Friday Notes from Guilford County Schools

July 27, 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.

New Assignments

The following personnel action was taken during the July 26 board meeting:

For more information, please contact Dr. Peggy Thompson, Chief Human Resources Officer, at 370-8340.

GCS Internet/E-mail Scheduled Downtime

The GCS network infrastructure will be down for scheduled maintenance, equipment exchange and a bandwidth upgrade on Saturday, July 28 from 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. Please plan your work schedule accordingly.  This will affect district Internet access and email during the scheduled period of network maintenance.  For more information, please contact Dr. Terrence Young, Chief Information Officer, at 370-2308.

GCS Principals’ Leadership Institute

On July 23-25, GCS principals participated in a leadership development institute titled Invitational Leadership: The Power of Relationships.  The institute focused on improving student achievement by building a healthy school climate where students, staff, and community feel respected, empowered, and engaged.  Dr. William Purkey, Professor Emeritus at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro and co-founder and co-director of The International Alliance for Invitational Education, was the keynote speaker.  He used storytelling and humor to share strategies for creating welcoming environments that encourage collaboration among stakeholders. 

A conference-style format on the first day allowed principals to select sessions of professional need and interest from relational topics presented by central staff, fellow principals and university partners.  Days two and three of the institute provided sessions where principals reviewed student achievement data emphasizing strategies to ensure success for all students.  Dr. Elizabeth City, co-author of Data Wise: A Step-by-Step Guide to Using Assessment Results to Improve Teaching and Learning, collaborated with principals to develop a district-wide framework for continuous improvement.  Using their own school’s data, principals learned both the technical skills of analyzing data and the leadership skills of using data in collaborative conversations with faculty.  Additionally, principals explored best practices, as well as the challenges and rewards of using data wisely.

The institute successfully provided an opportunity for GCS administrators to analyze district and school data, review district improvement strategies and to collaboratively plan for effective implementation in the 2007-08 school year. For more information, please contact Dr. Beth Folger, Chief Curriculum and Organizational Development Officer, at 370-2313.

GCS Teachers Partner with Greensboro Public Library to Offer Student Reading Workshops

Several GCS English teachers have partnered with the downtown Greensboro Public Library, located at 219 N. Church St., for casual workshops that share insights into four classic high school summer reading books. The first workshop is August 4 from 2 to 4 p.m. - join Elizabeth Owens and Adrienne Stumb as they reveal the secrets behind two timeless literary classics, Cyrano de Bergerac and To Kill a Mockingbird. The second workshop is August 19, from 2 to 4 p.m. - join Alexis Gines and friends as they delve into the mysteries of Their Eyes Were Watching God and The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. These workshops are casual, fun and an excellent opportunity for students to prepare for the upcoming school year. For more information, please contact Robbie Owens, Greensboro Public Library, at 373-4552.

DARE Program No Longer Offered for GCS

Due to lack of funding and resources, the Guilford County Sheriff’s Office will not offer the Drug Abuse Resistance Education (DARE) program in the 2007-08 school year for GCS.  These officers will be reassigned to positions within the sheriff’s office to meet unfunded state mandates and other needs that have been identified but not met in their budget by the commissioners.  For more information, please contact the GCS Safety Office at 370-8995.

Magnet School/Special Programs Transportation Requests

To date, 4,108 transportation request forms have been received for students enrolled in magnet or special programs for the 2007-08 school year.  According to student assignment records, there are 4,965 students eligible for transportation who are assigned to magnet programs and 2,637 students eligible for transportation assigned to special programs for 2007-08.  To date, 53 percent of the students registered for magnet/special programs during the 2007-08 school year have requested transportation, which is within two percent of the number of requests received as of July 2006 for the 2006-07 school year. Postcards are mailed to parents notifying them of receipt of their request for transportation.  The postcard serves as notice to the parent if the transportation request was complete or if additional information is needed.   For further information, contact Jeff Harris, Transportation Director, at 370-8920.

GCSTV 2

Vals & Sals

GCSTV 2 salutes 2006-07 Valedictorians and Salutatorians from Guilford County in these feature profiles that air daily at 45 minutes past the hour beginning at 7:45 a.m. 

The Middle College of Entertainment Technology at GTCC

The Middle College of Entertainment Technology at GTCC is one of the exciting educational choices students have within GCS. It’s here where they can get hands on experience in television production and other aspects of the entertainment industry. This program is a sample of how students apply their skills to producing, videotaping, reporting, editing and creating their own show.  This program airs daily at 9 a.m., 3 p.m. and 6 p.m.

Sci-Vis

It’s a modern day art.  Sci-Vis is short for scientific visualization, and it’s a field that is wide-open for students enrolled in GCS.  Come along as students at The Middle College of Entertainment Technology at GTCC explain their Sci-Vis class and how the technology has an effect on everything from medicine to architecture and entertainment.  This program airs daily at 8 a.m., 5 p.m. and 8 p.m.

Reading Comprehension

Join faculty and staff at Monticello-Brown Summit Elementary for this look into the “Power of Retelling.”  It is an in-depth illustration of a comprehension strategy that helps children more fully enjoy reading and listening to stories and ultimately, develop into lifelong readers.  This special program airs nightly at 10 p.m.

The Home Field Advantage

Changing schools during the year creates a disadvantage for students when it comes to their studies.  Research indicates that children who study at one school throughout the school year do better academically than those who change schools one or more times during the year.  GCS offers students at select schools the “Home Field Advantage.”  The initiative gives children a chance to stay at their original school if their family moves during the academic year.  Get the latest information on this program that helps students stay in the game.  Home Field Advantage airs five times daily at 7:30 a.m., 10 a.m., 1:30 p.m., 4 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. 

Tus Hijos y GCS (Your Children and Guilford County Schools)

The Guilford County Board of Education has authorized a new school for the coming year.  The GCS Newcomers School is being established to serve newly arrived immigrant students. It will open August 28 on the current campus of Guilford Primary. Join host Karin Young for this latest edition of our Spanish and English language program, Tus Hijos y GCS.  Karin provides the latest information about the GCS Newcomers School and how it will serve students and their families.  Tus Hijos y GCS airs daily at 1 a.m., 7 a.m., 11:30 a.m. and 7 p.m.      

Young Drivers - The High Risk Years

If you have teenagers who are already driving or will be getting their licenses soon, don’t miss this program.  The focus is on ways to reduce injuries and death among our young.  It is told from the perspective of teens and parents who know the consequences of a simple mistake made behind the wheel.  This program airs daily at noon, 9 p.m. and midnight.

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).

The Middle College at N.C. A&T
It is unique in public education in our state.  The Middle College at N.C. A&T provides a single-gender educational environment established for young men.  It is designed to raise achievement in an innovative, nurturing environment.  Enrollment is underway for this GCS campus that provides its students with a taste of life in college.  This newsbreak airs Wednesday, August 1.

The Middle College at Bennett College for Women
Smaller class sizes, instruction from college professors and an emphasis on developing leaders are hallmarks of The Middle College at Bennett College for Women.  It is the first all-female public school in North Carolina and one of a few in the nation.  Guilford County high school offers academic rigor on a small campus where students can get individualized attention.  This newsbreak airs Friday, August 3..

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

Central Office Summer Schedule

GCS central offices will operate on a summer schedule from June 11 through August 17. Office hours will be 7:30 a.m. - 5:30 p.m. Monday through Thursday and 7:30 a.m. - 11:30 a.m. on Friday. Normal office hours will resume on Monday, August 20. 

NON-GCS EDUCATIONAL NEWS

Schools Look To Improve Discipline By Going Positive

Proponents say PBIS [Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports program] can have a measurable impact on a school. For example, suspension rates at some PBIS schools can drop anywhere from 50 percent to 70 percent within two years of implementing the program, according to Milton F. McKenna, staff specialist with the Maryland State Department of Education. To lower disciplinary problems, PBIS encourages positive role-modeling by adults and constant reminders of proper behavior through posters and other materials placed throughout the school. "We look at behavior the same way we look at achievement," McKenna said. "If you want the kids to know it, show it."  Click here to read more.

Recipe for a High-Scoring School

Experienced educators, after-school activities and gifted classes set apart Maryland's top-scoring schools regardless of their students' socioeconomic background or ethnicity. At Baltimore's George Washington Elementary, for instance, 76 percent of the students are poor and 95 percent are minorities, but the school is achieving a 94 percent pass-rate on the state's standardized exam, with 46 percent of the students scoring at the advanced level. Click here to read more.

Socioeconomic Placement Resegregating a Massachusetts District's Schools

A Massachusetts school system that for five years has used family income rather than race to assign students has become more racially segregated, according to a Boston Globe analysis. Nearly 60 percent of Cambridge, Massachusetts', 12 elementary schools are now racially imbalanced, vs. less than 40 percent prior to the new policy taking effect, the paper says. Click here to read more.

Q-and-A: Preparing for the School Year

What's the best way to prepare for the new school year? Award-winning teacher and author Coleen Armstrong offers advice on inspiring students, teaching students with special needs and working with struggling students. Click here to read more.