cooperative connection...cooperative connection september 2008 southeast service cooperative vol...

Cooperative ConnectionSeptember 2008 Southeast Service Cooperative Vol XIX, No. 5

SSoouutthheeaasstt SSeerrvviiccee CCooooppeerraattiivvee210 Wood Lake Drive SERochester, Minnesota 55904ph (507) 288-1282 fax (507) 288-7663www.ssc.coop

Inside

An AYP Success Story,MSTA Academy...................................2

Mobile Science Lab Program,Stewartville Educator WinsService Award ....................................3

Teaching American History2008 Summer Institute .......................4

Teaching American History Schedule,Member Needs ..................................5

Health Insurance RenewalPlanning ............................................6

MNTAAB Cash Flow Borrowing,Welcome to New Staff........................7

Cat s Story: From Holy SpiritSchool to the NationalSpelling Bee........................................8

SSC Online Learning Project................9

Young Authors Young Artists,Knowledge Bowl, Spelling Bee,New Members..................................10

Wrapping Up the Inquiry BasedScience Project .................................11

SSC Staff Wellness Program,Lead in Toys Update .........................12

Embody Health,Health and Safety .............................13

Board Meeting Actions .....................14

Calendar ...........................................15

Mabel-Canton’s Hard Work Pays Offby Nicole LaChapelle

Many people assume that once a schoolhas been singled out for not meetingAdequate Yearly Progress (AYP) it isdestined to remain this way.

Teachers and administrators at MabelCanton schools have dispelled that beliefwith their plan and their team approach toimplementing it.

Mabel Canton was identified in 2006 2007as not meeting AYP in secondary math.With assistance from Southeast ServiceCooperative s School ImprovementCoordinator, Heidi Knepper, Mabel Cantonformulated a plan that included an extra 23 days of math for those students whowere identified through progressmonitoring for not meeting the standards

on the MCA II test. The staff also adopted anew math curriculum and participated inthe 6 A s process, which is facilitated bySSC.

They also worked in depth with theelementary school math program, as somuch high school knowledge and learningpatterns are a result of a student sexperience in elementary school. Teachersincreased time spent on math in the lowergrades which achieved an excellent result.

SE Math-Science Teacher Academy Hits the Ground Running by Heidi Knepper

The MSTA Academy, a program madepossible through collaboration betweenSoutheast Service Cooperative and WinonaState University, had its Kick Off andSummer Academy at Winona StateUniversity August 10 13, 2008. This trainingopportunity is based on the statewidefocus: Grades 6 8 Algebra Connected toNumber. Participants learn from variousspecialists, work in teams, have a coach toguide them, develop lessons, and pilotthose lessons. They will analyze thecurriculum and instructional strategies fromtheir pilot projects.

The Academy will enhance the mathematicsand pedagogy fluency of the participants toprepare them to help extend the use ofProfessional Learning Communities (PLCs)throughout their districts. One attendee

commented, I thought all the topics couldbe used with varying levels of students, itwas not scary at all, I think I could introduceall of these lessons and topics. Schooldistricts will use these teacher scholars toeffectively implement changes in curriculumand instruction.

Teachers in a learning session at theAcademy.

SE Math Science Teacher Academy Hitsthe Ground Running continued on page 2

Mabel Canton s Hard Work Pays Offcontinued on page 2

In fall 2008 the third grade class was100% proficient in meeting theirstandards on the MCA II test and thehigh school also met their goals, andmade AYP.

22 Cooperative Connection

SchoolCenter provides a database driven website managementsystem to meet your online resource needs (including podcastposting) and make web presence maintenance a snap.SchoolCenter will easily allow you to build and update your district,

school and teacher sites. Plus, SSC members receive a free upgrade in design services! Learn more at one of the upcomingwebinars or visit www.schoolcenter.com for more information. If you would like to schedule an individualized demo,please contact Bill Reynolds at 888 642 4448.

SE Math Science Teacher Academy Hitsthe Ground Running continued from page 1

The Minnesota Department of Educationhas assigned each regional Math andScience Teacher Academy across thestate to develop an additionalmathematics professional developmentmodule. In early fall 2009, theinstructional team will begin planningthe second module, grades 9 12 DataAnalysis and Probability. Delivery ofprofessional development will be similarto the Year 1 academy with trainingpartly during the school year and partlyin summer institutes.

The 2008 Summer Academy began onthe afternoon of August 10th, withteachers taking the Surveys of EnactedCurriculum (SEC), which will give them apicture of their instructional practices, aswell as how well their current content isaligned to the Minnesota MathStandards.

On Monday morning the participantsbegan in depth sessions with theirInstructors/Mentors. Some of thesesession topics included, Patterning, TheLesson Study Process and The LessonStudy Model. One teacher exclaimed, Ican see the connections with grade 7 & 8Algebra and the need to do my part toprepare students for this new material.

MDE s Deputy Commissioner ChasAnderson, Ellen Iverson of CarletonCollege, and WSU President Dr. JudithRamaley kicked off the Academy, hailingthis partnership of K 12 and higher ed.Educators from two southeast STEMCohort Schools, Lake City and WinonaPublic Schools, addressed the MSTAparticipants on Monday evening.

Tuesday began with more sessions ontopics such as Proportionality andArithmetic Sequences, as well as sessionsfor the Administrative representatives

from each participating district. Tuesdayevening the participants were given theopportunity to analyze their individualSEC results.

On Wednesday, the final day of theSummer Academy, there were twomorning sessions followed by anafternoon spent working on the planningand development of research lessons.

The good work that has begun duringthis Summer Academy will continue witheach site receiving 4 visits throughoutthe school year from their AcademyMentor. Each participating cohort alsohas a Site Mentor who will guide the PLCwork that happens on site throughoutthe year.

We will continue this year long learningexperience by coming together for labsessions November 19 20 and March 4 5in Rochester. One attendee summed upthe overall groups feeling of theAcademy when they shared, GreatSessions! I am hoping to make adifference in my students understandingof Algebra.

This news made the school district, the community, and HeidiKnepper very happy. She explained, I was really very proud ofthem, as implementing their plan, which included an extra mathclass, was really quite a collaborative effort. Schedules for somestudents had to be juggled in order to find time for additionalmath instruction. (Mabel Canton s new schedule now has extramathematics instruction incorporated into it.) Heidi added, I amso glad for their success. They worked really hard, and theteachers saw the pay off in the end.

It takes two years for a district to be given the all clear and betaken off the list, and as long as they can keep up their great testsores, Mabel Canton will be removed in 2009.

Mabel Canton is not the only success story. There are manyother southeast districts doing wonderful jobs writing andimplementing effective plans.

Mabel Canton s Hard Work Pay Off continued from page 1

Mathematics teachers areparticipating from the followingdistricts:�� Dover Eyota�� Grand Meadow�� La Crescent Hokah�� Lake City�� Lanesboro�� Mabel Canton�� Plainview Elgin Millville�� Red Wing�� Triton�� Zumbrota Mazeppa

I can see the connections withgrade 7 & 8 Algebra and the needto do my part to prepare studentsfor this new material.

Cooperative Connection 33

In partnership with the Mayo Clinic, SSCwas awarded a $75,000 grant byHealthForce Minnesota (affiliated with theMinneapolis City Planning and Center ofEconomic Development Office, WinonaState University, and a member of theMinnesota State Colleges and Universities)to develop and coordinate a mobilescience lab trailer. Special appreciation isdue to Guy Finne, with the Mayo Clinicand Rick Roy, with the Department ofEmployment and Economic Developmentfor their leadership during the conceptionand proposal writing process.

This program will complement andsupport the existing Mayo Clinic EducatorAcademies and will strengthen theindividual school districts efforts toimplement their STEM initiatives bybringing relevant science advancementinto the classroom. The Academies notonly provides high quality professionaldevelopment opportunities, but itencourages teacher to teacher

interactions and fosters development of along term molecular and genomicscollaboration and instruction group.

Ross Aleff, Mayo Clinic Molecular BiologyCore Faculty and Graduate SchoolInstructor, teaches the hands onMolecular Biology Educator Academy.Each summer, three groups of 8 9teachers are accepted into the program,so the program grows by 24 27 teachersper year. The program began 10 yearsago. Each cohort attends an intensive oneweek summer Academy, where they studysuch things as the BioRad pGLO system,DNA necklace, mitochondrial DNApurification, PCR, subcloning, DNAsequencing and genetically modifiedorganisms (GMO).

In addition, the cohort continues to meetfour times throughout the school year.The Mayo Clinic has always generouslycovered all costs for the training program,including the instructional costs,overhead, materials and supplies, andgraduate credits. And, the program hasbeen hugely successful.

Now, with the addition of the travelingtrailer, the final dimension of directsupport for classroom will be met bybringing state of the art scientificequipment directly to the classroom bymeans of the new traveling trailer. Thisfunding will allow for the purchase andset up of one trailer, coordination of thepromotion and scheduling, replenishingof the supplies, and provide teachers withthe full array of supplies and equipmentthat they need to be successful. We havefound that there is no substitute forhands on learning and engaging youngadults into modern Molecular Biology.

If you have participated in the Mayo ClinicEducator Academy and would like toschedule trailer rental, please contact DickRiley at [email protected] or 507 281 6666.For questions about the program, pleasecontact Amy Grover at [email protected] 507 251 7410.

Creating the Connection Between Classrooms and Health Care Careers

Introducing the Mobile Science Lab Program …

The new traveling trailer.

Larry Stacy was awarded the SoutheastMinnesota Service CooperativeOutstanding Service Award on Thursday,July 18 at a statewide event in Mankato.

Larry has been a strong advocate foreducator and student achievementregionally and statewide.

Student Academics Coordinator KirstenKuehl stated, Larry has givenextraordinary time, expertise andknowledge to promote and contribute tostudent academic programs locally,regionally and statewide.

Larry s primary contribution to southeastMinnesota student achievement has beento serve as advisor and pronouncer forsoutheast Minnesota Spelling Bees forover twenty years. Kuehl said, His

knowledge of our language,pronunciation, and willingness to spendcountless hours reviewing and studyingwords to ensure that Spelling Beecontinues to be a great experience forstudents is evidence of his love of thelanguage and student academic progress.

She added that Larry has volunteered andserved on a state judging panel for therecognition of outstanding teachers, usinghis education background to help find thebest of the best to honor with the WEMFoundation s annual state award.

Larry Stacy with Southeast Service CooperativeExecutive Director Suzanne Riley.

Larry Stacy of Stewartville Wins Service Award


by Kari Kubicek

The third year of the Blufflands andPrairies: Southern Minnesota s Placein the Fabric of America s Storyproject programming was kicked offwith a four day Summer Institute inearly July. This project is part of a

four year (2006 2010) federalTeaching American History Grantproject awarded to SSC inpartnership with Southwest/WestCentral Service Cooperative(SW/WC), Winona State University(WSU) and the Minnesota HistoricalSociety (MHS). Programming for thethird year of the project will focus onimmigration, American identity,commerce, industrial development,and World War I.

Thirty one cohort members fromboth the southeast and southwestportions of the state participated inthe Summer Institute each cohortgroup spending the first two days ofthe Institute in their own region,followed by the groups meeting up inSt. Paul for the remaining days.

Days one and two of the Institutewere workshop days for each cohortgroup. Guest speakers LouiseEdwards Simpson, AssistantProfessor of History at the College ofSt. Catherine and Pam Brunfelt,Instructor at Vermilion CommunityCollege, presented at both SSC forthe SE cohort members and atSW/WC for the SW cohort members.

Edwards Simpson focused onimmigration to the United Statesbetween the years of 1860 1920 andled a discussion based on suggestedreadings related to sweatshop girls .Brunfelt provided an overview ofindustrialization in the United Statesfrom the 1860 s to the 1920 s and leda discussion on suggested readingsrelated to women and houseworkduring this period.

Continuing from last year with afocus on the component of theLesson Study Process, both SE andSW cohort members worked in smallgroups to plan, gather primarysources, and develop lesson plans toteach in their classrooms this comingfall and winter. Follow up discussionsto evaluate the success andeffectiveness of the lesson plan willtake place at next spring s CohortNetworking event.

The final components of the first twodays of the Summer Instituteprogramming included: 1) theopportunity for a few cohortmembers to present lessons whichthey had developed during last year sgrant programming to their peers,and 2) a Minnesota Industries Lessonpresented by MHS staff for the 6 12classroom. Evaluation commentswere extremely positive andenthusiastic in regard to the cohortlesson plan sharing and the lessonpresented by the MHS staff.

The two cohort groups met in St.Paul for the final two days of theInstitute. During the morning of thethird day, the teachers wereintroduced to the Surveys of EnactedCurriculum (SEC) by SSC staffmember and SEC facilitator AmyGrover. The SEC process helps toquickly identify gaps in curriculumand instruction and engages teachersin objective dialogue about what andhow they teach. The SEC is aresearch based, online tool thathelps teachers identify and visually

display the content taught, thecognitive demand, and theinstructional approaches used inclassrooms and across grade levels.

The cohort members also visited theImmigration History Research Center(IHRC) and participated in the IHRC sPrimary Sources in Ethnic StudiesProgram. The IHRC is aninterdisciplinary research center inthe College of Liberal Arts at theUniversity of Minnesota. Founded in1965, the IHRC promotes research oninternational migration with a specialemphasis on immigrant and refugeelife in the U.S.

The fourth and final day of theSummer Institute began with a tourof the Mill City Museum which alsoincluded an introduction to theirschool programs, the movie,Minneapolis in 19 Minutes FlatFlour Tower Show, and a self guidedexhibit visit. For the final leg of thetrip, the cohort members traveled bybus to Osceola, Wisconsin, andboarded the Osceola and St. CroixValley Railway to journey through theSt. Croix River Valley on a passengersteam engine much like immigrantsfrom the past.

The program planning for theupcoming year has been finalized andis listed on the page 5.

Teaching American History 2008 Summer Institute

Cohorts enjoying a scenic ride through theSt. Croix River Valley in an antique rail caron the The Osceola & St. Croix ValleyRailway.

Cohorts working with archival materials atthe Immigration History Research Center.


As you may have heard, SSC will belaunching its new website onSeptember 1, 2008! Totally redesignedand created with the user in mind, thissite should be easily navigated and willhelp you find the information that youneed faster. In addition, it will allow usto target content to our differentmember groups so that you access onlywhat is relevant to you. After theinitial launch, we will continue toimprove the site so that it best meetsyour needs. Be sure to check it out thisfall and give us your feedback!

This summer at SSC, we have also beenworking diligently to upgrade andupdate our contact database. Our goalis to get the right information to theright people. We certainly don t wantto burden your staff members withnon relevant information, so the more

targeted we can be in ourannouncements and mailings, thebetter it will meet your needs. In thecoming months, we will be contactingour members to ask them to help uswith the final updating process. Weask for your understanding andcooperation with these activities whichwill ensure the highest level ofcommunication with you, withoutfilling your inbox with information thatis not pertinent to you.

In our quest to best serve ourmembers, we will also be initiatingseveral needs assessment andsatisfaction surveys, which will bedistributed to our member contacts.These surveys will be brief and conciseand will not require too much of yourtime. But, your responses will help uslook forward toward new programs

and services that might meet yourneeds. It will also give you theopportunity to provide input andsuggestions regarding how we canpotentially improve the programs andservices that you currently use. We llappreciate your feedback!

Working Toward Meeting Member Needs

A sneak peak at SSC s redesigned website.

Teaching American History 2008/2009 Program and Session Dates

The sessions listed below are available to all service teachersunless indicated otherwise.

Lesson Planning & Digital Resources: (Cohorts only)Oct. 7 (Tuesday) in MarshallOct. 9 (Thursday) in Rochester

Introduction to History DayOct. 29 (Wednesday) in Rochester

Topical Workshop #1:Civil War & ReconstructionNov. 5 (Wednesday) in MarshallNov. 7 (Friday) in Rochester

Topical Workshop #2:Dakota War & American Indian PolicyJan. 6 (Tuesday) in MarshallJan. 8 (Thursday) in Rochester

Topical Workshop #3:The Emergence of Modern America 1900 1920sJan. 24 (Saturday morning) in MarshallJan. 24 (Saturday morning) in Winona

Topical Workshop #4:America Becomes a World PowerFeb. 10 (Tuesday) in RochesterFeb. 12 (Thursday) in Marshall

Northern Lights Workshop: (Cohorts only)Date & Time TBD*SSC will contract directly with Suzi Gran (MHS) to offer aNorthern Lights workshop for cohort members.

Archival Research & Networking Days (Cohorts only)March 3 (Tuesday) & 4 (Wednesday) in Twin CitiesSE & SW cohort groups together

Evaluation Day: Surveys of Enacted Curriculum (Cohorts only)**Required for all cohort members**June 9 (Tuesday) in Mankato? SE & SW together

To find out more about upcoming seminars throughthe TAH grant, please visit our website:

www.blufflandsandprairies.org


Health Insurance Renewal Planning

by Bill Colopoulos

Optimal renewalplanning prioritizesthose actions that willhave the greatestpositive impact on

your health insurance program now andin the long term. Here is a list of whatneeds to be addressed in order ofrelative importance:

1. Plan designThis is the single most importantfactor that drives your healthinsurance costs. Making plandesign changes will provide thegreatest impact on loweringpremium.

2. Choice of plan designs3If you provide a multiple planprogram, the choice and type ofplans you provide and their relativevalue will be your second mostsignificant cost driver.

3. Your contributionsIt is critical that your plan enrolleesrepresent an adequate crosssection of the risk profile of yourgroup and they won t unless theyfind the plans you offer affordable.This means you need to provideplans which you can afford to paymost of the premium cost. If youfind yourself having to pass 30% ormore of the cost on to youremployees, you need to re thinkwhat kinds of plans you areoffering. Low contributions willlead to low participation which willvery quickly lead your plan costs upat an abnormally high rate due toadverse risk selection.

4. Pooling vs. individual coveragewith an insurance companyWhat are the advantages of beingrated as a member of a pool vs.individually by an insurancecompany? Overall, pooling flattensout rate increases best over timeand delivers other economies ofscale, such as lower administrativeand fixed costs and access to highvalue programs. Being a pool

member usually means access andinput with the board that runs thepool; usually composed of fellowgroup participants. Keep in mind,too, that participating in the ServiceCooperative pool also provides youwith routine bidding of services;satisfying your obligations underpublic program bid lawrequirements.

5. High claims cost managementMaking sure you are limiting yourexposure to high claim costs andfunding the appropriate amount ofreinsurance protection is animportant driver of your healthinsurance premium. This is anotherarea where being protected withina pool can reap dividends.

6. Administration and fixed costchargesClaim costs are the maincomponents that drive the formuladetermining your premium rates.However, the ratio of claim costs toadministration and fixed costsimpacts your rate increase formula.The lower your administration andfixed costs, the greater percentageof your premium dollar is availableto fund claims, which lowers yourrenewal.

7. Selecting an insurance companyPicking the right insurance companyis important, but for many reasonsthat are not necessarily related tocost. It rarely makes sense tochange carriers based on costalone.

Here is a list of the most critical factorsfor evaluating your insurance company:a) Do they pay claims timely and

accurately?b) Are your insurance company s

services appreciated by youremployees? Do they believe theyare getting high quality assistance?

c) Is your insurance company sprovider network providingcompetitively priced healthcareservices?

d) Are your insurance company sadministrative fees and reinsurancecosts competitive?

To the extent your insurance companyscores high marks in all of the abovecategories, the greater the quality of careand cost efficiency your health insuranceprogram will deliver to your employeesover time.

Note that cost considerations rank last onthe list. This refers to the typical bidprocess, which is usually done far toooften and for the wrong reasons: lookingto save a buck with the hot carrier; theinsurance company who is apparentlywilling to lose money to get youraccount. These deals never providesavings for long and usually end upcosting groups more; even in therelatively short period of one or twoyears. The true financial test of acompetitive arrangement will addresshow it will provide cost stability overtemporary rate discounting .

Southeast Service Cooperative isdedicated to helping you do the hardwork; the heavy lifting of plan designand communications work, etc., that willprovide you greater cost stability overthe long term. We also provide expertconsulting service that will help youcreate effective strategies for managingyour renewal in the proper form andorder to maximize results. At the sametime, we leverage our pool strength andeconomies of scale to provide your groupwith the most competitive structure foryour health benefit program. We alsosatisfy your legal obligation to bid yourprogram every five years as part of ourby laws and rules per MN statute.

Please contact us to schedule a timewhen we can meet with you to discusshow to best manage your next renewaland how we will create a sound renewalstrategy and process for you and youremployees.

You can contact Bill Colopoulos to discusshow to best manage your best renewal at(612) 987 4155 [email protected]


Jim Schmitt, Vice President and ClientRepresentative

The Service Cooperatives and theMinnesota School Boards Association cosponsor the MNTAAB (Minnesota Tax andAid Anticipation Borrowing) program withSpringsted serving as the financialadvisor. MNTAAB is a program whereschool districts can come together andpool their borrowing needs in order tomake the aid anticipation certificatesmore attractive to buyers and to reducetheir up front costs and administrativeresponsibilities.

In the past our advertising and promotionof the MNTAAB pool has concentrated oncomparing participation in the poolversus doing a stand alone borrowing.Basic information about the pool hasbeen included in the information weprovided, however; it was not alwaysreadily discernible. This year we areproviding some basic facts about how thepool performed in a clear, concisemanner.

The sale of the MNTAAB certificates washeld on Thursday, August 7. There were42 school districts who participated in thepool and together, they borrowed$51,600,000 in aid certificates. PiperJaffray purchased the certificates and wasable to resell the certificates at a veryfavorable rate. The yield on thecertificates was set at 1.65%.

In addition, school districts thatparticipated in the pool had the option toinvest the proceeds in our GIC(guaranteed investment contract) whichwas set at 2.5%. The spread betweenthese two figures will allow schooldistricts to earn some money on theinvestment of the certificate proceeds ifthey invest in the GIC.

The municipal market in 2008 has beenquite volatile. Recently the municipalmarket as a whole was inching upwardsin terms of a bond interest rate. Becauseof that, we were very pleased with theyield on the MNTAAB certificates. We areconfident that part of the reason for thefavorable rate was the size of the poolmade it attractive to bidders. Based on

information from Piper Jaffray, we expectthe cost of borrowing in terms of interestrates to be 40 to 50 basis points betterthan most stand alone transactions

In addition, the investment market hasbeen moving down, especially for shortterm investments, so we are very satisfiedwith the spread between the investmentrate and the rate being paid in thecertificates. Many bonds that have beenissued this year have resulted in the bondproceeds being invested at a lower ratethan the rate being paid on the bonds, soseeing this result for the pool is verypositive.

We are pleased with the results of the2008 MNTAAB pool and hope that theschool districts involved feel the same.We have a commitment to continue towork hard to make the MNTAAB pool agreat option for school districts that needto borrow money to meet their cash flowneeds.

How Did the MNTAAB Cash Flow Borrowing Perform in 2008?

SSC Welcomes Administrators and Staff to a New Year

Not pictured: David Johnson, Wabasha County Administrator

SSC extends a specialwelcome to thesechief administrators, intheir new positions, aswell as educators, andother staff in ourmember organizations.

A special welcome to these new chief administrators.

Steve SalleeSouthland PublicSchools

Mark RoubinekGlenville EmmonsPublic Schools

Bruce AndersonAustin Public Schools

Gary KuphalPlainview ElginMillville Public Schools


by Catherine (Cat) Cojocaru

The 2008 Scripps National Spelling Beewas the most amazing week of my life. Ihad participated in the bee in 2007, but Ihad been eliminated in the fourth round.

Nervously, I took the online preliminarytest. I knew most of the words, but Iwasn t sure if I would pass. I guessed itwas all up to the word I got on Thursday.

Thursday came, and I was the very lastspeller of the first group in the oralround of the Preliminaries. After waitingfor almost two hours, I held my breathand stepped up to the mike. Dr. Baillygreeted me, and then presented me withthe word philistine . I knew I had heardof it before, but I was unsure of oneletter. After prying for information, heinformed me that there were sixalternate pronunciations! The very lastone helped me spell it. I breathed a sighof relief.

Soon afterwards, I became nauseous andhad a horrible headache. I couldn t evenmake it down to the ballroom for theannouncement of the quarterfinalists Ifelt so sick. My dad and brother wentthere for me, and luckily, I passed with ascore of 23.

Round Three began with a word I knew,heliophobous , and was able to pick itapart by its Greek roots. Now RoundFour my personal hurdl e was next.Smalto. Dr. Bailly enunciated. It was atype of Italian glass. I racked myknowledge of Italian. It sounds easyenough, I thought. I gave it a shot, andonce Mrs. Brooks nodded, I squealed. Iwas going to be on ESPN!

The next day I was informed that mywhole school system was going to watchthe broadcast. I was glad for theirsupport, but now I was even moreworried. Round Five began, and thewords were obviously much harder thanin previous years. My turn came and Iwas faced with an unknown wordsporangiophore . I gave it my best shotby figuring out the pieces of the word,and I was right!

In Round Six, I really had no idea how tospell redoppe . I asked every question Iwas allowed, and even one they couldn tanswer. Are there any alternate wordsyou can give me? That drew chucklesfrom the audience, but the clock wasticking and I knew I had to hurry. Ithought of an embellished Frenchspelling, and I was right!

At the end of Round Six, there weresixteen of us left. I approached themicrophone, shaking and praying undermy breath. Anticum. I sighed. With thehot ballroom lights beat down on myface and the knowledge that thousandsof people were watching me, I couldhear the bell ringing already. It was Latin,and after using all but three seconds ofmy regular time, I gave the simplestspelling I could think of. After I repronounced the word, I shut my eyes. Ididn t want to see the look on thejudge s faces as I heard applause?

I was floored. I got the word right?! Iwalked back to my seat, still in shock.The round ended, and exactly twelve ofus remained.

About twenty minutes before the ABCbroadcast, the twelve of us wereescorted backstage. I looked around atall of us. We were very different, but weand our families had already becomeclose knit over the past two days. Isuddenly felt that, no matter what wouldhappen tonight, everything would turnout all right.

Round Eight was actually pretty easy.Almost all the words were from theConsolidated Word List, which I hadstudied thoroughly. I completely guessedon my Round Nine word, Huguenot ,and was right. I felt pretty good.

In Round Ten I was faced by the obscureRussian word bogatyr . I had neverstudied Russian, so I spelled itbogateer . The dreaded ding echoedthroughout the whole ballroom. Isighed when I heard the correct spelling,smiled at the thundering applause I got,and went to sit with my parents. During

the commercialbreak, I ran tothe bathroom.As I began tocry, a speller Ididn t evenknow gave mea hug andconsoled me.

But when Iturned aroundto see who itwas, they were gone. That brought meback to my senses. What was I doinghere, feeling sorry for myself? I neededto go back in there and cheer on myfriends! I wiped off my makeup, let myhair down, mustered up my courage, andwent back to the competition.

The words got much harder after I wasout. I couldn t believe how good theother spellers were! By the very laterounds, everyone was exhausted.

After many standing ovations, tears, andeven some laughs, winner Sameer heldthe trophy high. But the applause wasfor all of us. Saturday night wasbanquet night. Everyone was dressed intheir best, and I felt great happiness as Isat on the dais and looked at all thepeople I loved sitting around me. Thetwelve of us were swarmed forautographs at the banquet. It was all sosurreal; it took a while for me tounderstand that people actually wantedmy autograph!

My experience at the National SpellingBee has taught me many things. Ittaught me that winning isn t everything.It showed me that, with hard work, I cando better that I ever imagined. Andlastly, that money and ranking aren t themost important things in thiscompetition or in life your friends andfamily are what matter most. That wasthe week I will never forget.

Cat’s Story: From Holy Spirit School to the National Spelling Bee

Cat on stage at the Bee.


by Kari Kubicek

SSC is excited to invite your district toparticipate in our new online learningprogram. The SSC Online LearningProject provides expanded educationalopportunities, promotes onlinecoursework among consortiummembers, improves the effectivenessof online learning, and assures aquality learning environment forstudents and teachers.

SSC Online is provided through theMinnesota Service Cooperative (MSC)Online Learning Project, an approvedonline provider with the MinnesotaDepartment of Education certified tooffer online curriculum to students ingrades 9 12. The program has beendesigned to provide challengingeducational opportunities for studentswho need credit recovery, advanced,additional or specialized courses,and/or a flexible learning environment.Most importantly, because theprogram is a part time, non diplomaprogram, students will remain enrolledin their own districts while takingcourses with SSC Online.

Southeast teachers can become onlinelearning facilitators through SSCOnline. Two teachers in a district canstart by completing the FacilitatingOnline Learning course and developinginstructional plans for using the SSCOnline Learning Project resources.Instructors who successfully completethe Facilitating Online Learning coursecan teach fully, as well as blendedonline courses. Online instructors fromthe MSC Online Learning Project arealso available to facilitate coursesoffered through SSC Online.

Students enrolled in SSC Online willbenefit from several opportunitiesavailable through the program,including:

The ability to take courses thatmeet their needs for flexibility andindividualized instruction;The options of making up credits,completing college entrancerequirements or expanding theirlearning opportunities to meettheir own interests;The capability to learn at theirown pace and within their ownschedules; and

An opportunity to develop thetechnology and learning skills theywill need for a lifetime of learning.

In addition, teachers and districts canearn stipends by submitting coursesthey develop that are accepted by SSCOnline.

Participation is now open for memberdistricts for 2008 2009.This is anexcellent opportunity for schools tomove with the times in meeting ourstudents needs.Contact Kari Kubicek,[email protected], or NicoleLaChapelle, [email protected],with questions and to subscribe.

SSC Online Learning Project:Southeast Teachers as Online Learning Facilitators A program provided through the Minnesota Service Cooperative (MSC)Online Learning Project, an approved online provider with the Minnesota Department of Education

Online Teacher Training Course

The Facilitating Online Learning course is an inquiry based, hands on course through which participants will review and reflectupon examples of best practice in online learning. This process will take place in both face to face and online learningenvironments using Moodle course management tools. Participants will have one day of face to face training, followed by threeweeks of online training where they will participate in and facilitate threaded discussions and online chats. The course willconclude with a final face to face session. The training course schedule is as follows:

Initial Face to Face Session Three Week Final Face to Face SessionTuesday, September23 ⇒ Online Coursework ⇒ Tuesday, October 149:00 AM to 3:30 PM 9:00 AM to 3:30 PMWood Lake Meeting Center at SSC Wood Lake Meeting Center at SSC


2008 09 Spelling Bee Dates

Register with Scripps....by October 15,2008 (www.spellingbee.com)

Regional....February 17, 2009

Multi Regional (tentative)...March 10,2009

Schools should receive informationdirectly from Scripps National SpellingBee soon. Information will be sent toschools in the region by the SoutheastService Cooperative in September.Schools will also register with theSoutheast Service Cooperative.

If you have any questions or if yourschool district s coordinator haschanged, please contact: Kirsten Kuehl,(507) 281 6670 or [email protected].

The 2008 09 KnowledgeBowl season begins withan advisors meeting onThursday, September 18from 4:00 5:30 pm at the

Southeast ServiceCooperative.

The junior high season starts with RoundRobins in October and ends with Regionalsin January. The senior high season begins inDecember and ends with Regionals inMarch. Five teams will advance to StateSenior High Knowledge Bowl competitionApril 22 23, 2009. Dates for both seasonshave been tentatively set and will befinalized at the advisors meeting.

The 2007 08 season involved participationby 52 junior high teams and 91 senior highteams. The five teams representingsoutheast Minnesota that advanced to the2008 state competition were from CannonFalls, Dover Eyota, Houston, Northfield,Rochester Mayo.

For more information on Knowledge Bowl,contact Kirsten Kuehl at [email protected] or(507) 281 6670.

2008-09 KnowledgeBowl About to Begin

St. Charles Public Schools

Minnesota StateAcademies

for Deaf and Blind

Welcome to New Members

Another Successful Young AuthorsYoung Artists Conference

The 2008 Young Authors Young Artistsconference was a big hit with over 750students and their chaperones!

On May 21 22, 2008 students in grades 4 6from across southeast Minnesota attendedthe conference. Twenty presenters (authors,artists, illustrators, poets, and book crafters)mesmerized, stimulated, and excited youngpeople at the Rochester Community andTechnical College.

Look on our website (www.ssc.coop) to findstories submitted by some of the creativeattendees.

The 2009 conference will be held on May 20and 21, 2009. Mark your calendars!

Sage Hoy, proudly displays themasterpiece she created at theconference. Sage is the daughter ofSSC Program Coordinator, KariKubicek.

SSC Acquires AdditionalMobile Laptop Lab

Southeast Service Cooperative hasacquired an additional mobile laptoplab. It features 24, high capacitycomputers. This new lab joins SSC sother lab, which also features 24computers. The cost for a two weekrental is $250. For more information,or to reserve a lab, contact Dick Rileyat (507) 281 6666.


Wrapping Up the Inquiry-Based Science Projectby Amy Grover

The third and final year of acollaborative project between SSC andthe Rochester Area Math SciencePartnership, entitled the SoutheastMinnesota Inquiry Based ScienceProject (IBScience), brought to fruitionthe work plan put into place duringyear two, and served our K 8 scienceteachers in a much deeper andlong lasting manner. The four keycomponents of our MSP grant proposalincluded professional development,curriculum development, assessment,and resource sharing. Each of thesecore areas is summarized below andexpanded upon in the ProjectPerformance narrative.

This year, our primary focus was toprovide high quality professionaldevelopment opportunities thatincluded differentiated inquiry basedinstruction, grade appropriate contentand pedagogy, alignment to standards,practical classroom application, andreal world relevance. We worked withLee Schmitt and Peggy Knapp fromHamline University to conduct twoProfessional Learning Communities.One was for a new cohort of scienceteachers joining the program for the

2007 2008 school year, while thesecond was a continuation cohort forteachers that had participated in thePLC experience during the 2006 2007school year. In addition, we contractedwith Jeff and Jacquie Burgard toconduct a professional developmentworkshop entitled Gateway to Mastery.

The continuation cohort consisted ofLorraine Aaland (4th grade teacherfrom Pine Island), Tressie Bach (5thgrade teacher from Rochester), RamonaBack (4th grade teacher fromRochester), Kari Donze (7th gradeteacher from Plainview Elgin Millville),Sharie Furst (3rd grade teacher fromKasson Mantorville), Patty Nelson (5thgrade teacher from Stewartville),Christy Noble (4th grade teacher fromKingsland), Denine Voegeli (7/8th gradeteacher from Plainview Elgin Millville),and Amy Woxland (6th grade teacherfrom Triton). We applaud thededication and on going commitmentmade by these teacher leaders.

The new cohort starting this yearincluded Emily Biske (6 8th gradeteacher at Kingsland), Jane Brandt (8thgrade teacher at Rochester), Lisa Bronk(4th grade teacher at KassonMantorville), Andreanna Harmon (2/3rd

grade teacher at Rochester), SilkeHorihan (4th grade teacher at DoverEyota), Heidi Howe (6th grade teacherat Stewartville), Kerri Koenigs (4thgrade teacher at Chatfield), Lois Lackore(3rd grade teacher at Rochester),Chrissie McKinnon (5th grade teacher atRochester), Ann Miller (ElementaryImplementation Specialist atRochester), Jill Scheid (6th gradeteacher at Rochester), Laura Shearer(6th grade teacher at Stewartville), AnnSteffen (3rd grade teacher at PineIsland), Nancy Thornton (3rd gradeteacher at Triton), and Amy Wix (6thgrade teacher at Kasson Mantorville).

A comprehensive website was createdfor the project to provide aclearinghouse of information forscience teachers in southeastMinnesota. This website will shift infocus in the future to include otherprojects, but the resources will alwaysbe accessible athttp://www.ssc.coop/science.

Space Explorers, Inc. (www.space explorers.com) will host a website openhouse event from September 15 20. All interested educators can utilizethese programs at no cost! This includes access to mission simulations tothe Moon, Mars, asteroids, and suborbital space; a Mars Rover programthat allows students to drive rovers across a three dimensional Martianterrain while completing mission objectives; an online space encyclopedia,the Space Library®; and Interactive Applets using the concepts of launchwindows, aerobraking, asteroid impacts, and trajectory corrections.Educators will also have access to lesson plans about various science topicsincluding: Kepler s Laws, magnetism, gravity, and rocketry. Please emailsales@space explorers.com or call 800 965 3763 to request your usernameand password valid for a week of free unlimited access.

InfoSource Learning is offering a FREEtechnology literacy assessment for K 12students. They will set up a testing site foryour students (100 minimum) with their 60question Simple Assessment Test based on theNETS standards for one year at no cost. Thistool is designed to help you meet NCLBrequirements that urge school districts tocertify that your students are technologicallyliterate by the 8th grade. For moreinformation, check outwww.simpleassessment.com.


By Diedra Hudgens EPDM ProjectManager

IEA owns a Niton X ray FluorescenceAnalyzer (XRF) that providesinstantaneous readings for lead content.In the hands of a skilled IEA staff member,this device allows for the testing of leadin a short period of time. IEA can give onthe spot answers to whether toys containdangerous amounts of lead, as well ascadmium, arsenic and mercury.

IEA has provided lead in toy testing tomany school districts and organizations.Early Childhood Family Education (ECFE)

programs have focused efforts on testingall toys within their facilities. Someschool districts have also sponsored GetOut the Lead events. These events allowparents to bring toys from home to theircommunity schools to have the toystested for lead.

Below are some statistics on IEA s lead intoy testing program:Over 20 Minnesota School Districtshave participated to date.Over 100,000 toys have been tested.On average, 5 10% of toys were foundto contain lead, cadmium, arsenic ormercury at levels above the Consumer

Product SafetyCommissionthresholds.Red, yellow, andorange colored toys were most likely tocontain lead.Toy kitchen food, small animals andcounting game pieces most consistentlycontained lead.

For more information on IEA s lead in toytesting program or how to sponsor a GetOut the Lead event. Please contact IEA sexpert, Diedra Hudgens, at 763 315 7900.

SSC Staff Wellness Program Proves Popularby Nicole LaChapelle

Making wellness a part of theirworkplace experience is not somethingthe staff at Southeast ServiceCooperative just talk about, it issomething they actively participate inand enjoy.

Thinking up new programs for the staffto participate and get involved in is afun challenge. Committee head NicoleLaChapelle shared, Finding activitiesthat the entire staff will want topartake in makes us work a bit harder.We ve had very high participationnumbers.

The committee likes to keep thechallenges varied, and they offervarious rewards for participation. Mostof the time awards are given to the topthree or four winners of the thirteenmember staff, but occasionallyeveryone who participates receives anincentive. Prizes include gift cards torestaurants that include healthy foodchoices, book stores, gas cards andother enticing rewards.

The staff has also received an hour ofpaid time off work, which demonstratesthe commitment SSC Executive DirectorSuzanne Riley has for the wellnessprogramming.

SSC staffer Shelley Rinkel shared, Ithink it is great that the leadership herevalues the importance of wellness andmakes it a priority to include all of thestaff.

Many challenges include step countingusing SSC supplied pedometers. Thesechallenges are very popular, and havevery high participation. Walking issomething all staff members do, and bytracking their numbers they are notonly encouraged to get their step totalhigher, but it also gives them an idea ofhow much activity they are partaking ineach day.

There are many ways to createchallenges using pedometer numbers.Sometimes they are team efforts, withparticipants all walking toward acommon goal, and other times, theyconsist of a race toward a particulardestination. To make participation aseasy as possible, all staff membersneed to do is turn in their steps at theirconvenience to the wellnesscommittee. The steps are then talliedand displayed on a chart in the staffroom.

Many different wellness programs arescheduled for the coming year. Theyinclude a fruit and vegetableconsumption contest to encourage

healthy eating, a contest to track timespent in the outdoors and differentthree person team challenges toincrease teamwork. A contest has alsobeen created to encourage use of SSC snew WalkingWork station.

The SSC Wellness program is notentirely made up of challenges. Planshave been made to bring in a yogainstructor to teach an introductoryclass to staff in the fall. Winter plansinclude bringing in a masseuse for twohours to offer 10 minute stressreducing massages to staff.

Program Assistant Katie SueCunningham summed up the SSCwellness program by saying, I love thecontests because it encourages me toexercise when I don t feel like it. It salso very encouraging to see the wholestaff participating in the wellnessinitiatives.

SSC staff member Shelley Rinkel working on theWalking Workstation.

Lead in Toys Testing Update


SSC is excited to provide you the MayoClinic Health Assessment andEmbodyHealth online health resourceabsolutely FREE as an SSC InsurancePool member.

EmbodyHealth features severalvaluable health programs and toolsfrom Mayo Clinic. The program offersyou the ability to connect to reliableresources to take control of yourhealth and feel more confident inhealth care decision making for youand your family.

Features of the EmbodyHealth siteinclude:

• Assessment tools to help youidentify your own healthstrengths and weaknesses, alongwith advice on how to improveyour health;

• Health lifestyle programs ontopics such as weight control,exercise, tobacco cessation andstress management that let youset personal goals, track yourprogress, overcome barriers andguide you toward successfulchange;

• Tools and information to help youbetter manage conditions such asasthma, headaches, high bloodpressure and diabetes

• Prevention and self care tips onhundreds of common healthconcerns

• Practical information, such ashealthy recipes and ideas forbalancing work and family

With a resource like this right atyour fingertips and free! there isno reason for your staff to miss out.

Even if you are not a health poolmember, as an SSC member you canoffer this program to your members.

Contact Kari Kubicek,[email protected] or visit ourwebsite.

Sign up now for EmbodyHealth - your personal health resourceFREE for SSC Insurance Pool members and offered at a discounted rateto SSC Non-Insurance Pool members

Health and Safety Reminders for Fall 2008 by Bob Tweten

Here are a few tips and reminders forschool facility managers.

� Take a look at your Health andSafety Projects Web Site as soonas it is restored for access. (WebSite is scheduled to be restoredAugust 29.)

� Check through district H & S projectsfor approvals, non approvals, NMI (Needs MoreInformation) and PPL/PPB (Provisional Projects for Levy orBond). Any project that has received a NMI will needadditional information provided to Audrey Bomstad at theState Department of Education by September 12,(651) 582 8793, [email protected].

� Health and Safety projects that have a PPL or PPB haveuntil November 7 to provide necessary documentation insupport of the project.

� Any additional Health and Safety projects that a districtneeds to add to this year s levy must be submitted bySeptember 12th to qualify for this 09 levy. Districtsmust inform Audrey Bomstad or their Regional Health andSafety Management Assistant s Consultant (me, BobTweten) of the new project, so it will receive a projectnumber and an evaluation for an approval.

� Indoor Air Quality Certification The final IAQ training willbe held on October 16, in St. Paul. Contact Dan Tranter atthe Minnesota Department of Health for additionalinformation or to register, (651) 201 4618.

� The only scheduled Machine Guarding CertificationWorkshop will be held in St. Cloud on October 8, 2008starting at 8:30 AM. Individuals will need to contact CindyBernier at (612) 638 1512 or email her [email protected] for additional informationand to register.

Please feel free to contact me regarding Health and Safetyquestions as they apply to your school district. I can bereached at (507) 281 6663, or [email protected].


May 2008

�� Adopted service fees for 2008 2009.

�� Adopted revised SSCcommon/preferred health plans andhealth insurance pool rules andguidelines as recommended by thePool Planning Committee.

�� Accepted proposed policy ondisposition when a pool ratestabilization reserve is over 100% ofminimum for first reading.

�� Named Larry Stacy as SoutheastService Cooperative s regionalhonoree in the 2008 MSCOutstanding Service Awards.

�� Authorized SSC memberships inseveral state and nationalorganizations.

�� Adopted the 2008 2009 Annual Plan.

�� Approved the membership of St.Charles Public Schools ISD 858 as anactive Education Member, effectiveJuly 1, 2008.

�� Approved 2 year appointments to theAdministrative Advisory Council

Area 1: Mike Moriarty, CaledoniaArea 2: David Thompson, StewartvilleArea 3: Bruce Klaehn, Dover EyotaArea 3: Gary Kuphal Plainview ElginMillville, changed from At Large into Area3 complete term of Eric BartlesonArea: 4: Robert Kelly TritonAt Large: Myrna Luehmann

�� Accepted Health Force Minnesotagrant for $75,000 to implement aTeacher Science Equipment TrailerProgram in partnership with MayoClinic.

�� Accepted grant for $278,232 from theMinnesota Department of Educationto implement the SoutheastMinnesota Math and Science TeacherAcademy.

�� Accepted the Personnel Committee srecommendation as submitted,including wage and benefitadjustments and the ExecutiveDirector s salary.

June 2008

�� Adopted the proposed 2008 2009Budget.

�� Approved contract with Adbo, Eick &Meyers to perform SSC s fiscal auditfor 2007 2008.

�� Transferred accrued health insuranceoperating funds to the general fundand authorized staff to resumeperiodic assessment of the pools ratestabilization condition andtransferring health operating funds tothe general fund balance as theExecutive Director deemsappropriate.

�� Increased SSC s mileagereimbursement rate to 58.5 cents permile effective July 1, 2008.

�� Approved 1 year appointment of StanSlessor of Red Wing Public Schools tothe At Large position of theAdministrative Advisory Committee.

�� Referred the recommendation of theAdministrative Advisory Committeeto the Policy Committee for furtherconsideration and recommendationto the Board of Directors.

�� Approved a one year consultingagreement with Creative BenefitConsultants, LLC under the sameterms and fee as 2007 2008.

�� Approved contracts with Lindquistand Vennum and Capitol HillAssociates for lobbying services notto exceed $25,000 in cost.

�� Accepted the settlement report forthe 2007 City/County HealthInsurance Pool.

�� Accepted the settlement report forthe 2007 City/County HealthInsurance Pool.

�� Approved the credit of calculatedexcess claims funds to the followinggroups: City of Kasson $65,612.65;City of Harmony $10,251.84; AustinHousing and RedevelopmentAuthority $6,246.25.

�� Accepted the withdrawal of theRushford Peterson ISD #239 andLewiston Altura ISD #857 groups fromthe school health insurance pooleffective September 1, 2008.

�� Information: Nancy Lack Wiitanenfrom Kasson Mantorville High Schoolnamed the regional honoree for the2008 WEM Foundation OutstandingEducator Award in the category ofTeacher Achievement.

�� Information: Southeast ServiceCooperative accepted the 2008national Alfred P. Sloan Award forBusiness Excellence in WorkplaceFlexibility award.

July 2008

�� Designated Wells Fargo Bank ofRochester as the official depository ofthe Southeast Service CooperativeBoard of Directors, investmentdeposits in Wells Fargo Investmentsand MSBA Liquid Asset Fund for the2008 09 fiscal year, and to designateGalliard Capital Management tomanage the IBNR funds ininvestment.

�� Scheduled the September meeting onWednesday, September 24, 2008 onits regular date (change fromprevious schedule).

�� Adopted the 2009 City/County HealthInsurance Pool renewal ratingformula and plan was adopted asrecommended by the RenewalCommittee.

�� Accepted Minnesota State Academyfor the Blind and Deaf as an AssociateMember effective August 1, 2008.

�� Approved position promotion ofKirsten Kuehl to Instructional ServicesCoordinator.

�� Information: Mark Packard, MikeHammes, Don Andring, Tom Heisereported on the Minnesota ServiceCooperatives Conference July 16 18in Mankato.

Recent Board Meeting Actions and Information


CC aa ll ee nn dd aa rrSeptember

Wednesday, September 38 AM 4:30 PMMDE NCLB Fiscal Management Training

Tuesday, September 91:00 PM 1:30 PMHVED Superintendents Meeting

Monday, September 159:00 AM 11:30 AMTax and Levy Certification Workshop

Tuesday, September 161:00 PM 1:30 PMHVED Superintendents Meeting

Thursday, September 184:00 PM 5:30 PMKnowledge Bowl Advisors Meeting

Tuesday, September 239:00 AM 3:30 PMOnline Teacher Training

Wednesday, September 248:00 AM 4:30 PMMDE A Standards Driven Approach

Wednesday, September 245:00 PM 8:00 PMSSC Board Meeting

October

Monday Wednesday, October 6 89:00 AM 4:30 PMJunior High Knowledge BowlRound Robins

Wednesday, October 88:00 AM 4:00 PMUsing Numbers & Operations Concepts

Wednesday, October 84:00 PM 8:00 PMBest Practices of Reading Instruction

Thursday, October 91:00 PM 1:30 PMHVED HS Principals Meeting

Thursday, October 99:00 AM 3:00 PMTeaching American History Workshop

Friday, October 101:00 PM 1:30 PMHVED HS Principals Meeting

Tuesday, October 149:00 PM 5:00 PMOnline Learning Teacher Training

Wednesday, October 1510:00 AM 3:00 PMMDE NCLB Fiscal Management TrainingNew or Newer Users

Wednesday, October 228:00 AM 4:30 PMMDE Professional Learning Communities:Essential Skills for Team Work

Wednesday, October 225:00 PM 8:00 PMSSC Board Meeting

Thursday, October 238:00 AM 4:30 PMMDE Teacher Leadership: Essential Skills forTeacher Leaders

Thursday, October 238:00 AM 1:30 PMHealth Promotion Forum

Wednesday, October 298:00 AM 4:30 PMHistory Day Workshop

Wednesday, October 2911:30 AM 3:00 PMMASA 1 Fall Session

November

Monday Wednesday, November 3 59:00 AM 3:00 PMJunior High Knowledge BowlRound Robins

Thursday, November 69:00 AM 3:00 PMMDE Formative Assessment: EssentialSkills for Teacher Leaders Day 1

Friday, November 79:00 AM 3:00 PMMDE Formative Assessment: EssentialSkills for Teacher Leaders Day 2

Friday, November 79:00 AM 3:00 PMTeaching American History Workshop

Tuesday, November 111:00 PM 1:30 PMHVED Superintendents Meeting

Tuesday, November 188:00 AM 4:30 PMMDE Connecting Teacher Developmentand Student Learning

Tuesday, November 181:00 PM 1:30 PMHVED Superintendents Meeting

Wednesday, November 198:00 AM 4:30 PMMSTA Academy

Thursday, November 208:00 AM 4:30 PMMSTA Academy

Wednesday, November 195:00 PM 8:00 PMSSC Board Meeting

December

Monday Wednesday, December 1 39:00 AM 3:00 PMJunior High Knowledge BowlRound Robins

Thursday, December 48:00 AM 4:30 PMMDE Professional Learning Communities:Facilitation Strategies for Improved StudentLearning

Monday, December 89:00 AM 2:30 PMELL Learning Strategies Day 1

Thursday Friday, December 11 & 129:00 AM 3:00 PMSenior High Knowledge BowlRound Robins

Monday, December 159:00 AM 3:00 PMSenior High Knowledge BowlRound Robins

Monday, December 295:00 PM 8:00 PMSSC Board Meeting


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Cooperative Connection isa publication of theSoutheast ServiceCooperative, published fourtimes per year formembers, associates, andthe general public .

Southeast ServiceCooperative

210 Wood Lake Drive SERochester, MN 55904Phone (507) 288 1282Fax (507) 288 7663

Office Hours:Monday Friday8 AM 4:30 PM

For updated informationand news, visitwww.ssc.coop

Southeast Service Cooperative210 Wood Lake Drive SERochester, MN 55904ph (507) 288-1282 - fax (507) 288-7663http://www.ssc.coop

NONPROFIT ORGUS POSTAGE

PAIDROCHESTER MNPERMIT NO 129

We want to be there when you call, so try dialing us directly atthe numbers below. Our voice mail system allows you to leave adetailed message if the person you’re calling isn’t able to answer rightaway. If you don’t know who you need to talk with, dial (507) 288-1282and one of our staff or our auto-attendant will direct you from there. To send a fax dial (507) 288-7663.

Call toll free, 1-800-657-6996, then an option:1 . . .Cooperative Purchasing2 . . .Dental Reimbursement3 . . .Staff Development4 . . .EHSM5 . . .Student Academics & Conferences

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name phone email service areaKatie Cunningham . . . .(507) 281-6667 . [email protected] . . . .Program Assistant Amy Grover . . . . . . . . .(507) 281-6693 . [email protected] . . . . . . . . .Program and Planning ManagerChris Hancock . . . . . . .(507) 281-6671 . . [email protected] . . . . . . .Accounting AssistantHeidi Knepper . . . . . . .(507) 281-6669 . [email protected] . . . . . . .School Improvement CoordinatorKari Kubicek . . . . . . . . .(507) 281-6668 . [email protected] . . . . . . . .Program CoordinatorKirsten Kuehl . . . . . . . .(507 281-6670 . . [email protected] . . . . . . . . .Instructional Services Coordinator Nicole LaChapelle . . . .(507) 281-6674 . . [email protected] . . . . . .Communications and Program AssistantDick Riley . . . . . . . . . .(507) 281-6666 . . [email protected] . . . . . . . . . .Program AssistantSuzanne Riley . . . . . . .(507) 281-6673 . . [email protected] . . . . . . . . . .Executive DirectorShelley Rinkel . . . . . . .(507) 281-6672 . [email protected] . . . . . . . . .Administrative Assistant/TrainerDiane Schwinghammer .(507) 281-6683 . [email protected] .Lead School Improvement CoordinatorBob Tweten . . . . . . . . .(507) 281-6663 . . [email protected] . . . . . . . .Health and Safety ConsultantDale Walston . . . . . . . .(507) 281-6675 . [email protected] . . . . . . . .Director of Operations

SSC ConsultantsBill Colopoulos . . . . . . .(612) 987-4155 . . [email protected] .Insurance Consultant Lesley Hauser . . . . . . .(507) 281-6684 . . [email protected] . . . . . . . .School Improvement Consultant Roger Jones . . . . . . . . .(507) 286-7807 . . [email protected] . . . . . .Human Resource Mgmt Consultant

IEA (Institute for Environmental Assessment)Thad Dahling . . . . . . . .(507) 281-6680 . [email protected] . . . . .Environmental TechnicianNeal Forde . . . . . . . . . .(507) 281-6665 . [email protected] . . . . .Project ManagerBruce Huffer . . . . . . . .(507) 281-6681 . [email protected] . . . .Facility ConsultantNatalie Nagel . . . . . . . .(507) 281-6688 . [email protected] . . .Administrative AssistantAngie Radel . . . . . . . . .(5070 281-6682 . [email protected] . . . .Senior Field TechnicianPat Weir . . . . . . . . . . .(507) 281-6677 . [email protected] . . . . .Regional Manager

SSC is a 2008 Recipient ofthe Alfred P. Sloan Awardfor Business Excellence inWorkplace Flexibility.

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