The Excitement Continues to Grow!!!

Plan now to attend our Annual Conference–a terrific professional development event!

Educators have indicated that this conference is one of the most inspiring experiences of their professional lives. The 27th 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.

Presenters have been selected, the Program Book is online, and the final details are being worked on. Have you done your planning to ensure that you can attend on March 30, 31 and April 1st? Don’t wait any longer. Hotel rooms are being booked, the Exhibit space is almost sold out, and special sessions are filling fast.

Your attendance at this event will help you learn new and effective ways of working with young adolescents and it helps support your NELMS organization. For complete information go to our web site by clicking here! On the navigation bars on the side, pass your cursor over the conferences and select Annual Conference.

Don’t miss this NELMS Conference - see you there!

Just Jack! - Improving Student Learning Through Passion and Humor.

Wow! Two Whole Days with Jack Berckemeyer

May 7 & 8, 2008
Portsmouth, NH area
This is a provocative “how to” and “why-we do-it" conference. Therefore register early as we are expecting a sellout!
We are fortunate to have a nationally known presenter who combines an engaging presentation style with worthwhile content. In New England Jack has presented at many state conferences and he has keynoted the NELMS Annual Conference numerous times.
Look for more information soon at nelms.org

SUMMER NELMS &
NELMS Leadership Academy - JULY 2008

These popular summer activities are near the end of the planning stage. Plan NOW to register and attend. They will both be held in Sturbridge, MA and both have the same dates; July 22, 23, & 24.

Leadership Academy has taken place for many years and is designed for those educators in leadership positions. It includes 3 days in July and 5 additional days in NELMS Spotlight Schools over the course of the year.

Summer NELMS topics include:

• Science
• The Language of Mathematics "Mathematical Magic with Reading & Writing"
• Implementing Appropriate Discipline Strategies
• Differentiated Instruction
• Professional Learning Communities
• Standards Based Reporting & Assessment

OTHER Spring & Summer Events are also Blooming!

Check out all of these events at NELMS.org

BRIM–(Breaking Ranks in the Middle) training to improve middle level schools will be held in NH on Wednesday, May 21 and Thursday, May 22.

OTSP–(On the Same Page) our well received program for both Reading and Writing across the content areas, will have a two day session to familiarize key individuals with the program and a sample training around specific activities. Janis Flint-Ferguson on Tuesday, May 20 and Wednesday, May 21 in Maine.

STEPS–Our two day training for our reading improvement program will be held on Tuesday, May 13 and Wednesday, May 14 with Linda Bourne in southeastern CT.

After July 1, 2008 – A New fiscal year:

BRIM Training–Summer NELMS: July 22-24

Middle Level Fundamentals–Four two day trainings for those new to the middle level will be held in August in CT and again in August at NELMS in Topsfield, MA.

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NMSA & NELMS present Recorded Webinars

Professional Development when and where you want it!

Click for more info

Flexible: Webinar Recordings are available 24/7 - all you need is a computer with Internet access

Affordable: Special pricing of $190 per Webinar—pay one price and your staff can view as many times as you like.

Dependable: Nationally recognized middle level experts brought right to your home, school, or office.

• Strategies for the Language Arts Classroom with Jack Berckemeyer
• Cyberbullying with Charlene Giannetti and Margaret Sagarese
• Keep Cliques and Bullies from Invading Your Classroom with Charlene Giannetti and Margaret Sagarese
• No: Why Kids Need to Hear It and Ways We Can Say It with Dave Walsh
• Building Literacy in Math with Bill McBride
• Building Literacy in Science with Bill McBride
• Student-Led Conferences with Patti Kinney
• Building Literacy in Social Studies with Bill McBride
  (Live event is on 3/12/08 at 3:30 p.m. EDT with Recording available afterwards- register for either one!)

NELMS ASSESSMENTS – Plan now for next year!

School Assessments:

A whole school assessment helps a school plan for the future by looking at current practices. The process combines a self-study with observations from a visiting team to formulate a report with commendations and recommendations. At the schools request, NELMS can help design a three to five year professional development plan. The school assessment program includes a planning phase, a three-day on-site visit, and a final assessment report.

Focus Assessments:

A knowledgeable and experienced middle level educator will spend a day at your school to observe focus area classes or programs, interview teachers, students, and administrators, and review available data such as tests, curriculum, and committee work.

Literacy Assessment:

Newly developed, this school wide tool helps a school look at effective middle level literacy practices. The review results in a report that identifies strengths and areas of needed improvement to better create a climate of literacy.

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Web Links to interesting information

Imaginative play may help solve some behavioral problems
Researchers say unstructured play helps children learn to control their own emotions and behavior–abilities that are a better predictor of a child's academic success than IQ. The regulated play many modern children experience doesn't foster such skills because the control has shifted to adults, which is something several researchers suspect may be behind the rising number of ADHD diagnoses. "I think a lot of kids get diagnosed with ADHD now, not all but many just because they never learned how to exercise ... the executive functions early," neuroscientist Adele Diamond says. National Public Radio (text and audio)

More students admit to cheating amid pressure to win better grades
As the college admissions process grows more competitive, two of three U.S. high school students admit to "serious" cheating and 90% say they cheat on homework, according to a Rutgers' Management Education Center national survey. "These kids are desensitized in a culture that values the bottom line," says Jason Stephens, an assistant professor of educational psychology at the University of Connecticut who recently won a $400,000 grant to study classroom ethics. ABC News (2/29)

Report: Focus on reading, math leaves other subjects behind
Some 44% of U.S. school districts have increased reading and math instructional time in elementary schools at the expense of other subjects, according to a new Center on Education Policy schools survey. "School people are feeling the pressure to do better and raise scores. But they are stuck with the amount of time they have," center President-CEO Jack Jennings said. "It certainly puts the question before Congress. Is there a price being paid for raising kids' math and reading scores?" The Washington Post (2/25) , The Sun (Baltimore) (free registration)

Kathy Schrock's Guide for Educators

Web 2.0 Tools can be found at http://school.discoveryeducation.com/schrockguide/edtools.html#Web20_tools
...check out the ever-growing list of Web 2.0 tools that I use to support teaching and learning

Smithsonian Images
http://smithsonianimages.si.edu/
...hundreds of photographs from the Smithsonian Office of Imaging and Photographic Services which can be used by teachers and students

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