PRINCIPALS' MESSAGES 2008

SEPTEMBER 4, 2008 - Principals' Biweekly Message

Graduation Awareness Week is next week, beginning with a kickoff event on Monday that will feature recognition of high schools with positive graduation rates and the signing of graduation agreements by students. I encourage North Carolinians to look closely at graduation as a major indicator of school and community success. It's a minimum requirement for successful adulthood, and I believe graduation is a standard that every student should be able to meet with the support of his or her family, school and community.

Regards,
June Atkinson

In this Biweekly Principals' Message:

1. Graduation Awareness Week Materials Available Online
2. State Board Meets Next Week
3. Public Hearing Reminder
4. "State of the Principalship" Survey
5. More at Four Expansion Opportunities
6. Middle School Mathematics Resources
7. K-12 Science Curriculum Units Online
8. Financial Literacy Small Grants Award Recipients Announced
9. NCSCA Holds Special Session on Administrators and Counselors Collaborating to Increase Student Achievement
10. Annual Litter Sweep Scheduled
11. Poetry Out Loud Competition for High School Students
12. Grant Supports Mathematics, Science and Technology Projects
13. 2008-09 Teaching Fellows Scholarship Applications Available Online

Graduation Awareness Week Materials Online

The Message: Graduate! is a new Web site that is full of resources to help educators, parents and business partners work together to achieve the goal that every student graduates from high school. Reports, legislative information and publicity materials are available on the site. To learn more about this important initiative as well as view and download related materials, please visit http://www.ncpublicschools.org/graduate/.

State Board Meets Next Week

The State Board of Education will meet next week, Sept. 9-11, in the 7th Floor Board Room, Education Building, Raleigh. Action items include an update on Framework for Change's Writing Assessment Pilot LEAs, approval of Supplemental Educational Services Providers for 2008-09, the rubric for preservice teachers and the teacher education program approval process, and the Institutes of Higher Education Performance Report. Discussion items include policies governing services for children with disabilities, high school exit documents, schools at risk of being labeled a "Persistently Dangerous School," teacher evaluation policies and licensing physical education and health teachers. The complete agenda and executive materials are available online at www.ncpublicschools.org/sbe_meetings. In addition, the State Board's committee meetings and full Board meeting are audio streamed for those who can't attend. To listen to the sessions, please go online to www.ncpublicschools.org/sbe_meetings and scroll to the Live Audio Stream links.

Public Hearing Reminder

As a reminder, the NCDPI's Exceptional Children Division is holding a Public Hearing on Wednesday, Sept. 17, to receive comments regarding the Department's proposed amendments to Sections NC1504-2.1(d)(1)(ii) and NC1504-2.9(a) and (b)(3) of Policies Governing Services for Children with Disabilities pursuant to Part B of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement Act (IDEA). The hearing will be held from 5:30-7p.m. in Room 150 of the Education Building, Raleigh. The amendment to IDEA Part B - North Carolina Policies is available on the Exceptional Children Division's Web site at http://www.ncpublicschools.org/ec/. Comments will be accepted through Oct. 9. In making comments, please give the citation for the section(s) to which you are commenting (i.e. NC1504-2.9) and provide comments in the form of a statement. Comments may be submitted via email to NCPolicies2008@dpi.state.nc.us or mailed to: North Carolina Department of Public Instruction, Exceptional Children Division, ATTN: Valerie Herndon or Ira Wolfe, 6356 Mail Service Center, Raleigh, North Carolina 27699-6356.

"State of the Principalship" Survey

In the next two weeks you will receive via email an online survey designed to collect accurate data about principals' duties and responsibilities, the skills and knowledge needed to be a principal and emerging trends in school administration in North Carolina. "The State of the Principalship" is an updated version of a survey the Principals' Executive Program (PEP) distributed in 2003. Although the new edition has been modified to reflect changes in policies and practices, the intent remains the same - to gain an accurate assessment of the principalship from the principal's perspective, improve PEP's service to you, and help legislators and education leaders make informed policy decisions about school issues. The survey will be sent to practicing principals only and will take no more than a few minutes to complete. Your anonymity is guaranteed. Please help us help you by completing and submitting this timely survey. If you have any questions regarding this survey, please contact Nancy J. Farmer, PEP Director, at nfarmer@northcarolina.edu or 919.962.3360.

More at Four Expansion Opportunities

The More at Four (MAF) state-funded pre-kindergarten program has received additional funding for SFY 2008-09 to provide for the expansion of this critical program targeting at-risk four-year-olds in our state. Local More at Four committees have the opportunity and are being advised to request additional child slots for the current school year. Every effort will be made to honor the needs of your county/district with this expansion. Please send any questions you may have about MAF expansion to the Office of School Readiness at osr.info@ncmail.net.

Middle School Mathematics Resources

Resources for 6-8 mathematics now have a new look and a new home, http://www.ncpublicschools.org/curriculum/mathematics/middlegrades/. The new look is in response to clients' requests for improved accessibility of support documents. Housed on the Web site are descriptors for each objective, indicators and tasks. The tasks include some of the Classroom Strategies and Blackline Masters previously available as well as some new ones. Unlike before, each task contains several components: a brief description, instructions, materials and/or advanced preparation needed, implementation suggestions, copy-ready student sheets and answer keys when applicable. The available linkage provided allows teachers to view the objective to be taught and link directly to the support documents. Adding additional tasks will be ongoing, so please visit the site weekly for updates. Please note that the resources in the previous format (including Week-by-Week Essentials) are still available at: http://community.learnnc.org/dpi/math/archives/2005/06/grades_68_resou.php. These can also be purchased from publications by going to http://www.ncpublicschools.org/publications/ and search using mathematics, middle, notebook-ready. For more information, please contact Everly Broadway, K-12 Mathematics, 919.807.3838, or by email, ebroadway@dpi.state.nc.us.

K-12 Science Curriculum Units Online

Science teachers will want to know that the draft version of the NCDPI K-12 Science Curriculum Units are available online at www.ncpublicschools.org/curriculum/science/ at no cost. Just scroll to the bottom of the Web page and look under "Selected Links." We welcome your feedback on the field test evaluation form. Feedback will be used to make necessary changes for the final version, which will be released at the National Science Teachers Association Convention to be held this fall in Charlotte. For more information, please contact Edd Dunlap, Science Section Chief, K-12 Curriculum, Instruction and Technology Division, NCDPI, 919.807.3607, or by email, edunlap@dpi.state.nc.us.

Financial Literacy Small Grants Award Recipients Announced

The Department of Public Instruction is proud to announce the recipients of the NC Personal Financial Literacy Small Grants Awards: E.E. Smith High School (Cumberland County Schools), Weldon High (Halifax County Schools), Franklinton High (Franklin County Schools), H.M. Cummings High (Alamance-Burlington Schools) Raleigh Charter High (Wake County), and J.H. Rose High (Pitt County Schools). The grants will be used to help teachers prepare students in developing sound ways of thinking and problem-solving in their everyday lives and to set in motion behaviors to become knowledgeable consumers, prudent savers, and informed investors. Applications for a second round of grants will be available to high school Civics and Economics teachers this fall. Additionally, grants will be provided for community partners who would like to build and strengthen collaboration with the Civics and Economics teachers and students to enhance instruction on personal financial literacy. Small grants information will soon be posted at www.ncpublicschools.org/pfl. For more information, please contact Tracey Greggs, K-12 Curriculum, Instruction and Technology, NCDPI, at tgreggs@dpi.state.nc.us.

NCSCA Holds Special Session on Administrators and Counselors Collaborating to Increase Student Achievement

The North Carolina School Counselor Association (NCSCA) will hold a special session on "Administrators and School Counselors Collaborating to Increase Student Achievement," at its annual NCSCA Fall Conference, scheduled for Nov. 5-7, at the Koury Convention Center, Greensboro. The session will be held Nov. 5 from 1-4 p.m. For more information, please go online to www.ncschoolcounselor.org/conference.asp.

Annual Litter Sweep Scheduled

The N.C. Department of Transportation is sponsoring its annual Litter Sweep cleanup Sept. 20-Oct. 4. In support of this event, Gov. Mike Easley has proclaimed Sept. 20-Oct. 4 as "Litter Sweep" in North Carolina and encourages all citizens to take an active role in making their communities cleaner and more beautiful. Principals may want to use this event to highlight the importance of recycling and environmental responsibility with students. For more information, please contact Helen Landi, Office of Beautification Programs, 919.715.3188.

Poetry Out Loud Competition for High School Students

All North Carolina high schools are invited to participate in the 2008-09 Poetry Out Loud national recitation competition. The contest occurs first at the classroom level with winners advancing to school, district, state and national levels. In 2008, Poetry Out Loud awarded over $100,000 in prizes to students and schools at the state and national levels. If your school or district wants to participate, please review the information and fill out the application form at www.ncarts.org (click on Arts in Education/Poetry Out Loud). The form must be submitted by 5 p.m. Friday, Sept. 26. No late applications will be accepted. For more information, please contact Linda Bamford, NC Arts Council, 919.807.6502, or linda.bamford@ncmail.net.

Grant Supports Mathematics, Science and Technology Projects

The Burroughs Wellcome Fund is partnering with DonorsChoose.org to promote mathematics, science and technology projects in North Carolina public schools. A grant for $25,000 has been made available to support mathematics, science and technology projects, with priority given to hands-on, inquiry-based proposals, submitted from Title I schools. If you have an innovative mathematics, science or technology project, please submit your proposal today at www.DonorsChoose.org. Proposals must be submitted by Sept. 30 for consideration.

2008-09 Teaching Fellows Scholarship Applications Available Online

The 2008-09 application for the North Carolina Teaching Fellows Scholarship/Loan Program is now available online at www.teachingfellows.org. The deadline for students to return completed applications to a Teaching Fellows Liaison Counselor in their high school is Oct. 17. Each Teaching Fellow receives a $26,000 scholarship/loan from the state, payable in $6,500 annual increments. The full loan is forgiven after the Fellow has completed four years of teaching in North Carolina's public schools.

 

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