Department of Education Monday Minutes

Here are your Monday Minutes for February 1-5, 2021. 

From the Department Head

Dear Students, Staff, and Faculty, 

Who doesn’t love to have a story read to them? Reading a book aloud is something that everyone can enjoy, no matter your age!

 Turtle wearing a medical mask carrying books and a megaphone. Save the date. World Read Aloud Day. February 3, 2021.

I encourage everyone to participate in this celebration by reading aloud to someone or having someone read aloud to you. Or check out Storyline where you can listen to celebrities read their favorite books to you!

 Ann Dutton Ewbank's signature 

Dr. Ann Ewbank

News and Announcements

  • Our next department meeting is Tuesday, February 2, 12:15-1:30pm in Ann’s WebEx Room. We will discuss current and historical program enrollment and identify strategies for recruitment. 
  • Full-time faculty and faculty who taught 15 or more WLU in CY 2020 will participate in Annual Review.  Please schedule your 30-minute appointment with Ann. 
  • Proposals for CFAC/EFAC are now being accepted. Please see the below timeline and contact Nick Lux if you have any questions.
    • January 27th- Email sent to the college with a link to a Qualtrics pre-survey and a definition of EFAC and CFAC.
    • February 3rd- Complete pre-survey by 5pm. 
    • February 5th- Individuals notified that their project idea was approved/denied.
    • February 15th- Completed proposals sent to Kayte Kaminski. 
    • February 28th- Departmental Curriculum & Resources Committee (CRC) review and prioritization.
    • March 1st- CRC provides review and prioritization to Kayte for college leadership team review and submission to the Provost.

Extra! Extra! Read all about it!

  • Our department’s success is determined by our collective accomplishments. Share your own accomplishments with pride! Or if you hear of a colleague or student’s accomplishment, please share. Please send accomplishments and kudos to ann.ewbank@montana.edu. 

Professional Development & Engagement Opportunities

  • The next Library Media Certificate Webinar is Tuesday, February 2nd at 6pm MST. Laura Trapp, LMC mentor and elementary school librarian, will present Collaborate with Your Specialist Colleagues. Consider collaborating with your music and physical education colleagues for a fun school-wide week of activities!  Laura will share details from her elementary school experiences. Click here to register for the webinar. 
  • The Center for Bilingual and Multicultural Education will host Get-Together Thursdays February 4, 12:15-1:15pm. The topic is Jeopardy with MSU trivia. Join in via Zoom!

Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion Opportunities

The Caldecott Medal was named in honor of nineteenth-century English illustrator Randolph Caldecott. It is awarded annually by the Association for Library Service to Children, a division of the American Library Association, to the artist of the most distinguished American picture book for children.

Book cover. Native American woman wearing medicine wheel earrings, holding a white feather, standing in swirling water. Behind her is the moon, and behind that, a line of people with hands joined. Below her, the title, We are Water Protectors. Beside her, the caldecott medal.

The 2021 Caldecott Medal was awarded to We Are Water Protectors, illustrated by Michaela Goade, written by Carole Lindstrom, and published by Roaring Brook Press, a division of Holtzbrinck Publishing Holdings. Michaela Goade’s vivid, swirling watercolors capture the sacredness of water and amplify Carole Lindstrom’s passionate call to action and celebration of Indigenous ancestry and community. Rich symbolism and repeating floral patterns appear alongside distinctive colors and atmospheric light to tenderly frame the defiant young protagonist standing up against the real-life horrors of the Dakota Access Pipeline.

Michaela Goade (Tlingit and Haida) is the first Indigenous illustrator to be awarded the Caldecott, regarded as the highest honor for a children’s book illustrator.

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