Middle Level News & Announcements

HONOR ROLL SURVEY Several middle level schools responded to Silas Deane Middle School's request for information regarding middle school honor roll. Here are the results

EXEMPLARY TEAMING PRACTICES RECOGNITION The Professional Studies Committee of the Connecticut Association of Schools is accepting applications for "exemplary teaming practice" status. [more]

NATIONAL HONOR SOCIETY STATE CONFERENCE ANNOUNCED Registration is now open for the Eleventh Annual CANHS State Conference, to be held Thursday, May 27, 2010 at the Hartford Marriott in Rocky Hill. [more]

RICK WORMELI BRINGS DIFFERENTIATD INSTRUCTION, ASSESSMENT & GRADING TO CT Rick Wormeli, one of the nation’s premier experts on Differentiated Instruction, will be presenting in Connecticut on April 29 and 30. Co-sponsored by the Connecticut Association of Schools and the New England League of Middle Schools, this two day conference entitled “Differentiated Instruction, Assessment and Grading,” is geared towards upper elementary, middle level and high school teachers. [more]

FLANAGAN MEMORIAL AWARDS APPLICATIONS ARE AVAILABLE The Connecticut Student Acitivities Conference is pleased to announce that it is now accepting applications for the Thomas R. Flanagan Student Activities Memorial Awards program. This program encourages leadership, community service, or the development of academic, artistic, or communication skills in students. [more]

FIFTH ANNUAL CONNECTICUT DATA CONFERENCE REGISTRATION IS NOW OPEN! The Fifth Annual Connecticut Data Conference "Stories of Success – Closing the Achievement Gap" will take place at the Waterbury Holiday Inn on April 28 and 29, 2010. [more]

SCHOOL OFFICE PERSONNEL 2010 CONFERENCE This one-day program is designed to support the daily work of school secretaries and administrative assistants and their important contributions to a school’s culture and positive teaching and learning environment. The program includes up-to-the-minute information and practical suggestions to help secretaries do their job even better. [more]

TEACHER EVALUATION SERIES FEATURES: TOM MOONEY-DIANE ULLMAN-KATHLEEN BUTLER The Connecticut Principals’ Center of The Connecticut Association of Schools is again offering a series of workshops focusing on teacher evaluation. Thomas Mooney (Shipman & Goodwin, LLP and the Neag School of Education, UCONN), Diane Ullman (Superintendent, Simsbury Public Schools and Adjunct Professor, UCONN), and Kathleen Butler (Interim Dean, St. Joseph's College) are the presenters. [more]

EXEMPLARY SCHOOL CLIMATE PRACTICES RECOGNITION The Professional Studies Committee of the Connecticut Association of Schools is accepting applications for "exemplary school climate practices" status. [more]

PRINCIPALS' CENTER PUBLISHES STUDY ON ADMINISTRATOR INDUCTION PROGRAMS The CT Principals' Center has just released a summary of research and promising practices on administrator induction programs. Click here to read the introduction to "Administrator Induction Programs: Summary of Research and Promising Practices." Or download the full report here.

CSAC APPROVAL LIST For an updated list of approved student activities click here to download

Middle Level Contacts
Earle G. Bidwell Asst. Executive Director	Janice Grecco Administrative Assistant

Committees

Raising a Spirit-ed Young Adolescent (and Your Spirits, too)

by Margaret Sagarese and Charlene C. Giannetti

Do you ever feel like a failure as a parent? Your easygoing daughter or good-natured son of yesteryear has morphed into a disrespectful rebel. He storms into his room every time you question him She cries every time you tell her no. You know that children are supposed to change as they grow, but now you worry. What lies ahead: the principal's office, the psychologist's couch, the drug treatment center, the hospital emergency room, or the county jail?

Today's parents push the panic button faster than any generation in history. They judge themselves failures, (and their adolescents as well) too quickly. Why? The world is a scarier place. Our expectations are higher than ever before. Neither parent nor child can measure up to the current popular standards. It's high time for a different measuring stick. [Click Here To Download The Complete Article].

Links

• New England League of Middle Schools
• National Middle School Association
• National Association of Secondary School Principals (NASSP)
• Connecticut State Department of Education (SDE)
• Connecticut Association of Boards of Education (CABE)
• Connecticut Association of Public School Superintendents (CAPSS)
• Connecticut Education Association (CEA)
• CT Academy of Science and Engineering
• United States Department of Education
• National Center for Educational Statistics
• Educational Resource Information Center
• Operation Respect CT


• Higher Education Institutions in CT
  * Albertus Magnus College, New Haven
  * Asnuntuck Community College, Enfield
  * Capital Community College, Hartford
  * Central Connecticut State University, New Britain
  * Charter Oak State College, New Britain
  * Connecticut College, New London
  * Eastern Connecticut State University, Willimantic
  * Fairfield University, Fairfield
  * Gateway Community College, New Haven
  * Gibbs College, Norwalk
  * Housatonic Community College, Bridgeport
  * Manchester Community College
  * Middlesex Community College
  * Mitchell College, New London
  * Naugatuck Valley Community College, Waterbury
  * Northwestern Connecticut Community College, Winsted
  * Norwalk Community College
  * Post University, Waterbury
  * Quinnebaug Valley Community College, Danielson/Willimantic
  * Quinnipiac University, Hamden
  * Rensselaer University, Hartford
  * Sacred Heart University, Fairfield
  * St. Joseph College, West Hartford
  * Southern Connecticut State University, New Haven
  * Three Rivers Community College, Norwich
  * Trinity College, Hartford
  * Tunxis Community College, Farmington
  * University of Bridgeport, Bridgeport
  * University of Connecticut, Storrs
  * University of Hartford, West Hartford
  * University of New Haven, New Haven
  * U.S. Coast Guard Academy, New London
  * Wesleyan University, Middletown
  * Western Connecticut State University, Danbury
  * Yale University, New Haven

"WHAT IS A GOOD MIDDLE SCHOOL?"

A video production by the CAS Middle Level Professional Studies Committee, suitable for Student Orientations, Parent/Teacher Meetings, Board of Education Presentations and Open Houses is available now to member schools for $20 and non-member schools for $25 (plus $5 shipping).

The 16 minute video addresses:

• The early adolescent
• Standards and Achievements
• Expectations
• Cooperative Learning
• Interdisciplinary teaching and learning
• ...and much more.

To order send your name, shipping address and check or purchase order to CAS Middle School Video, 30 Realty Drive, Cheshire, CT 06410.

"YOUR MIDDLE LEVEL SCHOOL"
A Guide for Parents

A handout for Student Orientations, Parent/Teacher Meetings and Open House Presentations is available now to member schools for $15 per bundle of 50 and non-member schools for $20 per bundle of 50 (plus $5 shipping).

This 8-panel brochure answers many of the most common questions that parents ask about middle schools and early adolescent students. Direct and to the point, it is an inexpensive follow-up to your orientation programs, open house presentations or parent conferences.

To order send your name, shipping address and check or purchase order to CAS Middle School Parent Brochure, 30 Realty Drive, Cheshire, CT 06410.