Friday Notes from Guilford County Schools

October 19, 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.

MRSA Staph Infection

As you may have seen in the national press over the past several days, schools across the country are dealing with an outbreak of staph infections. It’s important to note that MRSA is not transmitted through the air. As a preventative measure, public health departments remind us to:

• Keep hands clean by washing thoroughly with soap and water or using an alcohol-based hand sanitizer
• Wash any cut or break in the skin with soap and water and apply a clean bandage daily
• Avoid contact with other people’s wounds or bandages
• Avoid sharing personal items

Additionally, I have asked our schools to take extra care in ensuring that physical education/athletic equipment, locker rooms and exercise rooms be cleaned and sanitized regularly.

At present, the district is aware of two confirmed cases of the staph infection -- at Northeast and Smith High Schools.  Those infected are not currently posing a threat to others and are receiving and responding to treatment.  For more information, please view the fact sheets from public health management:

If you suspect a case of the staph infection, please immediately contact your physician or the Guilford County Health Department at 641-3288.

ABC Incentive Awards

GCS recently received the ABC Incentive Awards allotment to be distributed to eligible employees at schools that met Expected or High Growth for the 2006-07 school year.  Only certified personnel and teacher assistants are eligible.  Certified employees include teachers, assistant principals, principals and instructional support staff (counselors, social workers, media specialists, psychologists, speech-language pathologists, instructional technology specialists, nationally certified school nurses, etc.)  Teacher assistants include media assistants, technology assistants, regular teacher assistants and general assistants assigned to the classroom.   Incentive awards are established as follows:

Awards are prorated if eligible personnel have served less than 100 percent employment and/or served less than the full-term of employment for the eligible position during the 2006-07 school year.  The ABC incentive award payments will NOT be subject to direct deposit processing; therefore, all eligible employees will receive an actual payroll check. These checks will be issued on October 31, 2007. Congratulations to the staff and students of those schools with an ABC status of High or Expected Growth.  For more information, please contact Steve Foster, Executive Director for HR Operations, at 378-8822.   

National School Bus Safety Week

Each school day, approximately 40,000 students in Guilford County ride to and from school in more than 634 school buses. October 22-26 is National School Bus Safety Week, and the theme is “Be Aware! Cross with Care.” The focus is on student safety while crossing the street to and from the bus stop. School Bus Safety week is an opportunity for parents, students, teachers, motorists, school bus drivers and school administrators to join forces and address the importance of school bus safety. For more information, please contact Jeff Harris, Director of Transportation, at 370-8920.

School Climate Task Force

As part of the Board’s School Climate Task Force, members would like to meet with the community to receive their thoughts and feedback on what measures can be implemented to improve overall climate in our schools.

The School Climate Task Force includes: teachers, school administrators, community representatives, students for the class of 2008 or 2008, parents, members of the law enforcement community, a member of the Guilford County Parent Techer Association and Guilford County Board of Education members.

This task force is charged with reviewing the district's handling of student misbehavior, reviewing the Guilford County Disproportionate Minority Contact Report, meeting with teachers, parents, students and community stakeholders and making a report by consensus back to the Board of Education no later than the second regularly scheduled meeting in January, 2008.

Please join us at the upcoming meetings:

• October 25, Williams Memorial CME Church, 3400 Triangle Lake Road, High Point, 6:30-8:30 p.m.

• October 30, Eastern Middle School, Gibsonville, 6:30-8:30 p.m.

• November 13, Grimsley High School, Cafeteria, Greensboro, 6:30-8:30 p.m.

• November 29, Final meeting  Southern Middle Cafeteria  6:30-8:30 p.m.

• December 6,  Roy B.Culler Senior Center, 600 Hamilton Street, HP 27262, 6:30-8:30 p.m.

For more information, please contact Dr. Eric Becoats, Chief of Staff, at 378-8838.

Guilford County College Tech Prep Partnership Receives 2007 Innovation in Tech Prep Award

The Guilford County College Tech Prep Partnership was presented with the 2007 Innovation in Tech Prep Award by the National Association for Tech Prep Leadership (NATPL) at the National Career Pathways Network Conference on October 10 in Louisville, Kentucky.  NATPL annually recognizes Tech Prep leaders from across the nation for partnership, promotion, and innovation in providing students with opportunities for rigorous and relevant instruction resulting in articulated credit and effective transitions between secondary and post-secondary programs.  The Guilford County College Tech Prep (CTP) partnership received this national innovation award for the collaboration between GCS, Guilford Technical Community College, CTP Business Partners and university representatives. The partnership affords the opportunity for GCS students to complete a CTP course of study in a technical pathway, earn national certifications and college credit towards an Associate in Applied Science (AAS) degree while in high school, and qualify for the GTCC CTP scholarship which pays tuition and fees for the AAS degree.  Many of the AAS degree programs from GTCC transfer to bachelor degree programs at North Carolina A&T State University and the University of North Carolina at Greensboro, providing a seamless transition from high school to post-secondary programs. For more information, please contact Sylvia Anderson, Director of College Tech Prep and Career and Technical Education, at 370-8357. 

Diversity Workshop

On Wednesday, October 24, the Diversity Office will host Dr. Edwin J. Nichols, Clinical Industrial Psychologist, who will present a lecture/workshop addressing “Developing Models for Teaching Diverse Student Populations.”  The program will be held in Hairston Middle School’s Amphitheater at 3911 Naco Road, from 6–8:30 p.m.  Dr. Nichols is recognized nationally and internationally for his work in helping organizations achieve systemic congruence and cultural competence.  According to Dr. Nichols, “African- American and Latino students have a different epistemology.  Historically, academicians have not always understood that these differences exist.  The consequences place an inordinate number of black and Latino boys in special education classes.  Only with an understanding of different epistemological models can we successfully teach our multi-ethnic, pluralistic and linguistically diverse student populations.”  For more information, please contact Monica Walker, Diversity Officer, at 370-3284.

VIP For A VIP

The GCS Safety Office, in cooperation with the Guilford County Emergency Services and local law enforcement, will present the “VIP for a VIP” program (Vehicle Injury Prevention for a Very Important Person) at Southern High on Tuesday, October 23. Students will watch a demonstration of a fatal car crash. The simulated accident is designed to encourage students to complete a contract promising that he or she will drive safely and agree to a “zero tolerance for drugs and alcohol.”  The demonstration is preceded by a video presentation showing facts and figures related to teenage vehicle injuries and deaths. For more information, please contact Anthony Scales, Safety Administrator, or Captain Phil Byrd at 370-8995.

Operation EDITH

The School Safety Office, in cooperation with the Independent Insurance Agents of North Carolina, recently sponsored the annual Operation EDITH program (Exit Drill in the Home) during fire safety week. Tragically, children age five and under are twice as likely to die in fires as are older children and adults. Operation EDITH seeks to educate the parents of young children about the importance of talking about what to do if there is a fire. Packets of educational materials were made available for the district’s elementary schools that included coloring books and informational brochures on fire safety for parents. For more information, please contact Anthony Scales, Safety Administrator, at 370-8995.

Hairston Middle Students to Receive 100 Computers

Select eighth-graders and all seventh-graders at Hairston Middle will receive a refurbished computer for personal use. The donations are the first phase of a grant that includes a total of 225 computers to be given away to students at Hairston.

HandyCapable Network, a local nonprofit organization, will distribute the computers and transport them to students’ homes. The grant was made possible by the support of various companies and individuals in the Greensboro community. For more information, please contact Lena Murrill Chapman, Technology Specialist, at 378-8280.

Enrichment Fund Awards Scholarships for Field Trips 

The Enrichment Fund for GCS awarded more than $14,000 in its first round of scholarships for class field trips. Congratulations to scholarship recipients Brooks Global Studies, General Greene Elementary, Johnson Street Global Studies and Hunter Elementary. Two deadlines are fast approaching for more Enrichment Fund opportunities:  October 26 for field trip scholarships through December 31, and November 16 for teacher mini-grants. Click here for more information and copies of the application forms. For more information, please contact Cecilia Adams, Manager of Community Partnerships, at 370-8355.

Cricket Ambassador Program at Grimsley High

The Grimsley DECA club, an international association of high school and college students studying marketing, management and entrepreneurship, has partnered with Cricket Wireless to establish the Cricket Ambassador program. The program gives select marketing students a chance to apply concepts learned in class while assisting Cricket Wireless with its new marketing campaign targeting teenagers. Fifteen students will serve as the spokespeople for Cricket. They will also be active participants at various Cricket sponsored events such as the Greensboro Revolution arena football and the Greensboro Grasshoppers baseball games.

In addition to obtaining marketing experience, these elite DECA students receive one of the newest model Cricket phones available with unlimited talk time, text messaging and Internet access. Additionally, a $500 scholarship is awarded to one of the most dedicated Cricket Ambassadors at the end of the school year.  For more information, please contact Atiba Bethea, Marketing Teacher, at 370-8180.

Music in the Middle

Last week, GCS seventh-grade students attended the Greensboro Symphony's “Music in the Middle” program. Because the city of Vienna has served for centuries as the nexus of classical music, the fall 2007 Music in the Middle concerts presented landmark works of the Viennese repertoire in an informative and approachable context. The concert featured a number of local artistic connections including soprano Polly Butler-Cornelius, a faculty member at Elon College, and members of the High Point Ballet.  Musical selections included:

• Academic Festival Overture by Johannes Brahms
• "Mein Herr Marquis" (Laughing Song) from the opera Die Fledermaus by Johann Strauss, Jr.
• The finale of Gustav Mahler's Fifth Symphony
• Movements 2 and 5 from Anton Webern's Five Pieces for Orchestra
• Selections from the film score to Robin Hood by Erich Korngold
• Selections from On the Beautiful Blue Danube Waltz by Johann Strauss, Jr.

For more information, please contact Michelle Ungurait, Executive Director of Secondary Curriculum and Instruction, at 335-3293.

GCS Speakers Bureau

Education is our business, and it includes educating the public about the exciting things happening in GCS. The GCS speaker’s bureau helps inform businesses and civic groups on how we prepare students to be productive members of our community. Topics of presentations include, but are not limited to:

• Diversity/Changing Demographics at GCS
• GCS Newcomers School
• Back to School (seasonal)
• NCLB (No Child Left Behind)
• Paradigm shift: Partnership of Education and the Business Community
• Mission Possible Teacher Recruitment and Incentive Program
• School Climate
• Facility Improvements/Additions
• Transportation
• ESL (English as a Second Language)
• GCS Policies/Procedures
• The challenges of an Urban School District
• Magnet Schools
• High School Reform
• Small learning communities
• Volunteerism
• Budget

We encourage your suggestions regarding topics and community groups that may be interested in hearing from a GCS speaker. For more information, please contact Lynne Brandon, Program Administrator-Communications, at 370-8353.

GCSTV 2

Building Futures—Your GCS Construction Update

Tour Guilford County’s newest schools, Guilford Elementary and Reedy Fork Elementary. This show airs daily at 8 a.m., noon, 4 p.m. and 8 p.m.

2007-08 Teacher of the Year/Principal of the Year

Take a look at the videos presented at the recent Wachovia Best in Class Award. Each video features vignettes of the five finalists.  Also shown are Principal of the Year nominees and individual schools’ Teacher of the Year winners. These videos run daily beginning at 8:30 a.m., 6 p.m. and 9 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. Also, learn more about GCS by tuning in to GCSTV 2 (Cable Channel 2).

The Importance of College
The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill has recruiters, but its best recruiter of all may be its chancellor. UNC-CH Chancellor James Moeser pays a visit to Smith High to personally invite seniors to get their higher education at his campus. This newsbreak airs Wednesday, October 24.

GCS Newcomers School
It’s a unique school of choice among the many unique schools within GCS.  The GCS Newcomers School is designed for students in grades 5-12 who have recently arrived in the United States. Take a tour and see how GCS is preparing these students for the future. This newsbreak airs Friday, October 26.

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

NON-GCS EDUCATIONAL NEWS

National Board Application Deadline Approaching

As a reminder, the deadline for application for National Board Certification is October 31.  Teachers need to apply at www.nbpts.org and click on the link to the North Carolina application in order to become candidates. Candidates will receive three days of release time, full licensure renewal for completing the process, and, once certified, a 12 percent salary increase.  Click here for details.

Study: Correlation Between Smaller Class Size and Children's Health

A study of nearly 12,000 Tennessee children found that those randomly assigned to classes of 13 to 17 students gained, on average, 1.7 quality-adjusted life-years. According to one doctor familiar with the study, the findings suggest that in cost-benefit terms, class size may be more beneficial than money spent on antibiotics, hospital buildings or vaccines. Click here to read more.

Hand-held Technology May Transform Math Tests

A new technology allows elementary teachers to more effectively test young children's reading skills and may soon be extended to math. MClass allows educators to upload results and observations on a hand-held computer, and receive nearly instantaneous feedback on how to more effectively help children learn difficult concepts. Click here to read more.

Early Intervention at Every Age: Finding the Crucial Time to Make a Difference

The October issue of Educational Leadership looks at crucial crossroads in students' lives -- the preschool years, the fourth grade marker, the transition to middle school and the ninth grade year -- when the right interventions can make a difference. The ASCD home page highlights resources that examine effective interventions, including early childhood education, various literacy approaches, and policies and practices that build strong relationships and improve academic prospects for those in need of an intervention. Click here to read more.  

How Well Do You and Your Community Support Public Education

The Give Kids Good Schools quiz on "How Much Do You and Your Community Do To Support Public Education-" asks people five questions about how involved they are in supporting public education and five questions about how involved they think their communities are. Upon completion, respondents immediately see how they and their communities compare with those of others taking the quiz. The quiz is intended for a wide audience and should provide valuable insight into the level of care a public school system receives. Click here to read more.

Nine Ways to Help Children with Learning Disabilities Achieve

For kids with learning disabilities, homework can be exceptionally trying. Homework also has a dramatic effect on parents who watch their children struggle, without knowing how to remedy the situation. The guide "9 Ways to Have Success at School" provides tips for parents to help them steer their children through a successful school year. Among the recommendations are starting a homework group -- having one or two classmates over so kids can work side by side offers dual benefits: a parent can see other children's homework habits, and the child has the built-in incentive of getting to play after homework is completed. Another suggestion is to identify a dedicated homework location somewhere in the house -- but not necessarily in the child's room. In addition it might be advantageous to reward even small homework accomplishments, with things like a cookie, a grape or a gold star. Parents may be rewarding children with small trifles in the short-term, but by bolstering their education, they are providing a life-long reward. Click here to read more.