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Roughrider Education Services Program Issue 1
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Welcome to the first edition of our
RESP Activity Bulletin! The purpose of
the newsletter is simply another
method of communication with our
stakeholders highlighting activities
and happenings in the RESP. We
currently communicate through
meetings whether they be Governing
Board, Executive Committee or
Administrator meetings, in addition to
e-mail messages. Those methods will
of course continue and the news-
letter will be one more method of
keeping our membership informed.
We plan to publish this newsletter on
a bi-weekly basis, every other
Tuesday starting today, January 14th,
2014. It will be sent to all member
school district administrators,
principals and governing board
representatives. We ask that it be
shared and forwarded to teachers
and to school board members.
Sub-Director Position - I want to thank
the RESP for the opportunity to serve
you and look forward to working with
you in the interim while you seek a
permanent director. I fully understand
the RESP’s long history of providing
services to schools in a collaborative
method to support the best educa-
tion opportunities to its members. In
fact, the RESP began as a group of
individual school districts working
together before the state became
involved, then became JPAs and now
REAs. The RESP was looked upon by the
other REAs in the state, and by me
when I began service at the MREC, as
a kind of a “light house” on how an
education service agency should
operate. I plan to do as much as I can
to keep the proud tradition of the RESP.
I officially began serving the RESP as a
two-day/week substitute director in
January of this year, but did some very
preliminary work in December. One of
the things I did in December was to
write a letter to the membership
introducing myself and gave my
contact information. In that letter, I
gave you an e-mail address. That
e-mail has not been operative and
now my current working e-mail address
Professional Development – GOOD
NEWS! We are welcoming Ms. Janine
Olson to RESP as our interim
PD/Educational Facilitator. She began
her new duties on Monday, January
13th. Janine facilitated the RESP grade-
level meetings this fall and received
very positive reviews from the partici-
pants. As many of you know, Janine
serves as the Superintendent of
Lonetree-Golva School District on a
part-time basis and will be able to
work two-days/week in her new
position at the RESP. We continue
to advertise for a FT position, and
through Succeed 2020 funding we
were able to have Janine’s services
while continuing to secure a per-
manent person.
The goal of this service is to provide
to member districts, professional
development based on the
individual school district goals and
priorities. Janine will be able to work
with school leadership teams and
staff to facilitate tailored pro-
fessional development. Watch for
more information from Janine on
this very important endeavor!
Executive Committee Meeting –
As you know, we cancelled the
planned Governing Board Meeting
that was scheduled for January 8th,
2014 and held an Executive
Committee meeting in its place
(meeting notes will be distributed
by the end of this week.) I want to
thank the leadership at RESP for
allowing these changes. I had only
been working with the RESP a very
short time before the Governing
Board was to meet, and so my
learning curve was very high and
preparing for a Governing Board
meeting would have been difficult.
Activity Bulletin IN THIS ISSUE:
Sub-Director Notes
Message from Mr. Tom Conlon
Succeed 2020 Professional Development Update
Career Expo - March 18th
ND DPI Grant Opportunity LEGO Robotics
Greetings from Tom Conlon
Roughrider Education Services Program Issue 1
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In addition, we did not have any
time sensitive action items for the full
board to approve. When we call a
full Governing Board Meeting, we
want to have that meeting be
purposeful so that the participants
see the value of driving such long
distances to attend the meeting.
RESP/MREC Exploration – An oversight
committee between the RESP and
MREC met in December to plan dis-
cuss whether or not we should
continue our independence, or to
enhance collaboration between the
two REA’s, or to begin discussions of a
future merge. Issues were identified
and four sub-committees were formed
to address the pros and cons of each
possibility. The sub-committees are
presently meeting and will prepare a
written overview of their topic and a
recommendation for the future which
will be given to the oversight commit-
tee by the end of January. The over-
sight committee will review the re-
ports at their meeting February 10,
and compile a report for the RESP
Governing Board Meeting February
12, and the MREC GB Meeting Feb-
ruary 19. (Please see the minutes of
that committee meeting for more
information).
(continued from page 1)
Volunteers Needed!
We are looking for volunteers and participants from southwest North Dakota businesses for the categories listed below. If you know someone who would be interested or you feel would be a great addition to this event, please contact Brittany at 701.483.0999 or [email protected].
Discussion/Informational Session: Give a presentation to 10+ students on facts about your pro-fession the fun that comes with the job! What kind of education is required? Inform students about what it takes to be successful in your field. Hands-On/Interaction Booth: Businesses are invited to set-up an interactive booth where the students can view and experience what happens on a day-to-day basis in a particular field. Sponsorship: Help sponsor this event by donating gift certificates, company items or by volunteering your time! Companies will receive advertisement in the form of t-shirts, radio, newspaper and mailings.
The Roughrider Education Services Program and Succeed 2020 are
holding the annual Southwest North Dakota Career Expo on
March 18th, 2014 at Dickinson State University. The mission of this event
is to engage, enlighten and educate area sophomores and juniors
on career fields that they wish to study in college, or seek after high
school graduation. Following is an outline of the day:
Morning Session Students will attend and participate in presentations from their top two (2) career-cluster choices. We are changing the format slightly this year, by exposing students to groups of “like” career fields instead of singular professions.
Lunch All students, faculty and volunteers will be treated to a delicious Italian buffet free of charge!
Afternoon Session Students will attend a ninety (90) minute session in Weinbergen Gymnasium where they will visit hands-on booths and displays from regional businesses.
All students who complete a post-survey at the
end of the day will be entered to win fantastic
prizes such as a Kindle Fire HD, headphones
from Beats by Dre and MORE!
Roughrider Education Services Program Issue 1
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Back in December the North Dakota
Department of Public Instruction (ND
DPI) announced that they were
reallocating unspent 2012-2013
Title II discretionary funds to support
professional development provided
by the state’s Regional Education
Associations (REA’s). This provided an
opportunity to offer high-quality
professional development for
teachers and principals on topics
such as Common Core Standards,
leadership training, mentoring, or
other relevant topics.
The RESP has submitted a proposal
that would allow us to provide
professional development for
elementary and secondary teachers
and principals on the use and
integration of technology into their
curricula instruction. The key to
integration is finding the right
program that will not only engage
students, but challenge their
creativity and inspire discovery and
innovation through exploration. The
RESP believes that this can be
achieved by training our educators
on how to incorporate the LEGO
Education program into their districts
and classrooms.
LEGO Education is a captivating
and innovative hands-on
approach to teaching and
learning technology, mathematics,
science and language concepts
for all grade-levels. It not only
aligns with the current Common
Core State Standards, but
advances existing curriculum by
providing a
greater under-
standing and
development of
key concepts and academic
principles through the use of age-
appropriate technology. By utilizing
this program educators will success-
fully meet all of the ISTE National
Education Technology Standards for
teachers and students.
A series of workshops would be pro-
vided targeted specifically at
elementary (K-5) and secondary
(6-12) levels. We hope to know the
status of our request by the end of
this week (January 17th, 2014.)
Professional Development Grant Opportunity
On Monday, December 9th, 2013,
the secondary Math professional
development was held on the
campus of the Bowman County
School District. RESP Succeed 2020
would like to extend heartfelt thanks
to Bowman County for hosting the
professional development!
RESP Succeed 2020 is collaborating
with Greater Northwest Education
Cooperative (GNWEC) to provide
on-site, school specific common
core professional development as
a pilot program to Richardton-
Taylor School District. Ms. Shannon
Faller of GNWEC has completed
surveying Richardton-Taylor’s needs
and we are completing the
agenda for the day! On February
14th, 2014 (hmmm, Valentine’s Day!)
Richardton-Taylor School District
educators will participate in their
first on-site, school specific profes-
sional development! We will keep
you posted on the day’s events!
A thank you to all school boards
who have given of their valuable
time to grant me time on their
agenda as I continue to visit school
boards across the REA. This is an
opportunity for your school board
members to input suggestions, ask
questions and hear about what
Succeed 2020 is doing to assist your
schools and students. My goal is to
reach out to all school districts
before year’s end.
- Ms. Yvonn Weigel Succeed 2020 Project Director
College & Career Readiness
Why Apply? is a website sponsored
by Bank of North Dakota's College
Planning Center. It features a series
of videos and content that address-
es the real-life challenges of today's
Native American youth. Families will
find information on choosing a
college, preparing and paying for
college and campus life. Find more
information at whyapplynd.nd.gov.
Seniors in high school can apply for
the "You're the REAL DEAL" Scholar-
ship. DEAL Student Loan, the state-
sponsored student loan program
through Bank of North Dakota, is
sponsoring the scholarship. Every
month through March 2014, eight (8)
seniors will be awarded $500 schol-
arships. In April, they will have the
opportunity to compete for a $3,000
scholarship. To apply, visit dealstudentloans.com.
Project Director Report
Roughrider Education Services Program Issue 1
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“The function of education is to teach one to think intensively and to think critically. Intelligence
plus character - that is the goal of true education.”
- Martin Luther King, Jr.
Upcoming Events January 20 DSU Winter In-Service DSU Campus 8-3
January 20 Administrator Conference Hawk’s Point DSU 8-3
February 4 NDSBA Medication Training Hawk’s Point DSU 8-4
February 12 Administrative Board Meeting DSU Student Center 130-3
February 12 Governing Board Meeting DSU Student Center 3-5
February 14 Prof. Development Richardton-Taylor School District TBA
February 17 RESP Office Closed - -
February 18 Principal’s Leadership Series Hawk’s Point DSU 8-3
February 26 I-Station Training Cowboy Hall of Fame: Medora TBA
March 18 Career Expo DSU Campus 8-3
For more information on any of the events listed or discussed in this newsletter, please
feel free to contact our office at 701.483.0999. Our hours are Monday-Friday from
8 am — 4 pm MST, with the office closed for lunch hour from 12-1.
Roughrider Education Services Program 300 13th Avenue West, Suite 6C
Dickinson, ND 58601
T: 701.483.0999 F: 701.483.0998
Roughrider Education Services Program Issue 1
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MINUTES RESP & MREC Exploration Committee Meeting
December 17th, 2013 / 6:30 pm – 7:45 pm CST
Pizza Pantry – Hebron, ND
Tuesday, December 17th, 2013 | 6:30 pm – 7:45 pm CST | Meeting called to order by Tom Conlon
In Attendance MREC: Lyle Krueger, MREC Coordinator – [email protected] Evelyn Alt, MREC Governing Board Chair – [email protected] Brandt Dick, Lead Administrator – [email protected] Mike Ness, Administrator – [email protected]
RESP: Maurice Hardy, RESP Interim Director – [email protected] Kevin Nelson, Administrator – [email protected] Denise Soehren, Administrator – [email protected] Sharon Holder, Governing Board Member – [email protected]
Other: Tom Conlon, Chair – MREC and RESP – [email protected] Erin Krause, Recorder – RESP – [email protected]
Discussion Mr. Conlon opened the meeting at 6:30 pm CST. Conversation was held to identify discussion topics that need to be addressed
and the corresponding subcommittees that would need to be formed. It was assured that any decision made would not be an
emotional one, but a well thought-out and researched one. Both REAs don’t want to look back and realize that they should
have taken the chance to explore their opportunities when it was present.
The notable differences between the two REAs were examined:
Governance: The RESP Governing Board is comprised of eighteen (18) school board members, each represent-
ing their RESP member district. Administrators are invited to attend the governing board meet-
ings but they do not hold voting power. Each school district pays a yearly membership fee of
$1,000 as well as $200/FTE teacher fee.
As MREC grew the governing board was changed five (5) years ago to a representative govern-
ance consisting of one member each for the NE section, NW section, SE section, SW section,
Bismarck/Mandan schools, graded elementary schools and one at-large member. Their board also
contains six (6) non-voting administrative representatives. Each school district pays a $500 yearly
membership fee with a charge for some services.
Services & Geography: Both REAs have services that have been successful in their districts, so this committee will have to
look closely at them and how they could be improved upon. If a merger was to take place, the
office in Dickinson would need to remain open in order to service the SW North Dakota school
districts.
CTE: Both REAs received the state CTE grant, but the program within RESP (RACTC) is independently
ran in Hebron, has their own governance board and does not need to consult with RESP. MREC
houses and manages their CTE program internally. How do these come together? Will the state
only allow ONE grant if the two REAs merge? Mr. Conlon stated that he has researched that issue
and it looks as though the state is saying that there could be two separate monies if the REAs
were to merge.
Roughrider Education Services Program Issue 1
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Succeed 2020: Both REAs received the Succeed 2020 grant in the first year it was offered, and both pro-grams are in their second year. The question arises again as to what will happen to both grants if RESP and MREC merge? Will they remain separate? Will the RESP grant dissolve?
Sub-committees The topic of subcommittees was discussed with the following results below. It was decided that each sub-committee
will have to decide on their own when to meet, how to meet (i.e. in person, video conference, etc.) and who will record
the meeting. Each committee will have to compile a final report including history/background, strengths and weak-
nesses and recognized issues and strategies to resolve those issues. Along with thisc pros and cons should be thought
out and recorded in terms of 1) merging the two REAs 2) more collaboration between the two REAs and 3) keeping
both REAs separate. The last piece of the final report should include a recommendation for future action (i.e. merging,
collaborating or remaining separate.)
This process needs to be completed and presented no later than March 1st, 2014 in order to allow time for RESP
member schools to decide if they wish to remain in RESP for the 2014-2015 school year. A timeline was developed in
order to ensure this:
January 10th: by this date each sub-committee is to have held their first meeting
January 31st: by this date all final sub-committee reports are finalized and submitted to the MREC/RESP Director
February 10th: The Exploration Committee will meet at 3:30 CST via video conference to go over the final reports
February 18th: RESP holds Special Governing Board meeting to go over reports and make a decision as to
whether or not they would like to continue with the RESP/MREC Exploration Committee.
GOVERNANCE: Dues, By-laws & Budget
Chair: Bob Tollefson – Superintendent, McClusky ([email protected]) – 701.363.2470 Members: John Jankowski – Superintendent, Wing ([email protected]) - 701-943-2319 Stacey Kessel – RESP Governing Board Member ([email protected]) – 701.260.1262 Tony Krebs – RESP Governing Board Member (no email) – 701.575.8660 Brent Bautz – Superintendent, Richardton-Taylor ([email protected]) – 701.974.2111
SERVCIES & GEOGRAPHY
Chair: Tony Duletski - Superintendent, Bowman County ([email protected]) – 701.523.3283 Members: Todd Kaylor - Superintendent, Beulah ([email protected]) – 701.873.2261
Adam Hill - Superintendent, Hettinger ([email protected]) – 701.567.5315 Brad Webster - Superintendent, Ashley ([email protected]) – 701.288.3456
CTE Chair: Kevin Nelson - Superintendent, Hebron ([email protected]) – 701.878.4442 Members: Larry Sebastian – Director, RACTC ([email protected]) – 701.878.4442 Doug Vannurden – Asst. Director, MRACTC ([email protected]) – 701.751.4041 Bill Strasser – IT, GWN ([email protected]) – 701.462.8260 Jeff Lind - Asst. Superintendent, Mandan ([email protected]) – 701.751.6500 Al Bjornson - Superintendent, Linton ([email protected]) – 701.254.4138
SUCCEED 2020 Chair: Lyle Krueger – Coordinator, MREC ([email protected]) – 701.751.4041 Members: Louise Dardis – Program Manager, Succeed 2020 ([email protected]) – 701.331.4083 Yvonn Weigel – Project Director, RESP Succeed 2020 ([email protected]) 701.483.0999 Bill Gion – RESP Governing Board Chair ([email protected]) – 701.690.7633
Barb Kady - Superintendent, Wilton ([email protected]) – 701.734.6331