Items, Events, Calendar, Eclectic Stuff (truc et chose)

1. NMSA's Middle Level Essentials Conference April 23-24, 2009. Robert Balfanz will be keynoting. He has done a bunch of research on 6th grade transition factors that has been cited by NMSA.

2. NMSA ‘09 Invitation Video

3. Michigan Association of Middle School Educators Annual Conference March 12 & 13 at White Pine Middle School in Saginaw Township. Mr. Ron Clark will be keynoting. Approximately 20 days left for the early registration discount.

4. Ohio Middle School Association’s Annual Conference will be February 19-20 in Sandusky, OH. Keynote speakers this year include Mr. Mark McLeod and Mr. Ty Sells.

5. The National Forum to Accelerate Middle Grades Reform will be holding their annual conference in June. See the flyer at their website for details.

6. Teacher Preparation Symposium information at NMSA.

7. NMSA is accepting presentation proposals to their Annual Conference in Indianapolis next year.

8. Interested in a Science Quiz show online and in a virtual game show environment? Try The Second Question.

9. NECC is coming this summer! Here's an excuse to travel to Washington D.C.

10. If Mr. Berckemeyer dawdles on getting us the Kindles, soon we'll want these from Plastic Logic. "Did you bring pencil, eraser, and epaper with you to class today?"

11. Thing To Try This Week: Create a flash mob of faculty at the corner of one of your hallways. Ideas for the flash mob can be posted here at www.middleschoolmatters.com.

12. From Steve Hargadon's Classroom 2.0: "Looking for Lincoln: Changing Views of History, Changing Views of Race" with speaker Dr. Henry Louis Gates, Jr.

13. 14. Second Life notices:

* 1/25 ISTE Island Tours

* 1/27 ISTE Seminar: Virtual Renaissance & Education - Virtual Harlem's role as a learning community.

* 1/29 Data Visualization around the Campfire on ISTE island.

* 1/31 Basic Skills Workshop: Appearance (ISTE Island 3)

* 2/3 ISTE Speaker Series (TBA)

Webspotlight- http://www.studystack.com/

• Hernando School Board says administrators should get raise, despite what they say

• Suit filed over longer middle school day

• Standards Help Minn. Vie With Top Nations

• An Early Warning System: by promptly reacting to student distress signals, schools can redirect potential dropouts onto the path to graduation.

* A final grade of F in mathematics.

* A final grade of F in English.

* Attendance below 80 percent for the year.

* A final “unsatisfactory” behavior mark in at least one class.

Solutions:

* Whole-school interventions: Weekly or monthly attendance parties, one individual who intervenes at the first absence, placing or creating a school culture that rewards intrinsically or extrinsically good attendance.

* Targeted interventions

* Intensive interventions