Migrant Educator Newsletter: February 2019

Welcome to the February edition of the NYS-MEP Educator Newsletter. We are highlighting resources you can access on any computer including your new Surface Pros!

Several Professional Development (PD) modules are new. Each has a Facilitator Guide with everything you need to conduct a workshop. Someone from your METS can facilitate, or you can contact us for assistance.

• All modules are designed for a group setting, such as an In-Service. 
• For many of the workshops, the content is presented through video making them perfect to support your individual professional growth. 

As always, we invite you to share your thoughts and feedback.
Mary Anne Diaz, mdiaz@brockport.edu
Betty García Mathewson, gmathews@brockport.edu
Jenny Verdugo, jverdugo@brockport.edu

LATEST NEWS AT NYSMIGRANT.ORG
Mid-Hudson parents learn about car seats and Brockport students tackle self-identity. Check it out!

EARLY CHILDHOOD - KINDERGARTEN REGISTRATION
Kindergarten Registration – Children with a birth date between December 2, 2013 and December 1, 2014 are eligible for Kindergarten in September 2019. Check with individual school districts about their process: Registration paperwork, screening dates, parent night, and health requirements. Some schools require a dental exam. All schools require a physical and proof of immunizations.

EARLY CHILDHOOD - HEAD START AND DISTRICT PREKINDERGARTEN APPLICATIONS
Use the national Head Start Center Locator to find Head Start programs in your area. Many preschool programs and school district Universal Pre-K (UPK) programs applications are due in the Spring for the Fall 2019 program. Head Start and School District UPK programs have health requirements in addition to the application. Contact your area programs for deadlines and requirements.

To find out which school districts have Prekindergarten programs, visit Early Learning on the NYSED website. Scroll down to find the PDF, “New York State Prekindergarten Program Directory,” for contact information about current school district prekindergarten programs. Programs are in order by county.

PARENT INVOLVEMENT
Parent Resources
NEW! Schools in the United States – What Parents Need to Know, is a graphic novel that highlights information about schools in the United States. Topics include the structure of schools, what schools expect from parents, preparing for a Parent-Teacher Conference and more! This is currently available in English and Spanish. Created by our very own Hercilia (Shila) Cassell from the Northwest Region: Brockport METS.

Parent Involvement Migrant Education Scholarship: Do you have a parent who participated in a class during the current school year and has participated in statewide or local parent activities? The Guidelines and Application are available in English, Burmese, Karen and Spanish under the Parent Resource section of the NYS Migrant Website. 

Completed applications need to be signed by the METS Director and sent to the TASC office by Friday, April 12, 2019.

K-8 MATH
Expressions and Equations Part 1: Operations with Integers
Use (paper) Integer Tiles and T-Charts to help middle school students gain understanding of the addition and subtraction of negatives and positives. Individually or as a group, actively participate with Suzanne K. Fox, Staff Development Specialist Oswego CiTi-BOCES, in the forty-minute video presentation. The Facilitator Guide outlines which downloadable files to use during the workshop.

After Expressions and Equations Part 1, check out Expressions and Equations Part 2: Algebraic Expressions to apply these foundational concepts for use with variables.

K-8 ELA
Reading Comprehension of Informational Text: Main Idea
Join Kathleen M. Lord, Ph.D., Associate Professor of Literacy Education, SUNY New Paltz, for this strategic, seven-minute video about teaching Main Idea and writing Summaries. Kathleen includes specific strategies for working with English Learners.

The Facilitator Guide suggests titles using A to Z Readers that work with the Main Idea activities, and these strategies work with any informational book or article. 

HIGH SCHOOL/ADOLESCENT
Building a Circle of Trust – We all have a Circle of Trust; people in both our personal and professional lives that help us navigate issues that arise. Students need support to learn how to build and use networks. Supporting the journey from advocacy to self-advocacy happens over many conversations. The Circle of Trust handout is a perfect framework for one of these conversations. It is from the, Networking: Building a Circle of Trust workshop, part of the Developing Self Self-Advocacy Skills series. You can find the complete workshop in the Resource Library on the website. Burmese Handout, Karen Handout, Spanish Handout

SEL/TRAUMA RESPONSIVE/IDENTITY
Bringing our NYS-MEP Theory of Action to life. The Introduction to Trauma Informed Practice workshop, introduces trauma and its impact, providing a range of research-based practices for use with students. You will learn a range of strategies that can be integrated into your everyday work with migrant students – from establishing the learning environment to specific academic approaches. Host a group workshop at In-service, or explore it on your own.

OSY
Mental Health OSY Lessons
As an educational practitioner, we want what is best for our students. Mental health and mental illness becomes a concern for this population as they are faced with many barriers. This can sometimes deter from having a normal conversation with the student. The GOSOSY consortium has developed new mental health resources to help normalize conversations with OSY allowing access to help when someone needs it.
 
The overall goal of these lessons is to detect awareness. Although diagnosing mental health concerns for a student comes from a mental health professional, educators can learn the signs and symptoms of mental health and offer support referring them to the appropriate sources so an intervention can happen. The sooner we can detect these signs the better for these students.
 
All of the information in these resources is based on solid research about mental health and mental illness. Visit the link above to learn more about these resources. Other related material included on this link include: alcohol, stress, anxiety and depression.

DIRECTORS
Yoga for Migrant Staff
Give you and your staff the gift of 11 minutes with Michelle Pinedo, Yoga Instructor. Schedule a break within your in-service. Michelle is a Migrant Educator with the Mohawk Regional METS. Join Michelle for gentle stretches designed to relax the muscles of people who drive and do a lot paper and computer work.