CAS Weekly NewsBlast

The 16th Annual CAS/CAPSS Convocation will be held on September 9th at the Aqua Turf. This year’s event will feature Stefan Pryor, Connecticut Commissioner of Education, and Fred Carstensen, UConn Professor of Finance & Economics and Director of the Connecticut Center for Economic Analysis. Registration closes on September 5th! More

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CAS is still accepting nominations for the First-Year Principal Awards for 2014-2015. These awards recognize individuals whose instructional leadership, innovative practices and managerial skills have had a positive impact on the school district in their first year of school administration. One award is given at each level: elementary, middle and high school. The deadline for submitting nominations is September 12, 2014. More

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Because the initial offering of the Coherence Community of Practice series filled quickly, CAS is offering a second series, also facilitated by Jonathan Costa. "Six Steps to Coherence: A Year-long Community of Practice" is designed to walk a school or a school district through the coherence planning process and to help “connect the dots” among the variety of mandated and desired improvement priorities facing public schools in Connecticut. Individuals and/or teams are encouraged to attend. This six-part workshop series is free of charge for member schools. More

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CAS is partnering with several local organizations and the Connecticut State Department of Education to present a conference for teams of school district and PTA leaders on how to communicate information on the Common Core State Standards. This conference entitled, “Communicating the Common Core: Schools and Parents Working Together for Student Success” will be held on October 21, 2014 at the Crowne Plaza in Cromwell from 8-12 PM. Otha Thornton, the National PTA president, will be the keynote speaker. More

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Are your school’s concussion policies and practices updated for 2014-15? Come learn from experts about the new 2014 Connecticut concussion law and research-based best practices. The conference will feature a lineup of medical, academic, legal and athletic experts including CAS-CIAC Executive Director Karissa Niehoff and CAAD Executive Director Fred Balsamo. More

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Are you a school administrator with coaching in your background? If so, would you be interested in contributing to a compilation of stories about how your experiences in coaching guided your practice as a school administrator? We are looking to publish an anthology of short, stand-alone stories called "Lessons from the Sidelines" which will chronicle the experiences of Connecticut coaches (current and former) and the ways in which those experiences influenced their practices as leaders. More

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CIAC Associate Executive Director Paul Hoey was one of twelve leaders in high school activity programs across the country to receive a National Federation of State High School Associations (NFHS) Citation at the NFHS Summer Meeting in Boston last month. The NFHS Citation is one of the most highly regarded achievements in high school athletics and performing arts. Paul has served as associate executive director of the CIAC since 2004 after a 35-year career as a teacher, coach, assistant principal and principal at four Connecticut schools. More

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The Connecticut Interscholastic Athletic Conference launched a new website within CIACsports.com aimed at concussion education for schools, athletes and parents. The site, which is called Concussion Central and located at http://concussioncentral.ciacsports.com, has vital information and resources on concussions designed for all high school sports constituents. More

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In her August newsletter, State Chief Academic Officer Dr. Dianna Roberge-Wentzell provides helpful information about supports and resources available to districts to assist them in implementing the Common Core State Standards, including:
• Webinar Series for Principals;
• Smarter Balanced Digital Library Preview
• Supporting Curriculum Design Work: Sample Units and Lessons
• Resources for Communicating about the Common Core State Standards in Spanish
• Videos to Support Professional Learning for CCSS Implementation
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The 2014-2015 school year marks the first year that public school districts must implement school security and safety plans for each school. Public Act 13-3 requires schools to establish school security and safety committees which, in turn, are responsible for assisting in the development of the school security and safety plans and the administration of those plans. In its recent "School Law Alert," Shipman & Goodwin LLP offers practical tips for districts in the process of finalizing and/or implementing their plans.  More

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The I Love My Librarian Award encourages library users to recognize the accomplishments of exceptional public, school, and college librarians. Administered by the American Library Association, with support from Carnegie Corporation of New York and the New York Times Company, the program seeks nominations that describe how a librarian is improving the lives of people in a school, campus, or community. Up to ten winners will be selected to receive $5,000, a plaque, and a $500 stipend to attend an awards reception in New York hosted by the New York Times. The deadline for nominations is September 12th. More

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