Middle Level Minute
Indiana Middle Level Education Association, January, 2024
In this post for AMLE Jack Berckemeyer not only shares his observations of ways adolescents have changed since the pandemic, but gives suggestions of how to deal with them. Some schools have used the article as a team/staff discussion piece.
This example resonated with me: "Our students have taken the aspects of social media threading and are now doing what I call human threading: feeding off each other’s messages but doing it out loud, in-person—not hidden behind a social media post."
*Polar Plunge season has officially opened, with events around the state from Feb. 2-March 2. (The high school plunge in Indianapolis is open to middle schools as well. First middle schools to sign up: Brownsburg East & West and Plainfield Community MS). Find more information here. Students must be 12 years old by the day of an event to plunge. Funds raised through a Polar Plunge can count toward your school earning the Unified Champions Banner! For any questions about Unified Champions, you can contact Tori Batson at Special Olympics.
*AMLE (Association of Middle Level Educators) and SONA (Social Olympics of North America) created a fantastic document (below) that shows correlations between implementing unified sports with two of the domains of Schools to Watch: developmental responsiveness and social equity. Whether or not you are a School to Watch, you can make use of it to consider your school's achievements and goals.
- The website Know Yourself includes paid content, but also several resources free to use with students. This hands-on brain cap template would be a great way to help students learn about the many functions and areas of the brain, including the cognitive parts.
- You can watch a video showing students coloring and constructing the brain cap here.
- You can also find other free resources on the site here.
Great source for Cheap Banners and Signs!
Our friends at South Carolina Association for Middle Level Education (SCAMLE) have shared great sources for signs and banners; we will be changing our vendor for our Schools to Watch banners. Check out bannersonthecheap.com and signsonthecheap.com
AMLE Book Study for Pre-Service, Early Career, & University Faculty
AMLE is hosting a study of their popular book, The Successful Middle School, from January 30-February 20. Participants will earn the Successful Middle School Ready digital badge at the conclusion of the study. Registration is free for members who already have a copy of The Successful Middle School: This We Believe. (There is a small fee for nonmembers.) Those who do not already have a copy of the book will receive a copy with their registration fee. Sessions will be conducted via Zoom and recorded for those unable to participate live.See the schedule and register here.
TIMES IN EST AND FREE UNLESS NOTED
January 22-Road to MidCon Webinar with Rick Wormeli, 4 pm
Deadline to register for free for ALL Road to Midcon Webinars (Secures Early Bird Rate for June)
January 22-Corwin Webinar: Habits of Resilient Educators, 6:30 pm
January 23-KINL Science of Reading Focus Group, 4 pm
January 23-OK2Ask Workshop: Google My Maps, 7 pm
January 24- Explore ReadLife Bookshelf: A Multigenerational Digital Reading Collection, 4 pm
January 29- Corwin Webinar: Executive Functions for Every Classroom, 6:30 pm
January 30- Using Video Games to Ignite the Entrepreneur Inside Every Student, 1 pm
January 30- Engage & Inspire with Fake Websites, 7 pm
January 30- AMLE Book Study of The Successful Middle School Begins
January 31- IDOE Digital Learning Team: Tech Tools for 2024 - AI Edition, 4 pm
February 6- Application Deadline for PAEMST
February 7- World Read Aloud Day (You can line up authors for free now!)
February 10- Asset-Based Teaching with Dr. Ilene Winokur, Noon
February 19-Deadline to Apply for Fulbright Teacher Exchanges
February 21-Deadline to Submit a Proposal for MidCon
February 24-25- Virtual Math Summit
March 5- Deadline to apply for NEH Summer Programs
June 22-24- Schools to Watch Conference, Arlington, VA
June 26-27-MidCon, Westfield Middle School
ONGOING EVENTS
IN LearningPartnership (Includes Wednesday PD with IDOE)
Indiana Learning Lab Workshops (Requires Sign in for Registration)
Teachers First OK2Ask Online Workshops; (Past on-demand sessions)
Keep Indiana Learning (KINL); Live Events (some $) Past Recordings/Digital Content
edWeb.net Webinars (Can watch at later date; if sponsored, "commercials" are at the end)
PATINS Trainings for Accessibility for All
AMLE Events (some free, some paid)
Please note: Webinars and events mentioned in this space are not an endorsement of commercial products; on the contrary, we try to avoid listing events that appear to be commercial in nature. Every effort is made to strip social media/tracking data from provided URLs. In many cases, you can register and receive a recording later.
ABOUT IMLEA
The only organization in Indiana devoted to promoting, improving, and supporting middle level education. We are the Indiana affiliate of the national organization AMLE, and administer the Schools to Watch program for the National Forum to Accelerate Middle Grades Reform.
Join us! Membership Benefits and Application
Susie Highley, Executive Director
Shirley Wright, Schools to Watch Consultant
FIND US:
11025 E. 25th Street, Indianapolis, IN. 46229 (Inside IASP)
