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The Monday Minute

Teacher Appreciation Edition, May 3

The MondayMinuteTeacher Appreciation Edition, May 3
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OUr Appreciation for You Lasts Beyond Today and This Week!

Although this Tuesday is "the day" to offer the freebies, the coupons, the grant matching, free memberships, etc., IMLEA is thankful for all that you do for our students, their families, and their communities. What we have learned time and time again is that middle school teachers are a special group; you are able to work with students others find perplexing, and find ways to appreciate and engage them.
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Shining Star Award

Every year, IMLEA honors middle school students who exemplify positive leadership, school/community service, and academic excellence. We thank Horace Mann Insurance for its financial sponsorship of this award honoring outstanding adolescents in grades 5-8.

A selection committee will determine the winners based upon the nomination forms submitted by institutional (school or district) members of IMLEA. Please submit this nomination form no later than May 10, 2022. The nominator does not have to be the principal of the school.

Videos Celebrate Math & Lunch Ladies

How about some enjoyment to show appreciation? At first look, you may not realize it, but one person is playing all 11 parts in the math video below! You can read about him and see another video here.

And, see how lunch lady TikToks have made the lunch line more enjoyable-and profitable-at Wellington Landings Middle School in Florida. Do your students show appreciation to your cafeteria staff? (This Friday, May 6, is School Lunch Hero Day.)

c's the longest side - the Pythagorean Theorem song - Simon MacFarlane
'Lunch Lady Squad' at Wellington middle school goes viral on TikTok
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Adolescent Literacy

There is still time to complete DOE's survey on adolescent literacy, and indicate interest in serving on a statewide committee. With so many groups devoted to such things as primary literacy, kindergarten readiness, and high school issues, it's great that DOE is doing something for the middle level! The Office of Teaching and Learning has an Educator Literacy Survey now through May 13. The online form also has a place for ELA and literacy educators to volunteer for an Adolescent Literacy Steering Committee that will meet this summer to determine best practices to help students in grades 6-12 become proficient readers. Contact the Office of Teaching and Learning/Digital Learning for questions.
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middle school behavior charts (It's not what you think)

This is currently the most popular post on AMLE's website. It's not tracking student behaviors, but rather charting a clear and transparent discipline continuum. As you look toward next year, it might be something to consider or modify.
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Finishing the Year Strong... Best Post I've Seen

Middle Web has aggregated and updated numerous end of the year posts. Find them here. Some teachers and students greatly enjoy special activities after testing is over. Also for your consideration: a post on eliminating those "end of year countdown" calendars.

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AMLE Collaboration Mini-Grants

AMLE's Foundation Fund Committee awards $3000 grants (generally two per year) to enhance collaborative projects. The collaboration project could be between teams, with parents and/or community agencies, with another school, or within the student body (e.g., between grade levels, with content areas). More information and the application are here. The deadline is July 15.
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PhET Math and Science Interactive Simulations

Nobel Laureate Carl Wieman founded the free PhET Interactive Simulations project at the University of Colorado. PhET sims are based on extensive education research and engage students through an intuitive, game-like environment where students learn through exploration and discovery. By filtering with 'Middle School.' the results yielded 71 simulations. I've heard many rave reviews of this site.

Purdue STEM "Degree" for Students

The Purdue University Kids STEM Degree consists of 10 videos (3-5 minutes) for each level and assessments for each video. Students will have the option to complete a quiz (Google Form) at the end of each video where they will earn a code. Collect 10 codes and be eligible to earn a ‘degree’ from Purdue Science. This program can be completed individually by students, or together as a class. You can see one example below.

Gene Therapy with CRISPR-Cas9.
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Learning Opportunities (Times EDT) Free unless noted.

May 3: Sonic Matches Donors Choose Contributions

May 4: Solution Tree Webinar-"How Goes the Principal, Goes the School," 3 pm

*May 5: Astronaut/Former NFL Player Leland Martin, "Chasing Space" Virtual Option, 7:30 pm

May 6: Application Deadline for IDOE's 2022-23 Teacher Leader Bootcamp

May 6: School Lunch Hero Day

*May 7: Free Comic Book Day

May 10: Deadline to Nominate Students for IMLEA Horace Mann Shining Star Award

May 10: KIL Webinar-What's the Scoop on Summer PD? 7 pm

May 13: Application Deadline for DOE Adolescent Literacy Survey/Committee

*May 14: Tinkerfest at the Indiana State Museum, 10-5

May 18: DOE Webinar-Teacher Beach Reads: Education-ish Books for Summer Reading, 4 pm

*June 1: Student Applications Due for Scholastic Kids Press

June 1-August 5: Summer of Learning Events Across the State

June 2: iTeach Conference at East Allen County Schools

June 9: Keep Indiana Learning 2022 Reading Summit ($100; some free videos available now)

June 14-15: Keep Indiana Learning #VirtuallyDifferent2022 Conference ($25); You can also apply to present!

July 15: Applications Due for AMLE Collaboration Grants.

*involves students


ONGOING EVENTS

Keep Indiana Learning Complete Calendar , Free Events & On-Demand Recordings

edWeb.net Webinars (if sponsored, "commercials" are at the end)

PATINS Trainings for Accessibility for All

Teachers First/OK2Ask Spring Virtual Workshops

AMLE Podcast Series

AMLE Events (some free, some paid)

IN LearningPartnership (Includes Wednesday PD with IDOE)

Corwin Webinars

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.

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The Monday Minute is a publication of IMLEA. Generally, it is sent to members on the 1st & 3rd Mondays of the month during the school year. You can access past Monday Minutes via this link on our webpage, and you can follow us on Facebook and Twitter. Principals and others: Feel free to forward this newsletter to your staff, and email us at any time.


Did you miss our last edition? Find it here.

We’ve done it for them, and we’d love to help you too!

With our complimentary Student Loan Solutions program, you and your educators will get access to online tools and resources, loan coaches and personal consultations to help manage student loan debt, apply for federal loan forgiveness and get on a path toward a brighter financial future.

Check out this video for a sneak peek at that the program has to offer. For more information on how to bring this program to your school(s) click here or contact your local Horace Mann agent.


*Potential savings of educators assisted by Horace Mann with Public Service Loan Forgiveness from October 2016 through 2020 based on assumptions established by the U.S. Office of Federal Student Aid. Monthly and annual savings are based on 2020 only. For more information regarding the U.S. Office of Federal Student Aid assumptions, refer to www.studentaid.gov/loan-simulator. The information provided here is for general informational purposes only and should not be considered a recommendation. Horace Mann’s Student Loan Solutions program includes services provided by an independent third party, Tuition.io. Horace Mann is an independent company not affiliated with the Department of Education or the federal government. Horace Mann does not negotiate, adjust or settle debts. No assistance provided by Horace Mann constitutes official action for purposes of student loan forgiveness programs or guaranteed results. Horace Mann’s Student Loan Solutions program terms are subject to change.