Friday Notes from Guilford County Schools

February 29, 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.

Registration for the 2008-09 School Year Begins

It’s time to prepare for the 2008-09 school year.  The 2008-09 middle and high school registration books are now available online at http://www.gcsnc.com/information/reg_book.html. GCS Student Registration Bulletin contains information needed to register students for courses and is designed to help students, parents and guardians make the best choices for the student’s educational career.

School counselors coordinate parent information nights to provide registration information to parents/guardians of rising sixth-and ninth-grade students. One of the most important tasks for middle school students is to think about a plan for the future. Middle school counselors will work individually with eighth-grade students to develop a four-year plan with career pathway options.

High school counselors advise each student individually to review transcripts and update each student’s Four-Year Plan.  In these individual counseling sessions, students are encouraged to take challenging and rigorous courses. Opportunities for academic challenge are offered to students through Advanced Placement (AP) options and the honors program. The honors curriculum and the AP curriculum (as established by the College Board) have a more demanding and rigorous curriculum than regular classes. The AP program offers able and ambitious students an opportunity to study one or more college-level courses and prepares students to take the AP exam in May. Many colleges grant college credit based on AP exam scores. Honors and AP courses receive weighted credit in computing GPA: AP courses receive two additional quality points and honors courses receive one additional quality point.

In order to earn a high school diploma, students must meet all course, credit and test requirements of at least one course of study. These courses of study are designed by the state to prepare students for a multitude of post-high school opportunities from entry-level careers to highly technical studies at community colleges, colleges and universities. Students are encouraged to follow the most challenging diploma pathway in which the student can be successful. Contact school counselors for more information on school tours and parent information nights.  For more information, please contact Gwen Willis, Executive Director of Student Services, or Samara Johnson, Supervisor of Secondary Counseling, at 370-2332.

NC Writing Test Approaches

Students in grades four, seven, and 10 will take the North Carolina writing test on Tuesday, March 4.  GCS teachers have attended professional development activities throughout the year focusing on the improvement of writing instruction through best instructional practices.  Fourth-graders will compose personal or imaginative narratives in response to a prompt.  Seventh-graders will respond to an evaluative or problem-solution prompt and tenth-graders will respond to a definition or cause/effect prompt.  Our students and teachers have all worked hard to prepare for this rigorous assessment.  For more information about writing instruction, please contact Beth Folger, Chief Curriculum and Organizational Development Officer, at 370-2313 or folgere@gcsnc.com. 

Northwest High Wins Second Place at Regional Science Olympiad Tournament

Northwest students placed second overall at the Regional Science Olympiad Tournament on Saturday, February 23 at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro. Participating Northwest students received medals in 20 of the 23 events in which they entered. The group will advance to the state tournament hosted by North Carolina State University on Friday, April 4 and Saturday, April 5. For more information, please contact Chemistry Teacher Janet Wells at 605-3300.

2008 Guilford County Schools Spelling Bee to be Held March 1st

Students from 16 Guilford County middle schools will participate in Guilford County’s 2008 Spelling Bee. The spelling bee will be held on March 1 at Smith High located at 2407 S. Holden Road in Greensboro.  Erica Taylor from WFMY News 2 will be the pronouncer. Each of the competitors in this county-wide competition was the Spelling Bee winner at his/her school.  The winner of the GCS competition will move on to the Regional Spelling Bee at the Lawrence Joel Coliseum in Winston-Salem on March 30. Congratulations to the following school winners:

• Daniel Sanchez, Allen Middle
• Sarah Wilson, Aycock Middle
• Bria McMillian, Brown Summit Middle
• Kaitlyn McBride, Eastern Middle
• Chris Boyarizo, Ferndale Middle
• Kennedy Damico, Guilford Middle
• Tierra Manuel, Hairston Middle
• Ashley Wilson, Jackson Middle
• Taylor Fielding, Jamestown Middle
• Eric Laming, Johnson Street Global Studies
• David Marsh, Kernodle Middle
• Keaton Bower, Lincoln Academy
• Benjamin Myers, Mendenhall Middle
• Taylor Johnson, Northeast Middle
• Nathan Ellis, Southeast Middle
• Trey Pressley, Southwest Middle

For more information, please contact Andrea Hesman, Middle School Language Arts Curriculum Specialist, at 370-2307.

Tony the Tiger Helps Make School Breakfast Great

March 3-7 is National School Breakfast Week, and with the help of Tony the Tiger, GCS will debut new breakfast options, give away great prizes and provide nutrition information to parents.

Tony the Tiger visits General Greene Elementary, March 4 at 7 a.m. and Sternberger Elementary, March 5 at 7 a.m.  Students will taste three new breakfast options: whole grain Pop Tarts, high fiber cereals and breakfast strudels. Children will also sample fruit and yogurt parfaits.

GCS is dedicated to providing healthy meals, and it all starts with a balanced breakfast. Research has shown that students who eat breakfast perform better on tests, have fewer health issues and behave better in class. School breakfast provides 25 percent of recommended daily allowance of protein, calcium and iron, vitamins A and C and calories, as well as meeting the Dietary Guidelines for America. For more information, please contact Cynthia Sevier, Director of School Nutritional Services at 370-3257.

Memorial Celebration to Honor Former Principal  

A memorial celebration in honor of Mrs. Valerie Doyle Collins, former principal at Brown Summit Middle, will be held on Wednesday, March 5. The public is invited to attend this very special event honoring Valerie’s life. The program includes a few very brief speeches, student song and student balloon release. For more information, please contact Interim Principal Michelle Ungurait at 656-0432.

Ecolab Offers Grants to Teachers

Ecolab offers grants to schools each year in the communities where their associates live and work. Last year, the company donated more than $62,000 to Guilford, Forsyth and Rockingham county teachers.

The program provides materials and resources through grants up to $3,000 to teachers in communities surrounding Ecolab facilities. Proposals must be received by 5:00 p.m. on Friday, March 28, 2008. All applicants will receive notice by mail in May, and funds will be available in time for the start of the 2008-09 school year. Click here for instructions and an application form. For more information, please contact Cecilia Adams, Manager of Community Partnerships, at 370-8355.

Seuss and Stories with GCAE

On Monday, March 3 from 6 – 8 p.m. the Guilford County Association of Educators (GCAE) and the Jamestown Public Library invite you to celebrate Dr. Seuss’ Birthday and Read Across America at 200 West Main Street, Jamestown. Click here for a list of planned events. For more information, please contact GCAE President Mark Jewel at 299-9601.

GCS Middle School Receives Best Buy Teach Award

Kiser Middle received a $2,000 Teach Award from Best Buy Co., Inc for integrating interactive technology into its curriculum.  The grant will be used to purchase overhead graphing calculators and TI-83 calculators for the students.  This year, Best Buy Teach Awards of $2,000 were given to 1,300 schools to sustain or enhance existing educational programs.  Since 2003, the Best Buy Teach Award Program has awarded schools that creatively integrate interactive technology into their curricula.  Over the past four years, nearly 5,000 schools nationwide have received $14 million in Teach Awards, reaching 1.5 million K-12 students.  All accredited, public and private nonprofit elementary, middle and secondary schools located within 50 miles of a Best Buy store are eligible. For more information, please contact Principal Sharon McCants or Jessica Bohn, Assistant Principal, at 370-8240.

Passport Around the World Showcase Proves to be a Success

On Tuesday, February 26, Kiser Middle hosted ‘Passport Around the World Showcase,’ a celebration of cultures around the world.  With well over 1,000 people in attendance, the event drew crowds of families, students and community members.  Students received ‘passports’ and travelled from country to country, getting their passports stamped and enjoying native food, culture and decorations.  GCS Chief Academic Officer Dr. Mack McCary and School Board Member Jeff Belton served as judges for the team competitions, along with local business representative Kevin Gray and community representative Oswaldo Maxwell.  Kiser would like to thank all four of these judges for dedicating their time to the important goal of achieving cultural understanding.  For more information, please contact Principal Sharon McCants or Jessica Bohn, Assistant Principal, at 370-8240.

Department of Advanced Learning Moving Forward

The Department of Advanced Learning (AL) held parent and teacher workshops at Grimsley High on Saturday, February 23 with 24 teachers attending in the morning, and more than 400 parents attending in the afternoon. The department conducted an informative community meeting with leaders of faith-based organizations and will conduct a community meeting with non-profit organizations on March 5 at GCS Administrative Office at 712 N. Eugene Street. The meetings are established to provide awareness for families of advanced learners and to inform individuals of available opportunities in the AL Department. For more information, please contact Jane Fleming, Executive Director of Advanced Learning, at 370-2316.

National Board of Professional Teaching

GCS is currently ranked 11th in the nation for National Board Certified Teachers. Continuing with this tradition, teachers, guidance counselors and media specialists with three years of teaching/counseling experience are invited to attend a prospective candidate interest meeting on March 12, 4 – 6 p.m., at 501 West Washington Street, Greensboro in Room 301. The National Board of Professional Teaching Standards currently offers 25 certificates in a variety of developmental areas. Click here to register.  For more information, please contact Karen Boyd, Induction Support Coach, at boydk@gcsnc.com  or 370-8098.

Allotment Processing and HR Technology Training

In preparation for the allotment and hiring season, the HR Department completed allotment processing and HR technology training for all principals over the past two weeks. This included training on the allotment process, AESOP – the substitute employee management system, using online tools to search for candidates, the hiring process, using extended employment agreements, HRMS, the PS-32, ConnectEd, and other tips and tricks that should prove helpful for the upcoming season. For more information, please contact Steve Foster, Executive Director of HR Operations, at 378-8822 or fosters@gcsnc.com.

Evaluation Turn-In Day

The third school-based evaluation turn-in day of the 2007-08 school year will be held March 13.  Principals will submit their second round of observations for non-career teachers with four years or more of experience and career status employees.  For more information, please contact Alison Yates, Director-Staffing, at 370-8094 or yatesa@gcsnc.com.

GCS/GCAE Host Transfer Fair

GCS, in partnership with the Guilford County Association of Educators (GCAE), recently hosted the third annual Transfer Fair for eligible teachers interested in finding another school within the district to call home at Westover Church in Greensboro.  Every school in the district had a table display for prospective teacher candidates to leave resumes and/or sign up for interviews. 

More than 100 interested candidates attended the Job Fair for Mission Possible schools.  The fair gave 30 of our principals the opportunity to market their programs and discuss with candidates the positive things happening in their building. For more information, please contact Alan Hooker at 370-8055 or   hookera2@gcsnc.com. 

GCSTV2

Magnet Schools-Time to Apply

Guilford County Schools offers 17 Magnet/Choice school themes from Montessori to Mandarin Chinese.  GCSTV 2 brings you highlights of our magnet/choice themes in a series of video showcases running each weekday at: 11:56 a.m., 12:45 p.m., 1:40 p.m., 2:15 p.m., 4:26p.m., 7:45 p.m. and 8:30 p.m.  A longer version of our Magnet Presentation runs daily at noon.  

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.  

MCET Rocks!

The students of the Middle College of Entertainment Technology show off what they’ve learned in their self-produced show, “MCET Rocks.”  Learn what’s going on around campus as students write, produce, videotape and edit their own production in this regular GCSTV 2 feature.  This program runs daily at 1 p.m. and 9:01 p.m.

College Tech Prep

Train as an electrician or a computer technician.  These are just two of a variety of technical educations available within GCS.  Join us for this preview of College Tech Prep running nightly at 8:25 p.m. Tuesday through Thursday.

Legislative Luncheon

Educators and legislators get together to discuss the issues that are important to public education. Taxing authority for school boards is just one of the topics featured in this program that runs daily at 4:51 a.m. and Saturday at 10 p.m.

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. In partnership with Emmy award winning photojournalist Rob Van Camp, we’re telecasting “Great Smoky Mountains Railroad.” This program takes you on an adventure aboard an authentic steam train through some of the most scenic beauty our country has to offer.  It runs nightly Sunday through Saturday at 7:15 p.m.

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.

The Local Story of the Pioneers of Civil Rights-The Greensboro Four     

The sit-ins at the F. W. Woolworth store in downtown Greensboro 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 on February 1st 48 years ago.   It runs on GCSTV 2 daily at 5:56 p.m. throughout Black History Month.

GCSTV 2 Programming Guide

GCSTV 2 viewers now have a convenient live electronic guide to daily programs. Upcoming programs are posted on screen hourly on the hour throughout the day and evening indicating broadcast times. The guide gives viewers an hourly preview of the shows that is automatically updated throughout the day.  Check out our new GCSTV 2 Programming Guide.           

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.

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 is known to draw a lot of community interest and sometimes, national attention. This Newsbreak airs Wednesday, March 5.          

The New Northern High School
The new Northern High school fulfills a need within GCS to meet the demand of a constantly growing student body. The facility is the first new high school for the district in nearly 30 years.  Watch as this ‘green’ facility is officially dedicated. This Newsbreak airs Friday, March 7. 

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

NON-GCS EDUCATIONAL NEWS

Math Education

The next "Education News Parents Can Use" broadcast (March 18, 8:00-9:00 ET) will feature the work of the National Mathematics Advisory Panel, highlighting the panel's final report (expected on March 13) and how the panel's findings will lead to more effective math instruction for all students.  For nearly two years, with a clear focus on the preparation of students for entry into and success in algebra, panel members have examined the scientific evidence in five core areas: conceptual knowledge and skills, learning processes, instructional practices and materials, assessments, and teachers and teacher education.  In a related vein, the broadcast will also spotlight what the Department and other partners are doing to promote math and science literacy under the President's American Competitiveness Initiative and showcase the work of high-performing schools from across the U.S. that are excelling in math education and essentially implementing the panel's recommendations.  For more information, go to: http://www.ed.gov/edtv/.  (You can watch archived webcasts at http://www.connectlive.com/events/ednews/.)

Increase Ell Parental Involvement, Close Achievement Gaps

A new policy brief from the Great Lakes Center has analyzed the factors involved with generating effective parental involvement of English Language Learners (ELLs). Parents of ELLs face daunting barriers when they attempt to become informed and involved in their child’s school. This, in turn, limits communication and participation. Given the achievement gap between ELLs and English proficient students, it is critical to identify practices that improve ELL parental involvement and, in turn, student achievement. While diversity speaks to the need for both traditional and non-traditional models, with a dual-model approach variation in language proficiency is acknowledged, communication is facilitated and communities are recognized and integrated within the school culture. The center recommends that policymakers fund the implementation of non-traditional parental involvement programs that reflect a reciprocal involvement in the school/parent community. Click here to read more.

Let Children Know Racism Isn’t Acceptable  

When a relative recently made a disparaging remark about African Americans in front of Arica Prejean’s children, she immediately repudiated it. Prejean considers speaking out against racism part of her job as a parent, reports Melissa Dutton for the Association Press. Still, many parents struggle with what to do when presented with a similar scenario. Lawrence Cohen, a psychologist, believes it is important to address the slur in a way that doesn't upset the child. If the parent is able to calmly ask the person to refrain from speaking in such a manner, then they should do so. One of the most important factors to creating open minded children is to expose them to people of all backgrounds. This means parents should start talking about race early on, as parents underestimate the likelihood of kids hearing racial slurs. For parents to adequately handle racist comments, they should forget trying to be colorblind and instead make conversations about race relaxed and frequent. Click here to read more.