May 20, 2013                                                                                               Archives

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NEW NOTIFICATIONS

Newsweek, Daily Beast Names Four Mississippi Schools in “America’s Best” List

Four Mississippi high schools made Newsweek’s list of “America’s Best High Schools” for 2013. Compiled by Newsweek and The Daily Beast, the list ranks the best 2,000 public high schools in the nation—those that have proven to be the most effective in turning out college-ready graduates. The following Mississippi schools have been ranked:

  • Mississippi School for Mathematics and Science – No. 352 (The school’s second year on the list)
  • Center Hill High School – No. 1617
  • Desoto Central High School – No. 1679
  • Oxford High School – No. 1732

 

MDE Seeks Peer Reviewers for 21st Century CCLC Grant Applications

The Mississippi Department of Education (MDE), Office of Federal Programs is soliciting applications from qualified individuals to become Peer Reviewers for the 21st Century Community Learning Centers (CCLC) Competitive Grant Applications. The MDE will use a peer review process to evaluate and score applications for 21st Century Community Learning Centers grants. This process is used to ensure qualified proposals are selected for funding.   

The MDE is currently seeking qualified individuals with diverse expertise, geographic location, gender, racial and ethnic representation to participate as evaluators in the peer review process for the 21st CCLC competitive grants. Applicants must not currently be employed by a 21st CCLC program.  Individuals sought include (but are not limited to):

• Experts in extended and out-of-school time learning;
• Retired educators;
• Youth development experts and practitioners;
• Community and youth service providers;
• Representatives of faith-based organizations;
• Private–sector individuals involved in education;
• Representatives from foundations and other charitable organizations;
• College and university staff with expertise in grants management and/or proposal writing.

Interested persons must be available without interruption for a period of one (1) week beginning June 17 and ending June 21. Resumes may be submitted to the MDE via fax (601.359.2587), email (kaustin@mde.k12.ms.us), or standard mail.                                                 
Mississippi Department of Education
Office of Federal Programs
Attn:  Karen Austin
P.O. Box 771, Suite 111
Jackson, MS  39205 - 0771

The deadline for submission is May 22, 2013.  Applicants selected for an interview will be contacted by phone.

 

USM Hosts Training on the DuBard Association Method 

The University of Southern Mississippi will offer a basic course on the DuBard Association Method June 17-21 from 8 a.m.-5 p.m. The DuBard Association Method is a phonetic, multisensory teaching-learning strategy designed for children with language deficiencies, and has been successfully used by the DuBard School for over 50 years.

The course will cover

  • The principles of the DuBard Association Method® as appropriate for kindergarten through second grade students and individuals with communication disorders, dyslexia and learning disabilities,
  • The Northampton phonetic symbol system,
  • Oral and written language skill development, and
  • The DuBard Association Method® as part of the school curriculum.

Registration Fees
Non-credit: $875
Academic credit: $500 plus tuition
Required textbook: $100 (Oral and Written Communication Disorders. Textbook must be purchased with registration; otherwise participants are responsible for purchasing the textbook prior to start of the class)
CEUs: $80 educators, no charge for ASHA

Continuing Education Units
This course is offered for 4.0 Southern Miss educator and 4.0 ASHA speech-language pathologist/audiologist (intermediate level, professional area) CEUs. For more information or to register visit call 601.266.4186 or visit www.usm.edu/dubard-training .

 

Learning Through Movement Workshop Set

A workshop, “The Kinesthetic Classroom: Moving and Learning Through Movement,” is scheduled for July 17 from 8:30 a.m.-3:30 p.m. at HealthWorks in Tupelo. K-12 teachers and administrators may attend. Attendees will learn:

  • Why movement is critical to the teaching and learning process
  • The 6-Part Framework for using movement in all classrooms and content areas thoughtfully and purposefully
  • The brain/body connection and its role in academic achievement
  • Dozens of practical applications immediately usable in the classroom!
  • The 6 brain principles that support using movement in every classroom

The deadline for registration is July 1, and each participant will receive a book. Cost of the event is $125. To register go to www.michaelkuczala.com or for more information, contact Dale Dieckman at (601) 359-1737 or jdieckman@mde.k12.ms.us.

 

First Year Teacher Survey

The annual First Year Teacher (FYT) Survey is available online through June 3.  The survey questions should be answered by beginning teachers, their principals and mentors.  First year teachers are those who have been coded in MSIS as having “0” years of experience at the beginning of the 2012-2013 school year.  Each district superintendent and school principal should have received information about the survey and instructions for participants by May 1. 

The results of the survey will assist with determining ways to improve the preparation and retention programs for Mississippi teachers.  Please encourage principals, beginner teachers and mentors to participate in order to produce reliable data. We appreciate and need educator input.
Please note that the survey is CONFIDENTIAL and recently revised to take only 3-4 minutes to complete.  Once the school receives instructions for the User Id and Password, go to the following link to take the survey: http://www.mde.k12.ms.us/surveys.  Follow the prompt to “click here” (in red) to get to the survey login.

For information or questions, contact Gail Gettis in the Mississippi Teacher Center at 601-359-3631 or ggettis@mde.k12.ms.us.

 

MASA Seeks Executive Director for the Mississippi Association of School Administrators

The Mississippi Association of School Administrators (MASA) is conducting an Executive Director search on behalf of the Board of Directors of MASA.  The official application for the position and a the application process are available at www.msasa.org.  Click on “Executive Director Position Opening” for more information. The application deadline is June 15.

 

GOT AN ITEM FOR EdUpdate?

To submit information for consideration in the EdUpdate, email the information to Tabatha Burkett at tburkett@mde.k12.ms.us by noon on Thursday. Please include a contact name and an email or phone number as part of each item.

 

VACANCIES

To inform you of vacancies in school districts, we provide a link each week to a list of school district openings. This list, updated monthly, is compiled by the Mississippi Teacher Center and includes job openings for administrators and teachers. To view the current monthly list, visit http://www.mde.k12.ms.us/teacher-center.

For information on employment in the MDE, contact the Office of Human Resources at 601-359-3511 or visit the "Active Recruitment List" on the State Personnel Board Web site at www.msps.ms.gov for a list of openings in all state agencies.