Friday Notes from Guilford County Schools

November 16, 2007

Our Vision, Mission/Thematic Goals and Core Values

Our vision – what we will become, Our mission/thematic goals- how we will get there -- Our
core values - what we believe -- solidify the underlying foundation for all Guilford County Schools’ decisions and actions.

GCS Board of Education Meeting Cancelled

The Guilford County Board of Education meeting scheduled for Tuesday, November 20 at 6 p.m. has been cancelled. The next meeting will take place on Tuesday, December 4 at 6 p.m. in the board room of the administrative offices at 712 N. Eugene Street. For more information, please contact Chad Campbell, Media Manager, at 370-8356.

Page High Hosts Student Communicator Meeting   

This week, I met with student communicators at Page High. The idea behind these meetings is for me to hear and discuss students’ thoughts, ideas and issues about their school. The brainstorming sessions last about 90 minutes and are excellent opportunities for students to speak directly to me on issues that are of concern to them.  These conversations are always very enlightening. Many thanks to Principal Marilyn Foley for her help in hosting this event. Please contact me at 370-8992 if you have any questions.

Andrews High Office Support is November Employee of the Month

Although many submissions were made on her behalf, they all used the same words to describe Catherine Bakoulas: patient, kind, caring, cheerful, respectful and knowledgeable. One nomination referred to the office support professional as the “glue that keeps the school together” and another calls her “the epitome of grace under pressure.” Catherine is the first person you’ll reach when you call or enter Andrews High, and she treats each person and caller with her undivided attention. On the rare occasion that she doesn’t have an answer to a question, she is quick to find the right answer. Catherine always exhibits the same kind and calm nature, regardless of the situation. For her ability to help coworkers see the bright side of every situation, she was selected as the November Employee of the Month. 
As GCS Employee of the Month, Catherine received a $50 gift card from Sam’s Club, which has partnered with GCS to execute the employee recognition program, and was recognized by the Board of Education at its November 8 meeting. Her photo will hang at the district’s central offices and at Sam’s Club on Wendover Avenue. Watch for the Employee of the Month on GCSTV 2!

To nominate someone you think goes above and beyond the call of duty, simply click here to submit your nomination form online. For more information, please contact Lillian M. Govus, Program Administrator-Communications, at 370-8997.

Learn and Earn Online Program Offers College Incentive

High school students can receive a jumpstart on college with Learn and Earn Online, a program that provides community college and University of North Carolina at Greensboro (UNCG) courses online to many North Carolina high schools. This is an excellent way for students to complete college credits at no charge while still in high school, and we encourage GCS staff to spread the word about this opportunity within your school community. High schools that have sufficient connectivity and commit to providing a distance learning facilitator for these courses are eligible to participate. To learn more about this process, please access the Department of Public Instruction’s Web site at www.ncpublicschools.org/learnandearnonline. For more information, please contact Sonya Conway, Chief District Relations Officer, at 370-8386.

Southeast PTSA President is November Volunteer of the Month

From the beginning to the end of the day when she holds the school doors open for students as they go home, Keven Cockrell is a constant presence at Southeast High.  She does whatever is necessary to make the school run efficiently, whether it is making Diversity Day banners, organizing staff appreciation functions, running errands, staffing the copy lab, organizing special events or delivering baked goods to teachers. Keven’s volunteer roots run deep – two years at Southeast High and 10 years in the Southeast community. Her volunteer experience includes serving on the elementary, middle and high school level with stints as Parent Teacher Student Association (PTSA) president at each school. She now serves as the PTSA president at Southeast High.

Because of her day-in, day-out dedication to education and volunteerism, Keven was selected as the November GCS Volunteer of the Month. As the GCS Volunteer of the Month, Keven received a certificate of appreciation from the Board of Education at the November 8 board meeting. She also received a $25 gift card from American Express, which has partnered with GCS to recognize the commitment and spirit of volunteerism in our schools. Her photo will hang on a plaque at her school during the month of November. Remember to watch for the Volunteer of the Month on GCSTV 2. Click here to nominate a volunteer who you think goes above and beyond the call of duty. For more information, please contact Lynne Brandon, Program Administrator-Communications, at 370-8385.

High Point Chamber and Junior League Announce Teacher Mini-Grant Winners

The High Point Chamber of Commerce and Junior League announced this week the names of Guilford County teachers who are recipients of their respective mini-grants. The Junior League awarded a total of $3,007.94, and the High Point Chamber of Commerce awarded $1,306.97 for a total of $4,314.9 in grant monies. Congratulations to all GCS recipients for their hard work.

Junior League Teacher Mini-Grants Winners:

High Point Chamber Grants for Great Ideas Recipients:

For more information about the High Point Chamber’s Grants for Great Ideas, please contact Larry Craven, Director of Workforce Development and Education, High Point Chamber of Commerce, at 882-5000. For information about the Junior League’s Teacher Mini-Grants, please contact Kelly Steadman at 889-5479.

North Carolina Association of Educational Office Professionals Awards Scholarships

District six of The North Carolina Association of Educational Office Professionals (NCAEOP) recently awarded two scholarships to a GCS employee and student. Scholarships are given to high school graduates for continuing their college education and professional scholarships are awarded to employees who are continuing their education. High school senior, Megan Summers received a $500 scholarship. GCS Finance department employee Connie Cromer received a $350 scholarship for continuing education.

  District six is made up of Rockingham and Guilford counties office support, principals, assistant principals, superintendents, directors, accounting, transportation and others. The organization is dedicated to the achievement of professionalism of educational office personnel and to the improvement of the quality of service provided for students, educators and the community. The association also assists educational office personnel in participating effectively in public policy issues that relate to education. For more information about NCAEOP, please go to www.ncaeop.org.

Page High School Participates in North Carolina College Application Week

Schools across the nation participated in the 2007 North Carolina College Application Week on November 13-15.  Page High was one of the participating schools, and more than 30 seniors completed and submitted an online application to one or more North Carolina colleges.  The purpose of this event is to provide an opportunity for more students to apply to colleges early in their senior year.  For more information about the program, please contact senior counselors Barry Dooley and Stephanie Faison at 370-8728.

PTA, NCAE and GCS Partner to Provide Training for School Improvement Teams

On Saturday, November 17, Colleen Lanier and Nancy Wilkinson from the North Carolina Association of Educators (NCAE) will train the principal, school improvement team chair and a parent member of the school improvement team from eight schools in the fundamentals of school improvement team planning.  Content will include legal requirements for membership, elections and public meetings, the purpose and role of school improvement teams, and how the team relates to the responsibility of principals and other school-based teams such as School Teams Achieving Results for Students (STARS).  Ms. Lanier and Ms. Wilkinson both helped create the NCAE training program, which has been enthusiastically received by a number of districts in North Carolina. 

NCAE also will train instructional improvement officers and Parent-Teacher Association (PTA) volunteers as trainers to deliver the training and materials to the rest of GCS in December and January.  The idea for training collaborative teams of district employees and parents as trainers was developed through collaboration with parents Mildred Poole, Connie Bruffey and Wendy Brosnan. NCAE will deliver a second phase of training in the spring to assist teams in developing effective meetings, decision making, communication with staff and parents and conflict resolution.  The two types of training are in preparation for a new three-year cycle of school improvement planning that will begin this summer. For more information, please contact Dr. Mack McCary, Chief Academic Officer, at 370-2365.

Community Members Become ‘Principal for a Day’

Guilford County community leaders participated in Principal for a Day on Wednesday, November 14, 2007. This event provided an opportunity for corporate and community leaders to get a first-hand look at what Guilford County is doing to improve instruction in our schools, as well as to experience what is demanded of principals in their dual roles as managers and instructional leaders.  Participants had the chance to see close up both the strengths of the county’s public schools and the challenges they face. 

Forty-two members of the community, including several elected officials and corporate leaders, spent the morning with a GCS principal. Participants and the school principals attended a luncheon to discuss their experiences and ways to improve school/community relationships. GCS Principal for a Day is an annual event of Guilford Education Alliance and is fashioned after similar programs across the country. Other communities have found this to be a way for developing greater understanding of the many successes and challenges our teachers, students and principals face every day. For more information, please contact Dr. Mack McCary, Chief Academic Officer, at 370-2365.

HRMS User Conference

Stephen Foster and Sherri Thomas from the Human Resources Operations division attended and presented at the Fourth Annual Human Resources Management System (HRMS) User Conference November 7-9 at the Koury Convention Center. This conference attracted over 325 participants from across the state. The major focus of this year’s conference was the HRMS/Payroll interface. There were also a number of presentations on other topics such as managing contract renewal, using the vacancy permit module, manipulating data in Excel, managing positions and posting vacancies and use of staff actions. This conference is designed to allow users of HRMS to share ideas and best practices in an effort to facilitate the use and development of the product.  For more information, please contact Stephen Foster, Executive Director HR Operations, at 378-8822.

Principals’ Curriculum and Organizational Development Advisory Team

A Principal Advisory Team has been established to provide continuous feedback to the Curriculum and Organizational Development Division on issues related to the delivery and support of curricular services.  Team members meet once a month to respond to curriculum updates, make instructional resource recommendations, and to provide feedback on organizational development opportunities.  Open dialogue is encouraged as we seek feedback about what’s working best and what can be improved to maximize achievement for students of Guilford County Schools.  For more information, please contact Dr. Beth Folger, Chief Curriculum and Organizational Development Officer, at 370-2313.

NCDPI Value-Added Reporting - Virtual Professional Development Sessions

SAS Education Value-Added Analytical Service (EVAAS) for K–12 is offering a series of virtual professional development sessions.  These 30-minute Web conference sessions are available until November 20.  You may access the sessions through the GCS professional development Web site or by clicking on the following link:  http://professional_development.gcsnc.com/index.html .

Sessions include the following topics:

1. District Value-Added Reports
2. District Diagnostic Reports
3. Value-Added Summary Reports
4. Custom Student Reports
5. Feeder Pattern Reports
6. Improve AYP Performance
7. EVAAS Overview

For more information, please contact Martha Snavely, Executive Director of Induction and Success/Professional Development, at 335-3290.

GCSTV 2

GCS Newcomers School featured on Tus Hijos y GCS

Tune in for this new edition of our Spanish language program. Tus Hijos y GCS visits the GCS Newcomers School and talks with Principal Jake Henry, as well as provides information useful in helping families during the school year. This program airs daily at 7 a.m., 11:30 a.m., and 7 p.m.

Success by the Numbers

GCS outpaces other large school districts in the state in improvements in academic achievement in the latest measurements. See what the numbers reveal. This program airs daily at 2:30 p.m. and 4:30 p.m.

Premiering Their Work     

Check out the work of television production students who show off their skills in this program produced, videotaped, edited, reported and hosted entirely by students at The Middle College of Entertainment Technology at GTCC. Join us for this latest installment airing at 1 p.m. and 9 p.m. daily.

GCS/ABC 45 Partnership Continues

GCS continues its partnership with ABC 45 television to share the current news and feature stories about our district. The segments run on ABC 45 (Cable Channel 7) during “Good Morning America” each Wednesday and Friday at 7:25 a.m. and 8:25 a.m. Also, learn more about GCS by tuning in to GCSTV 2 (Cable Channel 2).

Showcasing Magnet and Choice Schools
GCS showcases its magnet and choice schools in the first of two public offerings. The recent showcase will be followed by a Magnet Fair in February 2008. The Magnet Showcase provides information about the themes available for students who may want an alternative to the traditional learning environment. This newsbreak airs Wednesday, November 21.

A Pledge for Peace
Students from High Point Central High speak out against crime and violence as they replicate the tenacity of the pioneers of the Civil Rights Movement. See the local kick-off of a nationwide movement of young people dedicating themselves to non-violence. This newsbreak airs Friday, November 23.    

For more information, please contact Leonard Simpson, Broadcast Production Manager, at 370-8167.

NON-GCS EDUCATIONAL NEWS

Economist: Math Offers Students Brighter Futures

Math offers all students a gateway to high-paying professional jobs, experts say. Instead of being afraid of math, students who embrace it face nearly unlimited career paths, says economist Anirban Basu. Click here to read more.

Study: High School Math Key to Success in Sciences

Students who took more math in high school did better in all types of college science, while students who took high school science courses such as chemistry or physics, only improved college performance in those specific subject areas, according to a recent study of 8,474 students. Click here to read more.

Close Early Childhood Achievement Gaps by Reading, Story Telling

Currently, Latino children represent 21.4 percent of the early childhood population and that figure is supposed to grow by 146 percent by 2050. However, relative to the size of this population, little research exists that is focused on Latino infant and child development. One such study recently released by the Harvard Family Research Project involved an examination of the characteristics and early predictors of infant development and parenting. The study’s researchers found that family engagement for all children is vital, regardless of social, cultural or ethnic group. The study also notes that there is no difference in cognitive or motor competencies between Latino children and their white peers at nine months of age. According to results from other studies, school readiness differences are found as early as at kindergarten age between Latino and white children. This finding might help point to the period in development when the divide occurs between the two groups. While few differences in parenting behaviors exist across ethnic groups, Latino families are less likely to read books and share stories with their children than parents from other ethnic backgrounds. Click here to read more.

In Responding to Racism, African Americans Can Manifest Depression

Some behavioral problems in African American youths can be attributed to their effort to protect themselves from racism, which can manifest itself as depression, according to Dr. Anderson J. Franklin, an education professor at Boston College. In addition, dysfunctional housing, such as group or foster homes, and poor schooling can put children at risk of developing mental disorders, reports Margaret Kamara in Diverse Issues in Higher Education. Consequently, anti-social acts cannot be treated with simple diagnostics as the issues are deeply rooted in society and institutions. The solution is to "treat the illness of institutional racism...a disease that has legal consequences as well as mental consequences." This issue is undeniably important as 20 percent of children and adolescents have diagnosable mental disorders and many lack access to health insurance and consequently don't receive proper care. Click here to read more.

Studies: Early Behavioral Problems Don't Imperil Academic Careers

Kindergartners with behavioral problems do as well academically in elementary school as their peers and the brains of children with attention-deficit disorders develop normally but just more slowly than those of their peers, according to two new studies published today in separate journals. "I think these may become landmark findings, forcing us to ask whether these acting-out kinds of problems are secondary to the inappropriate maturity expectations that some educators place on young children as soon as they enter classrooms," said Sharon Landesman Ramey, Georgetown University Center on Health and Education director, who was not involved with either study. Click here to read more.

Foreign-language Instruction Starts Early

More U.S. elementary schools and even some kindergarten programs are offering students foreign-language instruction. Such programs are highly beneficial for young children whose brains are still primed to learn to speak a foreign language fluently, educators say. Click here to read more.

University-Level Language Enrollment Grows

More than 823,000 college students nationally are taking classes in Spanish -- by far the most popular language course among U.S. university students, according to Modern Language Association of America figures released Tuesday. From 2002 to 2006, total enrollment in language courses grew 12.9 percent. Click here to read more.

What American Dream-Achievement and Opportunity Gaps Remain

New research suggests that in addition to rampant achievement gaps, there also is a national opportunity gap in the United States, meaning poor and minority students do not share the same opportunities as their rich and white peers. The opportunity gap is far more pronounced in California, as it lags behind most states in providing fundamental learning conditions, according to a report by UC ACCORD and UCLA’s Institute for Democracy, Education and Access. While systematic inadequacies and inequalities leave California students from all backgrounds unable to compete with their counterparts across the U.S., the study shows that obstacles are greatest for African American and Latino students, who are more likely to attend schools with fewer qualified teachers and resources. When looking at math curriculum, California students learn slower than others because of a lack of access to smaller classes, rigorous coursework and well-trained teachers. At one time, the much heralded American dream was attainable by working hard and taking advantage of the vital resources provided by the nation and states, yet the persistent opportunity gap undermines this major tenant of U.S. society. Click here to read more.

Stem Dropouts & Help At-Risk Kids: Add a Dash of Culinary High School  

The Chicago Board of Education is expected to approve plans for the first high school designed to promote the culinary field and encourage dropouts to come back to school in Chicago, reports Carols Sandovi in the Chicago Tribune. The school would target dropouts and at-risk 11th graders by providing vocational training aligned with a real world career. Slated to open in 2008, the school would award high school diplomas, state food-handling certificates and, through a partnership with a culinary institute, 16 college credits. This opportunity has the ability to change lives by giving students a second chance at high school, a tangible real-world skill and college credits.  And maybe even the ability to make the perfect Hollandaise sauce. Click here to read more.