LAST CHANCE- Retirement Planning Workshop - It's not too late to register for the MEMSPA Retirement Planning Workshop. Go to http://memspa.org/pages/RetPlanWS.cfm for more information.

From the President - Recently I had the pleasure of attending MEMSPA’s New and Aspiring Principal’s workshop in Lansing. The workshop was chaired by Darla Campbell from Watervliet. Darla and her committee are to be commended for arranging an excellent workshop. I had the pleasure of being inspired by Nancy Colflesh, Bob Howe, Peter Spadafore, and Martin Chaffee. The best part of this workshop was... Read on >

Dear Members - So you think it’s cold outside? Well come a little closer because things are “Hot” at MEMSPA. While you may be dreaming of beaches, palm trees and splashing waves many MEMSPA members and staff have kept the heat on to accomplish many MEMSPA projects currently on the front burner. Let me tell you about just a few: Read on >

The Reading Principal - Bill Rich, MEMSPA Past President and principal of McFall Elementary School with the Thornapple Kellogg Public Schools, will share his love of reading to students with MEMSPA members in a regular article titled, The Reading Principal.  In each article, Bill will share a favorite book that has been “field tested” with elementary students.
Read on >

Retired from Education...Hardly - Never in their wildest dreams did they consider that when becoming a principal they might have to dodge camels on the road, help a school eradicate pigeons from the courtyard rafters, teach a physical education teacher the proper way to hang basketball nets or become accustomed to incense in the school lobby so strong that it can invoke the gag reflex. Lynn Babcock and Deborah Wolf, both retired from their principal positions in Michigan Read on >

Michigan Cyber Safety Initiative - The Internet is a powerful tool that helps educate our children.  In the wrong hands, however, it is also an avenue for individuals to prey on our children.  In the U.S., one in seven children who use computer chatrooms has been approached over the Internet by pedophiles.  And nearly 90 percent of solicitations of youth were made in either chatrooms or through instant messaging. Read on >

Under the Dome -As with most policy wonks in the United States, Tuesday, February 5, 2008, was a very important, exciting, and suspenseful day for me.  On this day 24 states voted in primaries and caucuses to nominate candidates to be our next president.
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NAESP Statement on President Bush's Final Budget - Ournation’s schools are faced with unprecedented challenges, andeducators are working to create and maintain effective learning communities to help children reach their highest potential. However, the Fiscal Year 2009 budget proposal that President Bush delivered to Congress this week fails to adequately fund essential programs to prepare thenation’s students for the bright futures that they deserve. Read on >

Middle Level - Pulling Together - Educators strive to be sensitive to young learners’ emotional and academic needs in the classroom.  We also do our best to build a strong grade-level community within the context of a group of young people who may be at different levels along the cognitive, psychological, and social spectra.  Building community within such a broad developmental range is a challenge further complicated by school size.  In a school with multiple sections of each grade, students don’t always know each other well – if at all. Read on >

Winter Leadership - The forth annual New and Aspiring Principals (NAP) and Established and Striving Principals (ESP) Winter Institutes were held on January 30, 31 and February 1, 2008. Even though the weather was cold and snowy, the participants of the Winter Institute were warm, well fed, and motivated learners. Read on >

Emerging Leaders - The Michigan State University College of Education, in collaboration with the Michigan Association of Secondary School Principals and the Michigan Elementary and Middle School Principals Association, is pleased to offer the eleventh annual Emerging Leaders Program, a response to the statewide need to develop qualified applicants for school-level administrative positions, particularly principals and assistant principals. Read on >

Article Submission - Have you ever read an article from a magazine, newsletter, or other source and thought, "I should pass this along to others,"? If you come across an article or have a story worth passing along to your collegues, please contact Peter at peter@memspa.org.