South Central Service Cooperative: Cooperative Link

Cooperative Link \| On-Line Newsletter April 2004 \| Vol. 1 No. 1 A publication of South Central Service Cooperative Preview of Articles in this Issue: *Administration* Letter from the Executive Director South Central Service Cooperative (SCSC) has been in operation for 28 years. Editor’s Notes Welcome to the first issue of the South Central Service Cooperative’s “Cooperative Link.”		This newsletter is also available as an Acrobat PDF (1.5 MB)
*Products and Services* Insurance Lowest Insurance Rate Increase in Years! This past year has been one full of activity, new products, and education. Group Insurance Update: Health Insurance RFP; Life Insurance RFP; Worker’s Compensation Insurance; HIPAA; Voluntary Employees’ Beneficiary Association (VEBA). Finance Department Continued Savings for Members No increase in FY 2004–05 Membership Dues! Cooperative Purchasing Take Advantage of Cooperative Purchasing for Your Spring Purchasing Needs! Cooperative Purchasing provides substantial savings on high quality products and services to its members. Health & Safety 2004 Spring/Summer Workshops Health/Safety Professionals and Financial Planners School Superintendents and Business Managers Indoor Air Quality Coordinator Certification Trainings SMASMS Appreciation Day June 22, 2004 No Child Left Behind 2004 AYP Data Verification, Correction & Appeals Process Workshop May 19, 2004 Paraprofessional “Caring and Sharing” Conference Fall Conference November 5, 2004 SOCRATES Go Online with E-Learning from Class.com Expand program options with e-learning from Class.com. More than 45 one-semester courses are available online. Stream Award-winning Video into Your Classroom Enhance curriculum by streaming award-winning video into the classroom via the Internet. Teachers & Technology Training–TnT June 16 & 17, 2004 Educate 2004 June 14 & 15, 2004 Special Education Assistive Technology Available in Mankato Technology Plus, South Central Service Cooperative and the Region 9 Low Incidence Project have joined together to sponsor an Assistive Technology program for area communities. Deaf/Hard of Hearing Enjoy a “Family Getaway Weekend” Twenty families participated in the fourth annual “Family Getaway Weekend” for Region 9 families of children who receive special education services as deaf/hard of hearing learners held March 19-20 at the Holiday Inn in Mankato. SCSC Hosts Family Visual Impairment Gathering South Central Service Cooperative hosted the first ever “Family Get Together” for children with visual impairment. 1^st Annual – “Work-Skills Competition Day” “Gear Up for Your Future” at the 1^st Annual South Central Minnesota Work-Skills Competition Day on Thursday, May 20, 2004 from 8:00 a.m.–1:45 p.m. at South Central Technical College, North Mankato. Wellness Program Let’s Get Healthy! What can you or your organization do to promote wellness? Are you interested in ways to improve your health and promote wellness? *Student Enrichment Programs* Celebrate Student Success Congratulations to all our winners! Knowledge Bowl South Central Knowledge Bowl Winners Advance to State Knowledge Bowl season is drawing to a close, while the excitement of competition is still alive for some senior high teams as they advance to state competition at Cragun’s Resort in Brainerd April 20–21, 2004. Minnesota Academic Decathlon Rigor, Competition and Rewards! It’s not very often that teachers, administrators, community members, or parents are able to witness the results of instruction and personal interaction with high school students. Mankato West Advances to USAD National Competition The Mankato West Academic Decathlon team will move on to the next step of competition after winning the 2004 Minnesota State Championship. Minnesota Student Inventors Congress Thinking Outside the Box “I wish I had thought of that!” How many times do we ask ourselves that question when a new product is introduced? Young Writers Conference Learning Can be Fun Area youth gathered at Bethany Lutheran College in Mankato for the 16^th annual southern Minnesota Young Writers Conference March 11–12, 2004. Calendar of Events April – June, 2004