Teacher Education/Special Education Latest News
Important Information from Meredith Lopez, UCTE Academic Advisor:
Welcome back! And if this is your first semester with us, welcome to the School of Education & Human Development! I hope this edition finds you having a great start to your fall semester.
Office Calendar/Schedule
Please note that our main SSC office is now on official fall schedule and is open 8-5:30pm M-Thursday and 8-5pm Fridays. You can reach an Academic Advisor for appointments or questions by calling 303-315-4980 or emailing Meredith.lopez@ucdenver.edu.
Switch Week
For Internship I students, you will begin Internship II the week of Oct. 10th. During that week, you will have a break from classes before your next block starts, but are expected to be in internship.
In addition, on Tuesday Oct. 11, you will be coming to the 2nd Professional Learning Day at UCD that will be focused on deepening your understanding of community-based organizations and thinking about how you use that knowledge as a resource to further support students academically and socially.
For Internship III students, you will not begin your full 5 days a week portion of your internship until the week of October 24.
Don’t Forget Your New Email Account
As you may know, this summer ITS migrated student email from the @email.ucdenver.edu to a new @ucdenver.edu system using Microsoft’s Windows Live service.
Although students have been told they need to claim their new email account, many have not.
As a result, students who have not gone through the process to claim their new email account will not have access to any email sent to them from either eCollege or Blackboard.
To ensure that your students are receiving important email communication you might send, please encourage them to claim their new email accounts here.
Also, students who had previously set up email forward from their official university email accounts to some other address (such as Gmail) will have to re-establish those forwards. No email forwarding was migrated to the new system.
If you have questions about the email migration or about email in general, please contact the ITS help desk at: 303-724-4357
For inquires related to Blackboard and eCollege, please contact us!
CU Online Helpdesk, 303.315.3700, cuonlinehelp@ucdenver.edu
ID Cards
Student IDs and validation of current IDs (to obtain a semester sticker for city transportation) may be obtained in the Commuter Resource Center, Tivoli, room 269. Proof of tuition payment or class schedule (with your name and/or student ID# printed on the schedule) and a current picture ID are required.
Attention Special Education Teacher Candidates (on the job internship applications):
The internship element of the special education licensure program provides the opportunity for you to connect theory to practice and is essential to your success in the program. With this in mind, please review the following information regarding the process for internship application for all “one-the-job” and alternative internship experiences and the reminder of the submission dates. A completed internship application must be submitted for all internships that are completed outside of a UCD partner school.
If you are intending to complete a special education internship outside of a UCD partner school during the Spring term of 2012, your completed application materials must be submitted to your special education faculty advisor by October 1st, 2011 for approval.
To ensure that each of your internship experiences provides you with varied professional opportunities to apply your skills in natural settings, and to enlarge the range of strategies you bring to the classroom, please remember to plan ahead and communicate with your advisor regarding internship requirements. All teacher candidates in the special education endorsement program are expected to demonstrate knowledge and skill with students of varying age and grade levels, so a range of internship experiences will be designed individually between you and your advisor. Please note the submission dates for each semester:
- March 1st for Summer internships
- May 1st for Fall internships
- October 1st for Spring internships
Please contact Meredith Lopez in the Student Services Center if you need assistance in contacting your faculty advisor – meredith.lopez@ucdenver.edu
Spotlights
Thank you edWeb Teacher Leaders!
A big shout out to the PDS Teacher Candidates who attended the edWeb Training on Friday August 19. These leaders were trained in the capabilities and functions of the edWeb. Launching this platform includes building communities for each of the PDS Schools, training other members of their respective cohorts including Site Coordinators and Site Professors, maintaining a calendar of events, inviting their colleagues into the community and training them in how to navigate the edWeb platform and how to utilize the Document Library, the Chat Room, Discussion Forum as well as the blogs. Thank you Teacher Leaders. You are instrumental in moving online learning to the next level of use. It was an awesome training.
Diane Hageman, Site Professor/edWeb Project Coordinator
Congratulations to UCTE Faculty, Bud Talbot!
Bud has received official notification of award for the NSF Noyce grant to prepare future secondary science teachers. This will be a great springboard to launch us into building our science teacher education program.
Helen Polatsek-Holmes
Helen Polatsek-Holmes has begun her first year teaching fifth grade this fall at Cherry Drive Elementary. Helen was a teacher candidate who completed her internships at Cherry Drive last year, and we are honored to have Helen join our staff this year. With one week under her belt, she is already a teacher leader. Our staff has just started reading the book Understanding by Design as professional book study. Helen was able to share her experience and expertise with the Understanding by Design principles she learned in her pedagogy classes and implemented in her TWS. It was gratifying to see a first year teacher make a strong contribution to our professional discussion.
When I visited her in her classroom the second day of school everything was running smoothly. I asked if there was anything she needed and she replied, “No I feel completely prepared. Everything I learned at UCD has prepared me for this and I’m loving it” Of course, we both know there will be challenges ahead and times she will feel overwhelmed. However, I think it speaks volumes about the quality of the UCTE program and the competence of the Teacher Candidates that complete the program. Congratulations, Helen on a job well done! We wish you the very best in your career!
Jennifer Harvey, Site Coordinator, Cherry Drive Elementary School, Adams 12
Welcome Parr to the Partnership!
I wanted to drop you a note to let you know how impressed we are with all of our Teacher Candidates. They have all jumped right in and are doing a fabulous job in the classrooms and with their teachers.
Thanks~
Troy Brickley, Principal, Parr Elementary
Former Montview Teacher Honored, Monica Kirkegaard
The Colorado Council of Teachers of Mathematics has recognized Lansing Elementary School teacher Monica Kirkegaard with the 2011 CCTM Award for Outstanding Teaching and Leadership.
Kirkegaard began in APS as a student teacher at Montview Elementary and taught at Tollgate Elementary before landing at Lansing.
She will be recognized at the 2011 CCTM Conference in October.
Kirkegaard feels “extremely honored and blessed” to win this award. “I have pushed myself each year to learn more and become a better instructor in the classroom,” she said.
CCTM is an affiliate of the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics (NCTM), the largest professional organization of math teachers nationwide. Aside from promoting excellence and leadership in math, CCTM also advocates for mathematics education with other professional organizations and the community at large.
Article can be found here.
Mindful Reflection, by Dr. Barbara Dray
Sent to: Barbara Dray
I was looking through the CEC website for an article to read for another class and noticed your “Mindful Reflection” article in this month’s TEC edition. Congratulations! I just read it and think it is excellent. I will be recommending it to my classmates and plan to keep it in mind as I am working with students at my internship this semester. Figure 1 will be particularly helpful – I have printed it out to keep in my notebook and will refer to it often as I consider the actions of my students. I also found the differentiation between “description, interpretation and evaluation” on page 30 to be thought provoking. Finally, the tiny example of adding movement to the think pair share activity (p. 34) was so simple, yet powerful in validating one student’s learning style. Thanks for the great ideas!
Terese Hutchins, Dual Elementary and Special Education TC
Check It Out!
Auraria CEC (Council for Exceptional Children)
Welcome back to school from Auraria Student Council for Exceptional Children! Take a break from your busy class load and join us for a short meeting to kick off a new semester. On Monday, September 12th we will be meeting from 4 – 5pm in WC 259. It will be a great opportunity to meet with fellow students, make connections, and enjoys some delicious snacks. Friends and children are welcome as always and we can’t wait to see you there.
Our professional development speaker is TBD.
For more information you can contact Elisabeth at eobrien9@mscd.edu or visit us on Facebook.
Crosswalks Care Package
Content and instructional resources for providers of professional development related to culture, language, diversity, and responsive practices. Click here to see it!
Sample of Crosswalks:
September Play for Life: Exploring the Lifelong Benefits of Inclusive Play
22-23, 2011 This thought-provoking, two-day symposium will examine the importance of play for people of all ages and abilities. Participants will learn from a group of inclusion leaders from around the country about all of the dimensions of inclusive play, inclusive recreation, music and more. The symposium will be held at the Sheraton Minneapolis West Hotel in Minnetonka, MN. For more details, registration and accommodations visit here.
Education Week Spotlight
A great resource for teachers in their first and second years! Check it out here.
Equity in Education Film Festival
Click here for more information. And click here for flier.
Urban Community Teacher Education clothing available for purchase:
Teacher candidates, faculty and staff associated with the Urban Community Teacher Education program now have the option of purchasing clothing to show off your pride for the program! Teacher candidate Kate Underhill, along with other classmates, selected the brands and slogans on the polos, t-shirts, long-sleeved t-shirts and hoodies. They’re perfect for use in your Professional Development School, or when you’re out and about in the community. Items will be shipped directly to the School, and dispersed from here.
To order, please follow these steps:
- Please go to www.mtnstatesspecialties.com
- Click on the “Gift Store” link on the top toolbar
- Click on the CU Denver UCTE Program link on the left side of the tool bar
- Add items of interest to your cart and select Shipping method ” CU Denver Deliver at $0.00″
- Although it requires a shipping address to checkout – the shirts will be shipped directly to the School of Education and distributed to you.
If you have any questions or concerns, please contact Julia Cummings at Julia.Cummings@ucdenver.edu.
Job/Volunteer Opportunities
Seeking Female Piano Teacher
I work for a local piano studio and we’re looking to hire a part-time piano teacher, someone with an education background or degree instead of a typical classical piano background.
We were thinking a college student or recent grad from the educational/child development world might be perfect, but we’re not sure how to reach out to schools like UC-Denver to let students and alumni know about the position.
Click here for job posting.
Any help would be greatly appreciated!
All the best,
Family in Littleton Seeking Care-Taker
My name is Sarah Jensen, I finished UCD’s IPTE program in December. I provided day care for three children (2nd, 3rd & 6th grade) while I was going through the Elementary Education Program last year but had to stop when I got my license and a full-time job. The family, based in Littleton, is looking for a new care-taker with no luck. The position is in the family’s Littleton home and would be after-school care, from 2:30PM until 6:00PM (possibly earlier). The family can pay $10/hour.
The children need someone who is caring and strong; they recently went through a traumatic loss of their father and the children are trying to navigate through elementary and middle school. The youngest child is struggling with reading and would benefit from reading support. If any TCs are interested in providing after-school care for these remarkable children, they can e-mail Natasha Phipps at: wheezybird@msn.com to hopefully set up an interview.
Thank You!
Sarah Jensen-Dempster, ArtReach, Inc.
Arts Enrichment and Camp Coordinator
303.433.2882 ext. 223 www.artreachdenver.org
Hope Communities Seeking Site Coordinators and Tutors (Hiring by Current TC!)
I’m writing to see if you might be able to help me advertise some new job opportunities for college students.. This month I have received a promotion in my part-time job at Hope Communities, and now I am in charge of managing and hiring the Site Coordinators and Tutors for two after-school property locations this year. Last year, during my first year of the UCTE grad program, I was the Site Coordinator for Hidden Brook’s STRIVE Program (Students Turning Responsibility into Valuable Experience). I ran it after-school and all summer, and I was given the freedom to develop curriculum/activities/field trips on my own…which meant I took many of the wonderful things I learned in my classes and internship and used them to help students in my program! It’s a dream job for any student in the Urban Education department. The leadership, exposure to multiple cultures & languages, and the opportunity to gain classroom management skills while seeing students outside of the typical school setting are all aspects that have helped me grow immensely as a future teacher. STRIVE provides for 18+ students in grades 1-7 at each location, and many of the students are refugees from Burma, Thailand, India & Africa. All of the students at Hidden Brook attend Place Bridge Academy, which was amazing for me because my internship site was at Ryan Elementary in Jeffco, and they two populations are completely different…it really opened up my eyes to the wide variety of challenges/opportunities kids face.
Since I’m beginning year 2 of the UCTE program, I won’t be able to drive to Hidden Brook every day after school like I did last year. Instead I took a role in Hope’s office, based out of Five Points, and will be hiring all of the staff to be on-site instead of me. I will also be opening up the same program at one of our other properties, Elm Park. Both facilities provide low-income housing and free tutoring for residents. I was wondering if we could advertise these positions in your TC Newsfeed, and also have them posted to the job board of the Education Department if there is one. I would like quality students who want the responsibility of keeping the program running strong! I know many students in our program do not work because of the rigorous course work, but I believe it can be easily balanced as long as students are undergrads or in their first year of grad school.
On a final note, I was hoping to hire tutors and site coordinators as soon as possible. I’d like all applications to be turned in by the 14th, but if your newsfeed comes out after that I’d be happy to extend so people have a chance to apply. Please let me know if you have any additional questions/concerns, and if it is possible to advertise these positions. Thanks!
Have a great day.
Manager of Youth Education Programs
Hope Communities
2543 California Street
Denver, CO 80205
303.860.7747
UNICEF Seeking Volunteers
Click here for flier.
Stapleton All Sports in Denver Seeking Coaches
My name is Gabe Hurley and I am the owner/program director for Stapleton All Sports in Denver. We run year-round sports programs for kids ages 4-10. We are always looking for athletic, energetic coaches that enjoy working with kids. We also work closely with the elementary schools out here and would be able to set up opportunities for students to volunteer doing lunchtime/recess supervision.
I have contacted you previously, and please let someone else I should be sending this information to. We will begin our Fall Programs in late August which will include the activities below. Please let me know if you would be interested in passing this along to your students, or if you need any more information from me. Thank you!
*Fall Programs ($15/hour all programs)
League Flag Football (kids ages 7-10)–Mondays
Football Skills (kids ages 4-6)–Tuesdays
Cheer/Dance (girls ages 4-10)–Mondays
Soccer Skills (kids ages 4-10)–Wednesdays
*All programs to be held at Westerly Creek Elementary in the Stapleton Community in Denver, 4:15 & 5:30 games and practices
Gabe Hurley, Program Director
Stapleton All Sports, LLC.
www.stapletonallsports.com
stapletonallsports@gmail.com
720.985.6642 (c)
Aurora Central High School Seeking Math Teachers
Contact Gayle Egloff if interested!
Woodland Park HS Seeking Science Teachers
There is a posted job opening at Woodland Park High School. It is for Chem/EarthSci, and they would be immersed in the Flipped Classroom concept. The online application and details are available at here.
Click here more information on the Flipped Classroom model visit.
Jerry Overmyer
Mathematics and Science Outreach Coordinator
MAST Institute
University of Northern Colorado
1-970-351-1512
1-800-866-6278