NPAS Professional Development

PRE K-12

DATE: THURSDAY, APRIL 16, 2026

TIME: 4:15–7:15 PM

PRESENTER(S): Callie Den Hartog & Heather Vikla

LOCATION: CEC - District Office Board Room

***This session covers the cultural competency licensure requirement.

To fulfill the American Indian History and Culture requirement and renew your license. PELSB has developed two self-paced e-Learning courses to meet this requirement. Once you complete the course, upload the certificate on Frontline and choose American Indian History and Culture from the drop-down menu. You will also be compensated at the Staff Development rate of $16.70/hour for completing this requirement. Your Continuing Ed building representative will include your name on a list. At the end of each month, the list will be submitted for payment.

If you have any questions, please reach out to your building CEU Representative.

HS - Michelle Scharpen: mscharpen@isd721.org

MS - Tracy Helgerson: thelgers@isd721.org

RS - Stacy Hemann: shemann@isd721.org

FR - Lisa Luskey: lluskey@isd721.org

EV - Erin Streefland: estreefland@isd721.org

CEC - Jen Weichert: jweichert@isd721.org

ELEMENTARY

DATE: THURSDAY, APRIL 30, 2026

TIME: 4:15–5:00 PM

PRESENTER(S): Jen Mushitz & Kristi Root

LOCATION: CEC - District Office Board Room

This session will introduce teachers to the purpose and power of sound walls as a tool to support phonics instruction. Participants will learn what a sound wall is, how it differs from traditional word walls, and why it aligns more closely with the science of reading. The session will provide practical strategies for integrating sound walls, including how to explicitly teach phoneme-grapheme connections and support students in transferring these skills to reading and writing. Teachers will leave with clear, classroom-ready ideas for using sound walls alongside their existing phonics curriculum to strengthen student learning.

Mark your calendars for Thursday, August 20th, when we will host the annual NPAS Powerful Learning Conference. Registration opens in May. We are asking you to consider facilitating one of the following topics:

Social Emotional Learning • PLC 101 • Executive Functioning Strategies ELA & Math Resources • Strategies for Managing Classroom Behaviors K-5 Number Sense Activities • Quick & Effective Instructional Strategies SpEd 101 for General Ed • AI in Education • GoGuardian Best Practices Google Classroom Tips & Tricks • Clever Teacher Pages • Relicensure

Staff under the teacher contract can register through Frontline Management System and will be paid $16.70 per hour.

Tip sheet and FAQ's about Frontline Management System: Click here

Questions? Contact Julie Schmitz @ 952.758.1741 or jschmitz@isd721.org.