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In This Issue - February 21, 2018

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CAS HOSTS WORKSHOP ON RESPONDING TO HATE & BIAS INCIDENTS

Schools across Connecticut are experiencing incidents of bias and hate with unsettling frequency. Join us on March 20th for Hate & Bias Incidents: Lessons from the Field and learn how to effectively respond to these complex incidents. This morning workshop, sponsored in partnership with CAPSS, CABE and the ADL, will include an interactive presentation and panel discussion.
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LAST CALL FOR HIGH SCHOOL ARTS BANQUET

Attention high school principals! Registration for the 23rd Annual High School Arts Banquet, scheduled for April 3rd at the Aqua Turf, closes THIS Friday. Sponsored by Jostens and Bearingstar, this popular event honors high school seniors who excel in the performing and/or visual arts. Each CAS member high school is invited to select two grade 12 students for recognition. This year’s keynote speaker is the renowned Jimmy Greene, composer, arranger and award-winning saxophonist!
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KiDSMARATHON REGISTRATION NOW OPEN

Registration is now open for KiDSMARATHON 2018, an eight- to ten-week nutritional and fitness regimen for students ages 5-12 that can be easily implemented in any school setting. Participants complete a full marathon by running incremental distances each week and finishing the last mile at a regional site along with hundreds of their peers. The training can take place before, during or after school. Using the mantra "winning is finishing and finishing is winning," KiDSMARATHON helps students develop life-long fitness skills, self-confidence and a sense of accomplishment.
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WORKSHOP OFFERS GUIDANCE ON SCHOOL-AVOIDANCE AND ATTENDANCE ISSUES

CAS will offer a two-hour seminar on attendance issues in schools from 2-4:00 pm on March 26th. Our presenter will be Joe Pedemonti from the Institute of Living's Webb School. School avoidance and attendance problems present school systems and parents with particularly difficult challenges. The reasons why students are unable, or unwilling, to attend school routinely are varied, often requiring a variety of different assessments and intervention approaches. Although the objective is usually the same - to help students reintegrate back into their public school communities and progress academically, socially, and emotionally – the roads which lead to achieving that objective may be quite different. Join us on March 26th and leave with ten tips to help support students with school-avoidance tendencies.
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REGISTRATION FOR HIGH SCHOOL STUDENT LEADERSHIP UN-CONFERENCE CLOSES SOON!

Don’t let your high school students miss the 2nd Annual Un-Conference coming up on March 2nd and 3rd in North Haven. This unconventional conference offers advanced training for established and emerging leaders. The day-and-a-half event will bring student leaders together in an intensive leadership exploration that is both personal and future-oriented. Presenter Brandon Lee White, inspirational author, speaker and youth mover, will bring his tested and powerful Own It curriculum which will be interwoven with experiential exercises at this dynamic training. Act now - registration closes on February 26th!
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CELEBRATE YOUR SECRETARY DURING ADMINISTRATIVE PROFESSIONALS WEEK

In conjunction with National Administrative Professionals Week, CAS will host the 2018 Administrative Assistants’ Conference on Friday, April 27th, at the Aqua Turf in Plantsville. This one-day program is designed to support the daily work of school secretaries and administrative assistants and spotlight their important role in the success of every school. Keynote speaker Attorney Tom Mooney will provide updates on a number of critical legal issues including school safety, electronic communication devices, and student records retention.

Additionally, the CAS Administrative Assistant of the Year Award will be presented at the conference. This annual award recognizes a high-performing school office assistant who demonstrates excellent leadership, ongoing commitment to staff and students, and meaningful contributions to the overall school experience. Please consider making a nomination!
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GET ON BOARD FOR SOCIAL EMOTIONAL LEARNING

CAS is working with the Yale Center for Emotional Intelligence (YCEI) to offer regional, mini-day professional development seminars focused on social and emotional learning (SEL). The first will be held from 9:30-11:30 a.m. on March 22nd at the CAS office. Don’t miss this opportunity to engage in an exploration of new dimensions of SEL. Presenters will share best practices and weigh in on the content and delivery change levers that will help you support your students’ comprehensive development. You’ll gain ideas for weaving social, emotional and academic growth into the fabric of your school/classroom.
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WORKSHOP SERIES AIMS TO HELP SCHOOL LEADERS IMPROVE OUTCOMES FOR SPECIAL ED STUDENTS

This spring, SERC and CAS are co-sponsoring a three-part workshop series to help general education school leaders improve outcomes for the special education students in their schools. Workshop topics are: Strengthening Tier 1 Universal Practices for Students with Disabilities; Developing Standards-based IEP’s; and, PPT Facilitation Strategies and Family Engagement Practices. All workshops will be held at the Radisson in Cromwell from 8:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m. The first in the series is coming up on March 13th. Register soon!
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GOVERNOR SEEKS STUDENTS TO SERVE ON STATE BOARD OF ED

Every year, the Governor appoints two public school students entering their senior year to serve on the Connecticut State Board of Education (CSBE) for a one-year term. Student board members participate fully in discussions about education policy and lend an important perspective to board deliberations. The CSBE is now accepting applications from Grade 11 students who are interested in serving as members of the state board of education for the 2018-2019 year. Please encourage qualified students in your school to apply. The deadline for applications is April 13th.
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KIDS SPEAK EVENT AND ESSAY CONTEST

The Connecticut CHRO is once again sponsoring its annual Kids Speak conference and Kids Court Essay Contest. The essay contest provides students with an opportunity to research a specific civil or human rights issue and advocate a position, initially in an essay and then orally before a panel of judges. Kids Speak, which is the kickoff to the Kids Court Essay Contest, is a half-day program that engages middle and high school students in interactive exercises, peer debates, improvisations, and panel discussions designed to raise their consciousness about important social issues and reduce bullying and prejudice. Grade six through twelve students from Connecticut, Massachusetts and New York are invited to participate in this groundbreaking event to be held on Tuesday, May 22, 2018, at the University of Connecticut School of Law in Hartford. A workshop for teachers, administrators and chaperones has been added to this year’s program. A morning snack and lunch will be served at no cost to participants. Space is limited so register soon.
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DATA PRIVACY FOR PUBLIC AND CHARTER SCHOOLS: WHAT LIES AHEAD

Shipman & Goodwin LLP is offering two no-cost seminars on data privacy next month. Data Privacy for Public and Charter Schools: What Lies Ahead will be offered on March 15th in Hartford and on March 27th in Stamford. Both seminars will feature a panel of attorneys and experts who will cover the evolving data privacy statutory requirements; emerging cyber security threats; the development of internal data privacy procedures; the technical components that go into building internal protection against privacy breaches; and, how to review and build cyber coverage. There is no cost to attend.

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CCSU SPONSORS MEMORIAL WRITING CONTEST

Connecticut high school students are invited to participate in the inaugural Taylor A. Greene Prose Writing Contest sponsored by Central Connecticut State University (CCSU). Seize this opportunity to draw attention to the top writers from your school and to offer them an opportunity to gain the sort of recognition that colleges often look for in applications. This statewide high school prose writing contest for fiction and narrative nonfiction was created in memory of Taylor A. Greene, CCSU class of 2017, who died of an aneurysm last year. All public and private high school students in Connecticut are eligible to submit work. The winner of the contest will win a $1000 scholarship to CCSU.
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LEGAL MAILBAG

The Legal Mailbag column is written by Attorney Thomas Mooney of the University of Connecticut's Neag School of Education. Readers are invited to submit short, law-related questions of practical concern to school administrators. One question and its answer will be published in this column each week. Questions may be edited; authors will not be identified; and answers cannot be considered formal legal advice. Please submit questions to: legalmailbag@casciac.org

Dear Legal Mailbag:
I don’t dare ask her, but I think that one of the teachers in my school suffers from an acute mental health condition involving excessive emotionality and attention seeking. The latest manifestation was her response to a student’s exuberantly waving his arms in class. 
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CAS MISSION

Providing exemplary programs and services that promote excellence in the education of all children

Contact Information
30 Realty Drive
Cheshire, CT  06410
Phone: 203-250-1111
Fax: 203-250-1345
Website: www.casciac.org
Hours: 8am - 5pm, M-F

 

Connecticut Association of Schools | 30 Realty Drive, Cheshire, CT 06410 | P: 203-250-1111 F: 203-250-1345