FOR SCHOOL LEADERS

NATIONAL ASSISTANT PRINCIPALS WEEK | APRIL 9-13

The National Association of Secondary School Principals (NASSP), in conjunction with the National Association of Elementary School Principals and the American Federation of School Administrators, has announced that this year’s National Assistant Principals Week (AP Week) will be April 9–13. AP Week is an opportunity to honor and recognize the contributions made by assistant principals and celebrating is easy! Check out the toolkit containing sample social media posts, newsletter blurbs, and a press release template. Take part in any of the planned national activities which include:

• E-cards - Choose from one of several free cards to personalize and schedule for delivery. NASSP will email the card along with a link for an exclusive AP Week gift.
• #APchat on Twitter - Assistant principals can connect on Sunday, April 8 at 8:00 p.m. using #APchat on Twitter.
• AP Expert of the Week - Read an article each day of the week from a State Assistant Principal of the Year. Articles will discuss pressing issues affecting assistant principals and can be read at the Assistant Principal Leadership Center.
• AP Week Hashtag - See how other schools are celebrating and contribute posts by using #APWeek18 on Twitter and Instagram.

Additionally, the NASSP website offers a host of local activity ideas for school leaders and for parents, teachers and students.

During AP Week only, two gifts will be available exclusively for assistant principals:

• A $50 discount on the full conference registration to the 2018 National Principals Conference^TM. Assistant principals will have the opportunity to engage in rich professional learning activities and connect with school leaders across the country. (Use promo code 18APWEEK at time of registration.)
• A $100 discount on NASSP membership with promo code AP10018.

LEADING FOR STUDENTS' EMOTIONAL HEALTH | APRIL 12 | 8:00 AM-12:00 PM

Interested in best practices for working with students who have experienced trauma? Then don't miss “Leading for Students’ Emotional Health” on April 12th at the CAS office. In this morning workshop, participants will learn what trauma and traumatic stress are, how to identify them in students, and the impact trauma has on learning and educational success. Presenter Kimberly Jewers-Dailley, a director at the Clifford Beers Clinic in New Haven, will offer strategies for how to make a school trauma-informed. There is no cost for attendance but registration is required. (NOTE: The event is open to ALL school leaders even though it is listed under New Leaders Academy.)

ALTERNATIVE ED WORKSHOP ON TRAUMA-INFORMED PRACTICES | APRIL 19 | 1:30-3:30 PM

The Connecticut State Department of Education, in partnership with CAS and SERC, has established a community of practice (CoP) series specifically for educators at alternative schools/programs. The purpose of the CoP is to provide a forum for sharing ideas and discussing targeted interests and needs. The next session of the series will be held on April 19th from 1:30-3:30 p.m. CSDE presenters Kari Sullivan, Scott Newgass and Glen Peterson will address the following topics:

• Trauma-informed practices 
• Follow-up discussion on attendance data 
• Future planning

There is no charge for registration.

SOCIAL EMOTIONAL LEARNING WORKSHOP | MAY 2 | 9:30-11:30 AM

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 forum, rescheduled twice due to weather, will now be held on Wednesday, May 2nd. Don’t miss this opportunity to engage in an exploration of new dimensions of SEL. Examine best practices and learn new content and delivery change levers that can help you support your students’ comprehensive development. You’ll gain ideas for weaving social, emotional and academic development into the fabric of your school/classroom. This two-hour seminar will be held from 9:30-11:30 a.m. at the CAS Office. Register now!

FINAL AP LEADERS’ MEETING | MAY 2 | 4:00-6:00 PM

The final Assistant Principal Leaders' meeting of the 2017-18 year will be held on Wednesday, May 2nd, from 4-6 p.m. at the CAS office. This will be an open forum style meeting to discuss next year's activities. Dinner will be provided. Mark your calendars now. Details will be coming soon.

SUMMER LEADERSHIP INSTITUTE | JUNE 21-22

CAS will be hosting its annual Summer Leadership Institute at The Heritage in Southbury, CT, on June 21 and 22, 2018. This year's theme, "Leading Our Schools to Develop Resilient Learners," is a continuation of our ongoing work on social-emotional well-being as a component of personalizing the educational experience for our students. Emphasis will be on the requisite leadership activities needed at both the district and school levels to support this work; and, keynote speakers and breakout sessions will focus on structures in place within our state’s districts that move this work forward. The registration fee this year will be for conference attendance only. Participants may arrange for overnight accommodations at a reduced CAS rate by booking directly with The Heritage. This is a significant change from past registration procedures and we hope the separate rate will provide greater options to our members. Stay tuned for more information!

FOR STUDENT LEADERS

HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS URGED TO JOIN STATEWIDE SAFE SCHOOLS INITIATIVE

The State Student Advisory Council on Education is pleased to invite schools to participate in “CT SEES,” a student-led awareness program to make the state’s schools safer and more inclusive. During the month of April, school and student leaders are encouraged to organize a “CT SEES” week in their own district. The week will include a series of activities which emphasize kindness, encourage positive school climate and promote school safety. Participants can share the success of their “CT Sees” events through a Twitter challenge and the top schools will be invited to attend a round table discussion at the CAS headquarters in May! Please join this vital awareness campaign!

REGISTER FOR THE SCHOLAR-LEADER BANQUET

The annual CAS Middle Level Scholar-Leader Banquet is scheduled for Monday, June 4, 2018, at 5:00 p.m. at the Aqua Turf in Plantsville. Please be aware of an important change in the criteria for the Middle Level Scholar Leader Award this year. While, historically, schools were required to select one girl and one boy for recognition, they can now choose two students of the same gender. Registration for the banquet is now open.

Learn more >>

KiDSMARATHON REGISTRATION CLOSES SOON

Registration for KiDSMARATHON 2018, an eight- to ten-week nutritional and fitness regimen for students ages 5-12, closes at the end of the month. 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 program, founded on the mantra "winning is finishing and finishing is winning," can be easily implemented in any school setting as the training can take place before, during or after school. Register for KiDSMARATHON and help your students develop life-long fitness skills, self-confidence and a sense of accomplishment.

Learn more >>

HELPFUL RESOURCES

CENTER LAUNCHES NEW ONLINE RESOURCE BANK

We are pleased to announce a new online resource that is now available to all members. The Center for Leadership and Innovation’s CONNECTIONS webpage - or “CLIC” - is a quick and easy way to learn about programs you may be thinking about starting in your school or may be looking to expand or improve. All listings on CLIC have contact information for an administrator who is willing to share program information and/or host a visit if you would like to see the program in action. You are also be able to submit an inquiry to see if someone has a program you are interested in exploring.

CLIC is designed as a simple “yellow page” of best practices to easily connect you to programs and practitioners. This will be an evolving resource as inquiries lead to new additions. So, be sure to check back regularly!

Learn more >>

MATH NIGHT RESOURCES FROM MARSHALL MEMO

As we move toward the spring, many elementary schools are preparing to host Math Nights. The following excerpt from a recent Marshall Memo contains helpful resources. 

In this article in Mathematics Teaching in the Middle School, Lynn Liao Hodge and Michael Lawson (University of Tennessee) suggest these online resources for family math nights:

• NCTM’s Figure This: http://figurethis.nctm.org
• NCTM’s Illuminations: http://illuminations.nctm.org
• Family Math Night: http://familymathnight.com
• Ken-Ken: http://kenkenpuzzle.com 
• YouCubed: https://www.youcubed.org

The full article, “Strengthening Partnerships through Family Math Nights” by Lynn Liao Hodge and Michael Lawson in Mathematics Teaching in the Middle School, March 2018 (Vol. 23, #5, p. 284-287), can be purchased at http://bit.ly/2oHLwIi.

RECENT HAPPENINGS

The final session of the 2017-18 Administrator Induction Program was held on March 19th. CLI staff members Ev Lyons and Donna Schilke explored strategies for leading the change process and offered practical advice on how to anticipate and respond to the varying reactions to change.