TEACHERS' MESSAGES 2007
TEACHERS' MESSAGES 2007OCTOBER 25, 2007 - Teachers' Biweekly Messages
This weekend, I had the opportunity to attend the opening gala for the new Ocracoke campus of the NC Center for the Advancement of Teaching (NCCAT), and I was very impressed by what a tremendous opportunity NCCAT's east coast campus offers. Because of its unique location, the Ocracoke campus of NCCAT will have the opportunity give teachers special learning opportunities in science, in particular. I encourage you to check out the NCCAT's Web site at http://www.nccat.org/ to see photos of the new campus and to get more information about how you can experience this tremendous opportunity.
Regards,
June Atkinson
In this Biweekly Teachers' Message:
State Board Holds Retreat/Monthly Meeting Next Week
The State Board of Education will hold its annual retreat beginning at 3:30 p.m., Sunday afternoon, Oct. 28, and continuing through 10:45 a.m., Tuesday morning, Oct. 30, at the O.Henry Hotel, Greensboro. The Board will hold its November meeting beginning Tuesday afternoon at 2:30 p.m. with the Globally Competitive Students Committee meeting and continuing through noon Thursday in the Education Building, 301 N. Wilmington Street, Raleigh. Agenda items include action on policies governing services for children with disabilities, changes to the 2006-07 ABCs/AYP results, and recommended final cut scores for Algebra I, Algebra II, Geometry and English I end-of-course tests. Board members will discuss revising the licensure policy to facilitate the licensing of administrators and instructional support personnel as teachers and changes to the NC Teacher of the Year policy. The full agenda and executive materials are available online at www.ncpublicschools.org/sbe_meetings. The State Board's committee meetings and full Board meeting also are audio streamed for those who can't attend. To listen to the sessions, please go online to http://www.ncpublicschools.org/sbe_meetings and scroll to the Live Audio Stream links.
National Board Application Deadline is Oct. 31
Please note that the deadline for applying for National Board Certification is Oct. 31. Teachers need to apply at www.nbpts.org and click on the link to the North Carolina application in order to become candidates. Candidates will receive three days of release time, full licensure renewal for completing the process, and, once certified, a 12 percent salary increase. Details also can be found on the DPI Web site at http://www.ncpublicschools.org/recruitment/nationalboardcertification/.
American Education Week
The National Education Association's American Education Week is Nov. 11-17. This year's celebration spotlights the importance of providing every child in America with a quality public education, and the need for everyone to do his or her part in making public schools great. A calendar of events is available online at www.nea.org/aew/index.html.
Two North Carolina Teachers on All-USA Teacher Team
Congratulations to Billingsville Elementary School (Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools) teacher Amber Larkin and Claxton Elementary School (Asheville City Schools) teacher Vincent Floriani Jr. for recently being named to "USA Today's" 2007 All-USA Teacher Team. Each year, "USA Today" honors 20 teachers, both individuals and instructional teams, as representatives of outstanding teachers across the country. Recipients receive a trophy and $2,500 in cash - $500 for the teachers and $2,000 to be shared with their schools. To read more, please go online to http://www.usatoday.com/news/education/2007-10-17-teacher-team_N.htm.
Safe Schools/Character Education Conference Scheduled for February
Mark your calendars for Feb. 6-8 and plan to attend the NCDPI's Safe Schools and Character Education Conference to be held at the Koury Convention Center/Sheraton Four Seasons, Greensboro. Educators, parents and community members interested in and/or responsible for developing and maintaining a safe, orderly and caring learning environment in the schools and community should plan on attending. The registration fee is $130. There will be no onsite registration. Persons attending the conference will receive a Certificate of Attendance for 10 contact hours. For more information, including registration, please go to www.ncpublicschools.org/safeschools/conferences.
Holocaust Workshops Scheduled for 2007-08
Middle and high school social studies and English/Language Arts teachers may want to consider attending a one-day, multi-county Holocaust workshop. Dr. Karl Schleunes, an historian and Holocaust scholar, and Gizella Abramson, a Holocaust survivor of the Majdanek death camp, will present at the workshops. 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. The workshop is particularly useful for teachers of World History or American History as well as teachers at the sixth-grade level teaching Eastern European history. It also is recommended for middle school language arts teachers teaching Anne Frank's Diary or high school English teachers studying Elie Wiesel's Night and other Holocaust literature at the upper grades. Substitute pay is provided for teachers attending, but space is limited and teachers are encouraged to make early contact with Linda Scher, Holocaust Teacher Workshop Coordinator. Workshop dates and locations are as follows: Nov. 15, Hillsborough; Nov. 28, Concord; Dec. 7, Edenton; Jan. 28, Hamlet; Feb. 29, Kenansville; and March 12, Warrenton. For additional information, including registration, please email Linda Scher at Brisket234@aol.com.
If you'd like to review past Teachers' Biweekly Messages sent to the listserv group, just go online to http://www.ncpublicschools.org/teachersarchive/.