GCS News Briefs

September 18, 2009

Principal and Teacher of the Year

Congratulations to the following principals selected as the five finalists for this year’s Principal of the Year Award. 

Anna Brady – Grimsley High
Patrice Brown – Archer Elementary
Gerri Cox – Rankin Elementary
Cheri Keels – Triangle Lake Montessori
Edwina Monroe – Falkener Elementary

Special thanks to the Principal of the Year committee for their time and efforts in this process. Members of this year’s committee included: Dr. Beth Folger, Dr. Barbara Zwadyk, Dr. LaToy Kennedy, Rodney Morgan and Toni Jones.

Teacher of the Year finalists were chosen this summer. They are:

Jennifer Caligan – Nathanael Greene Elementary
Darren Corbett – Grimsley High
Joan Kimmel – Weaver Academy
Teresa Roberts – Southwest Elementary
Deanna Wynn – Southern Middle

We look forward to honoring and celebrating the accomplishments of these exceptional educational leaders on Sept. 28, 2009, at the Celebration of Excellence. For more information, contact Carla Alphin, program administrator for employee relations, at 378-8821 or alphinc@gcsnc.com.

Measuring What Matters in Guilford County Schools

GCS hosted a teacher quality forum Monday to discuss teacher compensation and answer the question, “Is it time to rethink the way we pay our teachers?” The forum, titled “Measuring What Matters: Paying for Teacher Quality,” was funded by the Center for Educator Compensation Reform through the U.S. Department of Education.

School board members, state representatives, school administrators and community members heard from Andrews High Principal Rodney Wilds and three nationally known experts in the field of teacher compensation—Dr. Sabrina Laine, chief program officer for educator quality at Learning Point Associates, Dr. Jim Guthrie, professor of educational leadership at Peabody College of Vanderbilt University, and Dr. Patrick Schuermann, assistant professor of educational leadership and policy at Peabody College of Vanderbilt University.

Dr. Karen Dyer, group director of the education and nonprofit sector for the Center for Creative Leadership, moderated as event guests engaged in significant dialogue about compensation reform locally and across the nation.

During the 2006-07 year, GCS launched the Mission Possible program, which is a comprehensive teacher incentive plan that aims to keep and attract highly effective teachers and administrators for the ultimate goal of increasing student achievement in schools with critical needs. During the forum, leaders discussed performance-based pay for all teachers.

“It is important that we do not lose sight of what matters,” said Laine. “America’s central educational challenge is to dramatically improve student performance, and we know teachers drive student performance.” Laine added that based on research, teachers are the greatest school-based influence on student achievement.

“We know that teachers matter,” said Guthrie. “Now, the challenge is determining how we can find which teachers are effective and by what means we can appropriately incent them to perform at their very highest.”

For more information, please contact Dr. Amy Holcombe, executive director of talent development, at 335-3294.

Classrooms at Aycock Get More Than 300 Books Each

Throughout the past year, Aycock Middle has worked hard to increase the number of books it makes available to students in classroom libraries. The school has held student dances charging $5 or five books, gift wrapping service at Barnes & Noble and a day of collecting money and books at Harris Teeter.

After soliciting donations throughout the past school year and summer, the school has collected about 3,000 books, or about 300 for each language arts classroom. The shelves in those classrooms are full, but the school needs more. With the goal of immersing its students in reading, Aycock also wants to fill the shelves of its science, social studies and math classrooms to promote literacy across the disciplines.

Each day the school stops for a 15-minute reading time when everyone from office staff to students stops and reads a book. The community can make additional donations to the school during its PTA yard sale on Sept. 26. For more information, please contact Valerie Akins, principal, at 370-8110.

Free Storytelling Classes at Hunter Elementary

Hunter Elementary is holding a 14-week course for parents to learn how to share stories and books with children ages 0-5. Classes will provide a free book each week, free child care, free food at each class and a cash bonus for parents who attend most classes. The classes are held in the Hunter pre-K building at 1305 Merritt Drive in Greensboro on Mondays from 6 to 8 p.m. through Dec. 14.  Parents can sign up by calling Kim Taylor at 230-2223.

Sumner Shows Appreciation to Grandparents

Sumner Elementary celebrated Grandparents Day this morning by inviting grandparents to the school to eat breakfast with students. The school used the time to reflect on the impact grandparents have in the lives of children and on society. Sumner thanks the school’s special elders for their involvement at Sumner and in the lives of their grandchildren. For more information, please contact Dr. Brian Clarida, principal, at 316-5888.

Montlieu Partners with High Point University

College students are helping make a difference in the lives of Montlieu Math and Science Academy students through a partnership with the High Point University School of Education. Three HPU student organizations are developing a mentoring program including literacy and math tutoring as well as helping to organize science fairs, multicultural events and a book buddies program. The student organizations – Teachers of Tomorrow, the N.C. Association of Elementary Educators and Kappa Delta Pi – are combining their efforts to extend their mentoring by starting a breakfast buddies group, as well as other relationship-building activities. For more information, please contact Jill Hall, principal, at 819-2910.

Penn-Griffin School for the Arts Guitar Teacher Featured in News & Record

Mike Connors, a guitar teacher at Penn-Griffin School for the Arts, was featured in the News & Record after winning the Scottish harp competition at the Grandfather Mountain Highland Games. Connors, who has been playing the harp for just three years, won a scholarship to study harp next summer at the Ohio Scottish Arts School at Oberlin College. In the article, he discusses how unique Penn-Griffin’s music opportunities are for students: “When I was in high school, we didn’t have guitar. Guitar should have its rightful place in public schools.” For more information, please contact Shelley Nixon-Greene, principal, at 819-2870.

NAACP Holds Educational Forum

The local branch of NAACP will hold an educational forum on Sunday, Sept. 20 at 4 p.m. at the New Light Missionary Baptist Church, 1105 Willow Road, Greensboro. For more information, please call 273-9671.

Saturday GED and English Classes at Archer Elementary

Archer Elementary is holding two classes on weekends especially for adults through a partnership with Guilford Technical Community College. GED and English language classes will be offered on Saturdays from 9 a.m. to noon at the school for parents or other interested adults. The classes are free. Open registration begins on the first day of class.  For more information, please contact Patrice Brown, principal, at 294-7335.

Local Foundation Heads Meet with Cumulative Effect Teachers

This week, leaders of several local foundations met with 85 high school math teachers who are a part of The Cumulative Effect, a program that provides salary incentives to teachers who work in hard-to-staff schools. Representing the foundations were:

• Jim Melvin, Joseph M. Bryan Foundation
• Ed Kitchen, Joseph M. Bryan Foundation
• Skip Moore, Weaver Foundation
• Susan Schwartz, Cemala Foundation
• Cathy Levinson, Toleo Foundation

The foundation leaders had the opportunity to talk with teachers about why they invest effort in and provide financial support for The Cumulative Effect. The teachers interacted with the presenters, asking questions about continued support and expectations. This is the fourth year of the foundation/GCS partnership for this program.

For more information about The Cumulative Effect, please contact Dr. Amy Holcombe, executive director of talent development, at 335-3294 or holcoma@gcsnc.com.

Lateral Entry Teachers Network with Curriculum and Instruction Faculty

The Lateral Entry Resource and Advising Center (LERAC) hosted its first Restaurant Takeover event at Kiosco Mexican Grill this week. These networking events allow for alternatively certified/lateral entry teachers to interact with different departments and faculty across the district. This week’s event featured faculty from the Curriculum and Instruction department. 

In this casual atmosphere, teachers were able to ask curriculum faculty about resources, workshops, coaching and GEMS, the Guilford Education Management System available online to all teachers. Future networking events include:

• Tuesday, November 10, Natty Greene’s, featuring Guilford Education Alliance and GCAE
• Thursday, February 4, Sticks and Stones, featuring Superintendent Mo Green and Board of Education Members
• Tuesday, April 6, Liberty Steakhouse, featuring Regional Superintendents and Executive Directors
• Thursday, June 3, Café Europa, featuring an end of year celebration with the LERAC Team

All current and former lateral entry teachers are welcome to attend!  For more information about LERAC or our networking events, please contact Dr. Amy Holcombe, executive director of talent development, at 335-3294 or holcoma@gcsnc.com.

GCS Alternative Certification Track Kicks Off Two New Cohorts

After celebrating the successful completion of the GCS Alternative Certification Track’s (ACT) pilot cohort on July 30, we are excited to announce the launch of two new GCS-ACT cohorts for the 2009-10 school year. With funding from the $2.2 million federal Transition to Teaching grant, GCS provides a locally customized teacher preparation program that may result in participants earning a North Carolina Standard Professional II teaching license. 

Participants have already completed a two week-long summer “boot camp” and are now participating in weekend classes taught by Lateral Entry Specialists Pamela Herndon, Tina Johnson and Mark Jewell.  Teachers will attend a Teacher Leadership Retreat in the spring as well as five week-long courses next summer before completing their licensure program. Cohort participants represent schools and subject areas from across the district. 

For more information about the Lateral Entry Resource and Advising Center or the GCS-ACT licensure program, please contact Dr. Amy Holcombe, executive director of talent development, at 335-3294 or holcoma@gcsnc.com.

In the latest GCS Newsbreak:

• It was 50 years ago that two sisters took the courageous steps to be the first students to integrate High Point City Schools. See the ceremony honoring them and the contributions they made to civil rights.

• Varrow is among the latest Guilford County businesses to partner with GCS in helping provide school supplies to our classrooms. See what the contribution means to the students and faculty at Jesse Wharton Elementary.

Construction Update

See the features and function of GCS’ newest campus. This tour of the new Union Hill Elementary school is a shining example of how GCS is building futures. This program runs daily at 8 a.m., 4 p.m. and 8 p.m.

Staying Healthy During Flu Season

Check out the latest information on precautions to prevent the spread of the flu virus and how to handle it if someone has the flu.

GCSTV 2-LIVE

Now streaming online

GCS Board of Education

Watch the latest GCS Board of Education meeting live Thursday, Sept. 24 at 6 p.m. Encore presentations of board meetings are telecast the day follow the meeting and the following Saturday at 1 p.m. You can also watch Board of Education meetings at your convenience.  The meetings are now archived and available online anytime at gcsnc.com.  See them here.

Also on GCSTV 2:

GCSTV 2 Programming Guide

Find out what else is showing on GCSTV 2 here: GCSTV 2 Programming Guide

Showcase Your Talent on GCSTV 2

GCSTV 2 is now accepting student-, faculty-, staff- or parent-produced programming.  See the Details for submissions here or Watch the video.

GCSTV 2 & ABC-45

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

For more information, please contact Leonard Simpson, GCSTV 2 manager, at 370-8167.