The Connecticut Student Activities Conference is pleased to announce Destined to Lead: A Leadership Conference for Young Women of Color in Middle School. This event, an offshoot of the very successful leadership conference for female high school students of color, will be held on December 15, 2016, at Goodwin College in East Hartford. Students will engage with uniquely talented presenters in exercises designed to uncover their abilities and explore the possibilities for their future.

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CAS, in collaboration with the State Department of Education, is offering its well-received Principals' Leadership Series (PLS) again this school year. The structure of the series has been altered to allow greater flexibility for busy practitioners. This year's sessions will be morning-only and will address a variety of leadership topics and skills needed by today's school administrator. Registration is open for the first two sessions which will focus on the instructional leadership function of evaluation and, specifically, how to provide effective written and verbal feedback for teacher growth.

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The CAS Recognition of Excellence in Education Reception will be held on November 30th at the Aqua Turf in Southington. This high-profile event allows members to spotlight an exemplary program and/or outstanding staff members that have brought about significant school improvement, promoted school success or had a positive impact on the school. The reception will include appetizers, cocktails, musical entertainment and an awards ceremony. Please plan to attend with your staff!

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Elementary and middle school teachers are invited to CAS on December 8th for a morning workshop with Anne Kubitsky, CEO and founder of the Look For The Good Project. Anne’s research-backed program is founded on the core belief that gratitude is the keystone to building positive relationships. Anne will reveal how gratitude practices can support character education initiatives and instructional pedagogy and positively impact student behavior and classroom climate.

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The CAS-CIAC Battle of the Fans is back! The contest, now in its third year, is designed to encourage positive behavior from student cheering sections and to highlight the great things schools are doing to promote sportsmanship and supportive fan conduct. Students are invited to create and submit a 3-minute video which captures fans in action and spotlights their school’s commitment to sportsmanship and school spirit.

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In a memo issued earlier this month, Chief Talent Officer Dr. Sarah Barzee provided several important updates concerning educator standards and certification. Among them were:

ED 126 Statement of Professional Experience
In an effort to streamline the certification processes, the state department will no longer require the ED 126 Statement of Professional Experience to renew a professional educator certificate.

Highly Qualified Status
The Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) no longer requires school districts to report the highly qualified status of teachers to parents. However, districts are required to continue to notify parents that they may request information regarding the professional qualifications of teachers and to provide this information upon request. Guidance from the U.S. Department of Education on the transition to ESSA is available at http://www2.ed.gov/policy/elsec/leg/essa/faq/essa-faqs.pdf. Information on parent notification and highly qualified status is located on pages 14-15.

Durational Shortage Area Permits
With the transition to ESSA, educators who serve under a DSAP are no longer required to meet the federal definition of “highly qualified” and are therefore eligible for issuance of a DSAP with a test deficiency. As of August 1, 2016, a district may request a DSAP for an individual who meets all other DSAP eligibility requirements but has not yet passed Connecticut’s required certification assessments.

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As part of National Bullying Prevention Awareness Month, CAS Director of Student Activities Dave Maloney was one of three guests to join CT STYLE to talk about Middlesex County’s Campaign for Bully-Free Communities. The campaign, now in its third year, rallies businesses, municipalities, school districts, libraries and community organizations to take a pledge to stand together against bullying and all mean-spirited behavior. CAS has been a proud partner in this successful program which continues to expand to more school systems and more community members. Check out the video clip and learn more about this impactful initiative!

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