Middle School Film Festival
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