August 28, 2018
2018 MEMSPA Annual Conference | December 5-7, 2018
What Kind of Leader Are You?
Paul Liabenow, MEMSPA Executive Director
Welcome Back,

Are you ready for a blockbuster year of leading learning? As you plan professional development for your staff, take a minute to ponder this question... What kind of leader are you? What kind of leader do you want to be?

Senator John McCain passed away on Saturday last after a lengthy battle with brain cancer. Senator McCain was a noble thoughtful courageous man. A Naval Academy graduate, Naval aviator and Vietnam prisoner of war he experienced life at its best and at its worst yet began everyday with hope and a mission. He gave the best of himself to every endeavor and every relationship putting others first. He loved the United States with a passion like no other which he demonstrated with more than 30 years of service on Capitol Hill even after 5 years of suffering in a POW camp.

Resources and Shareables!
Syndee Malek, MEMSPA Associate Executive Director
Taryn and I have been working to put together a Resource and Shareables page for our Members!!! It has been a dream of mine to create a space where we can share great resources that our leaders have created or borrowed over the years.  We are better together and we look forward to keeping this resource updated.

We have tapped a few of our colleagues to get samples of handbooks for both Elementary and Middle School levels.  Names and districts have been removed. If you are looking to update, revisit or start a handbook, take a moment to check out the resources here.

Back-to-School Resources have been shared by Debbie and Derek. There are some great documents, including their work on Procedures and Protocols, Visions and value. We have also included some video links for inspiration and motivation. These are great starting points and reminders to stay true to who you are as you begin a new, exciting year.  Take a look, borrow what fits and make them your own.

Partner Spotlight
Michigan Virtual™  is partnering with the Michigan Department of Education (MDE) to offer educators free online and blended professional development opportunities.

Through this collaboration, the two organizations aim to provide statewide training in a way that is respectful of both the time and budgets of local and intermediate school districts and educational organizations. By leveraging the expertise of subject-matter experts at MDE,  Michigan Virtual  is creating a series of free courses that inform instructors about the latest educational policies and research.