President's Message

The start of a new school year is always exciting and full of great promise for the important work of helping students be successful and reach their academic potential. As professionals, we find ourselves thinking about our own personal and work-related goals that we want to accomplish this year. There will be many informative conferences and professional-development opportunities available in 2009-2010, beginning with Reading in the Rockies in Beaver Creek (Oct. 2-3). On the same weekend, the CLD International Conference will be held in Dallas, offering a great line up of speakers and special sessions. In November, February and next July, CCLD is proud to offer an expanded Math on the “Planes” Conference. Please follow the links at: www.cocld.org to CCLD sponsored conferences for more information and registration materials. Remember, your CLD/ CCLD membership allows you to register at a reduced rate.

It is with great pride that our CCLD Teacher of the Year and CCLD Professional of the Year will be honored at the CLD International Conference in Dallas in October. Kristin Radloff, a preschool- inclusion teacher from Breckenridge, will be recognized for her contributions in setting the stage for all of her students to be successful in school. Kyle Hughes will be honored as the national winner of the Floyd G. Hudson Outstanding Service Award. Kyle’s contributions to the field of special education are extensive and she has been instrumental in continuing and improving the Math on the “Planes” Conference. It is part of our mission to honor Colorado teachers, professionals and paraprofessionals who are doing an exceptional job in their work with students who struggle with learning. I encourage members to nominate colleagues for these awards. Applications for 2010 are now available on the Web site.

I also encourage our members to communicate freely to the CCLD board about news in your districts, ideas you may have about instruction, materials or programs that are working well for you, and ways in which our organization can better serve your needs or interests. You will find updated information and events on our Web site, so I hope you will access CCLD information frequently.

Have a great year!

Pam Cochrane, CCLD President