Educational Service Unit # 13
SERVING THE PANHANDLE OF NEBRASKA
December, 2018 Newsletter - The final Newsletter of 2018
Scottsbluff Site
Scottsbluff, NE 69361
Phone: (308) 635-3696
FAX: (308) 635-0680
Chadron Site
Crites Hall
Chadron State College
Chadron, NE 69337
Phone: (308) 432-6495
Sidney Site
1114 Toledo Street
Sidney, NE 69162
Phone: (308) 254-4677
FAX: (308) 254-5371
Mission Statement
Educational Service Unit #13...
Achieving educational excellence for all learners through strong partnerships, service and leadership
By . . .
- Collaborating with schools, families, and communities
- Serving with equity, efficiency, and integrity
- Communicating effectively
- Leading with innovation
ADMINISTRATION
Association of Educational Service Agencies Annual Conference
“Courageous Leadership Inspires Bold Action”
I had the honor and privilege to serve as Past President of the Association of Educational Service Agencies (AESA) at this year’s annual conference. The national conference was a great opportunity for attendees to share, grow, network and participate with other colleagues who represent ESUs from across the country.
At our opening general session, we heard from Dr. Randy Watson, Kansas Commissioner of Education. Throughout his career, Dr. Randy Watson has been sought out by schools, districts, education organizations and others for his educational insights and clear thinking around the issues and challenges facing policymakers, educators, and students. Since 2015, Dr. Watson has served as the Kansas Commissioner of Education, the state’s chief education officer. He draws on his experience as teacher, principal, assistant superintendent, and superintendent as he provides leadership to the Kansas State Department of Education.
Our Thursday Luncheon speaker was Darrell Scott, Founder of Rachel’s Challenge. Mr. Scott is the father of Rachel Joy Scott. Rachel was the first student killed in the Columbine High School tragedy. Since that fateful day in 1999, Mr. Scott has spoken to over 5 million educators and students in live settings around the world. The story he shares is more relevant today than it’s ever been.
It is a story that brings people together, spurs personal reflection, and sparks change. It includes positive strategies that awaken connection and hope, resulting in fewer disciplinary problems, helping schools to create a safe environment where academic achievement can flourish. For more information about Rachel's Challenge, visit www.rachelschallenge.org.
Our Friday general session speaker was Dr. Peter DeWitt, Author and Educational Consultant. Whether we are teacher leaders, instructional coaches or building and district leaders, there needs to be a focus on student, as well as adult, learning and impact. Collaborative leadership: 6 Influences That Matter Most focuses on how leaders use six of John Hattie’s high effect influences on learning to foster growth in their teachers and put the focus on learning for students.
Dr. DeWitt is a former K-5 teacher (11 years) and principal (8 years). He runs workshops and provides keynotes nationally and internationally focusing on collaborative leadership and fostering inclusive school climates. Within North America, his work has been adopted at the university and state level, and he works with numerous districts, school boards, regional and state organizations where he trains leadership teams and coaches building leaders.
Our closing session speaker was Richard Culatta, CEO, ISTE. Artificial intelligence, virtual reality, learning analytics: New technologies hold tremendous promise for engaging learners and offer endless careers opportunities for our students. However, equity in education remains our Achilles heel. Access to transformative learning is a key social justice issue of our time.
Richard Culatta discussed the tension between the great potential of new technologies and the troubling reality of ongoing equity gaps. He highlights exciting, worldwide innovations that may bridge these areas, including learning analytics and new approaches to pedagogy and student engagement. His keynote inspired a modern vision of what education transformation can look like - right now and in the future - to equalize student learning. Richard Culatta, Chief Executive Officer of International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE), brings vast experience in education policy, teacher preparation, educational technology, and innovation.
Prior to joining ISTE, Culatta served as the chief innovation officer for the state of Rhode Island. In this role, he focused on developing partnerships to improve opportunities for students, including launching a program to make Rhode Island the first state to offer computer science in every K-12 school and creating a state vision for personalized learning.
Culatta has served as the director of the U.S. Department of Education's Office of Educational Technology as an education policy adviser to U.S. Senator Patty Murray.
ESU 13 was well represented at the conference with Laura Barrett, Jadie Beam, and Craig Hicks selected to present.
Laura Barrett and Jadie Beam presented Friday afternoon. The presentation was entitled, “Collaboration: Beyond the Buzzword.” They talked about how ESU 13 departments have broken down the “silos” starting with our Leadership team that is made up of the directors of each program. This has helped to make sure we are presenting a unified vision and message to member school districts all while keeping focus on achievement for all students. Laura and Jadie also shared our process from needs visits with our districts to implementation of services.
Craig Hicks presented on Thursday morning. The presentation was entitled, “Nebraska Cloud: A single Sign-On and Learning Space.” Craig and Tina Sauser from ESU 8 talked about the Nebraska Cloud portal environment and this unique statewide comprehensive teaching and learning space. The ESUs from across the state have developed the single sing-on functionality and unique pages for each district with application launchers for a variety of online teaching and learning tools.
Educationally yours,
Dr. Jeffrey D West
Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year
DON'T FORGET THE REASON FOR THE SEASON!!!
SOAR (Sharing Opportunities and Achieving Results)
On December 21, 2018 the Nebraska Department of Education (NDE) will publish the accountability information for all Nebraska Public Schools. NDE seeks to improve all schools. To strategically target resources and champion equity in education, the NDE blends both federal and state supports in its classification and designation system. The following is the informational guide to the classification and designation process for Nebraska. ESU13 works in partnership with schools in every classification and designation category.
Technology Department
Best Technology Gifts under $50
It's no secret that the season of goodwill to all is expensive, especially for those with tech-savvy loved ones lusting after the latest kit that comes with eye-watering price tags. But gift-giving doesn't have to break the bank.
From smart home voice assistants and clever TV Bluetooth adapters to the latest games, Blu-rays, toys and apps, our budget bucket represents just about every product category in the guide.
Take a look……………
https://www.engadget.com/holiday-gift-guide-2018/#/all/under-50
Special Services Department
Sarah Cardona-Meridian Para
Brayden Ryan-Meridian Para
What does the Special Services Department do?
Over the next few months, we plan to highlight the programs of the Special Services Department.
Western Region Autism Spectrum Disorder Regional Project
Consulting and collaborating with families, schools and other stakeholders in the Nebraska Panhandle to provide training and support for individuals 0-21 years old diagnosed with autism. School districts may contact the Regional Coordinator in their region for consultation in planning for appropriate assessment and verification of ASD, for identifying appropriate goals for Individual Family Service Plan (IFSP) or Individualized Educational Plan (IEP) and for selecting and implementing appropriate strategies and interventions for the student. The West Region of the NE ASD Network is comprised of 25,000 square miles. The region is basically from Valentine down to just west of North Platte and everything else to the west in Nebraska.
Deaf Education
Consultative services available to school districts include in-service training, classroom support, observations, interpreter professional development, assistance with auditory trainers/hearing aids/cochlear implants/classroom sound field systems, hearing loss empathy training, hearing conservation training, and information about various amplification systems. Direct services from the teacher of the deaf/hard of hearing are available to any student on an IEP who has a hearing loss. These services include direct instruction in academic areas (reading, writing, etc), vocabulary/language development, auditory training, family sign language classes, and hearing loss education. Hearing screening services are provided to all head start centers and school district preschools in the panhandle. Assistance with elementary screenings may be requested by school districts. Hearing screening services include traditional pure tone audiometry screening and screening with an otoacoustic emissions (OAE) screening machine. The OAE machine allows us to screen students who had not been screened, due to inability to participate in traditional pure tone screenings. The Central/Western Nebraska Partnership is based out of ESU #9 in Hastings and covers the western two thirds of the state. In These opportunities are meant to enhance their educational experiences. They also allow these children to interact with other deaf or hard of hearing peers, reducing the amount of isolation felt by these children. Administrators and parents are always welcome to attend any activities sponsored by the Partnership.
Head Start/Early Head Start
Psychology Department
Educator Burnout: Work Induced Depression?
Researching ideas for this newsletter article, I came across an article passed on to me by Nikki U. from the American Psychological Association regarding teacher burnout. I think the article is enlightening and yet a little alarming. In this article, burnout is defined as extreme work related stress categorized by emotional, psychological, and physical exhaustion. Burnout is said to be a modern day epidemic in the teaching profession as well as other professions (I think it is probably highest in the helping/service professions although I don’t have data to support it). Here is some of the information from that article.
In 2017, the Educator Quality of Work Life Survey reported that 61 percent of teachers indicated that their jobs were always or often stressful. Fifty eight percent of the respondents cited poor mental health as a result of that stress. Most of the information available on this subject tends to focus on the causes of burnout, the signs of burnout, and how to prevent burnout; but those articles tend to miss what it really means to be burned-out. What they fail to report is that burnout is really work induced depression. Furthermore, this article reports that “According to research published in the Journal of Clinical Psychology, there is significant overlap between burnout and depression. More specifically, educators experiencing burnout simultaneously exhibit depressive symptoms including but not limited to, loss of interest or pleasure in activities, mood swings, and fatigue…. Another study published in the International Journal of Stress Management, showed that 90 percent of participants who scored high on burnout met the criteria for a provisional diagnoses of depression.”
Due to the burnout-depression overlap, teachers experiencing burnout may need medical and/or psychological attention to manage their burnout (depressive) symptoms. It is critical that we proactively address mental health issues in education, not doing so could lead to: ineffective teaching, teacher self-harm, excessive absences, etc.
To prevent burnout: 1.) we must ensure that there is a supportive workplace culture around mental health issues. It is reported that up to one-third of workers don’t disclose mental health issues to their employers due to the stigma surrounding the topic; 2.) We must understand that burnout can be caused by organizational factors. Some individuals are more susceptible to stress, but the cause can be outside the individual and within the workplace; 3.) examine the factors that can contribute to burnout in order to mitigate their effects. Strive for better collaboration, implement effective teaching strategies, encourage work/life boundaries, etc: 4. proactively train all school members on the warning signs of mental health issues and on how to provide proper assistance to someone experiencing a mental health concern. Mental Health First Aid has shown some promising results. Encourage the individual to seek out help from the Employee Assistance Program, use self-help strategies, grow in their faith, or practice mindfulness.
In this season of giving, give support, kindness and encouragement to those around you.
Merry Christmas from the Psychological Services Team!
Behavioral and Mental Health
We are excited to add 2 more providers to our ESU #13 team!
Welcome to Dana Tewahade, who will be working in Chadron Public Schools.
Dana is a Nebraska Licensed Mental Health Practitioner. She holds a MA in Counseling and has expertise in community mental health. She has enjoyed serving adults, adolescent and children in private practice in Chadron, Nebraska. In addition to providing individual therapy, she taught anger management, communication and conflict-resolution skills in classrooms. Prior to becoming a mental health practitioner, she worked in direct service and administrative capacities for non-profit service agencies in Colorado. This work included assisting individuals and families who were internally displaced, refugee/asylum seeking or experiencing homelessness. Dana has an intense interest in positive psychology. We are excited to have her join our team and serve youth in schools!
We also welcome Carissa Elliott to our ESU team.
Carissa is a licensed independent mental health practitioner who specializes in working with children, adolescents and families, but is also trained to work with schools to formulate comprehensive implementation of care for children with mental health diagnoses. She received her Bachelor’s Degree from Chadron State College in Psychology/Sociology in 2003, graduated with her Master’s Degree in 2007 an in 2016 she received her LIMHP. Carissa has worked as a PLMHP with the Munroe-Meyer Institute at UNMC as an outreach therapist in the panhandle of Nebraska for three years and has owned a private practice in Chadron Nebraska since 2010. She will be working throughout the panhandle to provide Intensive Outpatient Therapy and consultation to youth and families. We are excited about the services she will be able to provide our schools!
Christmas is just around the corner!!! While holidays can be filled with joy and happiness - they can also be stressful- Here is a great resource for managing holiday stress! And 7 Holiday Stress Busters for Kids!
Alternative Education
VALTS currently has 42 students enrolled in 2nd quarter classes.
Graduation will be December 19th. We anticipate 9 graduates from; Scottsbluff, Gering, Mitchell and Bridgeport.
Zombies is our theme this quarter. Students had the opportunity to dissect sheep brains in science this quarter.
For Thanksgiving the VALTS students visited the residence at West Nebraska Veterans Home. Students played games, did crafts and enjoyed conversations with the residence.
Season's Greetings from Migrant Education
- Our students are showing great gains.
- We have afterschool clubs and tutoring in many schools.
- Identification and recruitment are happening in new areas, which means we are able to impact more families.
- One on one supports are in place in schools and at homes to assist students academically, emotionally and socially.
- Amazing collaboration is happening with numerous ESU13 departments and schools that help our students. Our students are blessed to have everyone's help!
- Parent meetings have been taking place to educate families. Our last parent night in Scottsbluff was on Fire Safety. Our students loved the fire truck!
As we look forward to the upcoming year, we want to thank everyone for their support for Migrant Education and for ALL Students. Together we make a huge difference!
News from the Wellness Committee- Holiday Health Tips!
The holidays are a great time to celebrate life and spend time with family, friends, and loved ones. However, during the holiday season it can also be stressful to keep your mental and physical health in the forefront of your mind. This season, make sure you continue to give yourself the gift of health by keeping the following tips in mind:
- Washing your hands is one of the most important steps in preventing the spread of illness. While you are around your loved ones this holiday season, be sure to wash your hands often to avoid spreading germs and getting each other sick.
- Very cold temperatures can be problematic, especially for infants and the elderly. Be sure to bundle up if you’re spending any time outdoors this holiday.
- The holidays can be a stressful time, between preparing meals, buying gifts, keeping up with work or school, and spending time with family. Be sure to balance work, home and fun, while also getting some relaxation in too! Make sure you also get enough sleep; being recharged helps you keep a positive mindset.
- Whether you are traveling near or far, ensure that you are prepared. Keeping a winter weather emergency kit in your car (including blankets, food, water, and a first aid kit) is a great idea. Make sure you and all passengers are secured with a seatbelt or car seat, as well, and never drink and drive.
- If possible, avoid being around second-hand smoke. If a relative or friend needs help quitting, offer up some resources, too! Find resources on becoming smoke-free here.
- Before the end of the year, make sure you and your family have had all needed vaccinations, exams, and/or screenings. These preventative measures help find potential problems early, while the chances for effective treatment are high.
- Children are at a high risk for injuries, especially with new toys. Always supervise playtime and make sure toys are being used properly. Also, work with your loved ones to keep potentially dangerous items (household cleaners, alcohol, choking hazards like small candies, etc.) out of the reach of children to ensure that your holiday celebration is safe for the little ones.
- Be sure to use caution when decorating for the holidays. Use stepstools or ladders instead of climbing on furniture to hang decorations.
- Prepare meals with safety in mind. Always be sure to cook foods to the proper temperature and refrigerate leftovers promptly after the meal.
- Most residential fires occur during the winter. Lower your fire risk by keeping candles away from children and pets, unplugging lights and decorations when you leave the house, and never using the oven to heat your home.
- Keep balance and moderation in mind as you eat this holiday season. Limit fats and sugary foods, but don’t deny yourself a cookie or two!
- Stay active in a fun way, whether that is by going on a shopping spree through the mall or dancing to your favorite holiday music. Aim to be active for at least 2 ½ hours per week during this busy time of year.