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Secretary Schopp sat down with School Administrators of South Dakota’s Rob Monson to talk about the department’s aspirations for the future.
2013 legislative session begins Tuesday
The 2013 Legislative Session gets underway on Jan. 8 with the Governor’s State of the State address beginning at 1 p.m. (Central). You can listen in via South Dakota Public Broadcasting. You can also follow any education-related bills by visiting the Legislative Research Council’s webpage.



Final public draft of Next Generation Science Standards to be released Jan. 8
A second draft of the Next Generation Science Standards is scheduled to be made available for comment on Tuesday, Jan. 8. South Dakota was one of 26 lead states involved in development of the standards. Click here for more information.



Farm to Schools grant winners announced
Congratulations to Flandreau Indian School on its successful Farm to Schools grant application. Flandreau received a planning grant for $39,463.
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Upcoming Events



Common Core Standards for Literacy in History/Social Studies, Science and Technical Subjects
Jan. 10 – Feb. 27, 2013, Multiple locations statewide

The South Dakota Department of Education is providing workshops for the Common Core State Standards for Literacy in History/Social Studies, Science and Technical Subjects. Teachers of all content areas for grades 6-12 are welcome to attend. Participants will learn foundational components found in Common Core for ALL content areas. The workshops will include understanding of the standards as well as strategies for implementation.

Social Studies/History, Art, Music & World Language Training Dates
Jan. 10 – Rapid City, Best Western Ramkota
Jan. 18 – Pierre, AmericInn
Jan. 23 – Rapid City, Best Western Ramkota
Jan. 25 – Pierre, AmericInn
Jan. 29 – Aberdeen, Best Western Ramkota
Jan. 30 – Mobridge, Pizza Ranch
Feb. 1 – Watertown, Watertown Event Center
Feb. 4 – Plankinton, Plankinton School District
Feb. 7 – Huron, Crossroads
Feb. 25 – Sioux Falls, East Dakota Education Cooperative
Feb. 26 – Sioux Falls, East Dakota Education Cooperative
Feb. 27 – Mobridge, Pizza Ranch

Science & Technical Subjects Training Dates
Jan. 10 – Rapid City, Best Western Ramkota
Jan. 18 – Pierre, AmericInn
Jan. 23 – Rapid City, Best Western Ramkota
Jan. 25 – Pierre, AmericInn
Jan. 28 – Sioux Falls, East Dakota Education Cooperative
Jan. 29 – Sioux Falls, East Dakota Education Cooperative
Jan. 29 – Aberdeen, Best Western Ramkota
Jan. 30 – Mobridge, Wrangler Inn
Feb. 1 – Watertown, Watertown Event Center
Feb. 4 – Plankinton, Plankinton School District
Feb. 7 – Huron, Crossroads
Feb. 27 – Mobridge, Wrangler Inn

Deadline for registrations is two weeks prior to the training date, and a minimum of 20 participants is required. Graduate credit is available. Click here to find times, location and registration information for all workshop dates.


South Dakota Board of Education meeting
Jan. 14, Pierre

More information regarding this regularly scheduled meeting will be provided on the Board of Education’s webpage as it becomes available.


Work-Based Learning Opportunities Training
Jan. 22, 2013, Pierre

NOTE: This session was advertised in last month’s issue with a date of Jan. 23. That date has been changed to Jan. 22 because of scheduling conflicts with the presenters.

Learn all about Entrepreneurship Experience, Senior Experience, Service Learning and Youth Internship, strategies for implementation and resources to get started. This training is designed for those who are new to work-based learning or those who would like to revise their current program to meet high school graduation requirements.

This training is designed for the teams of educators that will be implementing Capstone experiences or Service Learning. Plan to bring individuals that will be involved locally – teachers, administrators, counselors and/or community partners. All team members should bring a laptop to the training.

Beginning in school year 2013-14, schools must offer a Capstone Experience (Senior Experience, Youth Internship or Entrepreneurship Experience) OR Service Learning. Not all of the options have to be offered, though a school could choose to offer them all if they wish.

Check out the DOE Calendar of Events for more information.


Dependent on the Environment videoconference series
Jan. 28 – March 18, 2013, via DDN

South Dakota Game, Fish and Parks will be offering a series of free videoconference courses geared toward teachers of grades 4-8 through the Outdoor Campus in Rapid City. The courses will be held from 5 to 8 p.m. (Central) every Monday from Jan. 28 until March 18.

The series will feature four topics, each of which will take two weeks to complete. College credit will be available at the cost of $45 per credit hour for participants who complete at least two of the lessons or four weeks total. Those who participate in all eight weeks will have the option to purchase two college credits. Teaching materials corresponding to each lesson will be provided to participants free of charge.

Participants will experience new interactive ways to help young learners understand living creatures’ dependence on the environment. Project topics include:
Water Education for Teachers (Jan. 28 – Feb 4.)
South Dakota Ag in the Classroom (Feb. 11-18)
Project Wild: SD Game, Fish & Parks (Feb. 25 – March 11)
Project Learning Tree South Dakota (March 11-18)

Course offerings are made possible through the sale of hunting and fishing licenses. Please register early so nearby DDN locations can be reserved. For more information or to register, email Nico Red Horse or call (605) 362-2777.