- Jim Mercer
- Aug 11, 2024
The reviews of the new TimeTrack have been stellar. I bet you’ve been exploring your new TimeTrack and are finding new features, an increase in speed and easier event entry. I bet you are in the GREEN today, too!
There are four parts to today’s SamTastic Weekly Tip: TimeTrack Access, TimeTrack Integration, Application for the NSIP SAM Principal Board Seat, and the pre-conference options, 18th Annual National SAM Conference.
1. You can access TimeTrack on your computer the same way as always: use a bookmark, a shortcut or enter in the address bar: www.TimeTracklogin.com
There is a new TimeTrack feature that allows you to pin the TimeTrack app to your taskbar tray. This makes it even easier to access your TimeTrack…and it is easy to install. Here’s a link to an 82 second how-to video: https://bit.ly/3AoBB23
2. Another new feature: TimeTrack now allows users to connect with other platforms and apps.
We’ve activated four integration options in the new TimeTrack. These options allow a TimeTrack user to transfer TimeTrack events to a Google or Outlook calendar as well as to cell phones, Apple and Google. Once set up, this transfer occurs automatically, daily. How-to videos are available: Go to your TimeTrack logo, upper left, click. Select Video Tools for SAM Teams.
Reverse integration options will be released slowly to allow for additional testing. The first allows TimeTrack to capture accepted meeting invitations from a user’s Google Gmail and place them as events on their TimeTrack. This feature has been in beta testing for several months with five selected TimeTrack users who activate the feature manually. It is working flawlessly. We will add an automated feature later this month. This will allow users to set it up once and TimeTrack will continue capturing accepted meeting invitations indefinitely. Expect to see invitations to use this feature in September along with a how-to video. The same functionality for Outlook will come next.
3. NSIP Board President Bert Hendee is taking applications for the seat designated for a SAM principal. Applications are due September 20. Use this link to download the application. https://bit.ly/3AeqJnd
4. Registration opens on Labor Day for the 18th Annual National SAM Conference. There are several things you should consider before registering. Here’s the first: Do you want to come a day early and attend one of the four pre-conference all-day workshops?
Pre-conference Session Descriptions
Ted Ma ~ Everyday Mentorship: How SAM Practitioners Can Bring Out the Best in OthersWe all have someone who made a significant impact on our careers. For most of us, it was a mentor who challenged the way we see ourselves and how we show up in the world. Your ability to be an Everyday Mentor for others doesn’t happen by chance; it is a result of a specific mindset and set of behaviors. Based on a national research study, this interactive workshop will teach you how to become an Everyday Mentor so you can bring out the best in your staff and create a culture they never want to leave. As a SAM practitioner, you will be challenged to rethink your role as a leader, change how you interact with your team, and learn how to close the gap between potential and performance.Ted Ma is a leadership strategist, author, and international keynote speaker who helps leaders become Everyday Mentors and create a culture that people never want to leave. As an elder millennial who has been coaching leaders for over 20 years, he brings a unique perspective to the stage. He's not just another leadership expert. Ted has been in the trenches, building and leading an international sales force of thousands of independent agents. He combines this experience with the vibrancy and insights of his generation, offering a unique blend of wisdom and innovation in leadership development. Through interactive speaking programs, Ted equips his audience with practical strategies to transition from outdated hierarchical management styles to the people-first approach of Everyday Mentorship that emphasizes employee engagement, leadership development, and career growth.
Will Parker ~ Pause. Breathe. Flourish.
Join William D. Parker for an enlightening pre-conference workshop inspired by his book, Pause. Breathe. Flourish.: Living Your Best Life as an Educator. It's often said in airplane safety briefings to put on your own oxygen mask before assisting others. Unfortunately, many educators prioritize the needs of others over their own well-being. In this session, led by Will Parker, explore vital principles for personal and professional growth designed to prevent educator burnout and enhance overall well-being. You'll learn to set realistic goals, manage stress effectively, and maintain a balanced life, all essential for thriving in your role and inspiring those around you. The workshop includes interactive discussions, practical strategies for self-care, and will leave you empowered to live your best life as an educator.
William D. Parker is the Founder of Principal Matters, LLC, an organization dedicated to equipping education leaders with solutions and strategies for motivating students, inspiring teachers, and improving school communities. As an author, speaker, and consultant, Will applies his expertise in school leadership, culture, and communication to work one-on-one or with groups in principal development. Will resides near Tulsa, Oklahoma, and brings over twenty-five years of experience as a teacher, assistant principal, and principal. In 2012, he was honored as Oklahoma's Assistant Principal of the Year. He is also an active blogger, podcaster, and author. Beyond his consulting, Will served for six years as the Executive Director of Oklahoma’s Association for Secondary School Principals and Middle-Level Education Association. Discover his content and services at www.williamdparker.com.
Jenn David-Lang ~ Build Your Dream Team
Working together as a team is what helps people achieve extraordinary results. That’s why your leadership team is crucial to the success of your school. Come learn ways to bring your leadership team together, set clear priorities, function better as a team, collaboratively solve problems, build trust, improve communication, and manage conflict. What’s more, you will walk away with materials to conduct each of these activities easily with your own leadership team back home.
Jenn David-Lang has worked as a teacher, school administrator, consultant, and founder of educational organizations for more than thirty years. Over time, she noticed that school leaders had little time for their own professional growth, so in 2007, Jenn founded The Main Idea www.TheMainIdea.org. Her subscribers receive a thorough summary of an education book each month, connecting them with the latest and most compelling ideas on leadership, teaching, and learning. When Jenn is not up to her ears in books, she facilitates Masterminds (online groups of educational leaders learning together), gives workshops, coaches educational leaders, and conducts school evaluations.
Da’Mond Holt ~ Unbreakable: Shifting from Tragedy to Trauma-Resistant
Trauma may beat us and bruise us, but it will not break us. We will discuss the pain and brokenness of trauma and challenge the narrative that people need more than just trauma-informed care, which only talks about the problem of trauma but shifts to trauma resilience, which promotes persevering from surviving to thriving.
Dr. Da’Mond Holt is a national trauma expert, a certified traumatologist through the Traumatology Institute. He is also a certified mental health specialist and trauma crisis specialist through the American School Counselor’s Association. He is a board-certified functional medicine practitioner through the American Academy of Functional Health. Dr. Holt has authored eleven books, including Trauma: The New Public Health Emergency in Education.
