2005 Summer Learning Conference
Grand Summit Resort — Bartlett, NH
August 9, 10 and 11

Workshop Offerings

Tuesday, August 9, 10:00-12:00

Basic Grievance Processing
Presenters: Jim Allmendinger, NEA-NH Staff Attorney, Peter Miller and
Phil Pratt, NEA-NH UniServ Directors

Grievance procedures in collective bargaining agreements vary from contract to contract; however, their purpose is the same, which is to ensure members' rights. Often grievance processing is seen as a complex web of detail and technical terminology. This workshop will break the myths about grievances and processing them. This workshop is intended to give the participant a basic understanding of grievances and grievance processing.

Celebrate What's Right With the World - ESP
Presenter: Floyd Cox, Oklahoma EA UniServ Director

Do you have a vision for yourself? Do you choose to see the possibilities that exist in the world? Do you get up excited every morning about your potential for the day? This video training session developed with Dewitt Jones will help every school employee believe in possibilities for themselves and the students we teach. Dewitt Jones assures us that 'we can see it once we believe it!' Attend this session to Celebrate What's Right With the World!

Civics and NEA-NH Jeopardy
Presenters: Rhonda Jenness, Raymond EA, and Terry Shumaker, NEA-NH Executive Director

Interactive game format that will challenge your knowledge of basic civics and your association. Come, have fun - maybe win a prize - and enjoy learning more about the dynamics of our association and its relationship to the state and federal governments that impact public education.

Everything You Think You Don't Need to Know About Sexual Harassment
Presenter: Joy Conley Kacik, Pennsylvania SEA UniServ Director

Don't be caught off-guard and end up on the wrong side of a sexual harassment lawsuit. While this isn't a topic most people are clambering to know more about, too many times individuals are unaware of what the law really says about this matter. This program will give you the necessary legal background on the issue and break any myths under which you and your students may be functioning.

Financial Planning - 101
Presenter: Anne H. Murray, Financial Services Representative
This is a four-part session; participants can attend one or more of these sessions based on their needs and background in each of these vital areas.

Learn the ABC's of setting up a financial plan for you and your family through the various life stages from starting your career and family to retirement. What are the various insurance and investment options you should consider? How much life insurance is enough? What is meant by asset allocation? Learn your risk tolerance so you can sleep at night knowing you're on the right track to achieve financial security. How much will you need to retire comfortably? What documents should you have in place to protect your assets and control end-of-life decisions. Should you consult a financial advisor and, if so, what are the qualifications and cost for these services?

How Do We Elect Education-Friendly Members To Our School Committee?
Presenter: Richard Courtney, NEA-NH UniServ Director

How do you develop positive communications with your school board? How do we recruit, screen, educate, and elect education friendly school committee members. Having good school board members will make your professional and association lives much easier.

Kidspiration and Inspiration
Presenter: Jack Wakelin, NHTI

In this workshop, participants will be introduced to the Kidspiration (K-5), which allows students to use visual learning tools to develop and organize their ideas creatively to plan and write stories. Additionally, the Inspiration (6-Adult) software will be presented so that workshop participants will become familiar with ways to use its brainstorming, diagramming, organizing, and concept-mapping tools.

Membership Planning
Presenter: Jan Paddleford, NEA-NH UniServ Director

A goal without a plan is just a wish. Make your plan come alive. Bring your membership team together and work on your local plan to build membership in 05-06.

Our Diverse Community: Living, Working and Learning Together - Part 1
Presenters: HCR Committee Members
This is a two-part session; please sign up for both.

When we effectively address the diversity that exists among educators and students, we create a better work environment and, most importantly, a better learning environment for students. This training is especially tailored to be relevant to the everyday experience of a broad range of educators.

True Colors - Basic
Presenters: NEA-NH Cadre

Do you know what your "true color" is? This session will focus on a personality inventory designed to assist individuals in understanding themselves and others. You will learn tips that will help you teach students of various "colors." You may relate to your colleagues and family more effectively! Let's have fun!

Tuesday, August 9, 2:00-4:00

Advanced Grievance Processing
Presenters: Jim Allmendinger, NEA-NH Staff Attorney, Peter Miller, and
Phil Pratt, NEA-NH UniServ Directors

This workshop is for people who are familiar with grievance processing at the local level or who have taken Basic Grievance Processing. Participants will learn about the accountability and responsibility of local association representatives, advocacy and investigation, the significance of timeliness, and the writing of a grievance statement. Role-playing and hands-on experience based on actual cases will be used to practice grievance procedures.

Certification and Qualification Issues for Paraeducators
Presenter: Robin Warner and Dorothy Fair, NHDOE

This workshop will review the requirements for being a "qualified" paraprofessional under No Child Left Behind (NCLB). If the IDEA has been re-authorized, the requirements for paraprofessionals working in special education settings will also be covered. In addition, current information regarding certification options for paraprofessionals working in NH will be covered, and resources available for training and certification will also be reviewed.

ESOL - Making Sure They All Understand
Presenter: Johanna Nation, ESOL Educator

As the number of ESOL students in American classrooms grows, teachers are faced with the challenge of meeting their needs without sacrificing the needs of students who are native English speakers. This workshop will cover such issues as pullout classes, tutoring, and integrating ESOL students into the classroom. Attendees will consider this complex issue from multiple viewpoints, including those of classroom teachers, ESOL teachers and faculty, and of course the students and families themselves.

Financial Planning - 102
Presenter: Anne H. Murray, Financial Services Representative

A continuation of Financial Planning 101 and for those with some knowledge of finances. Learn the relative advantages and disadvantages of various investment options such as IRA's, Roth IRA's, 403(b's), and tax-deferred annuities. How to diversify your investments, balance risk and reward, use dollar cost averaging, and re-balance your portfolio to achieve maximum returns. What research tools should you rely upon to ensure your investment decisions are based on sound information? Learn the purpose and differences between important documents such as wills, trusts, and durable powers of attorney.

FISH - ESP
Presenter: Floyd Cox, Oklahoma EA UniServ Director

Are you having fun in your association work? Are your association meetings filled with energy and enthusiasm? Do you help others reach their potential in their work? Learn the FISH philosophy that can lift you up and give new meaning to your work. It's time for you to . . .Catch the Energy and Release the Potential!

Our Diverse Community: Living, Working, and Learning Together - Part 2
Presenters: HCR Committee Members
This is a two-part session; please sign up for both.

Please see description under Tuesday, 10:00-12:00.

Principles of Contract Interpretation
Presenters: Mary Gaul and Wally Cumings, NEA-NH UniServ Directors

Puzzled by past practice? Disturbed by disparate treatment? Rankled by the difference between a right and a benefit? This workshop takes a close look at the key principles arbitrators use when interpreting contract language. We will discuss how to evaluate situations against contract language, the importance of such words as "just cause," "past practice," and "arbitrary and capricious." This session is designed for reps and bargainers who want to deepen their expertise in writing and interpreting contract language.

Principles of Team Building
Presenter: Joy Conley Kacik, Pennsylvania SEA UniServ Director

Discover not only the value of working in teams, but also how your natural talents can be enhanced and your work satisfaction increased through teamwork. You'll learn: the four stages of team development and what to expect in each, your natural role within a team, and why it's good to embrace conflict within a team. You will demonstrate competencies of the program through group work by relating the issues explored to personal experiences.

Training Trainers on Kidspiration/Inspiration
Presenter: Jack Wakelin, NHTI

The workshop reviews the software fundamentals; then provides detailed instructions with examples of how to use materials provided in the workshop to train others in the use of the software. In the process, participants will learn creative uses of the software such as "brainstorming," "mind mapping," etc., to plan a training session and create learning activities for their subject matter. Participants should have a fundamental understanding of working in the Diagram and Outline views of the software prior to the workshop.

True Colors - Advanced
Presenters: NEA-NH Cadre

This workshop requires that participants have attended "True Colors - Basic."This will be a more in-depth look at True Colors and how it can assist you with your students and peers.

Wednesday, August 10, 8:30-10:30

Beginning Web Page Development
Presenter: Erv Connary, Whitefield EA, and Elaine Connary, Berlin EA

This is an introductory workshop on web page creation. We will work on building a very basic web site to help teachers publish to the web. Learn how to showcase to the world what you do in your classroom.

Celebrate What's Right With the World - Teacher
Presenter: Floyd Cox, Oklahoma EA UniServ Director

Do you have a vision for yourself? Do you choose to see the possibilities that exist in the world? Do you get up excited every morning about your potential for the day? This video training session developed with Dewitt Jones will help every school employee believe in possibilities for themselves and the students they teach. Dewitt Jones assures us that 'we can see it once we believe it!' Attend this session to Celebrate What's Right With the World!

Communicating with Children in Crisis - Part 1
Presenter: Sonny MacMahon, Easter Seals of New Hampshire
This is a four-part session; please sign up for all sessions.

This session will start off with our goals of crisis intervention, defining crisis, and looking at crisis as an opportunity. Participants will talk about self awareness, our feelings and thoughts and how that drives our responses, cover how we communicate both verbally and non-verbally, and go over the skills of active listening and how that leads into problem solving. Each session we will play a game that relates to the topic at hand.

How to Make Your New Teachers Feel Welcome
Presenter: NEA-NH NTTF Members

Being a new teacher in public education is certainly not an easy job. They are trying to fit into an environment that has already been established by experienced teachers. How can you, the veteran teacher, help them feel welcome and valued? Mentoring programs are great, but our suggestions will allow every teacher to participate. This session will address, among other topics, panic issues, the "What have I gotten myself into?" question, and "Does anyone know what I am going through?" perspective. Come have fun and see how you can have a positive impact on your new staff members.

Legal Liability of School Staff: Supervision of Students, "Don't Touch" Issues - Part 1
Presenters: Jim Allmendinger and Steve Sacks, NEA-NH Staff Attorney's
This is a two-part session; please sign up for both.

In today's schools, school staff will encounter difficult students, emotionally charged conflicts, and supervision problems as well as questions about sexual harassment. This seminar will give you an overview of liability issues, as well as some specific suggestions and examples of different approaches. Re-enactments by the staff attorneys, as well as role-playing, will be utilized. You will review the interplay between protecting member rights and the grievance process. It would be helpful to take this workshop in conjunction with the grievance processing workshops.

Negotiations for Everyone - Part 1
Presenters: Phil Pratt, Jay Tolman, Greg Andruschkevich, Brian Sullivan, NEA-NH UniServ Directors, and Jill Owens, Hampstead SS
This is a four-part session; please sign up for all sessions.

The fourth session will be broken down into two components: one for teachers and one for support staff. This workshop is designed for those who have never been on a bargaining team or for those with limited bargaining experience. Topics to be covered include such things as: a definition of bargaining; bargaining timelines; things that should be in your contract; how to form a bargaining team; what are the responsibilities of bargaining team members; bargaining terms; NEA New Hampshire funding; how to do research in preparation for bargaining; how to communicate with your membership; salary schedule design theory; surveys; and ground rules.

NH Retirement System
Presenter: Dennis Murphy, Consultant

Thinking about retiring? If so, plan ahead. Come learn about your NH Retirement System and its benefits. This session will give you the basics about what you can expect in a monthly annuity, qualifications for receiving the health care subsidy, and the future of this important benefit.

Take the Next Step
Presenter: Jan Paddleford, NEA-NH UniServ Director

Do you have ideas but find there isn't time to work out the details? Do you wonder how to make a change in your local association? Bring your leadership team together and work on your local plan to engage members and deal with local challenges.

Values-Based Goal Achievement Through Time Management - Part 1
Presenter: Joy Conley Kacik, Pennsylvania SEA UniServ Director
This is a two-part session; please sign up for both.

Take control of your time and accomplish what's important to you. Whether you're naturally organized or not, this program will show you how to be better organized, effective, and less frustrated by the clock. You'll learn: the $25,000 piece of time management advice, the principles of time management, how to make time for your big projects, how to say "no," keys to managing paper and e-mail effectively, how to stop over-extending yourself, how to build fun and leisure into your life, tools for prioritizing your to-do list, effective ways to organize clutter in your home and workspace, how to overcome procrastination, ways to use the telephone to your best advantage, meeting time-savers and how to find extra minutes in every day.

Wednesday, August 10, 10:45-12:45

Certification and Qualification Issues for Paraeducators
Presenter: Robin Warner and Dorothy Fair, NHDOE

Please see description under Tuesday, 2:00-4:00.

Communicating with Children in Crisis - Part 2
Presenter: Sonny MacMahon, Easter Seals of New Hampshire
This is a four-part session; please sign up for all sessions.

Please see description under Wednesday, 8:30-10:30.

FISH - Teacher
Presenter: Floyd Cox, Oklahoma EA UniServ Director

Please see FISH - ESP description under Tuesday, 2:00-4:00.

Health Care Decisions for Retirement
Presenter: Marc Benson, NEA-NH Coordinator of Benefit Programs

When you retire some expenses will decrease, but health care is not one of them! What health insurance choices do you have if you retire before age 65? When Medicare kicks in, how does this affect your benefits? How do the various medigap policies work? Learn some important do's and don'ts to protect your legal rights to group coverage at group rates, and how much you will need to set aside to pay the cost of health insurance in your retirement years.

Legal Liability of School Staff: Supervision of Students, "Don't Touch" Issues - Part 2
Presenters: Jim Allmendinger and Steve Sacks, NEA-NH Staff Attorney's
This is a two-part session; please sign up for both.

Please see description under Wednesday, 8:30-10:00.

Local Association Check-Up
Presenter: Jan Paddleford, NEA-NH UniServ Director

Bring your leadership team and examine your local association structure. Review successful models and develop a plan to improve the health of your local association.

Negotiations for Everyone - Part 2
Presenters: Phil Pratt, Jay Tolman, Greg Andruschkevich, Brian
Sullivan, NEA-NH UniServ Directors, and Jill Owens, Hampstead SS
This is a four-part session; please sign up for all sessions.

Please see description under Wednesday, 8:30-10:30

Using and Creating WebQuest
Presenter: Erv Connary, Whitefield EA, and Elaine Connary, Berlin EA

WebQuest offers a guided research opportunity for students. Rather than blindly do research, students are given more guidance to complete the research. Tips will also be given to help students follow copyright laws.

Values-Based Goal Achievement Through Time Management - Part 2
Presenter: Joy Conley Kacik, Pennsylvania SEA UniServ Director
This is a two-part session; please sign up for both.

Please see description under Wednesday, 8:30-10:30.

Women's Health Issues
Presenter: Nancy Wells, NEA IDEA Resource Training Cadre

Women have unique health concerns - hot flashes, mammograms, and annual check-ups. Are we doing enough to keep ourselves healthy? In this workshop we will review current health care risks for women and help participants learn how to advocate for the best possible health care!

Wednesday, August 10, 2:00-4:00

Communicating with Children in Crisis - Part 3
Presenter: Sonny MacMahon, Easter Seals of New Hampshire
This is a four-part session; please sign up for all sessions.

Please see description under Wednesday, 8:30-10:30.

Communication Skills for Leaders
Presenter: Joy Conley Kacik, Pennsylvania SEA UniServ Director

Make your time and energy count by learning results-oriented communications techniques and strategies. Know how and when to keep the members informed about issues, learn tools to make meetings and follow-up more productive, and tips on getting members to meetings. Learn when to choose between telephone, written, e-mail, or face-to-face communications. Also learn skills to take difficult conversations down a notch to get to joint problem-solving. This session will include many more tips to help you communicate with more confidence in a wide-range of situations.

Is it Web Junk or Gold?
Presenters: Erv Connary, Whitefield EA, and Elaine Connary, Berlin EA

With all the information available on the web and anyone being able to have a web site, it is important to be able to determine what is junk and what is not. We will cover some very simple ways to determine this.

Issue Organizing - Using the Power of Your Membership - Part 1
Presenter: Peter Miller, NEA-NH UniServ Director
This is a two-part session; please sign up for both.

How does a local association unite its members in support of needed changes? How should we deal with the critics of public education? The labor movement was built on collective action, and the Civil Rights movement benefited from labor's hard-learned lessons. We live in a new era, but basic power relationships remain the same. This session will explore the types of power held by education employees, by school boards, and by opponents of public education. Learn how to be an advocate for public education and realize the strength of your local association.

Long Term Care Insurance: Should it be a Part of Your Personal Financial Plan?
Presenter: Robert Stone, NEA, MemberCare

Are you a baby boomer thinking ahead to retirement? Have you experienced the need for arranging long-term care for a parent or other family member? What are the costs involved for home health care, assisted living, and nursing homes? Can Medicare or Medicaid help? How does Long Term Care Insurance work and what are the costs? Get the ABC's of this critically emerging topic that may leave millions of Americans impoverished unless we get the facts and plan ahead.

Negotiations for Everyone - Part 3
Presenters: Phil Pratt, Jay Tolman, Greg Andruschkevich, Brian Sullivan, NEA-NH UniServ Directors, and Jill Owens, Hampstead SS
This is a four-part session; please sign up for all sessions.

Please see description under Wednesday, 8:30-10:30

Principles of Contract Interpretation
Presenters: Mary Gaul and Wally Cumings, NEA-NH UniServ Directors

Please see description under Tuesday, 2:00-4:00.

School Readiness and School-Based Early Intervention Teams
Presenter: Nancy Wells, NEA IDEA Resource Training Cadre

This presentation clarifies what is currently required by IDEA regarding 1) preschool or early childhood programs and 2) pre-referral classroom support for school-aged children. Resources and practical, classroom-based strategies and intervention models are presented.

True Colors - Basic
Presenters: NEA-NH Cadre

Please see description under Tuesday, 10:00-12:00.

Thursday, August 11, 9:00-11:00

Assert Yourself
Presenter: Joy Conley Kacik, Pennsylvania SEA UniServ Director

Assertiveness comes naturally to some and to others seems unattainable. If you're not naturally assertive, this program will help you develop the attitude and skills necessary. You'll learn: the difference between being assertive and aggressive, how to confront effectively and with confidence, what body language will "do you in" and what specific body language spells assertive, eight principles of assertively confronting conflict, and what a DESC script is and how to use it. You will demonstrate program competencies through writing and practicing scripts for situations you have personally encountered.

Autism: Applying Useful Techniques and Instructional Strategies to Maximize Learning
Presenters: Nancy Wells and Ron Benner, NEA IDEA Resource Training Cadre

With increasing numbers of students who are identified with some form of autism, classroom teachers have many questions about how best to address their needs. This presentation explores those issues important to school personnel, such as features of autism, and the techniques and strategies that work for students with autism.

Beginning Web Page Development
Presenter: Erv Connary, Whitefield EA, and Elaine Connary, Berlin EA

Please see description under Wednesday, 8:30-10:30.

Communicating with Children in Crisis - Part 4
Presenter: Sonny MacMahon, Easter Seals of New Hampshire
This is a four-part session; please sign up for all sessions.

Please see description under Wednesday, 8:30-10:30

Integrating Specials
Presenters: Erin Seward and Kerry Dobe, Pelham EA

This workshop is designed for classroom, music, art, physical education, and library teachers who want to develop cross-curriculum units with each other. Learn games, activities, and how to produce shows that you can do in your individual classroom or by combining classes. Themes to be discussed are Colonial times, pirates, and Memorial Day.

Issue Organizing - Using the Power of Your Membership - Part 2
Presenter: Peter Miller, NEA-NH UniServ Director
This is a two-part session; please sign up for both.

Please see description under Wednesday, 2:00-4:00.

Negotiations for Everyone - Teachers
Presenters: Phil Pratt, Jay Tolman, Greg Andruschkevich, Brian Sullivan, NEA-NH UniServ Directors
This is a four-part session; please sign up for all sessions.

Please see description under Wednesday, 8:30-10:30.
This session will address the needs of teachers.

Negotiations for Everyone - ESP
Presenters: Phil Pratt, Jay Tolman, Greg Andruschkevich, Brian Sullivan, NEA-NH UniServ Directors, and Jill Owens, Hampstead SS
This is a four-part session; please sign up for all sessions.

Please see description under Wednesday, 8:30-10:30.
This session will address the needs of ESP.

Prevent the Epidemic
Presenters: HCR Committee Members

A recent NEA-NH survey on violence in the schools has shown bullying to be a pervasive problem. This prevention overview will examine the varying forms and effects of bullying from kindergarten through high school and outline the components of a whole-school program approach, which NEA has found to be an effective means of addressing this issue.

True Colors - Advanced
Presenters: NEA-NH Cadre

Please see description under Tuesday, 2:00-4:00.