TEACHERS' MESSAGES 2005
TEACHERS' MESSAGES 2005JUNE 9, 2005
As a former classroom teacher, and the mother of a kindergarten teacher, I know how wonderful it feels to reach summer vacation. At the same time, I hope that you will continue to keep the legislative session in mind. It is important for your legislators to know your point of view regarding how their decisions regarding the budget and other items will affect your classroom and your students. You can keep up with legislative activities throughout the summer by going to the NCDPI's Legislative Report Web page at http://www.ncpublicschools.org/legislative/index?view=legislature
Regards,
Janice Davis
Several NCLB-related changes have been made in testing, proficiency target goals and AYP calculations for 2004-05 and 2005-06. In addition, North Carolina made its first incremental increase in AYP proficiency target goals in 2004-05 as part of NCLB requirements to raise all students to grade level by 2013-14. These changes are outlined for school and district personnel in the document, "NCLB Accountability Changes for North Carolina," available online at http://www.ncpublicschools.org/nclb
SBE Ad Hoc Committee on Academic Rigor, Relevance and Relationships
The State Board of Education's Ad Hoc Committee on Academic Rigor, Relevance, and Relationships met earlier this month in Raleigh. Committee members heard from DPI Education Program Director Dr. Gongshu Zhang regarding the impact of adding a fifth level of achievement to the existing ABCs achievement levels. More information on this meeting will be included in the July 14 Teachers' Biweekly message.
Integrating Health and Literacy Workshop
There are still openings for the "Integrating Health and Literacy Workshop," which is scheduled for June 15-16 at Blue Ridge Community College, Flat Rock. This workshop uses a hands-on approach to demonstrate creative methods for integrating best practices in reading and writing while building health knowledge and skills. Vocabulary development, higher order thinking skills, decoding and comprehension skills, and cooperative learning to explore themes common to newspapers and literature will be emphasized. The workshop will be held from 9 a.m.-4 p.m. on Wednesday and from 9 a.m.-1 p.m. on Thursday. Registration forms are available online at: http://www.ncpress.com/Foundation/WorkshopAds/05FlatRock.pdf
Ackinson Consulting is offering all juniors and seniors a chance to receive a scholarship in the amount of $1,750. Students must submit via email (scholarship@ackinson.com) a short answer (not to exceed 1,000 words) to the question, "Where do you see yourself five years after attaining your desired post-secondary education?" The scholarship question will change periodically to help differentiate potential candidates. Students may view any changes to the question at http://www.ackinson.com/scholarships.htm. The response deadline is Sept. 25. The scholarship will be awarded on Nov. 6. For more details, please go online to www.ackinson.com/scholarships.htm.
The following article from PEN Weekly NewsBlast may be of interest to teachers. In "Sustaining Your Teaching Verve," which appeared in the June 2005 edition of "Classroom Leadership," Leslie Maple, a 20-year classroom veteran, shares six of her best ideas for sustaining teaching energy. Although she aims her comments at "new teachers to help them in their transition from a brand-new, overwhelmed teacher to a brand-new, confident teacher," her distilled wisdom will be welcomed by any teacher in need of a fresh infusion of "verve." The article is available online at http://snipurl.com/TeachingVerve