GCS News Briefs

January 9, 2009

This is What You Said

We asked you to send us your thoughts on how to make GCS one of the nation’s leading public school systems. We are thankful to the thousands of you who responded. Here is what one of you suggested:

This winter, please make sure the persons making decisions about whether or not to hold school in inclement weather will err on the side of caution. There are lots of high school students driving, and if school is operating, it puts many inexperienced drivers on the roads.

Groundbreaking Ceremony Will Officially Kick Off Construction at Jamestown Middle

On Friday, January 23, at 10 a.m., the construction at Jamestown Middle will officially begin. The community is invited to attend this event. Parking is available at the current Jamestown Middle, 4401 Vickrey Chapel Road, Jamestown, and shuttles will take guests to the site. For more information, contact Lillian M. Govus, program administrator – communications, at 370-8997.

Teacher Supply Warehouse Needs Donations

The downturn in the economy finds more parents unable to send their children to school with the supplies they need. Combined with GCS budget reductions, this means a significantly higher number of teachers are taking advantage of the Teacher Supply Warehouse (TSW), where they can find items to use in their classrooms at no charge. The inventory at TSW is greatly depleted due to this increased use, and there is an immediate need for more donations.  Items in short supply include pencils, notebook paper, copy paper, markers, tape, glue sticks, index cards and erasers. Teachers can also use a variety of items from basic supplies to things such as carpet squares, fabric and trade show samples. 

The TSW collects new or gently used items from local businesses, organizations and individuals and allows teachers to “shop” the warehouse free of charge.  Operated by Guilford Education Alliance in partnership with the Welfare Reform Liaison Project, Leadership Greensboro and Guilford County Schools, the TSW opened in the fall of 2007.  In the first year of operation, there were more than 900 teacher visits, which put $250,000 worth of classroom supplies back into the classroom.  During the last four shopping days in December, 2008, the TSW had 215 teacher visits.

Click here for a complete list of supplies needed.  To contribute supplies, contact Cecilia Adams, manager of community partnerships, at 370-8355.  For more information, contact the Guilford Education Alliance at 841-4332 or info@GuilfordEducationAlliance.org.

Oak Hill Elementary School Receives Gift from Food Lion

Oak Hill Elementary School was awarded a $1,500 grant by the Food Lion Charitable Foundation.  The funds will be used to purchase a SMART Board. A SMART Board is an interactive white board which interfaces with the computer and video projector.  It will be used to integrate the internet, video presentations, classroom lessons and other educational media into instruction, while stimulating student interest in technology. Many thanks to Food Lion for this generous donation. For more information, contact Principal Sara Roberts at 819-2925.

Northeast Middle Science Fair Winners to Compete in Regional Fair

The science department at Northeast Middle announced the winners of its annual science fair. Out of more than 150 participants, seven students who earned first place will be invited to participate in the Guilford County Regional Fair in February 2009. Tyler Cook and Josh McClellan placed first in Earth Science, Cody Blum and T.J. Richmond in Technology, Renee Moore and Jared Gordon in Biology and Macey Matthews in Physical Science. For more information, please contact Principal Johncarlos Miller at 375-2525.

Ragsdale High DECA Shines at District Competition

Recently, 14 Ragsdale students competed in the North Carolina DECA District Competition at Forsyth Technical Community College. Group member Lindsey Wilkerson was in the top 10 for her test score and Quick Serve Restaurant Management role-play. Madison Bruce and Kris Dennis placed in the role-play top 10 in Sports and Entertainment Marketing. Wilkerson, Bruce and Dennis, along with Breanna Harris, Remy Logan, Briana Mitchell, Laura Besterci, Stiles Burr, Jordan Morris and Jordan Yokley, received proficiency recognition. The students will compete in the North Carolina DECA Career Development Conference at Koury Convention Center in March. For more information, please contact Principal Kathy Rogers, at 819-2960.

High Point Central High Fall Athletes Recognized for Sportsmanship

High Point Central’s fall athletic teams received the Jack Musten Sportsmanship Award for their performance during the 2008 season. The Metro 4A Conference’s six member schools vote on a recipient at the end of each season. The conference includes Grimsley High, Northwest High, Smith High, East Forsyth High, Page High and High Point Central. For more information, please contact Principal Revonda Johnson at 819-2825.

Apply to the Kenan Fellows Program

The Kenan Fellows Program is accepting applications for fellowships through January 23. K-12 public school teachers from all disciplines are encouraged to apply. Recipients will receive a $10,000 stipend, work with a mentor in a research setting to develop new and innovative STEM-related curriculum and earn six graduate credits from North Carolina State University. For more information, go to: www.kenanfellows.org.

Human Race

School PTAs, booster clubs and other organizations are invited to participate in the Human Race. The Human Race is a nationwide community fundraising event that allows participants to raise money for their organization by running, walking or rolling their way across the finish line. Race day is Saturday, March 28 from 9 a.m. – noon at Grimsley High. For more information, please contact the Volunteer Center of Greensboro at 373-1633.

GCS Career Exploration Fair

This past Tuesday, more than 1,500 middle and high school students and parents attended the first-ever Career Exploration Fair sponsored by GCS Career-Technical Education and GCS Student Services.  Students and parents were able to explore potential careers as they interacted with representatives from 55 area businesses, gaining firsthand knowledge about jobs in the industry from career professionals.  Based on feedback from students, parents and business participants, the event was a tremendous success. The Career Exploration Fair is expected to become an annual event that helps students connect with careers. For more information, please contact Judy Harrington, GCS career and technical education department, at 370-8338.

Nominations for Tannenbaum Award

The Enrichment Fund of GCS is accepting nominations for the 2009 Leah Louise B. Tannenbaum Teacher Award for Excellence in Reading Instruction. To be eligible for this award, a nominee must be employed as a reading teacher in GCS and have worked a minimum of three years for the district. This individual must demonstrate exceptional effort and professional skill in reading instruction and the development of reading competency. The winner will receive an unrestricted grant in the amount of $2,000 to be paid in two annual installments of $1,000 each. Click here for more information on the nomination process or please contact Cecilia Adams, manager of community partnerships, at 370-8355.

Transfer List Open

The transfer list is now available for eligible licensed employees to indicate their interest in transferring for the 2009-10 school year. Eligible employees include those with a contract status of probationary year 1 of 4, 2 of 4, 4 of 4 and Career. Non-eligible employees include those with a contract status of probationary year 3 of 4 and Interim. Transfer applications will be accepted through end of day, Friday, January 30. Transfer offers for the 2009-10 school year will occur between February 1, 2009 and May 1, 2009.  Licensed employees seeking opportunities at Mission Possible Schools in incentive receiving positions will receive an extended transfer period through June 15, 2009. Employees may access the transfer application from the GCS Web site under the “Employees” link:  http://transferlist.gcsnc.net. Please note that the application is only accessible at GCS locations within the firewall. It is not accessible from home computers. Please contact the staffing office at 378-8806 if you experience difficulty with the application.  For more information, please contact Alison Yates, director of staffing, at 370-8094 or yatesa@gcsnc.com.        

Teacher of the Year Nominations

GCS will once again participate in the prestigious awards program which selects North Carolina’s Teacher of the Year (TOY). In the next few weeks, principals will work with their faculties to select a TOY to represent their school for 2009. Per the Department of Public Instruction guidelines, to be eligible for selection as a TOY, a person must hold a Standard Professional 2 (SP2) license, be employed full-time and spend at least 70 percent of his or her time in direct instruction of North Carolina public school students. TOY nominations are due from schools by February 13. For more information, please contact Carla Alphin, employee relations, at 370-8821 or alphinc@gcsnc.com. 

GCSTV 2     

Building Futures-Your Construction Update

Find out the latest on what’s being built or upgraded within GCS through this tour of the latest projects. Join Executive Director of Facilities, Andy LaRowe, and host Lillian Govus to learn how School Bonds are helping our district build excellence.  This program runs daily at 8 a.m., 4 p.m. and 8 p.m.

Tus Hijos y GCS (Your Children and GCS)

The district’s Spanish language program is designed to help parents and guardians with their children’s education and school experience.  Hosted by ESOL teacher Karin Young, this program is in Spanish and English and can be seen daily at 7 a.m., 11 a.m. and 7 p.m.

Jazzing It Up

Tune in and turn on the cool jazz sounds of the GCS All County Jazz Band.  Some of the district’s best musicians showcase their talents in concert and GCSTV 2 shares the performance with you.  This program runs daily at 10:28 p.m. and 1 a.m.

GCS Basketball Highlights

GCSTV 2’s Friday Night Rivalries is sure to delight GCS high school basketball fans!  With football season behind us, FNR turns its attention to round ball with highlights of top team matchups and interviews with coaches and players.  The program is produced by Mike Crenshaw’s TV group at Weaver Academy.  It runs at 9 a.m. and 10 p.m. daily. 

Showcase Your Talent on GCSTV 2

GCSTV 2 is now accepting auditions of student-, faculty-, staff- or parent-produced programming.  We’re interested in your complete, compelling, ready-to-run productions of school sports, concerts, recitals, plays, debates, academic competitions, school news and more. These projects can be videos you produce at school or on your own time that educate and entertain. See the GCSTV 2 page at www.gcsnc.com for details.

GCSTV 2 and ABC-45

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.

Hooked On Books
A trip to a local book store to shop for some favorites is part of the program designed to help develop life-long readers.  Students from Archer Elementary get to enjoy a field trip and build a personal library.  This Newsbreak airs Wednesday, January 14.

Career Exploration
It’s not too early to think about a career. GCS helps you make the choice by offering a look at various fields of work from medical technician to news anchor.  Come along for a visit to the GCS Career Exploration Fair. This Newsbreak airs Friday, January 16.  

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