TEACHERS' MESSAGES 2005

SEPTEMBER 8, 2005

North Carolinians know what it means to weather hurricanes and their destruction. Last week, I sent a memo to local school superintendents and principals encouraging them to channel charity relief efforts of the public school community toward providing funds through the N.C. Disaster Relief Fund. This single portal established by the Governor is managed by the Governor's Office in partnership with the United Way of North Carolina and is accepting funds earmarked for the victims of Hurricane Katrina. There is no administrative cost associated with the fund and 100 percent of the donated funds will go to the victims. Checks should be made payable to the N.C. Helping Neighbors Fund and mailed to NC Helping Neighbors Fund, Office of the Governor, 20312 Mail Service Center, Raleigh, NC 27699-0312. Or, citizens can make credit card donations via telephone toll-free at 1-888-835-9966. It would be wonderful if North Carolina public schools could send our Louisiana and Mississippi colleagues $1.4 million representing the 1.4 million North Carolina public school students.

Regards,
June Atkinson

In this Biweekly Teachers' Message:

1. SBE Meeting Highlights
2. Gov. Easley Honors Teachers with 50+ Years of Experience
3. SBE Ad Hoc Committee on Graduate Pay Approval and Non-Teaching Work Experience Meeting Summary
4. Greetings from 2004-05 NC Teacher of the Year
5. NC WISE Has New Status Page
6. NC WISE August Newsletter Online
7. Elementary School Conference Reaches Capacity
8. NC ARTS Education Teacher Survey
9. Free USDLC Professional Development Online Modules and Programs
10. Federal Resources for Educational Excellence

SBE Meeting Highlights

The State Board of Education approved corrections to the 2004-05 ABCs/AYP report and the disadvantaged student supplemental funding program for 2005-06. Two new Board members were sworn in: Melissa Bartlet, Mooresville, At-Large Member and former North Carolina Teacher of the Year; and Shirley Harris, District 4 Member from Troy. Patricia Willoughby, who recently served as State Superintendent, also has returned to the State Board as the representative of District 5. Complete Highlights of the Board meeting will be available online by tomorrow afternoon at www.ncpublicschools.org/sbehighlights by clicking on the appropriate link.

Gov. Easley Honors Teachers with 50+ Years of Service

Last week, Gov. Mike Easley honored the following four North Carolina teachers who have more than 50 years of service:

Cecilia Feemster, taught at public schools across the state including more recently Gaston County Schools - received a letter from the Governor in honor of her service as she had already received the Order of the Long Leaf Pine. Mary Rose Stocks, Pitt County Schools - presented with the Order of the Long Leaf Pine. Frances Selena Johnson, Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools - presented with the Order of the Long Leaf Pine. Jackie Blanton, Currently retired but continues to volunteer as a reading teacher. Taught in the Cabarrus County/Kings Mountain City Schools - presented with the Order of the Long Leaf Pine. The Order of the Long Leaf Pine, one of the highest awards presented by the Governor, is presented to outstanding North Carolinians who have a proven record of service to the state. State employees receive the award when they have 30 or more years of service to North Carolina.

SBE Ad Hoc Committee on Graduate Pay Approval and Non-Teaching Work Experience Meeting Summary

The SBE Ad Hoc Committee on Graduate Pay Approval and Non-Teaching Work Experience met on Aug. 16 to review the draft of recommendations prepared by DPI staff for the September State Board of Education meeting. The recommendations address issues such as pay for graduate degrees, pay for relevant non-teaching work experience, the role of the Human Resource Directors in making recommendations on graduate pay and non-teaching work experience, the formation of an Appeals Panel on such recommendations, and related issues. During the discussions, committee members added a seventh recommendation to the report that calls for a comprehensive study of the teacher salary schedule. These recommendations were presented to the State Board as a discussion item at its September meeting and will be presented as an action item in October. For more information, please contact Jane Worsham, Executive Director, State Board of Education, 919.807.3400, or by email, jworsham@dpi.state.nc.us.

Greetings from 2004-05 NC Teacher of the Year

Bells ringing…children laughing...teachers' smiling…another exciting school year begins! I want to take this opportunity to thank you for the wonderful work you do to prepare for the year and for the hours you will spend making this year the best ever. Although I celebrate the start of another year of possibilities, I must remind you there is much work to be done. There is a child out there right now whose life you and you alone have the ability to change. What an awesome responsibility and yet what a wonderful opportunity. We are in a profession of privilege. Each day we have the opportunity to make a difference in the world one child at a time. There is no doubt that you will change someone's life this year. Years from now, an adult will remember you by name and tell their children about you and your teaching practice. One of your lessons this year will inspire a student and fuel their dreams for the future, maybe as a future teacher. This year you will teach a child to read and change his life forever. This year, you will perform miracles. My challenge to you is to see the miracle in every child who enters your room this year. In classrooms across North Carolina are hundreds of miracles just waiting to happen through the magical work of teachers. This type of magic does not come from using a hat or a wand, but from using a heart...a teacher's heart. The true magic lies in each of you. You are miracle makers. You are teachers! Have a wonderful year. – Wendy Miller, 2005-06 North Carolina Teacher of the Year

NC WISE Has New Status Page

A new status page is available on the NC WISE Web site. The page provides users with information on recent system-wide problems, issues and workarounds if available. The page is updated frequently allowing personnel to monitor the status of software problems. Using the Help Desk Education Automation Tool (HEAT) System, the NC WISE Help Desk closely monitors the types of errors that users report. When multiple calls are received for a particular issue, the NC WISE Help Desk posts the issue to the Status Page. Related information will be provided and updated frequently until a problem has been resolved. To access the Status Page, please go online to http://www.ncwise.org/ncwise_status_page.htm. If you have additional questions, please contact the NC WISE Help Desk at 919.807.4357 or email sis_support@dpi.state.nc.us.

NC WISE August Newsletter Online

The August edition of the NC WISE "Words to the Wise" newsletter is now available online. To read or download the newsletter, please visit the NC WISE Web site at www.ncwise.org and click on http://www.ncwise.org/library_NCWISE_Communications.html#NewsLetter.

Elementary School Conference Reaches Capacity

The NCDPI's Second Annual Elementary School Conference, scheduled for Oct. 10-11 at the Sheraton, RTP, has reached capacity. If you are registered but cannot attend, PLEASE send a replacement. For more information, please contact Laura White, Elementary Education Division, NCDPI, 919.807.3931, or by email, lwhite@dpi.state.nc.us.

NC Arts Education Teacher Survey

Attention K-12 arts education teachers (dance, music, theatre arts and visual arts), if you have not completed NCDPI's NC Arts Education Survey, please do so by Sept. 30. To access the survey, go online to http://community.learnnc.org/dpi/ and click on the "announcements" category under dance, music, theatre arts or visual arts education and then the survey link. Survey results will be compiled and disseminated via a report in early 2006.

Free USDLC Professional Development Online Modules and Programs

Teachers may want to ask their principals if their school has access to the United Star Distance Learning Consortium. The NCDPI's Instructional Technology Division has purchased a statewide license from the United Star Distance Learning Consortium (USDLC), formerly known as StarNet, that enables all local school systems to access FREE professional development opportunities online. A wide variety of online modules and video-on-demand programs, which are password protected, are listed online at http://www.usdlc.org/pathways/index.jsp. Local school systems must register in order to receive an assigned ID and Password, which can then be shared with principals and teachers. North Carolina LEA administrators for professional development may download a pdf file to register at http://www.ncwiseowl.org/zones/misc/USDLC/USDLC.html. With prior local approval, CEUs may be obtained by teachers using USDLC's programs/online courses. Certificates of Completion are issued upon submittal of evaluations. For additional information, please contact Linda Walters, USDLC Professional Development Coordinator, at 919.807.3497 or by email, lwalters@dpi.state.nc.us

Federal Resources for Educational Excellence

The Federal Resources for Educational Excellence (FREE) Web site makes it easy to find teaching resources available on federal government Web sites. The site was developed with the cooperation of more than 35 federal agencies and is updated weekly with new materials and highlights. FREE offers quick access to more than 1,500 resources in the arts, sciences, history and other subjects from the Library of Congress, National Archives, Smithsonian, NASA, the National Science Foundation and other federal agencies. Check it all out at http://www.ed.gov/free/index.html