February 21, 2021

Good evening- I hope you had a restful February break. It is hard to believe we are coming up on a year of this surreal experience. All I can say is thank you for the ongoing amazing work you are doing for our students. 

A little note to celebrate the winners of our Lighting the Way Awards presented by ASHPAC, the parent advisory group for special education. Congratulations to Patty Daly, Sarah Finn, and Regina Jardon for the work they do to support our students with unique needs.

Below are some resources from the MSAA regarding Black History Month as well as some professional development opportunities:

Black History Month Resources (shared from the MSAA)

Lesson Plan: Discuss 22-year-old Amanda Gorman’s inaugural poem “The Hill We Climb” | Lesson Plan | PBS NewsHour Extra

www.pbs.org

In this NewsHour lesson, students will examine the message and goals of poet Amanda Gorman as she prepares to speak at the presidential inauguration.

Bridge Boston Black History 365 Resources - Wakelet

wakelet.com

Curation of Black History Month & Black Lives Matter Resources Shared by BBCS Community Members. If you have additional resources you would like to share, please feel free to email me and I'll do my best to add them.

How racial bias works -- and how to disrupt it

www.ted.com

Our brains create categories to make sense of the world, recognize patterns and make quick decisions. But this ability to categorize also exacts a heavy toll in the form of unconscious bias. In this powerful talk, psychologist Jennifer L. Eberhardt explores how our biases unfairly target Black people at all levels of society -- from schools and social media to policing and criminal justice -- and discusses how creating points of friction can help us actively interrupt and address this troubling problem.

Color blind or color brave?

www.ted.com

The subject of race can be very touchy. As finance executive Mellody Hobson says, it's a "conversational third rail." But, she says, that's exactly why we need to start talking about it. In this engaging, persuasive talk, Hobson makes the case that speaking openly about race — and particularly about diversity in hiring -- makes for better businesses and a better society.

4 questions to ask when committing to equity and anti-racism in schools

www.k12dive.com

K-12 News

Black History Month Toolkit

www.momofallcapes.com

How we can start to heal the pain of racial division

www.ted.com

"Where does it hurt?" It's a question that activist and educator Ruby Sales has traveled the US asking, looking deeply at the country's legacy of racism and searching for sources of healing. In this moving talk, she shares what she's learned, reflecting on her time as a freedom fighter in the civil rights movement and offering new thinking on pathways to racial justice.

The most powerful woman you've never heard of

www.ted.com

Everyone's heard of Martin Luther King Jr. But do you know the woman Dr. King called "the architect of the civil rights movement," Septima Clark? The teacher of some of the generation's most legendary activists -- like Rosa Parks, Diane Nash, Fannie Lou Hamer and thousands more -- Clark laid out a blueprint for change-making that has stood the test of time. Now T. Morgan Dixon and Vanessa Garrison, the cofounders of GirlTrek, are taking a page from Clark's playbook to launch a health revolution in the US -- and get one million women walking for justice. (This ambitious idea is part of the Audacious Project, TED's initiative to inspire and fund global change.)

Stories of Slavery, From Those Who Survived It

www.theatlantic.com

The Federal Writers’ Project narratives provide an all-too-rare link to our past.

Black History Month: 8 great free resources, lessons to explore

districtadministration.com

Educators can lean on this guidance and these items made for student learning, even in remote environments, to help promote this February's theme 

Professional Development Opportunities Winter and Spring 2021
Don’t wait to renew your educator license! MSAA Professional Development opportunities are DESE approved for you to earn PDPs toward re-licensure. These highly acclaimed workshops are research based, timely, and offered at affordable costs by highly trained instructors with demonstrated expertise. We utilize both synchronous and asynchronous platforms that allow you to complete professional development in the manner in which you are most comfortable and at your own pace. Please share these opportunities in your school!
SYNCHRONOUS
		SYNCHRONOUS    PRESENTERS: Various; offered by the MSAA Elementary and Teaching and Learning Committees EdCamp MALeads Connect with Educators from across the state and beyond. No cost; registration is required. Lots of giveaways! February 27, 2021
		SYNCHRONOUS    PRESENTER: Richard W. Cole, Esq. Students' First Amendment and State Law Rights to Free Speech, Protest and Assembly Two-part workshop, March 16 and 18
		SYNCHRONOUS    PRESENTER: Colleen Shea, Esq., Stoneman, Chandler & Miller, LLP School Law Update April 8
ASYNCHRONOUS
		NEW! ASYNCHRONOUS    PRESENTER: Christopher Dodge, Seaside Educational Consultants SEL for Adults 5 Modules; take individual modules or all 5 Registration now through May 15; learning portals open now and close June 30
		ASYNCHRONOUS    PRESENTER: Jane Hardin, Ribas Associates & Publications Succeeding with Students with Special Needs A Certificate Program for Paraprofessionals and Assistant Teachers 5 modules Registration now through May 15; learning portals open now and close June 30
		ASYNCHRONOUS    PRESENTER: Dr. Cindy Crimmin, Ribas Associates & Publications Succeeding with Students with English Language Learners A Certificate Program for Paraprofessionals and Assistant Teachers 5 modules Registration now through May 15; learning portals open now and close June 30
		ASYNCHRONOUS    PRESENTER: Carol Gregory, Ribas Associates & Publications Understanding the Differentiated Instruction Classroom A Certificate Program for Paraprofessionals and Assistant Teachers 3 modules Registration now through May 15; learning portals open now and close June 30
		ASYNCHRONOUS    PRESENTER: Deborah Brady, Ph.D., Ribas Associates & Publications SEL in the Classroom A Certificate Program for Paraprofessionals and Assistant Teachers 5 modules Registration now through May 15; learning portals open now and close June 30
		ASYNCHRONOUS    PRESENTER: Elayne Gumlaw, Ribas Associates & Publications Teaching Face-to-Face, Hybrid, and Remote Registration now through May 15; learning portals open January 22 and close June 30
		ASYNCHRONOUS    PRESENTER: Cynthia Marchand and Carol Gregory, Ribas Associates & Publications Classroom Management (with a component on remote teaching) Registration now through May 15; learning portals open January 22 and close June 30
		ASYNCHRONOUS    PRESENTER: Dr. Roseli Weiss, Ribas Associates & Publications Low Socio-economic Status (SES) Students and Families: Strategies for Closing Achievement Gaps and Reducing Special Education Referrals Registration now through May 15; learning portals open January 22 and close June 30
		ASYNCHRONOUS    PRESENTERS: Dr. Judy Ann DeLucia and Shannon Pirrello, Seaside Educational Consultants Fostering a Culture that Includes All Students in an Inclusionary Setting Through Co-Teaching 5 Modules; take individual modules or all 5 Registration now through May 15; learning portals open February 1 and close June 30
		ASYNCHRONOUS    PRESENTER: Dr. Curtis Bates, Seaside Educational Consultants Managing Student Behaviors in All Settings: Home, School, Remote Registration now through May 15; learning portals open March 1 and close June 30
		ASYNCHRONOUS    PRESENTER: Dr. Cindy Crimmin, Ribas Associates & Publications Succeeding with English Language Learners Approved by DESE for Use Toward the 15 PDPs in Special Education for License Renewal for Teachers, School Clinicians, and Administrators – 5 Modules; take individual modules or all 5 Registration now through May 15; learning portals open January 22 and close June 30
		ASYNCHRONOUS    PRESENTER: Dr. Judy Ann DeLucia, Seaside Educational Consultants How to Deliver Effective Feedback and Have a Difficult Conversation What is the Impact of Covid-19 on Evaluative Criteria? 5 Modules; take individual modules or all 5 Registration now through May 15; learning portals open February 1 and close June 30
		ASYNCHRONOUS    PRESENTER: Dr. Curtis Bates, Seaside Educational Consultants Restorative Justice Registration now through May 15; learning portals open February 1 and close June 30
		ASYNCHRONOUS    PRESENTER: Brian Skeffington, Seaside Educational Consultants Expanding Math Mindsets: Digital Tools & Resources to Engage Middle & High School Students 5 Modules; take individual modules or all 5 Registration now through May 15; learning portals open February 1 and close June 30
		ASYNCHRONOUS    PRESENTER: Karen Dodd Antonelli, M.Ed., Ribas Associates and Publications Understanding and Addressing Implicit Unconscious Bias in Our Schools Registration now through May 15; learning portals open January 22 and close June 30
		ASYNCHRONOUS    PRESENTER: Jane Hardin, Ribas Associates and Publications The Impact of Trauma on Teaching, Learning and Living in the Era of Covid 19 Registration now through May 15; learning portals open January 22 and close June 30
		ASYNCHRONOUS    PRESENTER: Patric Barbieri, Seaside Educational Consultants Positive Anxiety - Making the Shift Registration now through May 30; learning portals open February 1 and closes June 30
		ASYNCHRONOUS    PRESENTER: Maureen Gilman, Seaside Educational Consultants Creating Safe and Supportive Classrooms Using PBIS Strategies 5 Modules; take individual modules or all 5 Registration now through May 15; learning portals open March 1 and close June 30
		ASYNCHRONOUS    PRESENTER: Maureen Gilman, Seaside Educational Consultants Every Child, Every Classroom, Every Day: Creating Safe and Supportive Classrooms Across Every Learning Environment 5 Modules; take individual modules or all 5 Registration now through May 15; learning portals open February 1 and close June 30
		ASYNCHRONOUS    PRESENTER: Jane Hardin, Ribas Associates & Publications Succeeding with Students with Special Needs Approved by DESE for Use Toward the 15 PDPs in Special Education for License Renewal for Teachers, School Clinicians, and Administrators – 5 Modules; take individual modules or all 5 Registration now through May 15; learning portals open January 22 and close June 30

Black History Month Resources (shared from the MSAA)

Lesson Plan: Discuss 22-year-old Amanda Gorman’s inaugural poem “The Hill We Climb” | Lesson Plan | PBS NewsHour Extra

www.pbs.org

In this NewsHour lesson, students will examine the message and goals of poet Amanda Gorman as she prepares to speak at the presidential inauguration.

Bridge Boston Black History 365 Resources - Wakelet

wakelet.com

Curation of Black History Month & Black Lives Matter Resources Shared by BBCS Community Members. If you have additional resources you would like to share, please feel free to email me and I'll do my best to add them.

How racial bias works -- and how to disrupt it

www.ted.com

Our brains create categories to make sense of the world, recognize patterns and make quick decisions. But this ability to categorize also exacts a heavy toll in the form of unconscious bias. In this powerful talk, psychologist Jennifer L. Eberhardt explores how our biases unfairly target Black people at all levels of society -- from schools and social media to policing and criminal justice -- and discusses how creating points of friction can help us actively interrupt and address this troubling problem.

Color blind or color brave?

www.ted.com

The subject of race can be very touchy. As finance executive Mellody Hobson says, it's a "conversational third rail." But, she says, that's exactly why we need to start talking about it. In this engaging, persuasive talk, Hobson makes the case that speaking openly about race — and particularly about diversity in hiring -- makes for better businesses and a better society.

4 questions to ask when committing to equity and anti-racism in schools

www.k12dive.com

K-12 News

Black History Month Toolkit

www.momofallcapes.com

How we can start to heal the pain of racial division

www.ted.com

"Where does it hurt?" It's a question that activist and educator Ruby Sales has traveled the US asking, looking deeply at the country's legacy of racism and searching for sources of healing. In this moving talk, she shares what she's learned, reflecting on her time as a freedom fighter in the civil rights movement and offering new thinking on pathways to racial justice.

The most powerful woman you've never heard of

www.ted.com

Everyone's heard of Martin Luther King Jr. But do you know the woman Dr. King called "the architect of the civil rights movement," Septima Clark? The teacher of some of the generation's most legendary activists -- like Rosa Parks, Diane Nash, Fannie Lou Hamer and thousands more -- Clark laid out a blueprint for change-making that has stood the test of time. Now T. Morgan Dixon and Vanessa Garrison, the cofounders of GirlTrek, are taking a page from Clark's playbook to launch a health revolution in the US -- and get one million women walking for justice. (This ambitious idea is part of the Audacious Project, TED's initiative to inspire and fund global change.)

Stories of Slavery, From Those Who Survived It

www.theatlantic.com

The Federal Writers’ Project narratives provide an all-too-rare link to our past.

Black History Month: 8 great free resources, lessons to explore

districtadministration.com

Educators can lean on this guidance and these items made for student learning, even in remote environments, to help promote this February's theme