Why Your Colleagues Recommend MANS Public Policy Day

"This was my first time attending. It was very informative, educational, organized and well thought out. I appreciate all the time and effort MANS put into organizing and scheduling visits with the representatives and senators."

"We need opportunities to advocate for our schools and MANS provides a simple and effective way to do that as a group of nonpublic school leaders!"

MANS 2024 Public Policy Day - March 19, 2024 in Lansing

Let's unite our voices to advocate for our nonpublic school students!

Participate in impactful advocacy at the 2024 MANS Public Policy Day! This is your chance to gather with fellow nonpublic school advocates from across the state and engage directly with legislators on the issues that matter most to our schools.

We will begin the day in Heritage Hall, in the Michigan State Capitol. Before visiting with your legislator(s), you will hear from policy experts who will help you understand the immediate impacts of broad policy decisions. You will receive the tools needed to make your legislative visit(s) productive and positive.

Speaker Announcement: Dr. Molly Macek, Director of Education Policy - Mackinac Center

Dr. Macek will present on education policy issues including the importance of teacher standards, school funding, and learning loss.

Key legislators have been invited to join us in the morning. Senator Aric Nesbitt (R-Lawton), Senate Minority Leader, and Representative Nancy DeBoer (R-Holland) have confirmed their attendance.

Each participant will be scheduled for team visits with your legislators. Please register as soon as possible to ensure ample time for MANS staff to schedule meetings.

MANS 2024 Education Conference and Expo Call For Presenters

The Michigan Association of Non-public Schools invites you to share your expertise and insights at the upcoming MANS Education Conference and Expo. Education professionals, your contributions can enrich the conference experience for attendees and inspire meaningful dialogue. We welcome you to submit a session proposal that highlights innovative approaches, best practices, and emerging trends in education. Join us in shaping an impactful program that empowers educators and fosters excellence in teaching and learning.

Important Dates:

• March 15th - Call for Presenters Submission Deadline
• April - Presenters notified about proposal selections and Conference registration opens
• July - Presenters notified when their session is scheduled
• September - Early bird registration ends
• October 17 & 18 - MANS Education Conference & Expo

Michigan Equitable Service Collaborative (MESC)

Scholarships for the Program For Inclusive Education (PIE)

The Michigan Equitable Service Collaborative (MESC) is offering five partial scholarships to participate in the University of Notre Dame, Alliance for Catholic Education, Program for Inclusive Education (PIE). PIE is an 18-credit hour program for educators employed in Catholic schools/(arch)dioceses. The program offers a licensure track for eligible teachers who wish to pursue additional licensure in Mild Intervention upon program completion. For applicants without a teaching license or who are already licensed in special education, PIE offers the opportunity to further develop their expertise in meeting the needs of diverse learners through a unique Catholic school lens. Join PIE and more effectively welcome, serve, and celebrate all students!

MESC is offering five $5,000 scholarships. If you are interested in learning more about this opportunity, please contact Angelia Salas.

State Continuing Education Clock Hours (SCECH)

SCECH Eligible Programs

The Michigan Department of Education (MDE) defines SCECH eligible programs as:

SCECHs are State approved in-service, workshop, training, or conference credits that are used for the renewal of selected certificates issued by the MDE. SCECHs are calculated as the total number of instructional hours in a program. In-services, workshops, trainings, and conferences exceeding one hour may be eligible for SCECH credits.

Faith-based topics, introductions, networking, and breaks may not be included in the instructional hour calculation.

The SCECH application for the 2023-2024 academic year opens in April 2024. If you've already completed your PD for the year and need early access or if you have any questions, reach out to Shelley Long.

EGLE Accepting Submissions for K-5 Earth Day Poster Contest

The Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy (EGLE) invites students in kindergarten through 5th grade to enter the annual Michigan Earth Day Poster Contest. Prizes are awarded for 1st and 2nd place winners in each grade. Students should include wildlife, plants, land, or freshwater ecosystems native to Michigan in their Earth Day 2024 Poster. In recognition of the 50th anniversary of the Safe Drinking Water Act in 2024, EGLE is also accepting posters that highlight the importance of safe drinking water and source water protection and will award one 1st and one 2nd place prize for this category. Please see the Earth Day webpage to download the forms and poster template. Poster submission deadline is March 8, 2024. For more information, email Pam Howd. 

EGLE Accepting Nominations for Environmental Service Award Competition

The Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy invites schools to nominate a student or classroom in grades 6-12 to be recognized for completing a school-sanctioned project that has tangible results for the environment. Two projects will receive an award, one for grades 6-8, and one for grades 9-12. To qualify as environment-based, the project must provide a benefit for Michigan flora, wildlife, air, water, land, or ecosystems. The project must have taken place between April 22, 2023 and February 1, 2024. A representative from the school must verify the validity of each project along with its outcome and must submit the nomination online. The deadline to submit nominations is March 8, 2024. For more information, email Pam Howd. 

Michigan School Safety Academy

The Michigan School Safety Academy is a two-day learning opportunity hosted by the Michigan State Police Office of School Safety for K-12 school administrators, school safety liaisons, mental health professionals, and school resource officers. Registration is now open for March 5 and 6 at Cornerstone University's Gainey Conference Center.

Transformative Education Scholars Program (TESP) - Loyola University Chicago

MANS is pleased to announce a partnership with Loyola University Chicago TESP. As a member of the Transformative Education Scholars Program (TESP), a minimum of 12-15 members will complete one of the participating academic degree programs with the benefit of a 30% tuition discount. Scholars will receive a 30% tuition discount each semester of their academic degree program. Discount applies to required courses within the degree program only and does not cover fees or other expenses 

Eligibility for Transformative Education Scholars Program: Must apply to and be accepted to one of the participating academic programs and must be admitted as part of a cohort of at least 12-15 members of the organization.

Participating Degree/ Endorsement Programs include: 

• Higher Education MEd
• Language Culture and Curriculum MEd
• School Counseling MEd
• Educational Leadership MEd
• Superintendent Endorsement Certificate
• Elementary Education MEd
• Secondary Education MEd

This skill-based course explores the pivotal role of positive interactions in building trust between students and teachers in the classroom, ultimately guiding them to develop a personalized plan for enhancing positive interactions and monitoring progress.

In this course, you will:

• Discover the power of positive interactions and learn about the 5-to-1 ratio.
• Examine and reflect upon your current interactions with learners.
• Develop a plan for building trust with students through positive interactions.
• Track your progress using a simple template.
• Apply your knowledge and share reflections with other participants.
• Earn 4 SCECHs

New Advanced Tech Courses for Students

Dive into Michigan Virtual's new Mobile App Design with MIT App Inventor course, suitable for students at any programming level. They'll learn to build functional mobile apps using MIT App Inventor's user-friendly visual environment, covering app design, usability, and security. For those with a programming background, Michigan Virtual's Video Game Design with Java course offers an immersive experience in game development, utilizing Java and Greenfoot. Students will gain hands-on skills in game design and project lifecycle management. 

Catapult Learning PDNow

Professional development (PD) should solve today’s education challenges and meet educators where they are – that’s where we step in. PDNow is Catapult Learning’s professional learning platform that pairs more than 45 years of school partnership excellence with technology, giving your K-12 educators access to high-quality PD that builds capacity – anywhere, anytime.

GPS Solutions provides a mental health professional who conducts one-on-one, group, and whole group support that focuses on both proactive and reactive ways to promote self-awareness, managing emotions, social awareness, developing empathy, maintaining and repairing healthy relationships, and responsible decision-making. This support is designed for students, staff, and leaders so that the strategies identified can be supported with all stakeholders within the building.