Upcoming Events

For a more complete list of professional development opportunities, visit www.southdakotapd.com.

• Systems Change Conference targets school leaders
• State board to meet in Pierre
• LifeSkills Curriculum Training set for November

Systems Change Conference targets school leaders
The 2007 Systems Change Conference will take place Nov. 14-16 at Cedar Shore Resort in Chamberlain. It is designed to be a powerful and practical professional development experience for education leaders. This year’s agenda features keynote speakers Neil Howe, best-selling author and an authority on generations in America; Dr. Rick Melmer, secretary of the South Dakota Department of Education; and Gary Marx, president of the Center for Public Outreach.

The event is hosted by the Midwest Alliance for Professional Learning and Leadership and a host of partners, including the Department of Education. For more information, visit www.systemschange.midwestmaple.org. 

State board to meet in Pierre
The South Dakota Board of Education will hold its regularly scheduled meeting in Pierre on Nov. 19 (Kneip Building, Conference Room 3). Public hearings are slated on two topics: 1) language arts alternate content standards and achievement descriptors and 2) elimination of the April 1 timeline for applications for new or expanded programs at the state's four technical institutes. Other agenda items include a report on the trend data from South Dakota's Youth Risk Behavior Survey and a discussion related to facility planning and fees for the technical institutes. For a complete agenda, visit http://doe.sd.gov/secretary/board.  

LifeSkills Curriculum Training set for November
The South Dakota Departments of Education and Health, Department of Human Services and Regional Prevention Resource Centers will host a LifeSkills Curriculum Training Nov. 28-29 at the Holiday Inn City Centre in Sioux Falls.

Lifeskills Curriculum Training is a proven, highly effective substance abuse prevention program. The training is recommended for teachers, counselors, prevention advocates, safe and drug free school coordinators, and school nurses. It is designed to:

• provide students with the necessary skills to resist social pressures to smoke, drink, and use drugs;
• help students develop greater self-esteem, self-mastery, and self-confidence;
• enable students to effectively cope with social anxiety;
• increase students’ knowledge of the immediate consequences of substance abuse.

Approval has been granted for one hour of graduate or undergraduate credit or for one Department of Education certificate renewal credit. The course also may be taken for no credit.

For more information about the course objectives or to register, go to http://doe.sd.gov/oess/schoolhealth/training/index.asp.  Or contact the Coordinated School Health staff at (605) 773-3261.