TEACHERS' MESSAGES 2009

MAY 14, 2009 - Teachers' Biweekly Messages

The NCDPI is seeking input on the "Draft Essential Standards for North Carolina Public Schools." We value your opinion, and we know that feedback from across the state is critical to developing the most relevant and high-quality set of standards for teaching NC students. The NCDPI has requested that school districts compile feedback on the Draft Essential Standards; however, we are interested in receiving feedback from individuals as well. To provide feedback, please go to http://www.zoomerang.com/Survey/?p=WEB2295BE3HQKL . The Draft Essential Standards can be found at http://www.ncpublicschools.org/acre/standards/ .

On another key issue - during the last couple of weeks, you have been notified about a .5 percent reduction in pay in exchange for a 10-hour furlough leave. I know that this news is very disturbing, but with our current budget situation, there are few options for North Carolina to end this fiscal year (June 30, 2009) with a balanced budget, as required by North Carolina's Constitution. The furlough leave and the salary reduction were ordered to help save jobs. I know that you have many questions, and many of the most commonly asked questions are answered online at www.ncpublicschools.org/fbs .

Even in these difficult economic times when it is projected that our state revenue will drop 20 percent, we must still push for adequate funding for public education. I encourage you to share that message with your representatives and senators in the General Assembly.

Regards,
June Atkinson

In this Biweekly Teachers' Message:

1. State Board Meeting Highlights
2. Writing Instruction System 2009-2010
3. Phase II Essential Standards Feedback
4. Garner Named 2009-10 AT&T North Carolina Teacher of the Year
5. Rowan County Schools' Teacher Receives National Award
6. VIF Honors Six NC Teachers
7. Asheboro Zoo School Student Finalist in "Greenest School" Contest
8. Elementary School Conference to be Held in October
9. Shakespeare to Go
10. LEARN NC Offers Stress Release
11. Progress Energy SolarSchools

State Board Meeting Highlights

At last week's Board meeting, members approved a temporary policy for flexible furlough leave, adjustments to the 2009-10 Writing Instruction Plan, removing the Grade 3 pretests in reading and mathematics from the state's testing and accountability program for the 2009-2010 school year, and using a random sample of principal and teacher evaluation instrument ratings for validation purposes and to help improve classroom instruction and administration. Board members discussed aligning the Academic Scholars program to the Future-Ready Core and allowing middle school students the opportunity to take high school social studies courses for credit. Complete Board highlights are posted online at www.ncpublicschools.org/sbehighlights .

Writing Instruction Plan 2009-2010

On May 6, the State Board of Education approved the proposal for the 2009‑2010 Writing Instruction Plan. The goal of the Writing Instruction Plan is to emphasize the importance of incorporating writing and writing instruction in all classrooms and to provide numerous opportunities for teachers to monitor students' growth throughout the school year. To aid in the implementation of the system, the Department of Public Instruction will:

• publish brochures about the Writing Instruction System;
• develop a comprehensive guide for implementing the Writing Instruction System; and
• update the Professional Development Moodles to include content specific examples and anchor sets.

Phase II Essential Standards Feedback

Last week you received an email invitation to provide input in the first five sets of Essential Standards that have been drafted by the educators at the NCDPI and statewide who are working on the Accountability and Curriculum Reform Effort (ACRE). I hope you will take that invitation seriously; we want your feedback. While that happens, we are beginning Phase II of the Essential Standards review. In Phase II, the NCDPI will revise both Social Studies and Healthful Living Standards. To this end, we would like to get feedback on the current Standards in these two areas, what might be missing, areas of overlap, and opportunities for improvement. Thank you for your input; it is critical to developing the best set of Essential Standards for North Carolina students. To provide feedback on the Social Studies Standards, please go to: http://www.zoomerang.com/Survey/?p=WEB228Z3QJWVSD . To provide feedback on the Healthful Living Standards, please go to: http://www.zoomerang.com/Survey/?p=WEB22948FJUDMN .

Garner Named 2009-10 AT&T North Carolina Teacher of the Year

Jessica Garner, a Spanish teacher at Porter Ridge High School, Union County Schools, was named the 2009-10 AT&T North Carolina Teacher of the Year at an awards ceremony held last week in Raleigh. Garner has been a public school teacher for 11 years and has spent the last four years teaching in North Carolina. She will spend the next school year traveling the state as an ambassador for the teaching profession. In addition, she received a personal automobile, one-time cash award of $7,500, a trip to the National Teacher of the Year conference, the opportunity to travel abroad through an endowment at the North Carolina Center for International Understanding, and a technology package valued at over $14,000 from the SmarterKids Foundation. She will serve as an advisor to the State Board of Education for two years. Garner succeeds Cindi Rigsbee from Gravelly Hill Middle School, Orange County Schools.

Rowan County Schools' Teacher Receives National Award

Congratulations to West Rowan High School teacher Stephen Suther for recently being named the national winner of the National Society Daughters of the American Revolution 2009 Outstanding Teacher of American History contest. He will receive his award at the organization's Continental Congress being held in Washington, D.C., in July.

VIF Honors Six NC Teachers

Congratulations to the following six North Carolina public school teachers who were recently honored by the Visiting International Faculty Program for "creating opportunities for their students to explore other cultures and countries, master new languages and discuss and contribute to solutions for global challenges." National Winner: Helen Crompton, Carrboro Elementary (Chapel Hill-Carrboro Schools); State Winner: Fabrice Fresse, Bailey Middle (Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools); Honorable Mentions: Pamela Arraras, Southeast Guilford Middle (Guilford County Schools), Fiona Mitchell, Rockingham County High (Rockingham County Schools), Patricia Rodriguez Abreu, West Greene Elementary (Greene County Schools) and Lirong Want, International Studies School at Garinger High (Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools). Beside their awards, the national and state winners' schools receive free educational materials. These winners were chosen from 70 nominees in six states.

Asheboro Zoo School Student Finalist in "Greenest School" Contest

It's not too late to vote for America's Greenest School. Sunday, May 17, is the deadline to vote for the student essay that best describes the nation's most environmentally friendly school. A North Carolina student at the Asheboro Zoo School is one of the top 10 finalists from over 2,000 entries! Parents, students, teachers, friends, etc. (age 13 and older) can vote daily through Sunday, May 17. FIRST PRIZE IS A $5,000 SCHOLARSHIP and a NEW HYBRID ELECTRIC SCHOOL BUS for the school district. Please pass this information along to others who might be interested. Vote online at www.americasgreenestschool.com

Elementary School Conference to be Held in October

The North Carolina Association of Elementary Educators' Sixth Annual Elementary School Conference will be held Oct. 25-27 at the Raleigh Convention Center, Raleigh. The theme for this year's conference is "Leading the Way: Energizing Elementary Educators." The deadline for Call for Proposals is May 31. Conference details are available online at http://www.ncelementary.org/conference_main.html .

Shakespeare to Go

The North Carolina Shakespeare Festival is one of 37 theater companies to receive a grant of $25,000 from the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) to participate in Shakespeare for a New Generation from June 1, 2009-May 31, 2010. The North Carolina Shakespeare Festival grant will support the professional theater company's Outreach Education program of performances and workshops designed especially for middle and high school students. NCSF is now taking reservations for Feb. 1 to May 14 bookings of Shakespeare To Go, featuring the option of scheduling a 60-minute long performance of Hamlet and/or The Taming of the Shrew. Performances and workshops will be led by a company of six-seven actors. For booking information, please visit The Festival's Web site at www.ncshakes.org/shakespearetogo.cfm , or contact Joan Andrews at joan.andrews@ncshakes.org or 336.841.2273, ext. 226.

LEARN NC Offers Stress Release

Teaching can be stressful. LEARN NC helps alleviate the stress by offering valuable resources such as lesson plans for all subjects and grades, multimedia and learning materials, all aligned to the North Carolina Standard Course of Study. New teachers also can find tips for building a support network in the workplace, as well as a guide for classroom management. A flyer outlining how LEARN NC can make teachers' lives easier is available online at http://www.learnnc.org/lp/media/pr/LEARNNCbigflyer2009-spreads%20-%20new-teachers.pdf. Additional information also can be found online at www.learnnc.org.

Progress Energy SolarSchools

Progress Energy's SolarSchools program gives middle school students and faculty a unique, hands-on opportunity to learn more about solar energy. Five winning schools will receive a two-kilowatt solar photovoltaic system installed by Argand Solar on their campus along with Internet tracking equipment that shows the real-time energy output. Interested schools must complete a solar site assessment and an application, which are available online at www.progress-energy.com/solar, by July 1. Only middle schools served by Progress Energy Carolinas are eligible to participate in this program.

 

If you'd like to review past Teachers' Biweekly Messages sent to the listserv group, just go online to http://www.ncpublicschools.org/teachersarchive/.