Essential Bulletin for Educators
April 2024
Brain breaks can energize students or help them to relax. They can also spark creativity and connection.
These brain breaks are designed to serve different purposes, and selecting the right one at the right time can yield positive results.
From Edutopia - 4 Brain Breaks for Different Classroom Needs
Spending a little time having fun in the classroom can have a major impact on students’ engagement and sense of belonging.
Here are three fun, simple activities to do throughout the school year. These activities will help form relationships and build relational capacity within the class, so that students are ready for the rigors of academic work.
From Edutopia - 3 Fun Relationship-Building Activities for Older Students
The Pennsylvania Department of Education (PDE) is accepting nominations for the Recognizing Inspiring School Employees (RISE) Award, sponsored by the U.S. Department of Education. This federal award honors a school employee who provides exemplary service to students in pre-kindergarten through high school.
“School support staff are part of the living infrastructure of our education system,” said Secretary of Education Dr. Khalid N. Mumin. “Their hard work makes learning possible and deserves to be recognized. I encourage all Pennsylvanians to nominate an outstanding school employee for the RISE Award so we can celebrate their contributions.”
The RISE Award was created to recognize and promote the commitment and excellence exhibited by classified school employees. Each state is invited to nominate up to two individuals by November 1, 2024. The U.S. Secretary of Education will select a single winner from all states’ nominations by May 31, 2025.
Who can be nominated?
- Full- or part-time nonteaching school employees
- Public Pre-K-12 or Nonprofit Private/Nonpublic Nursey-12 institution employee in the following positions:
- Paraprofessional
- Clerical and Administrative services
- Transportation services
- Food and nutrition services
- Custodial/maintenance services
- Security services
- Health and student services
- Technical services, and skilled trade
Nominations may be submitted by local education agencies, school administrators, professional associations, labor organizations, educational service agencies, nonprofit entities, or parents and students.
To nominate someone for the RISE Award, complete the online Nomination Form by August 30, 2024. More information can be found here.
What is an SEL check-in? Visual cues - whether faces, characters, memes, or symbols - are a common thread for most SEL check-ins.
These visuals should be instantly recognizable shorthand for feelings. Since imagery resonates with people more than abstract numbers or words, it’s easier to quickly convey complex emotions by relating them to an image. A touch of humor or pop culture helps connect people to the scale, too! Purposes of check-ins are given along with some examples.
From the Texas Computer Education Association (TCEA)
This year, for Autism Awareness and Acceptance month in April, ASERT will be promoting the theme "Engage. Enrich. Empower. Our Community." One of their initiatives is a webinar panel about support groups and their impact on communities.
Register today! ASERT is hosting a "Support Groups in Every Community" panel on April 12 at 12:00 PM. Join to hear self-advocate, family, provider, and community perspectives on the importance of support groups in communities.
Attend an A-P-R Learning Institute specifically designed for you. This in-person session will focus on strategies that positively impact student engagement and rapport.
During this session, you will engage in collaborative activities and discussions surrounding strategies that you can share with IEP team members in your setting.
Paraprofessionals who attend the session will gain:
- Valuable insights into how to effectively collaborate with others to support students with diverse learning needs.
- Strategies to enhance student motivation and determination.
- Increased skills that boost student self-sufficiency while decreasing prompt dependency.
This in-person learning institute will be held April 18, 2024, from 4:30 PM-6:30 PM at all three regional PaTTAN offices and the following intermediate Unit (IU) Satellite Locations:
- IU 1 McMurray Campus
- IU 4 Midwestern
- IU 5 Northwest Tri-County
- IU 8 Appalachia
- IU 9 Seneca Highlands
- IU 13 Lancaster-Lebanon
- IU 15 Capital Area
- IU 16 Central Susquehanna
- IU 17 BLaST (Williamsport and Canton Offices)
- IU 19 Schuylkill
- IU 20 Colonial
- IU 23 Montgomery County
PaTTAN is excited to partner with Novak Education and the TIES Center to provide a four-session, virtual learning series focused on creating sustainable systems that create a sense of community and belonging and support high-quality instruction for all students.
These sessions will challenge school-based teams to think differently about designing flexible learning environments that bring accessible learning experiences to all students.
At a later date following each session, there will be an additional virtual networking session to engage participants in smaller group discussions focused on “problems of practice” that were discussed during the previous webinars.
We hope you are able to join with your teams to get the most benefit out of this valuable opportunity!
