TEACHERS' MESSAGES 2005

NOVEMBER 22, 2005

Last week, I had the pleasure of announcing the 2005 North Carolina Milken Family Foundation National Educator, Aimee Niebauer, an eighth grade teacher in Wake County. That was one of the more enjoyable activities I have ever done because it was an opportunity to say thank you to a teacher making an important difference in the lives of students. This week of Thanksgiving, we will all express our gratitude for the abundance in our lives. For the students in North Carolina, teachers are an important part of that abundance. Thank you for your efforts on behalf of students and their families, and best wishes for a restful holiday week.

Regards,
June Atkinson

In this Biweekly Teachers' Message:

1. State Board to Meet Nov. 30-Dec. 1
2. Holiday Greetings from the 2005 North Carolina Teacher of the Year
3. Niebauer Named 2005 Milken Family Foundation National Educator
4. Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools’ Teacher Named Foreign Language Teacher of the Year
5. High School English Language Arts Regional Workshops Scheduled
6. NC NCLB News
7. NC Dept. of Insurance Offers External Review Service

State Board to Meet Nov. 30-Dec. 1

State Board to Meet Nov. 30-Dec. 1 - The State Board of Education will hold its December meeting on Wednesday and Thursday, Nov. 30-Dec. 1, in the 7th Floor Board Room, Education Building, Raleigh. Agenda items include an Issues Session on reading and literacy programs and action on the SBE’s Ad Hoc Committee Report on Physical Education and the 2005-06 Annual Report on School Violence. In addition, Board members’ discussion items include research-based methods to reduce the dropout rate and the number of suspended students, and revision of the Praxis I testing requirement for admission to teacher education. The complete agenda is available online at http://www.ncpublicschools.org/sbe_meetings/index.html by clicking on the appropriate link. As a reminder, the monthly State Board of Education meetings are audio streamed. To listen in, please go online to http://www.ncpublicschools.org/sbe_meetings/ and scroll to the Live Audio Stream links.

Holiday Greetings from the 2005 North Carolina Teacher of the Year

Holiday Greetings from the 2005 North Carolina Teacher of the Year - As Thanksgiving approaches, I reflect on all the wonderful opportunities I have been exposed to as the North Carolina Teacher of the Year. The journey is just beginning, yet I have witnessed many wonderful sights and met many extraordinary teachers. I have traveled from the mountains to the coast sharing my passion for educational excellence, yet find that I am the one renewed. I am impressed by the wonderful work being done in schools across this state. Our teachers and educational leaders are foundation builders. I have witnessed teachers taking the simple tools of hope and love, and transforming the blueprint of dreams into reality - one child at a time. I have observed educators who are effective in their practice and passionate in their work.

As we stop to give thanks, I want to remind you of the child out there who will call your name when listing things for which he or she is thankful. These children are the blueprints of the foundation of our future. Building such a foundation is often a challenge as children come to us as buildings with weak foundations, cracked bricks, peeling paint, broken windows and broken hearts, yet each day they come. They look to us to be the builders of their future. We as teachers are able to see beyond the needed repairs and into the heart of the child. We see these challenges not a problems, but as possibilities and we begin the job of remodeling. The weak foundations are strengthened through effective instructional practice. The cracked bricks are replaced with a strong foundation of literacy. The peeling paint is covered with a fresh coat of confidence. The broken windows are replaced with the panes of perseverance. And the broken hearts are mended ever so carefully with love. The dreams of these children are your blueprints and you are the carpenters that help build those dreams into skyscrapers of success.

I remind you as the builders of today, that your most precious buildings will last well beyond you for we are not in the business of building buildings, but we are in the business of building lives. The type of construction we do does not require nails, but knowledge. It does not require a tape measure, but a simple touch. It does not require a hammer, but a heart - the heart of a teacher. I am so very thankful that we have such master builders in the state of North Carolina. I am honored to be your voice! Happy Holidays! -- Wendy A. Miller, 2005-2006 North Carolina Teacher of the Year

Niebauer Named 2005 Milken Family Foundation National Educator

Niebauer Named 2005 Milken Family Foundation National Educator - Congratulations to Aimee Niebauer, an eighth grade teacher at West Millbrook Middle School (Wake County Schools), who was recently named North Carolina's 2005 Milken Family Foundation National Educator award recipient. Niebauer is among the 100 newest recipients of the Milken Family Foundation National Educator Award, which carries with it an unrestricted financial award of $25,000. Niebauer was the only North Carolina educator to receive the award this year. To read more about her selection, please go to the NCDPI Web site at http://www.ncpublicschools.org and click on the appropriate link under "News."

Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools’ Teacher Named Foreign Language Teacher of the Year

Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools’ Teacher Named Foreign Language Teacher of the Year - Congratulations to Ken Stewart, a veteran Spanish teacher at Chapel Hill High School (Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools) for being named the 2006 Foreign Language Teacher of the Year. The award was presented at the American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages during its annual conference held last week in Baltimore, MD.

High School English Language Arts Regional Workshops Scheduled

High School English Language Arts Regional Workshops Scheduled - The NCDPI’s Secondary Education Division is offering “In the Right Direction: High School English Language Arts Regional Workshops.” These workshops will focus on teacher needs in implementing the 2004 English Language Arts Standard Course of Study. Workshop topics include reading strategies, planning, honors implementation, and adding rigor to all courses. Teachers will learn about resources available to support their efforts in meeting all students’ needs and will develop activities to use in their classrooms. New teachers, honors and standard teachers, lateral entry teachers and any other English Language Arts teachers who want to become more familiar with the North Carolina ELA SCOS and support documents are encouraged to attend. Workshops will be held from 8:30 a.m. * 4 p.m. on the following dates: Dec. 8, Radisson Governor’s Inn, RTP; Feb. 15, Village Inn, Clemmons; Feb. 23, Gateway Convention Center, Rocky Mount; and April 4, AB Tech Enka Campus, Haynes Building, Asheville. The cost is $75 per participant and includes lunch and materials. For more information and workshop registration materials, please go online to http://community.learnnc.org/dpi/ela/archives/2005/10/high_school_ela.php.

NC NCLB News

NC NCLB News - NC NCLB News, a new eight-page newsletter available online at http://www.ncpublicschools.org/nclb/, addresses issues of concern for superintendents, Title I directors and other educators and professionals working to meet the requirements of NCLB. Key articles in this edition are the NCDPI's responses to last summer's Title I monitoring visit, changes in the state's alternate assessment program, other policy changes, special recognitions, and reading research indicators.

NC Dept. of Insurance Offers External Review Service

NC Dept. of Insurance Offers External Review Service - The North Carolina Department of Insurance is offering an External Review service for those who have been denied medical services by their health insurance company on the grounds that the services are not medically necessary. Registered nurses provide consumer counseling with the appeals and grievance process and explain how to request an external review. An expert medical professional who has no association with your health insurance company performs the medical review. If the medical expert determines that the denial was wrong, your insurance company will be required to pay for the service. There is no charge for the External Review. For more information, please contact the Insurance Department’s Healthcare Review Program by calling 919.715.1163, or toll-free in North Carolina, 877.885.0231, or go online to www.ncdoi.com/.