Author: Mara Spears, CEP Project Specialist Staff, Lana Burns, Communications Content Student Assistant

From Groundswell to You

   Dinner & Dialogue Virtual PLO Recap

   January PLO: Social Emotional Learning

   Submit a Groundswell Project

   PBE Learning Videos

Friends of Groundswell

   Bird By Bird

   Ottawa Area ISD Professional Developments

Our Groundswell team is grateful to work within an incredible office at GVSU! The Center for Educational Partnerships team facilitates learning in the GVSU and West Michigan communities in a variety of ways, from Groundswell to partnerships with other colleges and universities. Our team enjoyed time spent together in downtown Grand Rapids last week to celebrate this festive season. From all of us to you: Happy holidays!

Our Dinner & Dialogue professional learning opportunity had less dinner than we originally hoped, as we had to change plans and host our event online due to weather. Despite this pivot, our presenter Annie Whitlock held an engaging and informative session on her professional and personal experiences teaching and living in Flint, Michigan, during the Flint Water Crisis. Participants had thoughtful conversations about sharing the value of place and community with students of all ages while making connections with one another throughout the PLO. We had 36 participants despite the snow day. Thanks to all who joined. 

For those who want to review content from the evening, we invite you to explore our Google Drive Folder with resources from professional learning opportunities. For PLO's where we share resources and content, we make sure to add them to our public folder for our network to reference! Click the button below to explore our PLO content. 

In response to requests from local educators and partners alike, Groundswell is offering a special event for our network. Dr. Jamie Langlois, associate professor in the GVSU School of Social Work, and Matt Langlois, school social worker for Forest Hills Public Schools, will be this professional learning's visiting experts. Join your peers in discussion and learning as we work to navigate the challenging spaces of social and emotional health for pK-12 students. This unique event will be hosted at 7 Monks Taproom; click below to RSVP. 

There are just three months left to submit your class's Brainstorm Doc to start your stewardship project! Each school's folder can be accessed at the link below; scroll through, find your school, and start editing your Brainstorm Google Doc.

Don't see a folder for your school? Click on a blank folder and rename it to "SCHOOL NAME - Groundswell Project 2024-2025" and start from there. Explore this new document and accompanying resources in our Groundswell Google Drive. Click the button below to begin!

Are you looking for more clarity on how to conduct place-based education (PBE) with your students? Are you a community partner trying to get your staff on board with the concepts of PBE? Check out our Michigan Learning Channel videos on practicing PBE locally. Learn how to consider math as an outdoor subject, how to practice intentional inquiry with young learners, and explore other skills by watching the playlist of curated videos developed by the Great Lakes Stewardship Initiative, our parent hub. 

We are a four seasons state, so that means snow! Salt contaminates our waterways, but it's not going away any time soon. So how do we manage it, and how can we empower our students to help?

Students and our community can help monitor the use of roadsalts and enter data online to track how much salt is being used in their area. Free kits are available for your classroom; just work with your students to take the Salt Pledge and begin contributing to a national citizen science database. Explore the kits, interactive map, and other resources below.  

The Ottawa Area Intermediate School District (OAISD) provides an extensive range of professional development opportunities tailored to meet the needs of busy educators. From lesson planning to implementation and monitoring, OAISD partners with educators to deliver high-quality training that supports effective instruction and enhances student outcomes. Groundswell is proud to have partnered with the OAISD over the years, and we encourage educators to take advantage of these resources to grow their skills and impact. Explore the offerings and register today using the link below.

Questions? Please contact Groundswell at groundswell@gvsu.edu.