Attention ASCD Members
- Participate in ASCD's 2009 General Membership election. If you didn't receive a ballot in your <LINK URL="http://www.ascd.org/publications/newsletters/education_update/sept09/vol51/num09/toc.aspx">September issue of Education Update</LINK>, please contact Becky DeRigge, governance director, at <LINK URL="mailto:bderigge@ascd.org">bderigge@ascd.org</LINK>. Leadership Council members should also cast a ballot in the Leadership Council election. An online voting option is available for both elections, which close on November 16, 2009.
- Watch for a ballot on proposed changes to <LINK URL="http://www.ascd.org/About_ASCD/Governance/Constitution/Constitution_2005.aspx">ASCD's Constitution</LINK>, which will be mailed in the December issue of Education Update.
Dear Educators:
ASCD has long recognized that student health and learning go hand in hand—and the H1N1 flu pandemic has made this connection even more apparent. That's why we've created a Web page (www.ascd.org/flu), to be your definitive source on the H1N1 virus.
On this page, you'll find a variety of resources and information from ASCD, the U.S. Department of Education, and others to keep you informed about the latest H1N1 developments and help you minimize the virus's impact on your students' learning. We will update this page with more resources as they become available.
Highlighted resources include a link to the federal government's Web site (www.flu.gov), which provides federal guidelines and information on a range of options for responding to H1N1 in schools, depending on the severity of the flu in your communities. You can also find the federal government's Communications Toolkit for K–12 schools (www.flu.gov/plan/school/schoolflutoolkit.pdf), which includes questions and answers, fact sheets, and template letters to help you respond to flu outbreaks and communicate with employees, students, and families. In addition, ASCD is providing the link to a School Dismissal Monitoring form (www.cdc.gov/h1n1flu/schools/dismissal_form) created by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the U.S. Department of Education, which enables you to report on H1N1-related dismissals in your school or school district. Your assistance in completing and submitting this form is important.
In the meantime, ASCD is working with the Department of Education to develop recommendations for ways to keep the learning process intact, even if the H1N1 virus takes hold in your school building. Check back for these recommendations on how school staff can facilitate learning opportunities if students are unable to be in school because the building is closed or prior to their return after they have been ill. We hope these resources will help you reduce the risk of flu in your communities while promoting learning that ensures each student is healthy, safe, engaged, supported, and challenged.
Attend ASCD's Fall Conference!
If you want to know what education practices are helping schools aim higher or how educators can ensure that students acquire the knowledge and skills for lifelong learning, attend ASCD's Fall Conference on Teaching and Learning. The conference, titled Leading and Learning in the 21st Century, will take place October 30–November 1, 2009, at the Gaylord National Hotel and Convention Center in National Harbor, Maryland. Presenters include such notables as Robert J. Marzano, Heidi Hayes Jacobs, Virginia Rojas, and Mike Schmoker.
For more information about the conference or to register, go towww.ascd.org/conferences/fall_conference/2009.aspx.
