As we move into September, I want to express my heartfelt praise to all educators in our region. Each day, I witness teachers who are passionately teaching, amidst new safety protocols and new virtual learning endeavors, and then, attend an afternoon professional learning group to hone their craft, improve practice, and ultimately, improve student learning. During this time, remember the great words of Winston Churchill, "Success is not final. Failure is not fatal. It is the courage to continue that counts."

Region Four, you are superheroes! I hope that this is your best month yet as you connect with students and parents and build community with your colleagues in these unprecedented times.

As a reminder, please follow our social media pages on Facebook (@uainservice) and Twitter (@UofARIC) for ongoing announcements.You may find any of our newsletters at: http://inservice.ua.edu/newsletter.

If you need additional information or would like to discuss specific plans for support for your school or district, I am happy to assist you at 205-348-6951 or via e-mail at hgmorgan@ua.edu.

Happy learning!

Dr. Holly Morgan

Director, UA/UWA Regional In-Service Center

Join us on September 24 from 3:30-5:00 pm as we virtually welcome Dr. Douglas Fisher (co-author of The Distance Learning Playbook) as our facilitator! Dr. Fisher will address student engagement in a distance learning environment based upon the information from Module 6 of The Distance Learning Playbook.

Participants who are registered for our ongoing Distance Learning Playbook professional learning group will not need to re-register for this session; however, we are able to open this single session to a larger audience. Space is limited, so register today!

Register via PowerSchool Section #385184.

Join Dr. Holly Morgan, UA/UWA In-Service Center Director, for Part 2 of The Distance Learning Playbook on September 1. These sessions are hosted as a part of the ALSDE-OSL Byte-Sized Professional Learning series. Part 2 will be offered on September 1 at 11:30 and 3:30. We will discuss Modules 3 and 4, which include teacher-student relationships and credibility.

Register via one of the PowerSchool section numbers below in order to receive the session Zoom link:

11:30 session: PowerSchool section #382928

3:30 session: PowerSchool section #382929

***Part 3 of this series will be offered on September 22 at 11:30 and 3:30. Check back for more information regarding registration via PowerSchool.

To view all of the ALSDE-OSL Byte-Sized Professional Learning Sessions for September, go to https://docs.google.com/document/d/1LMAAYElcwi4HpfszvrSk972Frrr_2PYskXsvXBHyrbk/edit?usp=sharing

**In order to proceed with an abundance of caution, we have moved the September 8 session to a virtual environment. You will receive a Zoom link at the beginning of September. Registration closes on September 1--don't delay!

Join us for this incredible learning opportunity with Dr. LeeAnn Jung, CEO of Lead Inclusion and lead author of ASCD text, Your Students, My Students, Our Students: Rethinking Equitable and Inclusive Classrooms. Dr. Jung is also a clinical professor at San Diego State University with her co-authors, Douglas Fisher and Nancy Frey. She provides support in the areas of inclusion, standards-based learning and grading, designing individualized and goals and interdisciplinary supports, and measuring progress. She has authored 6 books, more than 45 journal articles and book chapters, and has been awarded more than 4 million dollars in federal funding.

This opportunity will be offered in a two-part learning cohort. After the session on September 8, participants will leave with strategies for application within their school teams. Participants will return in December for a follow-up session with Dr. Jung. School teams (consisting of an administrator and multiple teachers) are encourage to attend! Session is limited to 50 participants. Books, training, and substitute reimbursement will be provided by the UA/UWA Regional In-Service Center.

September 8, 2020

--and--

December 2, 2020

8:30 am-3:00 pm

Register via PowerSchool Section #371121

The UA/UWA Regional In-Service Center will host the following two networks from the Alabama Best Practices Center:

• Powerful Conversations Network (PCN)
  
• Deepen our study of social-emotional learning
• Text: Relationships, Responsibility, and Regulation: Trauma-Invested Practices for Fostering Resilient Learners by Kristin Souers and Pete Hall

• Key Leaders Network (KLN)
• Text: Coherent School Leadership: Forging Clarity from Complexity by Michael Fullan and Lyle Kirtman
• Focus upon the factors of Fullan’s Coherence Framework for leaders aligned with Kirtman’s 7 Competencies for Highly Effective Leaders

***All training will be delivered virtually with both asynchronous and synchronous opportunities! If you are unable to secure a school team, contact me (hgmorgan@ua.edu) regarding registering single participants.

Information on Session 1 dates can be found at https://docs.google.com/document/d/1FM2ya6lP_IHoSmyR3ivB2R3lkWygMWh6Y7F3XMVxwWg/edit?usp=sharing

We hope that you can join us! For more information regarding registration, please contact Holly Morgan at hgmorgan@ua.edu or Tami Barron at tbarron@ua.edu. Registration deadline is September 4!

2020-21 Statewide RIC Needs Assessment: The voices and opinions of teachers and administrators are crucial to this process; therefore, we need your help!

· The Regional Inservice Centers want to provide quality and relevant professional learning for all educators across the state.

· Please take a few minutes (5 to 10 minutes) to complete the Regional In-Service Education Center 2020-2021 Needs Assessment.

· For questions, contact Dr. Angie Pelton apelton@alsde.edu at the ALSDE, Office of Student Learning

· Please respond by September 18.

· Survey link: https://bit.ly/ARIC21-22

September "Byte-Sized" Professional Learning Menu: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1LMAAYElcwi4HpfszvrSk972Frrr_2PYskXsvXBHyrbk/edit?usp=sharing

· This month’s PD features micro-sessions on topics that are “right on time” for your teachers, counselors, technology coordinators, administrators, and CO staff to help navigate through digital learning and other topics including the following:

o ALSDE-Developed crosswalks to enhance the SchoolsPLP pacing guides;

o Administering Early childhood Assessments;

o Digital Learning Playbook Part II;

o Proficiency Scales;

o Tech Tools, and many more options.

Are you interested in pursuing National Board for Professional Teaching Standards certification? Join us for our 2020-2021 candidate support! Our schedule can be found at http://www.inservice.ua.edu/announcements. The schedule includes dates and session information, along with PowerSchool registration information for each session.

New "Maintenance of Certificate" session added for September 17. Be sure to check out the updated calendar!

Please contact the following NBCT faciliators for more information:

Anna Daly, adaly2@ua.edu or Krissy Stevenson, kstevenson@tcss.net

Join us virtually on September 10 from 5:00-7:30 pm for "Component 4: Instructions and Planning." Register via PowerSchool section #376217 in order to receive the session Zoom link.

· Grants in the amount of $1500 per school available

· Funds may be used to purchase equipment, training, curriculum, and/or professional development to directly support robotics education in the school

· The application deadline has been extended through September 30, 2020

· If you have questions, contact robotics@amsti.org

· For more information and to access the application, please visit https://www.amsti.org/robotics

3rd Annual Alabama Conference on Grading and Assessment for Learning (ACGAL) Conference:

• November 7
• Keynote Speaker: Dr. Doug Reeves
• Virtual Conference
• Registration opens on September 25
• Visit acgal.org for updates!

The University of Alabama College of Education has provided the following resource to assist parents and educators with tip for supporting young children in virtual learning at home. Tips for school re-entry are also included. The resource can be found at https://education.ua.edu/supporting-young-children-and-families-from-safer-at-home-to-school-re-entry/

The Moundville Native American Festival is going VIRTUAL! Join us from October 5th through the 10th, as we bring this celebration of Native American Heritage and Culture to your classrooms. We have created a portal specifically for our educators. This festival educators portal will give you access to new lesson plans, educational resource guides, interactive daily live cultural performances, and video demonstration of Native American craftsmanship such as pottery making. Students will have the opportunity to interact with tribal members and ask questions during our live performances and demonstrations. We are bringing the park to you through our virtual tour of the park grounds and the Jones Archaeological Museum. Your students can also participate in hands on learning by engaging in our "how to" videos that feature educational crafts from our children's area.

This virtual field trip is only $35 and live performances will occur from October 5th through the 10th. If purchased, you will have access to the festival educators portal and all of it's content from October 5, 2020 - June 1, 2021 to allow for flexibility in your teaching schedule.

Educators can also purchase prepackaged materials for the "how to" videos for an additional $5 per student. These package also come with materials that can be incorporated into your lesson plans.

Sign-up today using the link below!

https://universityofalabama.az1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_0vtyD2SPHZ0OdYF

If you have any questions or concerns please contact Lisa Rasco 205-371-8732 or llrasco@ua.edu

The flyer may be found at www.inservice.ua.edu/announcements.

Calling all school counselors in the UA/UWA Region! Although we had to reschedule our date, we are thrilled that all of our speakers will be with us in February! Registration is open now! It will be a wonderful way to celebrate National School Counseling Week!

We are excited to announce that registration in PowerSchool is open for the 1st Annual West Alabama Regional School Counselors' Conference on Friday, February 5, 2021 at the UA/UWA Regional In-Service Center (260 Kilgore Lane, Tuscaloosa, AL 35401). Registration will be open at 8:00 am, and the first session will begin at 8:30 am.

This free opportunity is available to all K-12 school counselors in our region. (If space allows, we will open the event throughout the state.) A steering committee of counselors from both the north, central, and southern portions of our region have worked diligently to plan sessions based upon the needs reflected in our recent survey. These sessions include ethics updates for counselors, PowerSchool updates, data-driven programs, mental health, behavioral interventions, and social-emotional learning. We are also providing for one block of round-table sessions to which counselors can share ideas and network with colleagues throughout the region. Featured speakers are Dr. Amy Upton, Mr. Sean Stevens, and Dr. Greg Benner.

Free breakfast and lunch will also be provided from our gracious sponsors!

Register today at https://alsde.truenorthlogic.com/ia/empari/learning2/registration/presentRegistrationDetails/369118

***In order to proceed with an abundance of caution, this face-to-face session has been rescheduled for February 10, 2021.

Often times, when geography standards are talked about among teachers, it is immediately assumed that students hear about Alabama geography for the first time in 3rd grade; but, this is not the case! Important geographic skills and concepts are addressed in all grades, starting in kindergarten. The primary goal of this institute is to reestablish the importance of social studies standards as it pertains to geography in a fun, hands-on way. In this PD session you’ll learn about the Giant Traveling Map of Alabama. This resource is a large Alabama map from National Geographic that has recently been purchased by the UA/UWA Regional In-Service Center for your use. Attend this session with Sarah Stroud, Tuscaloosa County Schools, and you’ll learn how to check it out for your classroom. You have to see this to believe it—it’s incredible! ***Substitute reimbursement will be provided for each participant.

February 10, 2021

8:30-2:30

UA/UWA Regional In-Service Center

Register via PowerSchool Section #372936

• ASIM Biology Training and Support (Lisa Clark, lclark@ua.edu)

• ASIM Chemistry Training and Support (Brooks Moss, moss020@ua.edu)
• ASIM Physics Training and Support (Julie Covin, jcovin@ua.edu)

Contact our specialists today to support you (either virtually or face-to-face) as you return to school! We are here for you!

Contact Dr. Robert Mayben at rmayben@ua.edu to support your school or district's technology professional learning needs. Look for opportunities coming soon from Alabama Technology in Motion! Dr. Mayben plans to offer virtual professional learning groups, a weekly series of after school sessions focusing on enhancing your teaching with Schoology, a virtual PLU, and more! Details will be announced in September as the plans are finalized--check back as the newsletter will be updated as information is released! Also, Alabama Technology in Motion will be providing numerous sessions in September as part of the ALSDE’s Byte-Sized Remote Learning Series.

Contact Sara McGee, AMSTI Director, at smcgee@ua.edu to request K-12 math or K-8 science support for your school or district.

Dr. Holly Morgan, Director

Mrs. Tami Barron, Administrative Assistant

Ms. Angela Lewis, Office Associate

Email: uauwainservice@gmail.com
Website: www.inservice.ua.edu
Location: 260 Kilgore Lane, Tuscaloosa, AL, USA
Phone: 205-348-3319
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/uainservice/
Twitter: @UofARIC