School Administrators of Iowa

School Law Conference to Provide Important Lessons

Tracy Harms — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 22:08:40 +0000

Join attorneys who specialize in education issues for the upcoming SAI School Law Conference Feb. 21 at the Sheraton West Des Moines featuring sessions on

special education,
technology use and policies for students and staff,
anti-bullying strategies and hazing,
FERPA,
Iowa's New School Safety Guide and recommended safety techniques,
developments at the Capitol from SAI Government Relations Director Tom Narak.

Myths and Realities Regarding SAMs

Tracy Harms — Wed, 25 Jan 2012 19:54:57 +0000

The School Administration Manager Program is one of the components listed in the Branstad-Reynolds Recommendations for World-Class Schools, and its inclusion has elicited questions about SAMs. Listen to this webinar recording in which SAMs State Coordinator Carol Lensing provides more information about the Program.

Ways to Stay Informed During the Legislative Session

Tracy Harms — Thu, 05 Jan 2012 16:07:30 +0000

The 2012 legislative session convened January 9, and SAI will offer multiple ways for you to stay up-to-date on legislative developments:

weekly e-mails will be sent to members,
the legislative web page will offer news,
and the School Administrators of Iowa Facebook group (open only to current members) will provide frequent updates and request your thoughts on issues.

If you haven’t already done so, review SAI’s 2012 Legislative Priorities for this year's areas of focus.

What are schools studying?

Tracy Harms — Thu, 01 Dec 2011 02:08:10 +0000

Administrators answered the November SAI poll asking what titles are being used this year for book studies by teams of teachers, administrators and school board members. See what your colleagues are reading and access links to more information on the books.

Bev Kuehn is the 2011-12 Iowa Assistant Principal of the Year

Tracy Harms — Mon, 24 Oct 2011 17:59:31 +0000

Bev Kuehn, associate principal at Parkview Middle School in Ankeny, has been named the 2011-12 Iowa Assistant Secondary Principal of the Year by SAI.

"As an educational leader, Bev Kuehn’s commitment to student and staff learning is evident through not only her work in helping students make the transition from elementary to middle school and structuring schedules to enable staff to have time to learn together each day, but also in her overall involvement with academics on the district level," expressed SAI Executive Director Dan Smith.

As Iowa's recipient, Kuehn will move on to the national competition sponsored by the National Association of Secondary School Principals and Virco, Inc. The organizations honor all State Assistant Principals of the Year at a forum and awards banquet held each year in Washington, D.C. This event salutes assistant principals and provides an opportunity for them to share best practices and expertise with each other.

You can read more about Bev Kuehn in the upcoming December issue of the SAI Report.

Congratulations to the 2011-12 Iowa Superintendent of the Year Katie Mulholland

Tracy Harms — Thu, 29 Sep 2011 18:24:13 +0000

Katie Mulholland, superintendent of the Linn-Mar Community School District, has been named the 2011-12 Iowa Superintendent of the Year by the School Administrators of Iowa.

SAI Executive Director Dan Smith expressed, “Katie Mulholland is an exemplary Iowa school superintendent. She believes that the job of a superintendent is to ensure that each student receives the best education possible. All of her work and expertise is focused on that goal.”

What have we got to learn?

Tracy Harms — Fri, 16 Sep 2011 15:02:33 +0000

Four Strands Highlight SAI Learning Opportunities

Based on input from SAI’s professional development advisory committee, survey feedback from members, research about best practices and the Education Summit, SAI will offer the following events for school leaders. Select a strand for more information on the sessions provided.

Registration for many of these programs is now on this site, and more information will be added as further details become available.

Congratulations to Iowa's National Blue Ribbon Schools

Tracy Harms — Thu, 15 Sep 2011 19:07:31 +0000

Today the U.S. Department of Education recognized 256 public and 49 private schools as National Blue Ribbon Schools. Recipients will be honored at a conference and awards ceremony Nov. 14-15 in Washington, D.C. Iowa's winners are

Anita Elementary School, Anita
Decorah High School, Decorah
Greene Elementary School, Greene
MOC-Floyd Valley High School, Orange City
St. Columbkille Elementary School, Dubuque
Saint Paul the Apostle Catholic School, Davenport
Washington Elementary School, Muscatine

Legal Issues Webinar Series is Underway

Tracy Harms — Fri, 02 Sep 2011 15:32:51 +0000

Join SAI Legal Services Director Matt Carver Oct. 13 at 10 a.m. to discuss this month’s SAI Report column. Connect with SAI and your colleagues to learn more and have your questions answered.

Sign-up today, there is no charge for members to participate. Also, plan ahead for future sessions currently scheduled for Nov. 11, Dec. 6, Jan. 10, Feb. 9, March 8, April 12 and May 2.

SAI Launches Video Communications for Members

Tracy Harms — Mon, 22 Aug 2011 20:58:21 +0000

SAI is pleased to announce a new feature on its website: A weekly update using on-demand video to deliver timely information to members.

The Wednesday weekly update expands SAI's member outreach, and the three- to five-minute video segments will focus on timely topics of interest to school leaders.

Videos are posted in the right-hand column of the SAI home page. You may check the SAI website to see when a new video is posted or subscribe to the videos, so you're alerted as new ones are added.

Weekly Wednesday updates will also be archived for on-demand viewing.