Sue Stanton and Libby Solberg are presently attending the ITSC conference in Portland.  We will bring back great technology tips for PESA schools and their staffs in Eastern Montana Schools.

PESA was well-represented at the AESA Conference in Georgia the first week of December.  Board Members, Patty Walker and Steve Engebretson, PESA’s fiscal agent, Anne Sadorf, and PESA Assistant, Sue Stanton, attended the conference. 

 

The conference was an eye-opener.  Many states have embraced the ESAs over a long period of time and some are available to assist school districts in professional development, direct student services, purchasing, curriculum, shared administrative services and more.  Most ESAs are delivering professional development through technology.  The consensus of the attendees is that video streaming, video conferencing, and web-based trainings are avenues that PESA needs to explore further to make trainings more cost-effective and accessible.

One of the keynote speakers had to cancel due to illness.  Usually, that would be a big disappointment, but, in this case, . . . enter Kevin Honeycutt. Wow!  That man was the highlight of the conference.  He entertained us by playing guitar on his iPhone.  His philosophy is that we need to prepare students for their futures, not for our past.  Think about that.  You can find out more about Kevin and access a plethora of resources on his website. http://kevinhoneycutt.org/

 

We all agreed it was a worthwhile experience, and we are anxious to take PESA into the digital age.

Sue Stanton, the PESA Assistant, had an opportunity to make connections with administrators, district clerks, and board members at the MCEL conference in Billings.  The booth was shared with Region III, MRESA3, represented by John Keener, and Region IV, RESA4U with Rene Holubec.
    The traffic at the booth and generally in the exhibit area was light, but having an opportunity to meet people from our vast area in one location was very beneficial.   PESA was able to distribute two boxes of promotional materials to participants from Region I.

Pictured are Sue Stanton and Rene Holubec.  The beautiful display was provided by MRESA3, Region 3.

Hurry, Hurry, Hurry!  Classroom teachers, specialists, and administrators are urged to attend the Gifted and Talented roll-outs offered at three locations in service area I:  Sidney, Glasgow, and Miles City on Wednesday, November 10th from 1 to 4 p.m.  Don't miss this opportunity to find how your district can better serve the needs of your best and brightest!  To sign up, contact Kim Stanton at pesa@midrivers.com.

Reminder:  This is a level 1 training not intended for teachers of thriving gifted and talented programs.  If you have an existing program and would like additional training, Level 2 and 3 trainings are available through OPI.

Trainings are underway and a great deal of interest has been generated.  The first training took place in Sidney on Tuesday, October 5th.  19 counselors and administrators attended.  The second Level 1 roll-out training is being held in Glasgow today at 6:00 p.m.  The final opportunity to receive training is Tuesday, October 12th in Miles City from 5 to 8 p.m..  It's not too late to participate!  Call or e-mail Kim or Sue for more information.  Our contact is information is listed at:  http://www.mt-pesa.org/about-us.