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Professional Development » Summer Administrative Workshop (SAW) 2023

Summer Administrative Workshop (SAW) 2023

SAW 2023 Header with Title
 
When: June 22, 2023, 7:30 am-4:00 pm
Where: NCC Monroe Campus
2411 PA-715
Tannersville, PA 18372
(570) 369-1800
 
Registration Fee: $75
 
SAW Event Schedule
 
7:30 am-8:45 am Registration/Breakfast
8:45 am-9:00 am
Opening Remarks
9:00am-10:15 am Keynote
10:15 am-10:30 am Break
10:30 am-11:30 am Morning Session 1
11:30 am-11:45 am Break
11:45 am-12:45 pm Morning Session 2
12:45 pm-1:45 pm Lunch
1:45 pm-2:45 pm Afternoon Session 1
2:45 pm-3:00 pm Break
3:00 pm-4:00 pm Afternoon Session 2
4:00 pm Conference Ends
 
BACK BY POPULAR DEMAND!
Keynote by Jimmy Casas
9:00 am -10:15 am
Keynote Speaker Jimmy Casas Photo
 
Jimmy Casas has been an educator for over 30 years, serving twenty-two years as a school leader, including fourteen years as Principal at Bettendorf High School. Under his leadership, Bettendorf was named one of the Best High Schools in the country three times by Newsweek and US News & World Report.

Jimmy was named the 2012 Iowa Secondary Principal of the Year and was selected as runner-up NASSP 2013 National Secondary Principal of the Year. In 2014, Jimmy was invited to the White House to speak on the Future Ready Schools pledge. Jimmy is also the author of nine books, including the best-selling books Culturize: Every Student. Every Day. Whatever It Takes, Live Your Excellence: Bring Your Best Self to School Every Day, and Handle with Care: Managing Difficult Situations in Schools with Dignity and Respect. Jimmy’s newest release, Recalibrate the Culture, is already a top-selling book on Amazon.

Jimmy is the owner and CEO of J Casas & Associates, where he serves as a professional leadership coach for school leaders across the country. In January 2020, Jimmy launched ConnectEDD, a publishing company aimed at giving back to the profession by supporting educators to become published authors.
 
Keynote: Recalibrate the Culture
 
Do you leave work every night exhausted from putting out fires all day long? Are you frustrated because you find yourself dealing with the same issues time and time again? You are not alone.
 
It is time to recalibrate. Recalibrate our why. Our work. Our values. Ourselves. Educators must explore their inner selves to understand the role we each play in how we can impact the climate and culture of an entire campus when we are strategic and aligned in our practices. The classroom, building, and district levels must see themselves as one and must be intentional in replicating their processes, protocols, and frameworks to recalibrate and bring about system-wide change and cultivate a healthier culture. 
 
Participants will leave this session with a renewed understanding of the importance of effective processes and practical tools they can utilize immediately to cultivate a healthier culture for all members of their school community.
 
Morning Session 1 - 10:30 am-11:30 am
Speaker: Jimmy Casas, CEO and President of J Casas and Associates, Author, Speaker, Award Winning Principal, Professional Development Faculty for National Association for Secondary School Principals
In this breakout session, participants will take a deeper dive into Recalibrate the Culture with a renewed understanding of the importance of effective processes, frameworks, and practical tools you can utilize immediately to cultivate a healthier culture for your school community.
Target Audience(s): All Audiences
Speaker: Colleen Kalric & Katie VanWhy, CIU 20 Training and Consulting Staff
On April 23, 2022, the final form amendments to Chapter 49 (relating to Certification of Professional Personnel) of Title 22 of the Pennsylvania Code became effective. As a result, Pennsylvania is requiring schools to provide professional development focused on Structured Literacy. Institutes of higher education have to make revisions to their courses to ensure teachers have the skills needed to teach reading upon entering the workforce. Join this session to learn more about implementing this mandate, resources that can be used, and the competencies for teachers.
Target Audience(s): Curriculum, Special Education, Principals, Assistant Superintendents
Speaker: Karen Knecht, Sr. Director of Education, Da Vinci Science Center; Ann Bebout, STEAM Education Program Manager - Prof Dev, Da Vinci Science Center
Leaders will play an essential part in designing high quality curriculum, professional learning opportunities, and assessments that will ensure a successful implementation of the new standards and provide sustained teacher support and equitable access for all students. Join representatives from the Da Vinci Science Center in this session to discuss the timeline for building awareness and expertise about the standards (anticipated to be effective July 1, 2025), the research basis for the shift to “three dimensional” teaching and learning, connections with other subjects, and how performance expectations in the standards will make it easier to achieve an interdisciplinary, inquiry-based approach to STEM in the K-12 classroom.
Target Audience(s): Curriculum, Special Education, Principals, Assistant Superintendents, Superintendents
Speaker: Avery E. Smith, Esquire, King, Spry, Herman, Freund & Faul, LLC
Attorney Avery Smith will provide a review of employment law updates and cover topics that frequently arise in the HR context.
Target Audience(s): Human Resources, Assistant Superintendents, Superintendents
Speaker: Mark W. Cheramie Walz
Edtech Attorney Mark Cheramie Walz details the latest in the law and technology. This includes a review of the latest court ruling and regulation changes involving free speech, social media, right-to-know law, and other court decisions involving Pennsylvania schools.
Target Audience(s): Technology
 
Morning Session 2 - 11:45 am-12:45 pm
Speaker: Jimmy Casas, CEO and President of J Casas and Associates, Author, Speaker, Award Winning Principal, Professional Development Faculty for National Association for Secondary School Principals
There is nothing more important than selecting the right people, people with the right talent who want to be excellent! However, are you modeling excellence during the interview process? Do you approach the selection process with the intention of establishing a meaningful relationship with each candidate? What are the candidates saying about you and your school once they leave the interview? In this session Jimmy will share 12 Tips to Improve Your Hiring Practices, leaving candidates looking back after they complete the interview process saying, “I would give anything to work for that organization!"
Target Audience(s): All Audiences
Speaker: Dr. Andrew L. Armagost, Director of Advocacy and Analytics, PASBO
Utilizing data and examples to communicate with local, state and federal stakeholders are critical for schools moving beyond the pandemic. Participants will explore key elements when developing the district’s messaging.
Target Audience(s): Business, Superintendents
Speaker: Karen Knecht, Sr. Director of Education, Da Vinci Science Center; Ann Bebout, STEAM Education Program Manager - Prof Dev, Da Vinci Science Center
Leaders will play an essential part in designing high quality curriculum, professional learning opportunities, and assessments that will ensure a successful implementation of the new standards and provide sustained teacher support and equitable access for all students.  Join representatives from the Da Vinci Science Center in this session to discuss the timeline for building awareness and expertise about the standards (anticipated to be effective July 1, 2025), the research basis for the shift to “three dimensional” teaching and learning, connections with other subjects, and how performance expectations in the standards will make it easier to achieve an interdisciplinary, inquiry-based approach to STEM in the K-12 classroom.
Target Audience(s): Curriculum, Special Education, Principals, Assistant Superintendents
Speaker: Attorney Elizabeth Kelly, King, Spry, Herman, Freund & Faul, LLC
Attorney Kelly will discuss some words and phrases that have particular meaning in the context of labor and management relations, including  “Weingarten Rights,”  “Past Practice” and “Removal of Bargaining Unit Work,” and will guide listeners through a typical collective bargaining agreement between a public school employer and a public school employee union in order to explain the purpose and operation of the major components of a union contract.
Target Audience(s): Human Resources, Superintendents
Speaker: Mark W. Cheramie Walz
Few things are as daunting as reviewing the Terms of Use or Privacy Policy for an app or website. In this session, attorney Mark Cheramie Walz explains in plain English what these documents mean, and what you should be looking for prior to introducing a website or app in your classroom or school building. The session will touch on student privacy and safety, apps selling student data, individual teacher liability, and whether school districts should have their own privacy policies and terms of use for their own websites.
Target Audience(s): Technology
 
Afternoon Session 1 - 1:45 pm-2:45 pm
Speaker: Courtney Fenner, CIU 20 Training and Consulting Staff
Who speaks the most at the IEPs you attend? The case manager? Administrator? Caregiver? Student? In a 2006 research study, Martin et al observed 109 meetings and found that students talked the least amount of time at their own secondary transition IEP meetings! Student-led IEPs create a path to shift ownership to the student through instruction and support so that students are empowered to be engaged decision-makers and implementers of their own educational planning. This session will provide an overview of Student-led IEPs by examining the four fundamental principles of Student-led IEPs, as outlined by the Office of the State Superintendent of Education:
  • Approach can be utilized in K-12th grade
  • Requires investment in preparing students and parents
  • Specific roles vary and are individualized based on age, needs, and abilities
  • Occurs within the context of the overall IEP process
Target Audience(s): Curriculum, Special Education, Principals, Assistant Superintendents
Speaker: Karen Knecht, Sr. Director of Education, Da Vinci Science Center; Ann Bebout, STEAM Education Program Manager - Prof Dev, Da Vinci Science Center
Join representatives from the Da Vinci Science Center to discuss the many benefits of the STEAM approach, including: greater student engagement, deeper learning, opportunities to practice valuable employability skills, development of student identities as scientists, engineers, and other creative career paths. You'll experience fun strategies to boost students' creativity and and consider how school leaders promote greater collaboration among classroom teachers and specialists in the Arts, Tech Ed, PE, and Health.
Target Audience(s): Curriculum, Special Education, Principals
Speaker: Dr. Christopher Wolfel, Executive Director, CIU 20
School leaders are being faced more and more with conflict in our schools and community. Conflict can shut down your operation leading to increased costs, a reduction in productivity, and a decline in employee health.  In this session, you will learn how to manage and resolve everyday conflict by first understanding the cycle of conflict and then learning how to utilize various strategies from the Harvard Negotiation Project and LEAP (Listen, Empathize, Agree, Partner).  
Target Audience(s): All Audiences
Speaker: Attorney Rebecca Young, King, Spry, Herman, Freund & Faul, LLC
Attorney Rebecca Young will review significant special education cases from the past year and summarize legislative changes that affect special education programming.
Target Audience(s): Business, Special Education, Principals, Assistant Superintendents, Superintendents
Speaker: Scott M Kuren, Ed.D., Director, Office for Safe Schools Department of Education
An informational session covering best practices available for school law enforcement and administrators to enhance School Safety and Emergency Preparedness procedures. Scott Kuren, Director, Office for Safe Schools, will provide an overview of partnerships and resources available to school personnel through the Pennsylvania Department of Education, Office for Safe Schools.
Target Audience(s): School Safety, Business, Principals, Superintendents
 
Afternoon Session 2 - 3:00 pm-4:00 pm
Speaker: Dr. Cosmas Curry, Superintendent, Stroudsburg Area School District
In Pennsylvania, career and technology centers are taking the lead in organizing regional pathway partnerships. Through these pathway partnerships, school districts, business and industry partners, community organizations, workforce, and economic development partners are creating collaborative strategies for enhancing career development, engaging employers in supporting career readiness programs and high-quality work-based learning experiences for students. In this session, participants will hear from representatives of the Monroe Career Pathways Coalition who are implementing a countywide career pathways system to prepare Monroe County residents for post-secondary education and training and in-demand careers.
Target Audience(s): Curriculum, Special Education, Principals, Assistant Superintendent, Superintendent
Speaker: Karen Knecht, Sr. Director of Education, Da Vinci Science Center; Ann Bebout, STEAM Education Program Manager - Prof Dev, Da Vinci Science Center
Join representatives from the Da Vinci Science Center to discuss the many benefits of the STEAM approach, including: greater student engagement, deeper learning, opportunities to practice valuable employability skills, development of student identities as scientists, engineers, and other creative career paths. You'll experience fun strategies to boost students' creativity and and consider how school leaders promote greater collaboration among classroom teachers and specialists in the Arts, Tech Ed, PE, and Health.
Target Audience(s): Curriculum, Special Education, Principals
Speaker: Steven Long, CISSP, CCSP, GCWN, CEH, Cybersecurity Advisor-State Coordinator (Delaware), Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, U.S. Department of Homeland Security
In recent years, K-12 schools and districts have been increasingly subjected to cybersecurity attacks. The increased complexity of systems and technology dependency in our schools has enabled bad threat actors to successfully disturb our district's infrastructure and data systems. This session will provide an overview of common cyber threats to the K-12 community and highlight ways to implement best practices to maintain safe and secure infrastructure and networks.
Target Audience(s): Technology
Speaker: Attorney Rebecca Young, King, Spry, Herman, Freund & Faul, LLC
Attorney Rebecca Young will review significant special education cases from the past year and summarize legislative changes that affect special education programming.
Target Audience(s): Business, Special Education, Principals, Assistant Superintendents, Superintendents
Speaker: Scott M Kuren, Ed.D., Director, Office for Safe Schools Department of Education
An informational session covering best practices available for school law enforcement and administrators to enhance School Safety and Emergency Preparedness procedures. Scott Kuren, Director, Office for Safe Schools, will provide an overview of partnerships and resources available to school personnel through the Pennsylvania Department of Education, Office for Safe Schools.
Target Audience(s): School Safety, Business, Principals, Superintendents