April 19, 2024
CAPSS WELCOMES BUSINESS PARTNER
CAPSS Welcomes The Curriculum Lab, Asian and Asian American Studies, Department of Social and Critical Inquiry, UConn, as Business Partner
The UConn Department of Social and Critical Inquiry's Asian American Studies Curriculum Lab is a public facing teaching and research academic center and a leader in state and local advocacy on Asian American affairs and Ethnic Studies education, particularly around PK-12 curriculum design, teacher professional development, and school-community partnerships.
https://asianamerican.uconn.edu/
Contact:
Jason Chang
Associate Professor/Director
jason.o.chang@uconn.edu
860-786-8016
GENERAL NEWS & ANNOUNCEMENTS
REGISTERING NOW: Environmental Education Workshop (FREE)
Join NESS and NOAA B-WET cohort teachers to connect with a community of educators, interact with speakers in environmental education and alternative learning fields, explore free resources to support your STEM curriculum both indoors and outdoors, and join the NESS B-WET Teacher Cohort as they share their research throughout the past 3 years of the NOAA B-WET grant!
Hear from NESS Educators and B-WET cohort teachers on their best practices used to engage and inspire students when teaching environmental education. After a morning at NESS, get your feet wet and your hands muddy as we travel to a nearby monitoring site to explore a local estuarine environment and discover the science of Water Quality Monitoring.
Following the Meaningful Watershed Educational Experience (MWEE) framework, this in-the-field training will provide hands-on experience with activities and lessons you can translate into your educational programming.
Thanks to NESS’s B-WET grant provided by NOAA, this professional development opportunity is FREE to attend. Recordings and resources will be available in the NESS B-WET Tacklebox.
New Partnership with Bradley Hospital Gives 200K Students in New England Expanded Access to Intensive Care
CAPSS partner Cartwheel recently announced a first-of-its-kind collaboration with Bradley Hospital to help school districts tackle the student mental health crisis. Teens aged 13-18 are now eligible for direct access to Bradley’s REACH Partial hospitalization program. Instead of sitting on months-long waitlists, students in Cartwheel partner districts can be directly referred to the intensive outpatient program to treat emotional or behavioral issues, anxiety, depression, trauma, self-harm, and suicidal thoughts.
To learn more about how you can get access for students in your districts, schedule a consultation or register for the upcoming informational webinar on Thursday, March 27.
Interested in Collaborating with ACE?
American College of Education® (ACE) is an accredited, 100% online college specializing in high-quality, affordable programs in education and more. Headquartered in Indianapolis, ACE is ranked third in the nation for master's degrees conferred in education and offers innovative and engaging doctoral, specialist, master’s and bachelor’s degree programs for adult students, along with graduate-level certificate programs.
If you are interested in learning more about our partnership opportunities as well as Tuition Reduction Grants for your staff contact regina.ceribelli@ace.edu or fill out the forms here: https://forms.office.com/r/wFQ8sE2z9b
2024-2025 Stars of Honor Academic Program with UConn Athletics
WHAT: Stars of Honor Academic Program! (Check out the youtube link!)
Participating elementary schools will have a chance to select their top “Stars of Honor” in grades K-5 to receive free tickets for the students and their families to attend a designated college sporting event at UConn. At their special game, students will receive a certificate to commemorate their achievement, have opportunities to take fun photographs, and will also be invited to stand in their seats to receive an ovation from the crowd as everyone celebrates their selection as Stars of Honor.
Website: https://www.starsofhonor.com
WHEN: At your earliest convenience, please email Trevor Taylor at trevor@starsofhonor.com to register your school to participate. When sending the email, please be sure to provide:
- Your school’s name;
- Principal's name and email address
- Your school’s point of contact name, email, and phone number (schools often designate a counselor as their point of contact); and
- Your school’s mailing address.
Stars of Honor will then follow up with your school’s point of contact directly to provide them with a designated number of winning students to select from each grade from K-5. Stars of Honor will also send the school an award notification flyer that informs parents that their child has been recognized as a Star of Honor and provides them with directions on how to RSVP for their free tickets to the game.
All your school needs to do is email Trevor to confirm that you will participate, then give the Stars of Honor award notification flyer to the designated number of students selected as Stars of Honor in grades K-5.
Please feel free to reach out to me at trevor@starsofhonor.com or at 919-559-8632 if you have any questions.
Help Us Find Connecticut’s Environmental Champions
AWARDS
Business, Non-profit organization and Adult: $5,000 grant to an environmental non-profit
Student: $1,000 scholarship (grades 9-12)
As New England’s largest privately-owned water utility, Aquarion carefully protects the natural resources of more than 20,000 acres of land surrounding our Connecticut water sources. This gives us a special appreciation for the thousands of volunteers who tirelessly work to protect and improve the health of natural resources throughout the state.
Now we invite you to help honor those volunteers by sending us your nominations for the Aquarion Environmental Champion Awards. Awards will go to outstanding volunteers for their projects that have improved and protected Connecticut’s air, water, soils, or plant and wildlife habitats.
NOMINATION DEADLINE: MAY 3, 2024
For Award Details & Nomination Form: Visit aquarionwater.com/awards
CASBO Vendor Day
April 25, 2024
Aqua Turf Club
9:00 - 11:30 Sessions - 11:30 Lunch - 12:00 Exhibits followed by a reception
The CAPSS Perspective
CAPSS Executive Director, Fran Rabinowitz, will join us to share insight into CAPSS’ priorities, initiatives, and the future of education.
Connecticut Education Association’s (CEA) Job Fair for Educators
If your district has open positions for certified educators or anticipates having them, we invite you to participate in the Connecticut Education Association’s (CEA) first Job Fair for Educators.
The event will be held on Saturday, April 27, from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m., at Derby High School, 75 Chatfield Street, Derby, CT 06418. Our event will host numerous districts from across the state with open teaching positions. Please refer to the following itinerary to plan your participation for our fair:
- 8:30 a.m. to 10 a.m.: District check-in, booth set-up, coffee and snacks
- 10:00 a.m.: Early entry for CEA Aspiring Educators (pre-service educators)
- 10:30 a.m.: CEA member priority entry
- 11:30 a.m.: General Entry
Please click on the registration link below to secure your spot by April 10th. Space is limited and we will close registration once we get 40 districts.
A prompt response will ensure you a booth reservation and maximum publicity of your participation. There is no registration fee and your participation includes:
- (1) six foot table (no covering) with two chairs
- Refreshments for up to two recruiters
After registration closes, you will receive an email confirmation and additional information. We look forward to hosting you in Derby on April 27th. If you have any questions, please contact Elizabeth Sked at elizabeths@cea.org.
ATTENTION HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS: Southern CT College & Career Fair
Tuesday, April 30, 2024 | 4.30pm - 7.30pm
ATTENTION HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS!
Meet Admissions Counselors & Representatives from over 200 Colleges, Universities, and Businesses from across the country and abroad!
FREE ADMISSION
CT Manufacturing Roadshow
The CT MANUFACTURING CAREERS ROADSHOW '24 is designed to raise awareness and interest in the broad opportunities and careers available in Connecticut manufacturing. Five regional events are planned to help Connecticut manufacturers build and expand talent pipelines. The Northwest region's event takes place on May 9 at the Manufacturing Alliance Service Corporation in Waterbury, and the Southwest region's event takes place at the University of Bridgeport on May 15. This is a chance for students already taking manufacturing courses to meet local manufacturers and learn more about career opportunities in their area. It’s also an opportunity to expose younger, undecided students, or those in business, engineering, or related CTE pathways, to the vast opportunities in the manufacturing sector. These include CNC machining, quality inspection, welding, and engineering, as well as operations, sales, human resources, accounting, and software development, just to name a few.
Please spread the word with middle and high school leadership, CTE directors, school counselors, and other appropriate staff so they can take advantage of this engaging work-based learning experience! If transportation is an issue, please contact Deb Presbie, ReadyCT director of manufacturing initiatives, at deb.presbie@readyct.org.
Supporting Women in Education Leadership
With Dr. Jennie Weiner
Monday, May 13, 5-7pm
UConn Hartford
Mortensen Courtyard
Join us for an evening of celebration, learning, and networking focused on supporting women in education leadership. Dr. Jennie Weiner will discuss her new book “Lead(her)ship: Advancing Women in K-12 Administration” and the Women’s Leadership Certificate Program at UConn and engage participants in active learning on these topics.
8th Annual Teacher Leader Fellowship Academy Institute with Keynote Dr. Gholdy Muhammad
The Teacher Leader Fellowship Academy at Sacred Heart University invites educators and administrators to attend our annual institute. The theme this year is Boldly Reimaging Our Schools: Nurturing Genius & Joy. Event is May 16, 2024, 8:30am-2:30pm, at Sacred Heart University and includes 11 Breakout Sessions on topics such as Leveraging Students’ Cultural Capital to Support their Advancement & Sense of Belonging in their Schools, Joy in the Classroom & Beyond, Healing Math Anxiety, and more . To learn more and register, click HERE.
K-12 Generative AI Readiness Checklist Questionnaire
The Consortium for School Networking (CoSN) and its Connecticut State Chapter, Connecticut Education Technology Leaders Association (CTETL), are pleased to collaborate with the Connecticut Association of Public School Superintendents (CAPSS) to support the work of current and aspiring superintendents and district leadership teams in leading all aspects of digital learning transformations.
CoSN K-12 Generative AI Readiness Checklist Questionnaire & K-12 Generative AI Maturity Tool
CoSN, working in partnership with the Council of Great City Schools and Amazon Web Services (AWS) is pleased to provide school leaders with two tools to assist in their planning, preparation and evaluation of integrating Artificial Intelligence resources across multiple functions of school district operations.
K-12 Generative AI Readiness Checklist Questionnaire
The K-12 Generative AI (Gen AI) Readiness Checklist was initially released in October of 2023 and provides school leaders with a guide to help them understand the important concepts that must be considered prior to implementing Generative AI technology. The tool is designed to assist school leaders as they analyze and evaluate the multiple aspects involved in deploying Generative AI tools, including safety, privacy, security and the ethical use of Gen AI.
The AI Readiness Checklist Questionnaire includes questions covering the areas listed below:
Executive Leadership Readiness
Operational Readiness
Data Readiness
Technical Readiness
Security Readiness
Legal/Risk Management
The K-12 Generative AI Readiness Checklist Questionnaire can be accessed at https://www.cgcs.org/genaichecklist.
K-12 Generative AI Maturity Tool
CoSN, once again working in partnership with the Council of Great City Schools and Amazon Web Services (AWS), developed the K-12 Generative AI Maturity Tool. This tool builds on the K-12 Generative AI Readiness Checklist. The primary focus of the K-12 Generative AI Maturity Tool is on the responsible integration of Generative AI tools when it comes to both instructional objectives as well as general operational processes.
The K-12 Generative AI Maturity Tool is freely accessible at: https://cloudreadiness.amazonaws.com/#/k12genairt.
Additional Information regarding the effective and strategic use of AI in K-12 education, including links to an overview of the K-12 Generative AI Maturity Tool, AI Blogs and AI Resources, may be found a https://www.cosn.org/ai/.
EmpowerED Superintendent edLeader Panel Series
The EmpowerED Superintendents edLeader Panel monthly broadcast series, co-hosted by CoSN, AASA and edWeb.net and sponsored by ClassLink, just wrapped up its sixth season with the March 11, 2024, edLeader Panel broadcast, Leading Effective Data Privacy Processes Within a School District Setting. Superintendents Bill Barr, Wrangell Public Schools, AK, Scott Elder, Albuquerque Public Schools, NM, Dr. Mary Templeton, Washougal School District, WA, were joined by Linnette Attai, CoSN Project Director for Data Privacy, in an engaging conversation focused on the strategies that should be implemented in order to assess school districts’ privacy and compliance policies. Five critical guidelines for making data privacy an essential commitment within any school system were reviewed.
You are welcome to register to view the recording and/or podcast version of this and other previous edLeader Panel broadcasts at https://home.edweb.net/supers/.
The CoSN Experience: The Ultimate Virtual Collaboration Series
The CoSN 2024 Annual Conference in Miami wrapped up on Thursday, April 11. However, in order to keep the learning and collaboration going beyond the conference, CoSN is offering “The CoSN Experience”. This virtual collaboration series features monthly conversations and knowledge sharing. This initial series includes six monthly live conversations starting on April 24, 2024, and runs through November 2024. You are welcome to participate individually or as a team. For more details and access to registration information please visit https://www.cosn.org/event/the-cosn-experience/.
CoSN Membership: If you, your school or district would like more information about joining CoSN or getting more involved with CoSN, please contact membership@cosn.org.
Dr. Jeff Kitching Retirement Invite
Dear Colleagues - It is with mixed emotions that I invite you to save the date of Tuesday afternoon, May 21st so that you can attend a retirement reception for our friend, Dr. Jeff Kitching, as he moves on from a stellar career in public education. After serving with honor in several positions, most recently for 8 years as Executive Director at EdAdvance in Litchfield, we will be gathering in person to say, "thank you Jeff for your service." There is a link and a QR code to register on the attached flier - if you cannot be there that afternoon but would still like to send a message of support, there is also an option to just make a gift contribution.
Please feel free to pass this along to anyone who you think might be interested.
Jonathan P. Costa, Sr.
Assistant Executive Director
P.O. Box 909 | 355 Goshen Road, Litchfield, CT 06759
O: 860.567.0863 x1115| F: 860.567.3381
Civics Education for CT Students
All elementary schools in Connecticut should know about Civics Education for CT Students: a new funding source for K-5 classes statewide. Enhance your district’s approach to new civics standards with $2 field trips, $50 in-class programs, and bus reimbursements for civics-focused field trips. There's no application process for these funds, just send an email to get started – you can even start planning next year’s trips today!
Are classes in your school currently teaching the Middle East?
More specifically, are you teaching about the current war between Israel and Hamas or are you teaching about the history of the area? If your school is not, is it because you are concerned about the controversy, you are worried you might say the wrong thing or you do not think you know enough to teach about it? If either are the case, please know that organizations like the Jewish Federation Association of Connecticut (JFACT) can help you get balanced resources to help you. In case your school does not have a connection, JFACT is happy to put your school in touch with organizations who have resources and curriculum to help, including the Dodd Center at UConn.
For more information, please reach out to JFACT Executive Director, Michael Bloom, at 860-983-3476 or mbloom@jfact.org.
Michael Bloom
Executive Director
Jewish Federation Association of Connecticut
You're Invited to Paul Smith's Retirement Extravaganza
LOCATION
Saint Clements Castle
1931 Portland-Cobalt Road, Portland, CT
DATE & TIME
May 23, 2024, 6:00 PM
Governor Lamont and Commissioner Dorantes Announce Opening of Four Children's Urgent Crisis Centers
(HARTFORD, CT) – Governor Ned Lamont and Connecticut Department of Children and Families (DCF) Commissioner Vannessa Dorantes today participated in a ceremony at The Village for Families and Children in Hartford to celebrate the grand opening of the new children’s urgent crisis center operated by the nonprofit agency. It is one of four centers opening statewide created by legislation Governor Lamont signed in 2022 addressing the mental health needs of children and teens.
Licensed by DCF, the centers function as walk-in clinics, providing youths and their families with immediate access to resources while they are experiencing a behavioral health crisis, such as thoughts of suicide or self-injury; feelings of depression, anxiety, or hopelessness; out-of-control behaviors; substance misuse; and other mental health concerns. They are aimed at diverting youths and their families from making visits to emergency rooms to address behavioral health crises.
School Safety Needs Assessment 2024
Dear School Superintendent,
Please consider taking this brief survey and sharing it with your school community. We are using a ThoughtExchange this year for our needs assessment to be as open as possible to your school safety concerns. Please use this link to access the survey which takes approximately 5 minutes to complete.
https://tejoin.com/scroll/845233927
Your feedback is vital for our service to you and your school community.
Sincerely,
Amery E. Bernhardt, D.M., CEM
Director of the Connecticut Center for School Safety and Crisis Preparation
Western Connecticut State University
Parent Training Institute, Sept. 2023 - June 2024
Dear Parents and Guardians,
We are delighted to extend an invitation to participate in the Virtual Parent Training Institute hosted by the Southern Connecticut State University Center of Excellence for Teaching and Learning.
A key factor in fostering successful students is the presence of caring, dedicated, and informed parents who prioritize education. Through the SCSU Parent Training Institute, conducted online, we aim to provide you with valuable resources and effective strategies that contribute to nurturing accomplished children.
The Parent Training Institute warmly welcomes parents of children spanning all age groups. For comprehensive information, kindly refer to the attached flyer. To secure your spot, please proceed with registration by visiting: Registration Link.
We look forward to your active participation and meaningful engagement.
Best regards,
Olcay Yavuz
Associate Professor
Department of Educational Leadership & Policy Studies
Coordinator, SCSU Early College Program
Coordinator, SCSU EDL Internship Coordinator
Phone: 203-392-5442
Web Faculty Profile
Founding Editor JELPS
Coordinator IYLA
Columbia University Travel Grant for NY Area Teachers
We are partnering with the Middle East Institute at Columbia University to provide travel grants to New York area educators for this school year/next summer. Recipients of the grant will receive a $1,000 credit from Columbia University towards the cost of their program fee for the following programs:
1. Egypt: December 27, 2023 - January 7th, 2024
2. Morocco: June 10 - 24, 2024
3. Egypt: June 12 - 23, 2024
4. Morocco: June 24 - July 8, 2024
5. Jordan: June 27 - July 4, 2024
6. Central Asia: July 2 - 24, 2024
7. Jordan: July 4 - 11, 2024
8. Morocco: July 8 - 22, 2024
9. Turkey: July 18 - August 1, 2024
10. Egypt: July 24 - August 2, 2024
11. Morocco: August 2 - 16, 2024
12. More information about these programs can be found at: https://geeo.org
Additionally, GEEO allows non-educator guests to join trips, should the recipient wish to bring any. To apply, educators may fill out an application here. There is no deadline to apply, but as applications are accepted on a rolling basis, those who apply earlier will have better chances.
Let me know if you have any questions,
Christina Gjelsten
Communications Coordinator
GEEO Teacher Travel Programs
p: 877-600-0105
w: www.GEEO.org
In case you missed it:
CAPSS' PARTNERS
We are grateful for the support from our partners:
