• 4.3.25 PBIS Recognition Award Process
• 4.10.25 Early Learning Leadership Network
• 4.17.25 Career Advising Community of Practice-Building Implementation Capacity (INVITE ONLY)
• 4.23.25 PBIS Recognition Award Process
• 4.24.25 UDL Chats
• 4.29.25 New and Newish Sped Directors Community of Practice (INVITE ONLY)
• 5.22.25 Knowledge Building Curriculum: Community of Practice

Nominations are now being accepted for the Horn Walter Burley Awards. These awards honor an outstanding student with disabilities, an outstanding educator, or an educational team member who has made outstanding contributions to students with disabilities or is considered an outstanding parent of a child with disabilities who has leadership in local, state, or national organizations. Please consider honoring your staff and students this year! All applications can be found at: https://secure.smore.com/n/by9c8

Our journey into the power of play began on September 6, 2024, when dedicated preschool educators from across the region came together for a transformative professional development session led by renowned early childhood education expert, Lisa Murphy. This impactful event emphasized the critical role of intentional play in shaping the social and emotional development of young children, reinforcing the importance of play-based learning in early education.

Building on this momentum, participants engaged in a monthly virtual book study, exploring the practical application of Lisa Murphy’s 7 Things: Create, Move, Sing, Discuss, Observe, Read, and Play. These sessions fostered deep discussions on how to integrate these principles into classrooms effectively.

On March 28, 2025, educators gathered once again to showcase their implementation of Lisa Murphy’s recommendations. The day provided an opportunity to connect, celebrate, and honor one another’s dedication to early childhood education. The most powerful takeaway was the sense of community and shared passion, which ignited fresh motivation to continue this important work. As a special highlight, participants left with additional Lisa Murphy books to further support play-based learning in their classrooms.

This journey has not only strengthened instructional practices but has also reinforced the belief that play is not just an activity—it’s an essential part of learning.

Over the past few years, Urbana Elementary School has been deeply committed to expanding its knowledge and practices in the Science of Reading. As part of this effort, all K-3 classroom teachers, intervention specialists, and reading specialists have undergone extensive training in LETRS (Language Essentials for Teachers of Reading and Spelling). Using this expertise, the team carefully selected curricula that support both word recognition and language comprehension. Additionally, the district invested in intervention materials aligned with core instruction, ensuring a seamless approach to addressing student learning gaps.

Now, in the first year of implementing these changes, the school saw an opportunity to engage families in this transformation by hosting a Literacy Night on February 24, 2025. The event provided families with valuable insights into Urbana’s literacy instruction, including detailed explanations of Reading Improvement and Monitoring Plans (RIMPs) and the school-wide intervention model WIN (What I Need). Parents also received grade-level-specific strategies to support reading development at home.

By offering a clear picture of daily literacy routines and instructional components, Urbana Elementary has laid the foundation for ongoing family engagement. With plans to expand Literacy Night in the coming years, the school continues to demonstrate its dedication to raising literacy achievement for all students. Kudos to Urbana Elementary for their unwavering commitment to literacy success!

• If your district had to submit an Indicator Analysis and Improvement Plan for SPP indicators, those are due by April 4, 2025. Start collecting your evidence now and be ready for submission of evidence in September.
• Secure student and family contact information for follow-up data collection for exit student data.
• Begin completing follow-up data collection for students who graduated the previous school year.
• Did you nominate an Outstanding Special Education Student, Outstanding Special Education Teacher or Teacher Team? Nominations are due April 17, 2025.
• Districts must submit their AASCD justification by May 2, 2025. Every district is required to complete this through the CCIP. The Department may request supporting documentation or clarification regarding content included in the justification. Please direct any questions on completing the justification to AAparticipation@education.ohio.gov.
• District and Building One Plans are due this month. The Quality Plan Rubric and the EdSteps Manual are great resources to support this important work!

Secondary Transition

Universal Design for Learning

Literacy

PBIS

View all of our Professional Learning opportunities at the SST6 Google Site. Registration closes 24 hours before training or two weeks before a book study to send materials and links to participants.