Each year MSSWA hosts conference trainings to meet the unique learning and licensing needs of school social workers. MSSWA welcomes RFPs for potential workshops.
Opportunity for MSSW Members -
Two Opportunities: Deadline January 1st and June 15th
Twice each year, MSSWA Mini-Grants will provide two awards,
a $500 prize and a $750 prize,
to support projects conducted by any Regular MSSWA member**
in the schools where they work.
Good luck and be sure to get your applications in by the deadline!
**the grants are not available to Affiliate or Student Members. They are intended for licensed school social workers employed in a school setting
The 20th Annual
MSSWA Day at the Hill
Virtual & In Person
Wednesday, March 8th, 2023
at
Education Minnesota, 41 Sherburne Ave, St Paul, MN 55103
**Click here for Day on the Hill Brochure**
What is Day on the Hill? Day at the Hill provides an opportunity for school social workers to come together to educate state lawmakers about how we address student barriers to academic success in cost effective ways. Up to 6.5 CEUs awarded (Virtual Participants earn 4 CEU's). This is a staff development/Board of Social Work approved opportunity, not a political lobby day. Who should attend? • Current or past school social workers • Students interested in the field of school social work • Friends and supporters of school social work and public education Agenda: 7:45-8:15 Registration 8:15-9:00 Welcome and Opening Remarks - Christy McCoy MSSWA Legislative Chair 9:00-10:15 Keynote Presentation - Saida Abdi clinical social worker, Professor of Social Work Practice University of MN and an expert in refugee trauma and resilience. Her area of focus is building individual, family and community resilience along with improving the responsiveness of systems of care to the needs of refugee and immigrant communities. 10:15-10:30 Break 10:30-11:00 Legislative Priorities from EDMN Lobbyist, MSSWA Lobbyist Brad Lundell and Christy McCoy 11:00-12:00 Networking discussions centered on strengthening the impact of our advocacy at the micro, mezzo and macro levels to ensure educational equity & Preparing for visits with Legislators. 12:00-12:30 Lunch and Large Group Share Out 12:30-3pm Visits with Legislators Cost: The cost for in-person is $40.00 for members and $65.00 nonmembers which includes breakfast and lunch. Cost for virtual $25.00 members and $50.00 for nonmembers. All who register will receive a Day on the Hill T-Shirt. School social workers play a critical role in advocating, promoting and impacting the realization of educational equity and social justice for all! Day on the Hill is one avenue in which all of us can engage as true change agents on a macro level! REGISTER TODAY!!!! Christy McCoy MSW LICSW SSWAA President and MSSWA Legislative Chair School Social Worker Como Park Senior High School
What is Day on the Hill? Day at the Hill provides an opportunity for school social workers to come together to educate state lawmakers about how we address student barriers to academic success in cost effective ways.
Up to 6.5 CEUs awarded (Virtual Participants earn 4 CEU's). This is a staff development/Board of Social Work approved opportunity, not a political lobby day.
Who should attend?
• Current or past school social workers
• Students interested in the field of school social work
• Friends and supporters of school social work and public education
Agenda:
7:45-8:15 Registration
8:15-9:00 Welcome and Opening Remarks - Christy McCoy MSSWA Legislative Chair
9:00-10:15 Keynote Presentation -
Saida Abdi clinical social worker, Professor of Social Work Practice University of MN and an expert in refugee trauma and resilience. Her area of focus is building individual, family and community resilience along with improving the responsiveness of systems of care to the needs of refugee and immigrant communities.
10:15-10:30 Break
10:30-11:00 Legislative Priorities from EDMN Lobbyist, MSSWA Lobbyist Brad Lundell and Christy McCoy
11:00-12:00 Networking discussions centered on strengthening the impact of our advocacy at the micro, mezzo and macro levels to ensure educational equity & Preparing for visits with Legislators.
12:00-12:30 Lunch and Large Group Share Out
12:30-3pm Visits with Legislators
Cost: The cost for in-person is $40.00 for members and $65.00 nonmembers which includes breakfast and lunch. Cost for virtual $25.00 members and $50.00 for nonmembers. All who register will receive a Day on the Hill T-Shirt.
School social workers play a critical role in advocating, promoting and impacting the realization of educational equity and social justice for all! Day on the Hill is one avenue in which all of us can engage as true change agents on a macro level! REGISTER TODAY!!!!
Christy McCoy MSW LICSW
SSWAA President and MSSWA Legislative Chair
School Social Worker
Como Park Senior High School
Register here Or complete hard copy registration in the brochure.
Make checks payable to MSSWA and mail to* :
MSSWA/Attn: Susanne Schroeder
28 3rd Street N, Unit 231
Faribault, MN 55021
* No cancellations or refunds after 3/5/23 Register by March 5th, 2023
The 21st Annual Minnesota School Social Workers Association Summer Institute
June 12—14, 2023
IN-PERSON!
Chase on the Lake, Walker, MN
Only
Register Online today at:
https://msswa.wildapricot.org/event-5155215
Featuring a Full Day Session with Dr. Anne Gearity (Details below)
Full conference schedule with session information coming soon.
Full day session on Tuesday, June 13th, 2023
with Dr. Anne Gearity
"WHETHER WE LIKE IT OR NOT…SCHOOLS ARE CHANGING. AND WE MUST TOO"
Description: Education has been remarkably stable for over 100 years and is built on a model that fit the industrial needs of our nation: workers who acquired skills that fit the work needs of a given community. Sometime in the later 20th century the needs shifted from more physical labor to increasing access to knowledge-based skills. But COVID exposed how faulty our current approaches to learning have become. Not all children learn in the same way, and at the same pace. There is decreasing need to memorize facts (thank you. google search). Technology is not the enemy but a core tool. Critical and even innovative thinking is much more critical than compliant performance. Specialization may happen sooner than later. Artificial intelligence, and is there a need anymore for the humanities? Diversity of experiences is more and more essential, even as some parts of the larger community wish that wasn’t so; this diversity demands that students and teachers appreciate divergent points of view and divergent needs.
And in this changing culture, teachers are increasingly scarce. COVID burnout took a toll but maybe there is more to understand about what teachers need to be effective and satisfied.
So how will school special workers be useful, even essential, in this changing landscape of education? How do our models of learning, and adaptation, fit with the demands ahead?
This workshop is a chance to be visionary, to be reflective and to be brave. Rather than remain secondary citizens within schools, what if social workers became leaders, able to provide direction and support for change?
Morning Session: The morning workshop is focused on social emotional education and school climate
Afternoon Session: The afternoon session is focused on individual learning approaches, different family organizations, and students with special needs
Conference Questions?
Contact
Tony Porter
612-803-2722
mplstonyjoel@gmail.com
or
Dan Porter
danpporter@msn.com
www.msswa.org
President Sherry Murphy
Secretary Courtney Stenseth
Treasurer Susanne Schroeder
Legislative Chair Christy McCoy
Professional Development Chair Dan Porter
Past-President Molly Fox
If you are having difficulty with your on-line membership or conference registration, please contact msswafandm@gmail.com