Mark your calendars! The 18th Annual Arts in the Middle Conference will be held on May 22nd at the University of Hartford. Middle level students and teachers can develop their artistic abilities within the context of challenging, hands-on workshops involving both traditional and non-traditional artistic media. Registration is now open.

The CAS-CIAC Endowment and Flanagan Grant Program, made possible by the generosity of sponsors whose dollars have helped us build a stable endowment fund, provides grant money to member schools to support new or existing initiatives that lead to enriched educational experiences and improved learning environments. Proposals are now being accepted from member schools, individual students, or groups of students or schools (including academic/athletic leagues). The deadline for submissions is April 25th.

Registration is now open for KiDSMARATHON 2019, 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.

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 2019-2020 year. Please encourage qualified students in your school to apply. The deadline for applications is April 15th.

On Friday, March 29, Pullman & Comley’s School Law Practice will host a legal forum at the Sheraton Hartford South in Rocky Hill. "Learning Together: Recent Developments in the Law and Practical Solutions for School Districts" is a half-day program that will feature a number of hot topics currently facing Connecticut school districts including:

• Reporting Child Abuse and Neglect (and Staying Out of Jail): Your Responsibilities and Updates
• Student Discipline: What You Can Do, and What You Can’t Do
• Collaboration, Cooperation and Restructuring Schools to Control Costs: the Present and the Future
• 2.0 be or Not 2.0 Be: The CT Partnership Plan 2.0 and Your District
• Is the Climate Getting Better? School Bullying and What Your School Must Do
• When OCR Comes A Knocking: Latest Developments Regarding New Title IX Regulations and OCR investigations

Click here for details and registration information. All school leaders are welcome.

Immaculate High School in Danbury has been selected as the winner of the 2018-19 CAS-CIAC Battle of the Fans contest! Members of the Immaculate student section, known as “The Stable,” will be honored with a plaque and recognition during one of the state championship b-ball games at Mohegan Sun this weekend. Click here to see what makes The Stable so special and to view its winning video submission.

Do you know someone who would make a great district administrator? For Connecticut educators aspiring to advance their careers, the Executive Leadership Program (ELP) through UConn’s Neag School of Education offers a one-year program designed to prepare experienced educational leaders to serve as superintendents of schools and/or in other district-level leadership positions. For more information about ELP and to RSVP for the March 21st information session, go to s.uconn.edu/ELPInfo2019.