MoASSP Messenger
Missouri Association of Secondary School Principals
August 9, 2018 Volume 32 Number 3
- Quote for the Principal's Journey
- Update from the Executive Director
- Updated MoASSP Membership List
- MoASSP "Show Me" Tour Begins
- #1st3Days
- MoASSP & MCCTA Partnership
- Fall Conference Theme Announced
- Resources for Back to School
- MoASSP Messenger Quiz (The first to respond to Katy via email receive one free night of lodging at the Holiday Inn Executive Center during the Fall Conference.
Quote for the Principal's Journey
"Think about personalizing and recalibrating your #1st3days of school. When students know their teachers care on Day 1, it makes the remaining 179 days even more valuable, more meaningful, and more awesome."
Brian McCann is principal of Joseph Case High School in Swansea, MA. He is a 2018 NASSP Digital Principal of the Year. See how Brian recalibrated his school below as he writes in a blog in the "Helpful Website" segment.
Update From the Executive Director
Ok Missouri school leaders, are you ready to go? These days are rewarding as well as exhausting. You resemble a duck gliding effortlessly along on the water, so calm, so under control. We all know that you are paddling like “_______” under the water. And, at the same time, you are guarded about letting too many people know how hard you are paddling.
You have thought about those “critical firsts” and how you can make a great first impression. Since last week’s Messenger, you have presented to a stakeholder group for the first time, you have initiated a conversation with a new family to your school, you have consoled a beginning teacher, and you have encouraged a student.
This week, our focus is centered around the first days of school. Harry Wong coined the phrase in his much-admired book, “The First Days of School.” Our “Quote for the Principal’s Journey” talks about #1st3Days of school and the importance of relationships.
Years ago, while a young school administrator, attending the Summer Principals’ Roundtable at the Lake of the Ozarks, I recall a seasoned polished high school principal, Dr. Albert Burr, say to all of us, “You need to move from rules to relationships.” Later that afternoon, he stopped me in the hallway of the conference hotel and challenged my thinking. He said, “I have thought about just having one rule in the student handbook, “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.” He said that is all you need.
Dr. Burr passed away in 2016 at the age of 85, but his words still ring true today. His obituary stated that he had a “reputation for defining and advocating principles based on respect for teachers and students.”
Like in previous Messengers, we hope that you find helpful resources as you continue to glide along these first few days and weeks of school. Hopefully, they will help you to not have to paddle quite so hard.
Take a glance at the map below. This is an interesting look at locations where the MoASSP Messenger was opened and read last week. A subscriber read the Messenger from Ireland. I wonder who that could be?
Whether you are aspiring, emerging, developing, or transformational, wherever you are on the “Principal’s Journey”, it really is a “matter of principal(ple).” Clark
Welcome 2018-2019 MoASSP Members
634 Members & Growing...We added 69 new members this past week.
Join MoASSP Today
One of the goals for MoASSP is to visit every middle and high school in Missouri in a two-year period.
Dr. Hostetler uses social media to help welcome students to Francis Howell North as they approach the first day of school, which is today.
Share your #1st3Days of school excitement by tweeting pictures and video.
MoASSP and MCCTA is an essential partnership working together to help create pathways so every student can find success and a meaningful career. We value this partnership with Bob and the vision that former MoASSP Executive Directors, Dr. Jim King, Phil Lewis, and previous boards had in formalizing this working relationship.
Fall Conference Registration Information
Schedule for Clark & Doug for August 9-24
- Thursday, Aug. 9: Clark MoASSP Office, Doug out of the office
- Friday, Aug. 10: MoASSP Office is Closed
- Monday, Aug. 13: MoASSP Office
- Tuesday, Aug. 14: MoASSP Office
- Wednesday, Aug. 15: Clark and Doug in Kansas City visiting schools, KCRPDC, & Marsha Chappelow, DESE
- Thursday, Aug. 16: Clark and Doug visit KCMO SD, Noon Luncheon Columbia
- Friday, Aug. 17: MoASSP Office is Closed
- Monday, Aug. 20: MoASSP Office
- Tuesday, Aug. 21: Clark and Doug Visit Illinois Principals Association in Springfield, IL
- Wednesday, Aug. 22: MoASSP Office
- Thursday, Aug. 23: MoASSP Office
- Friday, Aug. 24: MoASSP Office is Closed
Winner of Last Week's Quiz
- Above all else I want the students to feel welcome on the first day. Emphasizing the importance of greeting every student with a smile at the classroom door can't be overlooked. I make it a point to be at the front doors alongside my assistant principal to greet students and parents on the first day as well.
- In the back to school building meeting, I make it a point to focus on the positive and only take the amount of time that I need to get the important information across. There isn't a lot of contract time for teachers to prepare before the year starts and their time is best spent preparing for those first few days/weeks of school. Finding the balance can be difficult but it is a worthy challenge that the teachers and staff will appreciate.
Key Points About MOCAP
John Robertson, Coordinator Educational Support Services will visit the MoASSP Office on Monday to meet with Clark and Doug.
As of now, MU is the only MOCAP-approved vendor for virtual courses, but school districts have the option of accepting credits from any vendor. Parents should contact their local districts for more information.
- The new law takes effect August 28, and school districts are developing enrollment policies for virtual courses under MOCAP. Since many districts will have already begun the school year before the law is implemented, the existing conditions of MoVIP will govern virtual courses for the beginning of the year.
- Students who want to enroll in MOCAP courses must be enrolled full-time and have attended a Missouri public school for at least one full semester immediately prior to enrollment unless they pay their own tuition or have a documented medical or psychological condition that prohibited them from attending.
- DESE is writing RFPs that will include all the requirements of the new law as well as those of the Missouri Office of Administration’s Cybersecurity Office.
- A school district that uses its own virtual provider may continue to use that provider.
- In cases of transfer students who have been enrolled in MOCAP-approved virtual courses, receiving districts must accept the credits.
- If transfers occur during a term, the receiving district must accept MOCAP enrollment and fund completion of the course.
Missouri Leadership Development System (MLDS) Unpacking the MLDS
This overview is provided by Dr. Jim Masters, Director, Educator Evaluation and Training Office of Educator Quality – Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education
Leadership is… Broad statements about leadership often fall short of accurately describing the whitewater that accompanies acceptance of the principal’s role in today’s schools. It is with this reality in mind that the Missouri Leadership Development System (MLDS) was designed and is implemented.
Before unpacking what the MLDS is, it might be worth a minute to clarify what it is not. The MLDS is not a “Principal 101- How To” kind of professional development. It is a comprehensive and sequential series of professional learning, intentionally designed to develop and support the dispositions, knowledge, and skill necessary to effectively navigate the leadership landscape. Rather than life-long learning, think career-long “Learn it today. Use it tomorrow.”
Previously, the Messenger spoke to leadership domains and the importance of Critical Firsts. The domains listed included:
- Visionary
- Instructional
- Managerial
- Relational
- Innovative
None of these designations are particularly new, however, getting a handle on what they look like in practice is essential.
As defined in the MLDS, a visionary leader develops and implements a vision. Not exactly a career-changing epiphany, but consider the implications for you as the individual charged with rallying your faculty and staff behind a common vision.
- What motivations, talents, weaknesses, preferences, personality, values, temperaments, and tendencies do you bring to the table?
- How do the complementary elements of mission, vision, and core values create clarity of purpose for you and your school?
- What unique and valuable skills and abilities does your faculty/staff possess that will make success possible?
- How will you build and sustain the relationships necessary to remain focused on the vision when things do not go as planned?
Does your daily routine allow you the time to ponder these questions and the other 317 things you have to think about to pull this off? Creating the space to learn from leadership development specialists and collaborate with peers is critical for the long-term effectiveness and sustainability of your tenure as a leader. How will you develop the foundation necessary to support the success of the adults and children you serve?
The MLDS is the best thinking of those who have stood where you stand, felt the urgency of meeting diverse student needs, and accepted the challenge of not just being competent, but excellent. Seth Godin notes, “Leadership is the art of giving people a platform for spreading ideas that work.” The success of those you serve depends on the degree to which you cultivate your capacity as a leader. Trial and error can be an effective learning model, but there are less painful ways to move forward.
For more information contact the leadership development specialist in your Regional Professional Development Center.
Recalibrate Your School's Opening During #1st3Days...See how Brian McCann did it.
Teachers need few rules but lots of procedures for effective classroom management.
A Review of the Latest in Educational Literature
This Week's MoASSP Quiz
Question: How will you recalibrate your #1st3days of school so students know their teachers CARE for them and you CARE for them?
Dr. John Glore
View Gov. Mike Parson's Address to the 57th Annual Cooperative Administrators Conference
View Missouri's 57th Governor, Mike Parson, as he addresses the 57th Annual Cooperative Administrators Conference. Click on picture.
SAVE THE DATE: National Principals Conference July 18-20, 2019 in Boston, MA
Missouri was well represented with 97 attending the National Principals Conference last month in Chicago. Save the date now to attend next years conference. If you are interested in attending or presenting, click here to begin receiving updates.
MoASSP Board of Directors
- 8 Involved Districts
- 16 Dedicated Board Members
- 1,785 Members (17-18 school year)
- 634 Members & growing (We added 69 memberships since last week.)
- 1 Association that Educates, Motivates, & Advocates
- NASSP Coordinator for Missouri: John Faulkenberry, Lee's Summit HS
- MoASSP President: Ed Gettemeier, Hardin MS
- MoASSP President-Elect: Marc Spunaugle, Lincoln HS
- MoASSP Past President: Chris Hoehne, Ste. Genevieve HS
- MoASSP Treasurer: Kathryn Greer, Francis Howell North HS
- At-Large Non-Public: Valerie Todd, St. Mary's HS
- At-Large Assistant Principal: Jennifer Strauser, Eureka HS
- At-Large Middle Level: Jonathan Apostol, Monett MS
- Kansas City (GKCMPA): Jeff Meisenheimer, Lee's Summit North HS
- Northwest: Robert Bowers, Lathrop HS
- Northeast: Scott Daly, Hallsville HS
- Southeast: TBD
- Southwest: Sarah Odom, Cherokee MS
- South Central: Jim Pritchett, Rolla HS
- Central: Brandon Harding, Cole Camp HS
- St. Louis (SASSP): TBD
- NASSP Board Member: Kevin Lowery, Lebanon HS
2018-2019 District Presidents
- Central Region: Jonathan Peterson, Smithton HS
- GKCMPA: Charlie Belt, Blue Springs South HS
- Northeast Region: Deborah Hill-Haag, Mexico MS
- Northwest Region: Dave Rapp, Mid-Buchanan HS
- SASSP: Gary Jansen, Crestview MS (Rockwood)
- South Central Region: Kelle McCallum, Washington HS
- Southeast Region: Cathy Freeman, Hillsboro HS
- Southwest Region: Keith White, Buffalo HS
Our MoASSP office team working for you. We make your business our business.
Doug Mirts
- Achiever
- Restorative
- Arranger
- Responsibility
- Learner
Katy Kovar
- Adaptability
- Includer
- Empathy
- Harmony
- Arranger
Ginny Stevens
- Achiever
- Responsibility
- Maximizer
- Relator
- Belief
Mike Smith Headlines MoASSP Fall Conference with Opening Keynote...Sponsored by Jostens
MoASSP Features "Digital Principal of the Year", Dr. Bill Ziegler, As Closing Keynote At Fall Conference
Dr. Bill Ziegler is an award winning School Leader, author, and speaker. He has been recognized as the 2016 Pennsylvania Principal of the Year and the 2015 National Association of Secondary School Principals Digital Principal Award Winner. He is the co-author of Future Focused Leaders - Relate, Innovate, and Invigorate for Real Educational Change. Bill serves as a High School Principal and has 20 years of experience as a School Leader. Bill resides in Pennsylvania with his wife and two high school and college aged children.
Thanks to Our Corporate Sponsors for Helping Support the Vision & Mission of MoASSP
Missouri Association of Secondary School Principals
The vision of MoASSP is to serve ALL middle level and high school administrators.
The mission of MoASSP is to improve secondary education through positive leadership and the enhancement of student performance.
Email: moassp@moassp.org
Website: www.moassp.org
Location: 2409 W Ash St, Columbia, MO 65203, USA
Phone: 573-445-5071
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MoSecondaryPrincipalsAssociation/
Twitter: @MoASSP