Friday Notes from Guilford County Schools

February 15, 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 Inclement Weather Make-Up Days

Schools in the district were closed to students due to inclement weather on January 17 and February 14. To make-up for the instruction lost on these days, students will attend school on days previously designated as teacher workdays.
Make-up days for student instruction missed due to inclement weather on January 17 are as follows:

• 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

Make-up days for student instruction missed due to inclement weather on February 14 are as follows:

• Hampton Academy: Monday, February 25
• The Early College at Guilford: Wednesday, March 12
• Oak Hill Elementary: Monday, April 7
• GCS middle colleges: Friday, April 18
• Schools on traditional calendar: Wednesday, June 11
• Extended-year schools: No make-day is needed

Note: A full instructional day will be used to make-up the early release day missed on February 14 due to inclement weather.

Public Hearing Regarding 2008 Bond Referendum

Guilford County residents may have an opportunity on May 6, 2008 to vote on $457 million in school construction bonds. The outcome will have a significant impact on GCS and our ability to provide students with adequate space to accommodate growth and to provide necessary renovations/repairs to aging facilities.

The bond package contains a prioritized list of 27 renovation and new construction projects. The need is real. GCS has more than 600 mobile classrooms, expects to continue to add between 1,200 and 1,500 students on average each year, and many of our facilities are more than 30 years old.  

The Guilford County Board of Commissioners will hold a public hearing to receive feedback on February 21, 2008, 5:30 p.m. at 301 W. Market St. (Old Courthouse), Second Floor. The district strongly encourages your participation by writing or calling the Guilford County Commissioners prior to this important meeting.  Click here for contact information. For more information, please contact Chad Campbell, Media Manager, at 370-8356 or click here for additional information about the 2008 bond.

Differences between the GCS School Crime and Violence Report and Law Enforcement Reports

The NC Department of Public Instruction (DPI) recently released its annual school crime and violence report for school districts throughout the state. Media and some community members have questioned why differences exist between the GCS crime report to DPI and that of local law enforcement. It’s important to note that each agency looks at different types of incidents, so an apple-to-apple comparison cannot be made. For example:

• DPI requires reporting of three types of assault:
  • Assault with a weapon
  • Assault on a school employee
  • Assault causing major bodily harm
  If in the case where one student slaps/hits another student, the School Resource Officer may arrest the student and consequently, report it on a law enforcement incident report. The student may also be suspended (and the suspension reflected on the school’s suspension report), but the assault was not with a weapon, was not an assault on a school employee and did not cause major bodily harm; therefore, it would not be reflected on the school’s crime report to DPI.

• If an attack takes place on a school campus/grounds after school hours and does not involve a student or staff member (i.e. a community person was the victim/perpetrator), the incident would be reflected on a law enforcement incident report, but not included on the school’s crime report to DPI.

Per General Statute 115C-288, principals are required to report all incidents of the 17 reportable acts of crime (those that are tracked by DPI) on their campus, even if the perpetrator is not known. DPI verifies the data for accuracy and completeness each year. Verifications are required for the number of each type of reportable acts each year, the number of short- and long-term suspensions and the number of expulsions.

Certainly, there may be cases of human error and inconsistency in reporting -- to address inconsistency in reporting standards, the district’s Process Management Department is working to implement a process/procedure regarding reporting requirements for principals. For more information about the school crime and violence report, please contact Anthony Scales, Program Administrator – School Safety, at 370-8995.

Community Theatre Funds Musical for GCS

Due to funding from the Community Theatre of Greensboro, GCS high school students and educators have the opportunity to see the popular musical, High School Musical, free.  To win, high school students are encouraged to write an essay about a principal, teacher, guidance counselors or other GCS staff member who has made a positive impact on students in the community. The student who writes the winning essay and the GCS staff member each receive free tickets to the production in April. Additionally, Community Theatre of Greensboro will bring the production to schools free of charge.   Available dates for booking High School Musical at individual schools are February 25 through March 15 at 9 a.m. or 1 p.m., on a first-come first-serve basis. For more information, please contact Rozalynn Fulton, Education Outreach Coordinator of Community Theatre of Greensboro, at 333-7470 ext. 201 or go to www.ctgso.org.

2008 Distinguished Service Awards Banquet

The High Point Jaycees Junior Chamber of Commerce invite you to nominate a friend, family member, co-worker, employee, employer or community member for the 2008 Distinguished Service Award. The banquet is March 15 at 6 p.m.at the Woman’s Club of High Point.  

Each nominee receives a certificate and recognition at the banquet. The winner in each category receives an engraved plaque and is entered in the North Carolina Jaycees Statewide Distinguished Service Awards competition in April. Please view the qualifications for each category: 

•      2008 Boss of the Year                                 
•      2008 Outstanding Senior Citizen 
•      2008 Outstanding Teenager ($500 Scholarship)             
•      2008 Outstanding Young Educator ($250 Educational Grant)
•      2008 Outstanding Young Farmer
•      2008 Outstanding Young North Carolinian
•      2008 Outstanding Young Public Servant 

The nomination deadline is March 3. For additional information about sponsorship, please contact Troy D. Powell, President High Point Jaycees, at 736-7154 or go to http://www.jci.cc/local/?org=22518.

The Early College at Guilford Wins Awards and Recognition at The Harvard Model Congress

In January, 35 students and faculty from The Early College at Guilford participated in Harvard University's Harvard Model Congress (HMC) in San Francisco, California. The Early College earned awards and recognition for several students. Seniors Lili Parrish and Liza Triplett, Junior Jin Kilp, and Sophomore Shelley Bradley won Ranking Members honor, awared by peer participants. Awards of Excellence for efforts within the conference (determined by the Harvard students) were won by seniors Diya Jost and Eric Cheek (Supreme Court), Nik Antolin, sophomores Patrick Farrell and Shelley Bradley (Senate), senior Lili Parrish, juniors Max Holder and Sean Myers, and freshman Josiah Tesfaye (House of Representatives), fKiel Williams (National Security Council) and junior Stephen Padgett (Presidential Cabinet).
Harvard Model Congress is a simulated role playing activity to teach civic and political understanding. Conferences are in San Francisco, Bangkok, Athens and the premier conference in Boston. The Early College at Guilford is the only school in the world to have participated in all four conferences. Persons interested in learning more about HMC should contact club adviser Guy Ferguson at 316-2860. If you are interested in learning more about The Early College at Guilford, please contact Principal Charles Blanchard at 316-2860.

Northeast High to Compete Against Senator Richard Burr in Capitol Hill Stock Market Game

This spring, teams from Northeast High get the opportunity to learn about investing while challenging their Senator to a little friendly competition in the Capitol Hill stock Market Game Challenge.  United States senators compete against a school in their district in an attempt to show case their stock market trading skills.  The school competes against the senator in an attempt to see who can earn more money in the stock market during the given time.   

Senator Richard Burr selected Northeast High School based on an application sent by Computer Applications Teacher Lynne Fedor. She and her students are very excited about the challenge.  Should one of the Northeast teams amass a portfolio larger than that of Senator Burr’s, they will get the opportunity to travel to Washington, DC for an all expense paid trip to visit with Senator Burr. For more information, please contact Principal Anitra Walker at 375-2500 or John Eldridge, Instructional Improvement Officer, at 370-2360.

Five Early College Students Named National Merit Finalists

The Early College at Guilford are finalists in the 2008 Competition for the National Merit Scholarships are Nikolas Antolin, Mark Draelos, Ellis Driver, Diya Jost and Tyler Loftin. Congratulations to these students and their families. Scholarship recipients will be announced in March.  For more information about The Early College at Guilford, please contact Principal Charles Blanchard at 316-2860. 

High Point Central Student Moves on to State Level Competition

Several students from High Point Central attended the Future Business Leader of America Leadership Conference. The students did an excellent job of representing the district. In the Triad Regional Competitive Events, Kiara Ingram won third place in the Public Speaking II category and will compete at the State Leadership Conference in April.

Ferndale and Hairston middle school students also competed and won in their respective categories. Congratulations to all of the students.  For additional information, please contact Tonya Jones, Business Education Teacher and Future Business Leaders of America (FBLA) Advisor, at 819-2825 Ext. 2218 or Debra Barham, Instructional Improvement Officer, at 370-8101.

Presentation at State Forum and National Conference by Western Guilford AP Team

At the State Advanced Placement (AP)/International Baccalaureate (IB) Honors Forum in February, a Western Guilford team comprised of AP teachers Ken Gordon, Nancy Culclasure and administrator Heather Blackmon presented a session entitled “Diversity and Openness: Keys to Growing a Successful AP Program.” The session addressed the challenge faced by AP teachers and administrators to create an AP program that is open, rigorous and successful. They addressed the goal of a creating an atmosphere that supports diversity and academic achievement, the use of creative scheduling, integrated instruction and the creation of an academic scaffold to assist students of diversity in achieving in AP classes. The presenters shared insights on how to use vertical teaming and horizontal alignment to build a highly successful and diverse AP program. This team was invited to lead this session at the AP National Conference, July 16-20, 2008, in Seattle, Washington. For more information contact Assistant Principal Heather Blackmon at 316-5800.

Important Employee Information from Benefits

Annual enrollment for health insurance begins March 1 and ends March 28, 2008.  Changes may be made to health coverage without a qualifying event.  An important reminder: the Indemnity Plan will no longer be offered effective July 1.  All employees currently enrolled in this plan will need to change health coverage.  The State Health Plan will offer three information sessions concerning health insurance on February 26 at Guilford Technical Community College, 601 High Point Road, Jamestown, NC. Session times are: 10 a.m. to 12 p.m.; 2 p.m. to 4 p.m.; and 5 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. All sessions are in the Sears Applied Technology Auditorium.  Visit www.gtcc.edu for directions.  GCS will conduct four information sessions.  These sessions are from 4:30 p.m. to 6 p.m. at the following locations:

It is important to note that employees who have the Indemnity Plan but do not change their health coverage will be changed to the PPO Standard Plan.  This will be done by the State Health Plan. For more information, contact Patty Kinkade, Director of Benefits, at 370-8092.

GCSTV2

History on the Rails

GCSTV 2 is proud to present a part of North Carolina history as well as the history that helped build our nation. We’re televising the Great Smoky Mountains Railroad in partnership with Emmy award winning photojournalist Rob Van Cam. This program takes you on an adventure aboard an authentic steam train through some of the most scenic beauty our country has to offer. This show airs nightly Sunday through Saturday at 7:15 p.m.

Magnet and Choice Schools: Time to Apply

Recognizing that the “one-size-fits-all” philosophy doesn’t apply in Guilford County, GCS offers 17 magnet and choice schools from Montessori to Mandarin Chinese. GCSTV 2 brings you highlights of our magnet/choice themes in a series of video showcases each weekday at 11:56 a.m., 12:45 p.m., 1:40 p.m., 2:15 p.m. 4:26 p.m., 7:45 p.m. and 8:30 p.m.  

2008 Bond Presentation

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 runs Tuesday through Thursday at 11:30 a.m. and Friday through Monday at 7:40 p.m.  

Employee of the Month

Charles Butler devotes his time, attention and talents to leading the band at Smith High.  Find out why his colleagues say he’s well-deserving of being named GCS Employee of the Month for February. This program runs daily at 6:01 a.m., 9:58 a.m., 12:57 p.m., 3:58 p.m., 6:58 p.m. and 9:56 p.m.

February One – the Local Story of the Pioneers of Civil Rights

The sit-ins at the F. W. Woolworth store downtown sparked similar non-violent protests against racial segregation in the South. GCSTV 2 marks this part of history with a special presentation of “February One, The Story of the Greensboro Four” in honor of Black History Month. This historic event occurred 48 years ago on February 1, 1960. It runs daily on GCSTV 2 at 5:56 p.m. throughout Black History Month.

Proper Sneezing

It’s the cold and flu season, but that doesn’t mean you have to get sick. Hand washing is one of the best ways to cut down on the spread of germs, but you can also limit cold germs by knowing the best way to sneeze. Check out this humorous, yet informative presentation on proper cold etiquette. This program runs daily at 8:54 a.m.

New GCSTV 2 Program Guide

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

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).

GCS Science Fair
Some of the most noted scientists of our time could be among the students who displayed their experiments at the latest GCS Science Fair. This annual event draws a lot of community interest and sometimes national attention. This newsbreak airs Wednesday, February 20.        

Choices In Education
The GCS Magnet Fair offered students and parents a chance to sample the wide variety of schools and areas of study that comprise our magnet and choice schools program. The sign-up period is underway now until March 21. This newsbreak airs Friday, February 22.

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

NON-GCS EDUCATIONAL NEWS

Literacy Grant for Books

Literacy Help, a part of The Literacy Empowerment Foundation, is increasing the size of the matching grants available to $16,000 per school, with any amount from $100 to $16,000 being matched. This means that schools can order books worth $32,000 and pay only $16,000. This limited offer allows schools to double purchasing power without requiring a special screening or application. For more information or to obtain a matching book grant order form, go to www.literacyhelp.org. Orders must be received by May 15.

Wake County Gains Ally on Diversity

The Wake Education Partnership weighed in on what is becoming more and more controversial in Wake County – the county’s plan to maintain a socio-economic balance of students in their schools. In recent weeks, parent organizations who opposed the Wake School Board’s policy of reassigning students to maintain economic balance in the schools have begun holding meetings across the county. Some are calling for Cary, the 100,000 plus suburb of Raleigh, to secede from the county system and create a separate system. The Partnership is beginning a campaign to share the results of their study with parents and citizens across the county. The study, entitled "Striking a Balance", can be accessed at www.wakeedpartnership.org.

NC Chamber’s Annual Meeting Tackles the Dropout Issue

The North Carolina Chamber’s 66th Annual Meeting is set for March 26, 2008 at the Grandover Resort and Conference Center in Greensboro. They are pleased to have Howard Putnam, former CEO of Southwest and Braniff Airlines as the keynote speaker this year. This year’s event is certain to attract a sell-out crowd of 1,000 business, government and education leaders from across the state.
Prior to the Annual Meeting luncheon, the Chamber will host a Special Session which will focus on education, in particular, what business can do to curtail the dropout rate. A distinguished list of panelists has been invited to participate in this event. Dr. Jim Goodnight of SAS will open the discussion and offer his insights and suggestions. For more information on reserving your sponsorship or registering for the event, visit the North Carolina Chamber Web site at www.ncchamber.net. Seating for the Annual Meeting and Special Session will be reserved on a first-come, first-served basis.