The Courier
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Early childhood program selected to partner with national center Kristine Vogtlin ISD 15 Special Services Supervisor
The Independent School District 15 (ISD 15) Early Childhood Program is only one of four programs in the state of Minnesota to partner with the National Early Childhood Technical Assistance Center (ECTA) to implement the recently revised Division for Early Childhood Recommended Practices. The Minnesota Department of Education invited ISD 15 to participate in this opportunity because of the December 2014 | Volume 22, Issue 5 FREE high quality early childhood partnerships that already exist in the district. Minnesota programs including those in ISD 15 will focus on these recommended Dedication, hard work and team effort were highlights of the St. Francis practices in center-based High School Saints’ exciting football season. The Saints advanced through programs that serve children section playoffs and were stopped by the Bemidji Lumberjacks (43-38) with disabilities to promote in the section final game, just a few points short of advancing to the state child engagement. Child tournament. Players, coaches, parents and fans displayed great school spirit engagement is a high level and sportsmanship throughout the season. Story on page 2. of attention and interaction Photo by Al Angell to activities and peers over a period of time. This assists
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children in developing persistence, motivation and active learning skills. Child engagement is a key indicator in student success. The ISD 15 Early Childhood leadership team for the implementation of the ECTA strategies promoting child engagement includes: Kristine Vogtlin, administrator; Tracy Erickson, special education teacher; Jessica Backlin, preschool teacher; Becki Baker, speech language pathologist; Dulci Fine, educational assistant. This group will receive specialized training and support from a variety of sources including national experts in the field of early childhood special education including Lise Fox, Carol Trivette and Barbara Smith. Overall implementation of this initiative means that the leadership team will be working over the next two years with families and other adults in the areas of: Environment—focusing on ways to modify and adapt the physical, social and everyday environment so that children can more fully participate in learning experiences. CONTINUED PAGE 3
December What’s Inside Schools in Action..........................................2 Community & Business........................... 15 Holiday Happenings................................. 22 School Board Highlights......................... 28 Community Education............................ 29 Sports & Outdoors.................................... 32 Meetings & Events..................................... 34 Life.................................................................. 35