Dear Colleagues,

Message from State Representative Jeff Roy (D)

State Representative Jeff Roy (D), when asked to comment on National Principals' Month, stated, "In these unprecedented times, it is fitting that we recognize our principals who have endured and worked hard to foster success and well being for our students." "They lead by influencing achievement, cultivating the school climate and setting expectations for everyone in the building and virtually. And despite adverse conditions, our principals have risen to the occasion and provided equality of opportunity for all. For that we are grateful and offer our best wishes and hope for future good fortune and continued success."

On behalf of all of us at MSAA, congratulations on celebrating National Principals' Month. It is a well deserved month of recognition, appreciation and love.

Below you will find information on a couple of events to call your attention to and some information from DESE and their new license. Continue to scroll down to read the notes from the meeting the MSAA Finance Board had with Commissioner Jeff Riley on Wednesday, October 7th.

Commissioner's Meeting with MSAA

Four times a year, the Finance Committee of the MSAA Board of Directors meets with Commissioner Jeffrey C. Riley. COVID-19, MCAS, Educator Evaluation and the state's mentoring program for administrators were at the forefront of the October 7th meeting. Click here to read those notes in their entirety.

Soul of Leadership a message from Rick Rogers

MSAA and Courage & Renewal Northeast are pleased to announce two (2) new cohorts of the Soul of Leadership: Courage, Presence and Integrity."

The unprecedented challenges posed by the coronavirus pandemic, along with the national cries for equity and racial justice, underscore more than ever the crucial role that school leaders play in creating a caring and culturally responsive school culture. In order to lead and thrive, school leaders need time and support to develop their social-emotional capacity to manage job-related stress, build trust, and model caring and culturally responsive behaviors.

We invite you to deepen your own development as a leader. The Soul of Leadership: Courage, Presence and Integrity gives school leaders the opportunity to reflect on their lives and work through contemplative and reflective practices drawn from the Center of Courage and Renewal and the fields of mindfulness, social and emotional learning, neuroscience, and the arts.

Over the past two years, MSAA has partnered with Courage and Renewal Northeast to offer this unique experience for principals. Over 50 principals from all levels and representing a wide range of districts across Massachusetts have participated in our first two cohorts. With the ongoing generous support of the Angell Foundation, we are pleased to offer two new cohorts this year – and open the program to include assistant principals.

To learn more and for registration, see our Soul of Leadership flyer.

Professional Development opportunity with Jessica Minahan and Stuart Ablon on Monday, November 16th

Anxiety is on the rise! Teachers need new distance-learning and in-person approaches to reduce anxiety and increase engagement in their students.

Please join two local experts, MSAA Friend of Education, Jessica Minahan and Harvard Medical School Professor, Stuart Ablon as they join forces to share strategies on how to build skills, reduce anxiety, and improve unproductive behavior in kids during these challenging times!

Here is the link to the event.

New MA Educator License Documentation and Verification of Licensure

As indicated in the recent posting about careful hiring practices we believe that the best way to verify licensure is to utilize your administrator access in ELAR and check their status via the online licensure system. It is possible that a status may have changed from the time that a hardcopy license was generated and given to you/central office and while we have a public lookup, authorized district users have greater access in ELAR and can see information that is not available in the public lookup.

With regards to the new design of the license (see directly below this text box), it is a full page (8.5 x11), include the name of the licensee, the license number and the licenses and endorsements that they have obtained. In addition, the license includes the signature of the Commissioner and Brian Devine, Director of the Licensure Department, you will find some “mapping” that indicates the validity period for applicable credentials. This new license, which looks more like a diploma and would look great in a frame, is a better recognition of the hard work, dedication and intellect that the profession calls for.

Given how long the old license has been in use, I am sure an administrator would be bound to question the authenticity of this new license if they were not aware of a change – which is further reason to rely on ELAR.

Closing Message from Bill Gaine

On behalf of MSAA and Executive Director, Bill Gaine: Stay safe, stay strong and take time for yourself.

Warm Regards,

Beth

Beth Wittcoff

MSAA Assistant Executive Director

MSAA Matters Newsletter

Middle Level and Elementary Committee Liaison

Social Media

See member email for links to these gatherings!

There will not be a meeting on the Monday holidays.

1st Monday of the Month High School Administrator Gatherings 3 PM

October 5

November 2

December 7

January 4

February 1

March 1

April 5

May 3

June 7

2nd Monday of the Month Assistant Principal Gatherings 4 PM

October 12 Holiday

November 9

December 14

January 11

February 8

March 8

April 12

May 10

June 14

3rd Monday of the Month Middle Level Administrators 3 PM

October 19

November16

December 21

January 18 Holiday

February 15 Holiday

March 15

April 19 Holiday

May 17

June 21

4th Monday of the Month All Level Administrators 4 PM

October 26

November 23

December 28 Winter Break

January 25

February 22

March 22

April 26

May 24

June 28

1st Tuesday of the Month PK-8 Administrators 4 PM

October 6

November 3 Election Day

December 1

January 5

February 2

March 2

April 6

May 4

June 1

October - December Professional Development

October 1, 2020 – December 31, 2020, Succeeding with English Language Learners Approved by DESE for Use Toward the 15 PDPs in ELL for License Renewal for Teachers, School Clinicians, and Administrators five-part series; take one session or all, Dr. Cindy Crimmin, Ribas Associates, Asynchronous Online: registrants may work at their own pace, English Language Arts/Literacy, Register

October 1, 2020 – December 31, 2020, Low Socio-economic Status (SES) Students and Families: Strategies for Closing Achievement Gaps and Reducing Special Education Referrals, Dr. Roseli Weiss, Ribas Associates, Asynchronous Online: registrants may work at their own pace, Curriculum and Instruction, Register

October 1, 2020 – December 31, 2020, Teaching Face-to-face, Hybrid, and Remote for Maximum Academic and Social-Emotional Learning Growth, Elayne Gumlaw, Asynchronous Online: registrants may work at their own pace, Curriculum and Instruction, Register

October 1, 2020 – December 31, 2020, Classroom Management (with a component on remote learning), Cynthia Marchand and Carol Gregory, Ribas Associates, Asynchronous Online: registrants may work at their own pace, Curriculum and Instruction, Register

October 1, 2020 – December 31, 2020, Succeeding with Students with Special Needs five-part series; take one session or all, Jane Hardin, Ribas Associates, Asynchronous Online: registrants may work at their own pace, Special Education, Register

October 1 & 5, 2020, Reducing Anxiety in Students Two part Online workshop; 3pm - 5pm, Jessica Minahan, Synchronous Online Workshop, Safe and Supportive Learning Environments, Register

October 7, 2020, Legal Aspects of Student Discipline, Colleen Shea, Esq., 9-11am, Leadership/Administration, Register

October 19, 2020 and November 2, 2020, Building a Classroom Management System that Works, Dr. Nicole L'Etoile, TEACHERS21, Synchronous Online Workshop, Curriculum and Instruction, Register

October 20, 2020 – December 17, 2020, Paraprofessional Training - FIVE MODULES, five-part series; take one session or all, Penny Copplestone and Dr. Kathleen Larche, TEACHERS21, Synchronous Online Workshop, Curriculum and Instruction, Register

October 21, 2020, Sheltered English Immersion (SEI) Course for Administrators See flyer for course structure; October 21, November 4 & 18, and December 2 & 16 4:00pm-6:30pm each day, Kaitlyn Torossion, Synchronous Online Workshop, Leadership/Administration, Register

October 23, 2020, Paraprofessional Training, Session 2: Characteristics of Disabilities and the IEP (Part I) five-part series; take one session or all, Penny Copplestone and Dr. Kathleen Larche, TEACHERS21, Synchronous Online Workshop, Curriculum and Instruction, Register

October 27, 2020, How to Close Pandemic-Related Achievement Gaps NEW DATE: October 27 3- 6pm, Paul B. Ash, Ph. D., Synchronous Online Workshop, Curriculum and Instruction, Register

October 28, 2020, Tools, Strategies and Resources to use for Engaging the Reluctant Elementary Student Collection in a Remote Setting see flyer for workshop structure, 10-28, 11-12 plus one day small group instruction, Maureen Gilman, Seaside Educational Consultants, Synchronous Online Workshop, Curriculum and Instruction, Register

October 29, 2020, Teacher Leadership and Instructional Coaching, four-part online workshop; additional dates 12/10, 1/21 and 2/25, Shoshy Starr, TEACHERS21, Synchronous Online Workshop, Leadership/Administration, Register

November 5, 2020, ADHD in the Era of COVID two-part workshop; second date 11/6, Brendan Mahan, M.Ed., M.S., ADHD Essentials, Synchronous Online Workshop, Special Education, Register

November 16, 2020, Promoting a Growth Mindset during Remote Learning: We Have No Choice See Flyer for Workshop Structure -11-16-20 and 11-30-20, plus one day small group instruction, Dr. Curtis Bates, Seaside Educational Consultants, Synchronous Online Workshop, Curriculum and Instruction, Register

November 17, 2020, Co-teaching/Collaborative teaching: How to change the mindset and 'flawed' implementation of true co-teaching in a virtual world; creating collaborative teaching teams to work with all students See Flyer for Workshop Structure -11-17-20 and 12-01-20, plus one day small group instruction, Shannon Pirrello and Dr. Judy DeLucia, Seaside Educational Consultants, Synchronous Online Workshop, Curriculum and Instruction, Register

November 18, 2020, Creating Safe and Supportive Classrooms Using PBIS Strategies in a Remote Setting see flyer for workshop structure; 11-18, 12-2 plus one day small group instruction, Maureen Gilman, Seaside Educational Consultants, Synchronous Online Workshop, Safe and Supportive Learning Environments, Register

November 19, 2020, The Four Right Drivers of Change and Whole School/School System Change NEW DATES: 11/19 and 12/10/20 3-6pm, Paul B. Ash, Ph. D., Ribas Associates, Synchronous Online Workshop, Curriculum and Instruction, Register

November 23, 2020, Paraprofessional Training, Session 3: Characteristics of Disabilities and the IEP (Part II) five-part series; take one session or all, Penny Copplestone and Dr. Kathleen Larche, TEACHERS21, Synchronous Online Workshop, Curriculum and Instruction, Register

December 3, 2020,How to Deliver Effective Feedback and Have a Difficult Conversation in person or on screen, See Flyer for Workshop Structure -12-03-20 and 12-16-20, plus one day small group instruction,

Dr. Judy DeLucia, Seaside Educational Consultants, Synchronous Online Workshop, Leadership/Administration, Register

December 4, 2020, Hanging In with Challenging Students, Jeffrey Benson, TEACHERS21, Synchronous Online Workshop, Safe and Supportive Learning Environments, Register

December 7, 2020 to December 8, 2020, The Emotional Impact of Learning Disabilities two-part workshop; second date 12/8, Brendan Mahan, M.Ed., M.S., ADHD Essentials, Synchronous Online Workshop, Special Education, Register

December 8, 2020, How to Further Close Achievement Gaps for Special Education, Minority and Low-income Students NEW Dates: 12/8 and 12/15 3-6pm each day, Paul B. Ash, Ph. D., Synchronous Online Workshop, Curriculum and Instruction, Register

December 9, 2020, Project Based Learning (PBL) during remote learning See Flyer for Workshop Structure -12-09-20 and 12-21-20, plus one day small group instruction, Dr. Curtis Bates, Seaside Educational Consultants, Synchronous Online Workshop, Curriculum and Instruction, Register

December 14, 2020, Paraprofessional Training, Session 4: Accommodations and Modifications Overview five-part series; take one session or all, Penny Copplestone and Dr. Kathleen Larche, TEACHERS21, Synchronous Online Workshop, Curriculum and Instruction, Register

December 17, 2020, Paraprofessional Training, Session 5: Social Emotional Learning five-part series; take one session or all, Penny Copplestone and Dr. Kathleen Larche, TEACHERS21, Synchronous Online Workshop, Curriculum and Instruction, Register