Golden Apple Monthly Newsletter March 2026

Golden Apple Monthly Newsletter

By: Kristi Calvery
Golden Triangle Curriculum Cooperative Director

March 2026

This spring, our book study of Elevating Educational Design with AI: Making Learning Accessible, Inclusive, and Equitable (Catlin R. Tucker & Katie Novak) offered a helpful analogy: unit and lesson planning resemble an architect’s design process. Like architects, we aim for plans that are pedagogically sound, built around a clear end goal for our students. We gather curriculum and materials, consider social-emotional relationships and grouping, and estimate the time needed—always asking, what should students know and be able to do by the end of this unit?

Both architects and teachers also know that implementation rarely goes exactly as drawn. A few years ago, I asked my brother to help renovate a bathroom by removing a wall to create space. What seemed straightforward turned complicated when we discovered water lines inside the wall. In classrooms, we face similar surprises: we begin teaching grade-level standards only to find students missing key knowledge, skills, or motivation that make progress difficult. Excellent teachers—like skilled contractors—anticipate obstacles and adjust plans while keeping the end goal in view.

We are not merely covering standards or checking boxes; we are constructing the knowledge and skills our students need for success when they leave our schools. I encourage you to review your school’s graduate profile and reflect on your overarching units with the product in mind. The group of teachers meeting for our book study chapter chats have had great collaborative discussions, and we reflected on our willingness to be like a general contractor and make progressive changes to our teaching practices.

We have had some valuable events over the last month. Great Falls College MSU helped both our Librarian Professional Learning Community and our Advancement Placement/Dual Credit Professional Learning Community.  Weaver Librarian Ashlynn Mackenzo, helped our librarians understand the research and resources portion of college readiness for Dual Credit Courses and provided helpful information and resources to help students.  We thank LeAnne Frost and Staci Wiesgram for providing information about how Reach Montana is helping with scholarships for teachers who have a Master’s Degree and would like to offer Dual Credit Courses for their content area at their school. Reach Higher Montana has a Dual Enrollment Educator Scholarship! To be eligible, teachers need to be teaching in Montana and committed to offering Dual Enrollment courses. The amount is $2,500, but the application is only open March 1- April 1. This scholarship is a great opportunity to help offset the cost of obtaining the 9 credits of graduate level content area teachers need for the Board of Regents requirements. 

Thank you to all of the teachers who are volunteering their time and expertise to our curriculum committees to help with our spring curriculum revision cycle. Currently we are working on curriculum for Technology Integration, The Arts: Music, and World Languages.  The committees of educators from GTCC schools will review, revise, and develop curriculum resources aligned with the Montana State Standards. Teachers who participate in these meetings work closely with the standards, examine curriculum and vertical alignment, and consider ways to effectively integrate Indian Education for All (IEFA) and technology. The collaboration and reflection are especially meaningful, as various perspectives benefit the curriculum which impacts all of our cooperative schools

We have been working hard to have the GTCC Summer Institute Courses available for everyone to choose from soon–featuring professional development courses that offer OPI Professional Development Renewal Units. In partnership with Montana State University Northern, we are also able to offer graduate credit for these courses. This year we have developed an excellent and diverse lineup of offerings for administration, teachers, guidance counselors, and paraprofessionals. Once the courses are approved by the Dean and Board at MSU Northern, the full list and course descriptions will be available on our website and shared with schools on or before April 1st. 

I wanted to remind schools that there will be an ALICE Active Shooter Response Training that will be hosted at Highwood Schools on June 9-10th. This 2-Day Instructor training course is designed to teach participants the skills and strategies to increase survivability during the gap between the time a violent event occurs and law enforcement arrives. Here is the link if you would like to register for this event:  Highwood ALICE Active Shooter Training.

I hope everyone is having a wonderful spring.  Please reach out if there is anything Brianna or I can help you with!

Warm regards,

Kristi Calvery

Kristi Calvery
Golden Triangle Curriculum Cooperative Director
1010 Oilfield Avenue
Shelby, MT 59474
Office (406) 424-8901 ext. 2104
Mobile (406) 450-1805
kristi@gtccmt.org