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.
Location: Virtual only
Presenters: See below
Date/time: Monday, April 9, 2018 from 3:15 pm to 4:15 pm
Cost: Free
Register: Email matt@ncedservices.org
April's topics:
Digital Escape Room
Lead by: Amy Kopp, Tech Integration Specialist for the Littleton School District
Have you ever heard of an escape room? These are rooms set up to follow a certain theme that you and a group of people have to get out of by finding clues that unlock locks until you eventually unlock the final door to get out. These escape rooms have become all the rage lately, and now this concept has hit education! There is even a company called breakout EDU that makes them for you to purchase. Getting the scene set up and all of the clues ready can be difficult in a classroom, so the new trend is digital escapes. The concept is the same, except all of the clues are found online and the locks are done in a Google form. If this sounds intriguing to you, join us for the tech users group Monday, April 9th to learn how you can use Google Sites and Google Forms to create your very own digital break out.
Using Your Tablet as a Document Camera
Lead by: Mike Nieckoski, Academic Technology Consultant & Canvas Admin for KSC
All too often we don’t know about hidden, “value added” dimensions of our technology investments. At our next meeting, I’ll be demonstrating how to exploit some (hidden) capabilities of your tablet as a document camera, as a tool to create lessons and do presentations. We’ll look at hardware, some software and explore techniques to make more use of your tablet in and out of the classroom. Let’s make more of the technology we already have!
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Looking for the Edscorn workshop on autism?
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NCES is disappointed to report that unfortunately CarolAnn Edscorn can no longer make the trip she had scheduled to NH. Since there were many people registered for this session, we decided to seek another presenter on the topic of autism. We are pleased to be offering a workshop with Heather Hill from Granite State ABA Services on the originally scheduled date. See the details in the next block. If you were registered for CarolAnn's workshop, you should have received an email to confirm whether you would still like to participate.
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Understanding and Responding to Behavior:
Achieving Positive Outcomes for Students with Autism
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Join Heather Hill M.Ed. BCBA for this engaging workshop to learn ABA strategies and interventions that apply to working with the Autistic population. Each participant will engage in activities and hands on initiatives that will provide authentic understanding of the application of ABA strategies to maximize successes for the practitioner and the child.Participants will be provided with a toolkit of materials to take back to their classroom at the end of the workshop.
Heather Hill is the Co-Executive Director/Clinical Coordinator of Granite State ABA Service LLC in Conway NH and New London NH. Heather earned her M.Ed. from Plymouth State University and her graduate certificate in ABA from Antioch University and is licensed as a Board-Certified Behavior Analyst (BCBA). She has presented numerous workshops; topics include Autism, ADHD, ABA training, and behavior interventions throughout New England.
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.
Special Note: This workshop replaces the workshop originally scheduled with CarolAnn Edscorn. If you had already registered, please do NOT register again. Instead respond to the email you should have received about the change.
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Mindfulness Teacher Workshop:
Free Preview 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 what would be entailed in integrating mindfulness practices in the school setting.
Date: Wednesday, May 16, 2018 (new date)
Time: 4:00 to 5:00
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 a 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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Code.org Computer Science Fundamentals for K-5
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 Hey North Country elementary educators interested in teaching computer science, do not miss out on this no-cost workshop!
This one-day workshop includes instruction for an experienced elementary computer science facilitator, an intro to CS, pedagogy, overview of the free online curriculum, teacher dashboard, and strategies for teaching "unplugged" classroom activities. You'll receive a printed curriculum guide, classroom supplies from the unplugged lessons, and cool Code.org swag. Lunch is also provided.
Learn more about this workshop here.
Date: Tentative date is Saturday, May 19, 2018 (not quite confirmed yet, but if you register we will follow-up with you once confirmed)
Time: 8:30 to 3:00
Location: NCES, Gorham, NH
BYOD: Laptops preferred over tablets. NCES may be able to provide a laptop if requested in advance.
Register: Online or phone 603-466-5437 M-F 8-4.
This workshop is made possible by the Code.org partnership with the UNH STEM Discovery Lab with support from NCES and White Mountain Science Inc.
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Upcoming Arts Alliance of NNH Artist Residencies
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Lorraine Chapman The Company, one of Boston's premier contemporary dance companies, offers a Day of Dance Sunday, April 8, at the Jeanne Limmer Dance Center, Eastern Slope Plaza, Reporters Court, North Conway, as part of an ongoing residency. The day includes 4 classes for experienced dancers, 2 classes for all those interested (ages 9 & up), and a 5 p.m. performance by members of the company presenting both choreographed pieces and structured improvisation. Lorraine and the company are available for school and community programs throughout the spring; contact the Arts Alliance if you’d like to bring this underutilized art form to your school.
Bonnie Duncan is a hugely talented theater artist and puppeteer whose family shows, "Squirrel Stole My Underpants" (a poignantly silly adventure tale) and "Lollipops for Breakfast" (a marvelous concoction of friendship, invention and adventure) sell out venues across New England and inspire homemade puppet shows by kids everywhere. Bonnie uses creative drama and movement techniques to strengthen K-12 Language Arts & Social Studies curricula. She will be visiting schools April 9-13, and offering public performances in Milan (April 10), Haverhill (April 12), Gorham and Colebrook (April 14). Her teacher workshop, Running, Jumping, and Dancing into Curriculum: Using movement to explore and show student learning, will be offered Monday, April 9. Contact the Arts Alliance for details and to register.
"Art of the Duo"
May Artists in Residence, internationally acclaimed Syrian clarinetist/composer Kinan Azmeh and Sri Lankan-born pianist/composer Dinuk Wijeratne, perform stirring public "Art of the Duo" concerts and engage students, educators and community members as they teach musical concepts from collaboration and creativity to composition and improvisation; expand understanding of classical music by adding Middle Eastern and Asian elements; and address issues from cultural awareness to global support of refugees in talks, lecture-demonstrations and community gatherings.
More details on artist residencies at http://www.aannh.org/
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Have students looking for STEM summer camps?
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NCES is pleased to endorse the summer camps at White Mountain Science Inc. If you participated in STEM, coding, or science professional development at NCES, it was likely tied to WMSI. In case you were not aware, WMSI also provides after-school programming for students and an exciting array of summer and vacation-week programs. Ranging from 2 to 5 days, there are day programs for students ranging from ages 5 to 13. Check them out at whitemountainscience.org!
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The Vermont Energy Education Program is offering two five-day Summer Institutes for science teachers at Lake Morey Resort, Fairlee, VT. Deepen your skills and understanding around Next Generation Science Standards, energy, and climate through hands-on exploration, discussions with experts, field trips, and collaboration time for unit creation.
Institute #1, June 25-29, 2018, focuses on energy and climate as core disciplinary ideas and is for K-12 teachers of any experience level.
Institute #2, August 6-10, 2018, is for experienced teachers of grades 4-8 who want to make their units three-dimensional and personalized.
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NGSS and Project Learning Tree
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 This workshop will provide an overview of the three-dimensions of NGSS and how Project Learning Tree activities can help meet the standards. We will explore what is a performance assessment, delve into a few disciplinary core ideas and discuss cross cutting concepts. Project Learning Tree is an activity-based, supplementary curricula that support the teaching of conservation and science concepts. The activities are both interactive and interdisciplinary. As students are intrinsically interested in wildlife, trees and the outdoors, they readily engage in learning. Activities can be readily infused into everyday school subjects and busy classrooms. Come dressed to be outside and bring lunch.
Location: The Rocks, Bethlehem, NH
Date: April 24, 2018 from 9:00 to 3:00
Cost: $45
Register: Online or contact NH Project Learning Tree (800) 677-1499 info@nhplt.org
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Know a North Country high school student who may be interested in a youth-led grantmaking program?
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The Neil and Louise Tillotson Fund of the New Hampshire Charitable Foundation has just launched a new initiative, the Empower Coos Youth Grants Program. Designed to educate youth in grantmaking, deepen connection to place, and develop leadership skills, the 2018/2019 program is open to students in grades 9 – 12 located in Coos County and surrounding communities.
Learn more here
Review the application here (include participation expectations)
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Training to become a CASA - Court Appointed Special Advocate
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Abused and neglected children in your community need a caring, compassionate adult to represent their voice. A North Country training opportunity begins on April 6, 2018 in Berlin. Learn more about how you can make a difference in the life of a victimized child and apply today! Visit casanh.org/volunteer for more information.
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TeacherGaming - NH Consortium Partnership
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 TeacherGaming puts great games in the hands of teachers and students who can make the most of them. TeacherGaming matches teachers with suitable lesson plans, developed by a team of Finnish teachers specifically designed for TeacherGaming. TeacherGaming Desk links teaching game activities to real-life soft and hard skills, tracked through an online dashboard. Teachers can give students individually tailored feedback and focus on identified pain points.
A pilot will be open to all public, charter, and private schools in the State of New Hampshire through June 30, 2018. To take part in the pilot you must be currently teaching. Teachers are asked to sign up using their staff email address.
For more information, visit the TeacherGaming NH Consortium.
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Educators in the Arts, do you hear about AANNH offerings?
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If you are not hearing about arts related opportunities and professional development for educators in NH, there is a good chance your school does not have a contact person. The Arts Alliance for Northern NH is also looking for a programming contact for every school in the region for the 2018-19 school year. In addition to receiving information, the contact will be invited to contribute ideas and suggestions for programming and work with the Arts Alliance to coordinate school cultural programs in his/her school throughout the year. For details on all these programs, contact the Arts Alliance at programs@aannh.org, or call 323-7302.
On a related note, the Arts Alliance is continuing its work through a contract with the John F. Kennedy Center, offering professional development for arts educators, classroom teachers, SPED teachers and paraeducators, with a focus on Universal Design for Learning and reaching all children, including those with disabilities and other learning challenges through arts integration. Contact the Arts Alliance if you would like to attend – or host – a workshop.
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Applications for the Presidential Award for K-6 Teachers of Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (including Computer Science) are due May 1
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Though the nomination period has closed, it is not too late to apply. Contact Barbara Hopkins for details at BAHopkins.education@gmail.com.
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Annemarie Platt Recognized
Board Member and Treasurer, Annemarie Platt, was recently recognized for 26 years of service and dedication to North Country Education Services.
Paul Bousquet, NCES Board President, Annemarie Platt, and Lori Langlois, NCES Executive Director.
We celebrated the 8th annual film festival on Saturday, March 24, 2018 at the Rialto Theatre, Lancaster, NH.
Here are this year's winning teams/films:
Winner (tie): Exploring North of the 44th
"Exploring Franconia Notch" by Bethlehem Elementary
Winner (tie): Exploring North of the 44th
"Adventure into the Snow" by Lancaster Elementary
Winner (tie): An Eye for the Environment
"Growing Greens" by Bethlehem Elementary
Winner: Most Creativity
"Bethlehem's History" by Bethlehem Elementary
Winner (tie): An Eye for the Environment
"Going Green at the Highland Center" by Bethlehem Elementary
Winner: Inspiration North of the 44th
"You Are Worth It" by Monroe Consolidated School
Winner: Best Picture North of the 44th
Sledventures: Keeping Fun in the Family by Lafayette Regional School
Winner: Serving the Community North of the 44th
"Search and Rescue: Saving Lives since 2005" by Lafayette Regional
Winner (tie): Celebrating a Business North of the 44th
Vertical Ventures: Taking People to New Heights
Winner (tie): Celebrating a Business North of the 44th
"Inn at Sunset Hill: Offering a View of the Past and a Wonderful Stay" by Lafayette Regional School
Winner: Celebrating Recreation North of the 44th
"Franconia Ski Club" by Lafayette Regional School
Winner (tie for 2nd): Serving the Community North of the 44th
"New Digs for Dogs" by Monroe Consolidated School
Winner (tie for 2nd): Serving the Community North of the 44th
"Fish and Game: Protecting NH for Over 150 Years" by Lafayette Regional
Winner (tie): Serving Others North of the 44th
"1st and 2nd Grade Basketball" by Monroe Consolidated School
Winner (tie): Serving Others North of the 44th
"Unified Basketball of Littleton" by Lakeway Elementary School
Congratulations to all 181 student filmmakers participating from:
Mildred C. Lakeway Elementary
Monroe Consolidated
Bethlehem Elementary
Lafayette Regional
Lisbon Regional
Gorham Middle School
Stratford Public
Lancaster Elementary
Groveton Elementary
NCES Online Professional Development Library & Educational Student Texts
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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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