Friday Memo 12/4/15

Student Teacher and Field Experience Observations

·         This is the time of the semester when student teacher and field experience supervisors are busy visiting their students to complete the required evaluations. I have thoroughly enjoyed my time visiting my student teacher. It is rewarding to watch him develop and improve in his professional skills as an educator. Thank you for all of the time and energy you invest in your students in practice.  

·         We have been updating many of our paper forms to digital forms. We will be teaching university supervisors how to access, complete, and submit the digital forms on December 15^th at the end of the student teaching orientation. Please bring your personal device, if you have one. We will conduct the training in the computer lab so you can utilize a computer if you don’t have a laptop or ipad.

School Partnerships

·         I had a meeting with Candice Harris, Recruitment and Talent Development Specialist at the Hazelwood School District. We discussed a variety of topics including current job openings, field experience placements, and other ways we can partner with schools in their district.

·         Susan Hladky, CEEDAR MBU Team Leader, is working with administration in the Francis Howell School District to establish an opportunity for our main campus Field II students to observe and engage in classrooms that are effectively implementing Multi-Tiered Systems of Support.

·         Our students taking the course, Teaching in a Diverse Society, are conducting their diverse field experience in the Ritenour school district. Thanks to Shelly Mills Walker, Ritenour administrator and MBU adjunct faculty member, for helping us establish this partnership. Our students have given us positive feedback regarding their time spent in the Ritenour schools.

·         Mary Sue Thompson and I will be meeting with the superintendent of the Troy School District to discuss some possibilities for a partnership. Stay tuned for more details. Shelton Smith and I have been working with Amy Porter, Asst. Supt. of Curriculum and Instruction, to establish a course to meet the goals of the district and to give their teachers an opportunity to take a graduate course with MBU.

Professional Learning Communities

I am excited to listen to our PLC groups as they are discussing strategies to ensure that we are preparing our teacher and leader candidates to differentiate instruction and to use data to make instructional decisions. They will give a brief update on the progress of their group at our faculty meeting on Tuesday.

Missouri Council of Administrators of Special Education (MoCASE) – Reinventing Special Education

I attended a meeting this week in Columbia with the MoCASE Reinventing Special Education group. We discussed the MoCASE Fall conference and the upcoming Winter Institute. Please remember that you are all welcome to attend the MoCASE Institute on January 15-16. Please let Mandy Kehoe know if you would like to attend. As a CEEDAR school, our faculty and students are able to attend the MoCASE institute at no cost.  We also discussed statewide implementation of Response to Intervention and Multi-Tiered Systems of Support. I would like to encourage all instructors, especially special education instructors, to visit the National Center on Intensive Intervention website at www.intensiveintervention.org for valuable information that we need to be sharing with our students regarding progress monitoring and tier two and three interventions.

Budget

Due to lower than projected enrollment, the president has challenged us to make some adjustments to our spending for the remainder of this school year. I may have to deny professional development and supply/material requests.

Scheduling

·         Mary Ann Bouas and I are finalizing the Spring 2016 schedule. Thanks for your patience as we are solidifying the schedule.

·         Alicia Noddings, Kathleen Wendt, and I are working on some schedule changes that will take place during the 2016-2017 school year. We will be looking at past enrollment trends to make some strategic decisions about consolidating some courses, rather than offering most classes every term, at every RLC.

Division Faculty Christmas Party

We are looking forward to our Christmas luncheon Tuesday, 12/8, at 11:00am in the Art Gallery (space outside of the Recital Hall). Full-time and adjunct division faculty are welcome to attend. Don’t forget to bring some Christmas cookies to share. I have been working with Student Development to identify a student-in-need that we could sponsor this Christmas; however, we were not able to identify a student. I would like to encourage you to donate to a charity of your choice to bless those in need during this holiday season.

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Upcoming Events

• Faculty Meeting     Monday, 12/7     3:00pm     Recital Hall
• CACREP Meeting     Tuesday, 12/8    9:00am     FLD Conference Room
• Division Faculty Meeting     Tuesday, 12/8     10:15am     FLD Conference Room
• Division Christmas Party     Tuesday, 12/8     11:00am     Art Gallery
• Curriculum Task Force Meeting     Thursday, 12/10     12:00pm     SRC 115
• Grades Due     Monday, 12/14     4:00pm
• Student Teacher Orientation Meeting     Tuesday, 12/15     10:00am – 12:45pm     Recital Hall

As the semester comes to a close, life is hectic, and there are events taking place in our world that cause fear and anxiety, please allow the following scripture verses to bring you peace:

My heart is steadfast, O God, my heart is steadfast; I will sing and make music. Awake, my soul! Awake, harp and lyre! I will awaken the dawn. I will praise you, O Lord, among the nations; I will sing of you among the peoples. For great is your love, reaching to the heavens; your faithfulness reaches to the skies. Be exalted, O God, above the heavens; let your glory be over all the earth. 

Psalm 57:7-11

Have a blessed weekend,

Melanie