District English Google Calendar

If you teach English in one of the SFSD high schools, the District English Google calendar was recently shared with you. Events on this calendar are updated regularly to reflect the most current information. As it is a Google calendar, you may choose whether or not you wish to allow it to show in your normal Google calendar by adjusting the settings. If you select to hide the calendar now, you may always go back into the settings and select to show it.

Information Available on This Calendar

For All English Teachers

*No School days

*Inservices

*Semester Test Previews

*Semester Tests

*Grading Windows

*Teacher Workdays

*Conferences

*Upcoming Professional Development Conferences (This is merely for information purposes as teachers must apply to the travel committee to attend these.)

*There are NO Director Called Meetings during a Curriculum Study, but starting in the fall of 2017, you will see DCMs on this calendar as well.

For Teachers on Curriculum Writing Teams

*Curriculum Writing Team meetings

*Due dates for curriculum components

Professional Travel Opportunities

Save the date(s)! If you are interested in attending a conference this year, here are a few worth considering. They are listed in chronological order, and I've noted the deadlines for applications to the Professional Travel Committee. Now is a great time to apply since we are beginning our curriculum study. To view the applicant criteria and access the application, please visit the District Professional Travel page.

*UPDATE 1/18/16 I moved the conferences that have passed to the bottom of the post since I am also updating the post with new information.

ASCD Annual Conference

April 2-4, 2016 in Atlanta, GA

Presented by ASCD

Featured Speakers: Manny Scott; Mike Schmoker; Carol S. Dweck, PhD

Application due to the Professional Travel Committee by NOON on Friday, February 5, 2016.

The Science of Imagination: Cultivating Curiosity and Creativity in our Schools

April 7-9, 2016 in Orlando, FL

Presented by Learning and the Brain Conference

Featured Speaker: Sir Ken Robinson

Application due to the Professional Travel Committee by NOON on Friday, February 5, 2016.

Conference on Teaching Excellence

July 8-10, 2016 in New Orleans, LA

Presented by ASCD

Application due to the Professional Travel Committee by NOON on Friday, April 8, 2016.

SD CTE State Conference

September 9-10, 2016 in Watertown, SD

Presented by SDCTE

Application due to the Professional Travel Committee by NOON on Friday, June 3, 2016.

Faces of Advocacy

November 17-20, 2016 in Atlanta, GA

Presented by NCTE

Features Speakers:TBA

Application due to the Professional Travel Committee by NOON on Friday, June 3, 2016.

***The following conferences have either already occurred or the deadline to apply to the Professional Travel Committee has passed.***

Responsibility, Creativity, and the Arts of Language

November 19-22, 2015 in Minneapolis, MN

Presented by NCTE

Featured Speakers: Chelsea Clinton, Alison Bechdel, Dave Eggers

The deadline to apply to the Professional Travel Committee has passed, but check in-building.

(Or mark your calendar for next year: November 17-20, 2016, in Atlanta, GA.)

Shaping Student Mindsets: Promoting Academic Attitudes, Persistence and Performance

February 11-13, 2016 in San Francisco, CA

Presented by Learning and the Brain Conference

Featured Speaker: Carol S. Dweck, PhD

Application due to the Professional Travel Committee by NOON on Friday, November 6, 2015.

A Collection of Parent-Teacher Conference Tips

Parent-Teacher conferences are upon us this week! Here are a few resources that might be useful as you think ahead to the upcoming conversations.

Cliff Notes Version: Be prepared! Be positive! Be solution oriented!

Pre-Conference Tools and Tips

• Parent-Teacher Conference Form: This Google Doc is one example of a form to have students complete BEFORE conferences. Use this form (or one like this) to gather personalized talking points for each student. It can also help make the conversation more student led. Just make sure to collect these from the students before conferences and to bring them to conferences.
• Tips for New Teachers: While this document specifies new teachers in the title, like all good resources, the information can be applied no matter where you are in your teaching career. The beginning of the article does talk about 30-minute conferences; just ignore that part! The rest can be applied to any parent-teacher conference format.
• Harvard's Parent-Teacher Conference Tip Sheets: The Harvard Family Research Project published this document in 2010; it includes tips for principals, teachers, and parents. Pages 5 and 6 are specific to teachers, but the whole document is a quick read.
• 5 Quick "Tips for Parent-Teacher Conferencing": As both an educator and a mom, Edutopia blogger Elena Aguilar shares her top-five tips for parent-teacher conferences.

Hope your conversations are productive and fruitful!

EdCamp SD 2015 (aka FREE PD!)

EdCamp SD is back! Last fall marked the first of hopefully many EdCamps in our state, and the feedback I heard was positive! If you weren't able to attend the inaugural EdCamp SD, please put this date on your calendar and consider attending:

EDCAMP Harrisburg

Oct. 17th, 2015

If the term EdCamp is new to you, here's a quick run-down. It is commonly referred to as an unconference because, unlike a regular conference, no one plans the sessions ahead of time. The participants begin the morning by bringing forth possible topics. From there, "sessions" are assigned rooms, and while someone typically leads, there is no true presenter. Sessions typically resemble discussions more than presentations. The participants lead the learning by sharing their best practices.

The Details

Where: Harrisburg South Middle School (600 S. Cliff Ave, Harrisburg, SD 57032)

When: Saturday, Oct. 17 (8:30 am - 3:30 pm)
Cost: FREE!!

Click HERE to Register!

If you happen to be west-river that weekend, EdCamp Lead is also taking place on Oct. 17th at the Lead-Deadwood High School (320 S. Main St., Lead, SD 57754).

FREE Google Education On Air Online Conference

This spring, Google is hosting a free two-day online conference called Education On Air. Join other educators from around the world, and participate in online Keynotes, panel discussions, and mini-sessions. It appears to be the sort of thing that you can jump in and out as your schedule allows, so if you are unsure of committing, register just in case! Remember, it is FREE!

Friday, May 8: Leading for the Future (9 am - 2 pm CST)

The Friday online Keynote and panel sessions are marketed towards those in leadership positions (anywhere from admin to a team leader to IT), but the posted topics sound applicable to classroom teachers as well. The full schedule will be released in April, but here are a few of the currently posted sessions:

*Creating Student Ownership

*Fostering Innovation in Schools

*Making Technology Work for Learning

*Communicating Change

Saturday, May 9: Shaping the Classroom Today

The Saturday online sessions are meant to be convenient and applicable to the classroom teacher. As Google puts it, "run by educators for educators, designed to be immediately useful to you." Sessions range from 15-45 minutes, and they are led by Google Certified Teachers, trainers, and general Googlers. Again, the full schedule is set to be released in April, but here are the posted teaser sessions:

*Supporting Literacy in Early Learners

*Fostering Collaboration with Google Docs

*Empowering Digital Citizens

Register Here!

Minnesota Northwoods Writers Conference

"Since 2003, writers from all over the United States have gathered in an intimate lakeside setting with award-winning authors and teachers to practice the arts of poetry, fiction, and creative nonfiction."

This year's Northwoods Writers Conference is set for June 20-26, 2015. Participants will be able to "create, collaborate, and commune" on the lake at Bemidji State University. Throughout the week, participants will hear from and work with five authors: Aimee Nezhukumatathil (poetry), Tayari Jones (fiction), Matt de la Pen (YA fiction), David Gessner (creative nonfiction), and Joni Tevis (creative nonfiction). When applying, participants select their particular genre for workshop sessions. Other scheduled events include author readings, craft talks, consultations, and editor's talks. (See the whole schedule here.)

The full conference costs $545 if you register before April 15 or $585 after the early bird date passes. This cost covers all events and three meals. Participants can also opt to audit many of the events for $125. View more cost details here.

Application Deadline: May 1, 2015

Get (More) Googly at the South Dakota Summit

Ready to get (more) Googly?

This June, Sioux Falls will host one of many EdTechTeam Global Summits that take place throughout the world. For two days (June 26 and 27), you can participate in a "high-intensity event [that] focuses on deploying, integrating, and using Google Apps for Education (and other Google tools) to promote student learning in K-12 and higher education."

The South Dakota Summit will be hosted at Sioux Falls Christian Schools. Throughout the two days, participants will experience Keynote sessions as well as eight choice sessions. The choice sessions range from beginner to advanced uses and applications of Google Apps.

Earlybird registration is open now through April 26 and costs $249 for the two days. (Both days include breakfast and lunch.) Standard registration closes on June 26 and costs $299. If you'd like to apply to go through the school district, you can access the Professional Travel Application form here. (It needs to be submitted by April 3, 2015.)

Ready to get (more) Googly? Click here to get registered!

Brookings EdCamp Updates

If you haven't yet registered for the March 28th EdCamp in Brookings, here are a few reasons to do so soon:

1. It is FREE!
2. Because EdCamps are organic in nature, you could learn about something totally unexpected!
3. A dozen sponsors have donated prizes (averaging $100 in value).
4. Over 70 colleagues from the area are already registered.
5. You earn 7 CEU credits for attending the day, which gets you closer to recertification.

What are you waiting for? If I weren't expecting something big to happen around that date, I'd already be registered!

GET REGISTERED!

EdCamp It Up!

There are TWO semi-local EdCamp opportunities coming up! The first is in Rapid City (which is only moderately local simply because it is in state) and the second is just a short drive away in Brookings. Both events are free (aside from your travel costs). See the details below, and click here to register. (If you are unsure what an EdCamp is, check out the videos in this previous post.)

Rapid City

Saturday, February 28
8am-3:30pm
EDCAMP South Dakota is partnering with SDEA and Rapid City EA

Brookings

Saturday, March 28

8am-3:30pm

EDCAMP South Dakota is partnering with SDEA, SDSU, and Brookings School District

70th ASCD Annual Conference

ASCD's (the Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development) 70th annual conference is coming up this spring! If you are thinking about attending a conference this year, here is an option for you to peruse.

What: ASCD Annual Conference

Where: Huston, TX

When: March 21-23, 2015

ASCD is boasting over 350 sessions offered during the three days for those in the education field, including (of course) teachers. These sessions revolve around the theme Challenging Convention: Leading Disruptive Innovations. Click here if you would like to learn more.

PS - Remember to submit a professional travel application if you are highly interested.

Conferences Are Coming...

It is hard to believe, but conferences are upon us already. Below are a few resources for both new and veteran teachers alike to help us get in a positive mindset.

ASCD article: Ignore the first part re: 30-minute conferences unless you actually have that!

Harvard Family Research Project: The middle section is specifically for teachers. Even if you just read the sidebars, there is some good food-for-thought.

Edutopia: 5 points, quick and succinct.