Early Childhood Focus at the Coös Connections Summit
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In a collaborative effort of the Coös Coalition for Young Children and Families and SAUs 3, 7, 20, 36 & 58, early childhood leaders from the region's licensed childcare centers and pre-school and kindergarten educators gathered for a two-day summit this fall. The purpose was to support and sustain positive behavioral/social/emotional development in children, build communication and find common ground between early childhood teachers across the county, and develop shared goals for children entering kindergarten.
For each of the SAU regions, teams are continuing to meet throughout the year. The full group will reconvene in the spring.
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Congratulations NH Cyber Robotics Coding Competitors
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 It was fantastic to see many North Country schools participating in the first New Hampshire Cyber Robotics Coding Competition in December. A special congratulations to Errol Consolidated School and Pine Tree School for making the finals and competing at Pinkerton Academy on December 19th. This was the culminating event of 8 weeks of virtual competition where over 2500 students in middle and high school used CoderZ, a cloud based coding platform to compete in over 80 different and challenging robotics missions.
Read more
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There is still time to get involved in this year's North Country Student Film Festival.
Theme: North of the 44th Through Our Eyes
This theme was chosen to give our students living north of the 44th parallel a voice to highlight the positives of the region. This film festival is an opportunity to expose an audience to new concepts, stories, ideas, and ways of thinking about the region North of the 44th. Let your students' films showcase the wonderful people, places, ideas taking place in our schools and communities!
Film submission deadline: February 16, 2018
Film Festival: Saturday, March 24, 2018 at the Rialto Theatre, Lancaster NH
Award Categories:
- Partnerships North of the 44th
- Innovation North of the 44th
- Life North of the 44th
Additionally, awards will be given to recognize these film characteristics:
- Best Technical Merit
- Best Cinematography
- Best Picture
- Best Originality
Learn more
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Edscorn on Autism Coming in May!
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 NCES is excited to welcome back CarolAnn Edscorn for a full day of professional development on autism spectrum disorders. CarolAnn Edscorn is a dynamic and moving speaker who describes her full life as a person with autism.
CarolAnn will provide a brief review of the updated definition of autism from the from the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5) and then cover sensory integration; behavior management concepts, and social relationships--including Inclusion.
Date: Monday, May 14, 2018
Time: 8:30 to 3:00
Location: NCES, Gorham, NH
Cost: $75 staff from NCES member schools, $95 associate members, $115 all others
Register: Online or phone 603-466-5437 M-F 8-4.
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Mindfulness Teacher Workshop:
Free Preview January 23rd of the Educator Summer Camp
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Lead by Erin Woo, M.Ed., this session will introduce how the practice of mindfulness provides the foundation for bringing our best intentions to our teaching – connecting with our students, compassion, self-awareness and ability to respond skillfully to whatever arises in each moment rather than reacting in habitual and sometimes unhelpful ways. Teachers will learn about mindfulness, the latest brain science, engage in mindfulness practices and leave with tools and techniques to cultivate mindfulness in the classroom.
As noted below, a comprehensive training for educators to implement mindfulness practices in their classroom is planned for this coming summer. This free session is a great opportunity for potentially interested educators to get a better sense of whether would be entailed in integrating mindfulness practices in the school setting.
Date: Tuesday, January 23, 2018 (Please note: misprinted as Jan 16 in last month's issue.)
Time: 3:30 to 4:30
Location: NCES, Gorham, NH
Cost: Free
Register: Online or by calling 603-466-5437 M-F 8-4
Read more about the instructor, Erin Woo, below.
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Mindfulness for Educators Summer Course
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Mindfulness for Educators is an experiential learning program for teachers interested in incorporating mindfulness into the life of the classroom. Mindfulness complements social emotional learning practices by promoting stress management, emotional well-being and cognitive performance. In this course you will explore mindfulness in a way that enhances your own innate capacities for resilience, focus and well-being.
Mindfulness is a powerful approach to working with daily physical and emotional stress. Brain scans show the regular mindfulness practice significantly alters the functioning and structure of the brain. Studies show that teachers who practice mindfulness reduce feelings of burnout and ineffectiveness, and increase their sense of well-being, happiness, and empathy in the classroom. Students who use mindfulness strengthen their concentration and improve their ability to regulate their emotions.
Teachers will have the opportunity to develop a personal mindfulness practice during the online portion that takes place in the four weeks leading up to the course. This emphasis on a personal mindfulness practice will continue in 3-day live course and will provide the foundation for learning how to integrate mindfulness into the classroom. During the three day-long classes we will explore topics such as neuroscience, stress physiology, embodied teaching, mindful listening communication, and mindfulness practices to share with students, through dialogue, individual reflection, and practice teaching.
This course consists of 8 hours of online work and 3 days of instruction. The in-person instruction will take place at NCES on July 16 - 18, 2018 from 9:00 am - 3:30 pm. The online coursework will require approximately 2 hours per week for 4 weeks and will run June 17 - July 13. The online portion will contain two optional live video sessions that will be held June 24 and July 8 from 7 - 8 pm. These sessions will be recorded and posted online for those who can't make it.
Course Dates
On-Site Classes: Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday July 16 - 18, 2018 9:00 am - 3:30 pm
Pre-Session Online Coursework: June 24 - July 13
Online Live Classes: June 24 and July 8, 7:00 pm - 8:00 pm
Cost: $435 staff from NCES member school, $500 associate members, $600 all others
Register: Online or by calling 603-466-5437 M-F 8-4
Location: NCES, Gorham, NH
Instructor
 Erin Woo, M.Ed., loves sharing mindfulness with teachers because it combines her passion for teaching children with her delight in sharing mindfulness with adults. She works as a Program Developer and Lead Teacher at the Center for Mindfulness at UMass Medical School where she also did her training. She is certified to teach mindfulness throughout the Mindfulness in Schools Project and did the Mindful Schools Year-Long Teacher Training. She teaches mindfulness to students in local elementary and high schools.
Erin is the director of White Pine Montessori, the school she founded in 2008. She is Adjunct Professor of English at NHTI Community College where she teaches a mindfulness-based communications course. She teaches Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) and leads a weekly meditation group. She has been practicing mindfulness since 2006 and is dedicated to sharing the benefits of mindfulness with others.
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Tech Users Monthly Virtual Meeting
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The Tech Users Group is a statewide group of K-12 educators who share how they are successfully using technology in their classroom. Meetings are held monthly through Zoom, a video conferencing app that is free to download and use. All you need is a computer with audio that connects to the internet.
If you are interested in attending, wish to join the mailing list, or have questions email Brenda Tilton at b_tilton@sau58.org or matt@ncedservices.org.
Presenter: Varies by month
Date/time: Tuesday, January 16, 2018 from 3:15 pm to 4:15 pm
Cost: Free
Register: Email matt@ncedservices.org
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Training Available with Drug Recognition Experts through NCHC
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In an effort to create awareness around the current trends in substance misuse among youth, the North Country Health Consortium has enlisted the help of local law enforcement certified as Drug Recognition Experts (DRE) to provide training to school personnel. NCHC is coordinating the DRE program to share this knowledge to the educational sector. Training can be completed in 90 minutes. For information on scheduling this free training, please have your school administrator contact Greg Williams, Substance Misuse Prevention Coordinator/Young Adult Strategies Supervisor at 603-259-3700 x295 or gwilliams@nchcnh.org.
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My Students Have Taken the SAT, Now What? How to Integrate Score Data with Official SAT Practice on Khan Academy
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This session is designed for school staff that has logged into the K-12 Assessment Reporting
Portal and need help figuring out ways to effectively use the data. We will explore the types
of reports available to not only help make decisions around curriculum and instruction, but
also make connections to the Official SAT Practice available through Khan Academy.
Participants will also hear about strategies New Hampshire schools have used to ensure
students link their College Board and Khan Academy accounts.
Instructor: Dena Johnson, CollegeBoard
When: January 4, 2018 from 1:00 pm to 3:00 pm
Cost: Free
Where: North Country Education Services
Who: Administrators, Teachers and counselors
Requirements: Notebook or Internet Accessible Tablet
Register: Online at https://goo.gl/mRax26 or (here) or by calling 603-466-5437 M-F 8-4 (deadline to register is noontime on Jan 3rd).
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Proud of your school library?
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If so, consider submitting a nomination for a NH School Library Media Association award.
Your nomination can help the NHSLMA Awards Committee recognize the outstanding NH library professionals who transform education for New Hampshire students every day. The NHSLMA Outstanding Library Program Award is given for an exemplary library media program and services. Self-nominations are accepted!
Nomination information can be found at http://www.nhslma.org/page-1712522. The deadline for submissions is February 1, 2018.
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The 2018 Penguin Plunge benefiting Special Olympics of New Hampshire is coming up on February 4, 2018. Funds raised through the Penguin Plunge are used to provide year round sports training and athletic competition to children and adults with intellectual disabilities across the state. You do not have to plunge to contribute. Consider making a general donation, supporting a plunger, or supporting a regional team. Learn more.
For those in the greater Berlin area, there is local Penguin Plunge fundraiser taking place on Friday, January 12, 2018 at Sinibaldi's Restaurant from 4:00 to 9:00 PM. 50-50 raffle, free giveaway raffles, and more.
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Register by February 19, 2018
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Aviation Art Contest
Through the Bureau of Aeronautics, the NH Department of Transportation is sponsoring the annual International Aviation Art Contest with three age-span competition levels.
Theme: Flight into the Future
Deadline: January 19, 2018
Learn more
2018 NH State House Bicentennial Essay Contest
The New Hampshire State House Bicentennial Commission (NHSHBC), on behalf of the State of New Hampshire, is offering the 2018 NH State House Bicentennial Essay Contest. A total of nine awards will be given at each regional level and at the State level. Any child between the ages 5-21 that resides in New Hampshire and is a public, private or home school student in kindergarten through 12th grade can participate. Applicants must submit their essay accompanied by the Essay Contest Entry Form to the regional office in which their school is located. For the North Country, send to Corinne Cascadden, 183 Hillside Avenue, Berlin, NH 03570.
Arts Alliance of Northern NH Seeks Executive Director
The longtime leader and advocate for arts in the North Country is planning to retire and the Alliance has begun their search for a new Executive Director.
Learn more
The Greater Good Science Center studies the psychology, sociology, and neuroscience of well-being and teaches skills that foster a thriving, resilient, and compassionate society.
Tips, tools, and resources for educators and parents freely available include topics of:
- Teaching gratitude
- Social-emotional skills
- Self-compassion
- Strengthening democracy
- Science of happiness
- Teaching empathy
- Adopting a growth mindset
- and much, much more
Learn more at ggsc.berkeley.edu
NCES Online Professional Development Library & Educational Student Texts
Want to enhance your ebook collection? Check out the hundreds of educational ebooks available to NCES member schools:
NH Pilot with NBC Learn
The State of New Hampshire is piloting NBC Learn from January 1 through May 1, 2018. Open to all public, charter, and private schools in NH. During the pilot period, there is no cost to all participating districts, schools, or teachers. There is no limit to how many engagements taken during the pilot program.
NBC Learn, the education arm of NBC News, provides relevant and engaging resources for classroom, blended, and online learning. Leveraging nearly 80 years of historic news coverage, documentary materials, and current news broadcasts, NBC Learn gives students and teachers access to thousands of video clips from the NBC News archives, including historic moments – from the Great Depression to the Space Race to the latest political coverage. NBC Learn also offers Emmy-award winning original STEM content, lesson plans, and classroom planning resources, to enliven instructional material as well as stimulate critical thinking and debate.
Explore Free Resources from NBC Learn
Learn about NBC Learn in the Classroom
Learn more about the NH pilot
Looking for help with substance abuse or mental illness but don't know where to turn?
Granite Pathways Regional Access Point Services is a statewide network, accessible by phone or in person to help New Hampshire residents struggling with addiction, to get the timely, supportive services they need; helping both individuals and families navigate the complex systems of care to real solutions.
Call 1-844-711-HELP or visit: granitepathwaysnh.org/rap/
Brain Building Basics for Early Elementary Students
Vroom is free app to turn shared moments into brain building moments. Whether it’s mealtime, bathtime, or anytime in between, there are always ways to nurture children's growing minds.
Elementary educators, Vroom also shares various free printable materials to share with parents. Here's an example...
Need information or have parents who need resources?
From health, to housing, to crisis response, 211 is a one stop/call spot for resources and assistance. Visit 211nh.org or call 2-1-1, accessible 24/7 and completely confidential.
Support NCES with a tax deductible donation
Contact Information
North Country Education Services
300 Gorham Hill Road
Gorham, NH 03581
ncedservices.org
603-466-5437
nces@ncedservices.org
NCES is an equal opportunity employer and provider.
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