Principal's Turnaround Academy - J.E. Hobbs Elementary - April 29th
Mark your calendars and secure your accommodations! Our next Principal's Turnaround Academy will take place on April 29 in Wilcox County, with JE Hobbs Elementary serving as our host site. This session will be an invaluable opportunity to collaborate, reflect, and learn from expert guests, including Bonnie Short (Director of ARI), Jeff Norris (OXL Coordinator), and Ashley Lucier (Executive Director of AmpUp Arts). Their insights will help strengthen our turnaround efforts and drive meaningful progress in our schools.
We will begin promptly at 8:30 AM with walkthroughs and will work through lunch, so feel free to bring snacks or a meal. Dismissal will be at 2:00 PM.
All turnaround principals are required to attend, and district leaders are welcome to join. Please come prepared with your current plans and schedules for summer literacy and numeracy camps as well as a printout of your Turnaround Budget and all expenditures to date.
We look forward to a productive and engaging session as we continue our collective efforts to drive school improvement!
Power Planning Mini Sessions
Attendance Matters
As we enter the final months of the school year and (hopefully) welcome warmer weather, now is the time to double down on attendance efforts. Every day counts, and maintaining momentum is key!
The Tiered Supports for Attendance guide is a great tool to help assess what strategies have been effective and identify additional steps to keep students engaged and present. Don't slow down now—keep pushing forward!
Here are a few key actions administrators can take to support strong attendance through the last day of school:
✅ Plan incentives—Fun challenges like "Attend all week to see the principal take a pie to the face!" can motivate students to show up.
✅ Schedule field day for the final weeks to keep excitement high.
✅ Keep professional learning going—Introduce next year’s instructional strategies now so staff can practice and refine them.
✅ Be present in classrooms—Your visibility reinforces that instruction continues until the last day.
✅ Hold off on collecting materials—Wait until the very end to take up textbooks and Chromebooks to prevent an early shutdown of learning.
✅ Encourage teachers to promote attendance—A single comment suggesting attendance isn’t necessary can have a huge impact on school-wide participation.
Remember, you set the tone for what is valued in your school. Keep attendance a top priority, celebrate strong attendance efforts, and make every day count!
Youth Mental Health First Aid
Mental health remains a pressing issue in education, and it is crucial that we equip our schools with the knowledge and resources to support our students effectively. I encourage you to review the shared materials, which provide valuable information and resources on this topic. The statistics in the graphic below are particularly eye-opening and highlight the urgency of addressing mental health in our schools.
I also want to take this opportunity to remind you of our strong partnership with the Alabama Department of Mental Health (ADMH). Gayla Caddell has been an incredible resource for us, and she is offering a Youth Mental Health First Aid training specifically for TA Schools. As a certified trainer, she provides both the training and accompanying resources to help schools better support students’ mental health needs. However, space is limited, and she is unable to train all schools. If your school is interested in this opportunity, please let Courtney Wilburn know as soon as possible—participation will be on a first-come, first-served basis.
This is an invaluable chance to strengthen our support systems and ensure our students have the resources they need to thrive. Don't miss out!
Virtual Literacy Labs
Join our OSI Literacy Specialists on Wednesday afternoons this year for quick, informative, and FUN Literacy Labs! Each session will focus on enhancing literacy instruction across all grade levels by helping teachers deepen their understanding of literacy strategies. These sessions are virtual and open to EVERYONE! You don't want to miss out on this fun!
Click HERE to register.
SES Professional Learning Series
Purpose: SES Shorts seeks to provide teachers and administrators working with students with exceptionalities professional development focused on improving student outcomes. Goal: Deliver just-in-time professional development that is collaborative, data-driven, and implements evidence-based practices. Length: 60-minute sessions (45-minute professional development with a 15-minute question-and-answer opportunity) Scheduling: Mondays, Tuesdays, and Thursdays 9:00 AM -10:00 AM 11:30 PM - 12:30 PM, and/or 3:30 PM - 4:30 PM
MEGA Conference
This year’s conference is a week-long, in-person event that provides attendees with opportunities to engage in meaningful discussions, participate in in-depth training sessions, and learn from leading experts across the education spectrum.
MEGA CONFERENCE 2025
July 14 - 18 at the Mobile Convention Center
Register Now for BEST RATE!
- Early Bird Fee $200 - Deadline March 1, 2025
- Pre-Registration - $225 (March 2 - May 31, 2025)
- Late Registration/Onsite $250 (June 1 and through conference)
For conference information as it becomes available, please visit http://mega-alabama.com/
PREP (Preparing Relief Educators Program)
The PREP Program is designed to provide high-quality resources to emergency-certificate teachers, long-term substitutes, and early service teachers, empowering them to excel in their roles and make a positive, long-lasting difference in the lives of their students.
If you have any teachers that fall in one of these categories I encourage you to make this resource available to them. A list of topics and supporting resources can be found HERE.
OSI - Leadership Coach
Email: tim.solley@alsde.edu
Website: ALSDE Office of Student Learning
Twitter: @Tim_Solley