COMMONWEALTH OF VIRGINIA

DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION

P.O. BOX 2120

RICHMOND, VIRGINIA 23218-2120

PRINS. MEMO NO. 27

April 27, 2004

ELEMENTARY / MIDDLE / SECONDARY

TO:	Principals
FROM:	Patricia I. Wright Assistant Superintendent for Instruction
SUBJECT:	Virginia Middle and High School Principals Conference & Exposition June 27-30, 2004

We extend a cordial invitation to principals, assistant principals, division superintendents, assistant superintendents, directors of instruction, supervisors, college personnel, and administrators of nonpublic middle and high schools to attend the annual Virginia Middle and High School Principals Conference & Exposition to be held June 27-30, 2004, at The Homestead in Hot Springs, Virginia. This statewide event is sponsored jointly by the Virginia Association of Secondary School Principals (VASSP) and the Virginia Department of Education (VDOE) to develop and enhance middle and high school administrators leadership skills, increase their understanding of current educational issues, and expand their knowledge base for educational change. The theme for this years conference is Maximizing Leadership for Learning. The conference sessions will focus on school law, teacher evaluation, instructional leadership, school administration, and academic accountability.

General and concurrent sessions will provide participants with new ideas on administrative techniques, strategies for analyzing classroom practices and methods for improving instruction, monitoring Standards of Learning (SOL) and No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 (NCLB) implementation and compliance. Sessions addressing the implications for middle and high school administrators of the National Association of Secondary School Principals Breaking Ranks II and a follow-up discussion to the white paper from The Governors High School Leadership Summit will also be offered. The conference will address other pertinent topics identified in the 2004 Principals Needs Assessment Form.

A pre-conference clinic on school law will be held on Sunday, June 27, from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. The clinic will address changes in federal, state, and case law with emphasis on special education law applicable to the wants and needs of middle and high school administrators as identified in the recent statewide Needs Assessment.

The summer conference will officially begin at 10 a.m. on Monday, June 28. A preliminary conference program synopsis, Conference At-A-Glance, can be found in Supts Memo No. 77 dated April 16, 2004. The detailed announcement about the general session speakers, workshop presenters, topics, etc., will be mailed to you in mid-May.

The Homestead will house all the conference programs. Hotel accommodations are available on a first-come, first-serve basis, and we encourage you to return the enclosed accommodations application form as soon as possible. All rooms not confirmed with a reservation by May 25, 2004, will be released.

A conference registration form (and a hotel accommodations application can be found in Supts Memo No. 77. Please duplicate the forms as needed and share this information with persons who would be interested in attending the conference. To take advantage of EARLY REGISTRATION, the registration form must be completed and returned by May 25, 2004, to Summer Conference, VASSP, Box K 170, Richmond, VA 23288.

Hotel accommodation forms are to be sent via mail directly to The Homestead. The official accommodations application form will be the only form accepted by the hotel. As in past years, the hotel will not accept telephone requests for room reservations (this includes facsimile), written letters, online, or in-person requests. This procedure helps to assure some degree of fairness that everyone has an opportunity to receive the conference announcement and respond in a timely fashion.

We look forward to seeing you in June. If you have questions about the conference or desire additional information, please call VASSP at (804) 288-2777 or Maureen B. Hijar, director of secondary instruction, (804) 225-2894.

JLD/MBH/ce