PRINCIPALS' MESSAGES 2004

NOVEMBER 18, 2004

I hope your school has sent, or will soon be sending, copies of your School Report Card home with students. Tuesday was North Carolina School Report Card Day, and Gov. Easley announced the 2004 School Report Cards to the news media and general public. This year, we have partnered with many of the state’s public libraries to help highlight public Internet access to the Report Card Web site, www.ncreportcards.org. I hope you will encourage all families with children in your schools to review the site, either through their home computers or at their local library.

Regards,
Tricia Willoughby

In this Biweekly Principals' Message:

1. Middle School Principal Wins National Award
2. National Board Certification Update
3. Accurate Portrayal of American Indians Especially Critical During Holidays
4. RFP for Planning Grants Available at High School Innovation Statewide Conferences
5. Raising Achievement/Closing Gaps Conference Scheduled for April
6. Program Offers Students Advice on Mathematics Readiness
7. Nominations being Accepted for Mathematics and Science Award
8. PBS TeacherLine Online Professional Development Comes to North Carolina
9. More at Four Newsletter Online
10. LEARN NC’s November Update Online

Middle School Principal Wins National Award

Congratulations to Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools’ Principal Maureen Furr for being named one of three middle school principals to receive the new Distinguished Educator Award. The National Middle School Association sponsors the award, which recognizes the efforts of educators to implement proven strategies to increase young adolescents’ academic and developmental growth. Furr is principal at Jay M. Robinson Middle School.

National Board Certification Update

North Carolina teachers seeking National Board Certification may apply for funding to cover one retake entry for 2004 - 2005. Congress has provided funds through a grant from the U.S. Department of Education for first time participants only. Candidates who received subsidy funding for the initial process or funding for retakes in the past cannot apply again. NBPTS and the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction assist teachers with the application process for the Candidate Subsidy Program. National Board candidates who may need to apply for retake funding should review the information/guidelines at http://www.ncpublicschools.org/nbpts. The application window for retake funding is Nov. 16 – Jan. 15. The available funding for retake applicants is limited and will be granted on a first come first served basis. For more information about Advanced Candidacy and Retake Funding, please contact Jeanne Washburn at 919.807.3373 (jwashbur@dpi.state.nc.us), or Deanna Harris at 919.807.3358 (dharris@dpi.state.nc.us).

Accurate Portrayal of American Indians Especially Critical During Holidays

With the Thanksgiving holiday a few days away, it is important for principals and teachers to be cognizant of the Social Studies Standard Course of Study and the expectations for teaching about American Indians. Students are to: - Describe the similarities and differences among people of North Carolina, past and present. - Describe how different ethnic groups have influenced culture, customs and history of North Carolina. - Assess changes in ways of living over time and determine whether the changes are primarily political, economic, or social. - Identify people, symbols, events, and documents associated with North Carolina's history. - Examine the Lost Colony and explain its importance in the settlement of North Carolina. (For a full review of Social Studies Standards go to http://www.ncpublicschools.org/curriculum/socialstudies/scos/) Additionally, it is necessary to accurately reflect the time period of focus. Because students have received little or no information on today’s Indians, it’s vital that they are aware that historical aspects are not applicable to today’s American Indian culture. Due to the media’s stereotypical portrayal of American Indians, it becomes necessary to accurately emphasize today’s American Indian life in order to give students a complete and balanced picture. For more information, please contact Tracey Greggs, Instructional Services, DPI, 919.807.3836, or by email, tgreggs@dpi.state.nc.us.

RFP for Planning Grants Available at High School Innovation Statewide Conferences

Participants in the Dec. 2 (North Raleigh Hilton) and Dec. 3 (Adams Mark Hotel, Charlotte) North Carolina Action Plan for High School Innovation conferences will be the first to secure the Request for Proposals (RFP) being issued by the New Schools Project (www.newschoolsproject.org) for planning grants. The RFP will include cash grants to school districts seeking to create new approaches to high schools and other supports such as coaches, school design materials and visits to innovative schools across the country. For more information, or to register for the conference, please go online to http://www.ncpublicschools.org/newschoolproject/

Raising Achievement/Closing Gaps Conference Scheduled for April

The Ninth Annual Raising Achievement and Closing Gaps conference will be held April 4-6 at the Sheraton Four Seasons/Koury Convention Center, Greensboro. Participation is limited to 3,500 participants on a first-come, first-served basis. The deadline for submitting the $110 registration fee is March 4, or when capacity is reached. Registration information has been mailed to local school systems but also is available online at http://www.ncpublicschools.org/schoolimprovement/closingthegap/conference/. The registration form must be downloaded, completed and mailed to DPI at the noted address. Online registration is not available. The registration packet also contains the Call for Proposals form for the 2005 conference. Again, the form must be downloaded, completed and mailed to DPI or emailed to jham@dpi.state.nc.us. The deadline for submitting proposals is Nov. 30. For more information, please contact the Division of School Improvement at 919.807.3609 or 919.807.3911.

Program Offers Students Advice on Mathematics Readiness

The NC Early Mathematics Placement Testing Program (NC EMPT) program gives high school students advice on their readiness to take college level mathematics courses and aims to reduce the percentage of freshmen at state-supported universities requiring remedial mathematics courses. For more information, please visit the NC EMPT Web site at www.ncempt.org or contact Ellen Hilgoe, East Carolina University’s Mathematics Department, 252/328-6418, or ncempt@ncempt.org.

Nominations being Accepted for Mathematics and Science Award

The Presidential Awards for Excellence in Mathematics and Science Teaching (PAEMST) are the nation's highest honor for teachers. Each year two teachers from each state, one each from mathematics and science, are honored. A supervisor, principal, teacher colleague, parent, student, or member of the general public must nominate teachers. Self-nominations will not be accepted. In 2005, between only seven and 12 mathematics and science teachers will be eligible. To nominate a teacher, download the nomination form from PAEMST (www.paemst.org) or NCDPI Math (www.learnnc.org/) and return to Bill Scott (Math) or Clara Stallings (Science) at NCDPI Mathematics and Science Section, 6352 Mail Service Center, Raleigh, NC 27699-6352 or fax 919.807.3823. Applications are due May 2, 2005.

PBS TeacherLine Online Professional Development Comes to North Carolina

The UNC Center for Public Television (UNC-TV), South Carolina Educational Television (SCETV) and Georgia Public Television (GPT) have joined together to offer media-rich online professional development graduate level courses for the 2004-2005 year. TeacherLine offers more than 90 courses in mathematics, reading, instructional technology, instructional strategies, science, and curriculum mapping. For more information, please visit the TeacherLine Web site at www.pbs.org/teacherline or contact Emily Castleberry, UNC Center for Public Television, 919.549.7190, or by email, ecastleberry@unctv.org.

More at Four Newsletter Online

The October edition of the More at Four pre-kindergarten program newsletter is available online and contains articles on the 50th Annual NCAEYC Study Conference, training on Creative Curriculum for preschool, T.E.A.C.H. Early Childhood Scholarships, and ECERS-R assessments. Read about these initiatives and more at http://www.governor.state.nc.us/Office/Education/Newsletter.asp

LEARN NC's November Update Online

LEARN NC's November update offers educators information on teaching about Thanksgiving, International Education Week (Nov. 15-19) and tracking animals. Check out these articles and more by going online to http://www.learnnc.org and clicking on the appropriate link.