Blue skies from here on out

Someone mentioned to me recently that, in the last two weeks, the people in  Michigan have seen snow, hail, rain, 76 degrees, 14 degrees, and an earthquake! Well, this may be true, but today was absolutely beautiful so I'll take living here in Michigan. I hope you had a chance to get outside and enjoy the beautiful weather and sunshine. I'm choosing to take it as a symbol that it's blue skies from here on into June! 

Calendar:

4/24 - PSAT 9 make up

          SAT make up

4/25 - PSAT 10 make up

4/26 - M-STEP make up

          School Improvement meeting @ 2:30 pm @ SHS

Hello, my name is Cathy Kava and I am a Resource Room Teacher in the Special Education Department. I graduated with my Bachelors degree in Cognitive Impairments and my Masters degree in Special Education from Eastern Michigan University. This is the start of my 35th year of teaching. I believe that all students can and will learn, given the time and accommodations necessary to access the curriculum.

My personal goal is to live a healthy, loving, life with my children and grandchildren, surrounded by family. Professionally I have met my goals by not only teaching at all levels age 3-18, but also teaching at EMU to undergrads and graduate students.

I am number nine of eleven children and grew up in Livonia. I have three children who attended Salem High School; Kristen Dobias-2005, Justin Dobias -2007, and Anna Dobias- 2013. All of my children are out of the house and living on their own. Kristen is in Indiana with her husband and my two adorably cute grandsons; Lucas and Everett, Justin is in California avoiding the snow, and Anna is living on her own in Garden City. I enjoy traveling and spending time with my kids and grandkids. Each of my children took a different path in their lives after high school and I am passionate about supporting them in their choices. In my spare time I enjoy outdoor activities. I moved to a farm in the country a year ago and help my partner, Glen, grow and sell hay and goats. I have chickens who play hide-and-seek with their eggs, but when I find them I enjoy baking and cooking. I enjoy swimming and reading, and am anxious to get back to riding my bike.

Five words that describe Plymouth High school would be friendly, diverse, accepting, caring, and fun!

1. K12 Insight Student Survey: Students received a personal invitation and survey link in their school email account from the district’s survey partner K12 Insight. Please have students complete the survey using a connected device of any kind, including a smartphone, chromebook, or tablet during 3rd hour announcement time. The survey will take between 5 and 10 minutes to complete. Thank you in advance!

2.  Entering District Provided Professional Development: You can access directions on how to input the hours HERE. This year's PD is listed below for you to reference.

     8/29/17 – 6.5 hours
     8/30/17 – 3.25 hours
     8/31/17 – 3.25 hours
    11/7/17 – 6.5 hours
     3/14/18 – 3.25 hours
     3/15/18 – 3.25 hours 

Four 1 hour staff meetings will count as PD: 9/27/17, 11/29/17, 2/28/18,     and 3/21/18

Plus 3 additional work hours entered into RESA.

3. Guest Speaker form: This is more formally called the Educational Resource Form. It's under the regular links on the right side of this blog. Please use this form for any guest speaker you are inviting to come in to your class. Thank you!

4.  Going through your closets? If you have any long shorts (i.e, basketball) you would like to donate then please send them to Rachelle. She has a supply of clothes for students who are in dress code violation.

5. Grant Opportunity: Please see the grant opportunity from the Meemic Foundation. Apply today for classroom funding with their $100 Back-to-School Supplies grant. Apply at: MeemicFoundation.org/BacktoSchool Need new books? Math manipulative?  Microscopes? Art supplies? A special school-wide speaker? Whatever the need, our second quarter Traditional grant provides funding up to $500. Apply at: MeemicFoundation.org/Traditional. Deadline for both grants is June 30th. 

6.  College Decision Day: As a reminder, College Decision Day will be celebrated on May 4th during 5th hour at the Varsity football field. The goal of College Decision Day is to recognize high school seniors for their post-secondary educational plans whether it's trade school, military, workforce or college. 

7.  Scholastic Book Fair: Warehouse sale is from June 6-June 16 at the Scholastic Book Fairs Warehouse at 41873 Ecorse Rd, Suite 260, Van Buren Twp, 48111. 

Spring Break!

Whether you're traveling or in town for the break, I hope you're getting a chance to do things that really feed your soul. This may be different for each of us, but you know what I mean - whether it's spending time with family and friends, sleeping in, or cleaning out that messy closet - I hope you're having the break that you need to finish strong. 

This week's calendar:
Tuesday, 4/10 - SAT (11th); PSAT (9th) 
                       Report card window closes @ 11:59 pm 
Wednesday, 4/11 - Workkeys (11th); PSAT (10th)
                           Adjusted schedule (CLICK HERE) for PM 

Upcoming
Monday, 4/16 - Lock-down drill
                       report cards distributed to 3rd hour
Tuesday, 4/17 - M-STEP (M-STEP ALPHA SCHEDULE) 
Wednesday, 4/18 -  M-STEP
Thursday, 4/19 - M-STEP
Friday, 4/20 - M-STEP make-up 

Hello, I am Henni Marek and I am a math teacher at Plymouth High School. I have been teaching at the Park for seven years. Teaching is a second carrier which started in England at Magdalen College School, Brackley (www.magdalen.northants.sch.uk/). This is my 15th year of teaching and a life long dream come true. After 'retiring' from opticianry I was a stay at home mom while pursuing a degree in mathematics and secondary education. Born and raised in Germany, I now have been living in the USA for more than 30 years, with the exception of living in Northampton, UK for about four years. There I was able to finish my studies, student teach and complete my first teaching assignment.

One of my goals this year is, when working with struggling students in my support class, to continue to integrate effective instructional strategies to engage all students in learning and reaching their potential.

My husband, David, and I have two grown sons. Philip, the oldest is living in South Carolina, where we like to visit him as often as possible, especially during the Michigan winter. Peter, our youngest son is currently living with us and we enjoy his company, he is an excellent cook. Traveling is one of our passions and keeps us connected with our families and friends. 

1. K12 Student Survey: The district is launching a K12 student survey on the morning of April 10th. Each student will be sent a direct link to their school email. The survey takes 10 minutes (maximum) to take and can be taken on a phone, chromebook, or computer. Please ask students to take this survey in your 3rd hour class on 4/24 and 4/26, utilizing the extra 10 minutes for announcements.  

2. PD Survey: Please provide feedback on the presentation on 3/15 by Max McGee. The survey link is https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/W8QL8VB. The survey can be completed in 3 minutes or less. Also, here is a link to his presentation.

3. ASD Walk 2018 - This year's Walk for Autism will be held on Saturday, April 21, 2018. Come and celebrate Autism Awareness with food, raffle, and fun. All proceeds from this event go towards our Center Based ASD programs. Here is a link to a flyer

Happy Wednesday

I hope each of you had a chance to get caught up on life, and maybe even rest up a little, during mid-winter break. 

Calendar: 

2/21 - PLC @ PHS

2/27-3/1 - Student Shadow Days (CHS, PHS, SHS)

2/28 - P-CEP building meeting @ CHS Little Theater @ 2:28 pm - 3:28 pm

3/2 - Five week Mark = Athletic Eligibility Grade Check (please update grades)

**Please make sure to check out the Odds and Ends at the bottom. 

Hi, I'm Dave Fleming, entering my 13th (is that automatically bad luck?) year of teaching English at Plymouth High school.

My personal goal is to hit my goal time in the Monroe Half Marathon this fall. I fell 9 seconds short on a trail race this summer. Professionally, I want to get back to meeting regularly with my Reading / Writing Workshop colleagues.

My wife, Abby, and I have been married for 11 years. We have two children: Emma (6), who will be a first grader at Field this year, and Gavin (4). This summer flew by, but included taking the kids to Disney World for the first time. I'm not sure who is most tired.

I read Meddling Kids this summer, a take on a Scooby-Doo-like child detective group now in their twenties and tortured by their pasts

1. School visit:  Mike Bender and Liz Mosher will be visiting classrooms in Plymouth High School this tomorrow beginning at around 7:30 am.  They plan to get into as many classrooms as they can in the 2 hours they'll be here. My plan was just to hit random classrooms; however, if you'd specifically like a visit then please send me an email. 

2. School safety meeting 2/28: Next week's one-hour Wednesday meeting was originally scheduled to be Danielson training. In light of recent events related to school violence, we are partnering with Canton Police Department to bring the staff information on active shooter training. I'll share more information in a separate email; however, please mark your calendars for Wednesday, 2/28 @ CHS Little Theater from 2:28-3:28 pm

3. Late buses - When students are late due to a late bus, bad road conditions, etc. and an announcement goes out over the PA to excuse the tardy, please mark the students late excused opposed to present. This will better help us track accurate attendance. 

4. Extra Credit - This is a reminder that any and all extra credit must be linked to the curriculum you teach. This means that extra credit isn't purchasing anything (i.e., tissue, hand sanitizer) or doesn't have to do with other behavioral issues in the classroom. 

5.  Brief Academic Dishonesty Survey - Please complete this brief Academic Dishonesty survey for the Faculty Senate.

6. Grant funding opportunity for School Health: Building Healthy Communities is a school-wide initiative designed to prevent childhood obesity and create healthy school environments. Schools with grades K-12 are eligible for the Step Up for School Wellness Program. This application period will not open until April 2018 and applications will be due September 30, 2018. This flexible model is designed to help schools make smaller targeted improvements to their environment by allowing them to select components. Please go to bcbsm.com/buildhealth<http://bcbsm.com/buildhealth to review eligibility information, a program comparison and detailed program descriptions in each Request for Applications. You'll also find information on how to access informational webinars, conference calls and online applications.

Happy Thursday!

I can hardly believe it's February 1st! I apologize that it's been so long since the last "odds and ends." Looking back, the whole month of January is sort of a blur. Thank you for working so hard to support our students and each other during a really difficult time. I'm grateful each and every day to work with such amazing people!

Gretchen Andridge- ELA and IB Depts.- BA/BD and MA from EMU & Marygrove- My Educational Philosophy is two-fold: "Work hard, practice a LOT and push yourself to be creative" mixed in with a Robin Williams quote, "You're only given a little spark of madness. You mustn't lose it."

A personal goal of mine is to take long road-trips with my family, that have moments where my risk-taking side is tested. A professional goal I have is to build all of my lessons around project-based learning that is student directed.

I have three boys, ages 25, 21 and 8 and a husband who is also a teacher. I enjoy reading, hiking and being outdoors and playing games in my spare time. I'm passionate about quality treatment of animals and the environment and taking an active role in our local community.

PHS is a spirited, fun-loving, hard-working, talented and smart collective of people who fill a learning institute with purpose.

I've just finished reading 'The Book of Joy' by Gyatso, the Dalai Lama and Archbishop Desmond Tutu

1) Parent Dashboard for School Transparency: Michigan Department of Education recently released its Parent Dashboard for School Transparency. You can find the Parent Dashboard on https://www.mischooldata.org/. A blog by Bob Kefgen gives a summary of the dashboard. You can access it HERE. HERE.

2) Technology Integrationists: Rich Coughlin and Matt Smoot are technology integrationists who are available to support teaching staff in many ways, including: 

• Co-teaching in classrooms or just being there for additional support
• Modeling a specific tech tool or integrating a specific strategy 
• Assisting in lesson planning/tech integration   
• Providing drop-in support during specials/planning time, before/after school
• Any other ideas you may have

They will be at Plymouth tomorrow, February 2nd and again on Thursday, February 15th. Here is a link to their full year schedule: http://bit.ly/trackdown Please email rick.coughlin@pccsk12.com or matthew.smoot@pccsk12.com to set something up.

3) Professional Development 3/14-3/15: March 14th are 1/2 day pm district professional development days. The i3 conference is on 3/14 and the afternoon of 3/15 is PD linked to our school improvement plan. We are reviewing the input staff provided at the beginning of the year in order to plan for the afternoon on 3/15. I received positive feedback from our speaker at the 12/1 staff meeting and would like to gauge the interest level of having an extension of it during the afternoon of 3/15.  Please complete this one question form to help us with planning.

4) Printer/Copier: There are two ways to login to the new small copier: staff can either choose Username and password OR ID number.

USERNAME and PASSWORD: enter your network credentials (what you would use to log on to a district desktop computer).

ID NUMBER (aka PIN NUMBER): tap inside the ID Number field to bring up a keyboard to enter your six digit, assigned pin number. This pin number was emailed to you by technology on 1/10/18.

​

To log off, click the Access button. Staff can do this even before their copying job has completed. If waiting, another staffer in turn can log in and queue up another copy job or "release" a print job.

Please memorize your specific six digit number or write it down in a safe and accessible place that you alone have access to. Do not share your pin numbers. Also, remember that the small copier is not intended for large print jobs.Those jobs should continue to be requested 24 hours in advance and run by Paula on the large copy machine.

4) Contract Approval Form: As a reminder, the only individuals in the District that are authorized to sign vendor contracts are the Superintendent and the Chief Finance and Operations Officer. Any time a contract needs to be signed (i.e., DJ, speaker, equipment, services, etc.), you must submit a contract approval form. The form is now available electronically and can be found HERE.

5) Graduation: What?!? It's only February 1st! Look for communication soon about graduation. It's great to see seniors on their graduation day. Please consider joining us on this day.

6) Reimbursement reminder: Please review the Employee Reimbursement Guidelines. You can also reference the email sent by Victoria Amore on 1/17. Highlights include: 1) a receipt log and supporting documentation must accompany deposit slips, 2) Tally sheets, 3) All checks made payable to District (PCCS), including field trips, 4) No cash/checks are to be kept in classrooms overnight, 5) No cash/checks are to be taken home by district staff, 6) All collections must be deposited (no cash can be held back for transactions), 7) shipping address must be a district address if you are getting reimbursed, 8) reimbursements must be submitted within 60 days of purchase, and not later than year end (for teachers, it’s best to submit before school is out.) Here is a Teacher’s Reference Guide to Receipts and Purchasing

7) Grant opportunity: Canton's Youth Advisory Council has close to $1,000 that they can grant out this year to projects in classrooms or school clubs that benefit the youth of Canton. Here is letter that explains more and the application. The application deadline is March 9th. 

Winter Break!

We did it! We made it to Winter Break! My entire family has been counting down to this break, but I honestly don't know who is more excited - me or my girls. I'm looking forward to lazy nights (without homework), getting some order in my disordered house, and good, old-fashioned quality time with my family over the next two weeks. May the break be for you exactly what you desire and need. Happy Holidays!

David Sutherland - Social Studies Department - I have a school problem! I would be a professional student if possible. A.B. Communications - U of M - Ann Arbor, MA Educational Technology - Wayne State, MS Educational Leadership - Concordia University, and JD University of Detroit Mercy - My philosophy of education is .... and this is no joke... I have the document from 1994 when I got hired.. "Learning Should Be Fun!" I try to make sure the students are excited to enter my room every day because they know they'll learn something new which will usually be accompanied by a unique story to reinforce the concept. We have lots of laughs along the way.

My personal goal is to continue to embrace my passion for fitness without anymore trips to Kendra my physical therapist. Professionally, I am always trying to take my content (law, civics, media literacy, and sociology) to new levels. I am constantly pushing my students to understand complex content and acquire new advanced skills without them realizing they are going way beyond what they typically think they are capable of.

Elderly parents keep life interesting! In my spare time I like to exercise, golf, attend U of M sporting events, and I believe I have an Amazon book "issue" that I may need to address. I am well stocked for retirement. I am passionate about making the law easy for lay people to understand. I am also very passionate about professional ethics and conduct.

My classroom from the perspective of an administrator who evaluated me during my career. "People have no idea what you do." Oops! 7 -

A book I have read recently is Unwarranted: Policing Without Permission by Barry Friedman.

1) Building Hours: The work can wait until you come back in January. However, I am often asked so I'm putting the building hours in here - Closed Monday 12/25 & Tuesday 12/16, Closed Monday 1/1 & Tuesday, 1/2.  Open Wednesday -Friday each week. I repeat, the work can wait until you come back. :) 

Happy Thanksgiving!

Hi everyone,
Well, we made it to Thanksgiving - almost! This time of year provides an opportunity to consciously pause, reflect, and give thanks. I certainly have a lot to be thankful for - I am thankful to be surrounded by staff who remain hopeful and seek solutions; to witness staff who get to know students and the "second backpack" they carry; and to be a part of our Plymouth (and Park) family.

This week brings a much-needed chance for all of us to rest and recharge. I mentioned this last year, and I'm going to bring it up again. We are just days away from our highly-anticipated, much-needed, first “break” of the school year. I've talked with staff members, students, and parents and there are commonalities in all of our conversations; the need for a break from the daily demands of school and a desire to spend time with family and friends. As we approach Thanksgiving and the Winter Break in December, I encourage all of us to plan and design instruction so that our school family of staff and students have the freedom to relax and enjoy time to recharge our personal batteries. Please, if at all possible, try to minimize the homework you as a teacher and your students have over the break(s).

With gratitude, 

Cheri 

My name is Jennifer Dealy and this is my 3rd year in the Counseling Department. Even though I've only been at Plymouth a short time, I started my career teaching Language Arts and Social Studies in Plymouth Canton Community Schools back at Lowell Middle School in 1995. Since then, I was fortunate enough to work at both East and Discovery. I have a Bachelor's degree in teaching from U of M - Dearborn and a Master's Degree in counseling from Wayne State. My educational philosophy is very student centered. I think that my best teaching and learning has come when my relationships with students were on point.

A personal goal that I am working on is trying to live in a healthy way spiritually, physically and mentally. I'm trying to make sure that I am living in the moment, enjoying the little things and remembering that "Life is a journey... not a destination!" Professionally this year I am really focusing on building relationships with students so that they know me and feel comfortable asking for help. Again, the relationship piece of this job is where I know I need to focus.

I am very blessed to have wonderful 19 year old twin sons, Jacob and Josh, and a very sweet husband, Steve. I have 9 nieces and nephews with whom I enjoying spending time as well. I spend a lot of time with family and my husband and I enjoy hanging out and going new places. Church is important to me and I feel like this part of my life has helped keep me grounded and sane. I do feel very blessed with all I have been given.

Five words to describe Plymouth High School would be: supportive, welcoming, cheery, flexible and fun!

The last book I read was Sleeping Beauties by Stephen King and Owen King

1) Pledge of Allegiance: In 2012, Governor Snyder signed legislation that requires students to be given the opportunity to recite the pledge of allegiance in every classroom. Please click HERE to read it in its entirety since it contains several important components. In short, students cannot be forced to recite the pledge of allegiance nor can students be subject to any penalty or bullying for not reciting the pledge. Likewise, students who choose to participate should be afforded the time and opportunity. Please take a moment and reiterate this to students. You are welcome to use the following statement to convey this message to your class: "When the pledge is read each morning it is an opportunity for each of us to honor our country as we see fit. It is not my place to require you to stand or recite, but it is my job to be sure that all students rights are protected. Please show respect for those who would like to say the pledge by giving them silence during that time. Likewise, please give respect to those who decline to participate."

2) Emergency Phone Call: Each of you will receive a two-sided handout in your mailbox with specific procedures to follow when using the inter-school emergency phone number (2-2222.) It's important to know what to communicate if you need to use the emergency line: 1) Your location - school & room number 2) Nature of emergency 3) Your name and 4) Your Phone number. In the case of a medical emergency, you would also need to communicate the student's name, symptoms, and changing medical conditions. Please read this document for the specific guidelines on utilizing the emergency number. Thank you. 

3) Veterans: As our nation recently honored veterans, I was wondering who has served our country in one of the armed forces?  If you have, can you please send me an email? In the future, I would love to be able to recognize and honor veterans who work at PHS. 


4) Cause for celebration:  There are always many reasons to celebrate. Recently the PHS Boys Cross Country finished 2nd in the State, our P-CEP Marching Band, who also finished 2nd in the State, went on to place 24th at Nationals, Girls Golf finished 5th in the state, and Boys Tennis was named All-State Academic with an impressive 4.17 Team GPA! And, just last week, 6 athletes signed their Letter of Intent to play college athletics after high school. Congratulations to Logan Dziadzio (Madonna Baseball); Evan Good (Northwood Baseball); Anthony Crump (University of North Carolina - Asheville Basketball); Erin Johnson (Grand Valley State Golf); Ethan Byrnes (Wayne State Cross Country); and Paige Sanders (Oakland Track and Field). 

Plymouth Boys Cross Country Team State Runner up

P-CEP Marching Band

Plymouth Girls Golf

National Letter of Intent Signers

5) The Impact of Social Media on Teens: Katey McPherson, Executive Director of The Gurian Institute, will present a parent workshop on Tuesday, 12/5, from 7-8 pm in the Plymouth Cafeteria.  In this one hour session adults will learn practical tips and strategies to manage, supervise, and understand the pressures our kids face and how parents can respond to the immediate need to recognize that this is a crucial mental health and wellness issue. Please help promote this opportunity to your parents (class website, google classroom, Moodle, etc.) Katey will also run a session for staff after school on 12/6.  Please plan to meet in the Dubois Little Theater on Wednesday, 12/6 @ 2:25 pm.  

6) Building Hours: I put this in only because I always have people who ask for it. The building is open on Wednesday, 11/22, but is closed for Thanksgiving for the remainder of the weekend. It's supposed to be a break though so hopefully none of you are running in here on Wednesday.

7) Mandatory Safe School Online training: Don't forget to complete your mandatory training (Blood borne pathogen training & Seclusion and Restraint) which is due 11/30 - Next week Thursday.:https://pccs-mi.safeschools.com/
Enter your Username: (district email address) Once you log into the site, click on a course title to begin the training. 

Happy Tuesday!

Good morning, 
Belated kudos for the fabulous Parent-teacher conferences last Thursday. I have the best job at PT conferences because I get to hear all the compliments about our staff throughout the night. It's not easy meeting the individual needs of so many students, each of whom are coming to class with their own "second backpack," but I'm so proud when I hear how hard our staff works at it. Keep up the good work! 

                                              

Hi, my name is Karen Pakula and I teach math at Plymouth High School. This is my fourteenth year at Plymouth High School. Prior to teaching at PHS, I taught part-time for seven years with PCCS Alternative/Adult Education program at Starkweather Education Center. I have been a teacher, in one form or another for 30+ years. I absolutely love it! My teaching experience is very diverse – I have taught at many different levels: middle school, high school, alternative education, and adult education. The one thing I have learned from my varied experiences is: Students are students, it doesn’t matter where they come from or who they are. The bottom line is that education is a necessity and as a teacher it is my mission to convey its importance. It is my responsibility to teach and help students become a productive, well-rounded citizens. I want to make a difference in their lives!

My personal goals this year are to exercise regularly, eat healthy and continue to spend quality time with my family. My professional goal is to use restorative circles in my classroom this year as one way to create a community in which all students want to and can learn.

My family and I live in Canton. Thirty-two years ago I married my high school sweetheart. He is in pharmaceutical sales and works for Sanofi. We have two sons. Parker is 24 and a graduate of Canton High School and Central Michigan University. He is employed by Ford Motor Company as a buyer in Purchasing. Carson is 19 and a 2016 graduate of Canton High School. He is a sophomore at Central Michigan University pursuing a degree in Biology.

Five words to describe my classroom are welcoming, colorful, energetic, challenging, and respectful.

1) Congratulations to Scott Thomas! 

Scott was recently awarded the LIFE WITHOUT LIMITS AWARD by the United Cerebral Palsy Foundation of Michigan. It's nice to see one of our own teachers receive such an honor! Congratulations, Scott!

2) Professional Development on 11/7: At the start of this year, we asked you for input and ideas for professional development. The upcoming PD on 11/7 is centered on culturally proficient instruction. We worked with the district to include sessions related to what you said you wanted to learn about - Substance abuse, LGBTQ, Mental Heath, Drug Use, Effective Questioning, etc. The EventBrite sign up will be sent out soon. Since the sessions are available for any secondary teachers to select, it'll be important to sign up as soon as you see the email to ensure you get into sessions that you want.    

3) End of day dismissal: There is nothing short of a stampede to the parking lot as soon as school is dismissed (and sometimes before.) Please communicate to students the importance of WALKING to the car. Anyone who witnesses the mad rush can tell you that it's only a matter of time before someone gets hurt. This is definitely a safety issue! 

4) Lunch support: We are still in need of staff to help in the lunch room. We have more uncovered shifts than we have covered shifts. Please email Diane if you are able to help. It takes a village! 

5) Ford STEAM High School Community Challenge: Anyone interested in a $20,000 grant? The winner of the Ford STEAM High School Community Challenge will receive an implementation grant for $20,000. It's simple. Student-led teams identify a community challenge, submit a video proposal, fill out an application and the team with the most convincing solution wins twenty grand. There are other prizes as well - student teams may qualify for one of the other FIVE grants worth between $5,000- $10,000! Detailed information on applying can be accessed here: https://www.fordngl.com/events/ford-steam-challenge

6) Technology Conference: Our own i3 Technology Conference is not until March.  Here is a local technology conference that is taking place on 11/3. http://www.techtalkmercy.com/