Hearts & Flowers
The Courier
PAGE 15
www.the-courier.org
a division of Independent School District 15 Community Education | St. Francis, Minnesota
February 2014 | Volume 21, Issue 7
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Exceptional teachers honored Kathy Guthrie TIES Communications Director
Staci Winter and David Berger of Independent School District 15 were recognized as TIES Exceptional Teachers at the TIES 2013 Education Technology Conference at the Minneapolis Hyatt Regency on December 17. They were among 91 teachers from 48 districts to receive the honor. The teachers were chosen by their superintendents for the TIES Exceptional Teacher award, which recognizes teachers who model the best practices in their classroom and engage students in learning. Winter is an innovator and she has been innovating in her East Bethel Community School elementary classroom from the minute she stepped through the doors six years ago. She has spearheaded creating interactive, shared SMART Board content; pioneered the district’s first venture into doc cams; piloted videoconferencing equipment in her classroom; led the movement to engage and teach with iPads; and mentored and trained teachers in her building and across our district in integrating technology.
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Winter is a district Google Ninja and team-teaches two district courses for teachers to use technology effectively in their classrooms. There is no one more willing to help teachers teach well, technology or not, than Winter. Berger has been a technology leader in his Crossroads School and Vocational Center science classroom for many years. He began a daily weather podcast with his at-risk students about seven years ago, which now includes having his students create their own bumper music for each podcast episode. Berger has created his own textbook content in iBooks Author, engaged and enriched his students with a custom course in iTunes U, expanded his science content with Moodle, is now forging ahead with Google Apps to wrap all these tools together and on top of it all, Berger chairs his building’s technology committee. He presents technology tools and strategies to his co-workers at staff meetings and beginning of the year staff in-services training. Besides being recognized at the conference, each teacher is featured in the TIES Exceptional Teachers
The first Hmong New Year celebration held in Independent School District 15 was a great success, with over 150 people in attendance. The celebration held December 13, was facilitated by the ISD 15 Multicultural/Diversity Program. Children of all ages proudly wore their beautiful traditional Hmong clothing to the event. The program expects the celebration to grow next year. Carline Sargent, ISD 15 Multicultural/Diversity Liaison publication and received a certificate. School districts participating in the TIES Exceptional Teacher award program are members of TIES, an education technology consortium of 48 Minnesota school districts.
ISD 15 teachers David Berger and Staci Winter were among 91 educators honored as TIES Exceptional Teachers by Minnesota Education Commissioner Brenda Cassellius (far left) and TIES Executive Director Betty Schweizer (far right) at the Submitted Photo TIES 2013 Education Technology Conference.
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February What’s Inside Schools in Action..........................................2 School Board Highlights......................... 10 Community Education............................ 12 Hearts & Flowers........................................ 15 Community & Business........................... 18 Sports & Outdoors.................................... 26 Life.................................................................. 29 Classified....................................................... 32