FLORIDA DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION
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STATE BOARD OF EDUCATION
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Jeanine Blomberg
Commissioner of Education
T. WILLARD FAIR,
Chairman
Members
DONNA G. CALLAWAY
DR. AKSHAY DESAI
ROBERTO MARTÍNEZ
PHOEBE RAULERSON
KATHLEEN SHANAHAN
LINDA K. TAYLOR
March 1, 2007
M E M O R A N D U M
TO:
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District School Superintendents
K-12
Principals
FROM:
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Evan B. Lefsky, Ph.D.
Executive Director, Just Read, Florida!
SUBJECT:
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2007 Just Read, Florida! K-12 Leadership Conference
We are pleased to extend an invitation to the sixth annual Just Read, Florida! K-12 Leadership
Conference. Each year we host this conference for superintendents and principals, and this
summer promises to be the most exciting event ever with the continued addition of
reading/literacy coaches. There will be over 300 concurrent sessions ~ all geared toward
providing essential information to school leadership in the area of reading and literacy.
Furthermore, this conference will feature numerous sessions presented by fellow principals,
reading coaches, and district leaders, giving you the opportunity to hear about the great
literacy initiatives taking place in schools throughout our state. This year, we are strongly
encouraging all K-12 principals to attend with their reading/literacy coach. The agenda is
posted on the Just Read, Florida! website.
The conference will convene Sunday, August 5, 2007, at the Rosen Shingle Creek Resort
located in Orlando. Onsite check-in will be open at all conference hotels on Sunday, August
5
th
from noon to 6:00 PM, and there will be a welcome dinner and speaker starting at 6:30 PM
at the Rosen Shingle Creek on Sunday.
EVAN B. LEFSKY, PH.D.
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EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, JUST READ, FLORIDA!
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325 W. GAINES STREET, ROOM 1548 • TALLAHASSEE, FL 32399-0400 • (850) 245-0503 • www.fldoe.org
Memorandum to District School Superintendents and K-12 Principals
Page 2
There is a $100 non-refundable registration fee for all participants. We are asking that
districts support the participation of principals and coaches by paying the registration fee, as
well as reimbursing for travel and per diem. The Just Read, Florida! Office is paying lodging
for all conference participants, including those who live within a 50 mile radius for the nights
of Sunday, August 5
th
, Monday, August 6
th
, and Tuesday, August 7
th
. There will be evening
events that all conference participants will benefit from attending; therefore, the 50 mile radius
for lodging is waived so that all participants may benefit from the full conference experience.
The Just Read, Florida! Conference ends on Tuesday evening with a closing reception, but all
principals and assistant principals in attendance at the conference are invited to attend a half-
day William Cecil Golden Leadership Institute on Wednesday, August 8
th
. All participants
will be provided lodging for Tuesday night, even if they are not attending the Leadership
Institute.
Lodging will be arranged at the Rosen Shingle Creek Resort, Rosen Centre, Rosen Plaza,
Peabody, J.W. Marriott or the Ritz Carlton. Billing will be handled on a master account, but a
credit card will need to be submitted when checking in at the hotel for any incidentals
.
Location for lodging is based on a first-come first-serve basis and cannot be requested.
Registration will begin March 1 at http://www.justreadflorida.com/conference, and the
non-refundable registration fee for participants will be $100. Payment for registration may be in
the form of a credit card, district or school purchasing card, or purchase order. District or school
purchasing cards are preferred over personal credit cards. If a purchase order number is not
available at the time of registration for those wishing to use this payment option, registration will
be accepted and the purchase order number may be provided at a later date, provided that it is
received by July 15, 2007.
Please note that while the payment is non-refundable, if a
principal and coach register from a school, that school is assured those two slots, even if
one or both registrants do not attend and are replaced by another principal and coach. If a
registrant is accepted to present at the conference and so indicates that at the time of
registration, the registration fee will be waived.
All purchase order invoices must be returned
with payment by September 15, 2007.
In order to assist you with setting up the district purchase order, attached to this memorandum is
the W-9 form for the Florida Education Foundation. For assistance with the registration process,
please contact CMC and Associates at 1-888-320-6129 or justread@cmc-associates.com.
The capacity for this conference is approximately 4,200 participants. Registration will
remain open until May 1, 2007, but may close earlier if conference capacity has been
reached. If by May 1, 2007, conference capacity has not been reached, we will reopen
registration so schools will have the opportunity to register additional school
administrators or coaches.
Schools that have multiple reading/literacy coaches may only send
one
coach to the conference,
unless conference capacity is not met and registration is reopened after May 1, 2007.
Memorandum to District School Superintendents
Page 3
Each district will also be able to send a district team which will be identified by the district. The
number of district office personnel who may attend will be based upon your district’s size.
Please see the attached chart, Appendix B, that lists the number of district level administrators
who may attend. Once the maximum number of district level administrators have been
registered, no additional district level participants will be able to register. The district point of
contact for registration related issues will be the K-12 Reading Plan Contact and/or the
Reading
First
Contact. If the Superintendent attends, he or she will not count towards the district
allotment; however, if the Superintendent cannot attend, a designee need not be appointed. The
team allotment will remain the same.
After completing the online registration process, participants will receive an email confirming
their registration. Participants will receive a separate email confirming hotel accommodations.
If you do not receive an email confirming your attendance, please contact CMC and Associates
at 1-888-320-6129 or justread@cmc-associates.com. While the $100 registration fee is
non-refundable, changes may be made to the registration until June 30, 2007. Please visit the
conference registration website at www.justreadflorida.com/conference to make changes.
In addition, please find attached in Appendix A some frequently asked questions regarding
participation in this conference.
Best wishes and we look forward to seeing you in Orlando!
EBL/sv
Attachments
