Transition Plus January 13th
I'm energized and ready to slay the day!
Trouble Viewing your Memo?
If you are having trouble with a link - make sure you are using your MPS Google Account
Happy New Year from Barnes & Noble!
2 things:
- All Educators get a special 25% discount every Sat and Sun in January – classroom and personal purchases. More info here.
- We recently came out with STEM/Literacy project based learning plans K-8. We are holding a workshop/demo Jan 25th at our stores. Please let me know who from your school you recommend that I reach out to and I will provide additional info.
New Printer Devices at Transition plus and ABE
MPS IT staff and Toshiba will be upgrading printer devices at T+ ABE on 1/13/2020. As we work to enhance your printer experience, we will keep noise and disruption to a minimum to not interfere with work or class time.
More communication will be sent out before printers are switched out. Training and assistance from both MPS IT and Toshiba will be available throughout the rollout process.
Check out the training resources that we have compiled beforehand to make the upgrade as smooth as possible for you: The Source - Printing.
Thank you,
IT Services
Minneapolis Public Schools
Please do not reply to this message. Replies to this message are routed to an unmonitored inbox.
If you need technical support, please contact IT Services in one of the following ways:
- Submit a Ticket: ehelpdesk.mpls.k12.mn.us
- Call our service desk: 668-0088. Hours of operation are 7:30a.m. - 5:00p.m.
- Send an email: ehelpdesk@mpls.k12.mn.us
Tactile art materials/objects needed!
Visitors from Bhutan
As mentioned at the Tuesday staff meeting, we will be hosting a delegation from Bhutan on Wednesday, Jan 15. They will be arriving at about 9:30 and will be with us until noon. We are expecting about 20-25 people including some staff from the Institute on Community Integration at the U of MN and VRS.
The delegation's primary purpose is to learn more about transition and employment of young people with disabilities. We will be meeting with them and providing a tour. They will visit Transition Plus on Jan 15 and will be learning about Project SEARCH at Children's Hospital on Jan 14.
We will try and minimize the disruption to your class but do want to alert you that we plan to be visiting the Technology classroom, the Apartment, First Step Lab, Scan Lab, Gym, T209, T202, Bike Repair room, Food Service room, Construction/ Small Engine room and the Coffee Plus Cafe.
The group from Bhutan includes Special Ed teachers, College professors, a Social Worker, etc. Please help us make the group feel welcome as we share some of the wonderful work happening here in Minneapolis.
In addition, Transition Plus staff members are cordially invited to attend a reception for an exhibit of art created by Bhutanese Artists affiliated with the Draktsho Vocational Training Center. It is part of the Art for All program at the University of Minnesota. The reception will be from 4-6 pm on Jan 15 at Pattee Hall located at 150 Pillsbury Drive SE in Mpls.
The Nail Tech CBI module will be holding a staff manicure event on Friday, Jan 31 from 10:30-11:30 in the cafeteria.
Please join us in the cafeteria so that students can give you a manicure. Students will not be cutting nails or cuticles, as they don’t have enough experience or training for that. They will file, push cuticles, buff and paint your nails.
SEL message
Hello All,
I have enjoyed sharing and bragging about the amazing SEL work that our staff is doing when meeting with district staff. So many of us engage in such authentic ways with each other and our students.
A quick reminder to start each class with a warm welcome and end with an optimistic close. If you need ideas for welcoming activities, many can be found in the SEL Toolkit that you can access from the Staff Intranet page.
We have 3 more weeks of emphasis on Social Awareness. This is a good time to appreciate and respect the diversity and experiences of those around us.
Have a great week!
Tia
Food Service News
Breakfast sandwiches:
Wednesday mornings $2.50
Staff lunch meal deal:
Thursdays $5.50
Bakery Orders:
Don't forget that you may order baked goods from the Food Service class at any time. Our prices are reasonable, and we can make just about anything. We love special orders!
Staff Reminders
Timeliness
- As the weather continues to change please keep in mind your start time - Plan accordingly.
Engagement notes
- If a student is in need of clothing items, backpacks, food, or any other basic need item, please refer them to their case manager or social worker in order to access them.
When taking a class on an outing, please bring a list of all students and destination to the engagement desk and the front office desk.
Updated Student Information
- Please be sure to let Melissa or Traci know of any changes that need to be made in Discovery - Change of address, phone numbers, contact info, etc. We want to be sure student records are accurate.
Supplies
- Please let Traci know of any class supplies you will need for 2nd semester
ACCESS Winter 2020 Brochure
Here is the link to the ACCESS Winter Online Access brochure
http://guide.mpls.k12.mn.us/2020-winter-access-brochure-final
Minneapolis Public Schools - 2020 Winter Access Brochure - Page 1
Check out the new classes and activities in this Winter Access brochure and find one that’s just right for you! Most evening classes begin the week of January 30th.
guide.mpls.k12.mn.us
Gradebook Information
We have had IEP's returned in the mail due to incorrect addresses being used. A couple of teachers have said they took the address from the IEP. Please be sure you are going into Gradebook to get the most current address. Also, be sure you are letting us know if you get demographic updates for students.
The SOURCE is a great learning tool to learn about all of the features that exist on Gradebook. I found this -
Learn More About Your Students
Viewing Student Information
You can easily learn more about a student by selecting the student's name (from the attendance or gradebook screen). When a students name is selected a pop-up window displays the following:
- 1. Student Name, ID Number & Grade.
- 2. Student Picture.
- 3. Student Personal information including: DOB, address, email & phone.
- 4. Parent/Guardian contact information: Name, phone (if different than student), & email (if on file).
- 5. Health information will show here if a student takes medications or has other health conditions you should be aware of.
Learn more at:
https://source.mpls.k12.mn.us/gradebook-a-guide-for-teachers
Gradebook: A Guide for Teachers — The Source
Can't find what you're looking for? Submit an eTicket with your training request. In the category dropdown menu, select "Training," and the eTicket will come straight to the Design & Training team.
source.mpls.k12.mn.us
Registration Open for January 17 ESP PD
January 17, 2020 is a contract duty day for Educational Support Professionals (ESP) and is the last of four duty-days set aside for ESP professional development for SY19-20. Previous dates included site-based PD on August 29 and 30 in addition to certification sessions, and November 1, 2019.
ESPs should choose one of the PD options below with the understanding that professional development requirements identified in ESP job descriptions for individual duty positions such as CPR, First Aid, and iNCI take precedence over other professional development opportunities. Please register to attend training outlined below via eCompass for PD sessions by January 15, 2020.
Option 1: Integrated Non-violent Crisis Intervention (iNCI), CPR, and First Aid Training
ESPs requiring iNCI, CPR and First Aid certification as required of their employment position/classification should choose this option to meet their certification requirements. Verification of attendance and training will be done using eCompass registration and, if requested, provided to principals by MPS PD. Registration for CPR/AED certification and First Aid certification needs to happen separately. Please register for both if you need both certifications. Seats are limited for each session offered.
See session overview for registration links.
Option 2: Participate in ESP-specific Professional Development
ESP professional development will be offered at Franklin Middle School with a variety of learning opportunities for ESPs provided by district departments and specialists. Verification of attendance and training will be done using eCompass registrations and provided to site level time-approvers by MPS PD.
See session overview for registration links.
Note:
- It is the ESP's responsibility to obtain prior approval from their principals if they are not choosing either of the options listed above.
Questions?
Principals and ESPs with questions relating to District PD for ESPs should contact the MPS Professional Development Department at: MPS.PD@mpls.k12.mn.us
MicroGrants up to $2000 from Arc MN available to our students through Spring 2021!!
Here is a link to the Minnesota Microgrant Partnership. webinar
You can find more information on our website here.
Link to the application here.
The flier highlighting students who have received grants to improve their job prospects or get settled into independent housing is attached for you to see how previous grants have been used.
You might also be interested in Arc's new podcast, Focus on the Future.
Finally, Arc has a Free online interest mapping tool called Get Set! It’s also available for students to do some future planning.
Need more information? Contact Susan Sochacki Marketing Specialist, Minnesota Microgrant Partnership The Arc Minnesota 651.604.8056 Toll-free: 833.450.1494
Coming Up at TPlus
Tuesday----------------Team 1 Mtg---------------------------------- 8:30-9:30
Wednesday----------- Team 3 Meeting-------------------------- 8:30-9:30
Thursday---------------Team 2 Mtg--------------------------------- 8:30-9:30
------------------------------ Site Council-------------------------------- 4:30- 6:00
Friday--------------------No School for Students/Record Keeping Day/ESP PD
Third Friday of the Month-------Newsletter Submissions for Families
CBI Round 4
East African Cultural Celebration planning Module Facilitator Needed for Round 4 (Feb 7-March 6)!! The whole module is available for planning. The celebration is on March 13th afternoon. There are so many community experts in the building and we should be able to get a great group of students to plan it. check out the CBI Module Overview
Let Colleen know if you would like to facilitate.