Dear Colleagues,
As we enter mid-week five of physical distancing and remote schooling, it is our heartfelt wish at MSAA that each of you is well. There is a great deal to share with this edition, so it will be a dense read, hopefully you will be able to take some time to read this in its entirety as there is a host of useful information.
Firstly, if you have not had a chance to join us at a Zoom Gathering, please hop on when you can! It is great to see everyone, share ideas, and to take some time to laugh together and provide encouragement! The Zoom schedule is included below which is now set with recurring weekly meetings. A reminder email goes out weekly, so check your MSSA member email for the links and the passwords. Email me at bwittcoff@msaa.net if you need support.
MSAA is excited to continue offering professional development virtually! We know this does not' replace being in person with folks, but it sure is a great alternative! This week we are pleased to have Jessica Minahan leading professional development and in two weeks (Tuesday 4/28 and Friday 5/1) we are very pleased to have nationally acclaimed author and speaker Adam Welcome. Register and watch his fabulous video - his upbeat attitude is contagious!
It has been brought to our attention that some members have wondered why MSAA is charging for our virtual professional development offerings. The answer is three fold:
- 1. We want to make sure that these consultants, who have given of themselves so often, still have income.
- 2. We need to support the salaries of our staff at MSAA and professional development is a large portion of our revenues.
- 3. Of equal importance to the two reasons above, we need to provide quality workshops to afford all educators (teachers, administrators counselors, etc.) opportunities to earn professional development points (PDPs) in order to ensure that their educator's license remains current. "Offering quality professional development for Association members and their staff" remains a driving force of our Association's mission.
Also, please note that these offerings are at a significantly reduced cost than our typical offerings.
Yesterday fifty High School administrators participated in our weekly Zoom Gathering with Ryan Ford and Jeff Peterson from Jostens. Jostens has really stepped up to the plate to help ensure that our high school seniors can still have a memorable graduation. Thanks to Dawud Brown for getting this recording into Vimeo. Click here to see and hear our meeting! However, if you simply scroll down Jostens produced a video, a flip book and an explanation on their website. High School administrators check this out. Jostens is offering this service for free, even if your school is not partnered with them! I know MSAA thanks you, Jostens!
A big thank you to Headmaster Richard Chang of the Josiah Quincy Upper School in Boston, he got permission to share resources for ELLs developed by Boston Public Schools. It is quite comprehensive. Click here. The spirit of giving and sharing has truly been amazing during this time. MSAA thanks you, Boston Public Schools!
The LGBTQ Youth Commission is please to be offering webinars this week to support our LGBTQ students during this time. Click here to see the offerings. Hopefully, they will replay Monday's and Tuesday's webinars.
Don't forget to join MSAA chat tonight as Marty Geoghegan and Brian McCann kick it back old school tonight on Twitter hosting a Twitter chat at 8 PM tonight!
On Friday, April 22nd E- SPED will be hosting a webinar which will show you how to use the upcoming Frontline Collaboration Portal which will allow you and your users to sign documents remotely. You won''t want to miss this one for sure! Register in advance for this webinar.
If you scroll down, you will also find two flyers - one from Leader in Me High School and the other from Horace Mann offering services to our membership.
On behalf of MSAA, I want to say thank you for all you are doing to support the children and staff across the Commonwealth.The stories I have heard about the work you are doing is truly impressive! We are proud of your efforts and here to support you in any way we can.
One last thing, I have shared two videos that I found quite uplifting, the first one is The La Scala Philharmonic Orchestra of Milan dedicating Pachelbel Canon to all of the medical workers around the world, It is beautiful. The second is a video I saw that was shared on Twitter, it was made in Ireland, and is very uplifting. Scroll down watching both will take you under 5 minutes and they should help you breathe!
Warm Regards,
Beth
Beth Wittcoff
MSAA Assistant Executive Director
Middle Level and Elementary Committee Liaison
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