Teachers go to school next week
Teachers across the valley are gearing up for school next week at the Northwest Montana Summer Institute.
Classes on special education, literacy, math and general education will be available to educators all week. Special education classes also are open to parents.
Special education classes will be held Monday, Aug. 15, and Tuesday, Aug. 16, in Flathead Valley Community College's Arts and Technology Building.
Elizabeth Winford presents "Coaching Classroom Management" from 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Monday in the conference room. Winford is a speaker with Safe and Civil Schools from Dallas; she works with schools' dealing with behaviorally resistant students by developing and implementing positive behavior supports at the school, classroom and individual levels.
Elizabeth Kaleva, a Missoula-based attorney who specializes in school law, will present two sessions Monday in Room 202. She will discuss "Legal Issues for Teachers" from 8:30 to 11:30 a.m. and "Due Process for Administrators" from 12:30 to 3:30 p.m.
On Tuesday, Whitefish psychiatrist Michael Newman will present on "School Anxiety and Depression" from 8:30 to 11:30 a.m. in Room 202. During that same time period, a panel of presenters will discuss "Effective IEP Meetings in 45 Minutes or Less" in Room 203.
Two classes are slated for Tuesday afternoon. Mary Gallagher and Stephanie Luehr will present "Tips for Teachers to Avoid Due Process" in Room 202, and MonTech will discuss "Assistive Technology for Print Disabilities" in Room 203. Both presentations will take place from 12:30 to 3:30 p.m.
Other classes covering technology, art and suicide prevention are open to teachers Monday and Tuesday. Educators are also invited to attend literacy and math conferences Wednesday and Thursday.
The Northwest Montana Reading Conference takes place from 8 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Wednesday at Flathead High School. The conference includes breakout sessions on middle school literacy, new children's literature, Smartboards and more.
Linda Rief, an international presenter on issues regarding adolescent literacy, is the keynote speaker.
The focus shifts to math Thursday, with the Math in the Mountains conference from 8 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. at Glacier High School. The conference is divided into sections based on grade level and is free to employees in districts that belong to the Northwest Montana Educational Cooperative. Deidre Hannibal, "Mrs. Math," is the keynote speaker.
Friday is devoted to general education, with classes covering everything from Indian education to P.E.
Some classes are already full. Educators may register online at PIRnet. Contact the Northwest Montana Educational Co-op at 752-3302 or the Flathead Special Education Cooperative at 257-1852 with questions.