Volume XLIV                            September 2022

No. 321

Who is Your Cindy Lou Who?

Greeting SAM Members, 

Let the school year begin!  Ready or not the school year has started!   As many of us start our school year understaffed, still looking for bus drivers, paraprofessionals, lunchroom staff, and even certified teaching staff, are you asking yourself how do I stay positive and confident for this new year? We have a lot of ground to make up.  This has been keeping me up at night. I definitely don’t have the answers, but I do have hope.  Hope that our schools are still the heart of our communities. Hope that public education is still valued. Hope that students' lives can be made better. Hope that relationships that are formed this year will truly change lives. Hope that students know that when they come to school there is at least one person that cares about them, looks out for them, listens to them, and truly misses them when they’re not at school. I hope that’s true of our leaders and staff as well. I hope you make meaningful connections with staff, parents, kids and community members that you meet.  I know these connections will have a positive ripple effect in your school and community.  I hope that you dig deep and find the strength to stay the course as a school leader for your community.  Take a minute to remember the Grinch that stole Christmas.  Let’s step up and deliver the goods!

I am honored to learn from you and lead beside you as your 2022-23 SAM President.  I have hope our organization moves forward in a positive direction.  I hope you reach out to me and know that I am here to support you.  Additionally, SAM is a wonderful resource for School Leaders.  Do NOT feel alone in your building. SAM is 1075+ strong as an organization!

SAM provides much support for the work we do.  Take advantage of the SAM  resources such as the SAM website, LPLP program, the many conferences, the Community Forum and weekly news articles.  Our new campaign "Did You Know"...Telling Your Story of Personalized Learning and Innovation will be a powerful tool that will impact how public education is making a difference in your communities!   Information can be found on the homepage of the SAM website.  SAM members can also share the form with other stakeholders to submit:  teachers, para educators, support staff (e.g. secretary, food service, transportation), Trustees and community members. I hope you take advantage of  The SAM Team and supports available to members.  The SAM Team is second to none.

 Be Involved, Advocate, Learn and Grow!  

by Dr. Rob Watson, SAM Executive Director

Like any new job, I have spent some time in the last month reviewing the goals and objectives of our organization. I have also had conversations with many of you about the priorities for SAM as well as strengths and current challenges facing our organization. As educational leaders, this is an important time for us to collaborate and discuss our hopes and dreams for the future.

As you begin what will likely be a busy few months, I would encourage you to reflect on your membership and participation with SAM. For those new to the organization, I have found three simple pieces of advice: be involved in the decisions that impact education, advocate for what you know is best for kids and continue to learn and grow as a professional. These three simple actions create the foundation of our strategic plan goal areas.

1. SAM members, modeling and promoting the highest levels of professionalism, integrity and leadership, actively engage in impactful discussions on education.

2. SAM members will be equipped with accurate information and prepared to use it to advocate for public education.

3. SAM will extend and expand the learning through professional development, mentorship and other member services.

How do we do this?  How do we live out the values of SAM?  

• We demonstrate collective advocacy, which is the act of bringing people together, with a common interest, to explore ideas, develop goals, and seek solutions.

• We continue to seek a “seat at the table.” SAM members did this last year through a variety of state-level committees and task force gatherings. Even though we may not always agree on the best path forward, it is important that we are present in the discussion. If we stop asking for that seat at the table, we will stop being asked to be at the table.

• We seek consensus to create a common voice. Remember, now more than ever, it is important that we stick together around a collective vision. We are stronger, our voice is louder, and our impact is greater when we stick together. My hope is that you will join me in creating that consensus.

• We learn and grow from each other. This happens when we attend regional meetings or professional conferences. It also happens by participating in collaborative programs like SAM Leaders Professional Learning Program.

• We share best practices in hopes that we can all get better. Expanding our reach by sharing means that more students will benefit from our ideas and innovation. One way you can do this is by sharing a “Did you know” story with your colleagues.

Most of us have started new jobs in our careers. When one starts a new job it is important to understand the values of the organization and work towards living those values. I have sought to do so with research, discussion, and listening and I will continue to do so moving forward. 

In the next few months I will be traveling to attend as many in-person regional meetings as possible. When I am in your community, I would welcome the opportunity to visit your school or district, discuss your goals, and hear your thoughts around the greatest challenges facing the future of education in Montana. These conversations help me to create that collective voice and guide this group of outstanding leaders. Thank you for the opportunity.

Best of luck as you start the new school year.  Looking forward to our conversations,

Rob

MASS/MCASE Fall Conference:  Leadership Rising Through Collaboration

Be sure to register for the MASS/MCASE Fall Conference at the Best Western Plus GranTree in Bozeman September 19-20!  The Conference will include outstanding information and dialogue about inspiring leadership and support, 2022-23 advocacy issues, trending legal issues and mental health support.

The conference agenda features  Adam Welcome co-founder of Kids Deserve It, an AASA Federal Update, current legal issues with Bea Kaleva, and a panel discussion about incorporating school-based mental health options.  You will have many opportunities to connect with other administrators, SAM Business Partners, and additional exhibitors throughout the conference.  

Follow this link for more information and to register:  2022 MASS/MCASE Fall Conference

New and Experienced Administrators are
Invited to Register for SAM LPLP 2022-23

One of the goals of SAM, your professional organization, is to ensure that each school administrator has the support necessary to achieve every success possible, both in their role as an administrator and individually.  SAM Leaders Professional Learning Program (LPLP) helps to achieve that goal by providing a unique and innovative approach to professional learning for Montana school leaders.  SAM LPLP offers an opportunity for participants to receive student-focused, solution-based professional development designed to be responsive to the challenges and issues administrators face each day. 

Connecting new, experienced, and aspiring administrators throughout the state; SAM LPLP’s multi-faceted blended learning approach consists of...

• personal learning networks, including working with an experienced provider for one-on-one coaching/mentoring,
• collegial learning networks designed to be dynamic based upon topics of interest as they arise that allow participants to focus on specific areas of interest;

• New for 2022-23:  access to The Source, a digital platform designed to deliver what busy educational leaders need . . .

  • Access to up-to-date, concise, easily available information, resources, and research on a wide variety of issues and topics that emerge, frequently urgently, in an ever-changing and complex environment as well as access to  the SAM LPLP Resource Center and Personal Mastery Toolkit based on the ten Professional Standards for Educational Leaders (PSEL);

  • Connection to colleagues across the country for dialogue, feedback, sharing challenges, successes and practice. We know learning and capacity building is communal;

  • Engagement with deeper learning, application, and implementation. Educational leaders want to move from rhetoric to results. The Source provides opportunities to engage with consultants and thought leaders, leadership teams within the school and apply implementation skills, collaborative inquiry, professional learning communities, using data to make decisions, all with the aim of making measurable improvements in student learning and well-being.

Everything described above is available to administrators for only $500 for the full program year.  Detailed information and an online registration form can be found on the SAM LPLP 2022-23 webpage. 

Healthcare Reimagined
4500 N. Lewis Dr.
Sioux Falls, SD 57104
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605-606-0147