PRINCIPALS' MESSAGES 2005

AUGUST 4, 2005

This week marks the end of an accountability era for North Carolina. The ABCs released today during the State Board of Education's August meeting are the last set of results generated by the original ABCs formula. The 2005-06 school year will see the beginning of a new formula designed specifically to address some of the issues that were highlighted by last year's comprehensive review of the ABCs. You can read more about this year's release at www.ncpublicschools.org under "In the News."

Regards,
June Atkinson

In this Biweekly Principals' Message:

1. State Board Meeting Highlights
2. SBE Ad Hoc Committee on Graduate Salary Pay Approval and Non-Teaching Work Experience Credit
3. North Carolina Middle School Athletic Meetings Scheduled
4. Revisions to Athletics Manual Available Online
5. Distance Learning Program Workshop
6. "Move More: North Carolina's Recommended Standards For Physical Activity In Schools" to be Released
7. Early College High School Conference Scheduled
8. America's Legislators Back to School Week
9. Dept. of Labor Sponsors Rider Safety Contest
10. DonorsChoose Receives National Recognition

State Board Meeting Highlights

The State Board of Education approved the 2004-05 ABCs/AYP report this month. In addition, the Board also approved the report of the E-Learning Commission calling for development of a virtual high school and the list of supplemental education service providers for 2005-06, as well as other items. Complete Board Highlights should be posted online Tuesday afternoon at http://www.ncpublicschools.org/sbehighlights/

SBE Ad Hoc Committee on Graduate Salary Pay Approval and Non-Teaching Work Experience Credit

The SBE Ad Hoc Committee on Graduate Salary Pay Approval and Non-Teaching Work Experience credit met for the first time on Tuesday, July 19. The committee is comprised of personnel administrators from across the state, as well as representatives of the deans of the schools of education and DPI licensure staff. SBE member Edgar Murphy, a former HR Director with Nortel, chairs the committee. The SBE charged the committee with developing recommendations regarding whether education master's degrees not leading to licensure should be awarded a pay supplement, and to clarify the current non-teaching working experience policy by developing an implementation process that would make this issue more consistent across the state while maintaining high standards in the profession.

North Carolina Middle School Athletic Meetings Scheduled

Middle/Jr. High School athletic meetings to review recent State Board of Education changes have been set for all regions of the state. All middle school principals and athletic directors are encouraged to attend. The meeting dates, locations and contacts are as follows:

Region 1: Wednesday, Sept. 7, Vernon James Center, Plymouth; Contacts: Melvin Hawkins - Perquimans Middle School, and Jerry McGee - 252.335.7396;

Region 2: Wednesday, Sept. 7, James Sprunt Community College; Contacts: Robbie Cauley, 910.604.2311, and Ed Gilroy, 910.602.6779

Region 3: Wednesday, Sept. 7, Durham Public Schools' Staff Development Office; Contacts: Bobby Guthrie, Wake County Schools - 919/850-1887, and Larry McDonald - 919.560.3742;

Region 4: Tuesday, Aug. 30, Educational Resource Center, Fayetteville; Contacts: Fred Mc Daniel - 910.678.2445, and Ronnie Chavis, 910.671.6000 ext. 32;

Region 5: Tuesday, Sept. 13, Board Room of the English Road Facility, Guilford County Schools, 900 English Road, High Point; Contact: Herb Goins, 336.370.8950;

Region 6: Friday, Sept. 23, Mt. Pleasant Middle School; Contact: Scott Barringer, 704.786.6191;

Region 7: Tuesday, Aug. 30, Broyhill Center, Lenoir; Contacts: David Rothwell, Statesville/Iredell Schools, 704.924.2035, and Keith Whitaker, Davie County Schools, 336.751.0768;

Region 8: Tuesday, Sept. 13, A.B. Tech, Enka Campus, Asheville; Contact: David Ball, Clyde Erwin High School, 828.232.4251.

For more information, please contact Kymm Ballard, K-12 Program Areas, NCDPI, 919.807.3858, or by email, kballard@dpi.state.nc.us.

Revisions to Athletics Manual Available Online

Recently, the State Board of Education approved revisions to the Middle/Jr. High School Athletics Manual. Many of the changes will be in place for this new school year, including changes for scrimmages and fall schedules. You can view both a summary of the changes, or download the complete document with these changes, at http://www.ncpublicschools.org/curriculum/health/scos/athletics/. For more information, please contact Kymm Ballard via email at kballard@dpi.state.nc.us or 919.807.3858.

Distance Learning Program Workshop

If your school plans to offer online courses through NCDPI's Distance Learning Program and you were unable to make the May 3 workshop, you may want to register to attend the Aug. 23 workshop scheduled from noon-3 p.m. The session will originate in Raleigh and will be telecast via the NC Information Highway. To register for the site of choice, please go online to http://www.zoomerang.com/survey.zgi?p=WEB224CKHN9CLF. To view a list of available courses, please go online to http://www.ncpublicschools.org/distancelearning. Only those sites with a Memorandum of Understanding in place have been emailed a roster. If you have additional questions, please contact Sue Scott, Instructional Technology, 919.807.3429, or by email, sscott@dp.state.nc.us.

"Move More: North Carolina's Recommended Standards For Physical Activity In Schools" to be Released

The NC Department of Public Instruction, NC Division of Public Health, NC Healthy Schools and the C Cooperative Extension Service invite educators to the release of "Move More: North Carolina's Recommended Standards For Physical Activity In Schools" on Friday, Aug. 26, from 11 a.m.-noon, Carroll Middle School, Raleigh. The Move More School Standards are designed for educators, parents, community leaders, industry representatives and policy makers to help create school environments that support physical activity. Following the public release, the Move More School Standards will be available online at www.EatSmartMoveMoreNC.com, www.NCPublicSchools.org and www.NCHealthySchools.org. For more information, please contact Jimmy Newkirk, NC Division of Public Health, DHHS, 919.715.3348, or by email, jimmy.newkirk@ncmail.net.

Early College High School Conference Scheduled

The New Schools Project and the NC Department of Public Instruction will host the 2005 NC Learn and Earn Early College High School Conference on ednesday, Sept. 21, from 8 a.m.-4 p.m., at the Hilton Charlotte Center City, Charlotte. The conference registration fee is $105. Registration information is available online at www.NewSchoolsProject.org under "News and Events." Rooms are available at the Hilton Charlotte Center City for Sept. 20 at a special rate of $76 by calling 1.800.HILTONS. Please request the group rate for New Schools Project. Reservations must be made by Aug. 30. For more information, please call Kymm Watson, New Schools Project, 919.781.6833, ext. 124, or by email, kwatson@newschoolsproject.org.

America's Legislators Back to School Week

America's Legislators Back to School Week, sponsored by the National Conference of State Legislatures, will be held Sept. 19-23. Educators are encouraged to extend invitations to their local representatives to visit and talk with students about the legislative process and what it's like to be a member of the House of Representatives. Classroom discussions are being encouraged over school-wide assemblies. For more information, please contact Diane Emerson, NC House of Representatives Coordinator, 919.715.0754, or by email, dianee@ncleg.net.

Dept. of Labor Sponsors Rider Safety Contest

The N.C. Department of Labor is sponsoring a coloring contest for elementary school students as part of its campaign to keep riders safe at local fairs. Twelve students will win a $50 gift certificate to Toys 'R' Us and have their winning entries posted on the Labor Department's Web site. For complete contest information, please go online to http://www.nclabor.com/. Contest entries will be accepted from Aug. 15-Oct. 23.

DonorsChoose Receives National Recognition

Amazon.com recently named DonorsChoose as one of the 10 Most Innovative Nonprofits in the World. To determine which organization is the most innovative nonprofit, Amazon.com is sponsoring a fund-raising contest through Sept. 30. The nonprofit group raising the most money will receive a matching grant of up to $1 million from Amazon.com. All North Carolinian donations to DonorsChoose at Amazon.com will go to North Carolina projects. To read more, please go online to http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/browse/-/13786331/002-0174259-9684054, the DonorsChoose Web site at http://www.donorschoose.org/, or contact Missy Sherburne, DonorsChooseNC, 252.984.4011, or by email, Missy@donorschoose.org.