Greetings!
Entering the 44th year of our organization, we continue our efforts guided by our essential values, including embracing diversity through inclusivity and promoting an ongoing collaboration across our peers and partners in this profession.
We do our work at institutions of all kinds, from small private, rural colleges to flagship community colleges in one of the largest metropolitan regions of the country. We work in different roles, from senior administrators overseeing service delivery to thousands of undergraduates to adjunct faculty who work intimately with two dozen students each semester.
We are all different in many ways, but we are all PA-NOSS. We adapt, and we support each other, and we grow. This year, we have adapted - most notably in the rescheduling of our annual conference. We listened, and our conference has been rescheduled for April 20 at the DoubleTree in Lancaster.
Our hope is that the new one-day format will allow even more of you to attend, and to encourage your entire departments to attend. A day talking about the big-picture, about the value of the work that we do day in and day out, would be an excellent staff retreat, professional development day, and a way to bond with each other while continuing our dive into UDL, led once again by our fantastic keynote speaker, Dr. Janet Bertoni!
About those new connections - we in the Marketing & Communications Committee would love to help you invite your colleagues, and your peers at nearby schools. If you’re interested, reach out and we can work together on ways to tell the valuable story of PA-NOSS.
Celebrate the work that you all have accomplished this past semester! --Jonathan Kadjeski, Director, Marketing & Communications Committee
Conference Registration!
Our theme for this year’s conference continues the theme of “Universal Design for Learning (UDL) and Social Justice: How they are intertwined.” For those unfamiliar, UDL redefines teaching and learning by removing obstacles to learning. UDL, by definition, gives all students equal opportunity to succeed within the diverse framework of K-12 and post-secondary education.
Our keynote speaker is Dr. Janet Bertoni, an Associate Professor in the Department of Early, Middle & Exceptional Education at Millersville University. She is also a Board-Certified Behavior Analyst. We have been fortunate to have Dr. Bertoni lead our two previous Town Halls. Dr. Bertoni will share the history of UDL, its overarching rubric to support all students, as well as practical examples we can use immediately. Based on her previous presentations for PA-NOSS Town Halls, you will surely be impressed with UDL, its ability to support students, and Dr. Bertoni’s clear, enthusiastic, and research-based presentation.
Credits:
Created with images by sosiukin - "Creative frame made of Christmas pine cones with square Paper blank. Xmas and New Year theme. Flat lay, top view copy space" • Charley - "Mountain Stream in Pennsylvania" • Mary Perry - "Pennsylvania Farm Dramatic Evening Sky" • Amelia Pearn - "misty morning in the forest" • yavdat - "Cozy home with cup of coffee and a book. Hygge style. Mug of black coffee wrapped in warm scarf on wooden board. Top view, vintage style, Still life." • bmarya83 - "Merry christmas and happy new year greeting card with copy space Happy little snowman in red cap and scarf standing in winter snow background Xmas fairytale Hello January, February concept"