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A “What’s New with HirePaths?” webinar has been scheduled for 12-1 p.m., on Jan. 8. Click here for the Zoom link.
HirePaths introduces Kansas kids of all ages to high demand jobs our state will need in the future. Materials are free for educators and families to use.
The Kansas State Department of Education and the Kansas Parent Information Resource Center (KPIRC) are offering new live virtual trainings to deepen educators’ knowledge of the Ages & Stages Questionnaires (ASQ®).
Engaging with families to build strong relationships and support early childhood development is a key strategy to support young children’s success. The ASQ® questionnaires provide a snapshot of children’s developmental milestones and can serve as a powerful tool to support kindergarten readiness.
The next curriculum leaders meeting will be on Jan. 31, at the Bishop Professional Development Center in Topeka. Register here by Jan. 17.
Mark your calendars for the following dates and locations of the 2025 and 2026 curriculum leaders meetings.
To streamline the customer experience, Renaissance is consolidating their legacy customer support systems for all products, including Nearpod, into a new, comprehensive system. Starting Jan. 1, all support requests will be handled via the new system to provide a more seamless experience for all cases for a customer’s account.
Important note: All Renaissance and Nearpod support emails, website addresses, and phone numbers will remain unchanged so customers can continue to access support with no downtime in service. Contact Renaissance Support or Nearpod Support with any questions.
Reminder: If your district has not used allocated virtual professional development hours, schedule a session from the Professional Learning Catalog by Dec. 31. To check if this applies to your district, watch the recording at the 1:37 time stamp. Please note: You do not need to hold the session by Dec. 31, but you must schedule it before then so that it does not expire.
Contact scheduling@renaissance.com for more information and/or schedule sessions here.
If you are interested in a FastBridge session below, but are unable to join, use the Newsletter Engagement Form to request additional dates and times using option #5.
December
17: Science collaboration for curriculum leaders, virtual, 4-5 p.m. Register here. Contact Stephanie Alderman-Oler, salderman-oler@ksde.org, with questions.
17: Structured literacy training, Smoky Hill, Salina. Register here. Contact Dr. Laurie Curtis, lcurtis@ksde.org, with questions.
18: Science collaboration for science teachers, virtual, 4-5 p.m. Register here. Contact Stephanie Alderman-Oler, salderman-oler@ksde.org, with questions.
19: Transportation basics workshop for transportation directors and supervisors, 9 a.m.-4 p.m., Bishop Professional Development Center, 3601 S.W. 31st Street, in Topeka. Register for free here. Contact Keith Dreiling, kdreiling@ksde.org, with questions.
Kansas high school students are invited to participate in a special event, Dec. 9-14, to sharpen their cybersecurity skills while having fun.
Hosted by the Kansas State Department of Education in partnership with EnterpriseKC’s Heartland Cyber Range and Wichita State University, a virtual “Capture the Flag” (CTF) event offers a thrilling, hands-on way to dive into topics like encryption, network security, reverse engineering, and programming. Plus, who knows what other surprises might pop up?
The next Kansas curriculum leaders meeting will be on Jan. 30, at the Bishop Professional Development Center in Topeka.
When the curriculum leaders met on Nov. 15, Caitlyn Sharp of The New Teacher Project (TNTP) discussed the coordination of work they are developing with the Kansas State Department of Education. Her presentation included highlights of TNTP’s newly released report, The Opportunity Makers.
Veteran educators, anyone considering a career in education, and anyone in between is invited to Bethany College’s education conference, on Feb. 8.
The deadline to register is Jan. 18.
To encourage teaching science in a rural area, Fort Hays State University is offering scholarships to individuals who have earned a bachelor's degree in science and are considering a career in teaching.
This competitive award program will award recipients a $24,066 stipend to complete coursework that will lead to full teaching licensure.
Spanish teachers are invited to a retreat, April 11-13, to immerse themselves in the Spanish language for a weekend.
The objective is to duplicate the experience of spending the weekend in a Spanish-speaking country engaging in pedagogical activities completely in Spanish. Colombia is the theme for the 2025 retreat.
Reminder: If your district has not used allocated virtual professional development hours, schedule a session from the Professional Learning Catalog by Dec. 31. To check if this applies to your district, watch the recording at the 1:37 time stamp. *Please note: You do not need to hold the session by Dec. 31, but you must schedule it before then so that it does not expire.
6: Deadline to apply for the 2025 Heartland Farm to School Institute. Click here to apply no later than 11:59 p.m., CST. Contact Eryn Davis, edavis@ksde.org, (785) 296-5060, with questions.
9: KESA 2.0 monthly Zoom update, 10:30-11:15 a.m. Click here for the Zoom link.
9: Structured literacy training, Southwest Plains, Sublette. Register here. Contact Dr. Laurie Curtis, lcurtis@ksde.org, with questions.
10: Kansas Preschool Pilot (KPP) grant technical assistance webinar, 10 a.m. Contact Natalie McClane, nmcclane@ksde.org, and Amanda Petersen, apetersen@ksde.org, with questions.
10-11: Kansas State Board of Education meeting. Click here for the agenda and meeting materials.
In this edition | Feature Story | Assessments and Accountability | Reporting and Operations Standards and Instruction | Student Health and Nutrition | Upcoming Events, Trainings and Recognition
Questions about this page contact:
Denise Kahler (785) 296-4876 dkahler@ksde.org
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The Kansas State Department of Education does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, national origin, sex, disability, or age in its programs and activities. (more information...)
To accommodate people with disabilities, on request, auxiliary aides and services will be provided and reasonable modifications to policies and programs will be made. To request accommodations or for more information please contact the Office of General Counsel at gc@ksde.org or by 785-296-3201.