October 2009 Key Messages

American Reinvestment and Recovery Act (ARRA)

A. NCLB Title II-D ARRA Application Released

The Request for Proposals for NCLB Title II-D ARRA funds for educational technology projects, along with the application form, was released on September 9, 2009. A series of technical assistance sessions in the form of Webinars and face-to-face sessions will be offered. These sessions are intended to assist districts in becoming familiar with the federal requirements and in writing their grant proposals. Registration for these sessions is requested in order to ensure enough space and materials are available. Visit www.education.nh.gov/recovery for the guidance and application form. The deadline for districts to submit proposals is November 6, 2009.

Contact: Dr. Cathy Higgins, (603) 271-2453, chiggins@ed.state.nh.us

B. Qualified Zone Academy Bonds & Qualified School Construction Bonds

$2.1 million remains in the state allocation for Qualified Zone Academy Bonds. Additional allocation is expected in 2010. Go to www.education.nh.gov for information and application forms. Another allocation of approximately $30 million in Qualified School Construction Bonds is expected in 2010. Information on how to apply for these bonds will be made available later.

Contact: Marjorie Schoonmaker, (603) 271-3620, mschoonmaker@ed.state.nh.us

C. Centers for Disease Control (CDC) and Prevention

CDC's Procurement and Grants Office has published a funding opportunity announcement (FOA) entitled, "American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009: Communities Putting Prevention to Work." Approximately $373 million will be available in fiscal year 2009 to fund thirty to forty awards. The purpose of this FOA is to create healthier communities through sustainable, proven, population-based approaches such as broad-based policy, systems, organizational and environmental changes in communities and schools. For more information go to: grants.gov/.

The deadline to apply is December 1, 2009.

Contact: Mary Bubnis, 271 3889, mbubnis@ed.state.nh.us

Accountability, Assessment, Curriculum, and School Improvement

A. NH Alternate Assessment Coaching Sessions

In the 2009-2010 school year, the Department is offering a monthly series of personalized team assistance workshops with our NH-Alt Coaches. If your team needs specific advice or support, please try to attend a coaching session or two. For your convenience, sessions are scheduled across all regions and will run the entire day, extending until 5 pm for those who need an after school session. When registering online, you'll find time, location, and will be asked to choose the block of time you need. To attend, you must register online, in advance, as a team (at least one special educator and one general educator must attend together). It is Department policy that only registered teams will be admitted. Teams larger than the two required members are welcome to attend, but must register in advance. Support for teams on the topic of providing student accommodations is also available at these sessions.

October 2009: Register via iregister.measuredprogress.org no later than 10/16/09.
Monday	Tuesday	Wednesday	Thursday	Friday
10/19 Derry	10/20 Lebanon	10/21 Rochester	10/22 concord	10/23 Berlin
10/26 Nashua	10/27 Plymouth	10/28 Keene	10/29 Barnstead	10/30 Conway

Information on Coaching Sessions to be held each month, October - April, is posted in several locations: NHDOE monthly Key Messages, the NHDOE Accountability Web site Calendar at: www.education.nh.gov, the NH Alternate Educator's Manual, available online at: www.education.nh.gov (select NH Alternate), or go to: www.measuredprogress.org/assessments/clients/nh-alternate.html.

Contact: Gaye Fedorchak, gfedorchak@ed.state.nh.us, (603) 271-7383

B. Fall NECAP and NH-Alt Participation

Fall NECAP and School Year 2009-2010 NH-Alt Participation Guidelines have been posted on the Fall 2009 Materials and Information link at: www.education.nh.gov. The only substantial change from last year is that the USED has ruled that exchange students must be tested. Grade 12 students who "skipped grade 11" are required to be tested. We define "skipped grade 11" as being those students who are reported as being in grade 12 on the October 1, 2009 BOY file that were also reported as being in grade 9 or 10 on the October 1, 2008 BOY file.

Students placed out-of-district in private placements are required to participate in statewide assessment. Rosters have been sent to both the out placement school and the district office. If there are errors or omissions on either list, the out placement schools should contact the sending district and the sending district should contact Measured Progress to order additional materials.

C. Accommodations

With the merging of the NECAP and MEA (Maine) accommodations, we have revised our accommodations and produced several new documents. These documents are available at: www.education.nh.gov, then select link: Fall 2009 Materials and Information. The two big changes are the accommodation codes (T (timing), S (setting), P (presentation), R (response), O (other), and M (modification)), and if the mathematics or writing test is read aloud to a student, it must be read aloud in English.

NECAP Accommodations Guide

New Section: Allowable Assessment Supports that are not Accommodations
New Appendix: Supporting Students with Limited English Proficiency

NECAP Table of Standard Accommodations

NECAP Accommodations Crosswalk (crosswalk between old codes and new codes)

D. State Approved Special Considerations (SASC)

The SASC paperwork and forms have been updated and now delineates six different categories: medical emergency, severe emotional distress, death in the family, enrolling after NH-Alt registration, participating in another state's state assessment system, and NH-Alt student exemption from ACCESS for ELLs®. Do not use old forms to request an exemption through this process. The new forms may be found by following the Fall 2009 Materials and Information link at www.education.nh.gov.

E. NECAP Writing

This year, the Grade 5 and Grade 8 writing test is a pilot of new test items. We will produce only item level results that will be used to generate five pre-equated writing tests at each grade level for use over the next few years. Consequently, there will be no student, school, district, or state writing results at grade 5 or 8 this year. Student responses to the common writing prompt at grade 11 will be returned to schools with results this year. Student responses to the common writing prompt at grades 5 and 8 will be returned to schools with results starting with the October 2010 test administration.

F. Removal of 2006 and 2007 Released Reading Items

Due to publisher permission agreements, the Department will remove the 2006 and 2007 released item documents that contain copyrighted reading passages from the Web on November 1, 2009. This will affect only the reading released item documents, for example: Grade 3 Reading Released Items. The two companion documents will remain posted, for example: Grade 3 Reading Released Item Support Materials and Grade 3 Student Work Samples.

Contact: Tim Kurtz, (603) 271-3846, tkurtz@ed.state.nh.us

Bureau of Accountability Requests for Proposals (RFP)

Two RFPs have been posted on the Request for Proposals Web page. Content Specialists to Assist With the Development and Analysis of the State Assessment (NECAP) and Content Support and Technical Assistance to Local School Districts. More information can be found under "Grants" below or on the RFP Web page www.education.nh.gov.

Contact: Deb Wiswell, (603) 271-3828, dwiswell@ed.state.nh.us
Tim Kurtz, (603) 271-3846, tkurtz@ed.state.nh.us

Data Issues

A. i.4see Workbench

BOY Reporting

BOY submission for all grades must be certified by October 15. Real Time Entry/Withdrawal begins when BOY has been certified. This includes out of district nonpublic placed students.

2nd Round Label Requests were due by October 1.

F&R Submission: November 7 for applications received by October 31.

Course Submissions: Fall-Winter timeframe for all staff.

Contact: Sandy Hyslop, (603) 271-2831, shyslop@ed.state.nh.us

B. Fall Reports

The following reports should be entered into the ESS system (using the myNHDOE Single Sign On System) and then printed, signed, and forwarded to Data Management by

October 15, 2009.

• Class and Staffing Form (A 12B)
• Central Office Personnel (A 12D)
• District Level Home Schooled Count (A 12E)
• Teacher Attainment and Average Salary (A 12F)

Contact: Anne Hartshorn, (603) 271-8307, ahartshorn@ed.state.nh.us

Funding Issues

A. School Building Aid

School Building Aid is fully funded for FY 10. Payments will be made in October and April.

Please submit Form A24F and any other missing documentation as soon as construction projects are complete. We cannot make the final payment on any project with missing documentation.

Contact: Marjorie Schoonmaker, (603) 271-3620, mschoonmaker@ed.state.nh.us

Grants and Requests for Proposals
ALL RFPs can be found on the Department Web site at www.education.nh.gov

A. Content Specialists to Assist With the Development and Analysis of the State Assessment (NECAP)

The Bureau of Accountability is seeking individuals with specific content expertise and experience with the New England Common Assessment Program (NECAP) to work with other content specialists from Maine, Vermont, and Rhode Island on all aspects of NECAP test development and review in mathematics, reading, and writing. Depending on specific qualifications, a candidate may apply for and be assigned to more than one area stated in the RFP. Proposals will be read beginning on October 23. Any proposals received after this date will be considered until the positions have been filled.

All questions about this Request for Proposals (RFP) should be submitted in writing, by e-mail or fax (include your fax number) to Tim Kurtz, Fax (603) 271-7381, tkurtz@ed.state.nh.us.

B. Content Support and Technical Assistance to Local School Districts

The Division of Instruction is seeking individuals with specific expertise and experience to work with schools and districts in New Hampshire as a part of the Statewide System of Support in order to improve student achievement. We are seeking proposals for multiple individuals to provide technical assistance and specific content support to school districts regarding State priorities: Proposals will be read beginning on October 2. Any proposals received after this date will be considered until the positions have been filled.

All questions about this Request for Proposals (RFP) should be submitted in writing, by e-mail or fax (include your fax number) to: Ellie Riel, Fax (603) 271-7381, eriel@ed.state.nh.us.

C. Special Education Document Translation Services

The purpose of this RFP is to seek proposals to provide the New Hampshire Department of Education with translation services for the provision of special education documents to parents or guardians of English Language Learners, in an understandable and uniform format, and to the extent practicable, in language that the parent can understand.

Proposals will only be accepted from translation agencies or organizations that already provide translation services to other State's Local Education Associations, State Educational Agencies or the United States Department of Education. Deadline for submittal of Proposals is 4:00 p.m., Thursday, October 29, 2009.

Contact: Amy Jenks, (603) 271-3842, ajenks@ed.state.nh.us

Innovations

A. Transforming New Hampshire Education

Commissioner Virginia Barry is leading the Department through a process to transform NH's educational system. Addressing four broad areas: Standards and Assessments, Effective Teachers and Leaders, Data Systems, and Turnaround of Struggling Schools, the Department is drawing on reform strategies that have demonstrated improvement across the state, as well as envisioning new, innovative efforts. A powerpoint presentation can be found at www.education.nh.gov.

Contact: Paul Leather, (603) 271-3801, pleather@ed.state.nh.us

B. Real World Design Contest

New Hampshire will join the Real World Design Challenge, an aerospace engineering competition that will give New Hampshire students the opportunity to solve a "real world" aviation design challenge. Students and teachers will be given a real world challenge to solve through design. Real World Design Contest goals are: Inspire and engage all students in Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) education, and systematically highlight the potential future workers in science and engineering fields. Teachers, partnering with student teams, will receive Teacher Professional Development; Engineering and Science Mentors; Professional Engineering Tools (total software donation per teacher is approximately $1 million); and a Real Aviation Challenge Defined by Industry. Students will be competing against other teams within their state. The winning team from each of these states will receive an all expense paid trip to Washington, D.C. to participate at the National Event March 26-29, 2010. Team registration deadline is November 16, 2009.

Additional information about the Challenge and the contest is available on the Real World Design Challenge Web site: www.scied.science.doe.gov/RWDC/index.html.

Specific rules for the state level competition and the later national challenge are available on this Web site: www.realworlddesignchallenge.org. This site will also offer state specific information once the site is constructed.

Contact: Ed Taylor, (603) 271- 3886, etaylor@ed.state.nh.us

NH High School Redesign

A. Performance Assessment

The New England Secondary School Consortium recently held a meeting to look at ways to pilot performance assessment models across the six states. John Tanner of the Council of Chief State School Officers (CCSSO) led a spirited meeting regarding methods to pilot innovative practices. High Schools in New Hampshire that have completed work developing course level competencies and are interested in support as they create associated performance assessments to demonstrate student mastery should contact Paul Leather.

Contact: Paul Leather, (603) 271-3801, pleather@ed.state.nh.us

School Approval Standards

This section applies to both public and nonpublic schools

A. School Approval Standards

Local fire departments are now required to inspect all public and private schools in their communities annually and forward the report to the State Fire Marshal. The Department of Education will receive reports from the State Fire Marshal. Schools cannot be approved if they have fire code violations. Schools whose approval expires June 30, 2010 should contact their local fire departments as soon as possible if an annual inspection has not already been scheduled.

Schools that are conditionally approved or that have been granted a Delay in Full Compliance by the State Board of Education will be changed to approved upon receipt of documentation indicating that all standards have been met.

Minimum Standards reminder: RSA 189:17 requires that all public and private schools fly a U.S. flag outside their buildings that is at least five feet in length. Public schools are also required to fly a NH state flag.

Contact: Marie Morgan, (603) 271-4125, mmorgan@ed.state.nh.us
Leslie Higgins, (603) 271-3759, lhiggins@ed.state.nh.us

Special Education

A. Parent Information Survey

The New Hampshire Department of Education is pleased to announce the release of the 2008-2009 Parent Involvement Statewide Survey Results. In March 2009, the second Parent Information Survey was distributed. The survey measures the percent of parents with a child receiving special education services who report that the schools facilitated parent involvement as a means of improving special education services and results. Two important conclusions highlighted from the 2008-2009 Parent Involvement Statewide Survey Results Report are:

In 2009 there was a dramatic increase in the percentage of parents who indicated that schools facilitated parent involvement as a means of improving special education services and results for children with disabilities.

These positive results are directly correlated and attributed to the cooperation and collaboration of NH school districts and NH parent organizations to support the successful administration of the survey to over 33,000 parents of children receiving special education services.

The results of the 2008-2009 Statewide Parent Involvement Survey can be found on the Department's Web site at www.education.nh.gov.

Contact: Mary Lane, (603) 271-3740, mlane@ed.state.nh.us

B. Professional Development

The New Hampshire Department of Education, Bureau of Special Education will provide the following professional development opportunities to the field

• Supporting Parent Involvement towards Increasing Outcomes for Children with Disabilities

When: Thursday, October 22, 2009 - 9:00 a.m.-12:00 p.m., Location: NHDOE, Room 15
Presenter: Cheri Sullivan

We all agree that parents are key members of the IEP Team; the challenge becomes how to engage, inform, and educate parents along the way. Quick tips and research supported approaches will be provided to help educators increase their effectiveness by building partnerships with parents towards improved outcomes for children with disabilities. All General and Special Education professionals including Case Managers, Therapists, Related Service Providers, and Administrators will benefit from this workshop.

• Section 504 and IDEA: Similarities and Differences

When: Tuesday, December 8, 2009 - 1:00 p.m.-3:00 p.m., Location: NHDoE, Room 15
Presenter: Robert Wells

This workshop will provide teachers, counselors, education specialists, administrators, and other school personnel with relevant and timely information they can use regarding the Vocational Rehabilitation Act of 1973 (Section 504) and the Individuals with Disabilities Educational Improvement Act of 2004 (IDEA). Discussion will focus on the similarities and differences between Section 504 and the IDEA. Topics include: Eligibility, Section 504 or Special Education?; Implementing Accommodation Plans or IEPs?; Discipline under Section 504 and IDEA; and Implications of recent amendments to the Americas with Disabilities Act (ADA) and the IDEA for Section 504 and special education.

Contact: Barbara Raymond, (603) 271-3791, braymond@ed.state.nh.us

Professional Development

A. Arts in Education Conference

Registration is now open for the annual Arts in Education Partnership Conference, Maps & Journeys: Perspectives on the Future of Arts Education in New Hampshire. The conference will be held October 30 - November 1 at the AMC Highland Center at Crawford Notch in the White Mountains. A variety of workshops in all arts disciplines will be offered. The three-day conference provides educators, artists, and school leaders with networks, tools, models, and information to design quality arts education programs for all students. Bob Morrison of Quadrant Education Research will present findings from the NH Arts Education Data Project, the first comprehensive survey of arts education in the state.

To register or for more information, visit www.nh.gov/nharts or www.aannh.org. Partners for this event include the NH Department of Education, the Arts Alliance of Northern NH, Red River Theatres, Concord, NH, and the Conway Schools.

Contact: Marcia McCaffrey, (603) 271-3193, mmccaffrey@ed.state.nh.us

B. Career Development Student Course Planning Team Training - Information Technology

The purpose of this professional development is to match the Career Technical Instructors at Secondary schools and Postsecondary institutions in a career area - information technology - to design a plan of study that assists students in understanding the courses they need to take in high school to best prepare for college. Dual credit options for students will also be identified and expanded. Key participants include (but are not limited to) high school guidance counselors, secondary and postsecondary instructors. This event will take place all day, October 23, 2009, in the Walker Building, 21 South Fruit Street, Room 100, Concord, NH.

Contact: Mary Laturnau 437-3510, NHMfgIT@gmail.com

C. Career Development Supporting Student Course Planning Team Training, Horticulture

The purpose of this training is to match the Career Technical Instructors at Secondary schools and Postsecondary institutions in a career area - horticulture to design a plan of study to assist students in understanding the courses they need to take in high school to best prepare for college. Dual credit options for students will also be identified and expanded. Key participants include (but are not limited to) high school guidance counselors, secondary and postsecondary instructors. This event will take place all day, November 6, 2009, in the Walker Building, 21 South Fruit Street, Room 100, Concord, NH.

Contact: Kathleen Totten, (603) 433-1964, erpartnership@ccsnh.edu

D. Gifted and Talented Conference

The New England Conference on Gifted and Talented will be held on October 22-24, 2009, at the Radisson Hotel, Nashua, NH. This conference is for educators, counselors, health professionals, and parents of the gifted and talented. The conference is co-sponsored by the six New England state advocacy organizations and the New England Departments of Education. More information can be found at www.necgt.org.

E. OPEN NH Offers Discounts for Districts for e-Learning for Educators Online Professional Development Courses

OPEN NH (New Hampshire e-Learning for Educators) offers a variety of group discounts for SAUs, districts, or schools. Discounts include 25 seats in our 7 week online courses for $1900 and 5 seats for $450. The OPEN NH Fall 2009 Session will begin on October 6th. Districts can also request the special delivery of any of our courses at the 7-8 week time frame of their choice. To request a special delivery course, a designated team leader should complete a Special Course Delivery Registration form available online and send it to the OPEN NH Project Coordinator for processing, or contact the OPEN NH project coordinator.

The OPEN NH Fall 2009 Session will run from October 6th through November 24th. The list of courses running in the fall, as well as descriptions of all courses in the OPEN NH catalogue, can be found on the Web site www.opennh.org. A new online registration process will be available shortly for the fall session. Please visit the Web site for updates.

Graduate credits are available through Plymouth State University at an additional cost.

Contact: Stan Freeda, (603) 271-5132, sfreeda@ed.state.nh.us

F. New Hampshire Council for the Social Studies Conference

The NHCSS fall conference will be held on October 29, 2009 at the Center of NH in Manchester. Over 400 teachers of Social Studies and supporters of social studies education attended the Conference in 2008. More information can be found at www.nhcss.org/nhcss/events.cfm.

Contact: Kenneth J. Relihan, (603) 271- 6151, krelihan@ed.state.nh.us

G. New Hampshire Association of World Language Teachers Conference

The NHAWLT fall conference will be held on October 23-24, 2009 at the Radisson in Manchester. Teachers of all languages are invited to participate in the exhibits and workshops. For more information or to register go to www.nhawlt.org/polyglot.pdf, or contact Janis Hennnessey, janis.hennessey@comcast.net.

H. UNH Center for Graduate & Professional Studies at Manchester

On Tuesday, October 13th at 6:00 p.m. UNH will be sponsoring an open house to describe their university programs for working professionals. For more information go to www.unhmgrad.unh.edu.

Resources

A. Leveraging Title I & Title IID: Maximizing the Impact of Technology in Education

The State Educational Technology Directors Association (SETDA) and the National Association of State Title I Directors (NASTID), have jointly published two documents, Leveraging Title I & Title IID: Maximizing the Impact of Technology in Education and The Resource Guide Identifying Technology Tools for Schools. These documents highlight the need for collaboration among educators to provide the very best educational opportunities for all students. The documents are available for download at www.setda.org/web/guest/titleI. SETDA and NASTID have also created an online collaborative site, www.setda.org/web/guest/titleIwiki to provide an avenue for educators to continue the discussion and provide additional examples.

B. NH Educational Standards and Project Archaeology

Teaching archaeology to students can be entertaining as well as pedagogically effective, but does it really fit within NH's educational standards? The NH Project Archaeology coordinators, with much appreciated assistance from past teacher workshop participants, spent hours pouring over the State's curriculum framework for math, science, social studies, and visual arts. As it turns out, there is a high correlation between the Project Archaeology lessons and NH educational standards. Visit www.nh.gov/nhdhr/programs/project_archaeology.html and click on "Archaeology Resources for Teachers" to download the data.

Please visit the Project Archaeology information booth during October, which is Archaeology Month. For a complete schedule of events, directions, dates and time, see the calendar of events on the New Hampshire Archeological Society's Web site, www.nhas.org.

C. McAuliffe-Shepard Discovery Center

Teacher workshops will be starting in November at the McAuliffe-Shepard Discovery Center in Concord. Teachers and educators receive a 10% discount on memberships to the Discovery Center. The Discovery Center is New England's premier air and space science center, offering 21st century interactive exhibits (permanent and traveling), simulation experiences, an observatory, an expanded NASA Educator Resource Center, world-renowned planetarium, special event spaces, science store, and a café. The Discovery Center honors NH space pioneers Christa McAuliffe and Alan Shepard. More information on workshops, programs, and events are posted online at www.starhop.com. For more on memberships, call Dinah Martell at (603) 271-7827 x113.

D. Regional Educational Laboratory Northeast and Islands (REL-NEI)

REL-NEI's mission is to help preK-16 educators - at the state, district, and school levels - use the best available evidence to make decisions leading to improved student achievement and reduced performance gaps. The September/October issue of REL-NEI's E-Newsletter EdEvidence includes stories on New Hampshire Governing Board Member Marie Ross (Superintendent of the Newfound Area School District), the Reference Desk Center, and a Policy Challenges Conference on the National Math Panel Report. For more information about REL-NEI and to read EdEvidence go to www.relnei.org.

E. School Health List

The State Department of Education's Friends of School Health List provides information and resources that generally relate to the strong link between academics and health. To sign up to receive these updates go to maillist2.nh.gov/mailman/listinfo/nhsn-friends.

Contact: Katherine Rannie, (603) 271-3891, krannie@ed.state.nh.us

Other

United States Senate Youth Program (USSYP)

Applications are now available for the United States Senate Youth Program. Two students from New Hampshire will travel to Washington (all expenses paid) and receive $5,000 scholarships. The 48th Annual USSYP will be held in Washington, D.C. March 6-13, 2010. Principals may nominate any high school junior or senior currently serving in an elected capacity in any student government, civic, or educational organizations. Selection is based on academic accomplishments, community services, and demonstrated qualities of leadership as elected high school student body officers for the 2009-2010 school year. Information will be mailed to high school principals this week. Applications can be found on the NH DOE Web site at www.education.nh.gov.

Contact: Lori Temple, (603) 271-6646, ltemple@ed.state.nh.us

The Prudential Spirit of Community Awards

The Prudential Spirit of Community Awards are soliciting applications from NH residents in grades 5-12. This award honors young people in middle and high school grades for outstanding volunteer service to their communities. Created in 1995 by Prudential Financial in partnership with the National Association of Secondary School Principals (NASSP), the awards constitute the United States' largest youth recognition program based solely on volunteering. The Prudential Spirit of Community Awards is a nationwide program for young people in grades 5-12 who are volunteering in their local communities. The program is conducted on the local level through public and private middle and high schools across the United States. Interested applicants must first apply online and then submit their applications to a school or one of the officially designated local organizations to be considered for the Prudential Spirit of Community Awards at the state and national level. For more information log on to spirit.prudential.com.

Need A School Or Club Fundraiser? Sell NH Fish & Wildlife Calendars

Fish and Game is offering schools and clubs the opportunity to sell the new 2010 NH Fish & Wildlife calendar as a local fundraiser. Your organization will make $5.95 on each calendar ordered (a minimum purchase of 10 calendars is required). The all-new 2010 New Hampshire Fish & Wildlife wall calendar features twelve months of beautiful wildlife photography, plus hunting and fishing season dates and more. This year's theme is "Get outside and get active with family and friends."

To download a calendar sales package for your group, visit www.wildnh.com/Shop/calendar_fundraiser.html or call (603) 271-6355. Final fundraiser orders must be placed by November 6, 2009. Group orders are fulfilled after orders are taken, so you only buy the number of calendars that you've sold.

Safe Routes to School (SRTS)

SRTS is a movement to encourage and enable elementary school children to safely walk and ride bicycles to school. The NH Department of Transportation (NHDOT) encourages more communities to get involved. SRTS helps communities by reimbursing them 100% of eligible and approved costs of bringing new balance to our transportation system. The application period for the fourth round of general grant funding is now open. Communities have until Monday, November 9, 2009 to prepare their applications and submit them to both the NHDOT and Regional Planning Commissions (RPCs). Applicants are invited to submit applications for initial review and comment by the coordinator and/or RPCs prior to the filing deadline. More information and applications can be found at www.nh.gov/dot/org/projectdevelopment/planning/srts/.

Institute on Disability (IOD) Workshops

Introductory and Advanced Facilitated Communication Workshops

The IOD at the University of New Hampshire will offer Introductory Training for Facilitated Communication on Tuesday, October 13, 2009 and Facilitated Communication 2: Beyond the Basics on Friday, October 23, 2009 at the Institute on Disability's Concord Office.

Assistive and Universal Design Technologies: Achieving Educational Success for All

The UNH Institute on Disability will present the first two workshops of a six-part series focused on the development and implementation of quick and cost-effective assistive and universal design technology solutions to support all students on Thursday, October 22, 2009 and Monday, November 9, 2009 at the Holiday Inn in Concord, NH. The first session titled Universal Design Software to Achieve Educational Success will review a variety of software that was once identified as assistive technology software is truly universally designed and can benefit all students. The second session, Technology Tools for Student Access and Success, will address the academic and communication needs of struggling students continuing on to higher education with tools that will enable them to be successful.

For more information or to register visit www.iod.unh.edu/events.html or call (603) 228-2084.

Serving Up Sensible Snacks and Beverages in Schools

This Regional Collaborative Conference will take place from 9:00 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. on October 22 in Williston, Vermont or October 23 in Brattleboro, Vermont. Choose the day that best meets your needs. Learn how to change the foods and drinks sold in your school while maintaining or boosting revenues. This day-long training will help state stakeholders, school teams, and other partners choose resources and share strategies. You will learn best practices for engaging students, parents, and administrators and leave the training with clear actions to take. For more information and to register go to www.healthandlearning.org or call (802) 254-6590.

Preventing Suicide Across Time and Across Systems

This conference is recommended for mental health, public health and other health care providers, survivors, educators, policy-makers, parents, law enforcement and first responders, the media, and anyone interested in learning more about suicide prevention among all age groups. It is being held on Friday, November 6, 2009, 8 a.m. - 4:30 p.m. at the Loon Mountain Club, Lincoln, NH. The purposes of the conference include: To increase understanding of suicide in New Hampshire; To provide participants with a perspective of gains made and directions taken towards suicide prevention; and To learn what is being done in New Hampshire and how it is working. A conference brochure can be found at www.education.nh.gov or for more information, contact Elizabeth Fenner-Lukaitis, (603) 271-5028, ElizabethFL@dhhs.state.nh.us.