PRINCIPALS' MESSAGES 2005
PRINCIPALS' MESSAGES 2005SEPTEMBER 1, 2005
On Tuesday, we released the SAT scores for North Carolina, local school districts and local schools showing that not only did our students improve the state's average score, but more students chose to take the college entrance exam. This continues an improvement trend that North Carolina has seen for the past decade. College and higher education are common aspirations for North Carolina families today. Our SAT scores show that students are doing more to prepare themselves for these challenges. I want to thank you for all that you and your colleagues have done to help raise the expectations of your students and their families. We have much work to do, but I hope you will celebrate the good news we received this week.
Regards,
June Atkinson
In this Biweekly Principals' Message:
- State Board Meeting Highlights
- SBE Ad Hoc Committee on Graduate Pay Approval and Non-Teaching Work Experience Meeting Summary
- Greeting from 2005 NC Wachovia Principal of the Year
- Elementary School Conference Reaches Capacity
- NC WISE Has New Status Page
- NC WISE August Newsletter Online
- NC Arts Education Teacher Survey
- Principals’ Executive Program Schedules Administrators’ Conference
- NCAE’s Fall Administrative Leadership Workshop
- Free USDLC Professional Development Online Modules and Programs
- NC Technology Educator Award
- Federal Resources for Educational Excellence
- Grant Opportunities
State Board Meeting Highlights
The State Board of Education approved corrections to the 2004-05 ABCs/AYP report and the disadvantaged student supplemental funding program for 2005-06. Two new Board members were sworn in: Melissa Bartlet, Mooresville, At-Large Member and former North Carolina Teacher of the Year; and Shirley Harris, District 4 Member from Troy. Patricia Willoughby, who recently served as State Superintendent, also has returned to the State Board as the representative of District 5. Complete Highlights of the Board meeting will be available online at www.ncpublicschools.org/sbehighlights by Wednesday afternoon.
SBE Ad Hoc Committee on Graduate Pay Approval and Non-Teaching Work Experience Meeting Summary
The SBE Ad Hoc Committee on Graduate Pay Approval and Non-Teaching Work Experience met on Aug. 16 to review the draft of recommendations prepared by DPI staff for the September State Board of Education meeting. The recommendations address issues such as pay for graduate degrees, pay for relevant non-teaching work experience, the role of the Human Resource Directors in making recommendations on graduate pay and non-teaching work experience, the formation of an Appeals Panel on such recommendations, and related issues. During the discussions, committee members added a seventh recommendation to the report that calls for a comprehensive study of the teacher salary schedule. These recommendations were presented to the State Board as a discussion item at its September meeting and will be presented as an action item in October. For more information, please contact Jane Worsham, Executive Director, State Board of Education, 919.807.3400, or by email, jworsham@dpi.state.nc.us.
Greeting from the 2005 NC Wachovia Principal of the Year
Welcome back to a new year full of excitement and new adventures in learning. As we embark on the 2005-06 school year, I challenge each of you to focus on the needs of the students we serve each and every day. The demands on our time are enormous, yet remember the reason we are in this rewarding profession. When a child comes to you full of anticipation and hopes for a successful future, we are afforded one of the greatest opportunities to turn his or her dreams into reality. It is because of your dedication and commitment to the success of our students that North Carolina is setting the pace for other systems throughout the nation to follow. When the days get long and times are tough remember to find opportunities to rekindle your spirit and passion for the role you represent within your school. Being an administrator is not a role but a function and it is your guidance that provides the way for your students, staff and community to follow. It is my desire to be a voice for all administrators across the state. Please don’t hesitate to email me (margaret.hyatt@bcsemail.org) with your thoughts on issues or agendas being discussed on the state level. We have interested members in DPI that desire your feedback and partnership.
* Margaret Hyatt, 2005 NC Wachovia Principal of the Year *
Elementary School Conference Reaches Capacity
The NCDPI’s Second Annual Elementary School Conference, scheduled for Oct. 10-11 at the Sheraton, RTP, has reached capacity. If any of your teachers are registered but cannot attend, PLEASE send a replacement. For more information, please contact Laura White, Elementary Education Division, NCDPI, 919.807.3931, or by email, lwhite@dpi.state.nc.us.
A new status page is available on the NC WISE Web site. The page provides users with information on recent system-wide problems, issues and workarounds if available. The page is updated frequently allowing personnel to monitor the status of software problems. Using the Help Desk Education Automation Tool (HEAT) System, the NC WISE Help Desk closely monitors the types of errors that users report. When multiple calls are received for a particular issue, the NC WISE Help Desk posts the issue to the Status Page. Related information will be provided and updated frequently until a problem has been resolved. To access the Status Page, please go online to http://www.ncwise.org/ncwise_status_page.htm. If you have additional questions, please contact the NC WISE Help Desk at 919.807.4357 or email sis_support@dpi.state.nc.us.
NC WISE August Newsletter Online
The August edition of the NC WISE “Words to the Wise” newsletter is now available online. To read or download the newsletter, please visit the NC WISE Web site at www.ncwise.org and click on http://www.ncwise.org/library_NCWISE_Communications.html#NewsLetter
NC Arts Education Teacher Survey
NCDPI staff are asking for your assistance in disseminating information on the NC Arts Education survey to dance, music (all areas), theatre arts and visual arts K-12 teachers in your school. To access the survey, go online to http://community.learnnc.org/dpi/ and click on the "announcements" category under dance, music, theatre arts or visual arts education and then the survey link. The survey will remain open until Sept. 30. The results of the survey will be compiled and disseminated via a report in early 2006.
Principals’ Executive Program Schedules Administrators’ Conference
The Principals’ Executive Program will host its annual Leadership Conference for School Administrator's, “Rethinking Professional Development,” Nov. 8-10, at the Sheraton Imperial Conference Center, RTP. Conference sessions will focus on helping principals, assistant principals, and central office personnel employ professional learning as a means to increase student achievement. For more information, including registration, please visit PEP’s Web site at www.ncpep.org and click on Programs then Leadership Conference for School Administrators.
NCAE’s Fall Administrative Leadership Workshop
The North Carolina Association of Educators will hold its Fall Administrative Leadership Workshop/Retreat, “Planning for the Future of our Schools,” Nov. 18-19, at the Holiday Inn Sunspree Resort, Wrightsville Beach. The registration fee, if received by Oct. 1, is $75 for NCAE members and $150 for nonmembers. If received after Oct. 1, the registration fee is $100 for NCAE members and $175 for nonmembers. The registration deadline is Nov. 1. For more information, including registration, please go online to www.ncae.org and click on the Administrators link under NCAE-NEA Divisions/Programs then click on the 2005 Fall Administrators Conference link.
Free USDLC Professional Development Online Modules and Programs
Principals may want to contact your local school system’s professional development administrator and ask them if your school system is subscribing to the United Star Distance Learning Consortium. The NCDPI’s Instructional Technology Division has purchased a statewide license from the United Star Distance Learning Consortium (USDLC), formerly known as StarNet, that will enable all local school systems to access FREE professional development opportunities online. A wide variety of online modules and video-on-demand programs, which are password protected, are listed online at http://www.usdlc.org/pathways/index.jsp. Local school systems that would like to participate must register in order to receive an assigned ID and Password, which can then be shared with principals and teachers. With prior local approval, CEUs may be obtained by teachers using USDLC’s programs/online courses. Certificates of Completion are issued upon submittal of evaluations. For additional information, please contact Linda Walters, USDLC Professional Development Coordinator, at 919.807.3497 or by email, lwalters@dpi.state.nc.us
The NCDPI’s Instructional Technology Division is pleased to announce its Seventeenth Annual Technology Educator Award. The purpose of the award is to recognize individuals who are leaders in planning and implementing instructional technology into the educational program and to recognize individuals who have modeled the role of teacher, technology facilitator, and administrator in the successful implementation of technology in school and district-wide education programs. The awards’ program is open to all North Carolina K-12 public school educators who have not previously won the NC Technology Educator Award. Nominations are due by close of business day Oct. 7. Please visit http://tps.dpi.state.nc.us/ncd/educatoraward/index.html to download a nomination form. If you have additional questions, please contact Annemarie Timmerman at atimmerm@dpi.state.nc.us.
Federal Resources for Educational Excellence
The Federal Resources for Educational Excellence (FREE) Web site makes it easy to find teaching resources available on federal government Web sites. The site was developed with the cooperation of more than 35 federal agencies and is updated weekly with new materials and highlights. FREE offers quick access to more than 1,500 resources in the arts, sciences, history and other subjects from the Library of Congress, National Archives, Smithsonian, NASA, the National Science Foundation and other federal agencies. Check it all out at http://www.ed.gov/free/index.html
Striving Readers - Striving Readers is a new grant program from the U.S. Department of Education that supports the implementation and evaluation of research-based reading interventions for struggling middle and high school readers in Title I eligible schools that have significant percentages or numbers of students reading below grade level. The deadline to apply is Nov. 13. For more information, including an application package, please go online to http://www.ed.gov/programs/strivingreaders/index.html
NC Biotechnology Mini-Grants - Applications are now being accepted for the North Carolina Biotechnology Center’s 2005-06 Mini-Grant Program. The Biotechnology Education Mini-Grant Program offers awards of up to $6,000 to assist in the development and implementation of activities, programs, and courses for biotechnology education and training at the K-12 level. Beginning this year, all proposals must be submitted electronically using the Biotechnology Center’s online submission process. Proposals must be received by 5 p.m. on Jan. 13, 2006. For detailed information or to apply for a Biotechnology Education Mini-Grant, please go to http://www.ncbiotech.org/ouractivities/grantsloans/MiniGrantsNEW.cfm