MADISON – To develop her webinar this summer, Beth Bero drew on her studies in science, technology, engineering and math or STEM material, as well as her background in astronomy and her inclination for possibilities in space.

Bero works as a Gifted Specialist at Horizon Elementary School. Bero won the 2020 Educator Achievement Award from the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics.

“I gave a one-hour lecture as part of a monthly lecture series reserved for members of the Alabama Association for Gifted Children or AAGC. They asked me to present and gave me the free choice of subject, ”said Bero.

Looking at the available dates, July 20 struck Bero as a great connection to a space-themed talk for the 52nd anniversary of man’s first step on the moon.

“I watched Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin walk on the moon on a black and white TV with my parents at home in Clearwater, Florida,” she said. “My father worked for Honeywell (on) the team preparing the gyro systems for the Gemini and Apollo missions.”

Bero said teachers can share their love of space and the night sky with students and their schools. She discussed ways to partner with local astronomy clubs and access help from NASA to introduce students to the night sky – perhaps even instituting a “Space Week” in school.

The AAGC conference October 13-15 will be held at the Birmingham Marriott. The AAGC asked supervisors (in Madison – Melissa Mims, Elementary Education Coordinator) to recommend gifted specialists with exciting and interesting ideas to share with their peers.

From MCS, Emily Boshers, Rachel Gibbs, Beth Woodard and Bero have been selected as presenters.

During a session, each specialist will have a maximum of 10 minutes to speak on a subject of their choice. At the end of the workshop, participants can interview the presenters of the “Best of the Best Gifted” workshop about understanding the practices gifted education teachers use to meet the varied needs of gifted children.

Bero’s half-day presentation at the conference will focus on curriculum planning for gifted programs.

Bero once taught gifted students at Dunbar Sixth Grade Center in Tampa, Florida. She holds NBCT or National Board Certified Teacher status.

For more information, visit https://alabamagifted.org/event-4370835.

California Department of Education
Press release

California Department of Education
Press release

Exit: # 21-59
25 August 2021

SACRAMENTO – State Superintendent of Public Education Tony Thurmond convened experts in public health and education on Wednesday for a broad discussion on COVID-19 data and mitigation efforts that have resulted in the safe reopening of thousands of schools across California.

The Safe and Successful Schools webinar was developed in partnership by the California Department of Education (CDE), the California Department of Public Health, the State Board of Education, and the Office of Governor Gavin Newsom.

Dr Naomi Bardach of the Safe Schools for All team and State Council President Linda Darling-Hammond shared information on California’s robust and multi-layered approach to COVID-19 prevention, which does not has resulted in no delay in reopening schools so far during the fall semester. Bardach and Darling-Hammond shared data that shows how state-backed COVID-19 testing programs, on-site vaccination clinics, universal masking and detailed quarantine advice have helped keep California students in the classroom and to learn despite the awkward climb of the Delta variant. A recording of the webinar is available on the CDE Facebook page
.

“In-person teaching is so important for our students to be close to their peers and to have access to their educators, I want to congratulate all of our school districts who have opened and those who are preparing to open in the coming days,” Thurmond said. “We know what you have done is amazing to support our students and we also know this is happening under very difficult circumstances as we see the Delta variant continue to create challenges. But even so, by following all COVID mitigation strategies, we can keep our schools open and keep our children safe. Vaccines, mask wear and regular testing continue to provide a high quality educational opportunity for our students. Today is the first of many conversations we hope to have with our education leaders, parents and partners about how we operate and how we can keep ourselves safe and support students. “

Thurmond cited the webinar as another important effort in the state’s continuing message on how immunizing every eligible person will be essential for schools and communities.

“Research confirms that we need to keep schools open to promote the mental, socio-emotional and academic well-being of students,” Bardach said. She explained that new data shows that the Delta variant is more than twice as contagious as previous variants and that those who are not vaccinated are more than 11 times likely to be positive. Bardach said the vaccines are effective against Delta and have walked through key layers for safe schools that include combined vaccines with testing, masking, ventilation and staying home when sick.

Darling-Hammond urged local education agencies (LEA) to plan and prepare for prosecution of high cases, but said California is in a better place due to vaccines and masking. “We are a long way from the winter power surge in California, there are no delays in California due to COVID,” Darling-Hammond said. She explained how LEAs can access clinics located in schools, receive grants to become vaccine providers, and how independent study can be used as a short and long term option to ensure that instruction is ongoing. during quarantine. “If we open up vaccination clinics, especially in middle and high schools, we’ll be in a very different place in a few months,” Darling-Hammond said.

Before concluding the webinar, Thurmond acknowledged the resilience he has witnessed firsthand during his recent visits to schools across the state. “COVID-19 is the most difficult challenge most of us will experience in our lifetime,” Thurmond said.

“We can’t control what the coronavirus does, but we can control what we do and how we respond to it – we’re all in the same boat and as difficult as it may be, it can be done and the rewards are great. : give students the opportunity to have in-person instruction.

The Safe and Successful Schools webinar includes an American Sign Language interpretation service and can be viewed on the CDE’s Facebook page
. Slides from today’s presentation
(PPTX) are available for download from the California Department of Public Health website. To find a vaccination clinic near you, visit the My Turn – California COVID-19 website
.

# # # #

Tony Thurmond – State Superintendent of Public Education
Communications Division, Suite 5602, 916-319-0818, Fax 916-319-0100

Last revised: Thursday, August 26, 2021

Kent State hosted a virtual town hall for faculty and staff on Thursday to address questions and concerns related to the fall semester 2021.

Panelists included Peggy Shadduck, vice president of regional campuses and dean of the College of Applied and Technical Studies; Tara Smith, professor of epidemiology at the College of Public Health; Manfred van Dulmen, Chairman of the Pandemic Leadership Committee, Vice-Rector for Academic Affairs and Dean of the Division of Graduate Studies; Julie Volcheck, assistant vice-president for student affairs and director of university health services; Jack Witt, vice president of human resources; and Melissa Zullo, Professor of Epidemiology and Acting Assistant Dean of the College of Public Health.

Panelists responded to a range of questions, from college advice on masks and vaccines to the likelihood that students and staff would be asked to resume distance education.

The the university has updated its guidelines on masks On August 3, masks must be worn indoors and on public transport, regardless of vaccination status.

“It’s something we wanted to do because our goal is to stay together, in person, throughout the semester. We want to start safe and stay safe, ”said van Dulmen. “It was not due to a safety concern,… but we had to, as a precautionary measure, go in that direction.”

Kent State also offers testing for asymptomatic and symptomatic people.

“We have testing for asymptomatic people, people without symptoms and possible close contact or exposure on campus,” Volcheck said. “From Monday to Friday, Visit Health provides service, and they are located at the Ice Arena, Eastway Lounge and MACC Third Floor Lodge.

Symptomatic tests will be available at DeWeese Health Center. For more information on the university’s COVID-19 test plan, visit this link. People who test positive for COVID-19 should call COVID Response Team, reachable at (330) 672-2525.

During the town hall, panelists responded to a question asking if faculty and staff had an opportunity to ask students and colleagues about their immunization status.

“The simple answer is no, because knowing that immunization status should not change what the student, or colleague will or will not do,” Volcheck said. “This is personal health information, and if people, through casual conversation, want to disclose it in the office, that is one thing, but no one should ask them outright. Just as we don’t ask about people’s health, we shouldn’t ask about vaccines. “

Volcheck said the university is working on a project that will allow the university to ask people to disclose this information.

van Dulmen said the university does not have a threshold or a number of COVID-19 cases that would result in a shift to fully distance learning at this time. The university, he said, regularly checks its COVID-19 numbers and indicators.

“Thank you for the hard work everyone has done throughout the pandemic,” Shadduck said. “We have had a lot of people on regional campuses, like on campus, who have found safe ways to continue working on site. … Very happy to rediscover the sense of community that comes from working together, the ways in which we can best support students and learning.

A recording of the virtual town hall is available on State of Kent today.

Emma Andrus is a journalist. Contact her at [email protected]

The murder of George Floyd and Breonna Taylor, the prevalence of anti-Asian hate crimes amid the pandemic, the death of United States Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsberg. The list goes on. A lot has happened in the past 18 months. Many students, especially students of color, have experienced mental health issues while dealing with virtual learning. As most of the students return to campus in the fall, administrators from higher education institutions and mental health experts gathered virtually on Thursday to discuss how best to help students navigate the course. next semester.

“We can take this moment to consciously choose how to move forward in an innovative and equitable way that is particularly relevant to supporting our BIPOC students,” said Dr. Carlota Ocampo, president at Trinity Washington University and moderator of the webinar. titled “Promoting Race Equity in Student Mental Health: Considerations and Strategies for Returning to In-Person Teaching.Dr Carlota Ocampo

Even before the pandemic, schools struggled to hire students of color.

Dr. Cirleen DeBlaere, associate professor of counseling psychology at Georgia State University, noted that only about 28% of students of color think their campus is inclusive according to a 2017 survey. In her own study, DeBlaere also found that over 70% of students of color had suffered a micro-assault on campus and that would only be magnified by the pandemic.

“All these incidences of micro-aggressions can accumulate to [and] contributing to racial trauma, ”she said, adding that hearing about other people’s experiences or seeing them on social media sites could have a negative impact on student mental health.

“All of these have mental health implications in terms of depression, anxiety, lowered self-esteem, binge drinking, and symptoms of PTSD,” DeBlaere said.

The trauma experienced by students of color can affect them not only mentally but also physically. Dr. Stephen Quaye, associate professor of educational studies at Ohio State University, studied the phenomenon called racial combat fatigue, the exhaustion that people of color experience from repeated racism.

“[People] who suffer from racial fatigue in combat often also have headaches, grinding of teeth, shortness of breath, ”Quaye said. “We might also have trouble sleeping, then emotionally and behaviorally, loss of appetite, increased alcohol and drug use as a coping mechanism. And then poor academic and professional performance.

To better accommodate students who have experienced racial trauma in the past year, Ocampo suggested devoting more resources to faculty development.

“When students walk into a classroom at any institution, what they see is their faculty, and for them that faculty is the institution,” Ocampo said.

She noted that some white teachers might avoid certain subjects for fear of making mistakes. Universities and colleges, she added, must help all faculty create a safe and welcoming campus climate for students.

University of Michigan professor Dr. William Lopez noted that even small changes to the curriculum can help traumatized students feel more seen and included. Since the start of the pandemic, he has added a note to his program.

“[The note] help students understand that I understand that their life is very difficult at the moment. And so my expectations are not what they were before, ”he said. “We are not in a normal period. So we shouldn’t be doing normal things. “

Lopez said the faculty must validate the feelings of the students.

“‘I hear you.’ “I’m sorry you went through this.” ‘What do you need?’ These are the means to answer it. ”He added.