JCAA Board of Directors' Meeting Minutes

As a JCAA member, you are represented by a member of the Board of Directors. Be sure to contact him/her with concerns, suggestions, comments. Reading the minutes from the Board meetings is a very good way to stay informed!

Click here to read the JCAA Board minutes from May 5, 2006.
Click here to read the JCAA Board minutes from April 7, 2006.
Click here to read the JCAA Board minutes from March 3, 2006.
Click here to read the JCAA Board minutes from February 3, 2006.

Exit Interview Survey- Deadline is June 3, 2006

JCAA is conducting an online Exit Interview Survey of those people who have left the district this school year or will be leaving the district by September 2006.

***Please let me know if you are retiring or leaving the district, so I can send you the link to the survey.***

The purpose for conducting this exit interview is for JCAA to better understand why administrators and professional/technical employees leave the district, on the basis that criticism is a helpful driver for organizational improvement. Because an objective of JCAA's mission is to influence the direction of the district, the information gathered will be used to better understand the district as an organization and to assess and improve systemic conditions in the working environment, culture, processes, systems, management, and development.

The zoomerang.com survey is being sent out to over 50 people during the period from May 3, 2006 through June 3, 2006 via an email link. For those people who have left the district, a letter is being sent to them with the request to complete the survey and a link to the survey. The survey link will be closed as of June 4, 2006. The survey is confidential. The aggregate responses will be used by the JCAA Board of Directors and may also be shared with District Cabinet and/or the Board of Education in its aggregated form and/or as an executive summary.

JCAA General Membership Survey Results

Click here to read the executive summary of the JCAA General Membership Survey results. The JCAA Associate Membership Survey is still being analyzed. The Emeritus members will receive their survey this summer.

50% of the general membership responded to the survey. The results were very positive overall. The majority of the questions had a very high mean, over 4. Compared to the trending from the last major survey in 2002, the results have remained stable. The biggest issues for members seem to be around time and workload. The most important factors for attending professional development events are topic and speaker.

JCAA Winter 2007 Major Event - Margaret Wheatley

JCAA Winter 2007 Professional Development Event
Featuring: Margaret Wheatley, Ed.D.
Friday, February 9, 2007
Morning Workshop

We are very pleased to bring in Dr. Margaret Wheatley for our winter professional development event. Margaret has been a consultant and speaker since 1973. Her master's degree from New York University is in systems thinking, and she holds a doctorate of education from Harvard. She is the President Emerita of the Berkana Institute, a global charitable foundation dedicated to serving life-affirming leaders. http://www.berkana.org/index.html

Margaret has published many articles and books, including Leadership and the New Science; A Simpler Way; Turning to One Another: Simple Conversations to Restore Hope to the Future; and her newest book, Finding Our Way: Leadership for an Uncertain Time. You can download and read her articles from her web site at no expense: http://www.margaretwheatley.com

Principals and managers are welcome to bring a team from their school or department. Registration materials will be sent out this fall.

JCAA Spring 2006 Leadership Development Seminars

Thank you to all who facilitated and participated in the JCAA Leadership Development Seminar Series this spring. The evaluations were overwhelmingly high!

Administrator Staff Development Fund

As of the January 31 deadline date, funds are no longer available for this fiscal year. You can still submit an application, but you will be placed on a waiting list. The waiting list already has over 10 people. To apply, click here to download the form and send in your application by the next deadline date.

If you were approved for funding this year and no longer plan to attend the conference, please let us know so we can pass those funds on to the next person on the waiting list!

JCAA Year End Celebration Event!
Enlightened Leadership: Bright Futures!

JCAA Year End Celebration Event
Enlightened Leadership: Bright Futures!
Featuring Dr. Kevin Fitzgerald
Wednesday, June 7, 2006
Arvada Center for the Arts
7:30 - 11:30 AM

Register Now! Click here for the flier and registration form. Don't miss out on this fun and energizing networking event! This is our opportunity to celebrate the year's successes and recognize our retiring members. The morning will start off with a full breakfast buffet and comedy from Dr. Fitzgerald. There will be door prizes and special participant gifts. Those members representing JCAA on district and JCAA committees will be receiving a certificate of appreciation!

You may know Dr. Kevin Fitzgerald as the star of Animal Planet's "Emergency Vets" but that's just the tip of the Iceberg. Dr. Fitzgerald has been a full time stand up comedian since 1986. Prior to that he was the head bouncer for the Rolling Stones from 1966 to 1986. In 2002 he was selected as one of People Magazine's "The Top 50 Most Eligible Bachelors in America." Kevin's days are spent at his veterinary practice where he is one of the most sought after vets in the country. His nights and weekends are spent performing at the nation's top comedy clubs, colleges, and corporations ...And now we are fortunate to bring him to our JCAA members!

To learn more about Dr. Fitzgerald and to watch clips of his performance, go to: http://www.comedyworksentertainment.com/fitzgerald.html

JCAA Members Annual Golf Tournament!

Wednesday, June 7, 2006
Shot Gun Start: 3:00 PM
Foothills Golf Course

Register Now! Click here for the flier and registration form. Join your fellow JCAA members for this informal and fun networking event. We are playing scramble (everyone hits from the best shot), so all experience levels are welcome, including no experience! After playing, we will meet on the deck to enjoy appetizers, cash bar, and prizes! If you're not going to play, but want to come for the fun afterward, come around 5:30 when the players should be finishing the course.

Save This Date! - JCAA Motivational Event
Living Your Best Life!

JCAA Motivational Event: Living Your Best Life!
Featuring Dr. James Rouse
Friday, July 28, 2006
8:00 - 11:00 AM

The featured presenter will be Dr. James Rouse of Optimum Wellness. Dr. James spoke to our JCAA retired members group of about 30 people and received all 10's and 10+'s on the evaluations! Participants encouraged JCAA to have him speak to the rest of the members, so that you could be inspired by his powerful personal story. Our theme for 2006-07 will be around wellness and life balance!

Take advantage of this wonderful opportunity to renew your energy and enthusiasm for the work you do and to learn practical and achievable goals for living your best life!

9 News features a segment on Dr. James: http://9news.com/optimum/

Fliers with the registration form will be mailed to your home this summer.

JCAA Retired Members Gathering

Tuesday, August 22, 2006

Save the date! All retired members and soon-to-be retired members and their significant others are invited to attend our annual networking event the evening of the first day of school! More details and the registration flier will come out in June.

Are you retiring? Please let us know!

JCAA wants to recognize our retiring members at the Year End Celebration Event. Please let our office know if you are retiring this year by clicking here to email Mary Wagner. We would also like to send you the Exit Interview Survey!

JCAA Care, Concern, and Celebration Messages

As a service to our members, JCAA sends out Care, Concern, and Celebration messages to keep our colleagues connected and supported. We've had many positive comments about how much the membership appreciates hearing about their colleagues. If you have a concern or celebration or you know a colleague in need of support, please let Mary McNeil or Mary Wagner know. Please note that we always check with the person to make sure it's OK to send out the message, so that we honor his/her wishes. Thank you.

Serving Kids Clothing Program

Do you know a child in need of clothing or shoes? We can help!

JCAA and The Jefferson Foundation manage this charitable program, which provides near new clothing to Jeffco School Children in need and is cosponsored by JCAA, CSEA, JCEA, Jeffco PTA, and The Jefferson Foundation. If you know a child in need of clothing, please click here to learn how you can request clothing -- Serving Kids has our own web site. Check us out! http://jeffcoweb.jeffco.k12.co.us/partners/servingkids/

Has your home address changed?

Because we will be sending you information via your home address this summer, please let us know if you have moved in the last year. Click here to send an email to Mary Wagner. Thank you!

Employee Assistance Program - End of School Year

Below is an article to our members and Jeffco employees from EAP:

Working in a school district is a unique environment. At the beginning of each school year we are introduced to a whole new group of students who become part of our family for a short period of time. Getting settled in can be exciting and stressful, but soon we fall into a routine and the year begins to pass. Finally, spring rolls around and things get hectic. There are so many things to accomplish and so little time remaining before the end of the school year!

Emotionally, the end of the school year is a mixed bag. At every school level and in every school-based position our lives are connected to the progress and accomplishments of our students. Even if they are not moving from elementary to middle or middle to senior levels, they will be moving on to other teachers and other classrooms. If we work at the high school level we have the joy and satisfaction of seeing our students graduate. We also realize that these young people are moving forward in their lives. There is pleasure and a feeling of accomplishment as we watch their success, and there is sadness as we say our good-byes.

Aside from this transition, we are also planning for the summer months. Some of us are planning to travel while others will go back to school. Some will continue working during the summer months while many of us are preparing for company - family and friends who love to visit Colorado. Whatever your plans, remember to make this time relaxing and rejuvenating. You deserve it!

As you look back over the past year and consider the next few months, pause and reflect on your successes. What things went well for you? How did you make a positive difference in the lives of others? Be specific when you think about these things. Congratulate yourself and others on your accomplishments!

Summer vacation can also bring to the forefront any personal or family problems. Or perhaps you've been struggling with something all year but haven't had time to address it until now. Employee Assistance Program services are available during the summer months. Employees, retirees and their family members can contact the EAP for help with any personal or work related problems. Our office is located at 5260 W. Ohio Avenue in Lakewood, about a mile south of 6th Avenue and Sheridan. Office hours are typically 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., Monday through Friday. EAP services are confidential and provided without cost to the employee. For more information, or to make an appointment, please call 303-982-0377 or visit our web site at http://jeffcoweb.jeffco.k12.co.us/eap/

Best wishes for a great summer!