	New England League of Middle Schools 460 Boston Street, Suite 4 Topsfield, MA 01983 Tel: (978) 887-6263 Fax: (978) 887-6504 Email: nelms@nelms.org
Newsletter February 28, 2007

The excitement grows!!!

Plan now to attend this terrific professional development event!

Educators have indicated that this conference has been one of the most inspiring experiences of their professional lives. The 26th NELMS Annual Conference will not disappoint! You can find answers for many of your questions and discover new ideas and resources for your profession. Don’t miss the largest and best regional middle level conference in the country!

The active involvement, careful thought, energy, and caring attitude of attendees make this conference the special event it is! There continues to be a unique and positive energy generated at the NELMS Annual Conference.

Thank you for taking time away from your families and schools to participate in this professional activity. Your attendance at all our events will help you learn new and effective ways of working with young adolescents and it also helps support your NELMS organization. Enjoy, learn, and celebrate with us and each other during our 26th Annual NELMS Conference.

Presenters and Keynote Speakers

Presenters come from every corner of New England and beyond. We have some terrific keynote speakers, great half day sessions and over 200 concurrent sessions.
The keynote speakers are:

Sunday, March 25th - Sue Swaim, Executive Director, National Middle School Association - "The Power of One"

Monday, March 26th - Richard G. Ramsey, Consultant - "Failure Is Not An Option"

Tuesday, March 27th - Rick Wormeli - Teacher, Presenter, Writer - "Nothing Ventured, Something Lost"

Conference Strands Provide Structure!

To help guide, structure and provide a focus for learning, strands for the conference have been identified. Strand letters will assist attendees in their session selections.

Click here for a complete list of all conference sessions.

A. VARIED INSTRUCTIONAL AND LEARNING STRATEGIES

Teachers recognize that their students represent a broad range of interests, abilities, learning styles, and skills! Middle Level Educators accommodate these differences by incorporating effective methods, including team based instruction, brain-based methodologies, effective use of technology, and teaching to multiple intelligences that engage learners to achieve higher levels.
Workshop numbers: 5, 13 18, 32, 34, 35, 39, 46, 47, 51, 53, 57, H5, 64, 71, 79, 80, 83, 94, 98, 101, 106, 109, 112, 119, 120, 124, 129, 130, 131, 142, 145, H13, 159, 161, 166, 167, 168, 179, 184, 186, 188, 189, 190, 191

B. CHALLENGING AND RELEVANT CURRICULUM

Developmentally responsive middle level schools provide a standards-based curriculum that is challenging and relevant to students. Subject-focused (including unified arts subjects); curriculum, exploratory curriculum, the various iterations of curriculum integration and interdisciplinary curriculum provide teachers with options to meet the needs of their students.
Workshop numbers: H1, 1, 2, 4, 9, 10, 14, 15, 16 19, 22, 26, 28, 33, 43, 55, 61, 69, 72, 77, 78, H6, 91, 97, 102, 107, 110, 115, 117, 118, 121, 122, 126, H11, 143, H12, 154, 162, 165, 169, 170, 174, 177, 187, 194

C. ASSESSMENT
Standards-based assessment, the process of measuring a students’ progress toward a goal or objective, is integral to curriculum development. Rather than restrict good teaching practices, assessment efforts should inform and strengthen teaching and learning.
Workshop numbers: 63, 65, 73, 108, 114, 137, 147, 156, 157, 164, 176

D. MIDDLE LEVEL BELIEFS, BEST ORGANIZATIONAL PRACTICES AND ADVOCACY
Middle level education meets the educational and developmental needs of young adolescents by implementing best practices that support the precepts articulated in This We Believe and Turning Points 2000.
Workshop numbers: 3, 8, 12, 17, 20, 27, 36, 38, 45, 54, 58, H3, 67, 68, 70, 74, 75, 84, H7, 95, 99, 100, 111, 113, 116, H10, 132, 133, 135, 141, 144, 148, 153, 160, 163, 171, 175, 183, 185

E. LEADERSHIP FOR THE MIDDLE LEVEL
This strand will assist leaders in the middle level schools (i.e., principals, team leaders, instructional leaders, building, and central office administrators) to develop effective teams, programs, and learning climates. Effective leadership is critical to the success of teachers, teams, and schools.
Workshop numbers: H2, 23, 25, 30, 31, 44, 49, 56, 62, 66, H8, 87, 88, 90, 92, 93, 103, 123, 125, H9, 136, 138, 146, H14, 158

F. TECHNOLOGY IN THE MIDDLE LEVEL
The utilization of technology as a resource for learning includes hardware, software, program funding, and most importantly, ways to open communications and educational horizons to move beyond the school computer lab and integrate technology into the classroom to improve student learning.
Workshop numbers: 6, 7, 21, 40, 41, 59, 60, 81, 82, 104, 105, 127, 128, 139, 140, 149, 150, 172, 173, 192, 193

G. SCHOOL/PARENT/COMMUNITY PARTNERSHIPS
Linking parents and community to create powerful learning partnerships is the focus of this strand. Ideas about home/school communication and parent/community programs are included.
Workshop numbers: 11, 29, 37, 42, 48, 50, 52, 85, 89, 96, 134, 151, 152, 181, 195

√ Hot Topic – H. Looking at Student & Teacher Work to Improve Students’ Learning
Looking at student work is a promising practice that effective teams engage in regularly. It provides teachers with a different set of data and a different perspective of their students. When student work is examined, student skill gaps and mastery become evident. Examining student work revels how students think and what perceptions they hold.
Workshop numbers: 24, H4, 76, 86, 109, 155, 178, 180

Researchers: Math Anxiety Saps Working Memory Needed To Do Math
http://www.cnn.com

Worrying about how you'll perform on a math test may actually contribute to a lower test score, U.S. researchers said on Saturday.

Math anxiety -- feelings of dread and fear and avoiding math -- can sap the brain's limited amount of working capacity, a resource needed to compute difficult math problems, said Mark Ashcroft, a psychologist at the University of Nevada Las Vegas who studies the problem.

Click to read the rest of the article at cnn.com

2007 All-USA Teacher Team Award program
The All-USA Teacher Team program is another opportunity to recognize the diligent and thoughtful work that teachers put into their craft every day. Please consider this opportunity, the other NELMS awards, and awards provided by your state organization as you think about nominating team(s) from your school.

Nominations are open for the 2007 All-USA Teacher Team, USA TODAY's recognition program for outstanding K-12 teachers. Up to 20 individuals and instructional teams will be featured in the newspaper as representatives of all outstanding teachers. Winners not only have their photographs published and their accomplishments noted in the newspaper but also receive trophies and share $2,500 cash awards with their schools. (Each teacher receives $500. An individual winner receives $500 with $2,000 to the schools; each member on a team of four receives $500, with $500 to the school.) Teachers can be nominated by anyone willing to put in writing why they are outstanding; nominees must complete the form explaining how they achieve their success. Nominations are due April 30, 2007. For forms and more information, go to: http://allstars.usatoday.com.