PRINCIPALS' MESSAGES 2008

MAY 1, 2008 - Principals' Biweekly Message

Next week is Teacher Appreciation Week and Wednesday, May 6, is National Teacher Day. I encourage you and your PTA or PTO to work together to show appreciation to your teaching staff during this special week. On Tuesday evening, I had the pleasure of participating in the annual AT&T North Carolina Teacher of the Year celebration event where we named Orange County middle school teacher Cindi Rigsbee as the 2008 recipient. There is no task more rewarding than taking the opportunity to thank and recognize those who teach in North Carolina classrooms every day.

Regards,
June Atkinson

In this Biweekly Principals' Message:

1. State Board Meeting Highlights
2. NC Online Professional Development Directory
3. May is National Physical Fitness and Sports Month
4. Elementary School Conference Call for Proposals
5. Mathematics Leadership Institute
6. Changing the Way that We Teach: Integrating Technology in the K-12 Social Studies Classroom
7. Summer 2008 Biotechnology Workshops
8. Teacher Assistant Scholarship Fund
9. Photo Contest

State Board Meeting Highlights

At this week's Board meeting, members approved Supplemental Educational Service providers for 2008-09, a legislated one-time sign-on bonus for teachers paid on Step 0 of the salary schedule, and the adoption of the School Executive: Principal Evaluation Instrument. Members also discussed their draft "Framework for Change: The Next Generation of Assessments and Accountability," during the Issues Session (principals were emailed a copy of this document yesterday afternoon). Complete Board highlights will be posted online later next week at http://www.ncpublicschools.org/sbe_highlights.

NC Online Professional Development Directory

The North Carolina Online Professional Development Directory, which is available at www.learnnc.org/pddir, is a component of the Z. Smith Reynolds Foundation's Professional Development Initiative. A unique aspect of this directory is the inclusion of individual school districts' professional development profiles. This is to encourage districts to learn about their counterparts' professional development offerings and ideally to develop partnerships that take advantage of each other's resources and strengths in this area. Doing so could potentially increase quality and reduce costs. To submit information about your district's professional development offerings, or to encourage other providers to do so, please go to http://www.learnnc.org/pddir/update.

May is National Physical Fitness and Sports Month

Join the National Association for Sport and Physical Education (NASPE) in celebrating physical activity and sports during National Physical Fitness and Sports Month! Educators can find May fitness calendars for elementary and secondary levels in English and Spanish, a parent letter, and much more to help celebrate this special month at the NASPE's Teacher Toolbox Web site (under Quick Links), http://iweb.aahperd.org/naspe/template.cfm?template=teacher_toolbox_may08..html. Educators also can access new activities for National Physical Education and Sport Week, May 1-7, by visiting the "Moving Is A Learning Experience!" Web site at http://www.aahperd.org/naspe/MayWeek/2008/template.cfm?template=main.htm. For more information, please contact Kymm Ballard, NCDPI Physical Education, Athletics, and Sports Medicine consultant, 919.807.3858, or by email, kballard@dpi.state.nc.us.

Elementary School Conference Call for Proposals

Call for Proposals are now being accepted for the Fifth Annual Elementary School Conference scheduled for Oct. 26-28 at the new Raleigh Convention Center. Conference information, including preconference focus sessions and online Call for Proposals, can be found at www.ncelementary.org. The deadline for proposals has been extended to May 23.

Mathematics Leadership Institute

For many years, the NCDPI has sponsored a Mathematics Department Chairs Retreat for mathematics leaders in grades 6-12. This year, the NCDPI is sponsoring a Mathematics Leadership Institute for mathematics leaders at all grade levels, K-12. The Institute will be held July 22-24 at the Radisson Hotel, High Point. Throughout the Institute, participants will look at curriculum, assessment, professional learning communities, graduation standards, instructional strategies and NCDPI services. There will be separate sessions for K-5, 6-8 and 9-12 leaders. There is a $250 registration fee that covers five meals, breaks, conference facilities, materials and presenters' fees. A block of rooms has been set-aside at state rates until June 21. The registration deadline is May 23. Information on the Institute may be downloaded at http://community.learnnc.org/dpi/math/archives/2008/03/mathematics_lea.php.

Changing the Way that We Teach: Integrating Technology in the K-12 Social Studies Classroom

Because technological and critical thinking skills are needed for students to thrive in the 21st century workforce, educators need to change their pedagogical practices. This professional development opportunity for K-12 teachers offers solutions to provide those much-needed skills. "Changing the Way that We Teach: Integrating Technology in the K-12 Social Studies Classroom" provides a supportive, yearlong cohort for teachers at three sites across the state. This training provides opportunities for educators to acquire new technology skills in a collaborative environment, to create units that integrate this new technology within a social studies framework, and to enrich the development of those skills by training other educators in their districts. Upon completion and to help sustain growth, Cohort II participants will be expected to use an online collaborative tool to share successes and struggles. Feedback will be given by DPI consultants to assist in the implementation of the training requirement. After participants have trained their required number of teachers, a form must be completed and submitted to DPI outlining the date of training, technologies implemented, evaluations by participants, etc. Further, each participant also will be asked to complete a Zoomerang survey to help shape future development of the cohort. Finally, the developed units will be screened and selected by DPI staff before being assembled into a "Social Studies Units of Technology Integration" resource manual. The three mini-camps will be held in the spring, fall and summer. The registration cost is $75 and districts need to cover travel costs of their teachers. Successful completion of this cohort will bring 60 contact hours that districts can use to grant CEUs. The registration deadline is May 30. Further information is available on the Web at www.ncpublicschools.org/curriculum/socialstudies underneath the heading "Changing the Way that We Teach." If you have additional questions, please contact Joel Medley at 919.807.3835 or via email him at jmedley@dpi.state.nc.us.

Summer 2008 Biotechnology Workshops

The North Carolina Biotechnology Center has announced its Summer 2008 Biotechnology Workshops for Educators. North Carolina educators receive a daily stipend, room and board, technology or regular CEUs, and access to the Biotechnology Center's free supplies and equipment loan programs. Workshops are designed for high school teachers, but middle school teachers may also attend. Topics to be covered are: "Using Biotechnology to Preserve Biodiversity" (June 23-27, Cherokee High School); "Genomics and Bioinformatics: Teaching with Model Organisms" (June 30-July 3, UNC-Chapel Hill); and "Let it Glow: Using GFP as a Basis for Understanding Protein Structure and Function" (July 8-11, Campbell University). Please go to www.ncbiotech.org/summerworkshops for additional information, including registration. Questions may be directed to Amy Black, North Carolina Biotechnology Center, at amy_black@ncbiotech.org or 919.541.9366

Teacher Assistant Scholarship Fund

Program information and applications for the Teacher Assistant Scholarship Fund (TASF) for the 2008-09 academic year are available online at CFNC.org/TASF. The scholarship is valued at $1,200 per term for those attending four-year institutions with a maximum award of $3,600 for the academic year for the three terms - fall, spring and the combined summer sessions. For those attending a community college, the scholarship is valued at $600 per term for fall, spring, and the combined summer sessions with the maximum award of $1,800 for the academic year. The application deadline is May 31. For more information, please contact Edna Williams at the State Education Assistance Authority at 919.549.8614 or by email at eew@ncseaa.edu.

Photo Contest

North Carolina State University's Climate Office is sponsoring a "Young Weather Photographers" contest for students between the ages of 7-16. The deadline to submit a photo is June 30. Contest details are available online at http://www.nc-climate.ncsu.edu/education/contest.php. Questions may be directed to Shannon Futrell at safutrel@ncsu.edu.

 

If you'd like to review past Principals' Biweekly Messages sent to the listserv group, just go online to http://www.ncpublicschools.org/principalsarchive/.