News From the Association for Middle Level Education (AMLE)

May 2016

Please see the following opportunities for leaders of AMLE affiliate organizations.

Affiliate Discount to attend AMLE Affiliate Strand at AMLE2016
The AMLE Board of Trustees recently approved providing each affiliate attending the annual conference with one (1) discounted conference registration, in order to be represented at the affiliate strand. Download this special registration form to use for this discount registration (1 per affiliate). If the affiliate representative would like to attend any of the extra functions, please indicate those items on the registration form and submit the appropriate payment if necessary. Please send the completed form to Will Waidelich at wwaidelich@amle.org at your earliest convenience. We look forward to seeing you and other fellow affiliate leaders at AMLE2016 in Austin, TX, October 9-12, 2016!

Call for Affiliate Task Force Nominations
We are seeking nominations to fill two positions on the Affiliate Task Force. Please submit nominations by June 7, 2016. The ballots for the election will be emailed on June 9, 2016 and the election will close on June 17, 2016. The two individuals who are selected in this process will join the Task Force for the term of July 1, 2016 to June 30, 2019.

Affiliate Task Force
AMLE has established an Affiliate Task Force. Affiliate leaders can serve on the Affiliate Task Force. This group of affiliate leaders, staff, and board members creates the agenda and topics for the Affiliate Leaders Strand. 2015-2016 affiliate taskforce members are:

Len Ference, Chair - Pennsylvania
term ends June 30, 2018
Cecil Floyd - Texas
term ends June 30, 2016
Peter Murphy – California
term ends June 30, 2016
Shirley Wright – Indiana
term ends June 30, 2018
Maureen Shankman – Florida
term ends June 30, 2017
Betty Dore – Virginia
term ends June 30, 2017
Nancy Mizelle -NAPoMLE
term ends June 30, 2018
AMLE2016
Here at AMLE we are gearing up and energized about AMLE2016 which will take place in Austin, Texas! We're looking forward to making 2016 an unforgettable, motivating experience for all involved. Within the Affiliate Agreement, AMLE has exhibit space available at the AMLE Annual Conference for use by your affiliate organization at no charge (additional costs, such as electricity, Internet access, and furniture will be the responsibility of the exhibiting organization). If you are interested please email amle@mra-services.com to receive instructions on how to book your booth. You will receive a complimentary code with step-by-step instructions on how to confirm everything. You're encouraged to join us and take advantage of the free booth space.

Affiliate Leaders Strand at the AMLE Annual Conference in Austin, TX
AMLE offers professional development opportunities to affiliate leaders including an Affiliate Leaders Strand that is offered at the AMLE Annual Conference. This is an opportunity for those affiliate leaders who attend the annual conference to network and receive updated information. All sessions and breakouts are focused on developing and strengthening affiliate organization. This event provides an excellent opportunity for affiliate leaders and AMLE leaders to meet in an informal setting. The Affiliate Leaders Strand will be on Sunday, October 9, 2016.

The topics for the breakout sessions, as determined by the Affiliate Task Force survey, are:

Session 1 - Strategies to increase affiliate revenues
Session 2 - Membership options
Session 3 - How to use legislation tracking to advocate for middle level
Session 4 - How to share services among affiliates

Advocacy will be addressed during a combined general session with the Symposium on Middle Level Teacher Education

Affiliate Directory
Click to download an updated copy of the Affiliate Directory. Please send changes to the Affiliate Directory to Will Waidelich at wwaidelich@amle.org

Increased Discount for AMLE Publications
We are continuing to make improvements to AMLE's online bookstore. As part of that initiative, I'm pleased to announce that we have increased the affiliate discount for purchases of titles published by AMLE. Affiliates purchasing AMLE-published books will now receive a 50% discount. The discount enables you to purchase these titles direct from AMLE and re-sell at your conferences and events at a profit to your association. AMLE also carries select titles from other publishers and those books are available at a 20% discount.

If you would like to order books for your next event or need some help deciding which books to carry, please contact AMLE member services at (800) 528-6672 or email membercenter@amle.org for recommendations and our best-selling titles.

Professional Development…Coming to a City Near You!
AMLE is offering a variety of professional learning options for middle level educators in 2016. Use the links, below, to discover the topics, presenters, schedules, and formats for our upcoming professional development line-up. If you would like to promote these events to your members, please email Will Waidelich at wwaidelich@amle.org to request event information, emails, social media posts, flyers, etc.

June 19-22, 2016 – San Diego, CA
The Institute for Middle Level Leadership
June 26-29, 2016 – Hilton Head Island, SC
The Institute for Middle Level Leadership
October 9-12, 2016 – Austin, TX
The Annual Conference for Middle Level Education, presented in partnership with the Texas Middle School Association
November 5-8, 2017 – Philadelphia, PA
The Annual Conference for Middle Level Education, presented in partnership with the Pennsylvania Association for Middle Level Education
October 25-27, 2018 — Orlando, FL
The Annual Conference for Middle Level Education, presented in partnership with the Florida League of Middle Schools

Dual Membership
A dual membership program offers an individual a chance to become a member in his or her state or provincial affiliate organization and the Association for Middle Level Education. AMLE offers a reduction in the price of an individual membership to make it cost effective for the member and encourages affiliates to do the same. AMLE will process the membership and generate a dual individual membership card and renewal invoices. Each month AMLE will forward a report to the affiliate with the membership information and payment for the affiliate portion of the membership. Please contact Derek Neal (dneal@amle.org) for more information.

Affiliate Conference Dates
The Association for Middle Level Education maintains a web page of all affiliate conference dates and locations. Each year the main contact for each affiliate is asked to provide the date, location, and contact information for their events. To have your information included on the AMLE website; please complete Appendix D with your event information and return it to Will Waidelich at wwaidelich@amle.org.

Affiliate Websites
We have links to all affiliate websites on the AMLE website at www.amle.org/affiliates. Please check your link and email Ryan Gauntz (rgauntz@amle.org) if you have changes.