"In everything set them an example by doing what is good. In your teaching show integrity, seriousness"-Titus 2:17
Today (Friday, January 28th of 2005), I (Sal) decided to do a this particular website and dedicate this to teachers across the world. Recently, Darcy Winkelman- a teacher in Morris that attends the local church I go and serve, was nominated "2005 Morris Teacher of the Year". I decided to use this site to explore more of this field that sometimes doesn't get recognize.
Minnesota
Mr. Patrick Rupp
GED Administrator
Minnesota Department of Education
1500 Highway 36 West
Roseville, MN 55113-4266
(651) 582-8437
Fax: (651) 582-8458
When did GED first came about?
-"The first GED Tests were developed in 1942 to help returning World War II veterans finish their studies and re-enter civilian life. Since that time, the focus of the test has been to provide adults with an alternate method to earn a high school diploma"-Birmingham Public Library
Dayton honors excellence at MAES
04/22/2006 (Morris Sun Triubne Minnesota's U.S. Sen. Mark Dayton paid tribute to Morris Area Elementary science programs with the Award of Excellence on Thursday
"a nationwide directory of professionals, organizations, and schools that serve the learning disabilities and special education communities. We help parents and caregivers find local special education professionals to help with learning disabilities and attention deficit disorder assessment, therapy, advocacy, critical teen issues, and other special needs. We also offer a directory of Professional Resources, Special Needs Software and Assistive Technology, and Travel Assistance for Disbaled Persons."
"...is dedicated to improving results for infants, toddlers, children and youth with disabilities ages birth through 21 by providing leadership and financial support to assist states and local districts. The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) authorizes formula grants to states, and discretionary grants to institutions of higher education and other non-profit organizations to support research, demonstrations, technical assistance and dissemination, technology and personnel development and parent-training and information centers.
" is a collection of Internet accessible information resources of interest to those involved in the fields related to Special Education. This collection exists in order to make on-line Special Education resources more easily and readily available in one location."
"s instruction that is modified or particularized for those students with special needs, such as learning differences, mental health problems, or specific disabilities (physical or developmental).[1]
Modifications can consist of changes in curriculum, supplementary aides or equipment, and the provision of specialized facilities that allow students to participate in the educational environment to the fullest extent possible.[2] Students may need this help to access subject matter, to physically gain access to the school, or to meet their emotional needs.
Support is targeted to the needs of the individual student and can be short or long term. In the United States, the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act requires that special needs students be included in regular education activities as much as possible"
Reccomended Resources
LOCAL
Current News
Morris Area schools foundation plan gets rolling
Morris Sun Tribune
Published Saturday, May 05, 2007
By Tom Larson "The Morris Area School Board on Thursday made perfunctory business of approving budget reductions to which it gave preliminary approval earlier in the week.
But new plot twists -- most notably the fledgling efforts to form a school foundation -- cropped up during the board’s 90-minute meeting.
The board approved preliminary 2007-2008 budget reductions totalling more than $533,000, which included cutting or reducing the positions of seven teachers and staff members.
The total is about $47,000 above the $485,850 the district projects as its budget deficit for next year.
The teacher and staff cuts or reductions are:
• Wanda Dagen on .833 (5/6) FTE Unrequested Leave of Absence;
• Bart Graves on 1.0 FTE Unrequested Leave of Absence;
• Nancy Grotjohn on .083 (1/12) FTE Unrequested Leave of Absence;
• Windy Roberts on 1.0 FTE Unrequested Leave of Absence;
• Jody Snow on .167 (1/6) FTE Unrequested Leave of Absence;
• Deb Swezey on .083 (1/12) FTE Unrequested Leave of Absence;
• Termination and nonrenewal of teaching contract for probationary teacher Andrea Pavlicek.
The board also approved a teacher contract for Shane Tappe, who will teach industrial technology, and also officially announced the availability of half-time principal, half-time science and a one-third English position.
The budget reductions also include:
• Eliminating of the boys swimming program. Morris Area had been partnered with Minnewaska Area, which had dropped boys swimming.
• Raising athletic fees $10 per sport.
• Reducing custodial staff by 1.5 positions.
• Eliminating one counseling position.
• Eliminating the district drama position.
• Reducing the music program.
• Reconfiguring special eduction staff.
• Eliminating in-town bussing.
• Not replacing a retiring teacher.
• Discontinuing the French program.
• Reducing Spanish, Art, Business Education, Family and Consumer Science and Industrial Technology.
• Reducing paraeducators.
Discussions of forming a school foundation seemed to energize both board members and the public attending the meeting.
Cindy Perkins, Cheryl Kuhn and Tamy Reese of the district’s Community Education department began extending feelers about support for a foundation on Thursday and reported positive results.
The group collected checks and pledges of $5,000 by the end of the board meeting, and Perkins said Friday morning that the total at that point was about $5,800.
“What we’re hearing from people is that what we have isn’t their total donation but something to get it started,” said Perkins, Community Education director. “We lost two really good teachers last year, and now we’re losing more. What we’re telling (the board) is, ‘You’re bleeding us dry.’ We can’t keep doing this; we have to find other ways instead of cut, cut, cut. We have great support for education in this community and people are willing to step forward.”
Kuhn, Community Education Service Learning coordinator, also told the board she contacted several businesses about potential donations of between $20,000 and $50,000. All the businesses stated that they were willing to entertain the idea but would need time to ponder it, Kuhn said.
“They’re so willing and they want me to send those letters (requesting donations),” Kuhn said.
The goal, she said, is to raise between $100,000 and $200,000 in the next month, and continue to work on establishing the foundation.
Reese, head of Community Education’s Early Childhood and Family Education program, said the response showed a willingness by the community to seek creative options to a school funding crisis that doesn’t appear will be getting better soon.
“We’ll use this as a springboard as we move to the future,” Reese said.
Board member Mark McNally said the initial work on a foundation had him excited about the possibilities and he hoped the public “swells up.”
“I hope the community gets behind this and that people step forward,” McNally said.
Board member Brent Fuhrman also said he hoped forming a foundation would succeed and that tangible results could be reported by the board’s regular May 21 meeting.
“I hope you can show us something on May 21 that we can hang our hat on,” Fuhrman said.
Fuhrman and board chairman Kurt Gartland also stressed that the budgetary picture could change over the next several months as state funding proposals and other revenue sources firmed up.
“We’re not done,” Fuhrman said.
The board heard public statements from 10 students, staff and teachers, all expressing frustration at the losses of instructors and programs.
Teacher Peg Rinkenberger read letters from two students, Kaley Taffe and Katie VanKempen, who stated that they supported students who signed a petition indicating they would not be in band next year if Dagen's position were cut.
“Losing Ms. Dagen is not only losing a teacher but losing the Morris band program and most of the students in it,” Rinkenberger read from the letter.
In her own comments, Rinkenberger said that, “Fiscally, we should be ashamed of what has happened.”
While acknowledging that the system of school funding and administration tied the hands of district leaders and board members, “right now, you are leaving us short-handed,” Rinkenberger said.
Students Bethany Hansen and Carter Smith also spoke in support of Dagen.
After public comments, board member Lory Lemke attempted twice to modify resolutions that would reduce the cut to the counseling position and include a school nursing and Student Resource Officer reduction in the budget.
Lemke said he wasn’t pushing for total reductions, but wanted all three positions on the list so that the board might possibly devise a funding procedure to avoid cutting one full position and keep two or three through a combination.
But both times the measures failed, primarily because of procedural reasons dealing with the timelines the district must adhere to concerning notifying teachers and staff members of their status for upcoming school years, said Superintendent Scott Monson.
Tabling resolutions would require that a special meeting be called and delay that process.
In addition, modifying or tabling resolutions would not be fair to those in the positions Lemke favored including in the list of budget reductions, said board member John Luetmer.
The option Lemke proposed already had been considered by the board. Proposals could be revisited at future meetings and changes could be considered when the district’s financial picture cleared, he said.
“As much as I appreciate having more options,” Luetmer said, “the downside is not being clear to those other positions.”
"
Tony Campolo, Evangelical Association for the Promotion of Education "... has been committed to what God is doing through Christian people in inner-city America and around the world. Under the leadership of Dr. Tony Campolo, EAPE has developed and nurtured elementary and secondary schools, universities, adult and child literacy centers, tutoring programs, orphanages, AIDS hospices, urban youth ministries, summer camps, and long-term Christian service programs in Haiti, the Dominican Republic, Africa, Canada and throughout the USA. Our goal is to help build the Kingdom of God by combining evangelism and social justice in the name of Jesus. Listed below are some of the many ministries EAPE supports."
*met Tony at Woodland Hills Church in St. Paul
Miscellaneous
The Day They Kicked God out of the Schools
"This feature is from an unknown author and has been circulated on the Internet. The parallels of the state of our nation and the purposeful removal of God from public life is so powerful"
*see afa.net
"The Ebook was written by an individual with 40+ years experience in education as a teacher and administrator. With a passion for involving schools as active forces in changing the world, he offers ideas for community action, as well projects which involve students, teachers, parents, teams, student organizations and administers. It's all about thinking outside the box and applying cooperative brainstorming in making the world a better place."
Thank you for visiting GoodnewsUMM! Please feel free to e-mail me (Sal) at goodnews_usa@yahoo.com on any comments, suggestions (e.g. any new websites),complaints, or anytype of feedback to improve this website.
