TO:
NC Public School Principals
FROM: State Superintendent June Atkinson
DATE: Dec. 20, 2013
Thank you for your patience and perseverance over the past few months as North
Carolina has moved to Home Base and its components including PowerSchool. I know
that you have been frustrated and have experienced many difficulties while also
glimpsing some new possibilities that technology will bring to your classrooms and
schools. We have been working with Pearson and other vendors to find ways to
improve functionality for you and your teachers as quickly as possible. Last week,
Pearson leadership and NCDPI leadership committed to a number of approaches to
help. These include
• assigning a Pearson project manager and at least one DPI staff member to each of
the regions to work on a case-by-case basis for system solutions;
• ensuring that we are providing timely feedback about Support Center tickets;
• publishing and keeping up-to-date a comprehensive calendar for PowerSchool
updates;
• ensuring that you and your team receive e-mail reminders about new information
posted to the Home Base website; and
• sending a detailed schedule of professional development to enable school personnel
to do 2014-2015 student and teacher schedules.
Together these actions and others should help us and our vendor partners address your
frustrations and move us forward in a positive way.
Regards,
June Atkinson
In this Biweekly Principals’ Message:
1. Holiday Message from Wells Fargo NC Principal of the Year
2. Home Base Improvements in Schoolnet Version 15.2
3. Home Base Maintenance Dates
4. NC Online Evaluation Tool
5. #NCed Chat: January Topics
6. Meet the Directors of NCDPI’s Exceptional Children and K-12 Curriculum and
Instruction
7. 2014 NC Teacher Working Conditions Survey Update
8. School Bus Safety Poster Contest Winners Announced
9. Northwest School of the Arts Receives National Award
10. Nominations Being Accepted for the NC Presidential Award for Excellence in
Mathematics and Science Teaching
11. Principals’ Message Breaks for the Holiday Season
1. Holiday Message from Wells Fargo NC Principal of the Year - I have always
loved being a principal during the holiday season, particularly leading up to Christmas.
Although it means quite a few late nights while attending school events, it is so much
fun to see our students across the state become excited and deeply engaged in their
extracurricular activities. This time of year always brings out the best in all of us, and, as
a principal, we get a front row seat. I have been reminded of this while attending
Christmas band concerts, holiday dances, student art exhibits and theatre events. The
fine arts classes just blaze to life during this time of year. Their power to make a
difference in the lives of our children becomes impossible to deny. I want to take this
opportunity to say thanks to all of our teachers of the fine arts across the state. The
impact you have on the lives of children and their educations is tremendous and greatly
appreciated.
Over the last few months, my tenure as Principal of the Year has afforded me several
opportunities to share what I have learned over the years as well as learn from other
accomplished principals. A visit to the new Rocky Mount Senior High in the Nash/Rocky
Mount School System allowed me to visit with Region 3 Principal of the Year Leon
Farrow. This beautiful facility illustrated that community's commitment to education, and
Mr. Farrow's relationships with his students, parents, and colleagues cemented my
belief that all success starts with a trusting relationship. Leigh Jones, Region 5 Principal
of the Year, hosted me at her school, D.L. McMichael High in Rockingham County. She
and her staff walked me though their 1:1 Chromebook implementation and inspired me
to start this process at my high school. Her team provided the professional development
her teachers needed to make this jump stellar, and I want to thank them all for sharing.
I also had the chance to share some of my own thoughts with the current MSA students
at NC State University.
My latest assignments have all been more in the political realm, with appointments to
the House Committee on Teacher Quality and Teacher Compensation, the Governor's
Committee on Teacher Quality and Teacher Compensation, the Governor's Safe
Schools Task Force, and the House Committee on Education Innovation. My purpose in
serving in these areas is to provide a voice for all of us in the field that are doing the
work with students. As questions arise, I will be asking for input and feedback from all of
you to carry back to these committees through my Twitter feed. Please follow me
@DaleColeNCPOY to help me represent your interests.
I hope all of you have a great Christmas and a happy New Year! You had better,
because I don't think anyone is going to have any fun as we try to squeeze the entire
accountability model into five days of testing when we return. Merry Christmas! 2013
Wells Fargo NC Principal of the Year Dale Cole
2. Home Base Improvements in Schoolnet Version 15.2 - The Home Base
Instructional Improvement System (Schoolnet) was upgraded over the weekend (Dec.
7-8). This new version, 15.2, includes some new features, addresses many identified
bugs, and is designed to significantly improve product responsiveness and stability. For
a list of what’s new, what’s fixed, and outstanding issues, please visit
http://goo.gl/P2DEps. This message also has been sent to other listservs involved in the
Home Base rollout.
3. Home Base Maintenance Dates - We've heard from many educators concerned
over last-minute changes in maintenance for Home Base, which resulted in no weekend
access during critical times especially related to preparing progress reports and report
cards. As you prepare for the second half of the school year, we wanted to make you
aware of the remaining scheduled Home Base maintenance weekends:
Dec. 13-16, Jan 3-6, Feb. 7-10, Mar 14-17, Apr 25-28, May 16-19, June 20-23. Please
keep in mind that during maintenance weekends or unexpected down time, you cannot
access any part of the system. Questions/concerns regarding these dates may be sent
to Kathy Newbern at kathy.newbern@dpi.nc.gov.
4. NC Online Evaluation Tool - NCDPI staff are working with vendors to make the
evaluation tool work effectively for you. Superintendents, principals and HR directors in
each LEA are asked to take some time before and after the holidays to assess the
workflow process. It is our goal to provide a tool that meets your needs. As shared with
superintendents, we want to convene a group to review the performance since changes
were made over the Thanksgiving weekend. If you want to participate in a convening
prior to Jan. 1, please e-mail Lynne Johnson, NCDPI Educator Effectiveness director, at
lynne.johnson@dpi.nc.gov or call 919.807.3355.
If you have any questions about the process or best practices, please contact Kim
Simmons at kimberly.simmons@dpi.nc.gov, Robert.Sox at robert.sox @dpi.nc.gov, or
any of the Professional Development Leads in your regions:
http://www.ncpublicschools.org/docs/profdev/calendar/pd-leaders.pdf.
5. #NCed Chat: January Topics - #NCed Chat provides opportunities for North
Carolina educators to develop their personal learning networks (PLNs). Educators from
all over the state come together once every week in a public Twitter conversation
around specific topics and share valuable resources. Often, educators from around the
world join the conversation. January topics include collaboration, global awareness,
productivity and student safety. Visit NCEDCHAT.BLOGSPOT.COM for archived chats,
resources, chat schedule and directions on how to participate. We even have an app
for that: MYAPP.IS/NCED. Invite your teams to join the conversation. For more
information, e-mail Lynne Johnson at lynne.johnson@dpi.nc.gov.
6. Meet the Directors of NCDPI’s Exceptional Children and K-12 Curriculum and
Instruction - William (Bill) Hussey has been director for the Department’s Exceptional
Children Division since early June. Bill has worked for 31 years in special education in
North Carolina. He began his career as a teacher at Whitaker School (Butner), became
a unit supervisor at Wright School (Durham), went on to become principal at Long View
School (Wake County Schools), and then worked for the NCDPI as a SED consultant
and section chief for Willie M Services. He left to become president/consultant for
Strength Based Systems (Durham) before serving as Exceptional Children Coordinator
for Durham Public Schools then executive director for Exceptional Children Services for
Alamance-Burlington Schools. Now he leads the department’s Exceptional Children
Division. He received his bachelor’s degree in Biology and master’s degree in Special
Education with a focus in SED from Appalachian State University.
Robin McCoy has been the department’s K-12 Curriculum and Instruction director
since mid-October. Robin brings 35 years of educational experience to her position. She
also began her career as a special education teacher (Clarke County Schools and
Liberty County Schools, Ga; Orange County Schools and Chapel Hill-Carrboro City
Schools) before becoming a principal/assistant principal (Chapel Hill-Carrboro City
Schools). While at Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools, Robin also served as coordinator
of Early Childhood and Gifted Programs and director of Exceptional Children and
Student Services. She left to become chief operating officer of InfoHandler.com prior to
working for Chatham County Schools as assistant superintendent for Instructional
Services then chief communications officer for Durham Public Schools. She left Durham
Public Schools to become a program administrator for RttT for the NCDPI then the K-12
Curriculum and Instruction director. She received her bachelor’s and her master’s
degrees in Special Education from the University of Georgia, and a doctorate in
Curriculum and Instruction/Educational Administration from the University of North
Carolina-Chapel Hill.
7. 2014 NC Teacher Working Conditions Survey Update - Just a heads up that the
Spring 2014 NC Teacher Working Conditions (NCTWC) Survey is just around the
corner. The NCTWC Survey is an online, anonymous school survey that asks questions
about teaching and learning conditions within a school. All school-based, licensed
educators and instructional staff, including administrators are encouraged to take the
survey. Survey results are one component of an ongoing process for collaborative
school improvement planning. For more information, please contact Yvette Stewart at
yvette.stewart@dpi.nc.gov. Visit
www.ncteachingconditions.orghttp://www.ncteachingconditions.org/ to learn about the
available tools.
8. School Bus Safety Poster Contest Winners Announced - Congratulations to the
following students for placing first in North Carolina’s 2013 National School Bus Safety
Week Poster Contest, “At My Stop – You Stop!” The contest theme emphasizes that
motorists are supposed to stop at school bus stops and that students should look
carefully before stepping into the roadway. The 2013 poster contest winners are:
- Grades K-2 – Carmella Raiti, Morgan Elementary (Rowan-Salisbury Schools);
- Grades 3-5 – Medina Grissel, Knollwood Elementary (Rowan-Salisbury Schools);
- Grades 6-8 – Victoria Amaro, Southeast Middle (Rowan-Salisbury Schools); and
- Special Education – Francisco Cruz, West Alexander Middle (Alexander County
Schools).
Each winner will receive a plaque featuring his or her artwork and a school bus safety
puzzle, also featuring the student’s winning poster. Winning posters are featured on the
state’s School Bus Safety Web site, www.ncbussafety.org, under “New to Web Site.”
First place winners also competed in the National School Bus Safety Poster Contest
held in Grand Rapids, Mich. in October.
9. Northwest School of the Arts Receives National Award - Congratulations to
Northwest School of the Arts (Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools) for receiving the 2013
College Board Award for Excellence and Innovation in the Arts for the Southern Region.
These awards celebrate schools whose arts programming promotes learning and
creativity in innovative and exemplary ways, and provide funding to assist educators in
sustaining and expanding their arts programs. Northwest School of the Arts was
recognized for fostering students’ civic engagement and critical thinking through arts
integration. Applications for the 2014 Award for Excellence and Innovation in the Arts
opens on Jan. 15. For more information, please visit artsaward.collegeboard.org.
10. Nominations Being Accepted for the NC Presidential Award for Excellence in
Mathematics and Science Teaching - The 2014 Awards Cycle for elementary
teachers (grades K-6) for the North Carolina Presidential Award for Excellence in
Mathematics and Science Teaching is now open. The Presidential Awards for
Excellence in Mathematics and Science Teaching (PAEMST) are the highest honors
bestowed by the United States government specifically for K-12 mathematics and
science (including computer science) teaching. One mathematics teacher and one
science teacher will be selected. Each will receive a $10,000 award and a trip to
Washington, D.C. to attend the National Awards Recognition Program. Nominations will
be accepted through April 1. The application deadline is May 1. Nomination details are
available online at www.paemst.org.
11. Principals’ Message Breaks for Holiday Season - Due to the holiday break, the
next Principals’ message will be sent Thursday, Jan. 15. Interim messages will be sent
as appropriate. NCDPI would like to take this opportunity to wish you and your family a
joyous holiday season!
Previous Principals’ Biweekly Messages are posted online at
www.ncpublicschools.org/principalsarchive/