The Blueberry Story by Jamie Vollmer is one of my favorite stories and messages.  The main message is that public schools get all the blueberries......the rotten, sour, big, small, smelly.  Each and every day, you are challenged and charged to educate every student that comes to your corporation....aka the blueberries.  I have said many times that "We get all the blueberries....."

Keep doing great things for your students (blueberries)!

Member Testimonial

John Glenn School Corporation recently shared the story of their successful integration with their financial software and our K12Indiana/Spendbridge Cooperative Purchasing Platform. 

By taking advantage of the full functionality of the system, they were able to not only save their district money, but time! 

To read their story and learn how your district can take advantage of this program, click below:

Full Story

State QPA=Purchasing Power

The state of Indiana has partnered with K12/Spendbridge to provide you with a discounted catalog of 5,000 plus items. 

In one, easy location, you can access competitively bid pricing on hundreds of items. 

Office Depot is one of the catalogs utilized by the John Glenn School Corporation who provided us with this issue's member testimonial.

See how this vendor can help your district!!

 

Field Trip Meals

Remember if you are packing reimbursable meals for Field Trips, those meals must meet the appropriate meal pattern requirements.  For grades K-8, at least 3/4 cup vegetable and 1/2 cup fruit must be included.  For grades 9-12, at least 1 cup fruit and 1 cup vegetable must be included.  All lunches should include a milk.

IDOE Extends Meal Pattern Waivers

We received some great news from the IDOE this month.  Those who applied for specific meal pattern waivers and received a  confirmation email of approval from your field specialist may continue to utilize the approved flexibilities as needed through the remainder of the school year. The original end date of December 31, 2021, has been automatically extended to the end of the school year or June 30, 2021, whichever comes first. 

WASHINGTON, Dec. 17, 2021 – Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack is announcing today that the Biden-Harris Administration is providing up to $1.5 billion to states and school districts to help school meal program operators deal with the challenges of supply chain disruptions brought on by the...

NIESC and NWIESC will be kicking off the NIESC/NWIESC Study Council for K-12 Counselors across northern Indiana. Michelle Grewe, Director of Professional Learning with the Educational Service Centers, and Jessica Wotherspoon, Coordinator of Intervention with Boone Grove High School will be co-facilitators. Plans are to kick off with a zoom on February 3, 9:00 EST/8:00 CST to get the group started. Participant input will drive topics and frequency of meetings. Meetings will be virtual unless the group wishes to bring a presenter or meet face-to-face for special topics. To become a part of this group,  and receive emails with the agenda and zoom link Sign Up to Receive Information.

NWIESC now has a newsletter for curriculum, instruction, and assessment.

A concern educators commonly share as they work on standards alignment is the potential changing of standards, resulting in a sense of wasted time. Staff can now have clarity on when changes might occur with the newly released IDOE schedule.

NIESC and NWIESC are excited to offer a 4 part series for instructional leaders based on Jim Knight’s Impact Cycle, providing schools with an intentional time to support those who partner with teachers to set goals, support their instructional strategies, and provide feedback.

Upcoming ILEARN training opportunities:

March 15: Virtual ILEARN Prep for Administrators
March 16: Virtual LEARN Prep for Teachers

Interested in ILEARN training at your school for staff and/or administrators? Email Dr. Grewe at mgrewe@niesc.k12.in.us 

Most up-to-date schedules for upcoming Textbook Caravans:

Merrillville - January 20, 2022
Plymouth - January 25, 2022

Tim Krieg is the Director of Secondary Curriculum at the School City of Hobart. He has been with the corporation since 2010. When asked what he has been working on in his corporation in the past year, Tim shared, “At the School City of Hobart, we apply the backward design approach. Our endorsed early college, Hobart University, affords students opportunities to discover their purpose, pursue their passions, enjoy the present, and have options for what they can do moving forward. In the 20-21 school year, Hobart University served 795 students. Our students earned 7,299 college credits from our 123 dual credit courses taught by 50 dual credit teachers. In all, our Brickies saved over $1 million! Time shall tell what the 21-22 school year fully entails.
Our Superintendent, Dr. Peggy Buffington, guides us through the UbD process as we vertically articulate our systematic, district-wide commitment to equipping our Brickies with the learning experiences and curricula necessary to merge their passions, purpose, and possibilities. This year, our focus is on utilizing Roug Reeves’s (2011) process for determining the power standards and performance indicators that drive in-depth instruction and differentiated tiers of support for all learners. Working with our teachers and administrators, we are expanding on our MTSS supports, interventions, and extensions and increasing our collaboration with one another.”

 Tim has many future goals and dreams for Hobart. “Brick-by-brick, I commit myself to work with others to move education forward beyond the 20th century. Over time, the walls separating subjects and disciplines will crumble as more authentic hybrid learning experiences become the norm. By deliberately nurturing an environment cultured by authentically irreplaceable learning experiences, I envision the siloed 20th century-minded system supplanted by real, rooted, relevant learning experiences where staff and students get lost in space and time they work together in authentic and meaningful ways that benefit society. 

 Tim enjoys every day at Hobart. He loves what he does, whom he does it with, and most importantly, why. As Oogway, a fictitious elder tortoise, understood: “Yesterday is history, tomorrow is a mystery, but today is a gift. That is why it is called present.” Each day is a gift. Each day, he *gets* to serve others, learn something new, and refine his leadership to better others. He has an opportunity to serve. He learns something new every day. The daily graces are most rewarding rather than getting wrapped up in the next chapter or anxious about what may happen in the future.

 In his spare time, Tim enjoys spending time with family and friends. He loves being a husband, son, uncle, brother, cousin, and friend. Moreover, as of this past September, he and his wife welcomed their baby girl into this world. Together, they love walking, reading, working on house projects, studying God’s Word, volunteering at their church, visiting college campuses, and rooting on their favorite teams (Go Ducks, Play Like a Champion Today, Boiler Up, Go Valpo, & Hook em’ Horns!).

 

 

Northwest Indiana Education Service Center
56535 Magnetic Drive
Mishawaka, IN 46545

 219-926-5555 | nwiesc.k12.in.us