In The Middle With You: Restorative Practices
Session #7 of the 2023-24 Webinar Series During the final "In The Middle With You" webinar for the 2023-24 school year, the focus was on Restorative Practices, with insights from Travis Thomsen and Sidney Bailey IV. Travis, principal of Portage North Middle School, shared his collaboration with Gryphon Place to create trauma-informed classrooms and manage compassion fatigue, emphasizing self-care and understanding spheres of influence to combat burnout. Sidney from Portage West Middle…
In the Middle With You: Parent Engagement & Student Voice
Session #6 of the 2023-24 webinar series This webinar focused on fostering student voice and parent engagement in middle schools. The discussion centered around the importance of involving students and parents in school activities, while acknowledging that successful strategies should be adapted to each school's unique context. Data from surveys and other sources was identified as a valuable tool for improving the school environment. Practical examples were shared by two MASSP board…
Catalyst+ Session #6
Bring AI to Your School Over the year we have explored the future of learning and the implications of AI on policy, practices, and learning. This session aims to move beyond the conversation of processes and policies to the core of our work: educating students about the intricacies and potentials of AI. Participants will leave with practical strategies for integrating AI into their curriculums, highlighted by innovative resources from Code.org. We were joined by…
In The Middle With You: SEL & Staff Appreciation
Session #5 of the 2023-24 webinar series During our March In The Middle With You Webinar, we discussed the topics of Social Emotional Learning and Staff Appreciation. Special thanks to our Board of Directors representatives, Jeff Dykhouse and Craig Blower for sharing some of the great work each is leading in their respective buildings! Jeff Dykhouse, principal of East Grand Rapids Middle School, discussed the implementation of the Trails to Wellness program, developed by…
Catalyst+ Session #5
Framing Forward in Policy, Procedure and Practice Part 5 of our MASSP Catalyst+ Webinar Series was Framing Forward in Policy, Procedure, and Practice. We were joined by Michigan Virtual President and CEO, Jamey Fitzpatrick and Senior Director of MV Learning Research Institute Ken Dirkin. Both have been on the vanguard at the state level in thinking about AI in education and schools. The conversation started with MV’s 8 domains as a framing for…
Catalyst+ Session #4
AI and Legal Considerations for Schools AI has created myriad legal challenges and landmines for school leaders and systems. The spring of ‘23 saw schools and universities struggling with measured responses and overreaction to AI that placed districts and schools at legal risk. Working with our legal partners, this session is designed to provide guardrails for schools to consider when building their thinking around responses to AI as an organization. Our 4th…
Aspiring Principals ’24 Webinar: Session 1
Attributes of High Quality Leadership https://youtu.be/StAWubkUeHM
In the Middle With You: Diversity, Equity & Inclusion
Session #4 of the 2023-24 webinar series. Thank you for attending session 4 of our In The Middle With You webinar for the 2023-24 school year. Special thanks to our presenters Sonica and Lilliana fromThe Regional Laboratory Midwest for presenting great information on the DILE Approach (Data Informed Leadership for Equity) a program available to middle schools. During our session,we started by revisiting the definitions of DEI (Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion). We then particpated in the “Name Game”,…
Catalyst+ Session #3
Breaking Out of Traditional Thinking As AI has come into the conversation it’s been focused on what AI is rather than why and how we might utilize it for learning. As an education community, we have yet to dive deeply into how AI can shift our cultures of learning and what we do in schools. Our third Catalyst23+ webinar thinks deeply about this conversation. Dr. Zak Cohen, Principal of the Francis Parker…
ORS Lawsuit, Implication for Building Leader Retirement
Presented by MASSP & MEMSPA Today’s webinar with attorney Bob Schinder from Miller Johnson provided principals with the opportunity to learn more about the recent Michigan Court of Appeals ruling (Batista v. ORS) that impacts the MPSERS pension benefits of building level leaders. During the webinar, Attorney Schindler 1) Provided an overview of how this litigation began and the course of action it has taken through the court system, 2) Explained the…