GCS Insider - A Message from our Superintendent
The Power of Relationships
It is hard to believe that summer is fast fading, and autumn is approaching once again. I welcome you back to a new school year filled with new faces, new schools and new hopes and dreams for achievements in GCS. We welcome first-time teachers into GCS, and we look forward to working as a team to reach our goals in 2007-08.
You will hear some recurrent themes this year that center on leadership. This word is misunderstood and is often believed to be a trait to which only certain individuals can aspire to. At GCS, we support individual leadership, and the power of relationships is the key that will unlock the door. We believe that one person can make a difference in the lives of our young people and we will empower you to find your own individual leadership through education, professional development and other methods. Positive relationships throughout GCS will be the glue that bonds us together and makes us more effective with each other and our students, who are our bottom line.
Lastly, we must remember that it is up to each of us collectively as educators, and more importantly as individuals, to ensure that students succeed in school so they can succeed in life. If not, it is we who fail, not the students.
We are stronger together than apart, and it truly takes a village to raise a child. Together we will strive, achieve and excel in Guilford County Schools.
Sincerely,
Terry B. Grier, Ed.D.
Superintendent
GCS Insider - Are You Ready for Back to School?
Halls will be occupied with bright students and classrooms filled with teachers who inspire and challenge every student to reach their potential. It is time to start planning for Back-to-School.
This 2007 Back-to-School guide contains important information which parents and teachers will find extremely useful as they start planning for August 28, the first day for students on the traditional calendar.
The below information is a resource for you. Please feel free to share this with parents.
GCS Insider - Employee of the Month
When students at Kirkman Park Elementary go to the cafeteria, it’s for more than just lunch. They go to visit someone they consider a friend, Wanda Davis. Davis isn’t your usual cafeteria manager. While she strives to make nutritious menus that her students will enjoy, she also excels at helping students reach their potential. She keeps their stomachs full with her legendary fried chicken and meatball subs, and she keeps them feeling great, like when she volunteered to help some girls with their hair before the fifth-grade graduation.
Davis knows her students by name, and she knows their food allergies. Every morning, Davis greets the students and staff with a smile at breakfast, and her optimism is contagious. Her employees know that she will be out in the front lines with them, serving students and making sure there is enough food for everyone. Davis was the employee of the month for July.
For more than 20 years, Trudy Iddings, a Student Information Management Systems (SIMS) operator, has been the backbone of operations at Jackson Middle. She leads the yearbook staff, helps teachers with grading and provides a comfortable chair and open ear to those who need to take a little break. She decorates classrooms, greets visitors and is the person to ask if you have a question about Jackson Middle. After two decades of selfless, relentless commitment to Jackson, Iddings retired on August 1, but not before she was recognized for her outstanding service as the GCS Employee of the Month for August 2007. A mainstay of the school family, Iddings’ presence will be greatly missed. Iddings is the August employee of the month.
As Employee of the Month for July and August, Davis and Iddings received a $50 gift card from Sam’s Club, which has partnered with GCS to support the employee recognition program. In addition, the Guilford County Board of Education recognized both women at its August 14 meeting.
Do you know an employee who goes above and beyond the call of duty in his/her job? Let us know! Click on the following link to submit your nomination form online: http://www.gcsnc.com/emp_month/emp_month.htm
GCS Insider - Advanced Learning Department Sets the Pace
Advanced Learning Department Sets the Pace for GCS K-12
The Guilford County Schools Advanced Learning Department is planning a comprehensive approach to increase opportunities for advanced learning in Grades K through 12. Support for students, parents, teachers and principals are part of that plan. Current department activities include Bright Ideas Awards and the annual Crown Automotive Cool to Be Smart celebration. Additionally, the department coordinates teacher training, the PSAT and SAT, Advanced Placement and the International Baccalaureate programs.
The department is currently redefining its goals and staff responsibilities. The department has nine staff members, in addition to AL teachers in elementary and middle schools as well as AP/IB Coordinators in high schools. The AL staff members include, Ashly Morrison, Jane Fleming, Lise Timmons, Kimberly Butler, Sandy Edwards, Kathy Mayer, Donna Rubenzer, Bonnie Crissman, Frank Beck, Kathryn Moore and Marilyn Lange.
Dr. Jane Fleming started at GCS in July and comes from the Maryland State Department of Education. She is also related to the GCS family in another way. Her husband, Kevin Fleming, is the new principal of Grimsley High.
Fleming explains her department’s strategy, “Staff members are planning for a seamless delivery of instruction and services with long-range goals for increasing achievement in academically rigorous courses and program.” Important components of this re-focus are the uses of strategies that will improve opportunities for all identified children, as well as those who are as yet unidentified. Plans include the use of transitional strategies, a consistent contact for parents, and increased communications with teachers, counselors and administrators. We are also using a nurturing component that helps cultivate potential in all students K-12,” said Fleming.
Some of the nurturing components include using whole class instruction in third grade, through the FOCUS (Fostering Outstanding Critical/ Creative Thinking, Conceptual Understanding and Self-esteem) class and by the Curriculum Specialists working with general classroom teachers to provide nurturing strategies. “Through these programs we are meeting and nurturing potential in GCS students,” said Lise’ Timmons, director for advanced learning.
GCS Insider - Newcomers School
GCS Welcomes the GCS Newcomers School and The High School Ahead Academy
Guilford County Schools (GCS) welcomes new faces and new schools this year. One such new school is the GCS Newcomers School, appropriately named for “newcomers,” who are not only new to GCS, but also to the United States. GCS is proud of its diversity and realized the importance of having a school specifically to address the needs of students from other countries who do not speak English as their first language.
Across the district, GCS students speak 136 languages and dialects. Approximately 6,000 English language learners are enrolled in GCS, and those numbers are expected to increase. The GCS Newcomers School is the first of its kind in North Carolina and is designed for students in grades five through 12 who recently arrived in the United States and are considered novices on the North Carolina language test. The goal of the school and its staff is to accelerate literacy skills and prepare English language learners to bridge the gap between a newcomer setting and their assigned school. The capacity of the school is currently 325 students.
“For the last four years we have seen the need for sheltered English as Second Language (ESL) setting for new arrivals,” said Mayra Hayes, director of ESL department. “The Newcomer Charter team has spent a lot of time developing a program that would be beneficial for our students and families.” Curriculum is embedded with the English as a Second Language Standard Course of Study. The family component includes Saturday Adult Literacy classes in adult English instruction, babysitting, K-12 tutoring and field trips. Other services include community referrals, counseling and health awareness.
Jake Henry is the first principal of the Newcomers School. He and his staff are committed to make the school a success. “We are excited about our first year at the GCS Newcomers School,” said Principal Jake Henry. “We believe we can make a difference in the lives of children by providing focused instruction in English and helping them transition into their new surroundings. The Newcomers School will provide a foundation for success in our school system as well as hope for a bright future for all new arrivals.”
Another newcomer to GCS is The High School Ahead Academy. The school is also a new concept for GCS and its purpose is to bridge the gap for middle school students who are not ready for high school but who are older than their classmates. Dr. David Roper, senior administrator who has overseen the task of implementing the High School Ahead Academy into a working school, explains, “This is one method for moving away from socially promoting a middle school student.” “The High School Ahead Academy will help students build skills to ensure a successful transition to high school rather than just promoting a student and crossing your fingers that they are ready for high school. The old method was not successful.”
The High School Ahead Academy’s first principal is Michelle Hayes. “I am thrilled to be apart of this pioneer experience in education that will help the students at The High School Ahead Academy find academic and social success.” The first school year will start with approximately 100 students.
These two schools are one of many reasons that keep GCS Striving. Achieving. Excelling.
GCS Insider - Fill the Bus
Community Partnerships Help Teachers in the Classroom
The latest figures from the National School Supply and Equipment Association (NSSEA) report show that on average, teachers annually spend at least $826 on school supplies, and often the figure is higher. To help teachers lower their personal expenses, local businesses are partnering with GCS to provide needed supplies for the classroom through two major GCS initiatives: Fill the Bus (FTB) and Tools for School.
Fill the Bus
FTB is a business/school partnership program that begins each year with fulfilling teachers’ school supply wish lists. To date, 46 schools have been matched with a business partner, but the drive to match more schools continues.
Along with much needed school supplies, FTB, encourages a year-round connection with businesses and their partner schools. One thing that every classroom in GCS needs is volunteer time. Partner businesses encourage their employees to take a lunch hour once a week to spend time with a child at school, or volunteer to come to a classroom to talk about their jobs or hobbies. Business can also support their partner schools by getting a group together to plant a vegetable garden at school, organizing a school grounds cleanup day, or fulfilling other needs at the school. Keeping an open line of communication between school administration and the partner business is key to a successful FTB that can last year after year.
Through FTB, the Bank of North Carolina has made a difference for teacher Kim Forbes at Ferndale Middle. Forbes teaches in the career and technical education department. “This program has helped me greatly, especially for those supplies that are not normally kept in stock like hot glue sticks and other items,” said Forbes. “It also helped in several situations when students had extenuating circumstances, and supplies were not a high priority for parents. Last year I spent over $500 of my own money because I did not want students to go without needed supplies. Fill the Bus is crucial for teachers, and we are grateful for any help we can get so our students can have a great learning experience.”
Tools for School
For the past 11 years, WFMY News 2’s Tools for Schools campaign has helped put the right tools into the hands of students whose families may not be able to afford to buy items such as pencils, paper, markers, backpacks and more. Throughout the month of August, WFMY News 2 and GCS encourage people to drop off school supplies at the Tools for Schools bins located at the front of all Guilford County Wal-Mart locations. These donations will be sorted and made available to all Title 1 schools.
“Tools for School is a great program that our teachers, students and parents rely on every year,” said Cecilia Adams, GCS manager of community partnerships. “We are so grateful for the support we get from our community during back-to-school time and throughout the year, and we want to encourage school staffs to let our community and businesses know just how much we appreciate their help.”
For more information about these community partnerships and others go to http://www.gcsnc.com/community/index.html
Employees can assist in these efforts by:
- Donating school supplies at Wal-Mart locations
- Volunteering in the Lunch Buddy programs and others
- Setting up a school supply collection bin in their department