■  INFORMATION SESSION FOR STUDENT TEACHING IN FALL 2016 – GENERAL EDUCATION: Mandatory Information Sessions will be offered for general education students qualified to student teach in the fall of 2016. Attend one of these sessions:

• Monday, January 25 from 6:00-7:30pm in the Marshall Room of Christensen Center
• Saturday, January 30 from 12:00-1:15pm in Oren Gateway 100.

Being qualified to student teach means that all coursework will be completed before September 1, 2016.  If you have a work or class conflict for both of these times, contact Barbara West to learn an alternative way to apply for student teaching:  <westb@augsburg.edu>.

 ■ 2016 MTLE Preparation Sessions: The TC2 Collaborative has organized a series of MTLE review and preparation sessions scheduled starting in January and going through summer 2016. These sessions include basic math review, in-depth math review and reading and writing support.

The mathematics support sessions are offered for any candidate needing a basic refresher on the math concepts on the test. The intensive sessions are for candidates needing more support in mathematics. You may take both. The reading and/or writing sessions offer support for the reading and writing subtests.

There is no fee for the sessions, but registration is required. For more information and to register, go to: <http://www.tcteacher.org/mtle.php>.

■  AVID Tutor for Middle and High School Students: The North St. Paul/Maplewood School District is looking to hire AVID tutors. AVID is a college-readiness program that targets students who are “in the academic middle,” but who have the potential for higher performance. Tutor training is provided. For more information, contact Sylvia Neblett, AVID District Director/Equity Specialist for ISD622 <sneblett@isd622.org> or 651/748-7649. Apply online at: <www.isd622.org>.

 ■  Jobs Available with Teachers On Call: Teachers On Call is hiring Substitute Teachers, Teacher Assistants, and Paraprofessionals for the Twin Cities. They are hosting a New Substitute Orientation and Hiring Fair on Thursday, January 28th from 9:00am – 11:00am in Bloomington. For more information or to register online, go to www.teachersoncall.com, under “events” to sign up. For more information, contact Kellie Amos, Recruiter, Teachers On Call, P: 952.346.1656 or <kamos@teachersoncall.com>.

 ■  Associated Bank Helps Support Student Teachers: The Education Department would like to express their thanks to Associated Bank at 1801 Riverside Avenue. Associated Bank is committed to the community they serve and has made a donation in support of Augsburg’s student teachers as part of a GiveMN project. Their donation will feed a small scholarship fund for spring term student teachers who find it difficult to make ends meet when they are transitioning to a career in education.

■  Spring Term Literacy Tutor or Math Tutor Positions: Minnesota Reading Corps & Math Corps has openings for the rest of the school year (six months). Spring Term Tutors serve for six months and earn a bi-weekly living allowance of $522 and a $2,865 education award for college tuition or student loan payments. For more information, contact Miriam Queensen, Outreach Coordinator at 612-598-9665 or <mqueensen@servemnaction.org>.

■  Jobs Available at Skyhawks Sports Minnesota: Skyhawks Sports is a youth sport camp company teaching children ages 4-14 life skills through sports with a focus on safety, and improving sport skills. Skyhawks has internship and coaching positions available. For more information, contact Lisa M. Damon, Communications and Customer Relations Manager at: <Ldamon@skyhawks.com> or 651-263-5159.

■  Great Lakes Career Ready Internship Grant: The Great Lakes career ready internship grant permits students to gain the experience needed to compete for graduate school and full-time jobs while, at the same time, earning money to help fund their education. More information is available at: <http://www.augsburg.edu/strommen/great-lakes-career-ready-internship-grant/>.

 ■  The Augsburg Education Department has arranged for MTLE practice tests through Feb. 2016.  The costs of these practice tests can be paid through financial aid. Please see department chair Margaret Finders for more information about how to access the practice tests.

Also below are the MN BOT testing requirements. Students must receive passing scores on  the ACT+Writing, the SATs or the MTLEs.

Admission to licensure program steps can be found at the following link: <http://sites.augsburg.edu/edstudents/admission/>.

■  Advising and Admissions Up-Dates:

ACT+Writing and SAT Scores in Place of MTLE—Beginning January 1, 2015, The Minn. Board of Teaching (BOT) will accept passing ACT Plus Writing and SAT scores to meet the requirement for a skills exam in reading, writing and math. The BOT has adopted the following passing scores for these exams:

• ACT Plus Writing: Composite Score ≥ 22 and Combined English/Writing ≥ 21
• SAT Reading ≥ 510 and Writing ≥ 510 and Mathematics ≥ 520

Advising—Day students in their final two years at Augsburg may enroll in AU courses if it is the only way that they can graduate in a timely manner.  Registration forms must be signed by Vicki Olson or Peg Finders.

Students in SPE and ESL may switch from Day to AU to finish SPE or ESL licenses.  Day students who need to switch to AU to finish out their SPE or ESL licenses can maintain campus housing.

If you have concerns or questions about the financial impact of this type of change please contact a Student Financial Services counselor immediately about the financial impact of the change. Students can schedule appointments online via the Advising link in Records and Registration, at the service window, or by phone or email.

■ Education Department Office is Also Open Certain Non-Business Hours:

• Tuesday and Thursday until 6 p.m. every week.

Turn things in; pick things up; leave messages or materials for faculty; check your department file – we are here for you.

Submitting news to Augsburg:

• To the Education Department News: Send your news to Joseph Erickson at C.B. 312 or erickson-AT-augsburg.edu.
• To the Augsburg Now published by the Augsburg College 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 “Submit News and Announcements” link.

Connecting with Alumni and Friends:

Augsburg College 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 college’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).