Be a leader of leaders! Get organized and set a positive tone for the upcoming school year.
Developed by veteran administrators, the "nuts and bolts" described in the monthly chapters will give both new and experienced middle school principals the effective tools they need to help ensure a smooth opening to the school year. This living document categorizes the challenges, as well as the solutions, to the many situations that administrators face every day during the academic school year.
The Middle School Principal's Calendar can be utilized year after year to ensure a smooth transition from new student orientation straight through to the end-of-the-year newsletter. Chapters cover key tasks for each month, beginning in July:
Nine essential skills for effective school leadership
Overview of key tasks-faculty meetings, budget process, evaluations
Communications-letters, memos, correspondence, social activities
Planning-workshops, field trips, standardized tests, fundraising activities
Personnel-orientation, schedules, rosters, tenure recommendations
A handy checklist for personalized use at the end of chapter offers flexibility for modification to help avoid reinventing the wheel. Also included is a rich resource of sample documents to help with a variety of communication needs from sample letters to the incoming class and new staff members to PTA presentations and board of education meetings. The Middle School Principal's Calendar is essential for the multitalented professional whose goal is to foster a positive educational environment for staff and students alike.
Author Biography:
Robert Ricken, EdD, served as Principal and Superintendent in the Mineola School District for twenty-two years and was interim Superintendent in the following districts: North Bellmore, Elmont, Bellmore, Smithtown Central School District and the Bellmore-Merrick Central High School District. He has also been an interim Assistant Superintendent and Superintendent in the Half Hollow Hills Central School District. Presently, he teaches Educational Administration at Long Island University, C. W. Post. Dr. Ricken has served as the Long Island Coordinator for the Anti-Defamation League's A World of Difference Institute and conducted anti-bias workshops in over 100 school districts. In addition, he has been the Chairman of the Board of the Nassau Citizens Budget Committee, Board Officer of School Business Partnerships of Long Island, Vice-President of the Nassau County Superintendents Association and President of Phi Delta Kappa, C. W .Post Chapter. Additionally, he served as an Impartial Hearing Officer and a member of the American Arbitration Association. In this capacity, he has conducted 3020A, Section 75, and special education hearings. Robert Ricken is the author of: O Love Me When I'm Most Unlovable, published by the NASSP O Book Two - The Kids' View, NASSP O The RA Guide to Nassau County Schools, Carlton Press, 1995 O The Middle Level Calendar: A Handbook for Practitioners, NASSP, 1996 O The High School Principal's Calendar - A Month-By-Month Planner for the School Year, Corwin Press, 2000 O The Elementary School Principal's Calendar - A Month-By-Month Planner for the School Year, Corwin Press, 2001 Other articles have been published in the New York Times, Newsday, Sports Illustrated, The Harvard Review, Harper's Weekly and Single Parent Magazine. He is a frequent contributor to many educational journals, and has written a column on education for a local newspaper, Economic Times of Long Island. Dr. Ricken has presented many workshops, and has recently been the keynote speaker for the NASSP in New Orleans, the National Association of Middle Schools in West Virginia, Baltimore, Denver, Washington D.C. and Atlanta. He has also spoken at the National School Boards Association in San Francisco and Rochester, as well as for Phi Delta Kappa at Hofstra, C. W. Post, and Molloy College. Awards include the Administrator of the Year by Phi Delta Kappa of Hofstra University, Administrator of the Year by Nassau-Suffolk Educator's Association, and recognition for his work in labor relations by the New York Council of Administrators and Supervisors. The National Public Relations Association honored him for his exemplary public relations practices. In 1992, he received the Outstanding Service Support Award from the Girl Scouts of Nassau County. In 1994, he was the recipient of the Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Recognition Award by Nassau County. In 2000, the New York State Middle School Association awarded him the Ross M. Burkhardt Award for his outstanding contribution to middle level education. Michael Terc, MA, PD, served as an administrator in the Mineola Public School District. For sixteen years, he served as Assistant Principal at Mineola High School, New York. Before that, he taught mathematics at Mineola Middle School for sixteen years. He also served as principal of the Mineola Summer School Program for two years. During his career, he coached many sports and was involved in a host of student activities. He served as President of the Nassau County Baseball Coaches Association and in 1976 was selected as the Daily News' High School Baseball Coach of the Year. In 1982, he authored "Coordinate Geometry and Art: A Match," published in National Council of Mathematics Teachers Journal. In 1994, he received the Jenkins Service Award, the highest service award given by the Mineola School District's PTA Association. He received his MA in mathematics from Hofstra University, was awarded a Professional Diploma in educational administration from Long Island University, C. W. Post campus. He recently was selected by the School Administrators Association of New York State to receive its 1999-2000 New York State Distinguished Assistant Principal of the Year Award. His most recent publication was The Elementary School Principal's Calendar: A Month-By-Month Planner for the School Year.
