A newsletter for employees in the Enrichment Region

Fall 2009

In this issue, you will find:

• A message from the superintendent
• Info about Positive Behavior Support
• An update on Dudley students who traveled to Atlanta
• Technology tools
• Info from the Enrichment Region curriculum folks

From the Superintendent

Welcome to the first issue of the Enrichment Review, a newsletter for the employees of the Enrichment Region. We hope this newsletter will provide our staff members with valuable and timely information.

As regional superintendent, I see one of my most vital roles as connecting with school personnel to promote school improvement. Although our job descriptions are varied, we all share one important common denominator – student growth and achievement. As we go about our individual responsibilities we all will work together to emphasize academic achievement, positive relationships, as well as good character and citizenship. We must all work as a team to accomplish these goals. We all have a part in our students’ education –teachers, administrators and support staff are an essential part of the equation. Please join me in raising the bar. We are a community that values education, and that has high expectations for all.

Positive Behavior Support

The Enrichment Region is very excited that all of our schools will be implementing the Positive Behavior Support (PBS) Program this year. This program is a school wide initiative using school-based data to develop processes to promote positive behavior, with a focus on prevention of inappropriate behavior. PBS fosters a positive school climate through teacher and student focused support by utilizing a system of open communication among all stakeholders – including parents, business partners, and various community agencies.

PBS focuses on encouraging appropriate conduct for all students by teaching and modeling appropriate behaviors and rewarding positive outcomes. Teachers and students are rewarded for their success in building an environment that promotes positive social and learning outcomes. Each school will feature a reward system and service learning activity to increase and reinforce the character development of all students. Additionally, the region as a whole will be involved in a service learning activity in which central office staff, administrators, teachers, and parents will build a House for Habitat the fall of this year.

Below is a listing of some highlighted PBS incentives in our schools:

• Welborn Middle features a Student of the Week for each team in which the student will have his/her picture featured in a showcase in front of the school including a description of his/her positive character, a drawstring bag and bracelet with a Student of the Week logo, and an opportunity to wear jeans on Friday. Teachers are also highlighted monthly for their outstanding contributions and receive special parking privileges.

• Hairston Middle issues PROP dollars to students on a regular basis for exhibiting positive behavior. At the end of the quarter, students are able to use their PROP dollars to purchase various items from the PROP store. They also practice Reverse PROPs in which students recognize teachers for providing outstanding educational opportunities.

• Andrews High awards students daily with PRIDE tickets for adhering to the common area policies. These tickets are entered into a daily drawing in which students receive stationary, pens, and pencils. They are also entered into a weekly drawing for game tickets and gift cards to Chick-fil-a. Staff members receive prizes for nominating students, which encourages them to recognize students.

Please stay tuned for more exciting news about PBS and how this program is helping us grow our students from good to great, better to best! For more information, contact Charlos Banks, student services administrator, at 433-7193.

Dudley Students Participate in College Fair

Thirty sophomores and juniors in the Dudley Early College Academies of Education, Engineering, and Health Sciences had the opportunity to participate in the 2009 College Fair sponsored by the 100 Black Men of Atlanta, Inc in Atlanta, Georgia, which took place September 26-27.

This experience displayed a number of Historically Black Colleges and Universities around the country and majority universities and colleges from Florida, Alabama, Tennessee, South Carolina and Georgia. Our academy students also toured the World’s Largest Aquarium, reiterating concepts learned in Honors and Advanced Placement Environmental Science and Biology. For an extra highlight, students attended the Bank of America Atlanta Football Classic game featuring the Florida A&M University Rattlers and the Tennessee State University Tigers along with their award-winning bands. The trip culminated with a historic walk down Auburn Avenue from the birth home neighborhood of Civil Rights leader, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. to the MLK Museum and Center for Non-Violence. Students even had a brief encounter with Mrs. Christine King Farris, sister of Dr. King. The trip was informative, instructional and inspirational to say the least.

Throughout the month of October, The Early College Academies at Andrews and Dudley High School will be collecting toiletries and new and/or gently used face and wash cloths for donation to the High Point and Greensboro Urban Ministries (Weaver House Homeless Shelter in Greensboro).

Items needed include deodorant, powders, lotions, toilet paper, toothbrushes, face towels, toothpaste, mouthwash, combs, brushes, soap, etc. If you would like to join efforts with our Academy students, contact Johnette McCain, director of academies, at 370-8191. Please send donations to Dudley and Andrews by October 26, 2009.

More than a tool . . .

Technology is a process humans use to meet their needs and wants. To some, technology is a tool (i.e. the computer, projector, response system, etc.). Technology is more than a tool; it is the knowledge to move, to evolve one’s thinking to effectively and efficiently complete a task. In education, the question is how to integrate technology into classroom instruction to meet the goals of the North Carolina Standard Course of Study. Below is a wiki to share strategies and instructions for changing how we view and use technology in the educational environment. The wiki can be found at http://ghholmes.pbworks.com. Some key software resources you can explore on the wiki are the “digi dozen” which includes the top 12 sites for October:

• Diigo
• pageflakes
• NCWiseOwl
• LearnNC
• Animoto
• SAS
• edublog
• pbworks
• Nortel LearniT
• Google Docs
• INTEL
• slideshare

For more information, contact Gail Holmes, instructional technology coach, at 370-2347.

Curriculum Corner

The Enrichment Region coaches Dorie Hall, Janine Bracco Cox and Rita Elliot facilitate monthly teaching and learning sessions. K-2 sessions explore learning to read strategies and assessment, while 3-8 math and reading teachers have the opportunity to continue their work from summer clinic by unpacking curriculum, creating common assessments and lesson planning.

Additionally, high school Strategic Reading/English 9 and Tech Math/Algebra I teachers also attend monthly teaching and learning sessions. The overall focus of these sessions is the implementation of the Mastery Learning instructional model. The high school teachers will also explore various assessment for learning concepts and strategies. Attendance is at an all time high and teachers are very excited about regional collaboration with their colleagues. For more information, contact Dorie Hall, academic coach, at 433-7196.

September T & L Snapshot