Upcoming Events, Trainings and Recognition

Completed nomination applications for the 2025 Kansas Horizon Award recognition program honoring first-year classroom teachers must be postmarked no later than Oct. 10. 

Sponsored by the Kansas State Department of Education, this program recognizes and rewards first-year teachers who have served as examples of excellent teaching in their elementary or secondary classroom. Nominated teachers must have completed their first year of teaching and be starting their second year. 

Nominations for the Presidential Scholars and Presidential Scholars in Career and Technical Education (CTE) must be postmarked by Oct. 10. 

The Presidential Scholars program recognizes and honors high school seniors who have demonstrated high achievements academically or in the arts — some having to overcome special challenges or hurdles to do so. 

Applications for the 2025 United States Senate Youth Program (USSYP) are due Oct. 10. The students selected will be notified after Dec. 1. 

Any high school junior or senior is eligible for the program as long as they have not previously been a delegate to Washington Week and have not received a USSYP scholarship. The student applicant must hold a high-level leadership position in any student government, civic or educational organization during the entire 2024–25 academic year.  

The Oct. 11 deadline is fast approaching to register for this year’s Great Ideas in Education conference, “Lighting the Path Forward.”  

This year’s conference is focused on the Four Fundamentals and supporting structures necessary for KESA implementation and school improvement. There will also be sessions on safe and secure schools and technology. 

Don’t miss out on this excellent opportunity for your leadership team to attend. Teams of four will receive a discount on registration. The deadline to register is Oct. 11.

The Curriculum-Based Measures(CBM)math Concepts & Applications (CAP) and CBMmath process are two optional probes within the FastBridge math assessment suite often overlooked. Who might benefit from administering one of these assessments, and what types of data do they generate? 

Kansas Multi-tiered System of Supports (MTSS) and Alignment is offering an in-person, no cost training session in November for attendees to learn a 5-step research-based behavior intervention protocol to implement across classroom environments.  

Pre-K-12 educators are invited to participate in training sessions in October to develop students’ language, understanding, fluency and problem solving across Kansas math standards.  

Veteran educators, anyone considering a career in education, and anyone in between is invited to Bethany College’s education conference, Feb. 8, 2025.  

Click this link to register by Jan. 18: https://www.bethanylb.edu/education-conference  

Many districts have virtual hours that they can use to schedule a session from the Professional Learning Catalog. See if this applies to you by watching the recording at the 1:37 time stamp. You do not need to hold the session by Dec. 31, but you do need to schedule it before then so that it does not expire.   

Contact scheduling@renaissance.com for more information and/or schedule sessions here. 

October

1-17: CommonApp open for quarterly ESSER reporting. Email esser@ksde.org with questions. 

4: CTE technical assistance session, 9 a.m.-2 p.m., ESSDACK, Hutchinson. Click here to register. Registration is $35 and lunch is included. Contact Natalie Clark, ndclark@ksde.org or (785) 296-4351 with questions. 

7: CTE technical assistance session, 8:30 a.m.-2:30 p.m., Southwest Plains, Sublette. Click here to register. Registration is $35 and lunch is included. Contact Natalie Clark, ndclark@ksde.org or (785) 296-4351 with questions. 

8-9: Kansas State Board of Education meeting, Topeka.