PRINCIPALS' MESSAGES 2006

APRIL 20, 2006

The 2005-06 ABCs release will be a baseline year, in many respects. Not only are there new ABCs formulas this year, but other changes will make a difference in how schools are designated under the accountability model this year. To help you in communicating about this with your school community, the Department of Public Instruction is developing a number of materials that explain the new formulas and other details. The release date for the 2005-06 ABCs results is set for Oct. 5.

Regards,
June Atkinson

In this Biweekly Principals' Message:

1. N.C. to Participate in State Scholars Initiative
2. Deadline Approaching to Complete Teacher Working Conditions Survey
3. Charlotte/Mecklenburg Schools' Principal Receives National Award
4. Mentor Training Workshops Scheduled
5. K-5 Integration Institute Scheduled for June
6. Interactive Videoconference Workshop: Experiencing the Possibilities
7. CECAS Newsletter Posted Online
8. Article of Interest

N.C. to Participate in State Scholars Initiative

Gov. Mike Easley announced that North Carolina is one of eight states recently selected by the Western Interstate Commission for Higher Education to participate in the State Scholars Initiative (SSI), a national business/education partnership working to increase the number of students taking a rigorous curriculum in high school. North Carolina will receive up to $300,000 over a two-year period to implement SSI programs in the following five districts: Currituck, Gates, Henderson, Tyrrell and Wilson. The N.C. Business Committee for Education and the state Department of Public Instruction will coordinate the effort to forge a business and education partnership to motivate students to strengthen and advance their college and career paths. By participating in this initiative, North Carolina is committing to increasing the numbers of students who graduate with the courses they need to prepare them to enter college. Strategies and best practices developed during the initiative will help all schools in promoting a rigorous course of study and in increasing the number of students enrolling in college.

Deadline Approaching to Complete Teacher Working Conditions Survey

Principals are asked to remind teachers that it is not too late to complete the 2006 Teacher Working Conditions Survey. Survey feedback will be used to shape school, district and statewide policies as they relate to teacher working conditions. In order for an individual school to have valid data to use in improvement planning, each school must exceed the minimum response rate of 40 percent. To encourage participation, each week, teachers from every school with a 100 percent response rate will be eligible for a $500 gift certificate from DonorsChoose NC to use on any classroom project. Teachers also will be eligible for a $2,500 Plasma TV grand prize donated by BellSouth NC. The deadline to complete the survey, which is available online at www.northcarolinatwc.org, is May 1. If you or your teachers have any questions, please contact the Governor's office help desk at their toll-free number 866.299.1489.

Charlotte/Mecklenburg Schools' Principal Receives National Award

Congratulations to East Mecklenburg High School Principal Mark Nixon who recently received the MetLife Foundation Ambassadors in Education Award for extraordinary efforts to bridge gaps between schools and the parents, businesses and organizations that make up the surrounding community. Nixon was nominated for working with the Senior Board to raise money and build a Habitat for Humanity home, hosting a political forum for students and inviting a community task group so that local citizens could participate in discussing issues affecting the school. Nixon received a $5,000 grant for the school to continue its community-building work. MetLife Foundation and the National Civic League started the Ambassadors in Education Award program in 2003 after the MetLife Survey of the American Teacher revealed a divide between many educators and their communities-especially those in inner city schools. The program's focus is to improve the understanding and collaboration between educators and their surrounding communities.

Mentor Training Workshops Scheduled

The North Carolina Mentoring Partnership, Communities in Schools and Progress Energy will sponsor mentor training workshops on April 27 at Brunswick Community College in Supply and May 3 at the N.C. Arboretum in Asheville. The training session in Supply will focus on topics such as working with at-risk youth, styles of mentoring and youth development. The Asheville training session will focus on topics such as working with students who have behavioral issues and mentoring styles. Both training sessions are from 9 a.m.-3:30 p.m. The registration deadline for both workshops is April 24. The registration fee is $10, which includes lunch and training materials. For more information, contact Melanie Williams at 1.800.849.8881.

K-5 Integration Institute Scheduled for June

NCDPI's Elementary Education Division will be conducting a two-day K-5 Integration Institute on June 22-23 at the Western Region Education Service Alliance, Enka. The topics of focus include Teaching Reading Through Social Studies and Financial Literacy. For more information, including registration, please go online to http://www.ncpublicschools.org/curriculum/socialstudies/elementary/ or contact Amy Turnbaugh at aturnbaugh@dpi.state.nc.us or Michelle Palmer Weaver at mweaver@dpi.state.nc.us.

Interactive Videoconference Workshop: Experiencing the Possibilities

The North Carolina School of Science and Mathematics' Distance Learning Department is sponsoring an Interactive Videoconference Workshop, "Experiencing the Possibilities," on June 15-16 at the North Carolina School of Science and Mathematics, Durham. Participants will learn how to develop a successful interactive videoconferencing (IVC) program to complement the 21st century classroom. Participants will receive a notebook containing distance learning resources, practical tips and contacts for leveraging the impact of IVC in the classroom. The registration fee is $50 for both days and $35 for one day and covers lunch and materials. Up to 1.0 CEU is available. For more details, including registration, please go online to www.dlt.ncssm.edu/distance_learning/DLWorkshops/ivc_workshop.htm or contact Carole Stern (stern@ncssm.edu; 919.416.2635) or Peg Kirk (kirk@ncssm.edu; 919.416.2632). The registration deadline is June 2 or when enrollment is full

CECAS Newsletter Posted Online

The February 2006/March 2006 edition of the Comprehensive Exceptional Children Accountability System (CECAS) newsletter is now available online and includes the following items: April 1, 2006, Child Count, CECAS Communications Web site and CECAS Reports/Dtool Training Cancelled. Due to the fact that CECAS information and news changes at a pace faster than the CECAS newsletter is published, all future CECAS updates will appear on the CECAS Communications Web site at www.nccecas.org. To read the final edition of this newsletter, please go online to http://www.nccecas.org/info/downloads.html and click on the appropriate link under Newsletters.

Article of Interest

The following article from the PEN Weekly NewsBlast may be of interest to local principals. According to a Duke University study, "Principal Leadership, School Climate Critical to Retaining Beginning Teachers," beginning teachers are more likely to remain in the profession if they are satisfied with the principal's leadership and school climate.