GCS News Briefs

August 8, 2008

GCS Back to School Guide On Line

The 2008-09 GCS Back to School Guide is now available on the district Web site. Here, parents can find helpful information to prepare students to go back to class – a “who to call” list, immunization check, calendars, transportation and inclement weather information and so much more. Click here to access the guide. For more information, please contact Jennifer Landes, program administrator – communications, at 370-8353.

Thanks to Crown Automotive, It’s Cool to Be Smart in Guilford County Schools

In a couple of weeks, Erica Zimmerschied, a Northwest High graduate, will arrive at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in a brand new car, courtesy of Crown Automotive.

The hard work of Zimmerschied throughout her high school years earned her an invitation to the annual Crown Automotive Cool to be Smart event, which gives qualifying Advanced Placement (AP)/International Baccalaureate (IB) graduates a chance to win a new car, scholarships and laptop computers. Students received a key for a chance to win a car of their choice.

Much to her surprise, Zimmerschied had the key that unlocked the door to a new car. She won her choice of a Dodge Avenger, Dodge Caliber, Honda Element, Nissan Sentra or a Nissan Versa. The Visiting International Faculty (VIF) program and Harris Teeter Neighborhood Markets made winners out of several other students. They included:

• $1,500 VIF Scholarship - Frances Garrett

• $2,500 Harris Teeter Scholarship - Miranda Bradley, Sabin Ciocan, Martha Brynn Lang, Ifeanyi Onyeji and Hannah Samet
• Laptop provided by Harris Teeter - Amy Grady, Minh Nguyen, Jordan Nunez, Lauren Stowe and Kathryn Theall
  

To be eligible to participate, a student must have either scored a three or higher on any five AP exams and had a mean score of three on all exams, scored a four or higher on any five IB exams or had a combination of five AP/IB scores at those levels. For more information, please contact Cecilia Adams, manager of community partnerships, at 370-8355.

Principal and Teacher of the Year

The GCS Principal of the Year committee has been reviewing portfolios and will interview the top scorers on August 19, 2008.  Five finalists will be selected based on a combination of both the portfolio and interview scores. The GCS Principal of the Year and the Teacher of the Year will be announced on September 22, 2008 at the Wachovia “Best in Class Awards,” which will be held at the University. This year’s Principal of the Year committee members include: Melissa Harrelson, Edith Martin, Valerie Akins and Carolyn Hiatt. Congratulations to the following principal nominees who submitted portfolios to compete for the award:

• Valerie Bridges – Jesse Wharton Elementary
• Brian Clarida – Sumner Elementary
• Pam Early – Alamance Elementary
• Russell Harper – Millis Road Elementary
• Angella Hauser – Nathanael Greene Elementary
• Dr. LaToy Kennedy – Wiley Elementary
• Dr. Benita Lawrence – Monticello Brown Summit Elementary
• Ken Wheat – Dean B. Pruett SCALE School
• Rodney Wilds – Jackson Middle

GCS Teacher of the Year finalists were named earlier this summer. They include:

• Melinda Galloway – Greensboro College Middle College
• Rodney Morgan – Aycock Middle
• Sabrina Peacock – Pilot Elementary
• Sophia Roberts – Jones Elementary
• Margaret Schram – The Academy at Lincoln

We look forwarding to honoring and celebrating the accomplishments of these outstanding educators on September 22 at Wachovia’s “Best in Class Awards.”   For more information, please contact Carla Alphin, program administrator for employee relations, at 378-8821 or alphinc@gcsnc.com.

Smith High Receives Grant for Smaller Learning Communities

Smith High is one of only 43 schools nationwide that recently received the Smaller Learning Communities grant, courtesy of the U.S. Department of Education. Smith will use the grant to promote reading among students and to encourage an environment where teachers use innovative curriculum to engage each student.

“I believe all children must be good readers in order to be successful in school and in life,” said Dr. Noah Rogers, principal of Smith. “Our goal with this grant is to make all of our students readers for life.”
For the first three years, Smith will receive $636,288. There is a potential to receive more than $1 million over five years. The grant will allow the school to hire two curriculum coaches in science and social studies, purchase computers for curriculum changes and new course offerings and purchase supplies that will assist in linking career-related themes into the classroom. Smith will also implement Read 180, a proven reading intervention program.

Last year, Smith opened a ninth-grade academy to focus on meeting the needs of incoming students. The grant will support this academy, as well as allow the school to offer smaller, more focused career academies for all students. 

Rogers explained that research-based training and curriculum for teachers, along with the structure of the academies, will help to create an environment where each student is motivated and feels there is a caring adult there to help if needed.

“The plan to create smaller learning communities at Smith will help meet Adequate Yearly Progress goals, increase the number of students attending post-secondary schools and improve the relationship between the school, parents and the community,” Rogers said. For more information, please contact Haley Miller, program administrator – communications, at 370-3200.

Northwest High Receives Grant from Dell Foundation

Northwest High is a recipient of an Open Grant award from The Dell Foundation. The grant, worth $5,000, will be used to purchase LCD projectors for the school. The Dell Foundation, the corporate giving division of Dell Inc., is committed to contributing significantly to the quality of life in communities where Dell employees live and work. Dell provides open grants to programs and services that serve populations in Dell's principle U.S. locations. For more information, please contact Principal Angelo Kidd at 605-3300.

Volunteer Background Checks

We encourage schools to develop and maintain a strong volunteer program that provides varied opportunities for parents and members of the community to be active partners in support of the instructional program and school climate.

Please note that the form for securing background checks on unsupervised volunteers has been revised. The revised form can be found on the GCS Web site under Policy GBDCA.

Please note that this form must be submitted by October 15 if the individual is planning on volunteering in an unsupervised capacity for the 2008-09 school year. Unsupervised volunteering includes but is not limited to: overnight field trips, one-on-one tutoring in a closed setting, coaching and club advisors. The principal or his/her designee is responsible for determining the capacity in which a volunteer will work (supervised or unsupervised), thus determining whether or not a form should be completed and submitted. Once completed, forms should be submitted to the school where the volunteer would like to work. Please allow up to 30 calendar days for these forms to be processed and returned to the school. For more information, please contact the appropriate principal or Carla Alphin, program administrator for employee relations, at alphinc@gcsnc.com or 378-8821.    

First Lateral Entry Cohort Celebrates a Successful Start

This week concluded the GCS Alternative Certification Track’s (ACT) Foundations of Teaching in Guilford County course.  The 15 members of GCS ACT Cohort I completed 80 hours of training to prepare them to launch the 2008-09 school year successfully.  GTCC and GCS partnered to offer this intensive experience which included guest speakers Dr. Shirley Smith, Brian Herndon, Patty Kinkade, Cindi Gordon, Janice Bradburn and Monica Walker.  GCS ACT participants also engaged in site visits to Johnson Street Global Studies Magnet, The Middle College at GTCC-Jamestown, The Middle College at NCA&T, The Middle College at Bennett, team building exercises, a deep analysis of the North Carolina Standard Course of Study, exploration of the GEMS curriculum warehouse, diversity, teacher leadership and more.  With a 100 percent completion rate, we are proud to say that the program has gotten off to a successful start!  For more information, please contact Dr. Amy Holcombe, executive director of talent development, at holcoma@gcsnc.com or 335-3294.

Cumulative Effect Math Teachers Are Students for the Summer

Eighty-five high school math teachers at Mission Possible and Cumulative Effect Schools spent the summer being…students!  Math teachers changed roles and became students of Algebra I, Algebra II and Geometry courses taught by faculty from NC A&T State University, UNCG, and master GCS teachers Dr. Patricia Creech and Martha Ray.
 
All courses were a part of the second annual Summer Math Institute held at Smith High.  Participants utilized Promethean Boards, document cameras, Bluetooth tablets, ActiVote response systems, graphing calculators and more to engage in learning strategies for teaching mathematics.  Funded by Action Greensboro, Cemala Foundation, Toleo Foundation, Bryan Foundation, Weaver Foundation and GCS, the Summer Math Institute aims to provide math teachers with higher level math content knowledge that will support participants’ mathematics instruction throughout their careers.  For more information about the Summer Math Institute, Cumulative Effect, Mission Possible or this announcement, please contact Dr. Amy Holcombe, executive director of talent development, at holcoma@gcsnc.com or 335-3294.

Salary Increases for 2008-09

The following is provided as an overview of salary increases approved for 2008-09.  All scheduled salary increases are effective July 1 and will be included in August pay checks. Top of the scale bonuses and retroactive adjustments for employees who worked in July 2008 will be paid in September pay checks.

Teacher Salary Schedules
In conjunction with step increases, teachers will receive on average a three percent pay increase in 2008-09.  Actual salary increases range from 2.39 percent to 6.63 percent.

Bonuses for Teachers at Top of Range
Teachers paid on step 31 or above (top of the scale) for at least six months during 2007-08 and continuing in a teaching position for 2008-09 will receive a one-time lump sum bonus of 1.8 percent. This bonus is calculated on the 2007-08 salary schedule.

School Based Administrator Salary Schedule
Provides assistant principals and principals with a recurring salary increase, which, when combined with a step increase, provides on average a 2.69 percent overall pay increase in 2008-09.

Bonuses for School-Based Administrators at Top of Range
Provides a one-time lump sum bonus of two percent to school-based administrators at the top of their respective pay schedules. This bonus is calculated on the 2007-08 salary schedule.

Central Office and Non-certified Personnel Salaries
An increase of $1,100 or 2.75 percent, whichever is greater, was approved for all non-certified personnel. This increase is prorated for those working less than full-time.

• After-School Care Enrichment Services (ACES) Group Leaders and ACES Clerks are not eligible for the increase approved for non-certified Personnel; however, the hourly rate will be adjusted to reflect the new State Minimum hourly rate of $10.59 per hour for 2008-09.
• The State’s minimum salary for teacher assistants has been increased to $1,913 per month. 

Click here to view the new salary schedules. For more information, please contact Barbara Campbell, program administrator for salary administration, at 370-8091 at campbeb@gcsnc.com.  

Annual Enrollment

August is the month for annual enrollment of Cafeteria Benefits, Dental and Pre-Paid Legal/Identity Theft Protection. Enrollment for the Short Plan Year (October 1-December 31, 2008) is August 4 - September 12. Enrollment for the New Plan Year (January 1 - December 31, 2009) is October 27 - 31. Cafeteria Benefits Representatives will begin site visits on August 25.  The Pre-Paid Legal/Identity Theft Protection Representatives will begin 17 site visits on August 27.  The complete schedule for Pre-Paid Legal/Identity Theft is as follows:

• August 27 - Allen Middle/Southwest Middle
• August 28 - Northeast Middle/Eastern Middle
• September 3 - Southeast Middle/Gateway Education Center
• September 4 - Kernodle Middle/Pilot Elementary
• September 5 – Maintenance (7:30 a.m.)
• September 8 - Southern Middle/Northern High
• September 9 - Eugene Street (10 a.m. and 11 a.m.) - Washington Street Annex (9 a.m. and 10:30 a.m.)
• September 10 - Andrews High /High Point Central High
• September 11 - Kiser Middle/Page High

Meetings include information and enrollment and begin at 4:15 p.m. unless otherwise noted. Interested employees may attend a meeting of their choice. For more information, please contact Patty Kinkade, director of benefits at 336-370-8092 or kinkadp@gcsnc.com.

VIF Teacher Arrive

Recently, representatives of GCS attended a dinner hosted by the Visiting International Faculty (VIF) Program to meet the new VIF teachers assigned to GCS for the 2008-09 school year.  Thirty-six new VIF teachers reported to the district for a brief orientation. Several of our principals, as well as local VIF teacher advisors also attended this meeting to welcome new teachers to our district.  New VIF teachers will spend the next week becoming acclimated to the area and will attend the New Teacher Orientation scheduled for Tuesday, August 19. For more information, please contact Cheryl Lowe, program administrator, office of employment, at 370-8382 or lowec2@gcsnc.com.

Social Studies Teachers Have Access to More Resources!

Middle school social studies teachers from around the district gathered this summer to create curriculum guides for use during the up-coming school year.  The guides will provide teachers with instructional strategies, essential vocabulary, prerequisite skills and instructional resources to be used to create interesting and rigorous social studies lessons. Lesson plans with character education connections were also created.  All of these materials will be available on the Guilford Education Management System (GEMS) at the beginning of the school year. For more information, please contact Rebecca McKnight, curriculum specialist, at 312-5940, or Jocelyn Becoats, middle school curriculum officer, at 370-2311.

New Elementary Vocabulary Lists     

During the 2007-08 school year the elementary schools focused on explicit and purposeful vocabulary development as an essential component of literacy and math instruction. This summer, a team of 20 GCS teachers met and drafted grade-level word lists for the areas of science and social studies, which align to the North Carolina Standard Course of Study.  These preliminary lists will be critiqued and revised by teachers district-wide during the coming school year.  This project supports the recommendations made in the McREL literacy audit to increase oral language and vocabulary development throughout the district.  For more information, please contact Robyn Barrett, elementary Sscience curriculum specialist, at 312-4332 or Donna Martin, elementary social studies curriculum specialist, at 317-0771.

Guided Reading for GCS Students

As a component of GCS’ Literacy Framework, guided reading is a strategy designed to helps students practice reading skills and strategies at their individual reading levels.  During the week of July 28, more than 100 elementary teachers attended professional development designed to implement effective guided reading strategies.  The training sessions addressed the role of guided reading within balanced literacy, the unique needs of diverse learners, and strategies for managing an effective guided reading block. For more information, please contact Katie Doyle, elementary literacy curriculum specialist, at 707-0386.

Yes We Can!

In July, teams from 25 GCS schools attended a week of intense and engaging professional development on research-based instructional strategies. These strategies, often referred to as “Marzano’s Nine” have proven to positively impact student achievement for all students.  When implemented effectively, student engagement, learning, and problem-solving all improve.  In order to implement these strategies in many schools, the GCS Professional Development and Curriculum Departments designed and delivered a rigorous “train-the-trainer” course. Twenty-five school teams participated, and the teams will provide on-site professional development for their schools. This approach allows teams to create professional development plans tailored to the needs of their individual schools. For more information, please contact Martha Snavely, executive director of induction and professional development, at 335-3290.

Math Institute

From August 5-7, approximately 200 middle school math teachers participated in the 2008 Summer Math Institute held at Hairston Middle. The theme of the Institute was “Continuing the Journey to Student Achievement.” The purpose was to continue the implementation of the Mastery Learning instructional model while focusing on establishing effective professional learning communities, facilitating the Partners in Mathematics Learning Project and fostering teacher leadership.  Each day, teachers had the opportunity to participate in planning sessions with their school’s professional learning communities to create SMART goals, develop content meeting norms, and plan for common assessments.  On the last two days of the Institute, teachers also attended a total of five mini-sessions facilitated by the curriculum specialists and coaches, formative assessment specialists, and teacher leaders.   For more information, please contact Jocelyn Becoats, middle schools curriculum officer, at 370-2311.

GCS Calendar of Events

Click here to view the district’s upcoming calendar of events.

Central Office Summer Schedule

GCS central offices will operate on a summer schedule from Monday, June 16 through Friday, August 15. Summer office hours are:

• 7:30 a.m. - 5:30 p.m. Monday through Thursday
• 7:30 a.m. - 11:30 a.m. on Friday
  

Normal office hours (8 a.m. – 5 p.m.) resume on Monday, August 18. 

GCSTV2

GCS’ New Superintendent

He was trained as an attorney, but education is the field he has chosen. Meet Maurice Green. Guilford County Schools’ new superintendent officially starts work on September 8. Hear his philosophy now as he talks about taking on a new challenge. This story runs daily at 4:30 p.m.

Cool to Be Smart

They’re smart and graduated with good grades. Now one of them will be driving around in a new car.  Crown Automotive rewards academic excellence by offering a new car as a prize in recognition of the accomplishments of AP/IB students. Northwest Guilford graduate Erica Zimmerschied is this year’s winner. This story runs daily at 9:01 a.m.

Honoring Their Service

Many have devoted their lives to the service of Guilford County Schools. As they retire it’s time to say “thank you” for their dedication. This tribute to 2008 GCS retirees runs daily at 3:01 p.m.

Honoring Vals & Sals

They graduated at the top of their classes. Now hear from some of GCS’ best and brightest on their personal formulas for success. These valedictorian and salutatorian profiles run daily at 7:58 p.m., 8:30 p.m., 9:35 p.m. & 10:30 p.m.

Summer Reading Lists

GCS encourages students to continue reading during their summer vacation. This sharpens their skills and broadens their knowledge base. GCSTV 2 periodically shows summer reading lists for the various grades throughout the broadcast day. See our hourly Program Guide for times.

 “Taking Initiative:  A Look Inside Guilford County Schools”

GCSTV 2 is showing this UNC-TV documentary on the innovative approaches and educational accomplishments of GCS. The program explores how initiatives like GCS’ Mission Possible, Home Field Advantage and Newcomers School are leading the way to better opportunities for our students. This documentary is made possible thanks to the Joseph M. Bryan Foundation, the Cemala Foundation and the Tannenbaum-Sternberger Foundation. The program runs daily at 9:01 a.m. and 10:01 p.m.

Driver’s Edge-Driver’s Education Special

Take this in-depth driver’s education course that gives real world examples and advice on how to safely handle a car. The advice is handed out generously by some of the drivers who should know best …Indy Series racers. This program runs Friday through Monday at 5:59 a.m. & 4:59 p.m. and Tuesday through Thursday at 4:59 a.m. & 5:59 p.m.                                                            

GCSTV 2 & ABC-45

GCS continues its partnership with ABC-45 television to share the following current news and feature stories about our district. The segments air on ABC-45 (Cable Channel 7) during “Good Morning America” each Wednesday and Friday at 7:25 a.m. and 8:25 a.m.

E-mail for Everyone
In this information age e-mail is a must of a lot of people. GCS is answering the call by establishing new e-mail accounts for all of its students starting this fall. This newsbreak airs Wednesday, August 13.

Teacher Supply Warehouse
Our community helps our schools in so many ways, but one of the most tangible ways is through the Teacher Supply Warehouse. See how the warehouse helps in your child’s classroom and provides teachers with some tools they may otherwise have to do without. This newsbreak airs Friday, August 15.

For more information, please contact Leonard Simpson, broadcast production manager, at 370-8167.