TEACHERS' MESSAGES 2006

FEBRUARY 23, 2006

How are working conditions in your school? Do you feel supported by the administrators with whom you work? Are there changes that could improve your job satisfaction? The 2006 Teachers Working Conditions survey will be available online at http://www.northcarolinatwc.org between March 27 and May 1. The Web site is already available to provide information about the survey, last year's response rates and other details. School personnel will receive detailed information and anonymous access codes for teachers and administrators in late March via your NCAE representative and/or teacher of the year. The 2006 Teachers Working Conditions survey provides a confidential forum for you to provide feedback on working conditions at your school. This information is used by principals, superintendents and at the state level to find ways to address working conditions that make a difference in your job satisfaction and performance. Please take the time to visit the following Web site this spring and make your voice count.

Regards,
June Atkinson

In this Biweekly Teachers' Message:

1. State Board Schedules March Meeting
2. Greetings from 2005-06 NC Teacher of the Year
3. NC WISE/SIMS Information Portal Online
4. National Board News
5. Train the Trainer Institute to Address SIOP Model
6. NASA Mission Educator Fellowship Opportunity
7. Tax Deduction Helps Offset Classroom Costs
8. Presidential Award for Excellence in Mathematics & Science Teaching
9. LEARN NC February Update

State Board Meeting Highlights

The State Board of Education's March meeting will be held next Wednesday and Thursday, March 1-2, in the 7th Floor Board Room, Education Building, Raleigh. Agenda items include issues sessions on science programs and issues in North Carolina public schools and the Board's 2006-07 Supplement Budget Request. The Board is expected to take action on middle and high school mathematics recommendations and discuss alternative learning programs and schools' standards. In addition, the Board will receive for information the 2004-05 Annual Dropout Data report and study of suspensions and expulsions. The full agenda is available on the State Board of Education's Web site at http://www.ncpublicschools.org/sbe_meetings/index.html by clicking on the appropriate link.

Greetings from 2005-06 NC Teacher of the Year

I have so enjoyed my months of traveling around the state and meeting with teachers. I have visited many schools and feel good about the education we are providing to the students of North Carolina. As I write this month's message, the snow is slowly drifting outside my office window. I sit wrapped up in my grandmother's favorite quilt. As I examine her quilt and reflect upon the time and energy she used to create it, I am reminded of education in North Carolina.

First, there is the fabric of teachers who help students realize their potential. This year, I have observed teachers who challenge students to dare to dream of a future that someone told them they could never achieve. I have watched them enable students to appreciate and celebrate the beauty of diversity that will one day allow them to become caring and responsible citizens in a globalized world.

The next piece of the educational quilt is safer communities. Education is the most effective weapon we have against crime, drugs, violence, and racism. Our prisons are teeming with men and women who can't read or write. Eighty-two percent of the prison population is made up of high school dropouts. I am pleased to say that North Carolina does not take these statistics lightly. We are redesigning our schools to meet the ever-changing demands of a global society. We, as a state, are concerned with the holistic education of our children and remain focused on the greatest intervention to prison - literacy.

Piece after piece of the quilt of educational excellence must be joined together with care and love to improve education. Political agendas, funding cuts, teacher shortages, and apathy leave many "scraps." We must develop a shared vision for educational excellence so those scraps can be stitched together to create the beautiful masterpiece we all desire - a confident and competent learner committed to making the world a better place. I encourage all teachers in North Carolina to piece together the quilt of educational excellence by becoming advocates of their students and their profession.

I encourage you to become risk-takers and visionary leaders, seeking innovative ways to involve families and communities in your schools. I challenge you to be transformers of society as you piece together imagination, creativity, and love to form a beautiful creation all your own. Every teacher is a weaver of dreams and the quilter of excellence. My message for you today is to remind you, as educators, to see the miracle in every child, for the true beauty of a quilt is dependent on the variety of colors and textures. Finally, I challenge you, as teachers, to stitch together the fabric of education in order to produce masterpieces in classrooms across our state.

As I reflect on my year, the schools I have visited and the passion for excellence I have witnessed, I am refreshed and renewed. Each day I observe seamstresses joining the pieces of educational excellence in classrooms across North Carolina, providing our students with an education that is second to none! Thank you for what you do each day as you stitch together dreams! - Wendy Miller, 2005-06 NC Teacher of the Year, Wendy.miller@craven.k12.nc.us.

NC WISE/SIMS Information Portal Online

The NC WISE/SIMS Information Portal is now online at http://ncwisebbs.ncwise.org for personnel in the NC WISE and SIMS communities. The Information Portal is a message board where users can ask questions and share information such as solutions to problems, files, scripts and macros. Users may register for the Information Portal by accessing the Register link on the Information Portals home page. We recommend that users subscribe with their email address. Once registered, users will have full access to the Portal and its files.

Before using the Information Portal we recommend that users read the manual for the software at http://www.phpbb.com/support/guide/#section4. In addition, users should also review the rules and policies before using the Information Portal. The rules and policies can be found in the General Forum under the Rules and Policies discussion thread.

Other things users should keep in mind while utilizing the Information Portal:

• While DPI has provided the Information Portal to the NC WISE and SIMS communities LEA users will own the Information Portal, driving the content and forum topics.
• The Information Portal is not a substitute for the DPI Service Desk. Users confronted with functionality that is not working should contact the LEA NC WISE coordinator or LEA Help Desk first. If the issues cannot be resolved at the LEA level, the LEA coordinator or Help Desk will contact the DPI Service Desk.
• Because this is open-source software that is not owned or supported by the NCDPI, the Service Desk can only provided limited assistance with the Information Portal.
• Screenshots can be downloaded to forums on the Information Portal. Users must mask any student information before posting screenshots.

National Board News:National Board Certification Online Application Process for 2006-07 Candidates

North Carolina teachers planning to seek National Board Certification should complete the online application at www.nbpts.org and then complete the online application for North Carolina funding. Guidelines for applying for National Board Certification in North Carolina can be accessed at http://www.ncpublicschools.org/nbpts/apply.html by clicking on the appropriate link. Initial NBC candidates will pay a $65 processing charge to NBPTS before they submit their application. North Carolina pays the assessment fee of $2,500 for all candidates who meet the eligibility criteria. The North Carolina funding application window for 2006-07 candidates pursuing National Board Certification is March 1-Oct. 31.

National Board Certification Professional Leave Days - Candidates who received state funding to pursue National Board Certification are eligible to receive three professional leave days to work on the portfolio and/or take the assessment center test. Your school system's finance officer has the necessary information to process the leave request correctly.

Become a National Board Assessor - The National Board for Professional Teaching Standards is accepting applications from those National Board Certified teachers who are interested in becoming assessors. You can read more about the scoring process, scoring sights, and timeframe for assessing at the NBPTS Web site available at http://www.nbpts.org/standards/assessors.cfm For more information on National Board Certification, please contact Deanna Harris, NCDPI Center for Recruitment and Retention, 919.807.3358, or by email, dharris@dpi.state.nc.us.

Train the Trainer Institute to Address SIOP Model

NCDPI's K-12 Programs is offering a Train the Trainer Institute on the North Carolina Guide to the SIOP Model, April 3-5, in Raleigh. This institute aims to train mainstream teachers in best practices for teaching limited English proficient students and to raise their students' academic achievement and meet NCLB goals. Registration information is at http://community.learnnc.org/dpi/esl/archives/2005/06/conferences_wor_1.php. Spaces for 24 participants are still available. For more information, please contact Joanne Marino via email at jmarino@dpi.state.nc.us or by phone, 919.807.3861. To view a PowerPoint on the NC Guide to the SIOP Model Train the Trainer Institute, go to http://community.learnnc.org/dpi/esl/archives/professional_development/index.php

NASA Mission Educator Fellowship Opportunity

NASA is recruiting 30 practicing teachers or teacher trainers to become the next cadre of MESSENGER Educator Fellows. These Fellows help bring the excitement of this challenging mission to classrooms nationwide by training teachers on the Solar System-focused education materials written in support of the mission. The Fellowship includes an all-expense paid five-day training workshop in Washington, DC, in June 2006. Applications are due March 31. For more information, please go online to http://btc.montana.edu/messenger/teachers/fellows.php or contact MESSENGER Educator Fellowship Coordinator Ken Pulkkinen via email at messenger@usra.edu or by phone, 202.689.1238.

Tax Deduction Helps Offset Classroom Costs

Teachers and other educators can deduct up to $250 spent last year to buy classroom supplies. The deduction can be claimed directly on Form 1040 or Form 1040A. In the past, these costs could be claimed only if they were included as miscellaneous itemized deductions on Schedule A. Even then, the expenses were useless unless they and all other allowable costs totaled at least 2 percent of the filer's adjusted gross income. The deduction is not limited to teachers. The Internal Revenue Service says you can take the deduction if, for the tax year, you were employed at a state-approved public school system as a teacher, instructor, counselor, principal or aide. To read more, please go online to http://biz.yahoo.com/brn/060213/9760.html?.v=1

Presidential Award for Excellence in Mathematics & Science Teaching

The 2006 Presidential Award for Excellence in Mathematics & Science Teaching will be awarded to K-6 mathematics and science teachers. Teachers must be nominated before completing an application. Nominations may come from anyone (principals, teachers, students, parents, members of the community, or the general public). Self-nominations will not be accepted. Nomination and application information can be found by visiting www.paemst.org. The application deadline is May 1. For additional information, please contact Carmella Fair, PAEMST State Mathematics Coordinator, NCDPI, via email at cfair@dpi.state.nc.us or by phone, 919.807.3840.

LEARN NC February Update

Learn NC's February update is now online and includes such items as AP Study Skills Courses to be Offered This Spring; Curriculum Compacting, For Beginning Teachers: Tips for Classroom Management and Ongoing Assessment, Online CEU Courses Open for Enrollment, Model Lesson Plans, "Black American Leaders as Responsible Citizens, " for Black History Month, New in the Education Reference, and The Year of the Museum. Check it out at www.learnnc.org.