Proudly serving Eastern Montana and beyond
Each one Reach one
CSPD events will be hosted on the OPI website. OPI will also be handling evaluations and renewal units. Thank you
CSPD Region 1 is requesting nominations for the 2025 Teri Fisk Paraeducator of the Year and the Paraeducator/Teacher Team of the Year awards. Awardees will be recognized at the Montana Council for Exceptional Children Conference in Bozeman, April 8-9, 2026. The date of the award ceremony is Wednesday, April 8, in Bozeman.
If you know of someone or a team deserving of this award and recognition please take the time to submit a nomination on one of the forms below. There is travel assistance available to those recipients who win the award. The Teri Fisk Paraeducator Award travel expenses are limited to: one night lodging at state rate, mileage reimbursement for one vehicle, one day substitute reimbursement directly to district, and meals reimbursed that are not provided by conference during your travel. CSPD Region 1 is able tol pay conference registration fees. The Para/Teacher Team Awards: Maximum of three lodging rooms for one night at state rate, mileage reimbursement for one vehicle, Maximum of three substitutes for one-day reimbursement to districts, meals reimbursed that are not provided by conference during travel. CSPD Region 1 is able pay conference registration fees. Please save all receipts
Teri Fisk Paraeducator of the Year Award
Paraeducator-Teacher Team of the Year Award
Nominations can be mailed to:
Dena Senner, Coordinator
Award Nominations
431 CR 518
Bloomfield, MT 59315
Teaching and Learning Fractions through Discovery and Reasoning
Dori Phillips Miles City Sleep Inn January 9, Friday 8:30-3:30
Please watch for updates since this is a winter event.
This event is targeted to grades 3-6, Title, Special Education, and all interested in learning more on Teaching and Learning Fractions through Discovery And Reasoning.
Are you ready to re-learn fractions? In this hand-on, highly interactive workshop, you will learn how to understand and teach fractions in a whole new way! Fractions are numbers. We can count fractions just like we count numbers. We need fractions to help us represent amounts between whole numbers. Students must understand benchmark fractions, numerators, denominators, the importance of the “whole” and then use these skills to reason and explain their understanding. We will look at student misconceptions in all areas of fractions and learn how to correct this. The skills included are also helpful for older students who still do not understand fractions and how to work with them.
Skills covered include: equal parts, unit fractions, benchmark fractions, what is a “whole”, fractions of a set, equivalent fractions, mixed numbers, use number lines to understand fractions, comparing and ordering fractions, adding and subtracting fractions, and multiplying and dividing fractions.
Learning Targets:
Learners will practice activities to teach fractions using examples and counter examples.
Learners will practice skills to help students understand fractions at a deeper level.
Learners will use words and phrases to help students understand their own knowledge of fractions.
Participants will have a full day of “make and take” activities. Plan to put your computers away and be a learner yourself!
Materials to bring: markers or colored pencils, scissors, glue stick!
Friday, March 6, 8:30-3:30 Richland Co Extension Office, Sidney, MT
Morning Session: Film Screening — Paper Tigers
We’ll begin the day with a viewing of the award-winning documentary Paper Tigers, which follows the journey of Lincoln Alternative High School in Walla Walla, Washington. The film chronicles a powerful transformation in how the school approaches discipline and student relationships through a trauma-informed lens.
Through the stories of six remarkable students—and the educators who stand beside them—the documentary illuminates how understanding and compassion can break generational cycles of poverty, violence, and despair. Paper Tigers vividly demonstrates the profound impact of trauma on the developing brain, the power of connection, and the difference that caring adults can make when they choose to treat rather than judge.
Afternoon Session: Training & Collaborative Discussion
Following the film, participants will engage in an interactive workshop exploring trauma-informed and trauma-restorative practices designed to meet the needs of today’s students—“kids these days.”
Together, we will:
Examine the underlying factors contributing to high suspension, expulsion, and dropout rates.
Explore evidence-based strategies to regulate before we educate, emphasizing connection as the foundation for learning.
Identify practical tools for building relationships that foster safety, belonging, and engagement—particularly with grades 7-12.
Discuss how educators’ own regulation and presence directly shape classroom climate and student outcomes.
Develop actionable ways to create cultures of regulation and support within classrooms and across school systems.
Strengthen the web of supports that help students not only attend but thrive and graduate.
This session blends reflection, discussion, and skill-building to equip educators, counselors, and support staff with tools that work in real-world classrooms—grounded in compassion, neuroscience, and hope.
Stacy has worked with families for over 20 years. Her passion lies with working with the "tough" kids and their families. She has intense training in trauma-informed practices and excels at providing real-life, applicable strategies to parents, educators, and mental health professionals.
She wears multiple hats: international speaker, published author, clinician, Service Member, mother, sister, daughter, friend, co-parent with ex-husband. The most important hat I wear: HUMAN.
Stacy earned a Bachelor's in Science Degree in Psychology Education from Rocky Mountain College and completed a Master's in Social Work through Walla Walla University.
She is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker, a Behavior Health Officer in the Wyoming Army National Guard, and is a Certified Phase II Clinician in the Neurosequential Model of Therapeutics.
She splits time living in Colorado and Wyoming with her husband, two teens, and two pupperoos.
The training calendar for registration and session information
https://sites.google.com/opiconnect.org/cspdtrainingcalendar/statewi
State-Wide CSPD Professional Development
The Montana Comprehensive System of Personnel Development offers a variety of professional development across five regions across the state that is opened to all Montana educators. Please check out the Office of Public Instruction's website to find available in-person and virtual workshops.
On-Demand Training and Webinars
The Montana Autism Education Project (MAEP) is a statewide initiative housed within the Special Education Professional Development Unit at the Montana Office of Public Instruction. Launched in 2010, the MAEP was created in response to a growing number of technical assistance and training requests from schools supporting students with autism spectrum disorder (ASD).
Since that time, the MAEP has expanded its scope to address the evolving needs of educators working with students across a range of developmental and behavioral profiles. Today, the project offers comprehensive services including individual and classroom consultations, coaching and capacity building programs, professional development opportunities, conference scholarships, and a virtual library with resources, research, and field tools for educators. The MAEP remains committed to building educator capacity, promoting inclusive practices, and enhancing outcomes for all students.
All trainings provided by MAEP are free to Montana Public School Educators and Service Providers.
For more information, please contact Katie Mattingley at katie.mattingley@mt.gov.
Free Support for Families of Children with Disabilities
Families of children and young adults with disabilities across Montana have access to free, confidential support through the Montana Empowerment Center, the state’s federally funded Parent Training and Information Center. Montana Empowerment Website