The quality and effectiveness of our programs and services are dependent upon the volunteer efforts of our member school administrators through their work on our various committees. If you are not already actively serving the association, please consider volunteering! We encourage new faces to join the network of those who help make CAS-CIAC the premiere education organization in Connecticut. Serving on a committee is not time-intensive or burdensome; and members find that the total experience of being active at the state level is valuable to them and, ultimately, their school. Our committee work spans a wide range of areas, from student leadership to sports to recognition. We are asking new and veteran members to complete the 2018-19 volunteer solicitation form.

Tom Mooney, partner at Shipman & Goodwin, professor-in-residence at UConn’s Neag School of Education, author of A Practical Guide to Connecticut School Law and legend in Connecticut’s education community, returns to CAS on October 1st to give his annual legal update. Always entertaining and enlightening, Tom is a perennial hit with participants as he provides updates on the latest education-related legislation from Hartford.

The Fall Leadership Institute is coming on Friday and there are is still time to secure a seat. This year's institute, “Leading Our Schools to Develop Resilient Learners,” continues our leadership work in the area of social-emotional support for students. The keynote presentation by Jane Todey, ED.S., will focus on what schools need in order to effectively re-engage disconnected students and address barriers to learning and teaching. Register now!

Earlier this year, the NFHS sanctioned esports in partnership with PlayVS. We are pleased to announce that Connecticut is one of the first states in the nation to offer esports this October as part of PlayVS’ Season Zero. The opening season will feature the wildly popular League of Legends, a key driver behind the spectacular growth of esports. With the PlayVS online portal, getting your school started takes less than 20 minutes. Get your school signed up and invite players to start building your League of Legends team today!

On October 12th, the Center for Leadership and Innovation is offering a full-day workshop featuring restorative justice expert Joe Brummer. Joe will share innovative strategies that move away from punitive measures towards healing, accountability and change. Participants will develop their implementation skills and leave with a schoolwide action plan to bring restorative justice concepts to their school community. Participants will also be offered two morning follow-up sessions on January 14 and March 26, 2019.

Join us on October 25th for a unique opportunity to hear about the journeys of six successful women leaders in Connecticut’s education community. Come learn about their individual paths to leadership as they share stories of the mentors and motivators as well as impediments and issues they encountered along the way. In addition to a Q/A, there will be small break-out sessions to examine ways in which schools can grow and develop leadership in young women. The esteemed panelists are: Dr. Linda Barry, Associate Professor and Director of Multicultural and Community Affairs at the UConn School of Medicine; Dr. Suzi D’Annolfo, Retired Administrator and Past Milken National Educator Award Recipient; Dr. Bonnie Edmondson, SCSU Associate Professor and Graduate Coordinator of School of Health Education Program; Dr. Gladis Kersaint, Dean of UCONN’s Neag School of Education; Dr. Patricia Law, Superintendent of Regional School District 8; and, Dr. Penelope Lisi, Professor in CCSU’s Department of Educational Leadership, Policy and Instructional Technology.

Fifth grade teachers are invited to register their classes to participate in Connecticut's Kid Governor®, an award-winning statewide civics program created by the Connecticut Public Affairs Network. The program takes place right from the comfort of the classroom and registered teachers receive toolkits of lesson plans that guide them through the entire program. Schools can participate by nominating one student in the election, voting in the election, or both. Kid Governor is an authentic, immersive experience that teaches students about the democratic process by giving them a voice in a real election. To learn more and to register your class, please go to CT.KidGovernor.org or email Brian Cofrancesco.

The Connecticut Association of Latino Administrators and Superintendents (CALAS) will host its first-ever leadership conference on November 1st at Maloney High School in Meriden. This annual conference will offer educators, educational leaders, supervisors, and superintendents an informative and inspirational professional development experience addressing Latino Voices in Education. In a unique and interactive way, the participants will examine the roles and educational practices of Latino voices as they foster quality and equitable public education for CT Latino students. The conference includes four engaging breakout sessions highlighting best practices from throughout Connecticut in the following strands:

• Equity
• Leadership
• Technology
• ELs

Register now and engage with a diverse group of your peers from a variety of school districts. A light breakfast and lunch will be included in the cost of registration.

Additionally, on October 24th, CALAS will hold a full membership meeting at the CAS office in Cheshire. All existing CALAS members and educators interested in joining are encouraged to attend. There is no charge for participation and a light dinner will be provided. Please register in advance.

Do you know someone in your building who would make a great administrator?
For Connecticut educators aspiring to advance their careers and serve in roles as assistant principals, principals, or district-level administrators, the University of Connecticut Administrator Preparation Program (UCAPP) offers an educational leadership program through the Neag School of Education designed to prepare qualified and capable school leaders for all Connecticut schools. Graduates are awarded the sixth-year diploma and are eligible for certification endorsement as an intermediate administrator in the state of Connecticut. For more information about UCAPP and to R.S.V.P. for an information session, go to ucapp.education.uconn.edu.

On October 4th and 5th, the Hamden Public Schools are hosting a two-day ALICE (Alert, Lockdown, Inform, Counter, Evacuate) training course. Open to school personnel at all levels, the course provides a set of proactive, options-based strategies that increase one’s chances of survival during a dangerous intruder or active shooter event. Participants will gain skills and strategies for minimizing risks and maximizing safety and will learn how to teach others those same skills and strategies.

Attention member school principals! Do you have a new assistant principal or guidance counselor? Has your email address changed? Did you start a Unified Sports^® team? Please be sure to update your membership directory information for the new school year. It is vital that we keep our membership database current so that the information sent from this office makes its way to the appropriate staff members in your building. This allows member schools to take full advantage of the benefits of CAS membership. Click here for instructions on updating your school’s data.