April 2020 | VOL 22 | NO. 4
Indianagram A publication of the Indiana Association of School Principals
The Indiana Association of School Principals leads in the advocacy and support of all principals in their commitment to every child.
Growth in Leadership
Caring & Communicating by Dr. Todd Bess, Executive Director of IASP
by Lizz Walters, President of IASP
Hello IASP! As always, we hope that you and your family are safe and healthy. Unfortunately, we know that we have lost, and may continue to lose, educators in Indiana to this pandemic. Our thoughts go out to all who are directly impacted, and we are always here to assist you in any way that we can. As I’m sure many of you are as well, I am getting used to the “new normal” of digital meetings, e-learning professional development, supporting the needs of students remotely, and an all-time level of personal cleanliness efforts with hand soap, sanitation wipes, and masks. Professionally, we are navigating digital connections with those whom we work and depend on to continue to support our students and families. Personally, we are navigating virtual relationships with those whom we love and miss. We are all also likely finding positive and productive ways to fill our time at home. I hope that everyone feels good about those professional and personal efforts thus far. IASP continues to be committed to meeting the needs of our members. We have had numerous conversations about what these new needs might be and look forward to continuing that conversation with our members as new needs come up. Hopefully you’ve had a chance to join one of our Twitter chats (Tuesdays at 8 pm, #IASPChat) and/or our Shared Solutions Series virtual meetings (Wednesdays at 3:15 and 8:15 pm). Thus far, we have discussed Executive Order Guidance for the 2020 Cohort, Principal Wellness, and this week we look forward to Virtual and Non-Virtual best practices. Please reach out to me or any Executive Committee member to share what you’d like to discuss in the coming weeks.
Without a doubt our current school year has brought us all challenges that we would not have imagined, and especially given that we are not able to have an exact grasp on how and when we will return to our school buildings. Weather emergencies, community crisis, and staffing issues all are a part of our leadership items to tackle, yet we know the necessary steps to take for these, or can draw upon seasoned veterans for advice that guides us well. I’ve been in education since 1989, with 25 years in a leadership role, and this seasoned veteran hopes that I’m able to provide some guidance on navigating virtual and non-virtual education for over 2 months. The additional challenge was not having any preparation time, coupled also with the digital inequities that exist for students, and staff. I do know that one lesson learned over my career is that supporting the needs of staff and students is paramount for us to have success, and this is never more true than right now. There are many facets to this, some you inherently took care of immediately, and a few that you might have considered at first and now need more attention. However, all of these needs only emerge if we know what they are, and this takes a high degree of attention to communication. Our normal school days were filled with numerous ways to communicate, the best of which was to see our staff and students and speak directly with them. We know that we gained valuable insights in formal and informal conversations, and our presence in the hallways and classrooms provided those interactions. Even lunchroom duty was an opportunity for seeing personalities and understanding the climate of our building!
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Inside this Edition
Growth in Leadership...................................................................................P1 Caring & Communicating.............................................................................P1 IDOE...............................................................................................P3 IASP Twitter Chats......................................................................................P3 Aspiring Principals Conference Flyer..........................................................P4 Beantown & Baseball: Leadership Lessons Learned from the Diamond...P5 Riley Hospital Kids Caring & Sharing Update.............................................P6 Silver Corporate Sponsors............................................................................P7
New IPLI Director - Kelly Andrews...................................................P8 INALI Flyer..........................................................................................P9 2020 Martin Luther King Jr. Essay Contest Winners........................P10 Shared Solutions Series......................................................................P10 2020 Indiana Future Problem Solving State Results..........................P11 Spotlight on Service-Learning............................................................P12 NAESP Update...................................................................................P11 Dave Emmert’s Situation Briefs..........................................................P14