This Roundtable series is for school mental health providers, social workers, school psychologists, school counselors, school nurses and administrators. Join us for an opportunity to learn about some of the latest research on the mental health crisis in schools exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic, engage with colleagues facing similar challenges and collaborate on developing and implementing creative solutions. The Roundtable will be facilitated by CASDA Executive Director Michael Piccirillo, Ed.D., a lifelong educator, and CASDA Consultant Brian Farr, CASAC M.S. in Ed., a NYS Credentialed Substance Abuse Counselor and Assistant Professor in the Chemical Dependency Program at Hudson Valley Community College.

Join us to communicate, collaborate and share your practice with other Athletic Directors.

The Principal Collaborative is a unique, responsive professional development opportunity for principals and assistant principals to develop their leadership practice with colleagues in a mutually beneficial space. Each of the eight seminars will be facilitated by members of the Greater Capital Region Principals' Center in partnership with the Capital Area School Development Association. Topics for 2022 - 2023 will be developed to meet participants' leadership needs and to foster collaborative discussion on topics such as the opening of school, DEI, handling stress and addressing chronic absenteeism to name a few.

Affirming and welcoming classrooms are built with intention. This professional development will focus on how we create a welcoming environment and build community in our classrooms. There will be a focus on affirming classrooms for ENL students to build relationships that support a sense of connection and belonging, social-emotional wellbeing and academic engagement and growth. We will also discuss strategies for welcoming ENL families in a proactive, positive manner that allows educators to draw upon their "funds of knowledge” to integrate family and community assets into the classroom. Educators will leave with a repertoire of practices to create more humanizing, engaging learning environments that help ENL students build stronger connections to both community and curriculum.  Objectives  -Participants will leave with strategies and practices to build community with ENL students, support ENL students developing positive peer relationships and build a classroom community that is welcoming, inclusive and affirming for all learners.  -Participants will understand the importance of clear, supportive and effective communication with parents and families to support the learning and wellbeing of ENL students.  -Participants will learn strategies to welcome families' cultural funds knowledge into the classroom to enrich all students' learning in positive, affirming ways without resorting to tokenization.  -Participants will learn strategies to create a welcoming school environment for ENL students and their families.

Collaboration and support among instructional and assistive technology professionals will remain critically important as educators continue to integrate strategies for virtual and hybrid instruction developed during the pandemic. ​Participants of the IT/AT Roundtable will be provided short presentations on a variety of topics followed by discussion and sharing of ideas and strategies for improving support services.

This roundtable will provide speech and language educators with the opportunity to share, discuss and learn about issues of concern to them in the field, and include resources and guest speakers. Each session will focus on specific topics determined by the participants. This year, a portion of the roundtable will aim to reflect on ableism in the school based SLP's practice. In a field that is traditionally based on comparing students to a neurotypical standard, speech therapists are in a powerful position to be at the forefront in making changes against ableism through empowerment and inclusivity. How might our role change as we approach communication and disability through social model vs. medical model lenses? Topics may include: -Alternative modes of intervention -How to avoid writing ableist goals -The role of the SLP in reading -Written language disabilities -Assessment -Billing, scheduling, and data collection -Other pertinent issues you are facing in schools and agencies

The second year of this free virtual series will delve deeper into some familiar topics like Diversity, Equity, and Inclusivity and Mental Health while introducing new topics for discussion like grading for equity. These one hour sessions will be structured to introduce participants to new and seminal research in the topic area, pose questions to initiate robust discussion and offer practical immediately applicable strategies.

Are you considering a school leadership role? Then please join the Greater Capital Region Principals' Center Board and CASDA for the Aspiring Leaders Seminar being held virtually on November 9, 2022 from 4-6 p.m. Hear from a panel of experts on best practices in preparing for leadership positions. Engage with colleagues in breakout sessions facilitated by Principals Policy Center Board members and explore topics of interest to you. Begin building your network of peers in leadership roles and start on your path to becoming a school leader.

School counselors serve an essential role in helping students maximize educational opportunities, develop and engage interests and plan for a future beyond graduation. Relationships and engagement with students and their families form the foundation of this work. The School Counselors Roundtable, a collaborative offering from CASDA and the Capital District Counselors Association (CDCA), is a professional learning community that will focus on strategies for developing and sustaining engagement with students and families. We will build upon themes identified in the initial meetings and continue to provide a space for counselors to share effective practices that meet the academic and social emotional needs of students, as well as seek to integrate the expertise and perspective of higher education counselors in order to build bridges to ensure support across the P-20 Continuum. Additionally, the roundtable will address the topic of coordination of support services for students in relation to the following needs: academic, social/emotional, risk/crisis, and mental health.

This workshop will assist administrators with strategies to comfortably address difficult audiences. Participants will learn: -Effective ways to prepare for and present to difficult audiences. -How to disarm combative audience members. -Effective ways to get your points across.

Time is perhaps a school's most valuable resource. The Master Schedule dictates how schools utilize the time of both educators and students throughout the school day and is a reflection of our values and institutional priorities. While developing a Master Schedule can be a frustrating, arduous and even scary process, it is also an opportunity to allocate vital resources towards educational equity, and academic growth. In this initial session we will ask the question: Do our scheduling practices reflect our school and district's mission and goals? We will offer and share strategies on how to organize the school day and week in order to schedule time for meaningful collaboration between teachers, strengthening instruction and providing appropriate interventions and supports for students across academic levels. Please join us to learn more about student-centered, growth-oriented scheduling practices!

The second year of this free virtual series will delve deeper into some familiar topics like Diversity, Equity, and Inclusivity and Mental Health while introducing new topics for discussion like grading for equity. These one hour sessions will be structured to introduce participants to new and seminal research in the topic area, pose questions to initiate robust discussion and offer practical immediately applicable strategies.

This workshop will assist leaders at all levels to build an effective team and develop team protocols. Learn how to use the talents of all team members, ensure all team members take responsibility for team success, address team conflict, build and sustain trust, construct a team "code of conduct,” and design effective team meeting structures.

Register today for "Media Training for School Leaders" and learn helpful interview tips from both a current news anchor and a director of media and community relations. Learn how to clearly communicate the messaging for your district, build a positive relationship with the media, and how to handle the tough questions that might be thrown your way.

Participants will target the lagging skills their students are exhibiting in reading, writing, listening, and speaking, and will come away with specific instructional strategies that they can use in order to build their students' skills up in those targeted areas. Participants will learn strategies for reading, writing about reading, and for discussion.  This course will have a two-hour in-person kick off on 1/18, and then will be followed by four one-hour virtual sessions. This series is for any teacher K-12 who works with students in reading, writing, listening, or speaking about nonfiction and pertains to literacy skills in ELA, Math, Social Studies, Science, Language, Music, Art, PE, Health, Business, and more.

The second year of this free virtual series will delve deeper into some familiar topics like Diversity, Equity, and Inclusivity and Mental Health while introducing new topics for discussion like grading for equity. These one hour sessions will be structured to introduce participants to new and seminal research in the topic area, pose questions to initiate robust discussion and offer practical immediately applicable strategies.

Effectively co-taught classrooms are places of dynamic learning in which students' needs and engagement are prioritized in a uniquely inclusive environment. However, there is no clear roadmap to developing a co-teaching practice in which both teachers and students thrive in robust partnerships. This workshop will explore the essentials of organizing and collaborating to build a co-teaching partnership that centers the strengths of each teaching partner to best meet the unique needs of the students in their classrooms. Practitioners in both Special Education and ENL co-taught classrooms are encouraged to attend together to develop their collective capacity and explore strategies to improve collaborative planning and instruction to best serve students. Participants will: - Start building the essential groundwork for collaboration. - Explore their own and their co-teachers needs and expectations for a strong partnership. - Brainstorm innovative ways to collaborate. - Explore different co-teaching models and when they can be applied. - Discuss different scenarios that co-teachers may face. - Have a chance to plan a co-taught lesson to implement in their classroom.

The revolving door of SEL initiatives is exhausting, and it can be difficult to keep up with the new terminology and programs constantly hitting your inbox. This series will be rooted in the core research and strategies necessary to meet the SEL needs of our students and ourselves, while still teaching the content we joined this profession to teach. Participants will reflect on intersections of best practices for SEL, including trauma-informed care, lagging SEL skills, teaching students with poverty in mind, and being restorative through daily instructional delivery. Participants will also reflect on how students' behavior and SEL presentation impacts them as individuals and how this connects to their interactions with students.

Guided Reading Groups can be very powerful in helping students make shifts in their reading processing and skills. This workshop will focus on Kindergarten through Second Grade reading levels and will help participants learn how to maximize these 15-20 minute groups through targeting planning, time management, organization, effective assessment and decision-making, and powerful, focused teaching. Participants will view and analyze videos, and will receive ideas and resources to use immediately in their small group instruction. This workshop will include: Book/text selection to support students' instructional needs Book/text introductions to foster independent first reads Word work and decoding to support word-solving Teaching for fluency Teaching for strategies Managing small groups

For educators (interns, new administrators, team leaders, department chairs) considering a career in administration, currently taking courses, or entering the field. Are you considering a school leadership role? Hear from a panel of experts on what it means to lead and how to close a school year strong. Engage with local college and university representatives about their administrative leadership programs. Join Principals' Center Board Members in mock interview breakout sessions. Hear from other aspiring leaders as the session wraps up. Begin building your network of peers in leadership roles and start on your path to becoming a school leader.

Are you considering a school leadership role? Then please join the Greater Capital Region Principals' Center Board and CASDA for our second Aspiring Leaders Seminar of the year being held on March 27, 2023 from 4-6 p.m. Hear from a panel of experts on what it means to lead and how to close a school year strong. Next, engage with local college and university representatives about their administrative programs. Join Principals' Center Board Members in mock interview breakout sessions. Finally, hear from other aspiring leaders in a share out session. Begin building your network of peers in leadership roles and start on your path to becoming a school leader.

The second year of this free virtual series will delve deeper into some familiar topics like Diversity, Equity, and Inclusivity and Mental Health while introducing new topics for discussion like grading for equity. These one hour sessions will be structured to introduce participants to new and seminal research in the topic area, pose questions to initiate robust discussion and offer practical immediately applicable strategies.

The second year of this free virtual series will delve deeper into some familiar topics like Diversity, Equity, and Inclusivity and Mental Health while introducing new topics for discussion like grading for equity. These one hour sessions will be structured to introduce participants to new and seminal research in the topic area, pose questions to initiate robust discussion and offer practical immediately applicable strategies.

Why is it important for districts to assess SEL related programming and initiatives? Recent data shows that in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic more of our students are experiencing poor mental health outcomes and exhibiting problematic behavior. When schoolwide, data driven SEL programs are utilized, students' sense of well-being, academic performance, and behavioral outcomes improve. Research shows us that SEL programming is more impactful if it is district wide, involves all school stakeholders, is well resourced, linked to district goals/mission, and regularly assessed. Participants will be provided with tools and supports to examine and assess current SEL related programming in their district. This workshop will include discussions and analysis related to:  -Current trends in student and staff social and emotional health and safety  -Data driven SEL related programming  -The creation of a district level SEL-action plan Assessment of and reflection on SEL related programming is essential to ensure alignment with key district goals and research-supported best practices. This session would be most beneficial if districts send a team of educators and administrators who would have first hand knowledge of current SEL related programming.

What does it mean for disciplinary policies and practices to "work?" Who do they work for? What messages do they send to students, staff, and families? This workshop will explore the relationship between discipline and school culture and provide participants with restorative strategies that build community and encourage learning and accountability. -Explore essential concepts within the restorative practices continuum. -Understand the relationship between consequences and behavior. -Reflect on the role of disciplinary practices in school culture. What messages are we sending to kids? To educators?

​Many districts have adopted policies to support Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion in their schools and worked to ensure more equitable opportunities, experiences and outcomes for all students they serve. However, many educators have wondered "what does this look like in practice?” This two session workshop facilitated by Common Thread Consulting will advance beyond conceptual discussions of DEI by providing tools to identify inequities and strategies to address them in affirming, equitable ways.  Session 1: Data and Educational Equity From state assessments to attendance to budget allocations - schools are awash in data, however, it is often unclear how to utilize this information to produce more equitable outcomes for students. This session will begin by emphasizing the fact that when we are talking about data, we are really talking about people. This lens will ensure that data conversations are focused on student-centered solutions. Session 2: Case Studies in Educational Equity Case studies are a powerful tool for developing the ability to apply DEI concepts. This session will help educators recognize nuanced issues covering multiple areas of diversity that emerge in schools and communities. We will focus on how we can ask the right questions to understand diverse perspectives and motivations in complex scenarios while ensuring we arrive at humanizing, equitable solutions for students.

The return of state testing presents an opportunity to rethink how we engage with data at both the classroom and systems level. This workshop will explore how assessment data can be used to highlight what is being taught successfully and what may need to be improved as you begin to develop priorities for the 2023-24 school year with a clear emphasis on implications for classroom instruction. The session will also provide strategies to ensure that data conversations are focused, productive, and avoid deficit driven narratives about both students and teachers. Learning Objectives: -Learn to analyze assessment data (state and local) to develop instructional priorities -Utilize data to evaluate current instructional strategies -Identify power standards and accompanying instructional methods -Supplement quantitative assessment data with qualitative data from multiple sources.