PRINCIPALS' MESSAGES 2006
PRINCIPALS' MESSAGES 2006DECEMBER 20, 2006 - Principals' Biweekly Message
The winter holiday season is never more fun than when you can spend part of it around children and young people. As principals, you have the opportunity to enjoy the excitement of young people at this special time of year. I hope you enjoy the wonder of the holidays through the eyes of children this year. Have a great winter holiday and enjoy some relaxation before 2007 gets underway!
Regards,
June Atkinson
In this Biweekly Principals' Message:
Initiative to Support Children of Deployed Military Parents
Gov. Mike Easley recently announced an initiative to help the children of military parents who are deployed on active duty. The initiative, a partnership of the Governor's office, NC Department of Public Instruction and the State Board of Education, includes training institutes to help educators better understand the challenges faced by children of deployed parents as well as a new Web site to help educators identify and assist these students. Three regional institutes "Supporting Children and Families of the National Guard and Reserve Institutes" have been held, and others may be coming. The new Web site, www.ncpublicschools.org/militarysupport, provides information about the stages of military deployment, common and serious stress reactions among students with deployed parents, tips on identifying and working with students with deployed parents, suggested lesson plans and activities, and additional resources for supporting children struggling with the separation from a family member during deployment. North Carolina is home to the fourth largest number of military personnel in the nation, about 123,000 including members of the National Guard and Reserves.
NC WISE/SIMS Symposium
The NC WISE/SIMS Symposium will be held Feb. 19-21 at the Joseph S. Koury Convention Center, Greensboro. Registration rates for the conference are: now through Jan. 5 - $115 (please note, registrations postmarked by midnight, Jan. 6, will receive the $115 rate); Jan. 6-Feb. 2 - $165; and after Feb. 2 $250. In addition, the Sheraton Greensboro is offering a special rate for the NC WISE/SIMS Symposium of $120 a night, plus tax, single or double occupancy. Participants are encouraged to make their reservations as early as possible to secure this special rate. For more information, or to download registration materials, please visit the NC WISE Web site at http://www.ncwise.org/symposium07.html. Please note that registration fees are non-refundable and checks must be made payable to NCDPI Cash Management. Those who have registered for the 2007 NC WISE/SIMS Symposium may view the status of their registration by going to the Symposium Web site and clicking on the document, "List of Registrants by LEA." Registrations are listed in chronological order by LEA/charter school number. This list will be updated weekly. Finally, Symposium organizers are soliciting requests for session topics for NC WISE and SIMS. Suggestions for NC WISE classes should be submitted to Terra Dominguez at tdominguez@dpi.state.nc.us. Suggestions for SIMS sessions should be emailed to Diane Parsons at dparsons@dpi.state.nc.us. For more information, please contact the NC WISE/SIMS Service Desk at sis_support@dpi.state.nc.us or 919.807.4357.
Linking Land and Literature Workshop
The Elementary Social Studies Consultants at NCDPI are pleased to offer "Linking Land and Literature: Geography 2-5" on Jan. 12 in Raleigh. This workshop will demonstrate how the five themes of geography can be taught through children's literature. For registration information, visit www.ncpublicschools.org/curriculum/socialstudies/elementary and click on Geography 101. The deadline for registration is Dec. 22. For questions related to this workshop, please contact Amy Turnbaugh at aturnbaugh@dpi.state.nc.us.
K-5 Integration Institute
NCDPI's Elementary Education Division's ELA/Social Studies consultants will be conducting a two-day, K-5 Integration Institute on Feb. 1-2. 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.
Stock Market Game Winners for Fall Session Announced
The North Carolina Council on Economic Education (NCCEE) recently announced the winners of the fall trading session of the Stock Market Game. This year, more than 700 student teams from Manteo to Murphy participated in the 10-week stock market simulation. Students received a hypothetical $100,000 to invest in a real-time market simulation. The statewide first place winners at the high school level came from Frank Mayberry's class at Mount Airy High School (Mount Airy City Schools). The middle school winners were from Hendersonville Middle School (Henderson County Schools), David Mackey's class. First place from the elementary level went to Deborah Robertson's students at Hopewell Elementary (Randolph County Schools). For information on how to participate in the Merrill Lynch sponsored spring trading session, please visit www.nccee.org or call 866.606.2233.
Connectivity Quality of Experience Stories Wanted
The North Carolina Connectivity Council is gathering stories on connectivity quality of experience, including best practices and critical needs and would like for local superintendents, principals, teachers, students and parents to submit their stories. Stories should include descriptions, notable quotes, pictures if applicable and contact information. All the information received will be validated and complied to be used in presentations with legislators beginning with Legislative Technology Day on Feb. 13. Please go to www.ncconnect.org/initiatives.htm for further information. If you'd like to review past Principals' Biweekly Messages sent to the listserv group, just go online to http://www.ncpublicschools.org/principalsarchive/ .