These past weeks have been difficult for our community. Coming to grips with the tragedy in Newtown as well as the loss of one of our own is challenging. But the school psychology community has come together to support our schools and communities, and I personally want to thank you for counseling, comforting, and educating your community during this national tragedy.

NASP has released statements relating to Newtown. Read the statement on the tragedy at http://www.nasponline.org/communications/press-release/Sandy_Hook_Media_Statement.pdf, the statement ‘Stigmatizing Mental Health or Developmental Disorders is Harmful’ at http://www.nasponline.org/communications/press-release/Diagnosable_Disorder_Statement.pdf, and the call to action for comprehensive school safety policies at http://www.nasponline.org/communications/press-release/School_Safety_Statement.pdf.

In light of the tragedy at Sandy Hook, many districts are reexamining their safety procedures and crisis plans. As you do, take time to review the NASP school safety and crisis resources at http://www.nasponline.org/resources/crisis_safety/index.aspx. You may also want to consider going through PREPaRE training at the convention in February. To learn more about PREPaRE training, visit http://www.nasponline.org/prepare/index.aspx.

Sign up for the free-for-members live webinar ‘Test Item Modifications for English Language Learners: From Research to Practice’ on January 31 at 12:30 p.m. EST at https://nasp.inreachce.com/Details?mediaType=bae80c37-9ab1-49da-b01a-1b5db926a477&groupId=b437422a-b11c-4482-af53-80c4b293995a. This webinar will review the empirical research literature on the effects of test item modifications on the test scores of an English language learner and discuss issues to consider in practice. This webinar is free for members and includes 1 documented NASP-, APA-, and NBCC-approved CPD credit.

The winter Emotional and Behavioral Screening issue of School Psychology Forum is now available at www.nasponline.org/publications/spf/index.aspx?vol=6&issue=3. Articles include ‘Screening for Behavioral and Emotional Risk: Constructs and Practicalities’ and ‘Mental Health Screening and Academic Outcomes in Elementary School.’ If you have questions, comments, ideas for future theme issues, or manuscript submissions, e-mail them to SchoolPsychForum@naspweb.org.

Save the date for the NASP 2013 Summer Conferences. This year they will be held July 8-10 in Cincinnati, OH, and July 22-24 in Albany, NY. Get in-depth training during your summer break. For more information, keep checking back at http://www.nasponline.org/conventions/2013/summer-conferences/index.aspx.

You only have until January 16 to take advantage of early registration savings for the NASP 2013 Annual Convention! Join us in Seattle, February 12-15, for 4 days of intense training, networking, and fun. With more than 1,200 sessions on topics facing the profession, you’ll find solutions to your most difficult professional challenges. Register today at www.nasponline.org/conventions/2013/index.aspx.

Want to affect the future of school psychology? Serve as a mentor at the convention and share your experiences and provide guidance to a school psychology graduate student or early career professional. Through a 1-hour meeting, scheduled at your convenience, you’ll give your mentee a chance to ask real-life questions about professional practice. Sign up at www.nasponline.org/conventions/2013/students/mentoring.aspx.

Please take a moment to update your member profile to enable NASP to provide you with greater member value. Visit www.nasponline.org/membership/memberupdate.aspx to select your e-mail and print subscription preferences and specify your professional interests. With this, NASP can provide you with more targeted information.

I wish you a happy and healthy 2013.

Sincerely,

Charlotte Wieck
NASP State Delegate – IA

The school year is coming to an end, but things at NASP continue to be very busy. I am pleased to share the latest updates with you.NASP has added new podcasts to the growing collection available at www.nasponline.org/resources/podcasts/index.aspx. Check out the latest recordings on concussions, single case design in RTI, anxiety disorders in children, and much more!

You can get involved with other NASP members who share your areas of expertise or concern by joining one of the more than 20 Interest Group Communities including autism, neuropsychology, and behavioral school psychology. Join the discussion at http://communities.nasponline.org to post a question or see what others are talking about.

This year’s School Psychology Awareness Week, November 12-16, theme is ‘Know Your Own Strengths. Discover them. Share them. Celebrate them.’ The focus this year will remain on fun, strengths-based classroom, school-wide, and counseling activities. We will also offer the Gratitude Works, Student POWER Award, and Possibilities in Action Partners Award programs. Mark your calendar and watch for more updates.

For those preparing to take the Praxis II School Psychology exam, there will be a live 2-hour webinar that will help you prepare on June 19 at 1:00 p.m. Eastern Time. You’ll learn about different sections of the exam, test-taking strategies, and various study tools, and you can ask questions directly to the test administrators. Register now at http://nasp.inreachce.com/Search?category=1e848927-efd2-430f-ba08-e182c31de743.

NASP’s newest resource, ‘Educating Young Children With Autism Spectrum Disorders,’ will help you design effective interventions and assessments, incorporate family members into treatment, and evaluate practices to promote successful outcomes. Learn more at http://iweb.nasponline.org/iweb/Purchase/ProductDetail.aspx?Product_code=N1206.

Time is running out to submit a proposal for the NASP 2013 Annual Convention in Seattle. Visit www.nasponline.org/conventions/index.aspx today and submit your proposal by June 13, 2012.

Consider attending the Public Policy Institute, July 11-13 (3 days) or July 11-13 and 16-17 (5 days), in Washington, DC. The sessions will focus on professional advocacy and how both administrative and legislative policy is advanced. For more information, visit www.nasponline.org/advocacy/PPI/2012/index.aspx.

The NASP 2012 Summer Conferences offer sessions delivered by national experts in the field and up to 18 hours of documented NASP- and APA-approved CPD. Choose between Denver, CO, July 9-11, or Minneapolis, MN, July 23-25. Register online at www.nasponline.org/summerconferences.

It has been a pleasure serving as your NASP representative this year. I hope you continue to find your membership of great value.

Sincerely,

Charlotte Wieck
NASP State Delegate – IA

School is now underway and I would like to share some resources available to you as part of your NASP membership.

NASP has developed a guiding framework for you to share with school leaders, policy makers, and practitioners on implementing school-wide bullying prevention and safety, ‘A Framework for School-Wide Bullying Prevention and Safety’ atwww.nasponline.org/resources/bullying/Bullying_Brief_12.pdf. This resource builds on NASP’s position statement on bullying, which you can locate atwww.nasponline.org/about_nasp/positionpapers/BullyingPrevention.pdfand includes background information, guiding principles, and steps to prevent bullying within a comprehensive, integrated system of school safety and learning supports.

Time is running out to register for the free-for-members webinar, ‘Establishing Preschool to Grade 12 Social and Emotional Learning in Schools,’ scheduled for September 20 at 4:00 p.m. During this live webinar, you can connect directly with social and emotional learning expert Dr. Roger Weissberg, who will share tips for improving students’ social and emotional learning. Plus, you’ll earn 1 hour of documented NASP-, APA-, and NBCC-approved CPD for attending! This webinar, a $30 value, is free to NASP members, but you must register athttp://nasp.inreachce.com/Details/Information/d883efef-cc04-41a5-ad14-e816070f1040 in order to attend.

Make sure you have the tools you need to start the new school year off right! Through September 26, members can take advantage of deep discounts on some of NASP’s most popular titles. You’ll save up to 35% off the list price on practitioner-friendly tools like Helping Children at Home and School III; Homework, Organization, and Planning Skills (HOPS) Interventions; and the portable Best Practices V CD-ROM. Visit the NASP publications store and pick up your copy of these resources today athttps://iweb.nasponline.org/iweb/Purchase/SearchCatalog.aspx?token=481FD6D9-03C9-49F5-9189-61568CC5F2F1

The Grief and Bereavement Interventions and Research Interest Group is the latest addition to NASP’s more than 20 interest groups, open exclusively to NASP members, and offering focused discussion, valuable resources, and convention networking in their targeted topical areas. To participate, visit the Grief and Bereavement Interventions and Research Interest Group Community athttp://communities.nasponline.org.

New NASP position statements on ‘Serving Students Who are Deaf or Hard of Hearing’, and ‘Effective Service Delivery for Indigenous Children and Youth’ are now available atwww.nasponline.org/about_nasp/position_paper.aspx.

NASP has dozens of podcasts available to members at no cost atwww.nasponline.org/resources/podcasts/index.aspx. Recent sessions include concussions, anxiety disorders in children, and supporting struggling students.

Do you have a success story to share? The ‘Communication Matters’ column in Communiqué is looking for school psychologists to tell us about what you do to shape the school environment, strengthen relationships, enhance your leadership role, or improve your ability to provide effective services. Guidelines for submitting a column are available at www.nasponline.org/communications/call-for-comm-matters.aspx.

Start planning now for School Psychology Awareness Week, which will be November 12-16, 2012. For ideas and resources, visitwww.nasponline.org/communications/spaw/2012/index.aspx.

I look forward to sending you more news as the school year continues. Thank you for being a NASP member and for supporting our profession.

Sincerely,

Charlotte Wieck

NASP State Delegate – IA