The Northland Learning Center's focus is to meet the needs of the whole child to ensure that all students have the knowledge, skills, and abilities to learn, live, and work successfully.

~Jackie Ward

Welcome to another edition of the Northland Learning Center’s Newsletter. I hope there will be a little something each of you can take away from this sharing of important topics and information. There is always so much of which to learn and to be reminded.

As we begin the month of March, I have to stop and reflect on the pace of things. I expect that when we come back in January from break, it takes our students a couple of weeks to settle back into their routines. It takes us adults time to get back in the groove. This January felt different. Nothing felt settled clear into February. I could feel the high energy day after day and week after week. When Fridays rolled around, everyone was exhausted. Did you feel that too? This feels like a good time to reflect on our “why."

I had a professor one time ask the class why we do what we do and why we chose the paths of teaching and administration. The typical answers around the room were, “I love kids.” She stopped the class and said, “We are going to dig deeper. You have to go beyond ‘I love kids’ and ‘summers off,’ etc.” If it was only about kids, there are other jobs out there that focus on kids. What is your “why?” There is no one answer or an answer that fits all. I can’t tell you what your “why” is; only you can answer that question. I challenge you……no, let’s rephrase that: I invite you to take a moment to dig deep and ask yourself, what is my why? Why did I choose this path? If you take the time to reflect on this question, I think you will feel a little joy as you remember your ‘why.’

March is here, and April is around the corner. I am looking forward to a little green. How about you? March will blow in the April showers giving bloom to May flowers. Wow! Did this school year ever go fast!

Until next time...

~Katie Alto

Case Managers: You are responsible for MA consent forms getting signed and returned by parents/guardians. The best way to get these signed would be at the students IEP meeting or any other meeting you are having with the parents/guardians. If you need assistance finding one or if any of your students need one, please reach out to me.

Service Providers: You are responsible for knowing which of your students are MA eligible, or if they have private insurance. You are also required to email me when you get a new student on your caseload. If you send me your caseload, I can go through it and let you know which students have which insurance.

Communication is key. If you are behind on your logs or if I send you an email with an MA consent attached, please respond that you've received it.

This is a team effort between all of us. Without your help and understanding, your district could be losing money. My email is kalto@northlandsped.org. Please reach out to me if you have any questions or concerns. Thank you.

~Tina Johnson

Child count for the 2024-2025 school year is complete. Thank you for all of your timely responses and hard work. Clean data is key in getting the max funding for our Special Education Programming.

When I am reviewing child count, there are some key points that keep coming up. Here are the major ones:

Data Sheets: When in doubt, print them out! They should always be turned in immediately; don't hold on to them. Any changes to the IEP, including students who exit services for any reason, need to be documented in an updated Data Sheet sent to your MARSS Coordinator.

Transfer Students With IEPs: Email the office staff, including the MARSS Coordinator, indicating the student came in with an IEP, the disability category, and the instructional setting.

Please have a wonderful rest of the school year.

As we have already reported, this year's progress reports will be a focus of next year's MDE Due Process Review. Goals must be measurable, so that progress reports can be data-driven. Attached is a video from SpEdForms explaining how to use the measuring tool we practiced and recommended at our Fall Special Education Summit. Also attached are MDE's requirements for progress reporting for both Part B and Part C.

Which statewide assessment to give an individual student on an IEP is a team decision to be discussed at the IEP meeting. It's a good idea to print out the guidance and flowchart to share at the meeting, so everyone can see it for themselves. Parents also always have the right to exempt their student from any testing, if they choose.

Points to keep in mind during the discussion:

• Follow the team decision supported by data.
• The MTAS is meant for a very small number of students with the most significant cognitive disabilities. This will account for approximately 1% of the student population. The MTAS is not an accommodation based on student effort.
• Consider if they can take the district assessments with or without accommodations.
• Remember that the MTAS is not for students below grade level or who will not meet standards.
• If the team is not sure whether the MCA or the MTAS is the best choice, the MCA with accommodations is the less restrictive option.

Note: MCA-III is slowly being transitioned to MCA-IV. An alternate MCA is going to replace the MTAS as a part of this change. This spring, the alternate MCA assessment in the area of Science replaces the Science MTAS. The Reading MTAS is anticipated to change to the Alternate MCA format in the spring of 2026, with Math to follow.

The 2025 Transition Expo will be held on April 24 in the NLC gym from 9:30am-1:30pm. Please plan to bring your high school students to this valuable opportunity!

SEAC is a group that provides input on special education issues to its local school district. Its purpose is to advise and advocate on local special education topics. The NLC SEAC will work to build collaborative relationships between the Special Education Team, which includes parents, general education teachers, special education professionals, and the community. The NLC SEAC will offer advice to the NLC Board to improve outcomes for students with disabilities across the districts of the NLC.

Date: March 19th from 3:30-4:30 pm

Topic: Understanding Least Restrictive Environment (LRE)

Location: In-Person at the NLC building or virtually

https://us02web.zoom.us/j/81148867791

We encourage you to tell parents and families about this group and these resources. We are actively seeking to increase parent participation. This will be our final meeting for this school year. An email has also been sent to you with the topic and zoom link. Please share it out widely. Thank you very much to those who already do!

We held our first NLC SEAC meeting of the year on November 6th. Our topic was: "Understanding Functional Behavior Assessments & Behavior Plans (BIPs/PBSPs)." The links to this and previous slide shows are on our website: northlandsped.org under "Student and Family Resources," labeled "Special Education Advisory Committee."

Upcoming CPI Trainings:

Initial (8 hours): Tuesday, August 19, 2025 from 8am-4pm

Required if it has been more than a year since your last training

Refresher (4 hours): Thursday, August 21, 2025 from 8am-12pm or 12pm-4pm

Questions? Please contact Amanda Slattery, aslattery@northlandsped.org or Hannah Helander, hhelander@northlandsped.org

Complete attached form to register.

~Jackie Ward

March is when I bring out all of my Irish recipes. I will share this one simply because it is so easy. Sometimes I add a ½ cup of raisins! It goes great with a cup of tea and a tsp of your favorite jam. If you really want to get into the “spirit”....Irish Stew, Colcannon and Corned Beef are more of my favorites!

Irish soda bread is actually easy to make with flour, baking soda, and buttermilk. This is the best Irish soda bread around — the buttermilk gives this crusty loaf a delicious flavor!

Submitted by MP Welty

Prep Time: 15 mins

Cook Time: 45 mins

Total Time: 1 hr

Servings: 20

Yield: 1 soda bread

Ingredients

• 4 cups all-purpose flour

• ½ cup butter, softened

• 4 tablespoons white sugar

• 1 teaspoon baking soda

• 1 tablespoon baking powder

• ½ teaspoon salt

• 1 cup buttermilk

• 1 large egg

• ¼ cup butter, melted

• ¼ cup buttermilk

Directions:

• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Lightly grease a large baking sheet.

• Mix flour, softened butter, sugar, baking soda, baking powder, and salt together in a large bowl. Stir in 1 cup of buttermilk and egg.

• Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead slightly. Form dough into a round loaf and place on the prepared baking sheet. Note that the dough will be a little sticky.

• Combine melted butter with 1/4 cup buttermilk in a small bowl; brush loaf with this mixture. Use a sharp knife to cut an 'X' into the top of the loaf.

• Bake in a preheated oven until a toothpick inserted into the center of the loaf comes out clean, 45 to 50 minutes. Check for doneness after 30 minutes. You may continue to brush the loaf with the butter mixture while it bakes.

• Slice and enjoy!

~Hannah Helander

Created for all those picky eaters who complain about raw celery and onions (or vegetables at all), but it's been a hit everywhere I have brought it. All measurements approximate! I don't measure...

Ingredients:

• Box of noodles cooked and drained (small to medium size, any shape you prefer- though with rings, use 1 1/2 boxes)
• Jar of Zesty bread 'n butter pickles, chopped with about 1/3 the liquid
• 4 packets tuna
• 1 cup grated carrot
• 1 1/2 cups Miracle Whip
• 1 cup Dorothy Lynch salad dressing
• 2 tbsp Salad Supreme seasoning
• 1 tsp dill
• 1 tsp black pepper
• 1/2 tsp cayenne
• 1 tbsp sugar
• 1/2 cup fine shredded cheese

Directions:

• Combine all ingredients except the noodles and cheese, stirring well.
• Gently fold in noodles.
• Sprinkle cheese on top (it hides the carrots ;))