June 19, 2018
2018 MEMSPA Summer Leadership Institute
July 31-August 1 | Kalamazoo Radisson Hotel
Get Refueled to Lead Positive
Paul Liabenow, MEMSPA Executive Director
I’m re-re reading Shawn Achor’s Happiness Advantage. It is filled with jewels of wisdom, research and just plain good positivity advice. The Happiness Advantage Principle #6, The 20 Second Rule -How to turn Bad Habits into Good Ones by Minimizing Barriers to Change is helping me. Achor suggests that we as humans are a bundle of habits and that positive habits are hard to keep. Research shows that it takes about 21 days to cement a habit or action. I’m in.

I’m now recording my run times/days and biking miles and routes attempting to make daily exercise a habit. My daily workout sessions are improving my health, mental acuteness and attitude. Living the Dream is the only way I want to live every day. I’m getting started.

I’m inspired by so many of you who have suffered some big challenges but found good and created a positive outcome.


Principal-to-Principal: YES, THERE REALLY IS A KALAMAZOO!
Derek Wheaton
The MEMSPA Summer Leadership Institute, “Literacy Integration: ‘Setting Our Compass for Success” is coming to my hometown of Kalamazoo this summer! You need to come for the learning and to come and find out that Yes, there really is a Kalamazoo!  This Summer Leadership Institute has sessions that offer content matched to the needs of our MEMSPA leaders and teams! The Institute is an in-depth and practical learning opportunity for practicing and aspiring principals as well as teacher leaders. School leaders will leave with the knowledge and confidence to implement key concepts and new skills.

The MEMSPA Summer Institute is a dynamic opportunity to jumpstart your learning, networking, and planning for the new school year. Yes, I know, the last thing you want to think about right now, eh? But, you’re a planner, so get the dates on your calendar and get registered! Tuesday, July 31-Wednesday, August 1 at the Kalamazoo Radisson. Register here if you haven’t done so already! MEMSPA Summer Leadership Institute

School Safety Priority:
Title 4 and State School Safety Funding, School Safety and Social-Emotional Learning
Authored by Carla Tantillo Philibert and Paul Liabenow
Our phones have been ringing the past few months and weeks at MEMSPA and everyone wants to know, “How do I best use my Title 4 funding and state school safety dollars to make my school a safer place for learning?”

Your district’s Title IV allocation provides 20% for Safe School Initiatives, which includes Social-Emotional Learning (SEL) programming. While SEL has been gaining the attention of school leaders for a few years now, the wake of school shootings and suicides have highlighted the power of SEL to give voice to students’ needs.

With Title IV-A funding increases in 2018-19, you have an opportunity to invest in creating a safer school experience that prioritize the well-being of both teachers and students.

Partner Spotlight
Have you heard the news? The Michigan Department of Education is giving district’s the option to choose their benchmark assessment for the 2018–2019 school year. This means Renaissance Star Assessments® , which support more than one-fourth of Michigan districts, are now eligible for the state’s funding of K–8 assessments.

With Star Assessments, educators can:
  •  Save time (assessments take 20 minutes or less!)
  • Predict M-Step performance
  • Project student growth
  • Inform instruction
 
Connect with our Michigan experts today to learn more!