The first batch of pictures from the 2008 National Conference in Hartford, CT are now available.

Updated More pictures added Friday, April 18th

Look for more to be added in the coming days!

In Connecticut, Congressman Joe Courtney spent the day with paras "in Mansfield Public Schools to raise awareness of the job responsibilities and expectations of Connecticut's paraeducators." You can read all about his experiences on this page, including links to newspaper articles, the press release and radio coverage.

Looks like a great way to promote the good work that paraeducators do!

Joe Courtney "Walks a Day in My 'Para' Shoes"- Paraeducators Closing the Gap

This years Friday Night Special Event at the conference will be a trip to the Mohegan Sun Casino for a night of food, camaraderie, shopping, and fun! You won't want to miss everything that is offered at the Mohegan Sun with conference attendees from all over the country.

Read all about the variety of food and activities and take a moment to reserve a place on the bus from the Friday Night Special Event page.

We have another conference prize winner, William C. Soltys of Lyons Township High School in LaGrange, Illinois has chosen the $50 gift certificate to Black Eyed Sallys Restaurant to use during the conference. Congratulations William! I asked William to tell us a little about himself:

I am in my 7th year as a Para-educator at Lyons Township High School in Illinois. I work with special education students as a one-on-one in regular ed classes. I enjoy working with students and watching them excel. I am also the co-president of our local Association. This is a second career for me having retired in 2001 from a career in Hospital Administration with the Department of Veterans Affairs. I am looking forward to attending the conference and bringing back valuable information to share with my colleagues.

Don't forget that there are two more prizes and we will give both of them to the next winner- a product from the NRCP Paraeducator Merchandise Store and one of our Training Manuals. We will select the next winner by the middle of next week, so get your registration in right away!

If you have been thinking about attending the upcoming National Conference, but are not quite sure what to expect, take a moment to look through a few pictures that were taken at last years conference in Albuquerque, New Mexico or a from the year before in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Doesn't that look like fun?

What are you waiting for? Register Today!

Sara Doege is our second conference prize winner and she has chosen the $50 gift certificate to Mayor Mike's in Hartford. We asked Sara to tell us a little about herself:

I am currently working with students with cognitive disabilities at Slinger High School in Wisconsin. I am also currently enrolled at Moraine Park Technical College earning my Associates of Applied Science degree as an Instructional Assistant, and I will graduate this spring. I am traveling to the conference due to our fundraising efforts in the Instructional Assistant Club through Moraine Park Technical College and I am looking forward to the conference for the informative sessions that are being offered, as well as meeting other Paraeducators!

If you haven't registered yet, it's not too late- the early bird pricing goes until the end of the month are there are even a few prizes left that we will be giving away before then. Register for the conference today!.

The schedule for the upcoming conference has been released with 68 sessions covering a wide range of topics, including:

• Understanding Your Student With Autism Spectrum Disorders from Cindy Myers
• Establishing Policies and Creating Systems That Strengthen Teacher and Paraeducator Teams from Anna Lou Pickett
• Living Wage: You’re Worth It! from Debbie Minnick
• Degree of Work Satisfaction of Special Education Paraprofessionals from Peggy Akerman
• and many more!

2008 National Conference Schedule.

The first winner of one of our early registration contest rewards is Mary McKenna- she has chosen the $50 gift certificate to Hot Tomato's. We asked Mary to tell us a little about herself:

I have worked as a para with children with varying levels of special needs in grades ranging from Pre-K to Second. This year I am working with our Resource Department in the First and Second grades and as a substitute, when needed, for our one-on-one paras.

Congratulationis Mary- we look forward to seeing you at the conference!

If you haven't registered yet, it's certainly not too late- our early bird discount lasts until the end of February. Remember that the earlier you register the more chances you'll have to win one of the remaining prizes...

We have selected the winner of one of our fabulous conference prizes. We will notify the winner tomorrow and then post the person's name along with his or her prize. There will still be some great prizes given away, so hurry and register before we choose the next winner- don't forget that everyone who registers before March 1st receives an early bird discount!

Kari is a "woman given the awesome task of raising 6 children, 2 of them with special needs". Her blog includes personal and insightful insights on raising her children and living life. Today's post includes an experience with her son Ben initiated by Ben's paraprofessional:

I answered the phone and Ben's 1:1 paraprofessional told me that he was escalating and that he had stopped himself long enough to ask if he could call me to help him calm. Wow! Normally when Ben is at a "4" on a 1-5 behavior scale he isn't able to ask for what he needs...and he did today! She asked if I could talk to him and I said, "Absolutely!" and she put him on the phone.

You can read the rest of the post, titled Ben's Call to find out what happened. If you have a few minutes check out some of her other posts as well!