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Alaska Council of
School Administrators
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Volume 26 Number 1, March 2019
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Leadership, Unity and Advocacy for Public Education
#NorthToTheFuture
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Alaska Council of School Administrators
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Looking Ahead...
Patrick Mayer, ACSA and ASA President, Superintendent, Yakutat School District
Greetings Educational Leaders! The field of education may be the only profession where we get to say Happy New Year
twice
during a twelve-month period. That’s right, it’s 2019! I this finds you well in this new year as we approach SPRING!
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Alaskans Embrace the Value of Public K-12 Schools
Dr. Lisa Skiles Parady, ACSA, ASA, AASSP Executive Director
Let’s not bury the lead – Alaskans support public education, their schools and their students, and they do so strongly! A new poll of Alaskans demonstrates overwhelming support for public K-12 education in the state, as does any objective observance of the slew of town hall meetings going on since the release of the Dunleavy doomsday budget.
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2019 ACSA Legislative
Fly-In
Superintendents, Assistant Superintendents, Elementary and Secondary Principals, Assistant Principals, School Business Officials and all Central Office Administrators are invited to join us in Juneau for the annual ACSA Legislative Fly-In,
March 24 - 27, 2019.
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Alaska Superintendents Association
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Dr. Karen Gaborik, ASA President
January is a good time not only for end-of-calendar-year reflections but also mid-year school-year reflections. I facilitated an activity with a couple different Fairbanks leadership teams regarding work and life priorities that resulted in some insightful reflections as we looked ahead to spring semester.
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Alaska Staff Development Network
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- Save the dates! The Alaska School Leadership Institute is a three-day conference for small and rural school leaders. May 29-31 in Anchorage. Explore how to achieve quality implementation so that the promise of improvement-oriented interventions become realized in practice.
- Code.org, the Alaska Staff Development Network & the Alaska Council of School Administrators, are working to expand access to high-quality professional learning for educators interested in teaching computer science in schools throughout Alaska. Find out more.
- Check out our 12 new featured online courses for teacher recertification with Learners Edge.
- Alaska History and Multicultural Education with Father Oleksa - ASDN is pleased to offer courses this May to meet the state requirements for teacher certification. These 500-level classes may also be used for re-certification. Over a thousand Alaskan educators have participated in Father Oleksa’s classes over the last fifteen years! More information.
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It is our privilege at the Alaska Council of School Administrators (ACSA) and the Alaska Staff Development Network to support Alaska’s public schools and our incredible workforce of educators. We know that every educator, from para-professionals, to teachers, to administrators, are doing amazing things every day to inspire Alaska’s students.
We need to tell our education stories!
In no more than 500 words, write up an education blog post with supporting pictures/video (optional) and we will help you get the word out. Submit your blog post to us
HERE
or contact
Sam Jordan
directly.
Thank you for everything you do! We can’t wait to post about the great things happening all around our state.
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Alaska Association of
Secondary School Principals
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Professional Development Experience
Dan Carstens, AASSP President
When I first became an administrator, I was presented with an awesome opportunity: district sponsored PD from a topic and conference of my choosing. As you can imagine my first thought was to see what warm climate I could get myself to and try to make the topic fit my interest and need. Even though I learned more than I thought I would, my goal was not to make as many connections as I possibly could. I would attend my sessions, take my notes, enjoy the sun and return to my school, try not to make too many waves with my new learning and get back into my groove at school.
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Home is Where the Heart Is
Robin Jones, AASSP President-Elect
Recently, I ran into an old friend who made me reflect on what it means to call a place home. My original plan over the holidays was to stay in New Stuyahok, where I serve as the site principal. I had big dreams to explore the great outdoors each day and tags to fill for both moose and caribou. However, the five days leading up to the holiday break, our housing unit had gone without running water. Since nothing feels better than a hot shower after a long ride on the bumpy tundra in subzero weather and also in an effort to preserve my sanity, I made last minute reservations to spend the break at my house in Soldotna. My friend had mentioned how nice it must be for us to get a break from the village to spend time at home. While I agree that from time to time it is a welcome change to shop at a grocery store, dine at a restaurant, or catch a matinee at the movie theater, my home is where my heart is, and my heart is in New Stuyahok.
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A huge
CONGRATULATIONS to Meghan Redmond
, from Chief Ivan Blunka School in Southwest Region School District, for not only being named as Alaska’s 2019 AASSP Assistant Principal of the Year but for also now being chosen as 1 of 3 finalists for the
national award,
the
National Association of Secondary School Principals (NASSP) Assistant Principal of the Year! Thank you for representing Alaska at the national level, Meghan!
"There is no one more deserving on the planet than Meghan Redmond, and I am extraordinarily proud to see her recognized on a national level. She always goes above and beyond to ensure that the students have access to every possible opportunity, and I count myself incredibly fortunate to call her my friend, colleague, and administrative partner!" said Robin Jones, Principal, Chief Ivan Blunka School.
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Data-keeping for Success
Robyn Harris, Ed.S, 2018 Alaska Secondary School Principal of the Year
Behavior in the classroom has significantly increased over the years. In a recent poll by
Primary Sources: America’s teachers on the Teaching Profession
, teachers stated that increased levels of behavior issues have been seen across all grade levels. This behavior can interfere with teaching in the classroom. When teachers are tasked in having multiple students in their classrooms with behaviors, it can be difficult to teach.
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Alaska Association of
Elementary School Principals
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Learning Walks Lead to Unity and Shared Leadership
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Eric Pederson, AAESP President
I always thought I was a good classroom teacher, but after being a principal with the opportunity to peer into some incredibly talented teachers’ classrooms, I realize how much more I could grow as a teacher. Like many other districts in the state, my district has put a focus on personalized learning. One component that arose from this professional development has been learning walks. Often in education, we bring in outside people for ways to improve our craft. Frequently, there is great tutelage available within our building. When teachers begin to learn from one another, I notice a greater desire to lead.
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Michael Angaiak, Alaska's 2018 NAESP National Distinguished Principal, Anne Wien Elementary, Fairbanks, Alaska
Overwhelming. Humbling. Unforgettable. Traveling to Washington D.C. to represent Alaska as an NAESP “National Distinguished Principal” two weeks ago and then being recognized again at last week’s 52
nd
Annual Alaska Statewide Principals’ Conference in Anchorage are experiences I will always remember and, for which, I will always be grateful. This “red carpet treatment” has been surreal, to say the least, and has been so outside the norm of our daily work as school principals that I’ve only wanted to share it, being a recognition that I know so many of our AAESP colleagues truly deserve.
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Alaska Association of School Business Officials
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Carl Horn, ALASBO President, Nenana City School District
What an amazing time we live in, to be able to work to educate children. Broad public education of young people is a revolutionary idea, which started from the earliest period of American history. Growing slowly at first then transformed to include ever more classes, groups, and ages of children over the past 200+ years. Alaska as a state picked up the banner by including an explicit promise to all children. When I have those invariable challenges in my work as a school business official, I step back and reflect on that broad sweep of history and the amazing part we now all play in providing public education to every student.
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Leadership Through Unity: We truly are #Better Together
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Tamara Van Wyhe, DEED Director of Educator & School Excellence
Every year brings new opportunities and new challenges, and with the recent gaveling-in of the 31st Legislature, there has been plenty of speculation about what the next several months will bring for schools. Politics are involved, so (as always) there is plenty of doom-and-gloom about what may lie ahead. Call me an eternal optimist, but I beg to differ: This is not the time to fixate on what could go wrong.
Never
before have we seen the opportunities in Alaskan education that we see today. The sun will always rise in the morning and, at least between late August and early June, students will arrive at school, ready to learn. Students and their families depend on
us
to make sure the schools and classrooms our youth enter are prepared to engage, inspire, and ultimately, prepare them for life in their communities and beyond. That is no easy task, but it is the job for which we all, as educators, signed up.
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Brian Calvary, CAE, CoSN Director of Membership and Chapters
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Brian Calvary, CAE, CoSN Director of Membership and Chapters
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Houghton Mifflin Harcourt - 5 Predictions for K-12 Education in 2019
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By Tyrone Howard, Senior Fellow, International Center for Leadership in Education (a division of Houghton Mifflin Harcourt) and Professor and Associate Dean for Equity, Diversity & Inclusion at UCLA
For K-12 education, 2018 was an important year—and 2019 won't be any different. It’s essential that educators across the nation remain steadfast in understanding the complex needs of students, families, schools, and school personnel.
While many issues will continue to affect the educational landscape in 2019, here are five areas that we should pay particularly close attention to in the new year.
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Carrs Safeway and the Alaska Council of School Administrators are proud to support innovative teaching practices across the state of Alaska by sponsoring a grant program for public school teachers. This program encourages educators to identify a problem of practice in their classroom, school, and/or district and propose novel ways to address this challenge to improve student outcomes. Educators can apply for grants individually or as part of a collaborative team.
Congratulations to the 2019 recipients!
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Businesses are Champions for Children!
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The Alaska Council of School Administrators is grateful for the sponsorship and financial support of the business that provide goods and services to public schools across Alaska.
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2018-2019 Education Association Events
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March 2019:
ATP Job Fair at Alaska Educator Expo – March 15-16, Anchorage
ACSA Legislative Fly-In, Juneau
ASA Legislative Fly-In – March 24-27
AAESP/AASSP Legislative Fly-In – March 24-27
ALASBO Legislative Fly-In – March 24-27
ACSA Student Art Exhibit & Legislative Reception – March 25, Juneau
ACSA Board Meeting – March 22, Juneau
State Board of Education Regular Quarterly Meeting – March 28-29, Juneau
April 2019:
Alaska Legislature Adjourns – April 14
State Board of Education Work: Session Commissioner’s Report (audio) – April 24
June 2019:
State Board of Education Regular Quarterly Meeting (audio) – June 6-7
July 2019:
NAESP National Conference – July 10-12, Spokane
NASSP National Conference – July 18-20, Boston
ASA/DEED Summer Meeting – July 27-29, Juneau
September 2019:
ASA Fall Conference – September 25-28, Fairbanks Area
October 2019:
53rd Annual Alaska Principals’ Conference – October 26-28, Anchorage
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ACSA Board of Directors and Staff
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Directors
Patrick Mayer, ACSA President & ASA President
Yakutat School District
Dr. Karen Gaborik, ASA Past-President
Fairbanks North Star Borough School District
Kerry Boyd, ASA Secretary
Yukon-Koyukuk School District
Dan Carstens, AASSP President
Nikiski Middle High School
Robin Jones, AASSP President-Elect
Chief Ivan Blunka School
Brendan Wilson, NASSP Alaska State Coordinator
Wendler Middle School
Eric Pederson, AAESP President
Paul Banks Elementary School
Lynn Mayberry-Burke, AAESP Vice President
Lake Otis Elementary School
Heather Jones, AAESP Treasurer
Chinook Elementary School
Carl Horn, ALASBO President
Nenana School District
Karen Quitslund, ALASBO President-Elect
Petersburg School District
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Staff
Dr. Lisa Skiles Parady
Executive Director,
ACSA/ASA/AASSP
Heather Johnson-Smith
Development & Membership Services Manager, ACSA
Kathy Blanc
Administrator, ASDN
Ceann Murphy
Office Manager, ACSA
Program Coordinator, ASDN
Kelly Tonsmeire
Grant Director, ASDN
Sam Jordan
Grants & Outreach Administrator
Melody Douglas
Executive Director, ALASBO
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ACSA Affiliate Member Boards
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Alaska Council of School Administrators
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