Education Department Newsletter, March 4, 2022 – Education Department

■ Registration Planning Assistance Available: Registration for the summer 2022 and fall 2022 terms will open beginning Monday, March 28, 2022. Developing an accurate long-term plan that accounts for all licensure and degree requirements can be complicated. Help is available! Undergraduate and AU license only students can contact Asma Ibrahim <ibrahima@augsburg.edu> Graduate students can contact Caren Custer <custer@augsburg.edu>.

■ Scholarship Opportunity for Education Undergraduates: Applications for the 2022 MMU/Audrey Erskine Scholarship Award are now available. The scholarships range in value from $350.00 to $500.00. The recipient(s) of the scholarship award will be selected from undergrads who are juniors and seniors enrolled in a college or university, which prepares students for a teaching career in the preschool, elementary, or secondary level in Minnesota.

Applicants must be:

Pursuing a course of study to become a teacher at the preschool, elementary, or secondary level
Currently a student in their junior or senior year of college
A current member of Education Minnesota Student Program (preferred)
Application deadline is June 1, 2022

For any questions, please contact Clara Waddell at 320-253-2530 or <clara.waddell@edmn.org>.

■ Fall 2022 Student Teaching Candidates: Candidates planning to student teach in the fall, must complete the Student Teaching Application. A message was sent from Anthology Portfolio with the link to the survey. In addition, candidates are responsible for submitting field hours from previous semesters to the Field Experience Coordinator, Emily Wollak at <wollak@augsburg.edu>. All candidates must have completed 100 hours of field experience (60 hours must be completed in the scope and content of the licensure area sought). Field Experience hours are a licensure requirement, and they must be completed prior to student teaching. Neglecting to submit field hours may delay your student teaching placement.

Candidates who need to complete hours this semester can request a placement by completing the survey emailed to them from Anthology Portfolio. Field experience hours completed this semester are also being recorded in Anthology Portfolio.

For questions about Field Experience, contact the Field Experience Coordinator, Emily Wollak, <wollak@augsburg.edu>.
For questions about Student Teaching, contact the Student Teaching Coordinator, Tiffany Moore, <mooret2@augsburg.edu>.
For questions about Anthology Portfolio, contact the Education Department Unit Leader, Erin Moore, <mooree2@augsburg.edu>.

■ Updated Clinical Team Drop-in Virtual Office Hours: The Clinical Team continues to host Virtual Drop-in Office Hours every other Tuesday. For specific dates, visit the Education Department Calendar <https://sites.augsburg.edu/edstudents/education-department-calendar/>. The afternoon office hours time has been updated:

Morning – 11: 00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.
Afternoon 4:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m.

Office Hours Zoom Link: https://augsburg.zoom.us/j/9344846835

During these times, members of the Clinical Experience Team will be available to answer questions about program requirements, field experience, student teaching, licensure, Anthology Portfolio, and other Education Department questions.

■ Upcoming Career Fairs for Current and Aspiring Minnesota Educators: You are invited to attend the EducateMN Statewide Virtual Job Fairs for Educators: Meet 1-on-1 in private conversations with principals and directors from districts and public charter schools across the state. Get answers from dozens of employers in one afternoon. All current and aspiring Minnesota educators are welcome. Attendance is free. Registered candidates will have access to licensing support and career guidance from hiring professionals. All events are virtual. All events are scheduled from 3:00 to 7:00 pm CT.

■ Central Minnesota Education Job Fair : Connect with administrators and representatives from nearly 20 central Minnesota school districts looking to hire. Learn about each district and discuss current and future career opportunities. The event is both virtual and in person in Staples, MN, on March 2nd, 4:00 to 6:00 pm CT.

■ The Southwest Minnesota Education Career Fair is scheduled for March 23rd, 4:30 to 6:30 pm CT. This is an opportunity to meet representatives from several districts from southwest and west-central Minnesota and form relationships for future employment. Dinner will be provided during the event. This event is in-person in Marshall, MN. Register to attend

■ Sign up for Summer Youth Corps: Conservation Corps’ Summer Youth Corps. Summer Youth Corps is a residential program focused on job training and introducing youth (age 15-18) and young adults (age 19-25) to outdoor careers. They are seeking candidates who may be interested in serving as a Crew Leader this summer. A few highlights of that role include:

3 weeks of paid training including Wilderness First Aid & CPR, American Sign Language, administrative processes, technical skills for conservation projects, and youth development
8 weeks of experience leading a crew of high school youth on projects across the state AND facilitating daily education activities
8 weeks of networking with project hosts from city, county, state, and national public land management agencies

If you are interested in working outside, but not leading teenagers, they also have additional open summer positions available. Information about all of these jobs is available at: <https://conservationcorps.org/join/>.

■ Urban Boatbuilders is Hiring for Their Summer Academy: Urban Boatbuilders <https://www.urbanboatbuilders.org/> in Saint Paul is hiring for summer positions working with students from Minneapolis Public Schools summer academy, GEMS/GISE, and Saint Paul Community Education. They are looking for instructors with experience working directly with diverse groups of youth, and who have a passion for connecting with young people and developing community.

If you have any questions please contact Dennis Walsh, Program Director at 651-644-9225 or <info@urbanboatbuilders.org>.

■ Education Department Endowed Scholarships for 2022-2023: The Education Department of Augsburg University is pleased to announce that we are currently accepting applications for several scholarships to be awarded for the upcoming academic year. Please note that unless otherwise indicated, most of the scholarships are meant for Day Undergraduate students. More information regarding the specific requirements for each scholarship may be found here (you’ll need to be logged into your AugNet account to view this document).

Any student interested in any of these scholarships is invited to send to Jennifer Diaz <diazj@augsburg.edu> their name, contact information (phone and email), class (fr., soph., jr., sr.), GPA, declared or intended major, scholarships being applied for, and a brief paragraph stating qualifications for each scholarship for which the student is applying. The deadline for all applications is 4:00 pm on March 11, 2022.

■ Growing Youth Leadership through Service Learning–A Gathering of Service Learning Practitioners: An online discussion focusing on how to lead productive service-learning activities in a virtual environment is scheduled for Monday, March 7, 7:00-8:30 pm on Zoom. Click on this link to register for this event.

This informal gathering will offer opportunities to share ideas and create a supportive network of community relationships. The goals of this gathering are to strengthen and build mutually beneficial service-learning programs and lessen the isolation of school and non-profit leaders as we work toward more equitable, inclusive, healthy, and connected communities.

■ The Education Department Moves to Anthology Portfolio: The Education Department is introducing a new program, Anthology Portfolio. The purpose of Anthology Portfolio is to create an online, accessible record of students’ clinical experience, evaluation, and assessments.

Students will use Anthology Portfolio for:

Completing surveys like the request for field experience and the student teaching application
Logging field experience hours
Accessing feedback from field experience and student teaching
Submitting key assessments and reviewing feedback on key assessments.

For more information on Anthology Portfolio and to access the single sign-on account link, please visit the Education Department Anthology webpage: <https://sites.augsburg.edu/edstudents/anthology/>.

If you have any questions about Anthology Portfolio, please contact the Education Department Unit Leader, Erin Moore, <mooree2@augsburg.edu>.

■ COVID Guidance for Clinical Experience: During this academic year, you may complete field experience hours or student teaching in a school setting. Augsburg’s commitment to safety for our students and community remains at the forefront. If you are currently working in a school or will be working in a school, it is important to be aware of current COVID guidelines for the school districts.

Augsburg’s contract with school districts states that the school has the right to exclude from the Program any student who does not provide all information required under the school’s policies and procedures in a timely manner. School districts continue updating their guidelines regarding COVID-19 mitigation strategies like vaccination, wearing masks, social distancing, etc. For instance, on October 15, Minneapolis Public Schools (MPS) implemented a vaccine requirement for staff and volunteers in the building. Augsburg students completing clinical experience (field experience or student teaching) at a Minneapolis school site must follow the District’s policy and processes for vaccination and testing.

Other sites may make updates to their COVID-19 guidelines. Any vaccination or testing requirements with school sites must be completed with the school site. As a clinical experience student, you are responsible for following the school site guidelines. Augsburg cannot send vaccination information to your school site. Make sure to watch for communication from your school for any changes in policies and procedures.

■ COVID-19 Vaccine Connector Information: If you haven’t already done so, go to the vaccine connector website to sign up: <https://mn.gov/covid19/vaccine/connector/connector.jsp>.

Submitting news to Augsburg:

To the Education Department Newsletter: Send your news to Joseph Erickson at C.B. 312 or erickson-AT-augsburg.edu.
To the Augsburg Now published by the Augsburg University Office of Public Relations and Communication: Send your news to C.B. 145 or now@augsburg.edu.
To the daily A-Mail electronic newsletter: Go to AugNet Home Page and login. Then click on the “Submit News and Announcements” link.

Connecting with Alumni and Friends:

Augsburg University provides several ways to stay connected with alumni and friends. Here are some links to get you started:

Alumni Information Update: Submit news and contact information changes to the university’s Alumni Office.
TC2 New Teachers’ Blog

Other Sources of News for K-12 Teachers:

Here are links to some of the very best online news sources for K-12 teachers:

Education Week
Teacher Magazine
Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development (also, subscribe to ASCD SmartBrief, a daily email news resource delivered right to your inbox).