2023 NHASP Leadership Academy June 26, 2023 - June 28, 2023 Sessions

Join your colleagues for an opportunity to collaborate and share solutions for common problems of practice. Facilitated by NHASP Executive Board Members

Reaching Higher NH: Christina Pretorius - Education is one of the most hotly debated topics among lawmakers in New Hampshire, and school leaders have a critical role to play in informing and impacting the direction of state-level decision making. Your perspective as a school leader, working every day with students, families, educators, and the community, is valued and necessary to ensure that policies and practices create the environment for schools to meet the needs of our students and communities. In this session, we’ll talk about how to deepen your understanding of the legislative process to maximize impact and effective advocacy practices. .

Dan Mitchell, Principal of Griffin Memorial School, Litchfield Parent, Kate Steven - Many of us have a School Mission and/or vision that may appear in handbooks or on letterhead but is it used to guide what you do every day. When I took over leadership of this school in 2020, we embarked on a multi-year process to creating a meaningful mission and vision that applies to all that we do and included stakeholders from the staff, students, community, and families. In this session, I would walk participants through what we did, the intentions from the outset, the lessons, learned, and the flexibility needed to complete the process. Further, I will discuss what happens after creation to make sure that these are living statements that are used to guide our school into the future.

New Hampshire Learning Iniative: Brian Stack & Ellen Hume-Howard - This session will take a deep dive into how standards-based grading practices support competency based learning systems at all levels K-12. Participants will advance their understanding of the latest researched-based competency based grading and reporting practices, identify the flaws of traditional grading and opportunities to promote learning and equity through grading and reporting, and develop school-specific plans for next steps with grading for learning and equity.

Jen Resmini & Kirsten Soroko, Pinkerton Academy, Derry - The session will focus on how to implement an effective and cohesive professional learning program within the given structure of the school year, basing the opportunities on school-wide goals and individual educators’ needs and wants. The workshop will share how Pinkerton Academy has created a programmatic and consistent structure for professional learning opportunities and how they are created. The session will include the research that has supported the creation of this structure so participants leave understanding the why. Educators will have time for workshopping and coaching during this session. This workshop will address the issue with time that is often considered an obstacle to professional learning.

Apple Technology (Part I of 2) - Uncover quick wins for crystalizing, capturing, and communicating your vision for learning with iPad’s built-in camera. Together we’ll go on a journey exploring leadable moments and resources designed to open the aperture of opportunity for principals and the teams they lead.

Chris Waddell & Donna Volpitta- Self-care has become a buzzword that can trigger a negative response. Everyone tells us to take care of ourselves, but self-care seems so out of reach that it feels like mockery. But the key lies in the 4 Ss of resilience. Through an understanding of some brain-based frameworks, you can choose to take care of yourself. Join us to find out how.

New Hampshire Learning Initiative: Brian Stack & Ellen Hume-Howard - This session will take a deep dive into how standards-based grading practices support competency based learning systems at all levels K-12. Participants will advance their understanding of the latest researched-based competency based grading and reporting practices, identify the flaws of traditional grading and opportunities to promote learning and equity through grading and reporting, and develop school-specific plans for next steps with grading for learning and equity.

Dr. Sydney Leggett, Superintendent Grantham, Plainfield, and Cornish, Dr. Mark McLean, Superintendent Merrimack Valley and new Director of NHSAA, Suzanne Filippone, Assistant Superintendent of Oyster River COOP, Duane Ford, Business Administrator, Bow/Dunbarton School District , Mary Wilson, Curriculum Director, Concord School District, Erica MacNeil, Director of Student Services in the Newmarket School District - Do I want a career in the central office? Navigating a career pathway into school district central office positions can sometimes seem like a big step when considering a move away from the daily life of schools. These positions, however, offer administrators new ways of improving schools, facilitating change, and having an impact on the development of school and community relationships. This session will allow participants the opportunity to speak directly to a panel of central office administrators, including two superintendents, an assistant superintendent, a curriculum director, student services director, and business administrator. Panelists will discuss their own pathways into these positions, give an overview of their responsibilities, and save time for Q&A from participants.

Jen Resmini & Kirsten Soroko, Pinkerton Academy, Derry - The session will focus on how to implement an effective and cohesive professional learning program within the given structure of the school year, basing the opportunities on school-wide goals and individual educators’ needs and wants. The workshop will share how Pinkerton Academy has created a programmatic and consistent structure for professional learning opportunities and how they are created. The session will include the research that has supported the creation of this structure so participants leave understanding the why. Educators will have time for workshopping and coaching during this session. This workshop will address the issue with time that is often considered an obstacle to professional learning.

(Part 2 of 2) Apple Technology - Uncover quick wins for crystalizing, capturing, and communicating your vision for learning with iPad’s built-in camera. Together we’ll go on a journey exploring leadable moments and resources designed to open the aperture of opportunity for principals/assistant principals and the teams they lead.

Sarah Sherman - Understand how trauma and toxic stress impact our teachers so we can know the signs and how to respond supportively. Supportive strategies will include how to create safety, build connections, increase positive experiences in the profession, and empower our staff by creating sustainable practices, so they are equipped to handle the daily stressors in education.

Chris Wadell & Dr. Donna Volpitta - Navigating the past few years seemed a bit like Chris' Kili climb--one revolution at a time. And the task has been tremendous. But the most critical lesson Chris learned on Kili was that no one climbs a mountain alone. In this interactive session, you will explore ways to support the health of your community through the Four Ss Framework.

NHSBA: Barrett M. Christina, Executive Director, Rebecca Wilson, Director of Governmental Relations - Building administrators can fill a key role in helping to shape local policy, vision, and long-range goals in collaboration with your local school board. By being a positive and reliable liaison between building level staff, students, school district leadership, school board members and community members, building administrators can be strong ambassadors, working to build public support and understanding of public education and your building needs. In this workshop session, we will review roles and responsibilities of local school board members, review best practice for communication with your board, and provide some models and examples of building level administrative board reports to help build strong communication.

Jeanette Souther, Director of Pupil Support, SAU 52 Portsmouth , Stacey Kirby, Director of Special Education, SAU 50 Greenland, New Castle, Newington, Rye (90 Minute Session-1:45-3:15pm) - The session will include a review of the IEP Process to meet compliance with IDEA and LEA responsibilities during meetings including ensuring decisions are made for students to receive a Free and Appropriate Public Education (FAPE) and committing the district resources for FAPE. We will present practical scenarios and real-world examples and provide opportunities for questions from participants regarding their own experiences.

Jenn David Lang - Better leaders have better habits. Happier leaders have better habits. Whether you want to develop the habit of running every morning or observing ten teachers every week, better habits improve your work and personal life. In this interactive workshop you will learn the science, strategies, and secrets so you can develop strategies to make your habits stick!

Rice Law Office, PLLC Anne Rice - In this session, you will learn your statutory rights and benefits afforded through the New Hampshire Retirement System (NHRS) as well as your employment contract. Basic terms of a principal employment contract will be reviewed. It is essential that you understand these terms and how they may affect you. Contract negotiations should also evolve at different stages of your career in order to make the most of your benefits. Ideas will be shared for how to negotiate terms that will both offer you protection and maximize your benefits at different stages of your administrative career.

Apple Technology (75 Minute Session 1:45-3:00pm) - Looking to achieve your educational goals and bring your building's vision to life? Join our cohort of education principals/assistant principals, where you'll have the opportunity to enhance your technology skills using Apple tools and resources, including emerging skills with augmented reality, and learn effective communication strategies to improve your day-to-day productivity and engagement with your community. Our cohort is designed to empower you to lead with confidence and creativity. Technology can engage learners, scaffold learning, connect students to a world of resources and expertise, and amplify their potential. Through hands-on training and virtual coaching, you'll learn how to use Apple tools to define effective learning with technology, make the most of walk-through observations, as well as explore innovative practices. You’ll also learn how to communicate more effectively with your community, including parents, teachers, and other stakeholders, to build strong relationships and improve outcomes for your students. In addition to technology skills and communication strategies, this cohort is focused on helping you develop your vision for your school with the support of research-backed strategies. You'll have access to expert guidance and support as you work to implement your ideas and achieve your goals. This program is not just about learning new tools and strategies. It's also about building connections with like-minded education leaders and exchanging ideas to drive innovation in education. If you're ready to take your leadership to the next level, this cohort is for you. We will be sharing the cohort’s timeline of face to face and online touch points for 2023-2024 as well as discuss the tools used in this forthcoming year’s exploration and implementation.

Kim Marshall - Ten ways principals and other school-based leaders can use every minute to continuously improve teaching and learning.

Courtside Leadership: Barbara Smith - What is the makeup of your team? How are they performing? Talent alone is not enough for teams to succeed, yet the search for new hires is usually talent-driven. Highly successful teams that win and produce consistently do so, not solely because of talent, but because the members fill the essential roles that make the group work. Talent plays a role, but does not drive the process. What is on paper matters, but what’s in the person matters more. Further, what’s in the group matters most. After 30 years of college coaching and one and a half years of researching over 85 teams at all levels, one thing is clear. The makeup of your team matters.

Demonstrated Success: Lauren Mercier & Jaclyn Karabinas - In this session, secondary leaders will come together to problem solve their most persistent discipline issues using a lens of Restorative Practice. Demonstrated Success coaches will partner with school leaders to provide alternative, restorative solutions for secondary leaders that they can dissect, discuss and tailor to work for their individual settings. Most of the session will be applied group work using discussion protocols, as leaders leverage the wisdom and creativity of their colleagues to articulate solutions designed to foster belonging and minimize interruption to teaching and learning.

Jenn David Lang - Communication is messy. Personalities clash, opinions differ, and emotions run high. Yet, communication is at the heart of everything we do in schools. Learn how to defuse those difficult conversations and go even further to turn them into productive ones.

Kim Marshall - Ten ways principals and other school-based leaders can use every minute to continuously improve teaching and learning.

The Bod Squad: Gina McGuire - Discusses the elusive search for happiness–what we think brings us happiness, why we’re often wrong about that–and the science behind what sabotages our search. This discovery will also lead us to understand what we can do to improve our well-being by using the innate and incredible powers of the human body and mind. In this interactive presentation, we will practice quick and simple techniques suitable for all that elicit a physiologic response to boost the production of feel-good substances within the body, leading us to a state of happiness. These take-home practices are easy to do and to replicate at home and/or in the classroom.

Demonstrated Success: Lauren Mercier & Jaclyn Karabinas - In this session, secondary leaders will come together to problem solve their most persistent discipline issues using a lens of Restorative Practice. Demonstrated Success coaches will partner with school leaders to provide alternative, restorative solutions for secondary leaders that they can dissect, discuss and tailor to work for their individual settings. Most of the session will be applied group work using discussion protocols, as leaders leverage the wisdom and creativity of their colleagues to articulate solutions designed to foster belonging and minimize interruption to teaching and learning.

Discovery Education, Nancy Rose - Have some stress-relieving fun while you learn about the amazing resource to which all PreK-12 schools have access! We will explore the Discovery Education learning platform while solving the Breakout Backpack. You will be “rescuing” a prize!! As you engage, consider how this type of activity would challenge your teachers and students to think critically, problem solve, troubleshoot, and work collaboratively to beat the clock all while learning.

Sarah Fillion Consulting, LLC - Through creating the conditions for staff members to meet their social emotional needs, faculty meetings become productive opportunities for learning. In this session, the BASIC structure for creating high-quality faculty meetings that increase focus and participation will be examined and best principles of practice for adult learning reviewed. You’ll leave this session with a structure to design faculty meetings that allow staff members to expand and deepen their knowledge on relevant content, resulting in positive outcomes that benefit students.

Kim Marshall - Eight major changes in the way we think about intelligence, poverty, school leadership, teachers, tests, and accountability.

Demonstrated Success: Karen Matso - Hesitant to have hard conversations around equity with your staff? This session will provide facilitation strategies and content tools for you to use to initiate whole staff learning focused on equity. Together, we will explore how unconscious bias, and unawareness can impact sense of belonging and self-efficacy for students and staff in our school communities. In our session, we will model how to adopt community agreements for safe conversation and use protocols with high quality texts and learning resources, to encourage rich conversation and cultivate common understanding amongst adults in our school community. This session will have 4 learning outcomes: 1. Surface our own experiences with unconscious bias; 2. Understand potential impact of bias in our schools; 3. Learn key vocabulary needed to understand equity issues in our communities today; 4. Practice with agreements and protocols that encourage safe and rigorous examination of sensitive topics. Leaders will leave with an extensive set of resources to continue this work.

Meg Caven and Emily Braham, Researchers at REL Northeast & Islands (REL-NEI) - With the recently passed legislation mandating play-based learning in kindergarten classrooms, New Hampshire is leading the nation in efforts to guarantee a joyful and age-appropriate learning experience for kindergarteners. Come learn what play-based learning can look like in your school and how you can support it. We will 1) highlight the research evidence for play-based learning, 2) illustrate a concrete model for incorporating play-based learning into kindergarten classrooms, 3) facilitate a discussion to problem solve common barriers to implementation, and 4) share a factsheet that administrators can use to communicate the unique learning benefits of play to parents and caregivers. NOTE: This is a 90 Minute Session running from 1:15 to 2:45.

Courtside Leadership: Barbara Smith - Feeling like you’re on an island? Embrace it. No, you don’t have to kick anyone off! Many leaders feel overburdened by too many hats in the ring, too many opinions, and too many egos to satisfy. If you are by yourself, you have the opposite issue. There is no one else to help make the big decisions and take on the big loads. First of all, take pride in the fact that you can wear many hats and still get the job done, but also know that your team might be right in front of you

Supporting Staff and Students When Extreme Behaviors Occur (Part 1 of 2) Sarah Fillion Consulting, LLC - In this session, we’ll be focusing on how to support both teachers and students proactively and reactively through those times when an extreme behavior causes the learning to stop. Through engaging in conversations, reflection, and activities, we’ll examine the pieces that led to this moment and how to maximize on-task behavior for all students in the learning spaces. By the end of this session, you’ll have tools to support teachers, ideas to refine your behavior intervention protocol, and strategies to maintain a safe and productive learning environment.

Kim Marshall - Eight major changes in the way we think about intelligence, poverty, school leadership, teachers, tests, and accountability.

Demonstrated Success: Karen Matso - Hesitant to have hard conversations around equity with your staff? This session will provide facilitation strategies and content tools for you to use to initiate whole staff learning focused on equity. Together, we will explore how unconscious bias, and unawareness can impact sense of belonging and self-efficacy for students and staff in our school communities. In our session, we will model how to adopt community agreements for safe conversation and use protocols with high quality texts and learning resources, to encourage rich conversation and cultivate common understanding amongst adults in our school community. This session will have 4 learning outcomes: 1. Surface our own experiences with unconscious bias; 2. Understand potential impact of bias in our schools; 3. Learn key vocabulary needed to understand equity issues in our communities today; 4. Practice with agreements and protocols that encourage safe and rigorous examination of sensitive topics. Leaders will leave with an extensive set of resources to continue this work.

The Bod Squad: Gina McGuire - Music, movement, and meditation act like medicine for the mind. Regular use of these 'medications' alleviate anxiety, depression, and physical pain--and that's to name a few! In this interactive presentation, participants will discover six simple movements that are essential in reducing anxiety and require no equipment to practice. Music will be integrated throughout the program to demonstrate the body's physiological response to vibration at the cellular level. The benefits of breathing and meditation will be experienced and reinforced through participation in a Guided Imagery Meditation coupled with restorative breath work.

Rothenberg Consulting Group: Steve Rothenberg - This interactive presentation/conversation is designed to help attendees quantify and qualify elements within typical NH building-level administrator contracts. During this presentation we will review a matrix of contract attributes of collective bargaining agreements. Themes explored will include: Current trends in healthcare, separation payment, COLAs and general compensation How inflation, Covid and other environmental factors be considered in contracts How separation benefits like sick day buyouts have less value for administrators who are/were not vested in the NHRS by 2011 How contracts serve us in times of need including issues of non-renewal and separation Should administrators in my district organize into a recognized bargaining group (pros/cons)

Sarah Fillion Consulting, LLC - In this session, we’ll be focusing on how to support both teachers and students proactively and reactively through those times when an extreme behavior causes the learning to stop. Through engaging in conversations, reflection, and activities, we’ll examine the pieces that led to this moment and how to maximize on-task behavior for all students in the learning spaces. By the end of this session, you’ll have tools to support teachers, ideas to refine your behavior intervention protocol, and strategies to maintain a safe and productive learning environment.