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New England League of Middle Schools 460 Boston Street, Suite 4 Topsfield, MA 01983 Tel: (978) 887-6263 Fax: (978) 887-6504 Email: nelms@nelms.org |
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September 2, 2009 |
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Another school year begins and with it, renewed optimism that this will be a GREAT year! The NELMS’ staff hope that you have had a pleasant summer and that although it was probably too short, you enjoyed time with family, friends, along with a little rest, and even some professional learning. We have been getting ready for you! The Board has met and adopted a new budget and sanctioned new plans and ideas. The office staff has been planning for upcoming events and the professional services team has been booking school-based professional development in many districts. As many of you know, the NELMS Board of Directors has appointed Robert Spear, the former NELMS Executive Director, to become the Acting Executive Director on a half time basis, at least through January 2010 (see related information). Although Dr. Spear announced his retirement a year ago, appointing him as the acting executive director will allow the organization to continue the search for a new Executive Director. Mary Childress, the Board of Directors Chair, stated, "The Board is pleased to have Bob continue to serve the league and assist NELMS in our transition to a new Executive Director." Bob Spear added, "I look forward to continuing with NELMS and to also have some more time for my family and friends. I see this as a good solution to a difficult situation." NELMS Executive Director Search Through SchoolSpring.com, the search continues. This website allows the efficient use of technology for this recruiting effort. If you or someone you know might be interested, please click on the link above and complete the process. Position Announcement: The New England League of Middle Schools, located in Topsfield, Massachusetts, is seeking a visionary leader for its organization, serving all of its member schools. The ideal candidate must have extensive professional experience related to the middle school movement and demonstrate a sound understanding of early adolescent development, curriculum and school organizational models. The candidate must have a clear vision of the evolution of effective middle school practices and how these practices can be implemented within the current and future public school environments. As the spokesperson for NELMS, the successful candidate will be an effective and articulate advocate for promoting the goals of Middle School practices on a national, regional, state and district level. The successful candidate will be a collaborative leader, marshalling resources to meet the dynamic needs of Middle Schools in New England. Exceptional experiences in public and human relations, written and oral communication skills, technologically proficient, systems management, program implementation, and evaluation skills are essential. As the CFO of NELMS, the successful candidate will possess fiscal management skills to support and grow the organization through challenging financial times. Middle school teaching/administration preferred. *Preferred start date is January 1, 2010, but the start date can be flexible through July 1, 2010. NELMS Executive Director Search Equal Opportunity Employer What a Summer Experience It Was!! Many members and non-members attended the NELMS Summer Institutes & Courses. Here are a few pictures from the event. Why not plan to attend this event next summer? Evaluations were consistently excellent with all facilitators receiving superior ratings.
At the keynote
After lunch Many of the Institutes will be repeated in a two-day format as the year progresses. Plan now to attend and tell your colleagues and friends! NMSA Podcast - The Evolution of Advisory Bob Spear provides schools and individuals with a sense of understanding the importance a quality advisory program brings to any great middle school.
New NELMS Bookstore on our website! Over the summer, we redesigned our bookstore! Many selections are new and others are best sellers. This is the time to look them over and find resources that will help you and your school reach your goals. Some examples include:
Process your registrations NOW online. Most of our activities are now available or will be by September 15th for online registration. Don’t wait for a budget freeze or a district shortfall! Register now and commit registration fees. Annual Conference News – The annual conference will be held in Providence again this year. This three-day event is a treasured highlight of the year for many. It is not uncommon for us to have folks attend with 10 to 15 years of conference attendance. The topics remain timely, relevant, and of tremendous assistance to all educators, teachers and administrators alike. Keynote speakers are Jack Berckemeyer, Debbie Silver and Judith Baenen. A new format will be launched! The conference will be held on Thursday, Friday and Saturday this year. Why not attend and enjoy the city over the weekend? You will not have to return to your classroom the next day as you have in the past! The 2010 Call for Presenters is now available. Simply complete the form online, print a copy for your records, and send your proposal back to NELMS by hitting the Submit button. You will need Acrobat Reader (free download) to do this. The deadline will be here before you know it. The competition for topics and days can be quite stiff, so do not wait! Look for emails and the brochure soon to arrive to your school! Allocate Tuition Funds to our Events! Many middle level educators are planning to register for NELMS events by signing up for graduate credit. In many districts, tuition money is a different account, one that might be more available for you! The reintroduction of the Success in the Middle Act, Patti Kinney NASSP associate director of middle level services, speaks to the need of this important legislation and why the nation can no longer afford to leave out the middle level. The NewsLeader is a publication of NASSP the National Association of Secondary School Principals. The web site is www.principals.org. NewsLeader: Why is a federal investment specifically catered to the middle level so imperative? Patti Kinney: Those of us who work in middle level schools often joke about the missing “M” in ESEA, the Elementary and Secondary Education Act. The reality is that for those students who drop out in high school, the disengagement begins far earlier than that— often in the middle level. There’s been a lot of federal investment in early childhood education, literacy, and lately even in high schools to work toward improving the graduation rate—yet middle level schools have been notoriously left out. If we really want to address the high school drop-out rate and prepare students for post secondary education and careers, then we have to start addressing those students in the middle. NL: What is the most notable part of the bill? Kinney: There are two pieces. One is that the bill even exists. It’s the first time there’s been federal legislation introduced that speaks specifically to the middle level. Legislators have actually looked at what qualifies as quality middle level education, recognized the need for that legislation, and incorporated it into a bill. The second piece is a part of the bill we don’t hear a lot about—a provision to help generate money to facilitate research and the distribution of that research on middle level education. NL: How would the bill’s provisions improve day-to-day operations for middle level leaders? Kinney: The bill provides money to states and requires those states to create plans to improve student achievement at the middle level and to define what students are expected to know to successfully complete middle grades and successfully transition into high schools and post secondary education and career. It also requires states to develop an early warning system that allows educators to target those students in danger of dropping out as early as sixth grade, some say as early as fourth grade. So those actions at the state level will provide middle level leaders with a lot of support in implementing quality middle level practices. The other portion of the money would go to middle schools that feed into high schools with a high drop-out rate and to those middle schools that are themselves underperforming. In the latter case, those funds would The Missing “M” in the Elementary and Secondary Education Act would go directly to the middle schools to help them align the curriculum and provide professional development on valid instructional strategies. In one sense, every school will benefit from the passage of this bill, and in another sense, some of the lower-performing schools will get direct funding to improve the quality of education they’re providing. Please contact your congressmen and senators and ask for your support of this legislation. More information is available at NMSA.org as well as the NASSP web site. To hear the complete School Leader’s Review podcast interview visit www.principals.org/podcasts. At a recent Institute, titled Young Adolescents Learners, the audience rated this session 100% excellent. This session will be repeated this fall and is appropriate for all who work with 10 - 14 year olds. It was especially helpful to those that were new to the middle level either as a new hire or as a transfer into the middle level. Please plan now to register for this terrific event taking place on November 4th and 5th in Rocky Hill, Connecticut.
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