This is your invitation to attend our meeting of CAASP
Connecticut Association of Alternative Schools and Programs
Present: Bruce Blake, Steve Craig, Donna Delany, Vicki Gustavson, Mark Hill, Cathy Pellegrino, Rick Rumsey, Bill Scalise, and Wayne Theriault
Secretary’s Report: Steve Craig reported that the minutes from the October CAASP meeting are available on www.caasp.org
Treasurer’s Report: Wayne Theriault reported that the CAASP account currently stands at $4,169.20. This balance is not inclusive of the $2,900.40 that will be collected from the November 4th PD conference. (Approximately $1,000 of that total will be paid to the Milford Academy to cover food and hosting costs). He also noted that CAASP now has eight paid members.
Webmaster’s Report: Bill Scalise stated that a resource page has been created and is currently featured on caasp.org. He also noted that conference photos will be posted by the end of the week.
Membership Report: Rick Rumsey reported that he has made contact with staff from alternative programs in Plainfield and Glastonbury, both of which have expressed interest in sending representatives to future monthly meetings. Wayne Theriault mentioned that Geoff Smith, a retired alternative educator from North Branford, has joined CAASP as the association’s first individual member ($15 a year). Members in attendance found this to be an excellent option for retired members or teachers who are no longer affiliated with an alternative education program. Rick, Wayne, and Bill Scalise will continue further discussion on individual memberships in an executive committee.
Professional Development Conference Feedback: Wayne Theriault noted that 84 paid attendees were registered for the conference that was held on November 4th. Bill Scalise added that he was approached by a number of participants who shared positive feedback with him about the overall quality of the conference and the workshop offerings. His only concern was that there was a lack of input or suggestions from attendees about topics or workshops for next year’s conference. Vicki suggested that a third email distribution list could be created for future conferences based on the registration data and would be useful for communicating with potential participants. Bruce Blake added that the conference also contributed to the process of solidifying relationships with workshop presenters. Other feedback was provided as follows:
· Content-area round table discussions were generally well-attended and productive; the discussion was useful for newer teachers and helped to break down the feelings of isolation that many alternative educators often experience; some content-area groups shared the information discussed during the round table meeting through email distribution groups.
· Milford Academy students received well-deserved praise for their efforts in providing breakfast and lunch for conference participants; they attended and worked as promised to buy back unexcused absences (and to spend some of their day off with their teachers).
· Mark Linabury’s keynote presentation provided an excellent overview of the State Department of Education’s position on educational alternatives; there was a suggestion that a follow-up phone call could be placed to Mark to thank him for his participation and to inquire about other potential speakers from the State Department of Education that may be willing to attend future conferences (Bill Scalise and Wayne Theriault mentioned that they will be contacting the Commissioner’s office in January to speak with Mark McQuillan about the possibility of having him join us next November).
· Bill Scalise suggested that a thank-you email and a “save this date” announcement for the 2009 PD conference could be sent to conference participants as soon as possible.
· Finally, it was noted that work on the theme and workshop offerings for the 2009 PD conference should begin much earlier and that every effort should be made to offer as many new workshops as possible; this will help prevent the repetitiousness and stagnation that began to plague the January CAASP conferences at Yale several years ago.
STARS: The first STARS student meeting is scheduled for Thursday, November 13, 2008 at ALTA in Southington. STARS leaders are involved in personal development and team-building activities to prepare them for leadership roles in planning the 2009 CAASP Conference. Mark Hill, the conference coordinator, has arranged for Camp Sloper staff from the YMCA in Southington to conduct leadership training in the Derynoski Elementary School gymnasium. STARS leaders from the Norwalk, Wallingford, Danbury, Killingly, and Southington alternative programs will be participating. An additional meeting will be scheduled in January, at which time the STARS leaders will begin deciding on the conference theme and workshop topics (Some workshop topics that were suggested included “Nonviolence,” and “Cyberbullying;” members are asked to email additional workshop suggestions to Mark Hill as soon as possible).
Members are reminded that the March 18th meeting at ALTA in Southington just prior to the conference is mandatory, as a great deal of important organizational and supervisory information is presented.
New Membership Application: Mark Hill mentioned that he was seeking feedback about the new online CAASP membership application. He asked specifically if space for more than one contact name or phone number should be included on the form. Some discussion of published membership rates took place and it was decided that the form would include an individual membership rate of $15 a year in addition to the regular program membership rate of $50 a year.
Present: Bruce Blake, Steve Craig, Diane Dery, Gino LoRicco, Cathy Pellegrino, Rick Rumsey, Bill Scalise, Geoffrey Smith, Wayne Theriault, Vicki Gustavson and Bruce Thorndike
Secretary’s Report: Bill Scalise shared that he had been contacted by Mary Anne Buchanan, formerly the director of Explorations Charter School in Winsted and currently an assistant principal at Housatonic Valley Regional High School in Falls Village, CT. She indicated that HVRHS staff members are investigating alternative education programs in preparation for development of a new program there. She will be visiting both Windham High School and Killingly ALPS on Friday, October 24, 2008.
Treasurer’s Report: Wayne Theriault reported that the CAASP account currently stands at $4,169.20 and noted that the federal government now requires CAASP and other not-for-profit organizations to efile a tax return indicating that the association earns less than $25,000 annually.
Webmaster’s Report: Bill Scalise stated that he has begun the process of compiling and generating an electronic newsletter; he encouraged member programs to submit brief articles about their schools and he will publish them. In an effort to continue improving caasp.org,Vicki Gustavson asked members, particularly new members, to provide feedback to Bill about the ease of site navigation, layout problems, or site content issues.
Introductions/Notes: Rick Rumsey introduced and welcomed new visitors to the CAASP meeting group, including Cathy Pellegrino of Stonington High School, Gino LoRicco of the Quinebaug Valley Middle College High School in Danielson, CT, and Bruce Thorndike of the Manchester Regional Academy.
· SAILS (Stonington’s Academic Integrated Learning Program for Students)- Cathy Pellegrino provides academic and counseling support for 12 regular/special education students at Stonington High School. The program currently serves juniors and seniors, but Cathy would like to extend it to freshman and sophomores and is looking for input from CAASP members about how to grow SAILS.
· Quinebaug Valley Middle College High School- Gino LoRicco heads and teaches in a middle college model that serves students from six sending towns (Killingly, Plainfield, Putnam, Thompson, Windham and Woodstock). The program features “an eclectic mix of students” and seeks to capitalize on the untapped potential of these learners in a college setting.
· Manchester Regional Academy- Bruce Thorndike is the principal of a program which includes a focus on both behavior management and the development of vocational skills. Manchester Regional Academy’s day program includes 26 staff members and includes a therapeutic component and allows students to complete coursework in a highly-structured setting. The program is a regional one and serves towns such as Hartford, East Hartford and Southington.
STARS: The process of selecting STARS leaders from each program has begun for the 2008-09 school year and the first meeting is scheduled for Thursday, November 13, 2008 at ALTA in Southington. STARS leaders are involved in personal development and team-building activities to prepare them for leadership roles in planning the 2009 CAASP Conference. Mark Hill, the conference coordinator, has arranged for Camp Sloper staff from the YMCA in Southington to conduct leadership training at ALTA this November. The STARS leaders will then begin preparation for the conference, which will be held on March 25, 2009 at CCSU. A maximum of four students from each program may participate in STARS.
Members are reminded that the March 18th meeting at ALTA in Southington just prior to the conference is mandatory, as a great deal of important organizational and supervisory information is presented.
CAASP MEETING Notes September 24, 2008
Present: Vicki Gustavson, Mark Hill, Donna Delany, Rick Rumsey, Bill Scalise, Wayne Theriault, Geoffrey Smith, Dave Canavan, Alaine Lane, Edward Derr, Bruce Blake
October 22 Putnam
November 12 Stratford
December 17 Norwalk
January 14 Milford
February 11 Wallingford
March 18 Southington (mandatory meeting to attend conference)
March 25 CCSU State Conferences
April 29 Somers
May 20 Danbury