PRINCIPALS' MESSAGES 2009

MARCH 5, 2009 - Principals' Biweekly Message

At today's State Board of Education meeting there were a number of firsts. As you know from your earlier email, Bill Harrison was sworn in and elected as the first person to be both the Board chairman and also the Chief Executive Officer of the Board. I welcome Bill to this new role, and I look forward to working with him.

Also, the first Consolidated Report on School Crime and Violence, Suspensions and Expulsions and the Annual Dropout Rates was presented today. None of these reports is a new data collection, but the format of presenting all of this information together is new. I hope you will take a special look at this, and at the PowerPoint presentation that Charlotte Hughes, director of Program Monitoring, used in presenting this information. (All are available online at www.ncpublicschools.org under News.) We know that many of the students who are represented in one report are probably represented in one of the others also. One statewide pattern that we can see is that ninth grade boys are at a high risk for dropping out, being suspended or expelled and for committing acts of crime or violence at school. Please consider whether or not your school or district has policies in place that might inadvertently contribute to this and consider ways to change this outcome.

Regards,
June Atkinson

In this Biweekly Principals' Message:

1. State Board Meeting Highlights
2. Kindergarten Age Cut-Off Date Change Reminder
3. Kindergarten Health Assessment Forms
4. Free Webinar: SIOP Success Stories
5. LEARN NC Offers Professional Development Opportunity
6. It's Not Too Late to Register for the Raising Achievement/Closing Gaps Conference
7. Mount Airy High School Pilots Career Readiness Certificate Program
8. Three North Carolina Middle Schools Recognized as "Schools to Watch"
9. 2008-09 Super Safe Schools Announced
10. "Love the Bus" 2009
11. North Carolina School of Character Recognized
12. America's Greenest School

State Board Meeting Highlights

At today's Board meeting, members welcomed new Board member and Chairman Dr. Bill Harrison, who also will serve as CEO, and approved the location of the 4th Regional Alternative Licensure Center and program approvals under the Innovative Education Initiatives Act. Members discussed the 2009 invitation to submit textbooks for evaluation and adoption in North Carolina and allowing retest results in the calculation of performance composites of the ABCs and AYP. Staff were asked to explore the possibility of retesting only Level II students. Board members also received a consolidated data report containing information on school crime and violence, suspensions and expulsions and dropout rates and crimes. Board highlights will be posted online late next week at www.ncpublicschools.org/sbehighlights.

Kindergarten Age Cut-Off Date Change Reminder

As a reminder, only children who will turn 5 years old on or by Aug. 31, 2009 are eligible to register for kindergarten. The revised law moves the legal school entry age up by a month and a half in an effort to reduce drop-out rates in later grades and make sure students are ready for formal school when they begin kindergarten. North Carolina law also requires that every child have a completed Kindergarten Health Assessment form on or before the first day of school. The form must be completed no more than 12 months before the date of school entry. A news release and posters highlighting the change are available on NCDPI's Web site at http://www.ncpublicschools.org/newsroom/news/2008-09/20090203-01.

Kindergarten Health Assessment Forms

Kindergarten Health Assessment forms were shipped by state courier to all LEAs on Tuesday and Wednesday of this week (March 3-4). The number of form s each LEA received was based on its kindergarten enrollment. The Division of Public Health also shipped the same numbers to local health departments. There are no changes to this year's form. The correct date in the upper left-hand corner is "1/08," which is useful as an identifier to make sure staff are using the right form. To order additional forms, please call the School Health Unit at the Division of Public Health office at 919.707.5671 and speak with Rebecca Bartz. Also, the form and parent instructions can be downloaded and printed from the Healthy Schools' Web site at http://www.nchealthyschools.org.

It's Not Too Late to Register for the Raising Achievement/Closing Gaps Conference

The date for the annual Raising Achievement and Closing Gaps Conference XIII is quickly approaching. Registration is still open, and we hope that you will be able to join us in Greensboro at the Sheraton Four Seasons/ Koury Convention Center on March 30-April 1. The program includes a wide variety of speakers with up-to-date information that will surely benefit all who attend. Additional information on the conference is available online at ncpublicschools.org/racg/conference. In addition, the Raising Achievement and Closing Gaps Conference will again host the Superintendents/Local Board of Education Chairs' Forum and Luncheon. Dr. Anthony Muhammad, president of New Frontier 21 Consulting, is the guest speaker and will focus his remarks on "Laying the Foundation for Success: The Journey Toward a Professional Learning Community," a timely topic that embraces the paradigm of learning for all students. We encourage superintendents to extend their invitation to their local Board chairs. Please note that no registration fee is required. The Forum is scheduled for Monday, March 30, from 10 a.m.-1 p.m. in Imperial A, B, and C, Koury Convention Center. If you and your board chair plan to attend, please RSVP by March 16 at 919.807.3694.

Free Webinar: SIOP Success Stories

This Webinar will provide information on the use of the Sheltered Instruction Observation Protocol (SIOP) model and will include North Carolina principals and ESL directors as special guests. The Webinar will be held March 26 from 9:30 -10:30 a.m. To register, please go online to www.arcc.edvantia.org and click on the appropriate link. The Appalachia Regional Comprehensive Center at Edvantia is hosting this free event for the NCDPI. Remember to re-register if you previously registered for our earlier SIOP Webinars. Participants must register for each Webinar separately. The archive site from the previous two Webinars (Jan. 29 - Success for Your LEP Subgroup, and Feb. 19 - SIOP Implementation) is available at www.edvantia.org/publications/arccwebinar/siop_012909.html. For more information, please contact Joanne Marino at jmarino@dpi.state.nc.us or 919.807.3861.

LEARN NC Offers Professional Development Opportunity

LEARN NC is offering an online professional development course entitled "Facilitating Online Collaboration - Carolina Online Teacher Program." The course helps teachers develop strategies and practice the skills required to facilitate good online communication, moderate online discussion, and promote better accomplishment of instructional goals within the virtual classroom. The course begins April 1, costs $150, and teachers can earn 2 CEUs. To enroll or for more information, please visit www.learnnc.org/courses/current/FOC_04_09_Bennett.

Mount Airy High School Pilots Career Readiness Certificate Program

NCDPI Career and Technical Education Director Rebecca Payne wanted to share the following article with local superintendents. The article appeared in the "Career Tech Update" from the Association of Career and Technical Education, Today's Career and Technical News from Around the Country, on Feb. 18. In "High School To Pilot Career Readiness Certificate Program," the writer stated that a group of students at Mount Airy High School will be part of a pilot [Career Readiness Certificate] program in the city schools involving career readiness. The program involves WorkKeys, "a job skills assessment system that measures skills employers see as critical to successfully completing a job. A group of 40 students at the high school who are seniors in the internship program will test the assessment this year through a series of three tests...involving reading for information, locating information and applied mathematics. These three skill areas are the ones employers deemed as the most important and are key to about 90 percent of jobs." The Mount Airy News noted that "students can receive one of three classifications on the tests and upon completion...students will be awarded a certificate with their rating on it which they can present to potential employers as proof of their qualifications. They will also receive a cord to wear at graduation."

Three North Carolina Middle Schools Recognized as "Schools to Watch"

Congratulations to Apple Valley Middle (Henderson County Schools), Crestdale Middle (Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools) and East Wilkes Middle (Wilkes County Schools) for recently being named "Schools to Watch" by the National Forum to Accelerate Middle Grades Reform. They were recognized for their academic excellence, responsiveness to the needs of young adolescents and a commitment to helping all students succeed. To read more, please visit the NCDPI Web site at www.ncpublicschools.org and click on the appropriate link under "News."

2008-09 Super Safe Schools Announced

Congratulations to the following schools for being recognized as 2008-09 Super Safe Schools: Northeastern High (Elizabeth City-Pasquotank Public Schools), Perquimans High, Perquimans Middle and Perquimans Central (Perquimans County Schools), Greene Central High, Greene County Middle, Snow Hill Primary and West Greene Elementary (Greene County Schools), Maysville Elementary (Jones County Schools), South Lenoir High (Lenoir County Schools), Chowan Middle and White Oak Elementary (Edenton-Chowan Schools), Reedy Creek Elementary and Vandora Springs Elementary (Wake County Schools), Running Creek Elementary (Stanly County Schools), Northwoods Park Middle, Carolina Forest Elementary, Jacksonville Commons Middle, Queens Creek Elementary, Hunters Creek Middle, Jacksonville Commons Elementary, Southwest High, Sand Ridge Elementary, Blue Creek Elementary, Summersill Elementary, Parkwood Elementary, New Bridge Middle, Dixon High, and Swansboro High (Onslow County School System), Clinton High (Clinton City Schools), Southside Ashpole Elementary, Tanglewood Elementary, East Robeson Primary, Oxendine Elementary, Magnolia Elementary, Rowland Norment Elementary, Orrum Middle, and Rowland Middle (Public Schools of Robeson County), East Forsyth Middle (Winston-Salem/Forsyth County Schools), Mount Holly Middle (Gaston County Schools), Weddington High, Monroe High, Weddington Middle and Sandy Ridge Elementary (Union County Schools), and Lake Norman High (Iredell Statesville Schools).

North Carolina School of Character Recognized

Congratulations to Beverly Woods Elementary (Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools) for recently being recognized as the 2009 North Carolina School of Character. Winter Park Elementary (New Hanover County Schools) received an Honorable Mention.

"Love the Bus" 2009

Schools across North Carolina participated in "Love the Bus" last month and celebrated the important work of school bus drivers safely transporting over 700,000 students to and from school each day. Pictures of this event are available online at www.ncbussafety.org.

America's Greenest School

The IC Corporation is sponsoring an essay contest for K-12 students that could lead to a new hybrid school bus for their school. Students are to write a 500-word essay describing how his or her school is showing its commitment to going green, how it teaches its students the value of green living, how it shows it dedication to green transportation, or how it embodies the spirit of a greener planet. Details are available online at www.americasgreenestschool.com. The entry deadline is April 30 after which ten finalist essays will be posted for public voting. A related story on this contest can be found on USA Today's Web site at http://www.usatoday.com/news/education/2009-02-22-bus-contest_N.htm. If you have any questions, please contact NCDPI Transportation Services Section Chief Derek Graham at dgraham@dpi.state.nc.us or 919.807.3570.

 

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