Thursday, May 8, 2025

All Means All Institute: Day 1

Today's blog continues our preview of the All Means All Institute.  Prior to the institute, you can work with your team to: 




Day 1

Keynote: Julie Schmidt
Learn It: How Did We Get Here?                                    














For decades, schools have grappled with the persistent achievement gap between students entitled to special education services and those in general education classes. 

Participants in this session:
Challenge the mindsets and practices that undermine an all means all culture.
● Consider the historical and systemic factors that have led to persistent achievement gaps.
● Identify the six core principles of Beyond Labels work.
● Create a sense of urgency to implement best practices that push schools beyond labels so all students thrive regardless of their educational needs.

Morning Breakout Sessions

  • Building Collaborative PLAAFPs (Present levels of academic achievement and functional performance) to Set Your Students’ Course
  • The Great Eight: Ensuring Priority Standards Drive Teaching and Learning
  • Creating an Inclusive Culture of Learning for All Students
  • Labels Off, Students First: Rewriting the Narrative for Every Learner

Afternoon Breakout Sessions
  • Collaborative IEPs: Life-Changing Goals Designed to Bring About Progress
  • All Behavior Is Communication, Like It or Not!
  • Beneath the Surface: Aligning Beliefs and Behaviors for a Culture of Success
  • Elevating Excellence: Designing Lessons That Inspire High Expectations for All Students
  • Creating Learning Progressions for All Students
  • Every Ladder Needs a First Step: Designing Learning Progressions for All Students

Facilitated Team Time




All Means All Institute Newsletter

Thursday, May 1, 2025

All Means All Institute

The countdown is on--45 Days until the All Means All Institute is hosted at Southeast Polk!  We have 250 Southeast Polk teachers registered to attend the institute, and we will be joined by educators from all over the United States.  Our Learning Supports Coordinator, Stephanie Laird, has designed a newsletter to help prepare for the institute.  (The full newsletter may be found at the link below).  In this newsletter you will find keynote and session speaker information, media highlights, and reflection opportunities to engage in before, during, and after the institute.  

All Means All Institute Newsletter

Each week during the month of May, we will highlight different speakers and sessions as your team makes plans to participate in the learning. This week you can review the newsletter as well as the agenda of sessions.  




May is Mental Health Awareness Month



May is Mental Health Awareness Month, and May 9 is Children’s Mental Health Awareness Day



High leverage classroom-based strategies for supporting student mental health:


https://www.samhsa.gov/about/digital-toolkits/childrens-mental-health-awareness-day


Did You Know?

All SEP students and any member of their household have access to 6 free counseling sessions through our Student Assistance Program. In addition, SEP Junior High students have access to small group SAP sessions at school, and Middle School and High School students can access their free individual sessions from a counselor at school

If you have a student who you think might benefit, reach out to one of the counselors to discuss this further.


Educator Learning

If you’re interested in learning more about student mental health, you might want to consider one of the following options:


Educator Wellness:

Educator wellness is associated with student wellness and healthy school climates. Remember to take advantage of wellness programs that SEP offers, including:



Sunday, April 13, 2025

April Teaching and Learning Newsletter

April Teaching and Learning Newsletter



 This month's Teaching and Learning Newsletter includes resources for:

  • Sparking Innovation: Tech Tips, Tricks, and Resources

As you explore these topics, we encourage you to reflect on how you and your team can integrate these ideas into your teaching practices. If you have any questions or would like additional support, please don't hesitate to reach out to a member of the Teaching & Learning Team. We’re here to help!

Thank you for all you do to ensure ALL students learn at high levels!
-Southeast Polk's Teaching & Learning Team


Sunday, April 6, 2025

Secondary Collaboration

We are looking forward to collaborating with secondary job-alike teams this Wednesday, April 9th. We will begin at 7:30 AM and dismiss in time for people to return to their buildings. The focus of our work will be around continuing to strengthen teaching and learning within each subject area. Please report to the locations below and bring a charged laptop. 

PE/Health 6-12JH Room 180
CTE (PLTW) & BusinessHS Room 169
Science- 6-12JH Science Rm 223
Math: 6-12JH Robotics Room
World Language, 8th World LanguageHS N148
Art and MusicHS Multi-Purpose Room
Social Studies 6-12HS N268 
ELA 6-12, ESOL 6-12, TAG 6/7, Teacher LibrariansJH Library
CounselorsSkilled Trades Extension Center

*Special Education teachers--please report to the content area you support. 

Friday, February 28, 2025

Feedback on Virtual Learning Day

Snow days are a part of Iowa and they often result in an unexpected change of plans.  For the first time, we adapted our snow day to a virtual professional learning format, providing an opportunity to fulfill the contract day through the completion of required tasks as well as engagement and reflection on our instructional framework. We appreciated the input, feedback, and support of the PD Steering Committee and building and teacher leaders while we navigated both the flexibility and challenges of virtual learning. 

As of today, 99% of teachers have completed the components of the virtual professional learning day! 

Now we would like your feedback on the this day.  How did the learning impact your thinking? What worked well in this format? What adjustments could be made if this format is considered in the future?

Please take a few minutes to provide your feedback on the form linked below.  The information will be summarized and shared with the PD Steering Committee as well as building and teacher leadership in order to continue to grow and strengthen the pathways for professional learning. 


SEP Virtual Learning Feedback Form


Thank you for your engagement, flexibility, and dedication to continuous growth.

Friday, February 14, 2025

February Newsletter and Virtual Professional Learning

 This month's Teaching and Learning Newsletter includes updates on:


If you need further information or support, don’t hesitate to contact a member of the Teaching & Learning Team.


Virtual Professional Learning

During our snow day on Wednesday, we implemented a Virtual Professional Learning model to fulfill the contract for that day.  A big thank you to the Professional Development Steering Committee and the Teaching and Learning team for the work and feedback needed to implement this model.  The overall response has been very positive, and we will review data and feedback to determine advantages, limitations, and future possibilities.  Below is the link to the Virtual Learning Plan. As a reminder, the work should be completed off contract and submitted by the conclusion of the day on Wednesday, February 19th.