COSA Board members, and state and national award-winning principals and assistant principals gained coaching skills this week as they prepared to serve as mentors to new principals and assistant principals.  (COSA mentors pictured here include:  back row: Mike Scott, Doug Kartub, John O’Neill, Tim Larkin, Randy Trani, Shari Furtwangler, Jim Keegan, Michael Johnson, Bryan Starr;  front row: Mike Donnelly, Amy Tiger, Carol O’Connor, Karen Luckhuaupt, Cindy Quintanilla, Jan Miner, Jani Hale, Suzanne Dalton.)

As part of COSA’s Principals Academy, new principals and assistant principals have the option of receiving support from a mentor.   The COSA mentors will meet their mentees at the OASSA/OESPA Principals Conference for a breakfast meeting on Monday, October 19.  The breakfast conversation will focus on supervision and evaluation, PLCs and getting to know each other.

At this week's session, mentors learned and practiced the skills and stages in the cycle of powerful coaching.  Heather Knight (Co-President Leadership Innovations Team) facilitated the training.  The coaching strategies and techniques will help COSA mentors to support and assist new principals as they begin their careers in administration.

“The training was fast paced; very practical and useful information, the practice time, observing and feedback were very helpful,” Scio High School Principal Bryan Starr said.

"I appreciated the trainer’s ability to adjust to our needs, I can use this training in my day-to-day job, the tools in the notebook were excellent, and the role playing was fabulous,” Cindy Quintanilla, Rex Putnam High School Principal, said.

In addition to training mentors for members of the COSA Principals Academy, COSA, in collorbation with Leadership Innovations Team, is providing Mentor Certification Training for school leaders who mentor principals or other educators who work in the area of instruction and student learning.  The first of four sessions is scheduled for November 13.

Interested in more information about the COSA Mentor Certification Training or the COSA Principals Academy?  Please contact Suzanne Dalton or Colin Cameron.