Friday Notes from Guilford County Schools

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April 27, 2007

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.

Guilford County Council of PTAs Announce 2006-07 Award Winners

On Tuesday, April 24, the Guilford County Council of PTAs recognized outstanding PTA units, teachers, administrators and volunteers for their commitment to the students of Guilford County Schools during its annual awards banquet.  We are happy to add our congratulations and heartfelt thanks to the winners. Click here to view a complete list of winners. For more information, please contact Cecilia Adams, Community Partnerships Manager, at 370-8355.

Embarq Makes Donation to Eastern Guilford High

After the school experienced a devastating fire on November 1, Embarq Communications recently donated $10,000 to Eastern High relief efforts. This brings the total amount of donations to the Eastern High School fire relief fund to $668,194.21. Embarq presented the donation on Monday, April 23 at the Eastern High Millennium Campus. For more information, please contact Cecilia Adams, Community Partnerships Manager, at 370-8355.

Administrative Professionals Shape the Future Daily

Administrative professionals are the backbone of every organization’s daily operations. On April 25, Administrative Professionals Day, GCS recognized these talented men and women for their hard work and dedication. This year, Administrative Professionals Day celebrated “Shaping the Future,” the 2007 theme. Two GCS employees, Elizabeth “Libby” Edmonds and Chuck Cannell, exemplify this theme, going above and beyond their duties and shaping the future of GCS students daily. 

In addition to her tasks as administrative support at Guilford Middle, Edmonds has been known to go the extra mile for students and provides them with support and guidance. To help the school’s large Hispanic population, she volunteered to learn Spanish and even arranged dental work for an ESL student in need.

Cannell, treasurer at Northeast Middle, has also become the school’s “go-to” person. He is not only busy shaping the future of students, but also the future of the school. Cannell became an integral part of the construction project at Northeast last summer. He ensured that the building was locked each night and that workers had access to the building during construction.

Edmonds and Cannell are just two of the many outstanding administrative professionals who were celebrated on Administrative Professionals Day. Their commitment to shaping the future of the district is an integral part of the daily achievements in every school and office in GCS. For more information, please contact Haley Henderson, Program Administrator – Communications, at 370-3200.          

Grimsley Career and Technical Education Student Wins State Award

Rondre Francis, Mahmoud Mahmoud, Jarin Reaves, Travis Turman, Jerrid Visser, Grimsley Masonry and Victor Vigoya, all students from the Grimsley High School Career and Technical Education Masonry program, participated in the North Carolina SkillsUSA competitive events held April 16 - 18, 2007. 

Victor Vigoya won first place in the masonry event where he was required to take a written exam and construct a masonry project demonstrating quality workmanship and details used in residential construction.  SkillsUSA is a state and national career and technical education student organization whose members are encouraged to make a difference in their schools, communities and in the nation through leadership, citizenship and technical skills. SkillsUSA also provides members an opportunity to demonstrate their competence and skill development through a variety of competitive events.  The Grimsley Masonry program will receive a $1,000 award from SkillsUSA.    

Congratulations to Mr. Nathaniel Degraffinreaidt, Masonry instructor at Grimsley High, and all of his students. For more information, please contact Sylvia Anderson, Director of Career and Technical Education, at 370-8357.

Weaver Career and Technical Education Students are Winners in State SkillsUSA

Weaver Career and Technical Education students also participated in this state-wide event and represented GCS very well by winning several awards. 

Edward Pegram, a senior at Page High and a student in the Electrical Technology program at Weaver, won first place in the Residential Wiring event.  Contestants in this event follow blueprints and specification sheets to complete the installation of residential wiring and electrical devices according to national Electrical Code standards.  Judging is based on accuracy of layout and installation as well as scores on the written exam. Congratulations to Edward and to Ryan Cobb, Electrical Technology teacher at Weaver Academy. 

Michael Byrd from Dudley High, Dominick Ledbetter from Smith High, and Jacob Nichols from Southwest High won first place in the Automated Manufacturing Technology team event.  This event evaluates students’ knowledge and skills in the integrated manufacturing technology fields of computer aided drafting/design (CAD), computer aided manufacturing (CAM), and computer numerical controlled machining (CNC).  Each team of three students has a CAD operator who constructs the geometry of the part, a CAM operator who generates the tool path and a CNC operator who sets up and machines the part. Congratulations to these three students and their Metals Technology Instructor Mr. Gene Holder. 

These Weaver Career and Technical Education students will represent GCS and North Carolina at the National Leadership and Skills Conference in Kansas City on June 26-29, 2007. For more information, please contact Sylvia Anderson, Director, College Tech Prep and Career-Technical Education, at 370-8358.

Andrews High Competes at the 34th Annual NC SkillsUSA Leadership Conference and Skills Championship

For the first time in many years, Andrews returned to the NC SkillsUSA Leadership Conference. Three students competed in two events and Shannon Wellington and Javier Velasquez, both juniors at Andrews, placed first and second respectively in the Computer Maintenance Technology event. Javier has earned his Microsoft Certified Professional (MCP) certification and will be testing soon for his Network+ and A+ certifications from CompTIA. Shannon is MCP and Network+ certified and will be testing for A+ and another Microsoft certification this year. He is currently preparing to represent the state in the 42nd annual National SkillsUSA Leadership Conference and Skills Competition in Kansas City. Andrews plans to participate in next year’s conference and hopes to compete in more events. For more information, please contact Chris Shore, SkillsUSA Advisor, at 819-2800.

Guilford County High School Teams Participate in First Robotics World Championships

“How strange? Triple Strange!” It isn’t your usual high school cheer, but it’s the one that rang through the Georgia Dome in Atlanta as The Early College at Guilford’s FIRST Robotics Team 1533—aka Triple Strange—competed in the FIRST Robotics World Championships, otherwise known as the “Super Bowl of Smarts.” ECG Team 1533 is comprised of 37 students from six area high schools—The Early College at Guilford, Western High, Grimsley High, Southwest High, Wesleyan, Northwest High—as well as home-schooled students.

The team placed ninth out of 86 teams in the Archimedes Division and advanced to the divisional semifinals, finishing 32nd out of the 346 teams from the United States and six other nations including Brazil, Canada, Israel, Mexico, the Netherlands, and the United Kingdom. ECG Team 1533, which also was a regional finalist at the Peachtree regional in March, earned a ranking in the top five percent of all of the teams represented at the event. Also, the Dudley High School Panthers, winners of the North Carolina Vex tournament, and students from The Middle College at NC A&T traveled to Atlanta to compete in the FIRST Vex Challenge (FVC).  More than 1,000 students participated in that competition using the innovative Vex Robotics Design System. The FVC tournament attracted the top 100 teams from United States, Canada, Mexico, China and Singapore. 

FIRST (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology) is a not-for-profit organization founded by Dean Kamen, renowned inventor of the Segway human transporter, to inspire an appreciation of science and technology in young people. ECG Robotics has, and welcomes, high school age students from all parts of the Triad.  The team is available to make presentations to other schools, companies or groups who want to learn more about robotics. For more information about ECG Team 1533, visit www.ecgrobotics.com. For more information about FIRST, visit www.usfirst.org. For more information, please contact Principal Charles Blanchard at 316-2860 or Barry Williams, Instructional Improvement Officer, at 574-1687.

“WORD Volume IV” in celebration of April as Poetry Month

Congratulations to students who were recently selected as High School Poets Laureate. These students—representing public and independent schools from across Guilford County—read their poems on Sunday, April 15, at the Greensboro Historical Museum.

Earlier this year, media specialists and other educators hosted poetry contests at high schools. One finalist from each school was awarded the title of Poet Laureate and winning poems were published in “WORD: building community through poetry, Volume IV.” The 2007 poets laureate from GCS include: Jasmine LeGrand (Andrews High), Myia Johnson (Dudley High), Emily Stainkamp (The Early College at Guilford),Alex Patterson (Grimsley High), Sasha Cheek (Northeast Guilford High), Rebekah Payne (Northwest Guilford High), Joanna Hartness (Page High), Rachel Bennett (Ragsdale High), Rachel Smith (Southwest Guilford High), Sarah Fleming (Weaver Academy for the Performing and Visual Arts) and Cam Prevatte (Western Guilford High).

The High School Poet Laureate project is sponsored by The Friends of the Greensboro Public Library as part of the annual Poetry GSO project during April, National Poetry Month. The publication of “WORD, Volume IV” was made possible—in part—by a Teacher Art Grant from the United Arts Council of Greater Greensboro. “WORD, Volume IV” was designed by Derrell Simpson, a winner of this year’s Art in the Air contest. Click here to view “WORD: building community through poetry, Volume IV." For more information, please contact Steve Sumerford, Poetry GSO Organizer, at 373-247, Pat Adams-Caskie, GCS Media Specialist, at 370-8200 or Kate Cummings, GCS Media Specialist, at 370-8180.

Three Penn-Griffin School for the Arts Students Recognized by Duke Talent Identification Program (TIP)

The Duke Talent Search is not the typical star search. Instead of finding gifted musicians, dancers and singers, TIP looks for academically gifted fourth-, fifth- and seventh-grade students.

Penn-Griffin seventh-graders Jillian Loftis, David Taylor and Eric Weidenhoft will receive state recognition from TIP for outstanding results on the SAT standardized test. Participation in the talent search allowed these students to take the test early in their academic career, which will help prepare them for the future. To be recognized by the program, students must achieve a math score of 520 or better or a critical reading score of 510 or better. Students may also be recognized by achieving both a 510 in and a 500 in critical reading.They will be recognized for their accomplishments during a ceremony that will take place at Wake Forest University on June 1. For more information, please contact Principal Bobby Ann Hayes at 819-2870.

Two GCS Science Teachers Receive Orthogonal Medal from North Carolina State University (NCSU)

The Orthogonal Medal is presented each year by NCSU to an individual or individuals who make outstanding contributions to the advancement of graphic science. The award has been presented to engineers, professors and Pulitzer Prize winners. This year, it was awarded to Roy Kimmins, Scientific Visualization Instructor at Weaver Academy and Phyllis Jones, Scientific Visualization Teacher at Page.

These GCS teachers are two of only four high school teachers who have been awarded the medal since its conception in 1985. They received the award for their accomplishments in stating, writing and maintaining the SciVis program for North Carolina. The teachers were honored during an award banquet at NCSU on Saturday, April 21.

SciVis, short for scientific and technical visualization, combines advanced graphic tools to illustrate concepts related to science, math and technology. The program has been recognized both nationally and internationally and is currently offered to students at high schools throughout the district. For more information, please contact Mr. Kimmins at 370-8282 or Ms. Jones at 370-8200 ext.4305.

Ferndale Middle Receives We the People Bookshelf Award

The National Endowment for the Humanities’ (NEH) We the People Bookshelf Program, in cooperation with the American Library Association (ALA), ensures that libraries across the nation contain books to enlighten and teach the nation’s heritage. Ferndale is one of select schools from across the country to receive 15 books in English and three in Spanish dedicated to the theme, “Becoming American.” The school will also receive promotional materials such as bookmarks and posters, and plans to incorporate educational programs that promote classic books and engage young readers this fall. For more information, please contact Karen Lloyd, Media Specialist, at 819-2855.

Key Communicator Meeting at Rankin

I recently met with teachers at Rankin Elementary to hear and discuss their thoughts, ideas and issues. This brainstorming session lasted about 90 minutes and was an excellent opportunity for teachers to share with me topics that are of concern. Many thanks to Principal Dot Harper for her help in hosting this productive session. Please call me at 370-8992 should you have any questions.

Strong American Schools Campaign Launches to Promote Education Reform in 2008 Presidential Election

Flanked by scores of parents, volunteers and education reform advocates on the eve of the first 2008 presidential debate, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and The Eli and Edythe Broad Foundation announced the launch of the Strong American Schools campaign aimed at elevating American education to the top of the presidential campaign agenda between now and November 2008. Strong American Schools is a nonpartisan public awareness and action campaign designed to give a voice to every American who demands strong leadership to improve our schools.

Strong American Schools has launched "ED in '08," a sweeping public awareness and action campaign that will mobilize the public and presidential candidates around solutions for the country's education crisis. The campaign brings together for the first time leaders of all major political parties who are willing to address education as an American challenge rather than a narrow political issue.

As part of its call to action, Strong American Schools will urge leaders to address and debate three common-sense priorities that hold tremendous promise for improving education:

1. Strong American education standards
2. Effective teachers in every classroom
3. More time and support for learning

Strong American Schools' steering committee is comprised of prominent business, education, and political leaders. The foundations have committed up to $60 million to support the campaign through November 2008. For more information, please visit www.EDin08.com or contact Sonya Conway, Executive Director of District Relations, at 370-8386.

Insects in the Classroom

The North Carolina Entomological Society is currently accepting applications and/or nominations for the 2007 Outstanding Elementary/Secondary Teacher Awards. These awards recognize NC teachers who use insects or other arthropods in creative or innovative ways that exceed their school’s curriculum requirements. Recipients will receive recognition by the NC Entomological Society, plus monetary support for the purchase of entomological equipment or supplies. To nominate or apply for this award, please visit http://cipm.ncsu.edu/ent/ncentsoc. The deadline is May 25, 2007. For more information, please contact John Meyer, Department of Entomology, at 919-515-1659.

Conflict Resolution Training

Professional Development Trainers Reg Adkins and Traci Miller concluded a two-day training, “Increase the Peace: Conflict Resolution”, on Thursday April 26.  Participants experienced the highly interactive training session, which enhanced understanding of conflict and the essential stages of effective conflict resolution.  The class made a deep examination of the different components of the verbal escalation continuum including intervention techniques, and also learned how to deal with difficult people.  Look for the summer session to be posted on the GCS Professional Development Web site in the very near future.  For more information, please contact Reg Adkins at 317-1534 or Traci Miller at 312-4266.

Professional Development Reminders

With the June 30 renewal cycle quickly approaching, there are a few things to remember when registering for and participating in professional development activities:

1. Participants must register for courses before the last day of the course. If a participant has difficulty registering, please e-mail Professional Development (profdev@gcsnc.com) so we can help identify the problem.
2. Participants must unregister from courses they cannot attend. “No Show” status will be given to participants who do not unregister from courses.
3. New employees must fill out a Professional Development account application in order to be added to the PD system. That can be done from this site: http://professional_development.gcsnc.com/index.html, click on “Obtain PD Account”. An e-mail will be sent when the account is active and ready to use.
4. All events and trainings must end on or before June 30, 2007 in order to receive credit during this licensure period.

For more information, please contact Rick Cobb, Director of Professional Development, at 378-8811.

Right Start Orientation 2007-08

The Right Start orientation 2007-2008 link is currently on the GCS homepage.  Teachers with less than six months of teaching experience are required to attend this orientation.  Teachers in schools on the regular school calendar will attend the training the week of August 13.  Teachers in year-round schools, any middle college or the Early College have separate training sessions designed to accommodate the start date at each individual school.  If you are a new teacher to GCS with more than six months of teaching experience, including VIF teachers, your attendance is encouraged but optional at an orientation session that will be held on August 20.  To see all the dates and locations of the training and/or to register, go to www.gcsnc.com and click on “Are you a new GCS teacher?”  For more information, please contact Martha Snavely, Executive Director for Induction and Success, at 370-8098.

Walk 100 or Run 200 Miles Wellness Activity

The GCS Central Office employees are walking or running their way to good health.  The Walk 100 or Run 200 miles wellness activity began on April 25 and will conclude on June 13, 2007.  Approximately 200 Central office employees have registered to walk or run to the mountains or the coast.  For more information, please contact Patty Kinkade, Director of Benefits, at 370-8092.

GCSTV 2

GCS is Building Futures

With GCS growing by more than 1,700 new students each year, the challenge is keeping up with the demand to educate them in a safe, comfortable environment. More than two dozen construction projects are underway within our school district to help reach that goal. The new Southern Middle School is on schedule to be finished by April. Guilford Primary should be complete by August and Northern Elementary by December. In addition, building is underway at Ferndale Middle, Oak View Elementary and Southern Middle. Come along for a tour with GCSTV 2 to see how school construction bond money helps to make the improvements possible. Join hosts Lillian Govus and Dave Burnett for this edition of Building Futures. The program airs daily at: 12:20 a.m., 12:20 p.m. 4 p.m. and 9:20 p.m.

Tus Hijos y GCS (Your Children and Guilford County Schools)

It’s time to register for next year’s classes. For parents who need it, there is help available. Join host Karin Young for this newest edition of our Spanish and English language program: “Tus Hijos y GCS.” Karin provides the latest information on registering for school next year, including some tips that will help make the transition to the next grade level a bit smoother. Tus Hijos y GCS airs daily at 1 a.m., 7 a.m., 11:30 a.m. and 7 p.m.                

The Home Field Advantage

Changing schools during the year creates a disadvantage for students when it comes to their studies. Research indicates that children who study at one school throughout the school year do better academically than those who change schools one or more times during the year. GCS offers students at select schools the “Home Field Advantage.” The initiative gives children a chance to stay at their original school if their family moves during the academic year. Get the latest information on this program that helps students stay in the game. Home Field Advantage airs five times daily at: 7:30 a.m., 10 a.m., 1:30 p.m., 4 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. 

Board of Education Discussion with SROs

The accomplishments and challenges of School Resource Officers are the topic of discussion Guilford County Board of Education members meet with local law enforcement and the men and women who provide protection in our schools. This April 20 meeting is being re-broadcast this Friday, Saturday, Sunday and Monday (April 27-30) at 4:30 p.m. each day.

Young Drivers-The High Risk Years

If you have a teenager who is already driving or will be getting their licenses soon, don’t miss this program. The focus is on ways to reduce injuries and death among our young. It is told from the perspective of teens and parents who know the consequences of a simple mistake made behind the wheel. This program airs daily at Noon, 9 p.m. and Midnight.

On Assignment

For the latest in news and information that chronicles programs and events throughout the school district, join host Leonard Simpson for “On Assignment.” This newest episode airs daily at: 9 a.m., 10:30 a.m., 3:30 p.m. and 6 p.m.    

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. You can also learn more about GCS by tuning in to GCSTV 2 (Cable Channel 2).

Celebrating Excellence in Education
Partnerships help reinforce our theme of “Striving. Achieving. Excelling.” Our business community is a strong and important partner in the education of children in Guilford County. Now travelers from all over the world can carry that message with them wherever they go. Visitors to the Piedmont Triad International Airport can’t help but notice the recently unveiled mural that adorns the upper level of the airport terminal. This Newsbreak airs Wednesday, May 2.

Game Day
It’s the season. GCS students are not only gearing up for the end of the school year, they’re helping celebrate the opening of baseball season. GCS pitched in to cheer on the Greensboro Grasshoppers as the team played host to middle school students for a home game. This Newsbreak airs Friday, May 4.

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

NON-GCS EDUCATIONAL NEWS

New No Child Left Behind (NCLB) Fact Sheets and Chart Available

One-page NCLB fact sheets are now available and can be downloaded from the Web. The fact sheets address:
- Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) at http://www.ncpublicschools.org/nclb/abcayp/facts/;
- transfer options, or public school choice, at http://www.ncpublicschools.org/nclb/schoolchoice/facts/;
- free tutoring, or supplemental educational services, at http://www.ncpublicschools.org/nclb/ses/facts/;
- corrective action for Title I schools at http://www.ncpublicschools.org/nclb/corrective/facts/; and
- Title I District Improvement at http://www.ncpublicschools.org/nclb/district/facts/.

A new Title I School Improvement chart clearly explaining each year in School Improvement is available for downloading at http://www.ncpublicschools.org/nclb/abcayp/overview/ayp#10. Please share these resources with teachers, administrators and parents. The entire collection can be accessed at http://www.ncpublicschools.org/nclb/parents/.

Michigan "middle college" Seen as a Model

High schools located on college campuses with college courses at the heart of their curriculum are transforming some dropouts into high school and college graduates, by surrounding students with a new atmosphere. "High school just does not work for some students," Mott Middle College's dean of students, Lee Rossmaessler says. "We've had a phenomenal turnaround with students who before coming here were not going to graduate." Click here to read more.

"Richard Riley Award Honoring Excellence in Schools as Centers of Community"

KnowledgeWorks Foundation and The American Architectural Foundation, seek submissions for the Richard Riley Award. This award recognizes design and educational excellence in "schools as centers of community" -- schools that serve as centers of community provide an array of social, civic, recreational and artistic opportunities to the broader community and to students, often clustering educational and municipal buildings together. Maximum Award: $10,000.  Eligibility: all existing elementary and secondary public schools. Applications are being accepted now. The deadline is July 9, 2007. Click here to read more.

Britain's Schools Segregated by Race, Ethnicity, Government Says

British schools are a racially segregated "ticking time bomb," according to a government racial issues watchdog commission. "If a Muslim child is educated in a school where the vast majority of other children are also Muslim, how can we expect him to work, live and interact with people from other cultures when he leaves school?" asked Nick Johnson, policy director of the U.K.'s Commission for Racial Equality. Click here to read more.