We Can Do EPIC Things

Fawn Nguyen is here! She is a leader in the math education and you won’t believe her opening story (she should write a book). Listen as we talk all things math including a number talk in live time!

We are back! In this episode, we talk with Pam Ertel, 3rd grade teacher at Minden Elementary, and her students about the different projects they have done this year. We loved hearing students explain their projects and how much they love making their school a better place!

In this episode, we recap the Modern Learning Conference that took place on February 24-25th in Reno. Our district had that pleasuring of co-hosting the conference with Churchill County and in this part one episode, we share highlights as well as talking with EPIc coaches and award nominees.

….at least one rumor is true. Carly, Susan and Jason are retiring at the end of the school year. There are currently two job postings for Professional Learning Specialists and if you’re curious about the work, you’ll want to listen! Please reach out to anyone in our office (Carly, Lyndsey, Susan, Jason) if you have any other questions about the jobs.

Aspire Academy High School Students are at your service! In this episode, we talk with students at AAHS about their service projects in the community and learn about their personal connections to the projects. Happy listening!

We are back at Carson Valley Middle School with Tara Auld’s 7th grade students who talk to us about their sustainability projects. Listen as they explain this project and share their solutions for how to make a more sustainable future!

You know we love a good acronym in education! In this episode, we talk with Jen Mortensen about MTSS (Multi-tiered Systems of Support) and what it looks like in our district. Listen and learn more about the tiers and structure of MTSS and as always, we end with a riveting would you rather. Happy listening!

The Professional Development Center is back for the new year! We try out a new segment called Word Sneak and we had the best time recording. We share our philosophies on New Year’s resolutions and Ins and Outs for 2025. Hopefully this episode gives you a good laugh!

Happy New Year! This week we have Miki Trujillo back on the pod. Listen as she discusses key takeaways from her latest book, Teaching and Learning in the Face of Adversity, that she co-wrote with Doug Fisher and Nancy Frey. This is a great book to start a new year and reinvigorate your teaching. It has short chapters with checklists and plenty of space to journal your thoughts. Happy listening! ✨

Listen as we chat with students in Allison Meyers’s ceramics class about their pinch pot project with Kelly McCues’s kindergarten students. Happy listening and have a relaxing holiday break!

We are back with students! Listen as Heather Kuehner’s 4th and 5th grade choir students at GES sing You’re A Mean One Mr. Grinch and Amanda Hatcher’s 1st grade students read about their adventures in Whoville. Thank you for listening and we hope you all have a joyous holiday!🎄

You asked and we delivered…we have Jakota Wass on the pod! Jakota is a DHS alumni and recording artist. Listen as Jakota takes us through his journey in music and shares funny memories from his time in Douglas County Schools. You won’t want to miss his live performance for us 🎸

In this two part episode, we feature two EPIC classrooms at George Whittell High School. The first is Dr. Amy Hope’s 7th grade World Geography and the next is Katie Martin’s Advanced Culinary. Listen as they talk about creating podcasts, cooking staff lunches, and planning immersive dinner events!

Our first grade friends are back! In this episode, Mrs. Almeida and Mrs. Hukkanen’s students read about what they are thankful for and clever disguises for turkeys. This one is a must listen! We hope you all have a Happy Thanksgiving and we are thankful for all of you. 🦃

Could you go a whole week with no screen time? Listen as the fourth grade students at Pinon Hills Elementary took on the challenge of no screen time for a week. They have some great advice on how to get started and suggestions on what to do instead!

This week are were lucky enough to talk with Sue Holmes of Leap Innovations about how to make learning more personalized. We also talk about the Modern Learning Conference happening in February which will be showcasing our awesome school district!

We had so much to say, we had to make a part 2! Listen to hear the second half of our 50 questions 🥳🎉

We made it to 50! 🎉🥳 First and foremost, thank you so much to all of our listeners for being on this incredible journey with us. We had so much fun recording this episode where we answer 50 random questions from our listeners. Listen to learn a little more about your cohosts!

Don’t be fooled by the AI generated intro, we are still your hosts and back with an episode all about AI. In this episode we talk with Rachel Croft from NWRPDP about all things AI in education. You won’t want to miss the story where we find a sparkling key that leads us to a magical land! ✨🔑

The students are back! In this episode we talk with students at CVMS in Tara Auld’s class about their recent museum project. Listen as they share what they learned, what they enjoyed about the project, and what they would do differently next time. This is truly an EPIC project!

Our new introduction states that we are making learning transparent for all stakeholders, but what does mean? In this episode, we take a deeper dive into what this looks like. Listen as our EPIC coaches highlight the great things happening in our schools! ✨📝

It’s lunchtime! In this episode, we learn so much about our school nutrition program here in Douglas County. Jordy Foster takes us through the planning process of the menus, funding, and fan favorite meals.

Student led conferences are truly EPIC! Listen as we hear from school counselors, Jackie Hostler and Katie Emm, on the successes they’ve seen with student led conferences. They offer tips on what student can share during conferences and the value of students taking ownership of their learning!

…with learning! We know student engagement is a struggle and we have a way to help. Listen as we take you through a spectrum of active and passage engagement levels and what it looks like in the classroom. Check out our instagram @wecandoepicthings for the levels of engagement resource!

The math IS mathing! In this episode we talk with mathematician, Holly Young, who has been working with DCSD teachers on Math Language Routines in the classroom. Listen for Holly’s favorite ways to connect to student and as always, a riveting would you rather. 💰