Southeast Education Service Center

We are excited to announce the winners in each of the participating LEAs for the 2025 SESC/PBS Book Blast Reading Contest! Our region read a total of 173,569 minutes, with 23 schools participating! Thank you for your help and support!

Also, any student who read 600+ minutes can claim the PBS Adventure Pass. The student and parent need to visit PBSutah.org for details.

Way to go, SESC Region!
-Director Hughes

SESC|UVU On-Site Civics Training Registration Now Open!

Hello Secondary Educators,

The Utah Valley Center for Constitutional Studies Civic Thought & Leadership Initiative, in partnership with the Southeast Education Service Center (SESC), is proud to announce our next On-site Civics at the USU Moab campus in Moab, Utah, on Thursday, March 19, 2026.

This is an all-day (8:30-3:30) civic training for secondary civics teachers only. We will be discussing primary sources and civic content as we celebrate America's 250th anniversary! If you missed our Civic Educators Conference at UVU in October, this is an on-site version of that conference.

UVU will provide:

*Substitute reimbursement (paid directly to your district upon completion of training)
*.5 MIDAS credits
*$100 Amazon gift card
*Snacks and lunch

To register for our On-site Civics training in Moab, please use this link: https://uvu.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_39RW3UfWP8cx3FA

Registration closes February 27th or when space is full. To ensure timely processing of reimbursement requests and the advance purchase of gift cards, we must close registration by the stated deadline and cannot accept late registrants.

If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to reach out to Michelle at SmithMi@uvu.edu.

SESC MakerStudio December Workshop Schedule

The weather outside is frightful, but learning a new skill is delightful!
We’re thrilled to announce our full lineup of beginner-friendly workshops for December at the Southeast Makerstudio!

Whether you are looking to craft unique holiday gifts or simply pick up a new hobby before the year ends, we have a class designed for you.

This month's highlights include:
Creating Custom Textiles: Design your own mug for a warm drink on a cold day.
3D Printing: Bring your digital models to life.
Laser Cutting: Master our powerful cutter with ease, a great way to make a quick gift!
Vinyl Cutting: Create custom stickers to personalize your presents.

Learn more and sign up here: https://www.sescmaker.org/o/sescmaker/page/workshops

We're excited to announce a fun and rewarding reading challenge for your K-6 students! SESC has partnered with PBS Kids/PBS Utah to provide our second annual reading challenge for our districts and charters during November! WAHOO!
How it works:
Read: Encourage your students to read 20 minutes a day for 30 days, totaling 600 minutes. Students can read physical or digital books, and reading more than 600 minutes is allowed! Students can read extra the next day to make up the minutes if a day is missed. The goal is 600 or more for the month.
Track: Use the provided reading trackers to monitor progress (or make one of your own). Trackers can be found on our website at www.mySESCutah.gov. Look for the SES Book Blast Tab on the right side of the page!
Celebrate: The top-reading classroom in each district/charter will win a pizza party courtesy of PBS Utah and SESC!
Reach out if you have questions! We can't wait to see which school in each LEA/Charter has the most students who read 600+ minutes in November!

Don't Miss The Latest Media Morsels Edition!
Sara has put together a fabulous September edition of the SESC Media Morsels newsletter for your reading enjoyment! Try your hand at the crossword, and be sure to use your SESC SORA Digital Library access to help you solve the puzzle! We'll post the answer key later this month so you can see how you did!
You can see all of our newsletters by visiting the site menu and selecting the "+" sign next to "SESC Newsletters".
Happy Reading!

K-6 Teachers in the SESC Region! Mark Your Calendar!

We are excited to partner with Red Butte Garden and Arboretum to bring Grow Lab Workshops to our region!
We will be in the Grand/San Juan area on November 4th and in the Carbon/Emery area on November 6th.
Each session in two hours and will be for grade bands K-3 and 4-6. Be on the lookout for more details coming soon!
Oh, we forgot to mention that you will receive a grow kit worth $200 for your classroom, along with the rapid grow seed that completes its life cycle from seed to seed in 40 days!
There will be limited seating, so please register as soon as possible when registration opens.

2025 SESC Region Quiz Bowl Winners: A Two-Day Celebration of Knowledge and Skill Some of the brightest young minds from three school districts and one charter school showcased their knowledge, teamwork, and strategy during the 2025 SESC Region Quiz Bowl held on March 25 - 26 at USU Eastern’s Jennifer Leavitt Student Center. The high school division winners were: 1st Place - Carbon High School, 2nd Place - Emery High School, and 3rd Place - Grand County High School. In the middle school division, Margaret L. Hopkin Middle School captured 1st place, followed by 2nd Place - San Rafael Middle School, and 3rd place - Mont Harmon Middle School. The competitions were staged from 10:00 am to 2 pm beginning with a ten round Red Robin, where teams were tested across a range of subjects, demonstrating their depth of knowledge and quick-thinking abilities. After a break for lunch, the teams began a single-elimination tournament, where the intensity ratcheted up significantly. The knockout rounds kept everyone on the edge of their seats as each team fought for their chance at the ultimate victory. By Sara Bryant, SESC Media Specialist Read the full article on our Quiz Bowl page: https://www.mysescutah.gov/o/sesc/page/quizbowl

After twenty-one rounds of intense spelling challenges, 7th grader Ashley Bryner, Mont Harmon Middle School, emerged as the first-place winner in this year’s SESC Regional Spelling Bee. Second place went to 7th grader Amelia Gardner, from Helper Middle School, who battled Miss Heaton for ten rounds until misspelling the word isms. Ashley Bryner’s winning word was extinguished. Third place was captured by 6th grader Oliver Jeppesen from Albert R. Lyman Middle School. The spelling bee was held at Moab’s Grand County High School on March 6, 2025. As the champion, Bryner received a trophy, an all-expense paid trip for two to the 2025 Scripps National Spelling Bee Week, along with The Samuel Louis Sugarman Award, 1 year of Britannica Online Premium, and one year of Merriam-Webster unabridged online subscriptions. Second and third-place spellers received a trophy, and all other participants received a recognition plaque for making it to the regional bee. The national spelling bee will be held in Read the full article here: https://www.mysescutah.gov/o/sesc/page/spelling-bee

SESC Educators! Registration for the 2025 Rural School Summer Conference is OPEN! From March 3rd-April 1st, rural educators have priority registration, so don't delay! We expect the conference to sell out! Utah Rural Schools Association (URSA) is excited to announce that registration is open for the Annual URSA Conference, which will be held in Park City, Utah, from July 9 to 11. IF YOUR DISTRICT IS PAYING FOR YOUR REGISTRATION: Go to General Registration Select 'Reserve Ticket' At the bottom of the page, Create or Log in to your SCHED account Type in the Promo code URSA2025 Click 'Apply' Click the + button to add one ticket The total should show FREE Click 'Next' Enter Registration Information Click 'Register' IF YOU ARE PAYING USING A PERSONAL CREDIT CARD: Go to General Registration Select 'Reserve Ticket' At the bottom of the page Create or Log in to your SCHED account Click the + button to add one ticket The total should show $50.00 Click 'Place Order' Enter Payment Information Enter Registration Information Click 'Register' To reserve hotel accommodations, visit the URSA website at https://utahruralschools.org/conference Please register before April 1st, as the registration site will open statewide for any non-rural Utah educator to register. We expect to max out the conference capacity this year, and we don't want any educator from our region planning to attend to miss out on getting a ticket!

As we head into our region's holiday vacation, we invite you to consider signing up for our Healthy Cook Class for Educators AND/OR our ESL Endorsement Course! You can learn more on our BRAND NEW website: mySESCutah.gov (scroll down to the news section). Both opportunities have a limited number of participants. Grab a friend or two, and sign up now!

It's time to announce the winning classrooms of the 1st Annual SESC Book Blast November Reading Challenge! DRUM ROLL PLEASE......... Congratulations to the following classrooms and teachers: CARBON DISTRICT Caroline Barrington’s Classroom - Sally Mauro Elementary EMERY DISTRICT Shellet Rowley’s Classroom - Huntington Elementary GRAND DISTRICT David Lewis’ Classrooms -Helen M. Knight Elementary SAN JUAN DISTRICT Emma Walker’s Classrooms - Blanding Elementary REGION CHARTER SCHOOLS Ina Marie Balajadia’s Classroom -Moab Charter School We are SO excited for you! Thank you to the many other classrooms and students who participated. We had over 420 students participate region-wide, and 40% read 600+ minutes! When we added up the minutes, our students read the equivalent of 115 days in November! HOLY MOLEY! Even more impressive is that each student read an average of 392 minutes! Way to go, SESC Region! You totally rocked it! We will contact our winning classrooms in early January to arrange a pizza party. We can't wait to celebrate with you all!

Dear Educators, Exciting news! The Southeast Education Service Center (SESC) is partnering with Southern Utah University K-12 Programs to offer an ESL Endorsement Program. Here's why you should enroll: Flexible & Online: Learn from the comfort of your own home. This hybrid program is designed to work with your existing teaching schedule. Classes are held via Zoom, and coursework is completed via Canvas. Affordable: The cost is low, making it an accessible way to enhance your skills and qualifications. Participants can earn up to 15 credit hours over the course of the endorsement. Impactful Skills: Gain valuable expertise in supporting English Learners. This program will equip you to better serve all your students, especially those acquiring English. By participating, you'll: Build a strong foundation in ESL methodology and best practices Learn research-based strategies to enhance student learning Become more confident in supporting multilingual learners in your classroom Space is limited! Enroll today and join a cohort of dedicated educators committed to student success. Find complete enrollment information on the attached flyer or visit our website: Flyer: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1DIT-EbyodwHA6FX66of_hxhiEvIOq8ZD/view?usp=sharing (Links are clickable on digital edition) Website: https://www.mysescutah.gov/page/educator-endorsement-programs Don't miss this opportunity! Classes are capped at 30 participants. Enroll early to secure your spot. The last day to enroll in the first course is January 15, 2025! We look forward to having you join us!

The Southeast Education Service Center (SESC) and Castle View Hospital are proud to bring you a hands-on healthy cooking class just for school educators! Space will be limited to the first 16 school educators who register on a first-come, first-served basis. We will also create a waiting list for those who would like to be on standby if space opens up. The class will be held on January 29, 2025, from 6 pm-8 pm at Pinnacle Canyon Academy located at 210 N 600 E, Price, Utah. If you have questions about the class, please contact SESC! There is NO COST to attend the class, and all materials will be provided for you. Get your teacher friends together and come and enjoy an evening of cooking, eating, and fun! Register Here: https://bit.ly/sesc-cooking

Thanks to those who participated in the SESC/PBS Book Blast Reading Contest. November is over- so that means it's time to submit your class minutes for the chance to win the pizza party for your class! Here is the info and links you need to submit your class minutes for students to submit their individual minutes to PBS OR BOTH. (https://drive.google.com/file/d/11QpI3ZOhb2OgEzR9rEU57W45PNWYZ2Om/view) Please ensure those who helped with the contest in your school see this information (principals, librarians, teachers, etc.) We are excited to party down with the winning classes, and we will be hosting this event again next fall. If you want a fun December literacy activity for your students, try our Christmas BINGO Book Challenge! You can find it on our website (mySESCutah.gov) A few additional notes: *We do NOT need you to keep or return the reading logs. Honor system is in place here. 😄 *If your class participated, you're eligible to win the Pizza Party, so be sure to submit that Google form. (The link is on the info flyer linked above) *In addition to the chance at the pizza party, your students can go to the PBS link and fill out the info to get the Adventure Pass. (The link is on the info flyer above.) *If your class didn't participate but individual students in your class chose to do so on their own and read 600+ minutes in November, please be sure they're aware of the link to get the Adventure Pass from PBS. That prize is available to ALL PARTICIPANTS.

Want to have some reading fun? Try our Christmas BINGO Book Challenge! You can learn more about it here: https://www.mysescutah.gov/o/sesc/page/book-activities

It's the last day of November! We hope our K-6th grade friends in the SESC Region have been able to read their 600+ pages! We look forward to gathering all the data and sharing which class in each district/charter will win a class pizza party! WAHOO!

Check out the latest edition of the SESC Tech Integration Newsletter!

CALLING ALL 6th-12th Grade Science Teachers! We have an opportunity you WILL NOT WANT TO MISS! We have partnered with BYU and the 3D-RST program to bring you a full day of 3D science lessons! Hand one, engaging, and informative! Refer to the picture for all the details regarding what is provided for you! Don't wait, register today! Fill out the registration form found here: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSc9eh4MJmCfn5owcuTEojFi2Yf8EmFy2r8lHgs2G_j0Jt-0Fw/viewform?pli=1

Teachers! Mark your calendar for this two-hour healthy cooking class! Not only will you learn how to make quick and easy healthy meals, but you will also get to taste-test several different recipes! Walk away with practical tips and recipes to help make the most of your limited time at home! Details on how to register for this limited-seat class will be sent out soon!