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2019 Fall Conference – Collaborate!
October 17 and 18, 2019 at Ocean Place Resort, Long Branch, NJ
Click here to register for the Fall Conference
Travel Waiver from the Department of Education
Fall Conference Preview Video
Conference Fees
NJPSA Member 1 day – $160
NJPSA Member 2 day – $320
Non-member 1 day – $200
Non-member 2 day – $375
A complimentary hotel room is available for current active members registering for the 2-day event. While rooms at the Ocean Place Resort are currently sold out, we can help you register at one of the other nearby hotels, which will put you on a waiting list for the Ocean Place in case rooms become available. Call now and we can reserve a room for you at the Doubletree, 700 Hope Rd, Eatontown, NJ.07724
Keynote Speakers
Thursday, October 17, 2019
Andy Hargreaves, Professor, Founder of Atlantic Rim Collaboratory
Andy Hargreaves is Research Professor at Boston College, Visiting Professor at the University of Ottawa and a Distinguished Visiting Professor at Hong Kong University. He is President of the International Congress for School Effectiveness and Improvement, Adviser in Education to the First Minister of Scotland and from 2016-2018 to the Premier of Ontario. Andy is founder of the Atlantic Rim Collaboratory (ARC): a group of 9 nations committed to broadly defined excellence, equity, wellbeing, inclusion, democracy and human rights.
Andy has consulted with the OECD, the World Bank, governments, universities and professional associations worldwide. He has given keynote addresses in 50 countries, 47 US states and all Australian states and Canadian provinces. Andy’s more than 30 books have attracted multiple Outstanding Writing Awards. Andy is ranked in the top 20 scholars with most influence on US education policy debate. In 2015, Boston College gave him its Excellence in Teaching with Technology Award. He holds Honorary Doctorates from the Education University of Hong Kong and the University of Uppsala in Sweden.
His most recent book (with Michael O’Connor) is Collaborative Professionalism: when teaching together means learning for all (Corwin, May 2018).
Friday, October 18, 2019
Baruti K. Kafele, Principal, Author, Speaker
A highly regarded urban educator in New Jersey for more then 20 years, Principal Baruti Kafele distinguished himself as a master teacher and a transformational school leader. As an elementary school teacher in East Orange, NJ, he earned the awards listed below.
- East Orange School District
- Essex County Public Schools teacher of the Year
- New Jersey State Teacher of the Year finalist
- New Jersey Education Association Award of Excellence
As a middle school and high school principal, Kafele led the turnaround of four New Jersey urban schools, including the Mighty Newark Tech, which went from a low-performing school in need of improvement to national recognition. It was named U.S. News and World Report recognizing it three times as one of America’s best high schools.
One of the most sought after school leadership experts in America, Kafele is impacting America’s schools. He has delivered more than 2,000 conference and program keynotes, professional development workshops, parenting seminars, and student assemblies. An expert in the area of “attitude transformation,” Principal Kafele is the leading authority for providing effective classroom and school leadership strategies to close the “Attitude Gap.” He is also an accomplished writer of several national best sellers. His most recently released book is The ASPIRING Principal 50.
2019 Fall Conference Schedule
Thursday, October 17, 2019
8:00 am – 9:00 am
Registration | Buffet Breakfast| Exhibits | School Band
9:00 am – 9:15 am
Welcome: NJPSA President (Atlantic Ballroom)
Conference Format: NJPSA Executive Director Patricia Wright
9:15 am – 10:15 am
Keynote: Andy Hargreaves (Atlantic Ballroom)
10:15 am – 10:45 am
Break and Exhibits (Monmouth Ballroom)
10:45 am – Noon
Session I Workshops
Noon – 1:30 pm
Buffet Lunch and Exhibits (Monmouth Ballroom)
1:30 pm – 2:45 pm
Session II Workshops
2:45 pm – 3:15 pm
Break and Exhibits (Monmouth Ballroom)
Session III Workshops
Awards for Conference Sponsors
Networking Reception | Exhibits | Prizes (Monmouth Ballroom) Hotel check-in is between 4:00 pm and 7:00 pm. Dinner is on your own.
Friday, October 18, 2019
7:30 am – 8:30 am
Registration | Buffet Breakfast | Exhibits
8:30 am – 9:30 am
Welcome: NJASCD President (Atlantic Ballroom)
Keynote: Baruti Kafele
9:30 am – 10:15 am
Opening Remarks (Atlantic Ballroom)
National Awards | Visionary Awards | NJASCD Award Presentation
10:15 am – 10:45 am
Break and Exhibits (Monmouth Ballroom)
10:45 am – Noon
Session I Workshops
Noon – 1:00 pm
Buffet Lunch and Exhibits (Monmouth Ballroom)
1:00 pm – 2:15 pm
Session II Workshops
2:15 pm – 2:30 pm
Exhibits | Prizes | Conference Closing (Monmouth Ballroom)
2019 Workshop Sessions
Thursday, October 17, 2019
Thu. – 10:45 am – 12:00 pm — Session I
Presenters: Allison Staffin, Assistant Principal, Cherry Hill High School West; Kwame Morton, Principal, Cherry Hill High School West — Room: Oceanport North — This workshop will explore Cherry Hill HS West’s creation of a learning environment that recognizes ALL children and promotes their academic well-being while utilizing Social Emotional Learning (SEL) strategies. As such, we desire that our students feel a sense of value, acceptance, belonging, and self-worth. We have re-envisioned our work to create a learning environment that focuses on student outcomes while incorporating Student Voice into the fabric of the school’s academic program.
Presenters: Emil Carafa, Coordinator of Professional Learning, FEA — Room: Oceanport South — CAR is the NJ Department of Education’s and the leading educational organizations’ vision for teaching, leading, and learning in New Jersey Schools, as it makes curriculum development a priority. Come to this session to learn about the CAR framework and its coherent approach to curriculum, instruction, assessment and school climate that builds a common language and understanding, and shifts the focus of educators from compliance and programs to process and effective practices. In August, the NJDOE released ELA and math instructional units that were created by teams of New Jersey educators, working in collaboration with the NJDOE Office of Standards and Assessment. These CAR units are the first step in engaging authentic PLCs in meaningful conversations related to curriculum, instruction, and assessment using the CAR framework.
Presenters: Nicole Carmichael, Professional Development Interventionist, Trenton Schools — Room: Sea Bright North — Administrators face a high degree of stress, often from multiple sources. How are you coping with dealing with students, teachers, staff, parents, and community? How are you balancing your work, professional and personal life, and keeping your sanity at the same time? The session will explore self-care strategies to enhance your life in the following categories: physical, psychological, emotional, spiritual, relationship, and professional self-care. You are a PRIORITY. Let’s STOP, LOOK AND LISTEN!!!
- Recognize seen/unseen life situations that can affect a person on a daily basis
- Evaluate personal and professional activities
- Create a self-care plan (goal) to address the mind, body and spirit.
Presenters: XX — Room: Sea Bright South — Socrates said, “The unexamined life is not worth living.” I say, “The unexamined school is not worth attending.” Too many schools perpetuate past practices without questioning their impact or efficacy. As a result, outcomes remain unchanged, people become frustrated, and opportunities to innovate are lost. During this interactive session, participants will experience how to use the “Why, What if, How” framework to lead a journey of collaborative inquiry that creates possibilities and culminates in change.
Presenters: Max Achtau, Principal, and Anthony Scotto, Director of Curriculum, Hamilton Township Schools — Room: Monmouth 3 — This workshop is for anyone who recently started a new administrative position in the last few years. Participants will gain valuable advice / tips that will help you to be successful in your new role. This session is designed for both new and experienced administrators who are working at either the building or district level. There will also be an emphasis placed on the collaboration between schools and central office. The presenters will share their own experiences and then give participants time to share and collaborate.
Presenters: Bob Morrison, Director, and Kira Rizzuto, Program Development Manager, Arts Ed NJ — Room: Monmouth 4 — Discover how your school or district can leverage its creative assets in support of a well-rounded education for every student. High-quality arts programs support the achievement of broad goals such as positive culture and climate, authentic development of social-emotional competencies, and reduction in chronic absenteeism. Learn the 16 factors that shape arts-rich schools and districts in New Jersey, and use this information to identify areas of strengths and areas for growth in your own district.
Presenters: Natalie Franzi, Academic Achievement Officer, and Rob Reavey, Principal, Somerville Public Schools — Room: Monmouth 5 — Multi-Tiered System of Support (MTSS) is a term that is being thrown around as an additional initiative for educators to support student growth. But what does it actually look like within a school system? In this workshop, you will learn how Van Derveer Elementary School is implementing MTSS utilizing student data and embedding professional development. Participants will leave having a clear plan and resources to begin implementation in their school community.
Presenters: Alicia Carney, ELA Teacher and Amanda Steelman, ELA Teacher, Janis E. Dismus Middle School — Room: Promenade 1/2 — Come learn how two ELA teachers applied personalized learning to their classrooms through novel studies and Genius Hour. You will explore research supporting personalized learning and examine real-time data which proves personalized learning better engages students. We will also discuss how to utilize technology in the classroom in a valuable way. Finally, you will experience personalized learning first hand and take away resources to implement it in your own schools!
Presenters: Josue Falaise, Director, Rutgers University — Room: Promenade 3/4 — Attendees will be made aware of how the presenter’s voice was silenced as a child. With the help of adults who encouraged him to raise his voice, he will display how he was able to do the same for thousands of students as a mentor, teacher, principal, assistant superintendent, and higher education administrator. Attendees will also receive concrete equity ideas and strategies that will help them immediately increase student voice in their schools and organizations.
Presenters: Christopher Turnbull, Principal; Beth Hoffman, School Psychologist; and Christina Overman, STEM Facilitator, Hopewell Valley Regional School District — Room: Promenade 5/6 — Through the creation of a student centered Wellness Day and the building of an innovative Outdoor Learning Space (ODLS), our staff and community joined together to provide experiential learning opportunities to support social and emotional learning for the students in our school. In this session, participants will learn about the steps taken to create and implement these initiatives, and the importance of utilizing community resources to promote student engagement and positive school culture. Wellness Day is a yearly event where community members, including parents, business owners and school professionals lead sessions for our students such as mindfulness, yoga, dance, martial arts, nature walks, gymnastics, cooking, art, gardening and many more to promote the health and well-being of body, mind, and spirit. Additionally, a committee of dedicated parents, staff, and community volunteers worked together on the creation of an innovative Outdoor Learning Space. This area complete with a pond water feature, Monarch Meadow, weather station and Nature Trail, provide robust learning opportunities across the curriculum to promote engagement, hands-on learning opportunities, and a sense of pride, comfort and safety in the school. We will discuss the large impact collaboration with the community has on social emotional learning, school climate and culture in school.
Presenters: Richard Hazler, Principal; Peter Cook, Supervisor of Technology; and Michael Portas, Principal, Pequannock Township Schools — Room: Promenade 7/8 — Are you looking to apply technology to create opportunities for students to engage in their learning? Do you utilize technology for professional development? Are you creating a social media brand in your school? Are you looking to increase your teachers’ instructional repertoire in a blended learning environment? Come see how the Pequannock Township School District utilizes a 1:1 program to drive all facets of our instructional curriculum. This interactive workshop is for teachers, administrators, and anyone interested in making their schools A-mazing.
Presenters: Beverly Green, Principal, Logan Township Schools, and Kathy Burgin, Educator, Consultant & PAEMST Awardee — Room: Shrewsbury — How can one principal ensure that school excellence becomes embedded in the culture of the building? The answer is through collaboration with teacher leaders. As principals nurture teacher leader partnerships they can begin to relinquish responsibilities. This collaborative model will afford the principal opportunities to balance job responsibilities, thus actively supporting the school vision, the effectiveness of teachers and instruction, and ultimately student achievement. This workshop will present strategies for developing effective teacher leaders.
Thu. – 1:30 pm – 2:45 pm — Session II
Presenters: Dumar Burgess, Principal, Willingboro Township Schools; George Jackson, Principal, Mount Laurel Township Schools — Room: Oceanport South — One in five students suffer from some form of mental illness. Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) have been linked to negative health outcomes for students. The goal of this workshop is to engage building administrators in an exploration of how mental illness and ACEs impact students, schools, and relevant outcomes. In addition, participants will gain strategies for how to support students that struggle with these challenges.
Presenters: CJ Reynolds, High School Teacher, Boys’ Latin of Philadelphia Charter School — Room: Sea Bright North — One of the best ways educators can engage students who have no interest in reading, writing, or participating in class is to teach them through a lease their students are already interested in. In this session, I will show how educators can create engaging, meaningful, culturally relevant pedagogy in their classrooms through the lens of Hip-Hop, Fortnite, and Legos (just to name a few).
Presenters: Vince Caputo, Superintendent, Metuchen Schools: Rick Cohen, Assistant Superintendent, Metuchen Schools — Room: Sea Bright South — In a recent article called Social and Emotional Learning and Equity in School Discipline, it says “most SEL models are centered on students, but not on the adults who interact with them. Yet research shows that educators’ own social and emotional competencies strongly influence students’ motivation to learn and the school climate in general.” In this workshop, participants will learn how Metuchen has embedded evidence-based SEL curriculum from Dr. Maurice Elias into both K-12 core curricula and professional practices for administrators and teachers to collaborate effectively.
Presenters: Lynnette Dortrait, Assistant Principal, Jersey City Public Schools; Janine Anderson, Principal, Jersey City Public Schools — Room: Monmouth 3 — As New Jersey school leaders who have successfully reduced the chronic absenteeism rate in our school by nearly 20%, we will share strategies to address attendance challenges. We will delve into developing a strong Attendance Committee that supports school-wide attendance targets and initiatives. This interactive workshop will provide you with concrete strategies to track attendance data, prepare incentives for students, parents, and teachers, and it will provide you with creative ways to promote positive school attendance.
Presenters: Dean Robinson, Teacher, Englewood Public Schools; Martine Marcellus, Teacher, Englewood Public Schools — Room: Monmouth 4 — Are SGOs living documents that drive instruction, or are they mere compliance mechanisms? SGOs are often associated with tedious data analysis and compliance. But, through the Connected Action Roadmap (CAR), your school can transform SGOs into powerful tools of collaboration and formative instruction. We will examine how PLCs can create SGOs that drive instruction year-round with student data. We will use our own experiences to showcase the success of this work and provide resources so that you too can ensure SGOs are valuable tools for learning and assessment.
Presenters: Allison Staffin, Assistant Principal, Cherry Hill High School West; Rebecca Metzger, Assistant Principal, Cherry Hill High School East — Room: Monmouth 5 — In this presentation, learners will receive relevant and valuable information on how to build and cultivate teacher leaders. We will share with you how we have carved out opportunities with teacher leaders to support their vision and ideas and connect it to the leadership and goals for our buildings. As we share our work, we will help participants map out realistic opportunities to build teacher leaders in their buildings through goal setting and visioning.
Presenters: Abby Neumeyer, Regional Director of Professional Services, Agile Mind; Ronda Abbott, Director of Educational Services, Agile Mind — Room: Promenade 1/2 — “Learning involves specific challenges in the area to be learned, and so for it to occur, we have to eliminate unnecessary barriers without eliminating necessary challenges.” (UDL Introduction). This session focuses on utilizing the Universal Design for Learning Framework in the context of secondary mathematics classrooms. Participants will walk away with tools for identifying use of these principles in mathematics classroom observation and support for leading teachers to implement these ideas to support struggling learners.
Presenters: Stacey van der Veen, Leadership in Science Founder; Wil van der Veen, Director, RVCC Science Education Institute — Room: Promenade 3/4 — What does it look like and sound like when students are engaging in 3-dimensional learning? In this interactive session, we will explore what to look and listen for when visiting a science classroom to support student engagement in the Next Generation Science Standards and how to support teachers in planning for NGSS-aligned instruction and assessment.
Presenters: Sue Wilder, Professional Learning Lead, Collaborative Classroom — Room: Promenade 5/6 — Developing teacher expertise is intellectually demanding, professional work – it takes study, practice, time, reflection, collaboration, and feedback and requires copious resources from schools and districts. Professional Learning that is separate from classroom practice has very little impact. In this session, we will reconsider the ways that district and school leaders look at curricular resources as a pathway for professional learning.
Presenters: Bruce Preston, Assistant Superintendent of Curriculum and Personnel; Joseph Isola, Superintendent; Jane Losinger, Supervisor of Literacy; and Erin Lowman, Instructional Coach, Howell Township Public Schools — Room: Promenade 7/8 — A successful coaching team requires both an unwavering belief in the collective efficacy of the group and an intentional system for developing teacher leaders into a high-reliability team. This workshop will present one district’s “coach approach,” including ways to ensure that teacher leaders are equally supported by administration and embraced by teaching staff. Key findings from the evolution of our instructional coaching program will be explored, including the essential functions of trust, disruption, and resilience.
Presenters: Jay Billy, Principal; Alyson Fischer, Assistant Principal; and Clifford Williams, Assistant Principal, Lawrence Township Public Schools — Room: Shrewsbury — In this interactive workshop, participants will examine their own biases and understandings of how we look at equity and race in our schools. It is our intention that participants will be fully engaged in thoughtful conversations and activities that will help us develop a deeper understanding of equity and the implicit biases that keep us from meeting the needs of all of our students.
Thu. – 3:15 pm – 4:30 pm — Session III
Presenters: Matt Mingle — Room: Oceanport North — Info coming soon!
Presenters: Lori Burns — Room: Oceanport South — Info coming soon!
Presenters: Presenters – David Nash, Esq., LEGAL ONE Director; Dr. JoAnne Negrin, Supervisor of ESL, World Languages, Bilingual Education and Performing Arts, Vineland Public Schools — Room: Sea Bright North & South — It is critical that school principals and ESL/Bilingual supervisors work closely together to meet the needs of all English language learners in our schools. This session will review the latest state and federal guidance on addressing the needs of ELL students, including issues related to enrollment, providing equal access to rigorous courses, ensuring a safe school environment and communicating effectively with non-English speaking parents. The session will include a review of legal requirements and best practices.
Presenters: Thomas Barclay, FEA Consultant — Room: Monmouth 3 — Participants will explore prevailing theories of educational leadership and their connection to PSEL. They will reflect upon their own beliefs and attitudes toward leadership and learn strategies that will help them create a more collaborative school and educational community, in line with research and standards-based leadership practices. This session will provide participants with knowledge and strategies to become the type of proactive leaders who can help to create positive direction and empower others in the schools they lead.
Presenters: William T. Smith, Superintendent, Point Pleasant Beach School District; Nathan Grosshandler, Principal, Point Pleasant Beach School District — Room: Monmouth 4 — Students who are capable of performing at higher levels, of succeeding in more rigorous courses, exist in all schools. Why aren’t they all in our AP classes? When you begin imagining every student as a potential AP student, the common and preventable barriers built into our existing practices suddenly appear and can be systematically removed. This workshop will offer specific strategies every school can use to expand access to its most rigorous academic programs (including AP), improve K-12 instruction, and most important—create a culture of confidence among staff and students.
Presenters: Janet Ciarrocca, Director of Curriculum, Instruction, and Technology, North Brunswick Township Schools; Jaime Doldan, Supervisor of Curriculum & Instruction. Franklin Township School District; Rosemary Seitel, Supervisor of Educational Technology, Englewood Public School District; Deitra E. Spence, FEA Consultant — Room: Monmouth 5 — Over the last four years, more than two dozen schools have participated in the Connected Action Roadmap (CAR) pilot program through which teaching and learning has been strengthened by the collaborative work of professional learning communities engaged in focused, structured conversations. Across the pilot program, the impact on leadership at all levels has been profound, and while the nature and emergence of this leadership has varied, one consistent feature has been its organic nature. In this session, women from three different pilot schools will share their experiences and insights on their ability to lead and to foster leadership in others through the vehicle of CAR and will share specific resources for leaders to use as they investigate leading their own journey in their districts.
Presenters: Ellen Gianakis, Language Arts Teacher, Passaic County Technical Institute; Maria Rivera, Business Teacher, Passaic County Technical Institute — Room: Promenade 1/2 — In this session, you will learn how to pilot standards-based grading at the classroom level to better inform classroom instruction and increase student intrinsic motivation. Explore different methods for determining student mastery and how to use digital technologies to track students’ standards proficiencies. Come away with practical strategies that you can use in any classroom to transform teaching and learning through the use of standards-driven assessments and feedback.
Presenters: John Bombardier, Assistant Superintendent for C&I, Matawan-Aberdeen Regional School District; Mona Tobia, Director of PreK-5 Curriculum and Instruction, Matawan-Aberdeen Regional School District; Racquel Coloa, Literacy Interventionist and Teacher Leader, Matawan-Aberdeen Regional School District; and Lauren Berman, Reading Specialist, Matawan-Aberdeen Regional School District — Room: Promenade 3/4 — In this session, administrators and interventionists from the Matawan-Aberdeen Regional School District will share their journey in researching and developing a tiered system of intervention supports that includes differentiated interventions and S.M.A.R.T. Goals, specific tier 2 and tier 3 entry and exit criteria, and multiple identification methods for placing students on a tiered continuum. In addition, this session will provide participants with information and resources for effective and efficient progress monitoring, and share district-developed protocols for analyzing student growth, determining adequate progress, and making decisions for movement between tiers. Finally, participants will leave with resources, templates and information that can be immediately transferred into practice at any school district.
Presenters: Amy Mount, Director of Curriculum and Instruction, Gateway Regional School District; Jeff Pierro, Principal, Gateway Regional School District — Room: Promenade 5/6 — Moving beyond business education, entrepreneurship in education makes students more creative, opportunity oriented, proactive and innovative (OECD, 2015). In 2019, GRHS led every student in every class in learning about entrepreneurial mindsets and entrepreneurial experiences. In this session, we will share how we introduced the staff to entrepreneurship, linked goals to our strategic plan, and built experiences into the existing 7th-12th grade curriculum. Leave the session with lesson plans, ideas, and resources for your school!
Presenters: Tiffany Moutis, Superintendent, Mansfield Township School District; Gina Vodola, Client Solutions Specialist, IDE Corp. — Room: Promenade 7/8 — SEL skills are key to students’ success and well-being in school and throughout their lives. Executive function skills are foundational and necessary to learning and social interaction, paving the way for success in school and life. What if you could design classrooms to build both, while promoting high academic rigor? This presentation will offer a look into classrooms that are doing just that. Using problem-based learning to increase student engagement, structures to build student responsibility for learning, and teacher facilitation to raise academic rigor, these classrooms promote a high level of SEL and executive function.
Presenters: Nicole Esposito, Humanities Supervisor, Long Branch Public Schools/ Monmouth University Provisional Teacher Program; Frank Riley, Leadership Academy Principal, Long Branch Public Schools/ Monmouth University Provisional Teacher Program — Room: Shrewsbury — Have you ever lost sleep the night before a meeting where you knew you had to have a difficult conversation? Did the thought of what you were going to say (or what was going to be said to you) leave you tossing and turning and filled with dread? Do you want to call out and let someone else take this meeting? In this presentation, we will discuss strategies and techniques to put you in the proper mindset to overcome your fear of these tough meetings. Through personal examples and case studies, this presentation will allow participants to work through different scenarios to see how they would react to a myriad of scenarios featuring all stakeholders an Administrator might encounter.
Friday, October 18, 2019
Fri. – 10:45 am – 12:00 pm — Session I
Session information is coming soon!
Fri. – 1:00 pm – 2:15 pm — Session II
2019 Conference Location
Ocean Place Resort & Spa
1 Ocean Blvd, Long Branch, NJ 07740