Middle Level Minute

Our first Principal Connect will be held next Friday, September 4 on GoogleMeet! This is time for principals to network, ask questions, share resources, and more! Led by our new IMLEA Presidient, Lori Katz, join for any or all of the time from 9:30-11 am EDT. The link to sign up is also here! This is just part of an expanded calendar of events our board has planned for this year.

With all of the recent disasters in our state, there are undoubtedly students and schools in need. Please let us know if there is any way other schools can be of help, and we will pass the information along. There are still schools that have had to delay the start of the school year due to damage or power outages.

Top photo: Nick Sullivan and Dr. Adam Bontreger of Tri-West Middle School with Cassie Murphy, Abby Howdeshell, and Rebecca Bolinger from Rochester Community Middle School at the National Schools to Watch Conference after the awards ceremony.

Bottom: Adam and Nick presented on Tri-West's continual improvement process, which had led to them being designated as a STW more than any other school in Indiana. Rebecca, Cassie, and Abby presented on their huge achievement gains. Cassie has been chosen as a "Rising Star" for the AMLE conference in Nashville in November and will be presenting there!

One of the components of Rochester's presentation was the iLearn Olympics. You can find a great video about it here, which is part of the youtube channel they share with the high school.

Congratulations to Indian Creek Middle School in Trafalgar on being named an AMLE 2026 School of Distinction! Read more about them here.

Congratulations to these oustanding teachers! Amanda and Samantha are two of the three finalists! You can read more about them here.

• Abbey Krauskopf, Special Education Teacher at New Palestine Junior High
• Alexis Fischer, Math Teacher at Chapel Hill 7th & 8th Grade Center, MSD Wayne Township
• *Amanda Ray, 5th Grade Teacher at Custer Baker Intermediate, Franklin Community SC
• Bria Eversole, 6th Grade Math Teacher at Norwell Middle School in Ossian
• Michael Teal, 5th Grade Teacher at Fall Creek Intermediate. Hamilton Southeastern Sc
• Peggy Ross, Special Education Teacher at Lebanon Middle School
• *Samantha Willsey, 8th Grade Science Teacher at Bremen Elementary/Middle School

Over the summer, the Center of Excellence in Educational Leadership at the Universirty of Indianapolis (CELL) honored Beech Grove Middle School as one of their Top 10 Impact Schools in the state. You can read an extensive description of the many steps that they took to improve academic achievement as well as the school culture here.

Hebron Middle School recognizes an outstanding 8th grade boy and girl at their annual awards ceremony, supported by IMLEA and formerly Horace Mann. Pictured with the permanent award scroll on dispslay at the school are Abby Hansen and Wilson Orange from 2025 and Danen Hall and Zooey White from 2026. Hebron provides many opportunities for students to serve the school and community, and these students are some of the most involved!

Each year, ISTE + ASCD recognizes one college or university with its Distinguished Educator Preparation Program Award. This year, the single national winner was Ball State! Congratulations to their faculty, and to our many educators who have been a part of it! You can read more about the award here.

This webinar series starts September 16. For more information and to sign up, see this link.

Dream Big: STEPS to Space is giving Indiana students in grades 5-8 the chance to be part of a real satellite mission. Powered by NASA and NearSpace Education, Dream Big is a multi-year program that aims to remove barriers to STEM education and foster future aerospace innovators and problem solvers.

They are currently recruiting teams in Indianapolis, Evansville & surrounding areas from middle school classes and clubs, after-school programs, scout troops, & civic organizations. Learn more about the requirements and benefits here.

Probably more convenient for our NE Indiana members, but open to all! On September 12, join experienced naturalists for an all-day BioBlitz at Loblolly Marsh Nature Preserve in Jay County. Be a part of the race to identify 250 species over the course of just one day! (I have been to a previous event there; it was very interesting!) The event lasts from 8-4, but you can attend just part of it; a $5 donation is suggested.

TIMES ARE EDT; FREE UNLESS NOTED

Many are available via recording, especially if you pre-register.

September 4-IMLEA Principal Connect, 9:30 am

September 4- **Early Bird Pricing Ends for AMLE26; Extended through September 30

September 8-CELL Counselor Lunch & Learn: Chronic Absenteeism, Noon

September 8-Lilly Teacher Creativity Grant Proposals Due, 6 pm

September 11- 25th Anniversary of 9/11 (Scroll Down on This Link for Some MS Lessons); Additional Lessons from the 9/11 Memorial and Museum

September 15- Brisk Webinar: AI in Indiana Schools: Governance, Insights, & What's Next, 10 am

September 15-17- Culture of Reading Virtual Conference

September 16- Connected Curriculum Symposium (Heidi Hayes Jacobs at 11 am)

September 18- Retrieval Practice Webinar Series Begins

September 22- IMLEA EmpowerED Webinar with Dr. Laurie Ferry-Sales, Math Consultant, 4 pm

September 30- New Deadline for Earlybird Registration for AMLE

October 1- Fund for Teachers Applications Open (through January)

October 20- IMLEA EmpowerEd Webinar with Jacob White, New Castle MS Princpal, College and Career Readiness, 4 pm (more details and registration to come!)

November 4- DOE: Student Thinking in Middle School Mathematics, 12:30 EST

November 4-7- NSTA National Conference on Science & STEM Education in Indianapoiis, $

November 4-7- AMLE in Nashville, TN $

ONGOING EVENTS

Indiana Learning Lab Workshops (Requires Sign in for Registration, Also Access to Archived Events)

Teachers First OK2Ask Online Workshops; (Past on-demand sessions)

Keep Indiana Learning (KINL); Live Events (some $) Past Recordings/Digital Content

edWeb.net Webinars (Can watch at later date; if sponsored, "commercials" are at the end)

Leslie Fisher Webinars

AMLE Podcasts: Walk and Talk & Research to Practice

AMLE Events (some free, some paid)

Corwin Webinars, Additional Free Corwin Resources, Including Past Webinars

Please note: Webinars and events mentioned in this space are not an endorsement of commercial products; on the contrary, we try to avoid listing events that appear to be commercial in nature. Every effort is made to strip social media/tracking data from provided URLs. In many cases, you can register and receive a recording later.

The only organization in Indiana devoted to promoting, improving, and supporting middle level education. We are the Indiana affiliate of the national organization AMLE, and administer the Schools to Watch program for the National Forum to Accelerate Middle Grades Reform.

Join us! Membership Benefits and Application

Joint Membership, AMLE/IMLEA

Susie Highley, Executive Director

FIND US:

11025 E. 25th Street, Indianapolis, IN. 46229 (Inside IASP)

(317) 759-4344

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This is the biggest membership discount we offer all year! IMLEA members can save 20% off a new AMLE membership in addition to your standard 10% affiliate dual-dues member discount. By adding AMLE dues to your current membership, educators will gain access to AMLE's resources, discounts, professional learning opportunities, and global community of middle level educators. Plus, anyone planning to attend the 53rd Annual Conference for Middle Level Education can save $200 with the member-rate Early Bird registration discount through September 4.

Joining is easy: applications are available at here, and you can use code READYSET to apply the additional 20% discount. Members needing assistance aligning their AMLE membership expiration date with their affiliate membership may fill out the form here or contact membercenter@amle.org.