The advisory team of the North Country Partnership for SEL Practices is convening a regional meeting on Wednesday, December 19, 2018 to provide an overview of this partnership.
- Overview of the NC Partnership for SEL
- What SEL related behavior looks like in your school and what supports would help.
- Mini-Showcases
- Kate Moore and Anne-Marie Gagne, Brown School: Everyday SEL
- Kerry Sheehan, Lancaster School: Changing Mindset in Middle School
- Kristen Burke, Conway Elementary: SEL Core Competencies
- Kelly Dussault, SAU 36: Culture of Readiness through Exploration
- Shelli Roberts, Bethlehem Elementary: Common Language and Support
- Moving this work forward as a region.
- Door prizes - SEL related materials
Date/Time: Wednesday, December 19, 2018 from 11:00-2:30
Location: NCES moved to a larger venue: Town & Country Inn & Resort
Registration: Sorry, this session is full. Not sure if you are registered? Check registration here.
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Computer Science Fundamentals for Elementary Teachers: Workshops in 3 North Country Locations!
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Did you know that in June of 2018 a bill passed in New Hampshire that requires computer science as a core content area in grades K-12? New to teaching computer science? No worries! Try a CS Fundamentals course and learn CS ahead of your students!
NCES and WMSI worked with the Code.org Regional Partner, the UNH STEM Teachers Collaborative, to bring the one-day Computer Science Fundamentals workshop to three sites in the North Country.
Littleton location: WMSI's new site, 23 Ammoonusuc Street.
Instructor: Susan Leifer
Date/time: Monday, February 25, 2018, 8:30 to 3:30 (lunch provided)
Cost: FREE
Registration deadline: January 16th.
Register: Littleton/Feb 25 registration
Lancaster location: Lancaster School, 35 Ice Pond Road.
Instructor: Susan Leifer
Date/time: Tuesday, February 26, 2018, 8:30 to 3:30 (lunch provided)
Cost: FREE
Registration deadline: January 16th.
Register: Lancaster/Feb 26 registration
Gorham location: NCES, 300 Gorham Hill Road.
Instructor: Heather Drolet
Date/time: Saturday, March 16, 2018, 9:00 to 4:00 (lunch provided)
Cost: FREE
Registration deadline: Feb 13th.
Register: Gorham/March 16 registration
Learn more about CS Fundamentals and the courses you can use in your classroom for FREE.
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Apply for a Empower Coos Youth Grant
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 This competitive grant program supports specific projects, operating expenses, planning, evaluation and technical assistance for programs that benefit benefit Coös County, NH and Essex County, VT and surrounding communities in New Hampshire and Vermont. This grant program awards support of $10,000 or less to eligible organizations.
The priorities of this grant fund were developed by high school students in the region.
The Empower Coös Youth responsive grant program is competitive. Successful applicants must demonstrate that:
- Initiatives and programs have engaged youth (ages 22 and under) in the design, implementation, and decision making process of the organization or project.
- Programs and organizational leadership is focused on increasing participation for groups and individuals that face barriers to access.
Learn more
The deadline to apply is January 17, 2019.
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Middle and High School Film & Writing Contest on Mental Health Issues
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Learn more or contact Dellie Champagne, Community Engagement Coordinator at the Children’s Behavioral Health Collaborative at dchampagne@new-futures.org for more information.
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 When Kayla Croteau earned her master's in secondary education from UNH in 2015, she never imagined that she was only three short years away from another teacher education experience — this time as a teaching mentor for the University of New Hampshire’s Teacher Residency for Rural Education (UNH-TRRE) program.
UNH-TRRE, designed to prepare elementary and secondary math and science teachers to work in rural, high-need New Hampshire schools, is working with its second cohort of future teachers. These UNH students, known as teaching residents, live, learn, teach and volunteer in rural New Hampshire communities over the course of the 15-month master’s program.
Croteau serves as a UNH-TRRE teaching mentor to Alexzandria Steiner, a native of St. Johnsbury, Vermont, and current teaching resident in the TRRE program. Steiner, who is seeking secondary certification in life sciences, works with Croteau at Groveton High School, one of the UNH-TRRE partnership schools in Coӧs County.
The UNH alumna and teaching resident have forged a successful partnership thus far, co-teaching biology to Groveton sophomores and planning ways to connect their curriculum with the values, needs and interests of the surrounding community. But teaching wasn’t always a part of their plans.
“I went to UNH to do science but not necessarily teach,” says Croteau, who earned her B.S. in zoology from UNH in 2014. Croteau’s passion for science led her to the Noyce Scholarship program, a decision that opened the possibility of a future in education. Both UNH programs, TRRE and Noyce, address teacher shortages in science, technology, engineering and mathematics by encouraging talented students to consider teaching these subjects.
Steiner, too, was on a different career track as an undergraduate at Clarion University in Pennsylvania. Upon completion of her pre-med program, she entered medical school with plans to become a physician. After a year, however, Steiner says that it became clear that medicine wasn’t for her. Having always been a peer tutor and passionate about life science, teaching seemed a natural choice.
But Steiner didn’t want just any teacher preparation program. Having demonstrated strong command of subject knowledge, Steiner wanted a program that offered not only practical classroom experience but also a connection to the wider school community. She found that in UNH-TRRE’s emphasis on community engagement and her summer internship in a community-based organization.
“I worked at the rec center across from Groveton High School,” says Steiner. “I got a chance to interact with kids and parents in the community and formed connections with some students.”
The internship is required of UNH-TRRE residents during the first summer of the program. The goal is to emphasize a consciousness of the unique features and resources of each community as a crucial component of the TRRE experience. Teaching residents, embedded in the areas in which they will teach, make connections with local families and begin to identify assets and resources each rural community has to offer.
These goals resonated with Steiner, who has always been drawn to rural areas. She sees the natural connections between science teaching, rural communities and forming relationships with her students. As a teaching resident in Croteau’s classroom, Steiner has been able to draw on student interests and their natural curiosity to explore various science topics.
“The nice thing about science is that there are so many directions you can take the class and really focus on things kids like," she says.
Croteau has a similar philosophy and seizes any opportunity to connect the work of the classroom to the wider Groveton community; her students have participated in roadside cleanups and water testing in the area to connect the curriculum with the local interests as well as global scientific issues. And, the school staff and administration make a conscious effort to connect with families and community members.
“I like the community aspect,” says Croteau, who hails from Lempster, a rural town in western New Hampshire. “I have some kids for four years, and I feel like I can have a bigger impact because I see the students longer, and we can do more.”
Croteau plans to stay in Groveton for the foreseeable future and is open to teaching a variety of science topics. She and her husband, Alexander Croteau, also a UNH alumnus and Noyce scholar, have set down roots in the school not only through teaching but also by advising clubs and coaching sports teams.
Steiner, too, has plans to stay in the Granite State. As part of the UNH-TRRE program, teaching residents commit to teaching in rural, high-need New Hampshire schools for at least three years after graduation. UNH-TRRE graduates are offered mentoring and professional development support during their first two years. Based on her experience so far and how welcoming the school and program have been, Steiner is looking forward to remaining in New Hampshire for several years.
The presence of teachers like Steiner and the Croteau in rural schools is a huge benefit to New Hampshire, where the Department of Education has designated secondary math and science as critical shortage areas for teachers. Rural schools often face significant challenges in recruiting and retaining certified teachers, in part due to the lack of teacher preparation programs in rural communities. UNH-TRRE has taken up this challenge by bringing teacher education to rural schools across the state, and consequently increasing the pool of highly qualified teachers.
TRRE, Teacher Residency for Rural Education, is funded by the US Department of Education Office of Innovation and Improvement Teacher Quality Partnership Grants Program.
Written by Beth Fornauf, UNH Department of Education
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Save the dates! April 5th for students and April 6th for parents, educators, and the community. Four students from every high school in NH will be invited to participate along with a counselor or teacher for Friday's event. The summit will include a film and writing festival.
More information will be available soon at https://www.dhyouthsummit.com/.
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School Resources About Military Families
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There are many resources available to school personnel who are working with military connected families including the NH National Guard. Visit the Clearinghouse for Military Family Readiness at Penn State's Applied Science Research Center for more information at https://schoolresources.militaryfamilies.psu.edu/.
New Hampshire schools with questions should contact the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard School Liaison Officer, Kristen Ferullo, for more information at kristen.ferullo@navy.mil or (207) 318-1730. Learn more.
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In November, early childcare providers and early grade educators convened for the third semi-annual regional meeting focused on improving communication and the transition of young children between preK and K. Originating with Coos schools/providers, the group has invited upper Grafton schools and childcare providers to join in the effort. This fall's summit included a keynote presentation on play-based learning by Dr. Kimberly Nesbitt. For more information, contact Cathy McDowell, Special Projects Manager, Coos Coalition for Young Children and Families at cmcdowell@ne.rr.com.
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Supporting North Country schools in planning for comprehensive and strategic implementation of computer science in grades K through 12.
Check out this story, one in a series of four, on Making the Collaborative Case for Computer Science featured by New Hampshire Career & Technical Education.
Coos Adult Learner Services offers small group instruction in basic reading, writing, math, English for English Language Learners, and preparation for the HiSet exam.
Services available in Berlin, Colebrook, and Lancaster locations. The program serves all of Coos County.
Volunteer tutoring opportunities as well.
Call 603-752-1927 to get started.
Feeling Overwhelmed?
Many school insurance carriers offer free employee assistance programs, even for those not participating in health coverage.
HealthTrust Schools
LifeResources Employee Assistance Program, call 1-603-769-8463.
NH Interlocal Trust Schools
Employee Assistance Program (EAP), call 1-855-853-1528..
SchoolCare Schools
Strength & Resilience Program, call 1-800-809-9598 to get started.
Contact your Human Resource department for details.
BBBS of NH is actively recruiting for "Bigs" and "Littles" in the North Country. Site-based programs are in the works for Groveton, Whitefield, and Lancaster areas. There is potential for other communities. Contact Dan Peel at dpeel@bbbsnh.org or visit https://www.bbbsnh.org
The Amazon Future Engineer program initiative seeks to dramatically expand access to high caliber preparatory courses, curricular resources, and programs for schools and districts to help prepare and propel high school students forward in their pursuit of AP Computer Science education.
With a special focus on students in lower-income communities and in states that have made computer science education a clear priority, the Amazon Future Engineer sponsorship opportunities are available for schools offering AP Computer Science for the first time.
Learn more.
The Hour of Code is a global movement reaching tens of millions of students in 180+ countries. Anyone, anywhere can organize an Hour of Code event. One-hour tutorials are available. No experience needed. Ages 4 to 104.
Protecting children is all of our responsibility. The Granite State Children’s Alliance, New Hampshire’s network of Child Advocacy Centers, served 2,359 child victims of abuse last year. But with only 10% of victims reporting, we know there are 21,231 child victims still waiting for help. Know & Tell is a new public responsibility movement to educate Granite Staters to KNOW the signs of abuse and TELL responsible authorities.
NCES Online Professional Development Library & Educational Student Texts
Want to enhance your ebook collection? Check out the hundreds of educational ebooks available to NCES member schools:
Support NCES with a tax deductible donation
Contact Information
North Country Education Services
300 Gorham Hill Road
Gorham, NH 03581
ncedservices.org
603-466-5437
nces@ncedservices.org
NCES is an equal opportunity employer and provider.
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