Friday Notes from Guilford County Schools

January 18, 2008

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 Observes Martin Luther King, Jr. Day

On Monday, January 21, all central offices and schools will be closed in observance of Martin Luther King, Jr. Day.  Normal office and school hours will resume on Tuesday, January 22.

Reporting to Work During Inclement Weather

Two hour inclement weather delays are used primarily to provide bus drivers, who start their routes very early in the morning, with more daylight and better vision when roads may be covered with early morning ice.  It has been the district’s practice for many years that when schools are delayed, school and district non-instructional personnel report to work at the ‘regular’ scheduled time, with the primary purpose being to begin food service preparation and to prepare buildings (salt walkways, etc.) for student and staff arrival.  Office staff are also generally asked to report on schedule to be available to answer calls and e-mails from parents who may have questions regarding the modified day. Exceptions to this practice are made during extreme weather conditions.

Having said that, principals, supervisors and managers are expected to be understanding and work with employees who may have difficulty in reporting to work on time - caution, flexibility and understanding are always expected and encouraged.  All employees are important. The district would not knowingly ask any of its employees to be placed in harm’s way. Please contact me at 370-8992, should you have questions.

GCS Bands Participate in MLK Parades

Several GCS marching bands will honor civil rights leader, Martin Luther King, Jr., by participating in parades in High Point and Greensboro.

The High Point parade is scheduled for January 19 at 3 p.m. and will start on the corner of Russell and Main Street.  Bands from High Point Central High, Andrews High and Southwest High are scheduled to participate.  For more information, please contact Carlvena Foster at 434-4000 or CFoster@HPYMCA.Org.

The Greensboro parade is scheduled on January 21 from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.  The parade will start at the Benbow Professional Building on MLK Boulevard.  Bands from Dudley High, Smith High and Southern High are scheduled to participate.  For more information about the Greensboro event, please contact Skip Alston at 324-3515 or skip.alston@gmail.com  or NAACP Greensboro at 273-1222.

Check with your school to learn if additional activities are taking place throughout the week of January 21. For more information, please contact Sonya Conway, Chief District Relations Officer, at 370-8386.

Regional High School Options Nights

Starting January 22, select middle schools will host regional high school options nights featuring representatives from each of the high school options. If students and their families are unable to attend, they are invited to attend evening open houses at each of the high school options. The schedule of regional high school options nights, as well as the evening open house schedule is available online at www.gcsnc.com/magnet. Date and times may vary for these events. For more information, please contact Tony Burks, Director of Magnet and Choice Schools, at 378-8832.

Inclement Weather Make-up Days

District schools were closed on Thursday, January 17 due to inclement weather. To make-up for the instruction lost, students will attend school on days previously designated as teacher workdays. Make-up days for student instruction missed due to inclement weather are as follows:

• Hampton Academy: Friday, January 25
• GCS middle colleges: Friday, February 15
• Schools on the traditional calendar, Oak Hill Elementary: Monday, February 25
• The Early College at Guilford: Tuesday, March 11
• Extended-year schools: No make-up day is needed

Each year, potential make-up days are designated when school calendars are approved by the Board of Education. The potential make-up days assist families and school officials in planning for anticipated days missed due to inclement weather. School calendars may be accessed on the district Web site: http://www.gcsnc.com/information/allcalendars.htm

Daryl Hunt Kicks off B.U.S. Boycott at Ferndale Middle

Students at Ferndale Middle are choosing a pencil (education) and not a pen (penitentiary). The students are participating in the Pen or Pencil Building Unbalanced Systems (B.U.S.) Boycott, which kicks off today, with Darryl Hunt as a guest speaker. Darryl Hunt was wrongfully convicted of murder and incarcerated for almost 20 years. He was exonerated and released from prison in 2004.

The National Alliance of Faith and Justice through Communities in Schools is sponsoring the B.U.S. Boycott. For 40 days, students will participate in a campaign for non-violence and encourage others to choose education over incarceration. For more information, please contact Principal Lori Garrison at 819-2855.

Poetry Out Loud National Recitation Competition

Kaitlin Lumpkins, a junior drama major at Weaver Academy, is the first place district winner in the Poetry Out Loud National Recitation Competition, sponsored by the National Endowment for the Arts and the Poetry Foundation. This completion encourages youth to experience poetry as an oral art form through memorizing and reciting selected poems.

Kaitlin travels to Raleigh to represent GCS in the state finals on February 23. The national competition is April 27-29, in Washington, D.C.  Click here for additional information on this program or contact Janet Powell at 370-8282.

NewBridge Bank Outstanding Teacher Award

Do you know an outstanding teacher? In April, NewBridge Bank is recognizing one lucky GCS teacher for his or her amazing impact in the classroom as the NewBridge Bank Outstanding Teacher. That teacher receives $1,000 and will be featured on “Triad Today,” the Triad’s only locally produced public-affairs program, with host Jim Longworth.

To qualify as a NewBridge Outstanding Teacher, the GCS teacher must:

• Be a full-time, certified, pre-K-12 public school teacher
• Plan to continue in an active instructional role
• Spend the majority of the school day in direct instruction to students
• Be in at least the third year of teaching in public schools

Nominees will be judged on the following criteria:

• Skilled in implementing creative teaching strategies
• Evidence of positive teacher influence related to student achievement through formal and informal documentation
• Discusses a personal philosophy of teaching
• Poised, articulate, enthusiastic and energetic
• Exceptionally dedicated, knowledgeable and skilled
• Superior ability to teach and to inspire in students a love of learning
• Recognized as a leader in the community as well as in the school
• Inspires students of all backgrounds and abilities, to learn
• Respected and admired by students, parents and colleagues

To nominate a teacher, please describe how the teacher meets the criteria and send any supporting documentation or letters of recommendation to: Lillian Govus, Office of District Relations, Guilford County Schools, 712 N. Eugene St., Greensboro, NC 27401. All nominations must be postmarked by March 1, 2008. For more information, please contact Lillian M. Govus, Program Administrator – Communications, at 370-8997.

District Sees Reduction in Growth Rate for Students with Disabilities

The Department of Exceptional Children is required to compile and submit a Childcount to the NC Department of Public Instruction on December 1 and April 1.  The report includes the total number of students with disabilities in the district for funding purposes.  State funding for EC students is capped at 12.5 percent which is the average percentage of students in a general school population that have a disability.  Additional funds are obtained through IDEA federal grants.  Local funds are needed each year to make up the difference.   

For this school year’s December 1 Childcount, the total number of students with compliant files that were reported was 10,452, and 9,884 not including preschool students with disabilities. Based on the average daily membership in GCS of 71, 396 the number of verified school aged students with disabilities represented 13.84 percent of the total population. The reduction this year represents a 2.46 percent drop from a record high of 16.3 percent in 2003-04.  District and department initiatives which stress early intervention and data-driven instruction prior to referral for special education continue to be a priority.  For more information, please contact Betty Anne Chandler, Executive Director for Exceptional Children, at 370-2323.     

“A Mouse in Every House” Program Provides Hairston Middle Seventh-Graders Home Computers

The families of seventh-graders at Hairston Middle  are receiving free computers. This is due to grant funding and a partnership between Hairston Middle and the Handycapable Network.  The grant funds pay for 220 computers, which are refurbished by the Handycapable Network.

“A Mouse in Every House” program gives access to computers at home so students can experience more success in school.  Training is provided to parents, which includes information about the state mandate, “Online Test for Computer Skills.” Computer skills proficiency is a requirement for graduation and the assessment is administered when students enter the eighth grade. The second session includes basic computer skills that instruct parents about hardware, software and Internet safety.

The seventh grade students are trained to use technology as a tool for learning. Many of these skills are integrated with the classroom curriculum.  Students are also trained to use a variety of software applications such as word processing, desktop publishing, database, spreadsheet and others.

The use of technology provides a wide range of opportunities that extend and enhance learning in all subject areas. Students are expected to:

• Understand the important issues of a technology-based society and to exhibit ethical behavior in the use of computer technology
• Demonstrate knowledge and skills in using computer technology
• Utilize a variety of computer technologies to access, analyze, interpret, synthesize, apply and communicate information

Hairston’s mission is to partner with students, parents and the community, to create a caring and nurturing learning environment that encourages all to become enthusiastic life-long learners. The school believes that technology is essential in helping students achieve their goals. For more information, please contact Lena Murrill-Chapman, Technology/Media Specialist, at 378-8280 or Jocelyn Becoats, Instructional Improvement Officer, at 370-2311.

Math Mentors Make Significant Impact

Through the provision of foundation funding, all Mission Possible math teachers are paired with a math mentor.  Mentors include a former math department chair, two current university math faculty and two former principals.  Together, this team of experts coaches a total of 80 Mission Possible math teachers in the areas of: planning, instructional delivery, classroom management, assessment and evaluation, technology and diversity.  Mentors then meet with one another bi-weekly to set goals, share ideas and coordinate services for all 80 teachers.  This model of mentoring has had a significant impact on improving high school mathematics instruction in Mission Possible schools.  For more information about math mentors or the Mission Possible Program, please contact Dr. Amy Holcombe, Director of Mission Possible Schools, at 335-3294.

GCS 2008-09 Teacher of the Year (TOY)

We are pleased to announce that Wachovia will again partner with GCS to recognize our outstanding educators at the “Best In Class Awards” reception. This event will be held in September, 2008. Every school has the opportunity to nominate a teacher to represent them in the district level competition. The district’s winner will go on to compete at the regional level. Principals will be receiving nomination packets next week to begin the selection process. The names of school level TOY winners’ are due to Human Resources by February 15, 2008. For more information, please contact Carla Alphin, Employee Relations, at 370-8821.

Transfer Fair

The district’s annual Transfer Fair has been changed from January 25 to February 25 at Westover Church in Greensboro.  More details will be forthcoming.  Should you have any questions pertaining to the fair, please contact the Office of Employment at 370-8318 or 370-8319.

GCSTV2

The Need for Improvement and Expansion

GCS faces significant enrollment growth with a pressing need to upgrade or replace aging facilities and build new schools. This presentation outlines some of those needs included in a proposed school bond referendum for 2008. This program airs Tuesday through Thursday at 11:30 a.m. and Friday through Monday at 7:40 p.m.  

New Program Guide

GCSTV 2 viewers now have a convenient electronic guide to daily programs. Turn to GCSTV 2 to find the times of programs on the hour throughout the day and evening. Check out our new GCSTV 2 Program Guide.      

Free Supplies for the Classroom

The district’s Teacher Supply Warehouse is now open providing traditional school supplies and more to teachers at Title 1 schools. Through the generosity of contributions from businesses and individuals, GCS has a more efficient way to link donated school supplies to the children who need them. The goal is to open the warehouse to more schools as donations increase. This program airs Friday through Monday at 9:30 a.m.      

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).

 Lunch and Learn
GCS awards good behavior at school. Students at Irving Park Elementary get to have lunch with a person of their choice as a thank you for their good deeds. This newsbreak airs Wednesday, January 23.

The New Northern Elementary
Getting a new school up and running is no small task.  Get a peek into how one of GCS’ newest schools started the new year. This newsbreak airs Friday, January 25.  

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

NON-GCS EDUCATIONAL NEWS

Student Video Contest

The law offices of Crumley & Associates has teamed up with the Crib to College Foundation and My PSA Contest to host a video public service announcement (PSA) contest for high school students in Greensboro and Charlotte. This is an exciting opportunity for students to show off their creativity, promote awareness on a variety of serious topics, and impact their local communities—and we’d like your help getting the word out to students and teachers.

This year’s My PSA Contest asks students to create unique and compelling 28- to 29-second PSAs that address the dangers of drunk driving as well as underage drinking. The creator of the winning PSA will receive a laptop computer; the winning student’s high school will receive a monetary donation; and the winning PSA will be aired on local television, Crumley & Associates’ Web site (www.CrumleyandAssociates.com), the Crib to College Foundation’s Web site www.cribtocollege.org), and My PSA Contest’s Web site (www.myPSAcontest.com). The PSAs will be judged on: (a) students’ abilities to analyze and discuss the topic and (b) produce a quality video.

Crumley & Associates, the Crib to College Foundation, and My PSA Contest are excited to offer the opportunity for teens to impact their peers and speak out about how drunk driving and underage drinking have affected their lives. We invite you to help us by encouraging students and educators to get involved with the contest.

Rules and entry forms can also be found online at www.CrumleyandAssociates.com. There is no fee to enter this contest. Additionally, classroom-friendly resources—which include an educator’s packet and Web addresses for research and plagiarism information—can be found at www.myPSAcontest.com.

If you have any questions about the PSA contest, contact Stephen Keaney, Director of Community Relations, at smkeaney@CrumleyandAssociates.com or Abbey Smith, My PSA Contest Coordinator, at abbey@myPSAcontest.com.

Intel Schools of Distinction Awards

Each year, Intel spends more than $100 million on education programs in more than 50 countries. Intel's global education initiative is designed to meet the local needs of each country, whether it is to train educators on improved methods of teaching and learning or to engage student interest in math and science.
The yearly Intel Schools of Distinction Awards recognizes U.S. schools that implement innovative, replicable programs, which inspire students and lead to positive educational outcomes in the areas of math and science. Intel's education programs are designed to help students graduate with the skills they need to be successful in college and the work place.

The Intel Foundation will chose 18 finalists from each grade group of K-5, 6-8 and 9-12, with six winners receiving $10,000 from the foundation and more than $100,000 in products and services from the program award sponsors. The final winner, or “Star Innovator” receives an additional $15,000 cash grant from the Intel Foundation as well as additional services and products from the award sponsors. Click here to apply for the Intel Schools of Distinction Awards before February 14. For more information about the program, please visit  www.intel.com/education.

Tuition for Exceptional Children Training Available

Limited spring tuition awards are available for special education teachers working toward meeting provisional license requirements. Under this tuition program, employed bachelor-level special education teachers on a provisional license may receive the actual cost of tuition for one approved spring course up to $140 per semester hour with a final grade of "B" or higher. These costs are paid by the Exceptional Children Division to the recipients on a reimbursement basis. Visit http://www.ncpublicschools.org/ec/development/training/spring/ to learn more.

Upcoming Conferences and Meetings

The 2008 Exceptional Children Directors’ Institute will be held March 11-12 at the Embassy Suites in Greensboro.  The meeting will include updates from the NCDPI Exceptional Children Division and forms training.  Registration information and a list of currently registered participants can be found at http://www.ncpublicschools.org/ec/directorsinstitute/

Texas May Begin Steroid Testing of Athletes Next Month

Random drug testing of some 23,000 Texas high school athletes each year to check for steroid use could begin as soon as February. The $3 million-per-year program is believed to be the largest steroid-testing program in the world, this article says. Click here to read more.

Study: Cash Awards May Change School Culture

Participation and scores in Texas AP exams increased when students and teachers in disadvantaged schools were offered $500 for each passing score, a Cornell University researcher found. The bonuses seem to have changed school culture so that AP enrollment became a cool way to earn a new iPod, according to study author C. Kirabo Jackson, a labor economics professor. Click here to read more.

Coaches May Help Put Student-Athletes on the Right Track

School sports coaches can be powerful allies in improving students' academic performance, writes Tanya Judd Pucella, a Marietta College assistant professor of educational leadership and former Orange County, Fla., public school teacher and program director. Coaches can demand performance in a way teachers often cannot, benching or disciplining players who slack off academically. Click here to read more.

Support Teachers, Reduce Class Sizes to Lessen Preschool Expulsion

To help reduce the number of children expelled from early-childhood programs, their teachers need more support and fewer students, Yale University researcher Walter S. Gilliam says in a new study. Reducing student-teacher ratios to 10 or fewer, offering preschool teachers more frequent breaks and giving them access to tips from mental-health experts will help improve student behavior and keep more in class, he said. Click here to read more.

English Language Learners: Meeting the Needs of a Growing Population

The Department of Education reports that between 1994 and 2004, the number of English language learners (ELLs) increased in the United States by 65 percent. With the U.S. Census projecting the country's population to swell to over 415 million by 2050, the number of ELLs will rise. The ASCD Homepage offers resources to help educators meet the needs of these students. Click here to read more.