Dear Colleagues,

I hope this email finds each of you well. We also hope that you took time to honor your work during the month of October National Principals' Month. You certainly deserve it not just in October but all year long! This is a nuts and bolts edition with quite a bit of new and quite relevant information.

1. we are excited to announce that we will be resuming our Women in Leadership Gatherings in partnership with the MIAA. Our kickoff will be a Virtual Gathering Thursday, November 12th @ 6:00 PM. Please join us for some good conversation and networking. More information to follow.

2. Our MSAA Board has released two excellent position papers which were released earlier this week but their links are below in this newsletter. They are really worth the read, and underscore our commitment to supporting and actively advocating for our administrators.

MSAA Position Papers

MCAS Position Paper

Teacher Evaluation Paper

3. The Prudential Spirit of Community Award applications are due. This award recognizes a student or students who give to and volunteer in their communities. Additionally there is a $1,000 award to go towards furthering this work.

Prudential Spirit of Community Award

Prudential Spirit of Community Award

Recognize Your Top Youth Volunteers

New Website from MassGov.com

4. HandholdMA.org, a new website on children’s mental health, targeted toward the parents of school-aged kids. We are really excited about it – and hope that once you see it, you will be as well! Want to learn more about Handhold? Join us for a 30 minute informational webinar on November 12th at 10AM Register for Webinar Please note that at our PK-8 Ring Central Gathering Tuesday, November 3rd @ 4PM we will be host Melissa Threadgill Director of Juvenile Justice Initiatives - Massachusetts Office of the Child Advocate to walk us through the site.

5. It is still not too late to sign up for PD with Jessica Minahan and Stuart Ablon. See below.

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.

6. I have included 2 new articles that are particularly relevant and timely, as well as very well written. The 1st article is If We Aren't Addressing Racism, We Aren't Addressing Trauma. A quote that resonated for me, " Our wounds will never heal if we do not identify and tend to them." The title of this one pretty much sums it up as to how educators are feeling right now! "Teachers Feel Like They're Holding Their Breath Underwater." It is important we acknowledge our feelings in order to deal with them appropriately. Don't bottle it up find a thought partner with whom to buddy up!

That's a wrap for this edition.

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

Ring Central Gatherings

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 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 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 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