Friday Notes from Guilford County Schools

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November 3, 2006

GCS Vision, Mission/Thematic Goals and Core Values

GCS vision – what we will become, GCS mission/thematic goals- how we will get there -- GCS
core values - what we believe -- solidify the underlying foundation for all Guilford County Schools’ decisions and actions.

Eastern High Students Return to School

Following a special called meeting today, the Board of Education approved a plan that would allow Eastern eleventh and twelfth graders to return to school on Wednesday, November 8 on the GTCC Greensboro campus, located at 3505 E. Wendover Avenue.  Students will take classes from noon until 6 p.m.  This gracious partnership with GTCC will allow graduating seniors to immediately return to school and both grade levels an opportunity to take college level courses.  Ninth and tenth graders will return to school on Tuesday, November 14 at the former campus of the North Carolina School for the Deaf facility in Brown Summit.  Schedules for these students are still in development. 

We are very grateful to GTCC, UNCG and NC A&T officials for their generous offer and support in having our students return to school as quickly as possible. Please contact Dr. Terry Grier at 370-8992 if you have any questions.

How to Help Eastern Guilford High School

Guilford County Schools would like to thank members of the community for their overwhelming support of the Eastern High School family.  Both individuals and organizations have been very gracious in extending services, materials and financial donations towards relief efforts.

Anyone who wishes to make a financial contribution to Eastern High School relief efforts can do so at any BB&T branch in Guilford County and east to the Burlington area. Please make checks payable to Eastern High. The donations are tax-deductible.

Additionally, donations can be mailed to or dropped off at the administrative offices of Guilford County Schools at 712 N. Eugene St., Greensboro, NC, 27401. Office hours are Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. The district will work with the school to determine needs and how funds will be used.

Other ways you can help:

• Make a donation to the WXII telethon that is taking place today from 6 am to 11 pm and can be accessed by calling 866-207-6954 
• Donate School Supplies to WFMY News2 Tools for School drive at the Wal-Mart on Cone Blvd.
• Donate through WMAG-FM’s radio fund drive all day Friday
• Make a contribution for a specific teacher’s needs though the Guilford Education Alliance Web site, www.guilfordeducationalliance.org, and follow the links to DonorsChoose North Carolina.  DonorsChoose has agreed to fast-track proposals from Eastern Guilford High teachers and get them onto the Web site as soon as they can 
• Make a credit card contribution through the Education Alliance that the school system will use for supplies, materials, and other items needed. Go to the GEA Web site, www.guilfordeducationalliance.org, and follow the link to “Click here to make a cash donation”

All donations will be used exclusively for Eastern High relief efforts. For more information, contact Cecilia Adams, manager of community partnerships, at 370-8355.

Greensboro Grasshoppers Pledge Aid to Eastern High School

In response to the devastating loss of Eastern High School earlier this week, the Greensboro Grasshoppers are lending their support to this unforeseen tragedy.

During a meeting to discuss Eastern’s future, the Grasshoppers officially presented the Guilford County Board of Education and Superintendent Terry Grier with a donation of $100,000 toward the rebuilding effort.

“These students and faculty have lost more than just a building,” said Grasshoppers President Donald Moore. “Books, computers and music instruments are the physical items we can quickly name, but things like a school dance or a senior year can never be replaced. Essentially, they have lost the very things we all fondly remember about our high school experiences.”

Baseball has been a fabric of the Greensboro community for over 100 years, but the opening of First Horizon Park in 2005 introduced it again to younger generations.

“We are extremely blessed to be so well received and as good community stewards, the Grasshoppers feel very strongly about giving to this devastating occurrence,” said Moore.

“Without the generosity and vision of Jim Melvin and the Joseph M. Bryan Foundation in building First Horizon Park, our achievements would not be possible. A tragedy of this magnitude deserves our attention and though $100,000 can not buy back memories, we are beyond humbled to share a piece of our success to help others recover and grow.” For more information, please contact Chad Campbell, media relations manager, at 370-8356.

U.S. Department of Education Presents Grant to Guilford County Schools

The U.S. Department of Education's Mary Elizabeth Davis presented a five-year Teacher Incentive Fund grant to GCS, worth $8 million, to supplement the district’s Mission Possible program. 

The award is one of 16 grants being made in the first round of the new Teacher Incentive Fund (TIF) grant program. The TIF is President Bush's initiative to reward and encourage teachers who take on tough jobs.  With the grant, GCS can expand Mission Possible to include: Bessemer Elementary, Cone Elementary, Falkener Elementary, Union Hill Elementary, Allen Middle, Aycock Middle and Penn-Griffin School for the Arts.

“This grant will extend our efforts immensely in attracting and retaining the best educators possible in our most needy schools,” said Superintendent Terry Grier. “Because of the higher salaries and benefits offered by private industry, we have to increase the pool of qualified teachers for our classrooms. This grant will possibly give even more students the boost they need to succeed.”

The grant will be used to develop and implement performance-based teacher and principal compensation systems in high-need, disadvantaged schools, where at least 30 percent of students are eligible for free or reduced-price lunch. The goals of the program are to improve student achievement by increasing the effectiveness of principals and teachers, and, at the same time, increase the number of effective teachers for minority and disadvantaged students. For more information, please contact Sonya Conway, executive director of district relations, at 370-8386.

Andrews Teacher, Jean White Receives Teacher Arts Grant

The High Point Area Arts Council is pleased to confirm Jean White, Media Specialist at Andrews High School, as an award recipient of a Teacher Arts Grant for "STORYTELLING: More Than a Story."  Mr. Joe Ferguson, a Professional Storyteller from Greensboro, will present several workshops to students and faculty in December. The Junior League of High Point, the High Point Chamber of Commerce and the High Point Area Arts Council will be presenting grant monies to teachers on Thursday, November 16 at the High Point Chamber of Commerce.  For more information, please contact Principal Monique Brooks at 819-2800 or Debra Barham, instructional improvement officer, at 370-8101.

Falkener Elementary Hosts Math Night for Parents and Students

On Thursday, November 9, Falkener Elementary will host a Math Night from 6-8 p.m. for parents and students.  This event provides our families the chance to visit math activity stations that align with each math goal for each grade level.  As parents and students visit over 40 teacher-hosted activity stations together, parents learn about what students are expected to know and do in mathematics for their grade level.  Students model their math knowledge by participating in hands-on math challenges throughout the evening.  Each family that attends will receive a “Math in the Home” kit filled with math tools to engage in math learning in the home.  Hundreds of math related door prizes will be given away.  This is a great opportunity for families to come together to learn how to support math learning in the home and school.  For more information, please contact Dr. Amy Holcombe, principal, at 370-8150 or Sandra Culmer, instructional improvement officer, at 370-2336.

Breast Cancer Awareness North at Northern Guilford Middle

In an effort to promote breast cancer awareness month, Northern Guilford Middle School designated Friday, October 27 as “Think Pink Day.” The staff and students were asked to wear pink and bring in donations for the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation. The school within a school currently serves sixth grade students only until construction is completed on the facility. There were 130 students (half the student body) wearing pink to promote awareness and they raised a total of $638. The staff and students are aware of the many lives that are affected by breast cancer and want to help make a difference.  For more information, please contact Dr. Sam Misher, principal, at 605-3342 or Beth Folger, instructional improvement officer, at 370-8301.

International Grandmaster Maurice Ashley Visits Foust Elementary School

What a day for our fifth grade students and Chess Club members at Foust Elementary School!!  International Grandmaster, Maurice Ashley, the first and only African American to achieve the highest ranking in chess visited Foust Elementary School. A dynamic and captivating speaker, he encouraged students to take advantage of every opportunity that comes their way.   He told them to dream big, to set goals and to believe in themselves.  He shared personal experiences from his childhood and explained how playing chess helped him excel in school. After answering questions from students about his personal and chess career, Grandmaster Ashley left an autographed copy of his book, Chess for Success, for students to enjoy.  We are sure students will remember this visit by Grandmaster Ashley for years to come.  We are also sure they will excel in school, in life, and in chess too if they so choose.
For more information, please contact Geraldine Cox, principal, at 370-8155 or Gay Citty, instructional improvement officer, at 370-8060.

Recruitment Fairs

Cheryl Lowe from Human Resources and Emily Henderson, from Exceptional Children, attended the Appalachian State University Fall Teacher Recruitment Fair. While the fall fair is smaller than the Spring, GCS representatives met with nearly 100 student teachers.  We collected 77 resumes, and offered four early contracts in the areas of math and exceptional children (EC).  Several excellent elementary and secondary teachers were identified and aggressive measures are in place to ensure we recruit these folks early.  

Deb Hertlein and Adina Mandikos from the EC department traveled to Penn State University and Slippery Rock University and met more than 100 interested candidates from various disciplines at each site.  We have also begun to secure prospective candidates from these two institutions. 

Tabitha Apple, along with representatives from Transportation, Maintenance, and ACES attended the News & Record Triad Career Fair on November 2.  Nearly 300 people visited the GCS table and expressed an interest in classified employment.  Tabitha identified several potential lateral entry candidates and invited them to Tracey’s lateral entry workshop.  We collected approximately 200 resumes and are in the process of distributing these to the appropriate personnel for further consideration.  

To date, the Office of Employment has received requests to place student teachers from the following institutions for the spring semester:  North Carolina A&T (33), High Point University (26), Elon University (9), UNC-Greensboro (86).  (Note: 20 student teachers will be working in the area of math or science).  For more information, please contact Alan Hooker, director of recruitment, at 370-8055.

GCSTV 2

GCS/ABC 45 Partnership Continues

GCS continues its partnership with ABC 45 television to share the following 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.

Looking To the Future After the Fire
It’s been a highly emotional time for the students, staff and parents at Eastern Guilford High School.  The fire there not only took their building, it has taken a toll on their sense of place and left them wondering what the future holds.  GSCTV 2 brings us some insight into their thoughts and what the future holds for their high school years.  This Newsbreak airs Wednesday, November 8 on ABC-45 and throughout the weekend on GCSTV 2.

Mission Possible Gets National Exposure
The Tom Cruise movie did come up in the conversation when GCS administrators talked about their new pilot initiative, but it has a new twist.   “Mission Possible” is a local program dedicated to helping improve the district’s most disadvantaged schools.  The idea has impressed other educators far beyond Guilford County.  Network television has come calling asking about the program as well as National Public Radio.  GCSTV 2 is there as a local initiative gets national exposure.  This Newsbreak airs Friday, November 10. 

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

NON-GCS EDUCATIONAL NEWS

New Research on Achievement Gap

Achievement gaps are not facts of nature. They are mostly because of differences in life experience. As a nation, we have to figure out how to get all kids the kinds of experiences that really maximize access to middle-class skills. That’s the challenge. For more than a decade, economist Ronald Ferguson has studied achievement gaps. A senior research associate at Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government, Ferguson is director and faculty co-chair of the Achievement Gap Initiative at Harvard University. He spoke with the Harvard Education Letter about the most recent findings from Tripod Project surveys. Over 80 percent of kids in any classroom say they plan to do their best all year long, if you ask them in the fall. The only ones that are still near that level in the spring -- if the vast majority are nonwhite and non-Asian -- are kids in high help/high perfectionism classrooms. We need to give teachers the learning experiences that help them reach and teach some of the kids who they are struggling to understand if we want kids to persist and do their best work all year. Click here to read more…

For Hispanic Parents: Lessons on Helping with the Homework

Parental involvement is a buzzword in education, a recommended cure for high dropout rates, poor test scores and almost everything else that ails schoolchildren. But for immigrant parents, reports Joseph Berger, helping their children absorb lessons in an inscrutable language in a strange country has always been a distinctive challenge. Hispanic children now make up 18.6 percent of the nation’s public and private school children, and many of those are immigrants or children of immigrants. Their dropout rates and test scores trouble policy makers, so educators have been focusing on what parents can do to help their children thrive in school and what obstacles they face, among other approaches. It’s a huge issue," said Dr. Pedro A. Noguera. "Many Latino parents are working a lot, so their ability to get involved is limited. There’s the language barrier. In many Latin American countries there’s a tendency to defer to authorities in school, an assumption that educators know what they're doing." Long-established middle-class American parents, he said, take for granted that they are "critical consumers, making sure their kids are getting the right teachers and the right classes." But, he said, "many immigrants parents don't understand that this is a role they need to play." When parents do get involved, the decisions they make can be pivotal — few more so than whether to put youngsters in bilingual classes or the English as a second language classes that quickly immerse students in English. Click here to read more…