ValparaisoUniversity EducationDepartment
SPRING 2024 NEWSLETTER
The Education Department is busy with activity! In this newsletter, we highlight our community partnerships and programs. In addition to serving our Valpo Education students, this semester, we have reached our youngest community members, many regional educators, future educators, and classrooms as far south as the Dominican Republic!
This semester, the Education Department began Family Story Time. From January through April, every Tuesday from 10:00 to 10:30, Wesemann Hall was filled with excited youngsters and their caregivers Our education students presented stories and activities While activities are most appropriate for ages 2-5, all are welcome!
FamilyStoryTime
CPRCourse
The Department of Education arranged a HeartSaver CPR and AED certification class in Wesemann Hall. Many of our current students took advantage of this opportunity to complete their required CPR certification
DunesLitFestReturnsMay3
The 2024 Dunes Lit Fest will be on Friday, May 3. Valpo Education will kick off the day with the Dunes Lit Fest Field Trip. Over 600 K-5 students and their teachers will visit Valpo to celebrate reading, writing, and creativity with three award-winning authors ScribbleJim will provide an interactive lunchtime concert, and Valpo Education students will lead student groups in STEM activities based on themes from the featured authors' books.
YOU are invited to attend the Dunes Lit Fest Community Event on May 3rd from 4 - 6 p.m. This event is free and open to the entire community and will be located at Central Park Plaza, home to the Northwest Health Amphitheater Sessions will feature award-winning authors Cozbi A Cabrera, Author/illustrator, Coretta Scott King Honoree, Caldecott Honoree; Eric Rohmann, Author/illustrator, Caldecott Honoree, Caldecott Medal Award; and John David Anderson, Indiana Author’s Award Honoree: 2020 Children’s Shortlist.
MORE INFO
InspiringTeachersforTomorrow
On May 14, 2024, we present “Inspiring Teachers for Tomorrow,” giving you the opportunity to reinvigorate your teaching while inspiring the next generation of educators This event is designed for you to attend with students and/or paraprofessionals you feel will make great future educators. Nationally renowned educational speaker Mark McLeod will present an inspiring keynote inviting them to consider education as a profession and energizing educators.
This event is for administrators, school counselors, and teachers of all grade levels to invite and attend with 8th to 11th-grade students and/or paraprofessionals to help them find their calling in the classroom. You can invite one student or many. Please feel free to share this invitation with colleagues and students. While we highly recommend that students attend with a teacher to encourage conversations about the education profession, they may also attend with a parent.
Register by April 30, 2024
$10 per person, includes keynote, lunch, and networking
4 PGPs for educators
Did you know that the Education Department participates in a Spring Break service trip in collaboration with the College of Engineering? In 2023, Valpo Education and Engineering students served in Nicaragua, and in March 2024, they served in the Dominican Republic. The education students worked in local schools and included a STEM lesson on water filtration, while the engineering students installed a water filtration device for the community
The Johnson Fund makes this service trip possible. It is hosted with the College of Engineering and the student-led group WAVES.
REGISTER HERE
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MAY 14, 2024
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P.M. (CDT) ReachingFarther! InternationalCommunityCollaboration
GrantProgramsContinuetoServe In-ServiceTeachers
The education department continues to offer professional development to in-service teachers as part of the grants received.
APR GRANT SERVES TEACHER LEADERS
The 46 teachers in the Attract, Prepare and Retain grant group continue mentoring Educational Psychology students while attending monthly meetings focused on leadership development. Most recently, three award-winning principals were featured as panelists for the April seminar. District 2 Middle School Principal of the Year, Mr. Justin Holmquest from New Prairie Middle School, District 1 Elementary Principal of the Year, Mrs Kristen Hankins from Simatovich Elementary in Valparaiso, and District 1 Principal of the Year, Thomas Stoner from Edison Junior-Senior High School from Lake Station answered questions about their leadership styles, the culture of their schools, and what teacher leaders can do to initiate change in their schools
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An education student meets with her mentor on campus
Principals answer questions
in-service teachers at their leadership seminar
ADVANCING THE SCIENCE OF READING IN INDIANA
GRANT SERVES TEACHER MENTORS AND PRE-SERVICE TEACHERS
K-5 teachers from the Duneland School Corporation in the Mentor Learning Community mentor juniors during their three-week practicum experience. The teachers participate in monthly professional development focused on mentorship and Science of Reading practices This program has many mutual benefits It builds a close connection between university faculty and in-service teachers and provides literacy support and resources for the teachers. The K-5 in-service teachers provide classroom learning experiences, and the students extol the strong support they feel from their mentors.
GroupVisit
On February 28th, The Education Department welcomed Kankakee Valley High School Education Professions students to Wesemann Hall for a recruitment event During their visit, students made beaded bracelets to explore characteristics that may influence their teaching style. They also met the department's faculty and staff, saw our students in action in the micro-teaching labs, and learned about our programming and scholarship opportunities. Representatives from Admissions gave a presentation and campus tours before gathering all groups at Founders for lunch.
Please use this group visits link to select a date that is convenient for your class or group to visit our department.
If you know of a high school student who would make a great future educator, please send their name and information to anne.parent@valpo.edu so that we can contact them with further information and arrange a campus and education department visit
ProgramUpdates
The Department of Education at Valparaiso University is proud to offer several licensure programs to find your calling in the classroom for people considering a career change. We invite you to review the information below about the many opportunities that are available for those seeking a pathway to the teaching profession.
UNDERGRADUATE PROGRAMS:
Elementary Education: The elementary education major prepares teachers with insight and practical experience to positively impact young learners. This major includes a cohort experience and has embedded a minimum of six weeks of full-time practicum experience prior to student teaching.
Pathway to 5-12 Licensure for Content Majors: Content majors (English, history, science, math, and world languages) can pursue a pathway to 5–12 licensure and ultimately fulfill all requirements to be licensed at the middle and high school teaching level. Pedagogical coursework, embedded classroom practice, and a student teaching semester provide extensive experiences.
GRADUATE PROGRAMS:
Transition to Teaching (T2T): Transition to Teaching (T2T) is an abbreviated program of pedagogy to prepare career professionals with bachelor's degrees in fields other than education to earn licensure and teach. T2T programs include special education-mild intervention (P-12), early childhood education (P3-3), elementary education (K-6), and secondary education (5-12).
Master of Ed - Initial Licensure: The elementary and secondary M.ED initial licensure program is designed for any individual who has an undergraduate degree in an area of study other than teacher education and wants to earn a graduate degree and become licensed as an elementary or secondary school teacher
VEAC
The Valparaiso University Education Advisory Council (VEAC) serves as a collaborative space for faculty, alumni, regional teachers, school administrators, and other stakeholders to review Valpo’s teacher education programs, analyze trends in Valpo teacher candidate data, discuss trends in regional schools, and identify needs for professional development.
If you are interested in serving as a Valparaiso University Education Advisory Council (VEAC) member, please click this link.
U P D A T E Y O U R I N F O R M A T I O N
Alumni
UPDATE YOUR INFORMATION
For accreditation purposes, please help us track the employment statistics of recent graduates. Could you please complete the brief survey below so we have your current information?
QUESTIONNAIRE
ALUMNI SPOTLIGHT
We would like to bring back the Alumni Spotlight to our newsletter. Do you have an update about your career or personal life you would like to share with our education alumni? Email the details to anne parent@valpo edu with the “alumni spotlight” subject line for placement in a future newsletter.
ConnectWithUs
UPCOMING EVENT | PROFESSIONAL EDUCATORS PARTNERSHIP (PEP) WORKSHOPS
The Professional Educators Partnership (PEP) seeks to establish mutually beneficial relationships between Valparaiso University and community educators through highly effective professional development workshops and events aimed at improving teaching and learning.
MAKE A GIFT TO THE EDUCATION DEPARTMENT
Enter “Education” as your designation.
IMPORTANT DATES:
May 3 Dune’s Lit Fest
May 6 Education Symposium
May 6-10 Spring Semester Exams
May 14 Inspiring Teachers for Tomorrow
ValparaisoUniversityEducationDepartment SPRING 2024 NEWSLETTER
