PRINCIPALS' MESSAGES 2009
PRINCIPALS' MESSAGES 2009APRIL 16, 2009 - Principals' Biweekly Message
As you probably know, the Governor has had to take special action to freeze expenditure of state dollars in order to meet cash flow demands of state government. We continue to be in frequent contact with your superintendent and finance officer to give them the best guidance possible on how to move forward and meet commitments already in place. Fortunately, this freeze does not affect our ability to finish this school year with our teaching force in place across the state. In the General Assembly, the Senate budget has now moved to the House side of the legislature and deliberations are expected to pick up speed as the April tax revenues are fully known. We will send you updates as the General Assembly session continues. I also encourage you to visit the Department's Financial and Business Services' Web site (www.ncpublicschools.org/fbs) as the latest budget materials will be posted at this location.
Regards,
June Atkinson
In this Biweekly Principals' Message:
2009-2010 Comparison Budgets
NCDPI's Financial and Business Services has created an excel spreadsheet that compares the State Board of Education's, Governor's and Senate budgets as presented. This document, which is available online at www.ncpublicschools.org/fbs under What's New, will be updated as the legislative session continues.
Comment Now on Guidance Standard Course of Study
NCDPI staff members are beginning the revision process for the North Carolina Guidance Standard Course of Study. The Guidance Standard Course of Study is embedded throughout all content areas. Therefore, it is crucial that staff receives feedback from all stakeholders. Please use the following link to provide initial input into the development process http://www.zoomerang.com/Survey/?p=WEB228YB5XFVHU. This survey will be live through May 7. If you have any questions, please contact Teresa Smith, NCDPI K-12 Student Support Services, at tsmith@dpi.state.nc.us or 919.807.3820.
Service Learning Survey
NCDPI's K-12 Social Studies section is conducting a survey on service learning in North Carolina high schools. The purpose of the survey is to gather feedback on the current state of service learning within the high school social studies program. Your input will be invaluable in the development of an online teacher resource in support of service learning. The survey is available online at www.zoomerang.com/Survey/survey-intro.zgi?p=WEB228YV63SVA8 and should only take a few minutes to complete. The survey closes on June 15. Questions about the survey may be directed to Dal Edwards at deedwards@dpi.state.nc.us or 919.807.3832.
April is Financial Literacy for Youth Month
Gov. Bev Perdue has proclaimed April as Financial Literacy for Youth Month. In 2003, President Bush declared April as Financial Literacy for Youth Month to highlight the importance of financial literacy and teach Americans how to establish and maintain healthy financial habits. In 2006, the NC General Assembly directed the NCDPI to provide students with instruction, activities and initiatives in personal financial literacy. Please use this month as an additional opportunity to stress the importance of financial responsibility to your students.
Educational and Documentary Videos Available to Public Schools
Almost 400 educational and documentary videos from the Public Broadcasting Service are now available at no cost to all North Carolina public schools. With a grant from the State Library of North Carolina and the Department of Cultural Resources, NC LIVE, LEARN NC and NC WiseOwl have partnered to extend the reach of the PBS video collection to local schools. To access this resource, educators are encouraged to go to the NC WiseOwl Web site at www.ncwiseowl.org and click on the Media/Tech Zone link then the PBS Videos link. Questions may be directed to Neill Kimrey, Instructional Technology, NCDPI, via email nkimrey@dpi.state.nc.us, or by phone, 919.807.3293.
LEARN NC Offerings
Environmental concerns are increasingly at the forefront of national attention, but it can be hard to find ways to bring them into the classroom in meaningful ways. LEARN NC has developed "Focus on Planet Earth," a resource guide of interactive Web sites, integrated lesson plans, idea-generating articles and inspiring field trips to help teachers incorporate environmental themes in his or her classrooms, school, and community. Whether teachers are looking for ideas about how to celebrate Earth Day or planning a school garden project based on native plants, this collection should provide a great place to start. It's available online at www.learnnc.org/lp/pages/2795.
Developing Your Online Course - Learn to build your own online course from scratch. "Developing Your Online Course" teaches you the design and development strategies you need to create your course online. This six-week online course begins June 9, costs $225 to register, and is worth 3.0 CEUs. For more information or to register, please visit www.learnnc.org/courses/current/DATOC2_06_09_Kempner
Win Green Grant for Your School
Wal-Mart is promoting its Green School Earth Month program by awarding the greenest schools across the nation $500 gift cards and a chance to win a $20,000 award. They are particularly interested in knowing how schools have incorporated eco-friendly practices into their daily routines. Educators are asked to submit in writing (200 words or less) all the ways they are "greening" their schools. To participate, please go to www.nationalgreenweek.comand sign up for National Green Week 2010. Contest rules will then be sent via email. The deadline for essay submissions is May 1.
If you'd like to review past Principals' Biweekly Messages sent to the listserv
group, just go online to http://www.ncpublicschools.org/principalsarchive/.