Newsletter
Volume 14 | Issue 1 | September 2018
Upcoming Dates
October 17, 2018 - Hourly Staff Development
October 17-19 Conferences/Work Day/Building Professional Development
January 4, 2019 - Winter Orientation for New Salaried Staff
2018-2019 Required Training
All About Boundaries
Drug-Free Workplace
Suicide Awareness & Prevention (coming soon)
Select Staff
*Maximizing MPS Health Benefits: Health Consumerism
*Remind App Training
*Required for select staff only, see your supervisor for questions.
Our newsletter is going quarterly! Watch for the next issue to be published in November!
Millard Public Schools has a NEW Strategic Plan!
One of our belief statements in Millard Public Schools is that "excellence is worth the investment!" Last year over 170 stakeholders invested in rewriting our Strategic Plan. This year we have 4 Action Plans that are being implemented and 1 Action Plan that is being researched. Look for a presentation this fall at your building to learn more about our activated Action Plans.
Check out our Strategic Planning website to learn even more!
Scholarship Opportunities
Millard teachers who are working toward additional certification or continuing education may choose to apply. Fall 2018 applications are now being accepted. Deadline is October 17th. Click here to review scholarship options.
Please review the applications carefully to determine eligibility and be sure to submit all the required documentation.
Are we still talking PIE?
Yes we are! Millard will continue to refine our focus for maximum effectiveness. PIE pieces are the district focus areas for the year that define the year-long professional development focus for staff. PIE topics will align to the Strategic Plan and MEP cycle and be differentiated for each level. Time spent on a PIE topic is not a one-time event.
Buildings will have pieces of the PIE reserved for any initiatives from their building site plan. Ask your building administrator what your building specific pie pieces look like this year. Have a great 2018-2019 school year!
Video Reflection as Personal Professional Development
The beginning of a school year can be a whirlwind full of excitement and new ideas. As you start thinking about your personal professional development plan for this year, consider challenging yourself to try something new.
Brittany McCleery, vocal music teacher at Cather Elementary, shares her experience using video reflection as a professional development tool. Check out her quick video.
Don't forget MPS provides several resources you can tap into for your personal growth. Explore the Professional Development Resource site for archived workshops, full text e-books, the MPS professional library and more! You can always talk to your building staff development facilitator or a member of the Leadership & Learning team if you'd like help solidifying your plans.
Movie on 8-20-18 at 7.49 AM.movRats....I just accidentally shut down my new Dell laptop!
If you have ever uttered these words, read on! Follow these instructions to fine-tune your Dell's power settings.
#BEKIND #Proud2bMPS
Ready to showcase all your incredible classroom activities through social media? Remember that before using Facebook and/or Twitter, as part of your MPS responsibilities, you must first fulfill a few requirements. Find out all the details by clicking here.
Busysheets or Powersheets?
When I signed my teaching contract with Millard Public Schools on March 2, 2006 and began my career with Fall Orientation sessions on August 3, 2006, the world was different. The iPhone would be released a year later and the first iPad (I still own one) would be released almost four years later. As a Leadership and Learning Facilitator with a passion for new staff induction and mentoring, I realize how formational the first five years of teaching are in the life of a professional educator. Reflecting back, my instructional context was being shaped daily through technological innovations. A challenge I faced (without being fully aware) was how to respond to these innovations with appropriate pedagogical shifts. I wondered: ...
To read the full article about Powersheets
Mentors: Start Strong, Build Trust
DARE Digest
DARE? What is DARE? As an educator, your mind probably jumps to the substance abuse prevention education program D.A.R.E. However, in Millard Public Schools, DARE has an additional meaning - the Department of Assessment, Research, and Evaluation.
Housed at the Don Stroh Administration Center, DARE has a number of responsibilities...
Development and administration of locally required tests (AWA, ELO)
NDE Nebraska Student-Centered Assessment System (NSCAS) Summative testing
ACT, PreACT, Practice ACT test management
NWEA MAP Growth testing
Data reporting to buildings and our Board of Education
MPS program evaluations
Infinite Campus administration and support
In DARE, we often work closely with Curriculum & Instruction Facilitators as well as Leadership & Learning, Student Services, and Technology Departments. In addition, we do a lot of things behind the scenes, so you may not have realized that our department is a separate entity or even exists!
We hope to change that. This school year, DARE is reaching out to let you know more about our department and provide you with timely information about things that matter to you. Feel free to learn a little more at our DARE department page on the district website. We hope you have had a great start to the school year!
What's New in Google?
Plenty! There have been many new features added to Google Classroom (and a few deleted). Most of the other Google applications also have exciting new features. Be sure to click through the accompanying slide deck for a quick overview - including a great tip on how to adjust to the major change (disappearance) of the ABOUT tab in Google Classroom.
A quick and fun way to learn about the latest and greatest in Google Suites for Education is to subscribe to the YouTube channel EDU in 90. Three new episodes are published each month. Even busy educators can find 90 seconds to learn and grow!
Check out the Tech Open Forum sessions for 2018-2019!
