Hello and welcome to the first virtual RPDS Council meeting. I hope you enjoy
asynchronously participating in this meeting from the comforts of your home, school or
office. The success of this meeting will be determined by your participation in the online
discussion board activity and follow through on updating your PDS documentation. All RPDS
Council members have been invited to participate. Here we go!
I. Announcements & Updates
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So many GREAT things are happening in PDS sites across the region. Please take a moment to view the Fall 2011
RPDS Happenings by clicking on the link below.
http://www.salisbury.edu/pds/Council/Happenings/RPDS%20Happenings%20Fall%202011.pdf
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The Maryland PDS Conference has released a call for proposals. If you or anyone at your school or institution is
interested in presenting or attending the conference let me know and I will assist you with the process. Visit the
following link for more information as well as the call for proposals and registration forms.
http://www.salisbury.edu/pds/Council/council.html
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Conference will take place at Towson University on Saturday, April 21st.
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Proposals to present are due by Monday, January 23rd.
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Registration is due by Friday, March 30th.
Mark your calendars and spread the word! Salisbury University’s RPDS Conference will take place on Thursday,
May 10th at James M. Bennett High School from 4-8 pm.
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A call for proposals will be sent electronically in January.
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Online registration will be open in February.
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Encourage mentors, interns, administrators and SU faculty to consider presenting best practices,
collaborative techniques/strategies, special projects, grants, etc.
For Liaisons & Site Coordinators:
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The following items are critical for liaisons and site coordinators to collaboratively review and update.
Council members who are not liaisons or site coordinators are invited to visit the links provided in order
to remain informed of the work we do to ensure the success of our program.
1. RPDS Directory - Check the names and information of PDS stakeholders at your site.
http://www.salisbury.edu/pds/Council/PDS_Member_Directory2.html
2. Your site’s draft PDS Action Plan – Thank you to all who have submitted your draft plan. Check
to make sure I have properly posted your draft action plan on the website. Draft action plans
were due Nov. 15th.
http://www.salisbury.edu/pds/Council/council.html#PDS%20Action%20Plans%20DRAFTS
3. Your site’s updated PDS Site Description – A few of you have already added your coordinating
council members for the 2011-12 school year along with updates on site involvement that took
place this fall. If you have not updated your site description since last year, please take the time
to do so and submit the updated version to me via email. I will load all the updated site
descriptions to the website. You can access the latest version of your site description by clicking
on this link:
http://www.salisbury.edu/pds/Council/council.html#Site%20Description
II. Online Discussion Activity
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To access MyClasses (the area containing our RPDS Council discussion), please visit
http://myclasses.salisbury.edu and click on the LOGIN button.
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Your login information is as follows:
1. Username: first initial followed by your last name - for example Stacie Siers would be ssiers
2. Password: supds
3. If you already have an SU account and use MyClasses, then just use your regular username
and password to login and the title of the course is Department - PDS - Council
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Once you have logged in successfully, additional directions will be provided. Should you feel the need for
even more detailed instructions than what has been provided; the link below will take you to an online
tutorial with step by step directions on how to fully navigate the discussion board.
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http://ondemand.blackboard.com/r91/movies/bb91_student_creating_discussion_board_post.htm
III. Closing Remarks
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It is with great sadness that I announce the passing of JoAnne Donovan who served as one of our PDS liaisons to
Buckingham and Showell Elementary Schools in Worcester County as well as an intern supervisor and adjunct
instructor for Salisbury University. In her long career as a teacher in Worcester County, JoAnne mentored more
than 30 interns. She will be greatly missed.
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Thank you for your time and effort in making our first virtual meeting a successful one. Please don’t hesitate to
contact me with any questions or to inform of me of glitches.
Warm regards,
Stacie Siers
Regional PDS Coordinator
Salisbury University
1101 Camden Ave.
Salisbury, MD 21804
Fax: 410.548.2593
Office: 410.677.5042
Cell: 410.430.6740