Weekly Message - State Superintendent June Atkinson
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8/5/15 7:47 AM
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Weekly Message - State Superintendent June Atkinson
North Carolina Public Schools sent this bulletin at 08/03/2015 03:55 PM EDT
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Aug. 3, 2015
Here at the start of the 2015-16 school year, 114 out of 115 school
districts have opted in to the Home Base technology suite and, so
far, we also have 90 districts that will be using Canvas this year.
This is good economic news because North Carolina was able
to negotiate very competitive prices for these technology tools, but
just as important is the impact that these tools will have on
classrooms, students and teachers.
Technology offers an opportunity for us to personalize learning in
new ways because it handles some of the logistical work that can
be so time-consuming.
State Board of Education Meets This Week
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Weekly Message - State Superintendent June Atkinson
8/5/15 7:47 AM
The State Board of Education meets this Wednesday and
Thursday, Aug. 5-6, in the 7th Floor Board Room, Education
Building, Raleigh.
Board action items include Course for Credit update, Graduation
Requirements update, Compliance Commission recommendations
for Field Testing and Special Studies Appeals for the 2015-16
school year, recommendations for appointments to the
Extenuating Circumstances Committee, and NC Charter Schools
Advisory Board’s recommendations.
On Thursday, Board members will receive presentations on Race to the Top: The Distribution of
Teachers in North Carolina, 2009-13: Final Evaluation Report, and a report on Read to Achieve on the
Use of the Formative Diagnostic Assessment System, Reading 3D.
The full agenda, as well as executive summary materials, are available online by clicking on the
Meetings tab.
Annual Distribution of Bullying/Cyber Bullying Policies
Superintendents are reminded that North Carolina G.S. §115C-407.16(d) states that at the beginning of
each school year, the principal shall provide the local school administrative unit’s policy prohibiting
bullying and harassing behavior, including cyber-bullying, to staff, students and parents as defined in
North Carolina G.S § 115C-390.1(b)(8). Notice of the local policy shall appear in any school unit
publication that sets forth the comprehensive rules, procedures, and standards of conduct for schools
within the school unit and in any student and employee handbook. Questions may be addressed to
NCDPI Chief Financial Officer for Operations Ben Matthews at Ben.Matthews@dpi.nc.gov.
Global-Ready Designations Update
The State Board of Education approved the Global-Ready District
designation at its May meeting. The 2015-16 application and
guidance are now available along with the designation criteria. The
district level applications are due Dec. 1.
The 2015-16 application and guidance for the Global-Ready
School designation will be available early September. In the
meantime, schools are encouraged to review the 2014-15 application and guidance along with the
designation criteria to get ready for this year’s application cycle. The school level applications are due
by April 2016.
The Global Educator Digital Badge for Teachers is now available. Once teachers have completed
their global education focused annual professional development plan, they can officially notify NCDPI
and begin the process. For more information on the badge (SBE Policy, FAQs, Implementation Guide
and archived webinars for teachers and principals), visit the Global Education website.
Please contact Special Assistant for Global Education Helga Fasciano at Helga.Fasciano@dpi.nc.gov
for more information.
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Weekly Message - State Superintendent June Atkinson
8/5/15 7:47 AM
NCVPS Summer Session Closure
Reminders
The end of the NCVPS Summer Session 2015 is quickly approaching. The last day of class is Aug. 7,
and grades will be posted on Aug. 13. To bring a successful close to the summer session, NCVPS has
a number of tips and reminders for your district's e-learning advisors. Please forward this link http://goo.gl/KynU7F - to your school advisors and district e-learning coordinator. Thank you for letting
us serve your students this summer!
2016 U.S. Presidential Scholars Program Update
The process to nominate students for the 2016 U.S. Presidential Scholars Program will soon be getting
underway. Superintendents will receive in the next few weeks via separate email a letter detailing the
nomination process. In 2016, up to 161 U.S. Presidential Scholars will be awarded, including 20 firsttime U.S. Presidential Scholars in Career and Technical Education.
To learn more about the U.S. Presidential Scholars Program and the Commission on Presidential
Scholars, please visit the U.S. Department of Education’s website.
Action Research Projects Available to
Teachers
On Friday, July 17, over 900 educators from across the state
participated in “Teachers Leading from the Classroom with Action
Research.” The Governor’s Teacher Network facilitated this
networking opportunity. Classroom action research findings were presented as teachers shared their
problem of practice, intervention, findings, strategies utilized, and resources to conduct an action
research project in their classroom.
A searchable index of all 218-action research projects is available on the North Carolina Teacher Action
Research Portal. More information about the Governor’s Teacher Network can be found online at
http://bit.ly/GTNWiki.
Use District Courier Number When Sending Mail
The Department of Administration’s Mail Service Center staff are seeing a lot of courier mail going
between schools with incorrect courier numbers.
For example, several pieces of mail going to schools in Kannapolis were addressed to courier number
130-325 along with a street address. Neither of these pieces of information will get the mail to the
school. The courier number for Kannapolis City Schools is 05-08-01. It is CRITICAL that mail be
addressed to the District Courier number, rather than the internal courier number assigned to each
school.
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Weekly Message - State Superintendent June Atkinson
8/5/15 7:47 AM
Courier numbers are available on DOA’s website. Just enter the word “school” in the Agency box and
search. The listings for all state school districts that participate in the Courier Service will come up. The
district has an internal system to deliver the items to each school.
Schools are fighting budget battles every day. Using the Courier Service is fiscally responsible, and can
save districts 30 percent off USPS costs.
Latest Messages Online
July 31, 2015 Finance Officers’ Newsletter
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