PRINCIPALS' MESSAGES 2010
PRINCIPALS' MESSAGES 2010DECEMBER 16, 2010 - Principals' Biweekly Message
In 2011, the General Assembly will come back to town on Jan. 26 to begin the long session that will set the direction of North Carolina for the next two years and beyond. In anticipation of this work and recognizing the difficult economic situation facing our state, we have created a spot on our website where all of the budget news and information is collected in one place to give you easy access to this material. This space is under Highlights at www.ncpublicschools.org. We will continue to improve this, add material to it and provide you with information to help you gather the facts you need to communicate with your community and your lawmakers about your schools' needs. I cannot emphasize enough the importance of your efforts to communicate with your own legislators. At the end of the day, your description of your school's situation is powerful. I hope this information is helpful in that regard.
Regards,
June Atkinson
In this Biweekly Principals' Message:
New Race to the Top Resources Online
The NCDPI Race to the Top team spent much of the month of November reviewing LEA and charter school Detailed Scopes of Work (DSW). This was for the dual purpose of working with local districts and charter schools to provide feedback on their plans, and to finalize the state's DSW, which was submitted to the U.S. Department of Education on Nov. 22. To see the great things that Race to the Top funding will do to support our teachers and principals, please take a moment to review the state DSW at http://www.ncpublicschools.org/rttt/state/ . You can get a peek at the creativity and innovation going on at the local level by reviewing the individual LEA and charter school plans at www.ncpublicschools.org/rttt/lea-charter/ . In addition, the NCDPI is responsible for submitting monthly reports regarding the state's progress on Race to the Top to the USED. The October and November reports are available online at www.ncpublicschools.org/rttt/state/used .
Credit Recovery Procedures to Change in 2011-12
At their December State Board Meeting, members approved amending the "Course for Credit" policy (GCS-M-001) by adding a section defining credit recovery and revising credit recovery procedures. This action followed input from the majority of LEAs, many external partners, and a statewide committee tasked with studying the issue. Changes go into effect in the 2011-12 school year. Training, communication, and more information about coding credit recovery courses will be disseminated to LEAs within the next few months. The amended policy is available online at www.ncpublicschools.org/docs/stateboard/meetings/2010/12/gcs/12gcs.pdf
Seasons Greetings from 2010 Wachovia North Carolina Principal of the Year
Season's Greetings to my educational colleagues! From Murphy to Manteo, I am hopeful that your academic year continues to be one of progress, innovation and growth. As we look forward to winter break and the start of a new calendar year, I hope your holiday time with friends and family is enjoyable and rejuvenating, allowing each of us to return in January with a renewed focus and commitment. As we face a most-challenging budget situation in the months ahead, it is imperative that we remain dedicated to providing excellent educational opportunities for our students and advocating for resources to meet their needs. Happy holidays to each of you! Jan King (kingj@henderson.k12.nc.us)
Over 2,200 NC Teachers Achieve National Certification in 2010
North Carolina has 2,277 newly-certified National Board teachers currently working in its public school classrooms according to the 2010 certification results recently released by the National Board of Professional Teaching Standards. This newest batch of credentialed teachers brings the state's total number of National Board Certified Teachers to 17,957, by far the largest number of certified teachers in the nation. In addition, six North Carolina public school districts placed in the Top 20 districts nationally for the total number of National Board Certified Teachers. To read more, please visit www.ncpublicschools.org and click on the appropriate link under "News."
Gaston County Schools' Librarian Receives National Award
Congratulations to Patricia Updike, Webb Street School's Library Media Coordinator (Gaston County Schools) for recently being named one of 10 recipients of the 2010 Carnegie Corporation/NY Times "Love My Librarian" award. Updike is one of three school librarians selected for this award. She will receive a $5,000 prize in an award ceremony to be held in New York. Updike's nomination, detailing her inspiring work with disabled students at Webb Street School, is available online at www.ilovelibraries.org/lovemylibrarian/2010/10winners.cfm