COMMONWEALTH OF VIRGINIA

DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION

P.O. BOX 2120

RICHMOND, VIRGINIA 23218-2120

SUPTS. MEMO NO.83

April 13, 2007

INFORMATIONAL

TO:

Division Superintendents

 

FROM:

Billy K. Cannaday, Jr.

Superintendent of Public Instruction

 

SUBJECT:

Virginia Middle and High School Principals Conference and Exposition

June 26-29, 2007, Williamsburg Marriott

 

A cordial invitation is extended 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 80th annual Virginia Middle and High School Principals Conference & Exposition to be held June 26-29, 2007, at the Williamsburg Marriott in Williamsburg, 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 success. The theme for this years conference is Building Leadership Collaborations: Focusing on the Future. The conference sessions will focus on Principal 21st Century Initiatives including such topics as successful collaborative leadership practices, mentoring and coaching, training and evaluation models on collaborative teaching, building a collaborative school culture, Breaking Ranks II for high school leaders, Breaking Ranks in the Middle for middle school leaders, and VDOE initiatives and supported models for monitoring of collaboration and co-teaching.

 

The summer conference will offer five general keynote sessions featuring state and nationally acclaimed educators and motivational speakers, the VDOE Colloquium, Professional Practices Symposium, and School Law Clinic. Governor Timothy M. Kaine has been asked to address his administrations education initiatives, and President Mark Emblidge, Virginia Board of Education, and Superintendent of Public Instruction Billy K. Cannaday, Jr., will be addressing the Commonwealths policy directives for the coming year. Major concurrent sessions will include pertinent topics identified in the recent statewide 2007 Middle Level and High School Principals Needs Assessment which include instructional leadership, academic accountability, educational policy, teacher quality, school management, and community involvement/partnerships. Conference presenters will provide strategies for assessing classroom practices and methods for improving instruction, meeting AYP, analyzing and interpreting assessment data for high school/middle/junior high/intermediate school principals, assistant principals, and other school administrators, using instructional technology to teach the Standards of Learning, monitoring compliance with No Child Left Behind Act of 2001, and sharing and showcasing models that work and are now being successfully used in public schools. Graduate credit for conference participation is available.

 

A pre-conference clinic on school law will be held on Tuesday, June 26, from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. The clinic will address educational law issues over the past year as a result of recent state and federal legislation and case law.

 

The 2007 summer conference will officially begin at 10 a.m. on Wednesday, June 27, 2007. A preliminary conference program synopsis, Conference At-A-Glance, is provided in Attachment A. The detailed announcement about the general session speakers, workshop presenters, topics, etc., will be mailed to you in mid-May and will be posted on the VASSP Web site.

 

The Williamsburg Marriott 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, 2007, will be released.

 

A conference registration form (see Attachment B) and a hotel accommodations application (see Attachment C) are also provided with this memorandum. 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, 2007, to Summer Conference, VASSP, 4909 Cutshaw Avenue, Richmond, VA 23230.

 

Hotel accommodation forms are to be sent via mail directly to the Williamsburg Marriott. Only the enclosed official accommodations application form will be 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 so 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 visit the VASSP website at www.vaprincipal.org or call the Association at (804) 355-2777.

 

 

BKCJr/RDB/eh

Attachments

 

http://www.doe.virginia.gov/administrators/superintendents_memos/2007/inf083a.pdf

http://www.doe.virginia.gov/administrators/superintendents_memos/2007/inf083b.doc

http://www.doe.virginia.gov/administrators/superintendents_memos/2007/inf083c.doc