Volume 6:: December 2005

There is such a thing as a Free Lunch
By Cindy Sabato, past CalSPRA President and CalSPRA eNewsletter Committee Chair
The best free lunch this year has been CalSPRA’s October Networking Luncheons hosted by several County Offices of Education throughout the state. This year’s luncheons were part of CalSPRA’s continued effort to provide low-cost, easy-to-access professional growth opportunities during the ongoing budget crisis...

Sacramento Summit Promises Fun, Friends, and Fascinating Information to Use on the Job
By Cindy Sabato, past CalSPRA President and CalSPRA eNewsletter Committee Chair
Survey after survey has revealed that CalSPRA members value the annual Sacramento Summit far above all other conferences and workshops offered by the organization over the years. Strategically positioned in between the Superintendent’s Symposium and the Governor’s Budget Proposal, the Sacramento Summit gives CalSPRA members firsthand knowledge, from the “horse’s mouth,” about the budget, legislation and legal issues just around the corner for schools...

Golden (Mentor) Nuggets
Seven 'Life's Lessons' Learned in School PR
By Vic Pallos
Last spring, several veteran colleagues and I were designated as CalSPRA's first Golden Mentors. We were honored and truly humbled – certainly a career highlight. One of my dictionaries defines "mentor" particularly glowingly – wise, trusted, and other lofty words – even as "counselor to Odysseus." Yikes! During my tenure in school public relations, I never thought of myself as guru to Odysseus. I never knew the guy...

CalSPRA Mentorship Committee Message on Finding Help Through Interns
By Trent Allen, CalSPRA's Mentorship Committee Chair
We all know the start of the school year is a challenging time. In fact, during the past couple of months, you probably found yourself thinking, “I could use more help!” One of our big conversation topics at NSPRA last summer in Boston was how to start a quality internship program that can provide needed assistance in your office. Today’s interns are not your garden variety coffee and donut fetchers...

:: Save these Dates

January 19-20, 2005	Sacramento Summit
May 18-19, 2006	Celebrating Communicators Workshop
July 9-12, 2006	2006 NSPRA National Seminar in Chicago
October 2006	Southwest Regional Conference hosted by CalSPRA

Distribution of Flyers
How does your district handle distribution of flyers to students?

Board Member articles, pictures and quotes
Wisdom and advice from CalSPRA members and the California Fair Political Practices Commission

:: For the latest information on California educational policy and news: www.edsource.org.

:: An invaluable resource on a variety of public school issues and especially fiscal topics: www.sscal.com

:: New educational Legal Alerts: http://www.kmtg.com/legalalerts.htm#Education_Law.

:: For networking and professional help from other school communicators across the country: www.nspra.org.

:: State, district and school-level data on achievement, demographics, and spending: www.schoolmatters.com

Other links:

:: California Department of Education, www.cde.ca.gov

:: Office of the Secretary of Education, www.ose.ca.gov

:: Association of California School Administrators (ACSA): www.acsa.org

:: California Association of School Business Officials (CASBO): www.casbo.org

:: California Association of Student Councils: http://www.casc.net/

:: California Federation of Teachers (CFT): www.cft.org

:: California School Boards Association: www.csba.org

:: California School Employees Association (CSEA): www.csea.com

:: California Teachers Association: www.cta.org

If you know of another link that has been invaluable to you in your work, please help us include it in our next newsletter by emailing the CalSPRA eNewsletter Committee Chair Cindy Sabato, APR at cms28@guam.net.

Do you have a story idea for CalSPRA’s E-Connection? If so, please help us include it in our next newsletter by emailing the CalSPRA eNewsletter Committee Chair Cindy Sabato, APR at cms28@guam.net.