Free Training Offered for Parents, Teachers, and Others Who Work with Children

Coming this August, Region II of the Comprehensive System of Personnel Development (CSPD), in partnership with Havre Public Schools, will be offering free training for parents, general and special educators, paraprofessionals, and others who work with children. Although the workshops themselves are scheduled for August 12-15, registrations for the sessions will only be accepted through August 7, 2019, unless they fill prior to that deadline.

The first two workshops: Get Secure with Number Sense and Multiplication, Division & Fractions—Oh My! will be presented by Eliza Sorte Thomas on August 12-13, at the Fifth Avenue Christian Church located at 2015 Fifth Avenue in Havre. A third workshop, Mental Health Issues in the Classroom will be presented over the course of two days by Dr. Jay Berk on August 14-15 at the Havre High School Auditorium at 900 18th Street.

Get Secure with Number Sense will be a full-day during which participants will begin their number sense journey by defining a number, making ten, and moving into addition and subtraction for multi-digit numbers. According to presenter Sorte-Thomas, without a numeracy rich environment, students are unlikely to thrive, so she will be sharing tips and techniques for developing mathematical routines, management techniques, and incorporating vocabulary and games in the context of addition and subtraction. She outlined the following objectives for this session; participants will

• Explore number sense in relation to their job role

• Experiment with and learn multiple approaches for successfully teaching numbers, making 10, introducing addition and subtraction facts, and adding and subtracting multi-digit numbers.

• Play games that can be geared up and geared down for their job role and setting in order to support number sense development (focusing on the operations of addition and subtraction).

In Sorte-Thomas’ Day Two meeting, Multiplication, Division & Fractions—Oh My! participants will continue their number sense journey with multiplication and division facts, progress to multiplication and division strategies for multi-digit numbers, and conclude with fractions. To create a numeracy rich environment so that students can thrive, Sorte-Thomas will again offer tips and techniques for developing mathematical routines, management techniques, vocabulary and games in the context of multiplication, division, and fractions. Day Two objectives will be similar to those from day one but applied to multiplication, division, and fractions so as to support number sense development (focusing on the operations of multiplication, division, and fractions).

These workshops will both begin with sign in from 8:00-8:30, followed by a morning session from 8:30-11:30. A break will occur from 11:30-12:30 for lunch on your own, followed by the afternoon period from 12:30-3:30. Six OPI renewal units are available for these trainings, which will take place at the Fifth Avenue Christian Church.

Registrations for these sessions will be taken through August 7, 2019 unless the workshops reach their enrollment caps. Those interested in attending should visit the CSPD site online at http://www.blueponyk12.com where they will click on the CSPD icon and then on the hyperlink that reads: “Register Here For Upcoming CSPD Training Events!”

Then, on August 14-15 at Havre High School Auditorium, Dr. Jay Berk will present a two-day institute entitled Mental Health Issues in the Classroom. Topics scheduled for Day 1 include Youth with Mental Health Issues, Characteristics of Mental Health Challenges Experienced by At-Risk Students, Mental Health Issues Versus Intentionally Disruptive Behaviors, Psychotropic Medication Side-Effects Versus Behavioral Issues, and How Skill Deficits from Mental Health Issues Create Behavioral Difficulties.

Dr. Berk will also present strategies for getting to the core issues and dealing with oppositional defiant disorder (ODD) and other conduct disorder behaviors. Participants will learn what adults should never say, but usually do; how to conduct arguments with defiant youth; and what parents, teachers, and counsellors really need to know to effectively intervene when young people engage in self-harm behaviors like cutting.

In addition to sharing a school-wide management program for addressing challenging behaviors, the workshop will cover Electronic Addiction: Which Kids Are Most Susceptible And Why; Electronic Bullying: What Adults Tell Kids That Fuels the Problem; Disciplining the Special Needs Child/Adolescent; How the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) Relates to Discipline; Guidelines for Disciplining Special Education Students; Techniques for Positive Behavior Support; and “Pro-Social” Disciplinary Plans.

After Day 2, Dr. Berk promises that attendees will walk away with concrete yet practical interventions to successfully address several serious behavioral issues they might encounter—issues such as anger and outbursts, cutting and self-injury, defiance, impulsivity, sensory issues, meltdowns and tantrums, obsessive compulsive behaviors, truancy, rigidity, and electronic addiction. Through case study reports, video clips, and dynamic class discussion, participants will discover thirty-second teacher approaches to manage challenging and disruptive behaviors, tactics for engaging students in class to increase productivity and reduce truancy, and behavioral assessments and strategies for the IEP team.

Registrations for this training are available at http://www.blueponyk12.com by clicking on August Institute and completing the online registration form. Both days of Dr. Berk’s seminar will begin with sign in from 8:00-8:30, followed by a morning session from 8:30-11:30. A break will occur from 11:30-12:30 for lunch on your own, followed by the afternoon program from 12:30-3:30. Six OPI renewal units per day are available for this institute.

Questions about any of these trainings can be directed to Region II CSPD Coordinator, Aileen Couch by calling (406)395-8550, ext. 6714, or by emailing cspd@blueponyk12.com. As a professional courtesy, Couch asks that anyone needing to cancel a registration to please contact her office.

Region II CSPD coordinates personnel development to meet the diverse needs of all children and youth in the counties of Cascade, Teton, Pondera, Toole, Glacier, Liberty, Hill, Blaine, and Chouteau. Although preference will be given to people living in these areas, participation by individuals from outside of Region II is also welcome.