Fall Issues Forums - Please Register!

These are free breakfast meetings for JCAA members!

Register by clicking here to send an email to Mary Wagner or call her at (303) 982-6839 opt. 3. Please let us know which of the breakfasts you plan to attend.

JCAA has four objectives and a yearly strategic plan for reaching those objectives. As a step toward reaching the objective of "supporting administrators through representation," JCAA holds Fall and Spring Issues Forums each year. During these forums or focus meetings, JCAA members participate in identifying and discussing key issues facing leaders in the Jefferson County School District. Normally following the forums, a report is generated and distributed. For copies of these reports, please call the JCAA office. The forums include an opportunity for members to network with peers while enjoying the complimentary breakfast buffet. Dates and agendas for the Forums are below:

Fall 2006 Issues Forums Meeting Dates - 7:30 AM - 9:30 AM

• Central Area - Friday, November 10, 2006 - Rolling Hills Country Club - 15707 W. 26th Avenue (From Youngfield and I-70, go west on 32nd to Kendrick St., follow Kendrick past the tennis courts to the Clubhouse.)
• North Area - Monday, November 13, 2006 - Indian Tree Golf Club in Arvada -
  7555 Wadsworth Blvd (Turn east on 75th off Wadsworth Blvd into the club.)
• South Area - Monday, November 20, 2006 - Meadows Golf Club - 6937 S. Simms St. (From Bowels, go south on Simms, past Cole Mine and look for the sign to turn right.)
  

Discussion Agenda Items :

• Sharing Ideas for Managing Staff
• JCEA and CSEA Negotiation Issue Priorities
• Open Forum for Raising Issues
  

JCAA Board of Directors' Meeting Minutes

Click here to read the JCAA Board minutes from September 1, 2006.
Click here to read the JCAA Board minutes from October 6, 2006.

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.

Administrative and Professional / Technical Compensation Committee

JCAA has representatives serving on this committee— Warren Blair, Marcia Bohannon, Greg Bushey, Jan Clopton, Frank DeAngelis, Jim Ellis, Jean Kelley, Mary McNeil, Luann Schwartz, and Griff Wirth. The committee approved the use of funding to hire a consultant team to design a better compensation system and fix the most egregious system issues. The committee has met with the consultant to share our concerns about the current system, and we heard a presentation in October on the firm's findings of a survey of other compensation systems in the metro area. The plan is to have a new system designed to hopefully be implemented in 2006-07.

District Anchor Group

The Anchor Group consists of 2 representatives from the Board of Education, the superintendent, chief academic officer, chief operating officer, chief financial officer, executive director Communication Services, and the president and executive directors of each employee association—JCAA, CSEA, and JCEA. For JCAA, Frank DeAngelis serves on Anchor as a past president and Mary McNeil as executive director. Many of the members are new this year.· Anchor meets once per month as a relationship committee to discuss the hot issues, items of mutual concern, mitigate rumor control, and form common messages.

Please be sure to share any district-wide issues you have with your JCAA Board of Director area representative.

Absence Management Plan

JCAA has representatives who have listened to presentations and given feedback on the district’s plans for an Absence Management Program— Frank DeAngelis, Nancy Graeve, Trip Sargent, and Mary McNeil. In all, we believe the new program will benefit more people than the current sick leave payout plan and sick leave policies do. With JCAA influence, the district added a grandfather element to the plan so that those with more than the capped hours of sick leave will still be paid for that unused sick leave, and the rate does not change significantly. Final provisions for the new Absence Management Plan will most likely be communicated to all employees in January.

JCAA Officers Met with JCEA Leadership

On October 10, the JCAA school-based officers met with JCEA leadership to discuss some issues raised by JCEA, including how teachers and principals can work together to address workload issues, how the liaison committees are perceived by teachers and principals, and how we might establish, enhance, and encourage meaningful and appropriate teacher participation in the building decision making. One commitment JCAA made to JCEA was to spend a portion of our JCAA Issues Forums discussing and sharing ideas for how to manage staff.

Budgeting for Results Representation

The JCAA reps on the BFR Stakeholder Panel are Bill Chapman, Jean Kelley, Mary McNeil, Trip Sargent, Luann Schwartz, and Bob Smith. The Stakeholder Panel met on Monday, September 25 to hear a report on what came out of the BFR process for last year, what the process will look like this year, and they introduced and got feedback on the work of the Revenue Enhancement Committee. We are pleased that the district leadership and Board of Education took into consideration and implemented many of the suggestions for improving the program given to them by JCAA, based on our members' feedback at the JCAA Spring Issues Forums.

JCAA Officers Meet with the Superintendent

The JCAA officers (executive committee of the JCAA Board of Directors) meet monthly in addition to the regular JCAA Board meetings. For a portion of the agenda each month, the officers meet with Superintendent Cindy Stevenson to discuss issues of mutual concern. This has been a significant and effective way for us to have our voice heard. Your representatives on the JCAA officers group are:

• Phyllis Emrich, President (Principal at Bear Creek HS)
• Kevin Carroll, President Elect (Principal at Devinny Elementary)
• Jean Kelley, Past President (Principal at West Jefferson Middle)
• Rick Myles, Cabinet Liaison (Community Superintendent)
• Bob Smith, Central Liaison (Exec. Director Facilities Management)
• Luann Schwartz, Elementary Liaison (Principal at Governors Ranch Elementary)
• Griff Wirth, Middle Level Liaison (Principal at Bell Middle)
• Frank DeAngelis, Senior Level Liaison (Principal at Columbine HS)
• Mary McNeil, Executive Director
  

JCAA Board Representatives Attend Board of Education Meetings

To help ensure the Jeffco Schools Board of Education knows administrators and professional / technical employees are well represented, JCAA Board of Director representatives attend the regular meetings of the Board of Education to monitor discussions and decisions. Each of the three JCAA presidents attend a third of all meetings and the executive director attends every meeting. The JCAA officers also meet each year with the Board of Education in a workshop setting, as well as a year-end networking dinner.

JCAA Board Appoints Members to Serve on District-Wide Committees

The JCAA Board appoints members to represent the administrators' perspective on numerous committees and task force teams. Currently, members serve on over 80 JCAA and district committees. If you would like to share your perspective and ideas with any of our JCAA committee representatives, please contact Mary McNeil in the JCAA office. JCAA has appointed members to the following committees so far this fall:

• Bus Advertising Committee
• Revenue Enhancement Committee
• High School Graduation Committee
• Strategic Planning Advisory Council
• Online Learning Advisory Council

FYI:  The following is the JCAA Committee Representative Selection Process:

1) When JCAA is asked to assist with finding representatives, every attempt will be made to learn the full extent of the position criteria, purpose of the work, and the planned time commitment.
2) The request will be presented at the next Board meeting, at which time the Board of Directors will determine whether the task force or committee work falls within the scope of the JCAA mission statement.
3) If the position criteria dictates and the Board decides that a Board member should serve as the representative, the Board will choose a representative at that time.
4) If it is determined that the position should be open to all general members or a specific level, the opportunity will be announced to those eligible, with all available information about the work to be stated at that time.  Members will be asked to notify the JCAA office if interested in the position.
5) All volunteers will be asked to submit a brief paragraph describing their expertise and interest in that particular area. Their answers will be distributed to all Board members for consideration and discussion at the next Board meeting.
6) The Board will make a final selection by voting if there is more than one member interested, and all volunteers will be notified of the outcome.

Emeritus Membership Survey

Retired JCAA members received a request to fill out an online survey. If you did not receive this request via your email, please let Mary McNeil know. A reminder to complete the survey was sent out today. The survey closes November 15. Thank you for taking the time to let us know how we can better serve you!

JCAA 2006-2007 Major Event - Margaret Wheatley

JCAA 2006-2007 Major Professional Development Event
Featuring: Margaret Wheatley, Ed.D.
Friday, February 9, 2007
Arvada Center for the Arts
7:30 - 8:30 AM Check-in and Full Breakfast Buffet
8:30 - 11:30 AM Presentation

REGISTER NOW!
Click here to register!

Space is limited and filling quickly. Please send in your registration as soon as possible.

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 Emeritus 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 Fall 2006 Leadership Development Seminars

REGISTER NOW! You can still register for 5 of the workshops. This series has been designed to help administrators meet district goals and to support our Cornerstones of Wellness theme this year. Be sure to register as soon as possible.

Click here for the flyer and more information.

Seminar #104 - November 16 - Using Digital Content to Support Student Achievement
Seminar #105: November 29 - Legal Issues Confronting School Administrators
Seminar #106: December 7 - Conflict Management
Seminar #107: November 8 - 9 to 5 Yoga (FREE)
Seminar #108: December 4 - Six Things That Matter Most (FREE)

2006-07 Collegial Conversation Series:

REGISTER NOW! This is a mentor / networking program designed to meet the needs of 1st through 5th year principals and assistant principals beyond induction.

Click here for the flyer and more information, including dates. The groups meet monthly to discuss specific topics of concern to administrators in carrying out their duties--not only nuts and bolts responsibilities, but also leadership and management issues, as well as gaining a greater understanding of the district's organizational systems. The groups are:

• Group A (Elementary Level) Facilitated by Luann Schwartz and Robin Weikel
• Group B (Elementary Level) Facilitated by Warren Blair and Martha Tate
• Group C (Secondary Level) Facilitated by Linda Burton and Deb Gard

Please Note: A Collegial Conversations Program for central classified managers is being designed and will be available for participation in spring 2007.

Building Leadership Capacity Workshop Series

REGISTER NOW! JCAA is offering a 7-part workshop series based on the 6 NAESP standards of the principalship to help new and aspiring administrators gain insight into the complexities of the school administrator's role. The series is designed for education professionals, teachers and instructional coaches who are aspiring to become administrators or would like to explore the role of the school administrator. This workshop is also for new administrators who would like to learn more about the NAESP standards.

Click here for the flier and more information.

Administrator Staff Development Fund

The funding for this program is now depleted for the 2006-07 school year because the district budget has been drastically reduced over the last 4 years.

However, in case not all the allocated funding is used, we are accepting applications and placing them on a waiting list. The funds may be used for administrators to attend a professional development workshop or pay for college tuition. To apply, click here to download the form and send in your application by the next deadline date. The deadline dates for accepting applications are the last working day of every month while funds are still available.

These funds are not available for non-administrators, because they are district funds designated for administrator staff development. Similar funds for teachers and coaches are managed by the JCEA office.

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.

Fall Networking Social - JCAA UNPLUGGED!

REGISTER NOW by clicking here to send an email to Mary Wagner or call her at (303) 982-6839 opt. 3.

Thursday, November 30, 2006
4:30 - 6:30 PM
Jillians at Colorado Mills Mall

This social is complimentary for all JCAA members, but please register. It's a great way to enjoy each other's company in a fun and relaxed atmosphere. Our party theme for the fall social is JCAA Unplugged! Plan to check your cell phone and pagers in at the door, enjoy free chair massages, and listen to a jazz guitarist. Complimentary drinks and appetizers will be served.

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, JCU, 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! Here is our new web site address:

http://www.jcaajeffco.org/servingkids/

JCAA Retired Members Fall Breakfast- A Success!

Our retired members enjoyed the fall networking breakfast at the Homestead Golf Course on October 4. The program was on volunteering.

Click here for a list of volunteer ideas from our retired members!

Retired Members: Please watch for more information about additional plans for the 2006-07 school year.

YMCA Benefit for Members - 1 Week Guest Membership

To support our members in our Cornerstones of Wellness theme this year, JCAA has an agreement with the YMCA to provide 1 week free guest membership. To request the certificate for a free pass, please click here to send an email to Mary Wagner or call her at (303) 982-6839 opt. 3. (Please note: JCAA incorrectly advertised a free 3 month membership. We apologize for this communication error.)

Wellness - An Inspirational Story!

Click here to read the story in Sports Illustrated by Rick Reilly titled, 'Strongest Dad in the World." This is an inspirational story for all of us.

If you know a great wellness tip or inspirational story, please click here to send an email to Mary Wagner or call her at (303) 982-6839 opt. 3. We would like to continue to share wellness tips and inspirational messages with our members to support you in our Cornerstones of Wellness theme this year.

Did Your Contact Information Change?

You should have received a memo from Mary Wagner asking you to confirm your contact information for the JCAA Pictorial Directory. This information is critical, Please be sure to respond if you have any changes. You can click here to send an email to Mary Wagner. Thank you!

New JCAA Web Site Address

Please change your bookmark to our new web site address. By switching our provider, we will be able to add new services, such as online registration - coming soon!

http://www.jcaajeffco.org

Colorado Principals' Center Workshops

JCAA helps inform you about professional development offerings from local associations.

Click on the workshop title to download the flier for the Institute.

• 2006-07 CPC Institute featuring Roland Barth (November 9 & 10)
• Note: Breakthrough Coach: 2-day class April 12-13, 2007. Contact Frank Bingham for the flier.

For more information about the Colorado Principals' Center, please contact:
Frank A. Bingham, Ph.D.
Executive Director, Colorado Principals' Center
Ph. 303-556-2190
Fax  303-556-4479
www.ColoradoPrincipalsCenter.org