21st Annual AUGUST INSTITUTE: Teaching and Learning Through Technology and other content areas

21st Annual AUGUST INSTITUTE
“Better Together”
Teaching and Learning Through Technology
August 7-9, 2019 at Missoula College
The 21st Annual August Institute for educators will focus on technology integration into core content areas. Sessions may include technology, mindfulness, outdoor science, IEFA, G&T, STEAM, etc. Join us for one, two or three days of the conference. Featuring Jeff Crews and Dean Phillips of Beyond the Chalk.
Register/Apply for Scholarship at https://forms.gle/r8kMjKGXnSEAGEue9
(August 7-8th are full days and August 9th is half a day.)
(IF YOU TEACH AT A BLACKFOOT TELECOMMUNICATIONS MEMBER SCHOOL, GET YOUR FREE REGISTRATION, WHILE SUPPLIES LAST, IN THE DROP DOWN MENU OF THIS REGISTRATION FORM.)
Register by June 1st for a chance to win $100 iTunes card from Blackfoot.
Blackfoot Telecommunication member schools should use this registration option to receive their free registrations.
Blackfoot will be providing a limited amount of scholarships for registration to the event. Go to the registration form to see if your school utilizes Blackfoot phone, broadband or IT services.
Conference prices:
Early Bird price $185 on or before June 15, 2019
Standard Price $209 after June 15th, 2019
One day only $109
University students in the Teacher Education Program $99

If you are not a Blackfoot Telecommunications member school, we are offering, on a first come, first serve basis, some discounts/scholarships. Apply here for the scholarship.
If you have questions, please contact director@wmplc.org or call 406-529-1113.

Dates: Wednesday, August 7th, 9:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m. (Registration opens at 8:00 a.m.), Thursday, August 8th, 8:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m., Friday, August 9th, 8:30 a.m. – 11:30 a.m.

Where: The Missoula College, 1205 East Broadway Street, Missoula, MT 59802

Coffee will be provided each day and lunch will be provided on August 7th and 8th.

Credit Options:
August 7: 6 OPI renewal units August 8: 6 OPI renewal units August 9: 3 OPI renewal units
or
2-semester credits (pending through the University of Montana) at an additional charge of $155. (not part of Blackfoot’s free registration or the standard registration fee). A separate Semester Credit Registration Form will be provided at the event. The third day of the conference (August 9th) is a half-day session that is required if you choose to take the August Institute for University of Montana semester credits.

Event Number: 18570003

IEFA/NGSS Workshop: The Bitterroot Suite

The Bitterroot Suite is an integration of Native American traditional beliefs and spirituality persisting into modern day life as tribal cultures, traditions still practiced by many American Indian people today (EU#3) with the NGSS practices of science and engineering. We begin with a Lab Report Bootcamp, a formative assessment, to identify students’ needs on writing scientific procedures while conducting a engineering investigation of materials and tools used by Native Americans in different regions in the U.S. By the end of this daylong workshop teachers will have created their own bootcamp for their students using The Bitterroot to grow in a lab setting by testing soil conditions and construct an argument with evidence that in a particular habitat some organisms can survive well, some survive less well, and some cannot survive at all.

Kim Quigley is an Independent Educational Consultant and started CSI: Creative Solutions for Instruction after teaching for 40 years. She now consults for small schools, Southwest Montana School Services (SWMSS) and writes curriculum for OPI/IEFA. Her latest adventure in this endeavor is integrating IEFA Essential Understandings with the NGSS standards. The Bitterroot Suite is one these integrated curriculums.

How to Enroll: Visit the Next Generation Science Standards/Indian Education for All workshop registration page

OPI Summer Institute 2019

Please visit the Montana Behavioral Initiative Summer Institute website to register and learn more.

Join us in celebrating over 20 years of excellence! This year’s institute promises to be one of the best!

Featured Presentations:

K-12 School Security Guide
Youth Mental Health First Aid
Setting Up Positive Behavioral and Academic Supports in Early Childhood and K-12
Supporting the Whole Student : Considering Student’s Academic, Behavioral and Social Emotional Needs
Progress Monitoring
Family Engagement
Social Learning Networks
Creativity in the Classroom
Implementing Indian Education for All
Restorative Practices
Anxiety and the Impact on Student Learning
Current Teen Drug Trends
Understanding Statewide Assessment
Content area sessions in Literacy, Math, and Science!

Join us for special events!

June 17th, 8:30 – 11:30AM., Join us for the opening keynote Best Day, Best Play, Best Life with Monte Selby and Kevin Honeycutt.
June 17th, 4:30 – 5:30PM, It’s Movie Night with a special showing of the Arlee Warriors.
June 18th, 4:30-6PM, Best Practices Expo and Awards Recognition featuring hors d’oeuvres, networking, and showcasing Montana MBI schools with music by Monte Selby
June 19, 8:30 – 11:30AM, Keynote session When Less is More: How Simplifying MTSS Can Improve Outcomes & Your Budget with Tessie Rose Bailey

Prairies, Peace Pipes and Paleontology

Prairie Ecology – The grassland ecosystem in North America provides a wealth of educational opportunities at all grade levels. This portion of the class will provide an educational program to help teacher inspire students to think critically about the ecosystem they live in.
Peace Pipes – Montana’s vast history includes the Native American culture and this workshop will delve into the local history through a trip to a buffalo jump, wandering through a tipi ring site, learning the native uses of range plants and exploring the OPI Indian Education for All lesson plans.
Paleontology –Paleontology is a rich field, imbued with a long and interesting past. It is a study of what fossils tell us about the ecologies of the past and our place as humans in the world. Paleontology incorporates knowledge from biology, geology, ecology, anthropology, archaeology, and even computer science to understand the processes that have led to the origination and eventual destruction of the different types of organisms since life arose.

This is a two-day event held in Hinsdale, MT on June 11 and Fort Peck, MT on June 12.

Worlds Apart But Not Strangers: Holocaust Education and Indian Education for All

Worlds Apart But Not Strangers: Holocaust Education and Indian Education for All is designed for individuals and teams interested in finding relevance for today in Holocaust Education and Montana-mandated Indian Education for All. In this experiential, inquiry-based seminar, participating educators will discover ways to find connections between these two topics. Sponsored by The Olga Lengyel Institute (TOLI), the seminar will explore the past, including the impact of policies issued during the Holocaust and U.S. policies that have affected Native peoples in this country. The seminar will also focus on the present, as participants consider the roles – perpetrator, ally, bystander – individuals choose for themselves in their daily interactions with one another, as well as stereotypes and biases that influence interactions in local schools and communities today. Educators will be asked to envision the world they hope their children will live in and design an action plan to help their classroom, school and/or community move toward that ideal. Program highlights include field experiences from the Billings Jewish community and the Native peoples of Montana.

How to Enroll: Visit Worlds Apart But Not Strangers on The Olga Lengyel Institute for Holocaust Studies and Human Rights (TOLI) website

Science-Indian Education for All Symposium

This is a day filled with workshop based on the new science standards and Indian Education for All. These workshops are designed to implement the Next Generation Science Standards and Indian Education for all into the classroom. This is an excellent opportunity to be on the cutting edge while earning some great professional development.

How to Enroll: Visit Science-Indian Education for All Symposium on the Billings Schools website

American Indian Literature (for use in grades 9-12) Indian Education for All Online Book Club Course (May 13 – July 7, 2019)

Indian Education for All Online Book Club Course American Indian Literature (for use in grades 9-12)

This online Moodle course serves as an opportunity for participants to explore OPI developed instructional units based on literature sent to all Montana high school libraries alongside additional fiction and nonfiction texts for use in grades 9-12. Most resources are place-based, either focused on Montana tribes or created by Montana Indian authors. Participants will read extensively in a variety of genres, engage in discussions, complete instructional activities, and examine accurate and authentic Native American fiction and nonfiction texts. Ultimately, participants will select texts and instructional units for immediate integration of IEFA into their classrooms. This course is rigorous and requires the participant to access a number of texts through their school or public library or purchase said materials from WMPLC or booksellers.

Event Number: 18521015
Instructor: Michele McGuire writersmandala@gmail.com
Dates: May 13 – July 7, 2019

Registration fee: $175
Credit: 30 OPI Renewal Units or 2 Semester Credits (semester credit is offered through the University of Montana and is an additional fee of $155. The course instructor will provide a separate registration form).

Obtaining a copy of the book: Check your school /district or local library. Amazon and other online booksellers often have used copies available. The instructor is available to assist with locating copies if needed.

IEFA Spring Institute 2019

Join us at the Museum of the Rockies for a full day of professional learning with educators from across the region. Facilitated by IEFA specialists Kim Quigley and Shane Doyle, this day of learning is FREE for all Montana school districts.

Why Attend?

Learn ways to engage students through IEFA integration. NEW topics and strategies!
Gain new ideas and resources with TIME to review and discuss implementation with other educators and IEFA specialists.
Enjoy a Planetarium show, learning ways to incorporate IEFA and Montana Skies
Receive 7 OPI Renewal Units for attending the institute.
It’s FREE, paid for by the SWMSS IEFA OPI grant. We also have a limited amount of funds to cover the costs of substitute teachers.

Space is limited! Register now to reserve your spot.

The Boarding School Era: Indian Education for All Online Book Club Course

January 14 – March 24, 2019
Register at: https://goo.gl/forms/3uJ4nQetcPUecXLn1
Read and explore books focusing on the Boarding School Era including My Name is Seepeetza by Shirley Sterling, Shi-Shi-Etko by Nicola L Campbell, Away from Home: American Indian Boarding School Experiences, 1879-2000 by Margaret L Archuleta, Brenda J Child and K Tsianina Lomawaima and Sweetgrass Basket by Marlene Carvell. This course is offered online through a Moodle platform. It is divided into weekly “modules.” Participants will have one week, starting on Monday and ending on Sunday, to complete each consecutive module.

This online course is designed for kindergarten through twelfth-grade teachers. The course focuses on building Indian Education for All (IEFA) background knowledge related to the boarding school era. Participants will read a selection of fiction and non-fiction texts and examine a variety of instructional strategies to use with their students in the social studies or language arts classroom.

Through readings, discussion forums, real-time chats, and examination of high-quality and authentic literature and teaching materials, participants will explore a variety of literature and professional teaching materials and develop strategies and a lesson plan for the immediate integration of IEFA into their classrooms. This course is rigorous and requires the participant complete extensive reading and access a number of texts through their school or public library or purchase said materials from WM-PLC or booksellers.

Event Number: 18521011
EDU 455 and C&I 555
Instructor: Michele McGuire writersmandala@gmail.com
Dates: January 7 to March 10, 2019

The History of the Flathead Reservation: Indian Education for All Online Book Club Course

The History of the Flathead Reservation
Register at: https://goo.gl/forms/6bhmpPK5SGcoEx2H2
January 14 – March 3, 2019
This online Moodle course explores the history of the Flathead Reservation by studying the following texts:
In the Name of the Salish & Kootenai Nation: The 1855 Hell Gate Treaty and the Origin of the Flathead Indian Reservation by R. Bigard and C. Woodcock (1996);
A Brief History of the Salish and Pend d’Oreille Tribes by the Salish-Pend d’Oreille Culture Committee (2003);
Salish People and the Lewis and Clark Expedition by the Salish-Pend d’Oreille Culture Committee and Elders Cultural Advisory Council (2005);
Coming Back Slow: The Importance of Preserving Salish Indian Culture and Language by Agnes Vanderburg (1995).

Through the readings, participants will examine primary and secondary documents that inform the tribal history of the Flathead Reservation. Participants will utilize their critical analysis skills while using instructional strategies within the context of multicultural education. This course is divided into weekly “modules.” Participants will have one week, starting on Monday and ending on Sunday, to complete each consecutive module. Each weekly module includes a reading assignment, an instructional strategy, and a group discussion component. The weekly assignments are due at various times each week. The last week of the course is dedicated to final projects, depending on the desired credit type. The course books are available to purchase or through your school or local library. Contact the course instructor for a copy of the syllabus.

Instructor: Sindie Kennedy (sindie.kennedy@gmail.com)
Registration fee: $175
Credit: 30 OPI Renewal Units or 2 Semester Credits (semester credit is offered through the University of Montana and is an additional fee of $155. The course instructor will provide a separate registration form and instructions for submitting payment).