TEACHERS' MESSAGES 2005

DECEMBER 9, 2005

Many of you and your students have opened your hearts and your wallets on behalf of the people affected so severely by Hurricane Katrina in August. To date, school districts and schools across North Carolina have reported a total of $930,703.16 in cash contributions to charities benefiting people displaced and hurt by Hurricane Katrina. This amount does not even include the value of the food and other goods sent directly to the affected areas. Thank you very much for responding to this challenge and for the generosity of you and your students.

Regards,
June Atkinson

In this Biweekly Teachers' Message:

1. State Board Meeting Highlights
2. SBE Ad Hoc Rigor, Relevance and Relationships Committee Meeting Summary
3. NC WISE Town Hall Meeting Minutes Online
4. Holocaust Workshop for Teachers Scheduled
5. Student Teams Present Shoebox Glider Research to NASA
6. Teach Online for LEARN NC
7. Deadline Approaching for Gap Conference Call for Proposals
8. iPod Won by Blade County Schools' Educator
9. NCCEE Honors High School Teachers
10. Annual Model Bridge Building Competition
11. Stock Market Game Workshops
12. Deadline for Biotechnology Grant Application is Jan. 13

State Board Meeting Highlights

At their December meeting last week, State Board members received an overview of the state's reading and literacy programs and approved the creation of a subcommittee to further develop the recommendations outlined in the report by the Ad Hoc Committee on Physical Education's. Board members also approved revisions to the Standard Professional 1 and Standard Professional 2 Licensure Requirements to facilitate employment of out-of-state teachers and discussed revisions to the Initial Licensure Annual Program Report. Complete Board Highlights are available online at http://www.ncpublicschools.org/sbehighlights by clicking on the appropriate link.

SBE Ad Hoc Rigor, Relevance and Relationships Committee Meeting Summary

The SBE Ad Hoc Committee on Rigor, Relevance and Relationships met on Nov. 29 to discuss several issues related to the committee's continuing study of academic rigor in the state's course offerings. Superintendent Atkinson updated the members on the existing high school courses of study and offered suggestions as to what modifications might have to be made in the career pathways in order to facilitate the state moving toward a single rigorous default curriculum. In May, the SBE joined the network of 25+ states that have committed to being a part of the American Diploma Project (ADP). One component of ADP is the adoption of a single default curriculum with provisions for students "opting out" of the rigorous coursework contingent on parental approval. Specific topics discussed included the need for a more systemic K-12 approach to the teaching of science, math and foreign languages to align with college-ready and work ready standards in NC and with other countries, enhanced teacher pre-service and professional development in these core areas, the concept of "seat time" uncoupled from instruction, and science must be taught daily and become a focus area as other tested subjects. The committee members also reviewed and made adjustments to the SBE Rigor policy that was presented to the Board at its Nov. 30 meeting.

NC WISE Town Hall Meeting Minutes Online

The minutes for five of the six NC WISE town hall meetings are available on the NC WISE Web site. To access the minutes for any of the meetings, please visit http://www.ncwise.org/ncwise_meetings.html and click on the appropriate link. The minutes from the final meeting will be posted soon. Questions and concerns that were submitted, but not addressed during the town hall meetings, are being distributed to NC WISE subject matter experts at the NCDPI for later posting. Please visit http://www.ncwise.org/ncwise_meetings.html often as it will be updated regularly until all the submitted questions and concerns have been addressed.

Holocaust Workshop for Teachers Scheduled

One-day, multi-county workshops on the Holocaust have been scheduled for middle and high school social studies and language arts teachers. Participants will receive a copy of "The Holocaust: a North Carolina Teacher's Resource," a guide for teaching about the Holocaust at the middle and high school levels. Substitute pay is provided for teachers attending, but space is limited and teachers are encouraged to respond quickly. The workshops are scheduled for the following dates and locations: Jan. 20, Yanceyville (Caswell County); Feb. 1, Monroe (Union County); Feb. 3, Lillington (Harnett County); Feb. 8, Winton (Hertford County); Feb. 15, Whiteville (Columbus County); Feb. 20, Washington (Beaufort County); March 27, Lenoir (Caldwell County); March 31, Enka (Buncombe County); and April 3, Hickory (Catawba County). For additional information, please email Linda Scher, Holocaust Teacher Workshop Coordinator, at Brisket234@aol.com.

Deadline Approaching for Gap Conference Call for Proposals

Anyone wishing to be considered for presenting a concurrent session at the Raising Achievement and Closing Gaps Conference, which is scheduled for March 27-29 at the Sheraton at Four Seasons/Joseph S. Koury Convention Center, Greensboro, should complete and email the online Call for Proposal form by Dec. 9. This form is available online at http://www.ncpublicschools.org/schoolimprovement/closingthegap/conference/ by clicking on the appropriate link. For more information, please contact Janice Ham, Curriculum and School Reform Services, 919.807.3929, or by email, jham@dpi.state.nc.us.

Teach Online for LEARN NC

LEARN NC will have part-time openings in 2006-07 in a variety of subject areas. Most online teachers also continue to work full-time in their home schools while teaching online at night. Teachers are paid $450/student for full-year courses, and $225/student for block-semester courses, with a first-semester maximum of 20 student enrollments. Teachers must be licensed in North Carolina, and should have taught the subject matter they are applying for at least two full school years. AP instructors must have attended the AP Summer Institute in their subject area. All applicants should have a computer with Windows XP, Internet Explorer 6.0, a headset with microphone, and high-speed Internet access. Applicants should be comfortable with email and digital communications, and have excellent writing skills. In 2006-07, all LEARN NC teachers will be required to use AOL Instant Messenger and Skype, both of which are available for free. While no HTML experience is necessary, it often proves beneficial. Interested teachers should send a resume detailing certifications, teaching experience, and relevant professional development experiences. If you have taken or taught online courses, please note where and what platform you used. Send resumes or questions to Ross White, Director of Online Learning, LEARN NC, at ross@learnnc.org.

Deadline Approaching for Gap Conference Call for Proposals

Five student teams will present their shoebox glider research to NASA's Challenge Master via 2-way videoconferencing during the Great Shoebox Glider Challenge Celebration and Air Show, which will be streamed live on the Web from the Education Building in Raleigh on Friday, Dec. 16, from 10 a.m.-12:30 p.m. The teams are from Franklinton Elementary, Franklin County Schools; Columbia Middle, Tyrrell County Schools; Piney Grove Middle, Stokes County Schools; and Southern Alamance, Alamance-Burlington School System. In addition, North Carolina's own Commander of the International Space Station's Expedition 12 Bill McArthur will receive the Partners in Flight Fly Your Dreams Project award. For details about participating in this event via the Web cast, please contact Cris Crissman, Distance Learning, NCDPI, 919.807.3582, or by email, ccrissma@dpi.state.nc.us.

iPod Won by Blade County Schools' Educator

Congratulations to Bladen County Schools' Curriculum Specialist Vera Melvin, who won the iPod in the USDLC Literacy to Learn Open House. Apple Computer Inc. donated the iPod to help promote Literacy to Learn: Reading, Writing, and Thinking Across the Curriculum, a free, online resource offering online courses and resources for individuals and faculty study groups. For more information, please visit the Literacy to Learn Web site at www.USDLC-L2L.org or contact Linda Walters, USDLC Professional Development Coordinator, at lwalters@dpi.state.nc.us or 919.807.3497.

NCCEE Honors High School Teachers

Congratulations to the following high school teachers who were named 2005 BB&T Economics Educators of the Year by the North Carolina Council on Economic Education (NCCEE): Susan Taylor, Leesville Road High School (Wake County Schools), was awarded $5,000, and Karen Sanders, East Chapel Hill High School (Chapel Hill-Carrboro Schools), was awarded $1,000. NCCEE is a non-profit organization dedicated to promoting economic education in North Carolina. For more information on NCCEE, please go online to www.nccee.org.

Annual Model Bridge Building Competition

Middle and high school students may want to participate in the seventh annual Model Bridge Building Competition being sponsored by the North Carolina Department of Transportation, Carolinas Associated General Contractors and the American Council of Engineering Companies of North Carolina. The event challenges students to design and build a model bridge. Teams will first compete in regional competitions in March 2006 with the winners traveling to Raleigh for the state competition on April 7. Winners will receive $650 for first place, $400 for second, $250 for third and $100 for fourth place. Teachers must register their students online at www.ncdot.org/kids/BridgeComp/ by Dec. 14. Students must be sponsored by a teacher. For more information, please contact Tammy Stewart at 919.733.2210, or by email, tstewart@dot.state.nc.us.

Stock Market Game Workshops

The North Carolina Council on Economic Education (NCCEE) is sponsoring free workshops for teachers interested in using the Stock Market Game (SMG) as a teaching tool. Workshops are located throughout the state beginning in January. The next SMG statewide competition begins Feb. 13. To register for workshops and/or pre-register for the competition, please go online to www.nccee.org or contact Sandy Wheat at swheat@nccee.org. NCCEE is a non-profit organization dedicated to economic education in North Carolina.

Deadline for Biotechnology Grant Application is Jan. 13

The submission deadline for the North Carolina Biotechnology Center's 2005-06 Biotechnology Education Mini-Grants is Jan. 13. The grants are to be used to develop and implement activities, programs and courses for biotechnology education and training at the K-12 level. For more information, including an application, please go online to http://www.ncbiotech.org/ouractivities/grantsloans/MiniGrantsNEW.cfm.