A Message from the President, Shawn Dee Hartless
Welcome to the 2024-2025 school year! I am honored and excited to be your SANDCASP President this year. As we move enthusiastically into another school year, I want to remind you that SANDCASP is here to support you, and that we are all connected by our passion and commitment to serving our fellow educators, students, and families.
With the new school year, we would be remiss if we didn’t thank the 2023-2024 board members for their dedication and service over the past year. I am thrilled to have so many returning board members, as well as several new board members this year. Our SANDCASP Board is filled with experience, leadership, and expertise in the field. This will be a galvanizing year for SANDCASP as we continue to push this organization forward into the future as a team. Click here to meet the board!
At SANDCASP, we remain dedicated to providing school psychologists with the essential resources and support needed to deliver exceptional services to our students, families, and schools. Our mission is to assist local school psychologists in adopting a whole-child approach to education, helping teachers, administrators, students, and support staff meet the intellectual, social, behavioral, and emotional needs of every child in the county, and even beyond.
The San Diego County Association of School Psychologists is firmly committed to promoting social justice, equity, diversity, and inclusion in all our efforts.
We will update you regularly on upcoming events and workshops. Our workshops this school year have already been set in motion and they will all be virtual. For our first workshop of the school year, we will be teaming up with the North Eastern California Association of School Psychologists on September 13, 2024, to bring you Josh Walden, Senior Counsel at Lozano Smith, for a half-day Legal Update focused on cases, guidance, and other developments impacting legally defensible assessment reports. REGISTER NOW! Even MORE AMAZING is that if you are a current (24-25) SANDCASP member, this workshop is FREE! Join/renew now @ https://sandcasp.com/24-25-member-registration/.
Other upcoming workshops and events include our Annual Kick-Off Event in September 2024 (date/location TBA) and a PSW Beyond the Software Program Workshop w/ Jenny Ponzuric, LEP, on November 12th. Stay tuned for even more!
We also have an exciting CASP Update! The CASP Convention 2024 is set to take place in Palm Springs from October 15-18, 2024, and registration is now open! This year’s theme is “From Past to Present: Cultivating the Spirit of Possibility.” CASPCON24 aims to empower school psychologists and Licensed Educational Psychologists (LEPs) to enhance educational systems and provide meaningful support to those they serve. I’m looking forward to being part of this inspiring event and hope to see all of you there!
SANDCASP welcomes volunteers to help support events (i.e., outreach, committees, and attending board meetings). If you are interested in getting involved, email us at [email protected]. Visit our website to buy merchandise and become a member or renew your membership in order to access workshops, CEU credits, education updates, college tuition discounts, and networking events. We are also on Facebook and Instagram, where we post the latest updates and events.
As your President, my goal this year is to continue to provide you with excellent opportunities for professional development and networking, quality information through our website, emails, and social media, and to keep you up to date on current issues and trends that affect our work. Another goal is to increase our membership, so please tell a colleague about all the benefits of SANDCASP and encourage them to join us!
In closing, as your SANDCASP President this year, it is my hope to inspire you to be mindful and take care of yourselves, as well as assist you in deepening your practice. We have a strong board and outstanding members. I thank you for your support and look forward to a great year! I am excited to see you at our first workshop as well as our kick-off event!
Cheers to a great 2024-2025 school year!
Kind regards,
Shawn Dee Hartless, 2024-2025 SANDCASP President