PRINCIPALS' MESSAGES 2009

JANUARY 15, 2009 - Principals' Biweekly Message

This month, the 2009-2011 budget request of the Department of Public Instruction and State Board of Education is being provided to Gov. Bev Perdue and the General Assembly members and staff. This information also is on the front page of our Web site, www.ncpublicschools.org under Highlights. It is important for you to understand our request since this year's legislative session will be important to our momentum. Our request is designed to build on the strategies that we know are effective for healthy students and schools and includes only the most critical needs at this time. Our request includes 14 items that, together, total about 1 percent of the public schools overall state budget. We know that slow revenue growth will make expansion difficult, but we also know there are many needs in our schools and that state leaders need to know what our needs are to continue assisting high-needs schools, redesigning assessment and accountability and extending learning opportunities to students.

Regards,
June Atkinson

In this Biweekly Principals' Message:

1. State Board Highlights
2. Board Passes Policy Reaffirming Graduation Project
3. New Year's Message from 2008 Wachovia North Carolina Principal of the Year
4. 2007-08 ABCs Recognition
5. Success for Your LEP Subgroup Webinar Scheduled
6. Technology Awards
7. School Bus Safety Poster Contest Winners Announced
8. Kenan Fellows Program
9. Summer Ventures in Science and Mathematics
10. School Bus Safety Programs
11. MATHCOUNTS
12. A+ Fit School Designation and Grants Initiative
13. SAT Video Contest
14. Mandarin Chinese Online Textbook
15. Environmental Education Grant Opportunity

State Board Highlights

At last week's Board meeting, members approved using the first retest results for grades 3-8 in the calculation of performance composites of the ABCs and AYP for 2008-09 and adding the 10 EOCs in the 2009-2010 school year, the Report on Gang Prevention and Intervention and revised teacher education specialty area standards. Board members discussed participation in the American Diploma Project Algebra I and II exams, a report from Phase I LEAs implementing the Teacher Evaluation Instrument and the Interstate Compact on Education Opportunity for Military Children. Members also heard presentations on the Teacher Working Conditions Survey, International Benchmarking and the Department's plan for statewide assistance for schools. Complete Board highlights are availble online at www.ncpublicschools.org/sbehighlights.

Board Passes Policy Reaffirming Graduation Project

At their December State Board meeting, members approved a revision of State Board Policy HSP-N-003 and a new additional policy, HSP-N-009. Together, these policies clarify the intent of the State Board of Education in regard to graduation requirements and The North Carolina Graduation Project. The action reaffirms the State Board's intent that The North Carolina Graduation Project shall be implemented in high schools across the state in accordance with the philosophy, rubrics, procedures and guidelines as described in The North Carolina Graduation Project Implementation Guide. For more information, please contact Bryar Cougle at tcougle@dpi.state.nc.us or by phone at 919.807.3855.

New Year's Message from 2008 Wachovia North Carolina Principal of the Year

The New Year is a time for reflection and for looking ahead. I charged into my school after the holidays excited to see the students and staff. I attached my radio to my pants with a sense of purposeful enthusiasm and greeted sleepy-eyed students in halls filled with good-natured chatter.

Then Aaron and later his mother entered my office. They relayed to me how at 1:50 a.m. the previous night they had been awakened by gunfire that shattered their windows, shook their house and stole their sense of security. The mom cried as she told how she rolled out of bed and crawled into her closet where later the police discovered a bullet lodged in the wall.

My mind raced back as I reflected on a time when I was a teen and if someone had "a beef" with someone else, we might have "rolled" his or her yard with toilet paper. While someone had to clean the yard, there was still something ironically majestic in a white paper wonderland.

My mind's eye compared that picture to that of Aaron's yard full of yellow crime scene tape. I tried to comfort a family afraid to return to their home riddled with bullet holes, their bodies shaken with the reality that someone had tried to kill them, their serenity lying in pieces like the shards of glass all over their living room.

So as I look ahead to a new year, it is my dream, my hope, that Aaron and his family can somehow once again know the peace of a goodnight's sleep in a home in which you wake to the sound of birds singing and a sun rising over a neighborhood, heralding hope for the new day. It is my resolution to ensure that all students not only gain skills to make them productive citizens, but also learn how to build the capacity for understanding among others. We must educate the heart as well as the mind. – Debra Morris, principal, A.L. Brown High School, and 2008 Wachovia North Carolina Principal of the Year

2007-08 ABCs Recognition

Banners have been sent to schools achieving Honor School of Excellence and School of Excellence recognition as have plaques to those schools recognized as Schools of Distinction. If you have not received your banner or plaque, please contact Lynda Fuller, NCDPI Communications, at 919.807.3475 or lfuller@dpi.state.nc.us. Also, email Lynda Fuller if the plaque you received was damaged in transit so that it can be replaced.

Success for Your LEP Subgroup Webinar Scheduled

Last year, 86 percent of LEAs receiving Title III funds did not make AYP for the Limited English Proficient (LEP) subgroup. Learn how your schools can help this group of students succeed by participating in a free, one-hour Webinar on the Sheltered Instruction Observation Protocol (SIOP) scheduled for Thursday, Jan. 29, from 9:30-10:30 a.m. SIOP encompasses language acquisition theory, best practices by well-known researchers such as Robert Marzano, and highly effective reading strategies for teaching reading in the content areas. The webinar will provide an overview of the SIOP model and discuss how it can help your limited English proficient students. To register, please go to www.arcc.edvantia.org. Follow-up webinars will be held on Feb. 19 (SIOP Implementation) and March 26 (SIOP Success Stories and Q&A). For more information, please contact Joanne Marino at jmarino@dpi.state.nc.us or 919.807.3861.

Technology Awards

NCDPI's Instructional Technology Section recently announced the winners of the Twentieth Annual Technology Educator Awards:

• Outstanding Administrator Award - Mark Mehlich, director of Technology, Beaufort County Schools;
• Technology Facilitator Award - Jane Houde, technology facilitator, Buncombe County Schools; and
• K-12 Teacher Award - Janet Clark Smith, media coordinator at E. J. Hayes Elementary School, Martin County Schools.

The Technology Educator Awards are given 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. Congratulations to these well-deserving individuals!

Congratulations also are offered to the following educators on their recent technology awards from the North Carolina Technology in Education Society: School Library Media Coordinator of the Year: Karen Harri s, media coordinator at Maiden Middle (Catawba County Schools); Best Teacher Web Site - Courtney Mills, Ephesus Road Elementary (Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools), and Instructional Technology Educator of the Year – Donna Rudsill, Instructional Technology Specialist (Catawba County Schools).

School Bus Safety Poster Contest Winners Announced

Three North Carolina elementary school students and one middle school student received top honors in North Carolina's 2008 National School Bus Safety Week Poster Contest, "Avoid Harm, Obey the Stop Arm." The students, who are from Rowan-Salisbury Public Schools and Wilson County Public Schools, received a plaque featuring their artwork and an MP3 player preloaded with instructional school bus safety audio files. To read more, visit the NCDPI Web site at www.ncpublicschools.org and click on the appropriate link under "News."

Kenan Fellows Program

The Kenan Fellows Program is accepting applications for Fellowships through Jan. 23. K- 12 public school teachers from all disciplines are encouraged to apply. Recipients will receive a $10,000 stipend, work with a mentor in a research setting to develop new and innovative STEM- related curriculum and earn six graduate credits from NC State University. Find out more at www.kenanfellows.org.

Summer Ventures in Science and Mathematics

Summer Ventures in Science and Mathematics (SVSM) is a cost-free, state-funded program for academically talented North Carolina residents who are considering pursuing careers in science and mathematics. The program brings rising juniors and seniors together in residential settings for intensive study. A statewide program of the University of North Carolina system, SVSM is administered by the North Carolina School of Science and Mathematics. Six campuses of the university system host the SVSM institutes. Accepted students will be placed in one of the following four week-sessions, depending on campus site: Session I, June 21 - July 18 or Session II, June 28 - July 25. For more information, including a program application, please visit http://www.summerventures.org/. Applications must be postmarked by Jan. 31.

School Bus Safety Programs

The 2009 National School Bus Safety Week Poster Contest for K-8 students is now underway. Go to www.ncbussafety.org to see the 2008 winners and access the 2009 contest information. Also it's almost time for LOVE THE BUS 2009. Participating schools are asked to recognize their bus drivers and highlight the importance of safe school bus transportation. Information on LOVE THE BUS is posted at www.ncbussafety.org. For more information on either of these programs, please contact the NCDPI Transportation Services Section at 919.807.3570.

MATHCOUNTS

MATHCOUNTS, a national enrichment, coaching and competition program, increases enthusiasm for and enhances achievement in middle school mathematics by building math skills, promoting logical thinking, and sharpening students' analytical and problem-solving skills. Middle schools may become involved in MATHCOUNTS through the club or competition programs. Both programs provide resources and require registration. Schools choosing to participate using the club program can do so at no cost whereas involvement through the competition program requires a registration fee. State coordinators will be accepting competition registrations through the first two weeks in January. Additional information and registration forms can be found online at www.mathcounts.org.

A+ Fit School Designation and Grants Initiative

A+ Fit School will recognize school efforts to provide a healthy environment for all students and staff in K- 12 schools. There are two fundamental programs to this school- based initiative. The first component is a school designation program that will recognize and reward schools for their achievement in providing a healthy environment for students and staff. Ten schools will be selected each year to receive this design ation and will receive a $1,000 discretionary stipend, along with a press kit, banner for the school and plaque for the principal's office. The second component of this initiative is a school grants program. Ten schools will be selected each year to receive a mini- grant of $7,500 that can be used to support a wide variety of programs and school policies. These mini- grant funds can go toward hiring a certified Physical Education specialist to lead physical activity in after- school settings. The funds also could be used to support the implementation of the Child Nutrition Standards through the purchase of healthy cooking equipment for the school cafeteria. For more information and to apply, visit http://www.healthwellnc.com/hwtfc/htmfiles/availfunds.html. The application deadline is Feb. 20.

SAT Video Contest

MIT University is running a nationwide contest in which students compete to produce fun, creative videos teaching SAT vocabulary. Videos should be no longer than two minutes. Once the videos have been submitted, viewers will vote on the videos, and MIT will award $600 in prize money to the video that receives the most number of votes. Of the $600, $200 will go directly to the winner(s) and $400 to the class or school club chosen by that person(s). To further encourage participation, MIT will give away one free iTunes song for every five videos a contestant submits or refers (up to the first 1,000 video submissions). Other important dates are as follows: Feb. 23-video submission ends; March 1-voting begins, March 14-voting ends, March 20- winners announced. For more information, please visit http://www.BrainyFlix.com/main/contest_rules. For questions not answered by Web site, contact Jack Yu at jack.yu.is@gmail.com.

Mandarin Chinese Online Textbook

LEARN NC has just published a beta version of an online textbook for instruction in Mandarin Chinese (http://www.learnnc.org/lp/editions/mandarin1/). It is designed to accompany an introductory- level high school language course and is based on the online course developed by LEARN NC, funded by a Foreign Language Assistance Program grant from the U.S. Government, sponsored by NCDPI, and offered by the North Carolina Virtual Public School. It includes an introductory section about the structure of the Chinese language and pinyin; fifteen video- based lessons; extensive notes on language, grammar, and culture; and more than 400 vocabulary words, each with an audio pronunciation guide.

Environmental Education Grant Opportunity

The Albemarle- Pamlico National Estuary Program (APNEP), a partnership between the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, the N.C. Department of Environment and Natural Resources and the Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation, is requesting proposals for schoolyard environmental demonstration projects. APNEP grants are available to locations in the 36 county APNEP region, which includes five major river basins: the Chowan, Pasquotank, Roanoke, Tar- Pamlico and Neuse (see http://www.apnep.org//pages/ap_maps.html). Individual projects may be funded up to $12,000, but the target range per project is around $5,000. For the complete Request for Proposal and application materials, please go online to http://www.apnep.org. The deadline to apply is March 6. For more information, please contact Lori Brinn at 919.715.4196 or Lori.Brinn@ncmail.net.

 

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