Area Special Education Cooperative

Last night the Transition Exploration Fair took place in EGF. ASEC partnered with EGF Public Schools, FRC, Polk County DAC, and Vocational Rehab Services to provide an opportunity for individuals ages 14-22 who are receiving Special Education Services to have fun and meet vendors who shared resources to transition from school to full lives in their communities. What an awesome event! #WeAreASEC

ASEC Assistant Director, Sandy and ECSE Teacher, Valerie met with ICCC Headstart staff in Oklee this morning. They presented on the referral process for IFSPs and IEPs as well as shared strategies for working with children who are on the Autism Spectrum. We are so thankful to have opportunities to build collaborative partnerships with individuals who also support our students, their families, and communities. #WeAreASEC

In recognition of National Physical Therapy Month, we would like to acknowledge and thank our Physical Therapist, Arlene Johnson, for making a huge impact on students, families, and educational teams. Arlene works with all eleven of our member districts. Her dedication and creativity in meeting the needs of all learners is truly spectacular. Thanks for all that you do every single day, Arlene! #WeAreASEC

Yesterday ASEC held our 2nd Due Process Bootcamp, focusing on the IEP. We had participants from all 11 of our member districts. There were tons of great ideas shared and collaborative conversations throughout the day with this awesome group of Special Educators and Related Service Providers. There was a total of 697 years of educational experience in the room. How amazing is that? We are already looking forward to our upcoming Evaluation Bootcamp! #WeAreASEC #lifelonglearners

This morning a student from Red Lake Falls Elementary was participating in music class by playing the bucket drum. Bucket drumming allows students to feel the rhythm and vibrations, enhancing their musical experience. When asked how the student feels about playing the drums, he shared, "I am deaf. I wear two cochlear implants. It makes me feel happy to play drums in music. It makes me a little nervous playing mine and my friend's compositions, but it is fun." #WeAreASEC #inclusion

This week was filled with Professional Development opportunities within Area Special Education Cooperative. Our Year 1 New Teacher Cohort met virtually, Year 2 New Teacher Cohort met at the ASEC office, and today we held our first Due Process Bootcamp: IEP Edition for veteran teachers who have at least 3+ years of experience in the field of Special Education. We appreciate our collaborative partnerships and love supporting our awesome Special Education Teachers and Related Service Providers in our 11 member districts. #WeAreASEC

This year our ASEC team is reading the book “Becoming Better Grownups: Rediscovering What Matters and Remembering How to Fly” by Brad Montague. We met virtually last week to collaborate and discuss our big takeaways from Chapter 1. We are missing a few, but we sure do have an incredible group of individuals who together make an absolutely outstanding team! #WeAreASEC #bettertogether #teamwork

Last week ASEC Early Childhood Special Education Teacher Valerie Shulstad was featured in the Red Lake Falls Gazette. Valerie was named September Educator of the Month. How cool is that? Check out this great article! We couldn't be prouder of you, Val! The impact our educators have on their students, families, and communities is pretty outstanding. #WeAreASEC

Yesterday, ASEC Educational Interpreter Danelle Klassy was a panelist for a virtual workshop hosted by MRID. The workshop focused on the role of educational interpreters and establishing healthy working relationships with classroom teachers and students. Thank you, Danelle, for continuing to work hard in your role while also making time to help others in the field of educational interpreting. We are looking to expand our team of Educational Interpreters. Reach out to learn how you could become a member of our already amazing team! #WeAreASEC

ASEC Early Childhood Special Education Teacher, Renee Godke is attending the Zero to Three Conference happening now. We are thankful our awesome educators are always making the effort to learn and grow to support their students and families. Have fun Renee, we can't wait to hear all about it! #WeAreASEC #ECSE

This week we had our ASEC Staff Retreat at Rutger's Birchmont Lodge on Lake Bemidji. Travis from The Character Challenge Course joined us for a day full of team-building and fun! We loved the high energy and hands-on activities he brought to our team. The next day was filled with teamwork and collaboration. #WeAreASEC #teamwork #growth #purpose

This week a group of awesome leaders from our 11 member districts gathered for ASEC's Administrator Workshop in Erskine, MN. We were lucky to end our day of learning and collaboration with a presentation from Brittanie Hernandez-Wilson and Alicia Munson from The Arc Minnesota on Honoring Disability by Reframing Language. We had some great discussions and we're excited for these leaders to bring this amazing message back to their districts to positively impact our students and families. #WeAreASEC

Contact us for more information about how YOU could become a member of our fabulous team at ASEC! #schoolpsychologist #signlanguageinterpreter #WeAreASEC

Our Admin Team has been working hard behind the scenes planning and collaborating for the upcoming school year. Yesterday we had a change of scenery and a little fun while we learned about ourselves as leaders and focused on our goals for our staff, districts, students, and families within the Co-op. We are excited for a great year! #WeAreASEC

Help us spread the word that we are looking to expand our team of Sign Language Interpreters at ASEC!

We are so excited to announce that the "NEW" ASEC Website and APP are almost ready and will be launching soon! Keep watching for more details...

REGISTRATION COMING SOON... SAVE THE DATE! Co-op Wide CPI has been scheduled to be held Monday, August 21st. Nonviolent Crisis Intervention Training is a blended 6+ hour training which includes 2-2.5 hours of REQUIRED online modules and 4 hours of in-person discussions/review, role play situations, and physical activities. Site #1: East Grand Forks from 8:30am - 12:30pm Site #2: Fosston from 12:30pm - 4:30pm