General Archives

Summer School

Summer School will begin June 9 at Southeast Raleigh High and July 2 at all other Wake County Public School System high schools.

Each school is organizing its summer school program and there is limited space at each site. The schools will use their NovaNET labs to provide individualized instruction to students for repeat credit only. Registration for WCPSS students will take place at their base schools and each school will determine when applications will be accepted.

You can find more Summer School information here.

Posted by Bill Poston at 12:26 PM on May 05, 2008 | Leave Feedback

New Law Requires Booster Vaccine for Rising 6th-Graders (UPDATED)

Kelly Creech, WCPSS's Health Officer, asked us to share that North Carolina law now requires a booster shot of Tdap (tetanus/diphtheria/pertussis) for all children entering sixth grade on or after August 1, 2008.

This Tdap vaccine booster is intended to help teens ward off whooping cough (pertussis), tetanus and diphtheria. Without it, the protection from childhood immunization wears off over time.

Wake County Human Services recommends that parents talk to their child's doctor to find out whether the child needs a Tdap booster, make sure the child gets the shot before school starts, and take a copy of the child's shot record to school. WCHS has more information in this handy flyer (English, Spanish), including contact information for their health centers in case a child does not have a health provider.

You can also find out more from the state Department of Health and Human Services' Immunize North Carolina project.

UPDATE in response to a question: According to Kelly Creech, the sixth-grade Tdap vaccination is technically not required of year-round tracks 1, 2, or 3 this year, "but we encourage parents/guardians to contact their private physician or local health department for advice on their student's vaccination needs."

Posted by Chip Sudderth at 11:16 AM on May 05, 2008 | Leave Feedback

Teacher Appreciation Week, May 4-10

The National PTA established Teacher Appreciation Week in 1984 "to honor the dedicated men and women who lend their passion and skills to educating our children." All of us in WCPSS join our entire community in saluting and celebrating our teachers -- the heart and soul of learning and teaching in Wake County.

National PTA has offered some suggestions for honoring teachers at their website.

Posted by Chip Sudderth at 08:59 AM on May 04, 2008 | Leave Feedback

Roadeo Regional Winners

Drivers from the Wake County Public School System Transportation Department took top honors at the Regional Bus Roadeo held in Winterville, NC yesterday. There were 41 drivers who competed in the Roadeo and the top 10 winners were invited to compete in the State Roadeo on May 15 at the state fairgrounds in Raleigh. Four WCPSS drivers secured a spot in the top 10 and these drivers will compete on May 15th.

First Place: Byron Lanier (Broughton)

Second Place: Jeff Mellen (Fuquay)

Third Place: Stephanie High (Millbrook)

Sixth Place: Billy McKemey (Fuquay)

Congratulations to all of our winners and good luck at the State Roadeo!! You can hear WCPSS bus drivers talk about the bus roadeo here.

Posted by Bill Poston at 03:09 PM on May 02, 2008 | Leave Feedback

Ken Smith on Career Tec Ed

You can listen to Ken Smith of WRAL-TV, the Association for Career Technical Education's first Image Award Winner, talk about winning this national award for his volunteer service in the Wake County Public School System. You can hear Smith on ACTE's Career Tec Talk here.

Posted by Bill Poston at 02:19 PM on May 02, 2008 | Leave Feedback

Leesville High Chorus Honored

Students in the Leesville Road High School chorus room were surprised this morning with the presentation of a trophy naming them the area's top youth chorus.

You can read more about the honor, see photos of the excited students and hear from teacher Diane Covington here.

Posted by Bill Poston at 04:32 PM on May 01, 2008 | Leave Feedback

Teacher Job Fair

More than 1,700 teacher candidates attended the 2008 Teacher Job Fair held April 19 by the Wake County Public School System to recruit licensed teachers.

The candidates came from 42 different states with many from other school districts in NC. The job fair provides the opportunity for school principals and administrators to meet and interview persons who can be licensed to teach in NC in 2008-09. All WCPSS schools had representatives at the fair to meet and talk with teacher candidates.

Elementary school candidates met at Green Hope High and secondary school candidates met at Panther Creek High.

As a result, WCPSS signed 57 letters of intent and made another 10 early contract offers to persons who attended the fair and may be teaching in Wake County classrooms soon.

WCPSS administrators conducted more than 2,800 interviews. Comprehensive spreadsheets of the interview results at both the elementary and secondary fairs have been compiled and sent to principals. Principals will be able to use this information throughout this hiring season.

Posted by Bill Poston at 09:33 AM on April 29, 2008 | Leave Feedback

Better Bus Ratings

Inspection ratings are greatly improved for the school bus fleet that transports more than 68,500 Wake County Public School System students to and from school every day.

The state gave the maintenance of the WCPSS bus system a score of 67.59. This score is significantly lower than the 94.02 from a November 2006 inspection and the 73.10 re-inspection requested by the school system and conducted by the state in May 2007.

Superintendent Del Burns stated that while there is still room for improvement in inspection scores, he is proud of the progress made by the Transportation Department team.

The inspections are somewhat like those drivers are required to have for their cars annually. The scores reflect the number and type of incidents inspectors find in their random inspections. The lower the score the better.

Eddy Adams, Senior Director of Transportation, places credit for the improvement on an increased focus on monthly bus inspections and training, realignment of mechanics' responsibilities, and hard work by all department personnel.

State Transportation staff made their annual unannounced visit this month traveling across the county randomly inspecting ten percent of the school system's 878 buses.

Posted by Bill Poston at 02:49 PM on April 28, 2008 | Leave Feedback

Students Compete in NC Math Contest

14 students from three high schools and one middle school will represent the Wake County Public School System in the State High School Mathematics Contest on Thursday, April 24 at the NC School of Science and Mathematics in Durham.

The 14 WCPSS students are among 139 qualified in regional contests held earlier this year across the state to qualify for the state competition.

The WCPSS students include Athens Drive High seniors Kyle Goodman and Eric Dees, junior Leo Chen and freshman Troy Oneal; Enloe High seniors Vivek Bhattacharya and Emil Mayev, junior Daniel Vitek and freshmen Michael Bai and Arjun Bhattacharya; Green Hope High senior William Schlieper and freshman Jessie Duan; and Ligon Middle School eighth graders Nicholas Tobey and Allan Yang and seventh grader Calvin Deng.

The students will be contending for a position on the state American Regions Mathematics League team. They will be competing for scholarships, books, software and other prizes. More than 30 winners of the competition have been awarded full-tuition scholarships to Duke University over the years.

Registration and a chess tournament begin at 9 a.m. the contest begins at 10:30 a.m. There will be a sprint contest from 1 to 2 p.m. where students run from one part of the gym to another and quickly solve a math problem. The awards ceremony begins at 2:15 p.m. in the Frederick Education Technology Center Auditorium at the NC School of Science and Mathematics.

For 30 years, the State High School Mathematics Contest has tested and identified the best math students in the state. The contest is sponsored by the NC Council of Teachers of Mathematics and is endorsed by the NC Science, Mathematics and Technology Education Center.

Posted by Bill Poston at 10:50 AM on April 22, 2008 | Leave Feedback

Board Committee Requests Marksmanship Policy Revisions

The Policy Committee of the Wake County Board of Education today directed its attorney and WCPSS staff to present a draft policy at its next meeting centered around concerns regarding marksmanship competitions.

The committee requested the draft policy revisions be presented on Tuesday, May 13. In their discussion, school board members cited the need for oversight procedures consistent with other school sponsored activities while recognizing the higher level of safety and scrutiny necessary for marksmanship.

Any policy revisions recommended by the Policy Committee would be referred to the full school board for approval.

Posted by Chip Sudderth at 04:07 PM on April 15, 2008 | Leave Feedback

Ten Teacher of the Year Finalists Named!

Ten WCPSS teachers, nominated by their peers to be their schools' Teachers of the Year, have been named finalists for 2008 Wake County Teacher of the Year. Congratulations go to Belinda Best from Conn Elementary, Cynthia Clavijo from West Lake Elementary, Laura Cochrane from Highcroft Elementary, Taela George-East from Sanderson High, Kim Jackson from Project Enlightenment, Danielle McCaslin from Bugg Elementary, Melinda Mouzzon from Knightdale High, Susan Pullium from the East Wake School of Health and Science, Susan Taylor from Panther Creek High, and Ann Quarles from Powell Elementary.

The 2008 Wake County Teacher of the Year banquet will be May 15, at which time we'll find out which of these outstanding teachers will represent WCPSS. We'll have more detailed information about each of these finalists soon.

We would also like to take a moment to thank the many businesses who support the WCPSS Teacher of the Year program, including our corporate sponsor Wachovia.

Posted by Chip Sudderth at 01:44 PM on April 10, 2008 | Leave Feedback

Board names interim principal

At its meeting Tuesday, the Board of Education named Anne Deegan the interim principal at Washington Elementary.

Deegan, a retired WCPSS principal, served as interim principal of Dillard Drive Elementary earlier this school year. She was principal of Martin Middle for six years and Underwood Elementary for five years. She also worked as a senior director in WCPSS Curriculum and Instruction and an assistant principal at Apex Elementary.

The board named Karen Summers as assistant principal at Mills Park Elementary; Julia Smith as interim assistant principal at Sycamore Creek Elementary; and William Parker as interim assistant principal at Millbrook High.

Posted by Bill Poston at 09:15 AM on April 10, 2008 | Leave Feedback

See Marilyn Moody on OPEN/net tonight

April 1, 2008-- Child Nutrition Services Senior Director Marilyn Moody will appear on the guest panel of this Tuesday's OPEN/net to talk about childhood obsity and WCPSS' committment to providing healthy good-tasting meals to students. Tune in this Tuesday evening from 8pm-10pm to hear the discussion. The list of channels where OPEN/net can be seen -- organized by county -- is available at: www.ncapt.tv/local.htm. Or watch the program via live streaming video on APT's website: www.ncapt.tv. OPEN/net is a weekly live call-in cable program that invites experts to talk about timely and topical issues in North Carolina.

Parents & Schools on OPEN/net
Hosted by Charles Coble
TUESDAY, April 1, 2008
8-9:00 pm

Child Nutrition and Obesity Prevention

More and more of North Carolina's children are overweight or obsese. Determining how this has happened is fairly straightforward - our young people are consuming more calories than they burn. But why this has happened and what we can do as a community to address this alarming trend is more complex. The family, the community, the school all have roles to play as we work together to try to reverse the trend and help our children live well and learn well. Join us for this hour of Parents and Schools on OPEN/net to discuss child nutrition and obesity prevention. Here to talk with you will be:

Sheree Vodicka, Healthy Weight Communications Manager for the Physical Activity and Nutrition Branch of the NC Division of Public Health;
Marie Shelton, Healthy Weight Communications Specialist with the Physical Activity and Nutrition Branch;
Marilyn Moody, Senior Director of Child Nutrition Services for the Wake County Public School System; and
Heidi Carter, a Board member of Durham Public Schools Board of Education, and a member of the Eat Smart Move More Advisory Council to the State Department of Public Health and of the DPS School Health Advisory Council.

The list of channels where OPEN/net can be seen -- organized by county -- is available on our web site: www.ncapt.tv/local.htm. Or watch the program via live streaming video on APT's web site (www.ncapt.tv). OPEN/net is also available on C-Band satellite, Galaxy 26 on Transponder 12C. New! For archived video of OPEN/net programs, a partial selection of the month's schedule can be found on Time Warner Cable's Carolina On Demand Channel 1234. Go to the OPEN/net pull down menu and select one of the available hours.

You can participate in this program by calling 1-888-228-6736.
Additionally, you can share your questions and comments by e-mail. Send them before or during the program to open@ncmail.net.
General Information about OPEN/net: OPEN/net is a statewide television call-in program produced by the Agency for Public Telecommunications (APT) in the NC Department of Administration. Since 1984, more than 43,000 viewers across the state have called or e-mailed OPEN/net to talk with policymakers about the issues and services of state government. OPEN/net has partnered with the cable industry to reach more than 400 communities across North Carolina every Tuesday evening from 8 to 10 pm. For more information, go to www.ncapt.tv, contact Fran Wescott at fran.wescott@ncmail.net, or call 919-733-6341.

Posted by Ashley Smith at 11:08 AM on April 01, 2008 | Leave Feedback

Students Selected for Governor's School

Sixty-six students from 15 Wake County Public School System high schools have been selected to attend the Governor's School of North Carolina for 2008.

You can read more about the WCPSS students selected to attend Governor's School here and more about the Governor's School here.

Posted by Bill Poston at 01:53 PM on March 27, 2008 | Leave Feedback

Board names interim principal

At its meeting Tuesday, the Board of Education named Ed Gainor as interim principal at Green Elementary.

Gainor, a retired WCPSS principal, has served as principal of Leesville Road Elementary and Wiley Elementary. He was an assistant principal and teacher at Daniels Middle School.

The board named Che-Von Stone as assistant principal at Wildwood Forest Elementary.

Posted by Bill Poston at 01:20 PM on March 19, 2008 | Leave Feedback

Congratulations to Southeast Raleigh's Robodogs

The Southeast Raleigh Magnet High FIRST Team, also known as the "Robodogs," took regional honors in the For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology Robotics competition. The student robot designers will go on to the world championships this April, trying to reclaim the title the Robodogs won in 2004.

Posted by Chip Sudderth at 09:05 AM on March 17, 2008 | Leave Feedback

Answer Man...Revenue Review

So, just where does the school system get its money? After all, the operating budget is over a BILLION dollars! Who foots the bill?

That's a terrific question, but it can become a complex answer. Fortunately, I'm not a complex man, so I think I can decipher it in a way that's easy to understand.

There are four categories of revenue applied to the WCPSS operating budget: State, Local, Federal and Other. Many people seem to think the Federal government would be the largest supplier of funds. Not true. Check out the list below:

State of North Carolina 61%
Wake County Appropriations 27%
Federal 6%
Other (fines, forfeitures, enterprise, etc.) 6%

Together they supply $1,242,461,654 in revenue, which makes up our operations budget request for the 2008-2009 school year.

Posted by Jeff Nash, the Answer Man at 04:18 PM on March 13, 2008 | Leave Feedback

Child Nutrition Services Job Fair

Child Nutrition Services invites you to their job fair on April 10, from 3:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. at Millbrook High School and East Cary Middle School/Cary Ninth-Grade Center.

CNS representatives will be present. Applicants will be able to complete their applications on site and have preliminary interviews during the Job Fair.

Posted by Chip Sudderth at 10:17 AM on March 13, 2008 | Leave Feedback

Business Alliance Volunteer Receives National Award

As we announced back in June, Sanderson High School Business Alliance volunteer Ken Smith will receive today the Image Award from the Association for Career and Technical Education. The award recognizes his eight years of service to Sanderson's students as well as his commitment to career and technical education. Smith is an anchor and reporter for WRAL-TV.

ACTE's press release is here.

Posted by Chip Sudderth at 11:15 AM on March 10, 2008 | Leave Feedback

So What???

You may ask "So what?"

So what if you are not a parent? Why should you care about a quality school district? Why should our community care?

I have racked my brain to find a list of answers to the "why care" question. Here is my conclusion: If providing our children a future full of opportunities is not reason enough, then there are two specific areas of financial impact that hits all of us straight in the wallet.

First, a quality school district attracts businesses and jobs. Obviously, the lure of a well-educated workforce is always a foundation for commerce. But we must remember the people making the decisions to either relocate or incorporate a business often have parental considerations of their own. Tax-incentives may be a nice draw, but they really want a place where their families can thrive.

I recently spoke with a high-ranking official of a large company that is bringing over 2,000 jobs to our area. Our school system has been involved from the beginning. We have met with corporate staff on multiple occasions and have more presentations lined up in the coming weeks. They are big fans of the work done by local educators.

A friend of mine moved here from New Hampshire a few years back to open a new creative technology firm. He specifically listed five criteria used for choosing our area as his new home. First on his list was the need for high-quality public schools. He has four children himself and also knew he would need to hire staff, which in many cases may have children of their own.

So what? In addition to luring business opportunities to our area, another very tangible benefit of a strong local school district resides in its direct impact on home values.

Sandra Black once wrote in The Quarterly Journal of Economics (May 1999), "I find that parents are willing to pay 2.5 percent more for a 5 percent increase in test scores." This is good news for residents of a district that ranks near the top of the state in End-of-Grade tests and well above the national average on SAT scores.

Recently, I asked Ida Terbet, a recognized real estate expert, to tell me how the local school district impacts home values. Her response was strong and passionate. "The quality of the school system impacts home value because the schools are demanded, needed and wanted! The more demand you have on a school district, the higher the price for the home."

So what? Why should I care about the quality of my school district? Hopefully, you care about the children attending the schools and you want only the best for them. But in case that is not enough, the economic impact of a healthy school district directly impacts every member of our community. Chad P. Wick, CEO of KnowledgeWorks Foundation, emphatically claims "Education should be viewed as an investment rather than a service that government provides."

Alan Greenspan stated simply, yet eloquently, that wealth creation lies in the "knowledge and skill of our population."

So what? That is what!

Posted by Jeff Nash, the Answer Man at 08:16 AM on March 07, 2008 | Leave Feedback

Board names administrator and principal

At its meeting Tuesday, the Board of Education named Rebecca Hargraves senior director for Compensation Services and Kimberly Short principal at Ballentine Elementary.

Hargraves will now lead the WCPSS staff that manages payroll and benefits for school system employees. She has served as a senior administrator in WCPSS Transportation, a director for business applications in WCPSS Technology Services and a senior administrator in the WCPSS Budget Department. She began working with WCPSS in 1990 as a payroll technician in WCPSS Compensation Services.

Short has served as assistant principal at Ballentine Elementary since 2006. Prior to that, she was an assistant principal intern at Ballentine Elementary, and was a teacher at Morrisville Elementary, Weatherstone Elementary, Baucom Elementary and East Cary Middle. Short is a visiting instructor and has served as a clinical supervisor in the Department of Curriculum and Instruction at NC State University. She is a NC Principal Fellow and took part in the Principals' Executive Program for Developing Future Leaders in 2003. She has also served as an educational consultant at the local, state and national level.

The board named new assistant principals including Tracie Sauers at Durant Road Elementary, Robert Grant at Briarcliff Elementary and Dwayne Cook at Wake Forest Rolesville High. Named as interim assistant principals were retired principal Susanne Warren at Sanderson High, retired principal Gary Gammill at Oak Grove Elementary, Cheryl Munn at Sanderson High and Jeremy Gibbs at Davis Drive Middle.

Posted by Bill Poston at 11:20 AM on March 06, 2008 | Leave Feedback

Teacher of the Year Semi-finalists Announced

Congratulations to these twenty teachers, who have been selected as semi-finalists for 2008 Wake County Teacher of the Year!

• Laura Ellen Cochrane, Highcroft Elementary School
• Anne Mayer, Leesville Elementary School
• Sarah Gaither Fleming, Oak Grove Elementary School
• Danielle McCaslin, Bugg Elementary School
• Susan Taylor, Panther Creek High School
• Claudia Dickens, Holly Grove Elementary School
• Cynthia Clavijo, West Lake Elementary School
• Tammy Lackey, North Garner Middle School
• Michelle Harrell, Southeast Raleigh High School
• Kim Jackson, Project Enlightenment
• Melinda Mouzzon, Knightdale High School
• Stacey Daniels, North Ridge Elementary School
• Mona Fulgham, Lockhart Elementary School
• Susan Pullium, East Wake School of Health & Science
• Taela George-East, Sanderson High School
• Carolyne Odenwelder, Brassfield Elementary School
• Kristen Thomasson, Martin Middle School
• Belinda Best, Conn Elementary School
• Ann Quarles, Powell Elementary School
• Ana Rodriguez, West Cary Middle School

These semi-finalists will be honored at a reception in April, when the ten finalists will be announced. Wake County's Teacher of the Year for 2008 will be named on Thursday, May 15.

Posted by Chip Sudderth at 11:23 AM on March 03, 2008 | Leave Feedback

WCPSS Water Conservation Measures

WCPSS Water Conservation Measures Presented During Height of Drought

At the February 19 Board of Education meeting, Bob Bittner, Director of Energy and Physical Plant reported on water and energy conservation measures being taken within the Wake County Public School System.

Part of the report focused on our system's water usage in 2006-07 school year. Bittner explained that last year Wake County schools spent $2.2 million on water, sewer, storm-water, and irrigation charges. This cost was based upon a total usage of 227 million gallons of water in the buildings, plus an additional 29 million gallons of water for irrigation.

On average, students and teachers are using about 8.9 gallons of water per person, per day. When you factor in the water that would be used for irrigation, that average goes up to 9.9. Our school system has taken a number of voluntary measures both before and during the drought to ensure we are doing our part to conserve water:
* We have stopped irrigation at all schools. We halted irrigation in the fall before Stage 2 measures were implemented. With this measure alone, we are reducing our water usage by about 12%.
* We have ordered 4500 flow restrictors to add to the faucets in older schools. (Recently built and renovated schools already have these or similar devices in place.) These will reduce water flow from the faucet from approximately 2.5 gallons per minute to 1.5 gallons per minute. This will result in a reduction of 3% of our water usage.
* We have informed our staff about the need to conserve water, and we have a heightened our response to water leaks.
* We have discontinued all vehicle and bus washing.
* Our Energy Savers team is rolling out a new initiative to educate students about water conservation at both school and at home. This program is called SWAT, for Student Water Audit Teams.
* We have a meeting planned next week with the 21st Century Learning Group to talk about how we can incorporate conservation into the character education program.
* We will be looking at our current design guidelines, and make sure that they are more specific in requiring water conserving equipment and design.
* We are looking to use re-use water, where possible. We are already doing this in Cary at Middle Creek High School, where we use reclaimed water for irrigation. The City of Raleigh is expanding its piping of reuse water, and we are looking into the possibility of using this where possible. The charges for this water will be half that of potable water, and its use will not be restricted during times of drought.

One area we want to continue to reinforce is the need for good hygiene for students and staff, which should not be sacrificed in order to save water.

Energy and water conservation is an ongoing concern to us. Our conservation efforts did not just begin with the current drought.

* Over the last several years, we have begun installing waterless urinals in our new schools. This saves us approximately 1.2 million gallons of water annually.
* Three of our schools have rainwater collection systems. We use this water for commode flushing and some irrigation. The systems at these three schools save us 1.1 million gallons of potable water annually.
* We are moving to planting more drought tolerant plants and using mulch in planting beds.
* We have installed small scale photovoltaic systems in some schools as learning tools.
* Cafeterias have been using disposable plates and utensils. In addition to reducing the need for dishwashing, this has also reduced our need to pump out grease traps, which formerly had to be done monthly.
* We are implementing real time metering of all utilities with our building automation system.
* We have implemented a comprehensive online utility tracking system.
* We are using re-use water for irrigation at one site in Cary. As the availability of this expands, we will look to increasing our use of it, and may look to using it for other purposes, such as bus washing at our Rock Quarry Road facility.
* We have hired an energy analyst to more accurately review our utility bills and usage. In less than a year, she has produced over $66,000 in one time savings, and has identified rate changes and other cost saving strategies that will save us $133,000 annually.
* We are upgrading our building automation system to provide web access which can be viewed at the school level.
* We have reduced the HVAC system overrides from a period of 4 hours to 2 hours.
* We will continue with our nationally recognized Energy Savers program, which involves students in 'learning by doing," and teaches them energy and water conservation skills that they can use not just at school, but to take home with them as well.

The above information was presented on the same day the North Carolina Drought Management Advisory Council updated drought conditions to reflect that Wake County along with 63 other counties in the state are experiencing exceptional drought conditions, the highest drought classification. Stay informed on drought conditions and advisories, visit: (www.ncdrought.org).

Posted by Ashley Smith at 08:38 AM on February 29, 2008 | Leave Feedback

Board Names Administrator/Principal

At its Feb. 19 meeting, the Board of Education named Wilma Jenkins-Flythe the Senior Director for Staffing and Operations in WCPSS Human Resources and Ann Deegan as interim principal at Washington Elementary.

Jenkins-Flythe has served as a director in WCPSS Human Resources since 2003. Prior to that, she worked as a senior administrator in WCPSS Human Resources for two years and was an assistant principal at Martin Middle School. She was a teacher at Broughton High and Wake Technical Community College.

Deegan served as interim principal at Dillard Drive Elementary for five months last year. Prior to that she served as principal for six years at Martin Middle School and five years at Underwood Elementary. She worked as a senior director in WCPSS Curriculum and Instruction and was an assistant principal at Apex Elementary.

Posted by Bill Poston at 11:40 AM on February 26, 2008 | Leave Feedback

Budget Team Honored

The Government Finance Officers Association has awarded the Wake County Public School System a Distinguished Budget Presentation Award for the 2007-08 Plan for Student Success.

The award is a significant achievement and reflects the commitment of the school system and the WCPSS budget staff to meeting the highest principals of government budgeting. The budget staff earned the recognition by meeting nationally recognized guidelines for effective budget presentation. The guidelines assess how well the budget document serves as a policy document, financial plan, operations guide and communications device. Budget documents must be proficient in all four categories to receive the award.

In recognition, the association has presented a Certificate of Recognition for Budget Presentation to the WCPSS budget staff.

You can find the WCPSS budget document, the Plan for Student Success, here; and information on the awards program here.

Posted by Bill Poston at 10:31 PM on February 23, 2008 | Leave Feedback

Spring Teacher Job Fair

The Spring Teacher Job Fair is coming on Saturday, April 19 from 7:30 am to 2:30 pm. If you (or someone you know) are fully licensed, have completed your student teaching, or are eligible for a valid teaching license, join hundreds of other candidates at the Spring Teacher Job Fair. School administrators will be on site to conduct interviews and to offer contracts to selected applicants. Elementary candidates will meet at Green Hope High and secondary candidates at Panther Creek High.

Oh yeah, I almost forgot, online pre-registration through the WCPSS Website is required and runs from March 7 - April 14, 2008. All candidates are encouraged to submit an online job application prior to attending the job fair. For more information, contact our Office of Recruitment and Retention at 919-854-1690 or check out this link:

http://www.wcpss.net/HumanResources/jobfair.html

Posted by Jeff Nash, the Answer Man at 04:07 PM on February 18, 2008 | Leave Feedback

Magnet/Calendar Applications

According to the Office of Growth and Planning, as of Thursday morning we have received approximately 6,700 magnet/calendar applications. Applications will be accepted online until February 29. Parents will be informed of the results in March.

Posted by Jeff Nash, the Answer Man at 03:57 PM on February 14, 2008 | Leave Feedback

The SAT is Coming

Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT) administration begins on March 1. Parents and students can find a lot of helpful information at our online SAT Resource Center. Check it out!

Posted by Chip Sudderth at 09:43 AM on February 13, 2008 | Leave Feedback

Board names principal

At its meeting yesterday, the Board of Education named Beth Jarman principal at Oak Grove Elementary School.

Jarman has served as assistant principal at Oak Grove Elementary since 2005. Prior to that, she was assistant principal at West Lake Elementary, an assistant principal intern at Middle Creek Elementary and a teacher at Vance Elementary. Jarman was in the first cohort in the Triangle Leadership Academy.

The board also named retired principal Barbara Crocket as an interim assistant principal at Wake Forest Elementary School.

Posted by Bill Poston at 05:02 PM on February 06, 2008 | Leave Feedback

Happy Career and Technical Education Month!

February is National Career and Technical Education Month, and that makes this a perfect time to salute more than 530 teachers, Career Development Coordinators, and Special Populations Coordinators who serve more than 64,000 WCPSS middle and high school students. Whether it's technology, agriculture, health, marketing, or any of the other North Carolina career pathways, WCPSS is committed to preparing our students for the future by setting them on the road to career success, and these excellent teachers and coordinators lead the way.

Director David Rockefeller gave a brief overview of Career and Technical Education in our November 5 Wake EduCast, and you can find out even more by visiting our CTE Department online!

Posted by Chip Sudderth at 05:35 PM on February 04, 2008 | Leave Feedback

Kindergarten Registration

Do I have to register my kindergartner on February 7? Not at all. Historically kindergarten registration begins the first Thursday in February, which this year is February 7. Children may be registered any time after that, even into the new school year. The benefits of doing it early in February include having staff or parent volunteers available specifically for that purpose. Magnet/Calendar Applications are also available from February 11 to the 29, 2008 and you must first register at your base school before applying. You may learn more about both processes by clicking on our Newcomers button. Whenever you choose to register we hope it will be a positive experience and the beginning of many more with WCPSS.

Matricular Para Kindergarten. Oprima para escuchar Elisa Caballero Miller This is a 40 second mp3 file.

Posted by Jeff Nash, the Answer Man at 08:36 AM on February 01, 2008 | Leave Feedback

Your Feedback Sought on Policy Proposal

The WCPSS Raising Achievement and Closing Gaps Advisory Committee is proposing a revision of the school board's Policy 2541, "Parental Involvement in Schools." This update would be based in part on the June 2007 National Standards for Family-School Partnerships developed by the national PTA. The committee wants to hear from you!

You'll find the RA/CG committee's draft policy proposal here in PDF format. If you have any suggestions or reactions to the draft, please leave feedback to this blog post by February 1. I'll be forwarding that feedback to the Parent/Community Involvement subcommittee then. Please remember that board policies such as these establish guidelines or broad principles; they're not intended to cover every possible situation or concern. That said, the committee welcomes your input before they present this draft to the school board.

The WCPSS Raising Achievement and Closing Gaps Advisory Committee reviews the progress of the Wake County Public School System on those issues. Committee members represent diverse segments of the community and provide feedback on issues, objectives and action steps related to raising student achievement and closing performance gaps.

Posted by Chip Sudderth at 04:23 PM on January 23, 2008 | Leave Feedback

Board names four principals

At its meeting yesterday, the Board of Education named principals for four schools including Terri Allen at North Ridge Elementary, Gregory Ford at Hilburn Drive Elementary, Joy Gorman at Briarcliff Elementary, and Larry Livengood at East Millbrook Middle School.

Allen is returning to the school system after working as a corporate manager for St. Lawrence Homes in Wake County since 2006. Prior to that, she was principal of Baileywick Elementary for six years and served as an assistant principal at Lynn Road Elementary and Kingswood Elementary. She was also a teacher in New York school districts.

Ford has served as assistant principal at Durant Road Elementary since 2003. Prior to that, he was an assistant principal intern at Baileywick Elementary and a teacher at Durant Road Middle.

Gorman has served as assistant principal at Briarcliff since 2006. Prior to that, she was assistant principal at Reedy Creek Elementary, an assistant principal intern at Reedy Creek Elementary, and a teacher at Reedy Creek Elementary, Adams Elementary and Kingswood Elementary.

Livengood has served as assistant principal at Enloe High since 2003. Prior to that he was an assistant principal at Clayton High in Johnston County and was a teacher at Zebulon Middle School and Carnage Middle School. He is a NC Principal Fellow and a NC Teaching Fellow.

Posted by Bill Poston at 09:10 AM on January 23, 2008 | Leave Feedback

Board Approves Assignment Resolution

At its meeting today, the Board of Education approved the following resolution that addresses discussions that have been held between leaders of the school board and town of Garner.

RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, Board of Education Policy 6200 provides a target for student assignment purposes that less than 25 percent of students at any school, averaged across a two-year period, will score below grade level on the Reading End-of-Grade test; and

WHEREAS, Board of Education Policy 6200 also provides a target for student assignment purposes that less than 40 percent of students at any school will qualify for free or reduced price lunches; and

WHEREAS, if these targets are exceeded at any school in Wake County, Board of Education Policy 62000 directs the Superintendent to review the reasons the target was exceeded and to study trends across several years; and

WHEREAS, the Superintendent, after reviewing the reasons the targets were exceeded, will make recommendations to the Board regarding how the student assignment plan and other tools may help achieve these targets;

NOW, THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED, that the Wake County Board of Education affirms its commitment to the goals established in Board of Education Policy 6200 and specifically resolves to use the increased capacity created at Smith Elementary School and Aversboro Elementary School in the 2009-10 school year, in conjunction with the results of reviews performed by the Superintendent, as a tool to move in the direction specified by Wake County Board of Education Policy 6200.

Resolved this 22nd day of January 2008.

Wake County Board of Education

Posted by Bill Poston at 05:48 PM on January 22, 2008 | Leave Feedback

Today's Board Meetings

Good morning! We hope you had a great long weekend.

The Wake County Board of Education has its regular meetings today. On the agenda for the 1:00 p.m. Committee of the Whole are discussions of the Title I District Improvement professional development plan, the land acquisition process, and renovation of Wake Forest-Rolesville High. Highlights of the 3:00 p.m. formal meeting include information about the state's new graduation project requirement, naming the upcoming elementary school in Wendell (E-34), fourth month K-3 individual class size waiver requests, and honoring seven individuals with Employee Excellence Awards at 5 p.m.

As always, you can get copies of the school board's schedule and agenda on our website.

Posted by Chip Sudderth at 08:53 AM on January 22, 2008 | Leave Feedback

N&O Tar Heel of the Week

Zebulon Middle School music teacher Calla Wright and her husband, Gerald, were recognized by the News and Observer as Tar Heel of the Week in the Jan. 13 newspaper.

The Wrights were recognized for their efforts in the community and with other parents in advocating for their children in the school system. They've established the Coalition of Concerned Citizens for African American Children which routinely brings together parents and school administrators to discuss meeting children's needs.

You can read more about the Wrights here.

Posted by Bill Poston at 02:43 PM on January 14, 2008 | Leave Feedback

Board Names New Principal

At its meeting Tuesday, the Board of Education named Michael Chappell as the new principal for Jones Dairy Elementary School.

Chappell has served as WCPSS Human Resources senior director for staffing and operations since 2005. Chappell has served in WCPSS Human Resources since 2003. Prior to that he had served as principal of Zebulon Elementary, a WCPSS Transportation supervisor and a Millbrook High teacher. He also worked as a principal and assistant principal in neighboring school systems and was a teacher for the Eastern NC School for the Deaf.

The school board named a number of assistant principals including John Daniels at East Wake Middle, Jonathan Enns at Fuquay-Varina High and Samantha Whittington at Fuquay-Varina Elementary. Delores Gill was named an interim assistant principal at Forestville Elementary.

Posted by Bill Poston at 05:02 PM on January 09, 2008 | Leave Feedback

Prepare for kindergarten

If your child starts kindergarten in 2008-09, there's a free information session you can attend.

Project Enlightenment, part of the Wake County Public School System, is presenting "Off to a Good Start - As Your Child Enters Kindergarten," for parents of rising kindergartners.

Project Enlightenment offers a number of opportunities at locations across the county during the month of January. This provides parents with helpful information as they prepare for kindergarten registration in February.

You can find the schedule of sessions and more information here.

Posted by Bill Poston at 11:33 AM on January 03, 2008 | Leave Feedback

School Meals Smart Option

Where can you get the most bang for your buck? The answer is your school cafeteria. School meals are the healthy, low cost choice. Students who participate in the National School Breakfast and School Lunch Programs consume more servings of milk, fruit and vegetables and fewer servings of soda and fruit drinks. Families depend on school meals to provide nourishing meals each day for their children. Students depend on school meals to provide the nutrition they need to succeed.

In Wake County, the Child Nutrition program goes above and beyond. That extra effort is being recognized at the state level.

Two Wake County schools, Adams Elementary and Turner Creek Elementary, will be featured as part of an effort to capture success stories with school meals. Photos of meals and nutrition education from the schools will be included in a training for all Child Nutrition professionals in North Carolina. The curriculum, entitled Smart Options: School Meals Make a Difference in N.C., is being developed by the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction - Child Nutrition Services and the N.C. Nutrition Education and Training Program with the North Carolina Division of Public Health - Nutrition Services Branch. Child Nutrition professionals can take the Smart Options course to count toward certification through the national School Nutrition Association.

At Adams Elementary, cafeteria manager Susie Strepay and her staff ensure that the serving line is immaculate, all items are clearly labeled and nutrition education materials are posted where customers of all ages, from students to teachers and parents, can see them. At Turner Creek Elementary, cafeteria manager Vonda Gilliam and her staff serve up color. From the food to the seasonal displays, everything appeals to the eye and the appetite. Students, school staff and parents agree that the Child Nutrition professionals at these schools are appreciated for the hard work and the heart that they put into their jobs.

Posted by Ashley Smith at 10:14 AM on December 21, 2007 | Leave Feedback

Rolesville Elementary Receives Big Check

December 18, 2007 - Julie Brown, a teacher assistant at Rolesville Elementary School, had no idea she would be able to give back to her alma mater through shopping. But that's exactly what happened when she received news of winning a General Mills sweepstakes by using her Food Lion MVP Card to purchase several General Mills products. It was a contest she was automatically entered in as a Food Lion customer.

On December 18, Box Tops for Education, a leading school fundraising program, donated $50,000 to Rolesville Elementary School on behalf of General Mills, Food Lion and winner, Julie Brown. Food Lion ran General Mills' Box Tops for Education sweepstakes in its stores this fall, announcing to customers that the school of their choice could be the recipient of a generous $50,000 check, one of the largest amounts awarded through the Box Tops for Education program.

Mrs. Brown says she chose Rolesville Elementary School as the recipient of the award because she and her family attended the school while growing up. Principal Shane Barham says the entire school is grateful to her and the two businesses. The school's leadership team is in the process of deciding on how best to use the money to enhance the educational opportunities for its 675 students. Mrs. Brown will also have some input. She is currently a teacher's assistant at the school and has taught there for more than 14 years.

Posted by Ashley Smith at 09:16 AM on December 21, 2007 | Leave Feedback

Board names principal

At its December 18 meeting, the Board of Education named a principal to lead a new elementary school and a new administrator.

The board named Gail Turner principal of the new Laurel Park Elementary School due to open for 2008-09 and Carol Jenkins Senior Director of Testing in Evaluation and Research.

Turner has served as principal of Oak Grove Elementary since 2004. Prior to that, she served as principal at Glenwood Elementary in the Chapel Hill-Carrboro Schools. She worked in the Onslow County Schools as an assistant principal at Richlands Elementary and a teacher at Morton Elementary.

Jenkins has served as director of Policy and Entitlements in Employee Relations in the WCPSS Human Resources Department since 1998. Prior to that, she was the litigation/policy coordinator for the NC Department of Correction.

The board also appointed retired principal Charles Rose to serve as an interim assistant principal at Broughton High School.

Posted by Bill Poston at 09:00 AM on December 19, 2007 | Leave Feedback

Project Enlightenment Workshops

Project Enlightenment, part of the Wake County Public School System, is presenting "Off to a Good Start - As Your Child Enters Kindergarten," a free information session for parents of rising kindergartners. Sessions are planned for eight Wake County locations during January 2008.

You can find more information on the workshops here.

Posted by Bill Poston at 04:12 PM on December 14, 2007 | Leave Feedback

Board names Magnet Director, Principals

At its meeting last night, the Board of Education named David Ansbacher Senior director of Magnet Programs, as well as naming principals for three schools.

Ansbacher has served as principal of East Millbrook Middle School since 2003. Prior to that he served as assistant principal at East Millbrook for two years, assistant principal intern at Combs Elementary and a teacher at Southeast Raleigh High. All three are magnet schools.

The board named Kristen Faircloth principal of the new Sycamore Creek Elementary; Michael Regan principal of the new Mills Park Elementary; and Erin Kershner principal of Wiley Elementary.

Faircloth has been principal of Hilburn Drive Elementary since 2002. Prior to that, she was assistant principal at Wildwood Forest Elementary, an assistant principal intern at Lincoln Heights Elementary and a teacher at Durant Road Elementary.

Regan has been principal at Briarcliff Elementary since 2004. Prior to that, he was assistant principal at York Elementary, an assistant principal intern at Wake Forest Elementary, a curriculum specialist at Joyner Elementary and a teacher at Pleasant Union Elementary.

Kershner has been a senior administrator in WCPSS Human Resources this year. Prior to that, she was an assistant principal at elementary schools in Chapel Hill and Durham. She's also worked as an elementary school director and as an associate institute director for Teach for America in Houston, Texas.

The board named Holly Shaw assistant principal at Timber Drive Elementary.

Posted by Bill Poston at 09:28 AM on December 05, 2007 | Leave Feedback

Enloe Students at Siemens

If you watched the live broadcast Monday morning on the Siemens website, you know that Enloe High students, Vivek Bhattacharya, Hao Lian and Daniel Vitek, earned second place in the National Finals of 2007-08 Siemens Competition in Math, Science and Technology. This means the three students will share a $50,000 scholarship. The recognition will also look good on their college applications.

The Enloe students' presentation in the finals of the event in New York is available for download here.

Posted by Bill Poston at 08:50 AM on December 03, 2007 | Leave Feedback

Business Alliances Draw National Attention

The WCPSS Business Alliance Initiative has been featured in the November/December 2007 issue of Techniques, the national publication of the Association for Career and Technical Education.

The article, by WCPSS School-to-Career coordinator Chris Droessler and business alliance coordinator Megan Kirkpatrick, looks at the 13-year history and results of building strong ties between schools and businesses:

More than 13 years ago, a handful of business leaders approached [WCPSS] with the idea that a collaborative partnership be established to improve workforce development. They sought a way to infuse the curriculum with relevant and realistic career experiences that enhance it, and provide additional learning opportunities for both students and educators.

They hoped that this collaborative partnership would lead to better prepared entry-level employees who understand the requirements necessary to be competitive in today's global workforce. Today the community is reaping the benefits of what has become a mature, sustaining, collaborative partnership between the business community and education in a program called the Business Alliance Initiative. The life experience and career expertise that the business volunteers provide is priceless. When recruited, they are asked to donate the priceless gift of time and talent. The initiative's intent is not to approach businesses with an outstretched hand looking for money or equipment, but rather to seek out their life experiences and business contacts to help improve career awareness for all students and educators.

You can read the entire article here at the WCPSS Website. Thanks go to the ACTE for giving us permission to republish it.

Posted by Chip Sudderth at 08:44 AM on November 27, 2007 | Leave Feedback

NCLB District Improvement

The Wake County Public School System (WCPSS) remains in Title I District Improvement under No Child Left Behind for the 2007-08 school year. This means that the school system missed Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) targets in the same subject area (reading) for two years in a row. The district also missed AYP in math for 2006-07. Letters were mailed to all parents in WCPSS, notifying them of the district's status.

School districts are held to the same proficiency target goals for students in reading and mathematics that are established for schools. AYP is determined for a school district by compiling the data for each student group and for the students as a whole in the district, as well as by calculating the attendance and graduation rates at the district level. A school district's AYP is not determined by the number of schools making AYP in the district, but by considering the achievement level of each student in the designated student groups at the district level. Student groups include the District as a Whole, White, Black, Hispanic, Native American, Asian, Multiracial, Economically Disadvantaged, Limited English Proficient, and Students with Disabilities.

You can review frequently asked questions on district improvement here. You may call 919-790-6428 for more information regarding this issue.

Posted by Bill Poston at 01:57 PM on November 21, 2007 | Leave Feedback

Board reviews magnet plans

Plans for the magnet programs at Wendell Elementary and Zebulon Elementary were discussed in the committee of the whole meeting of the Board of Education this afternoon.

Over the summer, the board voted to change the two elementary schools from equity gifted and talented magnets to application magnets.

Laura Evans of the WCPSS Growth and Planning Department said there is capacity for application students at Zebulon Elementary now and will be capacity for Wendell Elementary with the opening of E34, a new elementary school, in the Wendell area in 2009-10.

With space already available at Zebulon, WCPSS has moved forward on making Zebulon Elementary an application gifted and talented magnet beginning in 2008-09. The school staff had a booth at the recent WCPSS Magnet Fair where they encouraged families to consider them for 2008-09.

Evans said Growth and Planning worked with the WCPSS Magnet Office to review the areas of the county where students have been applying to three existing gifted and talented application magnet elementary schools: Powell, Underwood and Washington.

The Zebulon application area will be created from the eastern part of the area that had been applying to Powell. Evans says there are currently 39 students from Powell in that area of the county. She said their plans would allow those students to continue at Powell.

WCPSS staff recommended waiting to take action on Wendell Elementary until 2009-10 when the school will have capacity to accept students with the opening of E34. In that time, they want to explore other magnet themes, instead of duplicating a second gifted and talented magnet in the same area.

Evans said they hope to explore magnet themes for Wendell in January to August 2008, work on marketing and recruiting students from September 2008 to January 2009, and accept applications in February 2009 from students to attend Wendell Elementary in 2009-10. She said Wendell will have a different magnet theme, but the same magnet application area as Zebulon Elementary.

Posted by Bill Poston at 04:38 PM on November 20, 2007 | Leave Feedback

School-to-Career Coordinator Named to National Post

Congratulations to Chris Droessler, WCPSS School-to-Career coordinator, for being named the National President of the School-to-Work/Careers Section of the Association for Career and Technical Education.

Posted by Chip Sudderth at 03:41 PM on November 13, 2007 | Leave Feedback

School Psychology Awareness Week

The National Association of School Psychologists has designated November 12-16 as School Psychology Awareness Week.

WCPSS is staffed by more than 80 school psychologists who support the needs of students ages 3 through 21. School psychologists focus on problem prevention, intervention, and diagnostic assessment. School psychologists work collaboratively with both special education and regular education programs.

The WCPSS School Psychology Section is part of the Counseling and Student Services Department.

Posted by Paul Cory at 04:29 PM on November 08, 2007 | Leave Feedback

Fund Balance Policy to Go Before Board

At this afternoon's Committee of the Whole meeting, WCPSS staff presented a draft policy to the Wake County Board of Education that would regulate the school board's use of the "Undesignated Operating Fund Balance." The school board uses this fund balance to address emergency funding needs or other one-time costs not included in the annual budget.

If the school board formally adopts the policy, then the board would:

• aim to hold this fund balance to no greater than six percent of the following year's county appropriation,
• return any amount above this six percent to Wake County government each year, and
• use no more than half of this fund balance to provide funding to the following year's budget.

The school board will formally vote on this policy at its November 20 meeting.

Posted by Chip Sudderth at 01:53 PM on November 06, 2007 | Leave Feedback

Enloe Students Win Siemens Regional

The Enloe High School team of Daniel Vitek, Hao Lian and Vivek Bhattacharya won the regional round of the Siemens Westinghouse Science & Technology Competition on Saturday (Nov. 3) at Georgia Tech. They received a silver medal for their win and $6,000 in scholarship money to be split amongst the three team members. Enloe will receive a $2,000 award to support math, science and technology programs.

As one of the top six teams in the nation, the team advances to the National Finals the weekend of Nov. 30. They are competing for a gold medal and $100,000 in scholarship money. Runners up receive scholarships ranging from $10,000 to $50,000.

Posted by Bill Poston at 07:58 AM on November 05, 2007 | Leave Feedback

Parent Newsletter Online

Parent Matters, a newsletter for parents, has been posted on our website in both English and Spanish. This fall, separate versions have been produced for the parents of our elementary students and for parents who have children in our middle or high schools.

The newsletter contains information to help parents better support their children's education. Articles on upcoming testing dates, online learning, magnet programs, curriculum guides and scholarship information can all be found in the Parent Matters newsletter.

Printed copies of the elementary issue are being sent home with all elementary students. The secondary issue is available electronically. Parents can download the entire newsletter from our website or they can view individual stories online.

Posted by Christy Barnett at 11:10 AM on October 31, 2007 | Leave Feedback

2007 NC School Report Cards Online

The N.C. Department of Public Instruction launched the 2007 N.C. School Report Cards today, providing parents, educators and others with information on school performance. You can find the N.C. School Report Cards here.

In the search options, you can type in your school's name. There are several pages of information for each school including a school profile, student performance, safe, orderly and caring schools and quality teachers. Just click on the tab for that page of information. This latest addition provides information from the 2006-07 school year.

Posted by Bill Poston at 02:25 PM on October 30, 2007 | Leave Feedback

School in session at Panther Creek

Panther Creek High School is open today and classes are being held.

Due to conditions related to the morning's power outage at the school, absences today will not be counted.

Progress Energy continues to work on restoring power to the school, which has not had electricity since opening this morning at 7:25 a.m. Power should be restored shortly.

UPDATE: Progress Energy restored power at the high school around 10:15 this morning.

Posted by Bill Poston at 09:53 AM on October 30, 2007 | Leave Feedback

Get the Facts on Preventing MRSA

The state Department of Public Instruction has just released a fact sheet on MRSA (Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus) in English and Spanish. Check it out to learn how the bacteria is spread, how it can be prevented, its impact on school attendance (DPI says that students and staff can attend "as long as the wound is covered and they are receiving treatment"), and links to more sources of information.

Posted by Chip Sudderth at 04:02 PM on October 26, 2007 | Leave Feedback

Athletics and Staph Infection

MRSA (Methicillin-resistant Staphylococus aureus) has been in the news recently. It's a health concern that WCPSS has worked with Wake County Human Services to develop information to share. In recent years, county and school health officials have worked to provide information to school athletics administrators and their athletes' families.

On the WCPSS Athletics Resource Center, you will find information that was shared with WCPSS Athletics staff at the start of this school year. Another notice was provided these athletics administrators recently after national news coverage again called attention to MRSA.

The MRSA information has been provided by Dr. David Damsker, Community Health Medical Director, Wake County Human Services.

You can find information about MRSA here.

Posted by Bill Poston at 11:08 AM on October 23, 2007 | Leave Feedback

Wakelon Holds Ribbon Cutting

The Wakelon Elementary School community will hold a ribbon cutting ceremony at 6 this evening to celebrate their new school building.

Superintendent Del Burns will join Principal Tammie Sexton and the school community to celebrate the school building's opening this year. More than 600 students began school August 27 in the new facility located at 8921 Pippin Rd, Zebulon, NC 27597

The school moved into its permanent home this year after starting early two years ago in a temporary modular campus at 3409 NC Hwy 97 in Wendell, where the Wendell Middle School is currently housed while its permanent facility is under construction.

Posted by Bill Poston at 11:29 AM on October 22, 2007 | Leave Feedback

Water Conservation

WCPSS is exempt from the water restrictions, but we are taking a number of voluntary measures to ensure we are doing our part to conserve water during the drought.

Our maintenance and operations team has been very proactive in making sure all leaks are fixed as soon as possible. In addition to that, Auxiliary Services, which houses a number of school vehicles including buses, has turned off its car wash months ago.

Depending on the location, some athletic fields are making use of non-potable water (i.e. recycled water) where it is available. Maintenance has also minimized irrigation time on a number of athletic fields while still making it safe to use. For example, in some schools we've reduced irrigation schedules from three times a week to just once a week.

Most of our water conservation measures are handled in the design phase. Newer schools include push water faucets, waterless urinals, and water catchment systems for flushing.

Posted by Ashley Smith at 03:34 PM on October 19, 2007 | Leave Feedback

Cary High Arts Center Opens

Cary High School will be unveiling a new Performing Arts Center at an Opening Gala at 7 p.m., Thursday, Oct. 18.

The evening will start with a silent auction showcasing student artwork and private fine art lessons from Cary High teachers at 7 p.m. A musical program will follow at 7:30 p.m. featuring Cary High School’s talented young artists in band, orchestra, drama and choir. The evening is open to the public.

The new 15,000 square foot facility is located on the corner of Walnut Street and Maynard Road in Cary. The auditorium has a seating capacity of 588. The new facility houses practice rooms for the fine arts department along with art rooms.

Cary High School is one of the first public high schools in North Carolina. The school moved from its original site on Academy Street to the present location in 1960. The school serves 1,882 students along with 170 staff members. At this time Cary High is undergoing major renovations throughout its campus. Completion of all renovations is slated for June 2008.

Posted by Bill Poston at 10:01 AM on October 15, 2007 | Leave Feedback

Magnet Fair

The annual WCPSS Magnet Schools Fair is planned for Saturday, Nov. 3 at Southeast Raleigh Magnet High School from 10 a.m. until 1 p.m. Families interested in educational choice may explore the many innovative programs offered through the network of magnet programs.

The magnet fair is open to the public and creates a venue for parents and students to visit interactive display booths and inquire about such magnet programs as Gifted and Talented, International Baccalaureate, Museums, University Connections, Leadership and Technology, and the newest magnet school, Wake Early College of Health and Sciences.

While magnet school students perform, sing and dance in the auditorium, principals, teachers and students from the schools are available to answer questions at the display booths in the gym and lunchroom.

Families can also collect information about future recruitment events; and meet with representatives from WCPSS's Office of Growth and Planning, and Transportation Department.

For over 25 years, WCPSS's award-winning magnet schools have enhanced the NC Standard Course of Study with innovative approaches to learning that empower students. Magnets open doors of opportunity and spark the imagination of students, preparing them to become responsible citizens in a global society.

To find out more about WCPSS magnet schools and other upcoming recruiting events visit www.wcpss.net/magnet, or the Magnet Resource Center located on the campus of Millbrook Elementary. The phone number is 501-7900.

Posted by Bill Poston at 02:12 PM on October 12, 2007 | Leave Feedback

Textbook Fair

The WCPSS Textbook Fair is 3:30 to 6 p.m., Monday through Thursday, October 15-18 in Room 1413 at the Webster Center, Crossroads II Building at 110 Corning Road in Cary. Teachers, parents, and any interested community members are invited to visit the publisher displays that showcase new textbooks and/or materials for K-12 Social Studies, 6-12 Business and Information Technology and 9-12 Marketing Education.

Posted by Bill Poston at 12:10 PM on October 12, 2007 | Leave Feedback

WCPSS Leads the Way in Pest Management

The WCPSS Integrated Pest Management (IPM) Program is now officially a state and national leader in creating safe learning environments by protecting students and staff from pests and pesticides.

The WCPSS Integrated Pest Management (IPM) Program is now officially a state and national leader in creating safe learning environments by protecting students and staff from pests and pesticides.

On October 10, the IPM Program, housed in WCPSS' Environmental Health and Safety Department, received this year's "Leadership Award" at the 3rd Annual School IPM Recognition Awards at NC State University. During the ceremony, Randy Senzig, a Fuquay-Varina High school science teacher, delivered a speech on the importance of integrated pest management programs in schools and Dr. Dennis Osborne, WCPSS Environmental Health and Safety supervisor, accepted the leadership award on behalf of the school system.

"We're particularly pleased with our award this year because it demonstrates what you can do to truly eliminate pests without using harmful poisons," said Dr. Osborne.

The award recognizes WCPSS' outstanding effort in managing all kinds of pest while reducing pesticide use in and around schools. The award is the highest level of recognition obtainable from the NC State University School IPM Program. To receive this distinction, WCPSS' IPM Program was evaluated against all IPM programs in the state. The evaluation was in essence a performance audit by the organization designed to teach schools how to implement safe pest control practices while reducing exposure to pesticides.

"Our goal has been to eliminate pesticides all together," said Dr. Osborne. "There are some cases where we have to use pesticides, but we have been able to manage the use of pesticides that are really harmless to people."

WCPSS was one of the first school districts in the state to implement the IPM program. The common sense approach to pest control utilizes walkthrough inspections, monitoring devices, sanitation, and exclusion. Unlike most other school systems, WCPSS does not contract its work in this area; rather the district employs a staff of trained and licensed technicians. They are all cross-trained to address IPM, water quality and environmental response as a team. The staff members are Rodney Ferrell, Mike Smith, Tony Hoffman, Mike Poole, Jr., and Mike Norris. Dr. Dennis Osborne is the supervisor and IPM program coordinator and Ms. Sneha Amin, P.E. is the director of the department.

"I am tremendously proud of our IPM team for being leaders in their field," said Ms. Amin. "This award is well-deserved for the high level of effort and expertise they bring to our schools everyday. Their ability to work together as a team has been the foundation of their success, and I look forward to many more successes in the future."

WCPSS continues to build on its existing environmental education programs. Not only was the system's educational and fire ant control efforts deemed especially noteworthy, WCPSS was also recently honored for promoting a voluntary indoor air quality program. In September, WCPSS received "The Great Start Award" for implementing Tools for Schools, a pilot program that trains school volunteers on how to look for signs of mold and mildew and how to identify and deal with potential indoor air quality issues and health risks. Implementation of the two programs has made WCPSS one of very few school systems within the state to be in compliance with the NC School Children's Health Act, a bill that is designed to reduce student and staff exposures to several toxicants at school. Both the Tools for Schools and the IPM program demonstrate WCPSS' commitment to providing safe learning environments for children.

Posted by Ashley Smith at 03:45 PM on October 11, 2007 | Leave Feedback

Buses Affected by Cary Fire

The fire at the intersection of Kildaire Farm Road and Tryon Road in Cary that began around 11 a.m., when a construction accident damaged a gas line will have an impact on school bus service this afternoon.

Buses in western Wake County will be re-routed to avoid the vicinity of the fire, and this will lead to some delay in delivering students to their homes in western Wake County.

UPDATE at 5:15 p.m.: WCPSS Transportation District Manager for Cary Jimena Daniels says the schools most affected by the required detours were Dillard Drive Elementary and Dillard Drive Middle. Daniels says students were 15-20 minutes late in getting home for those two schools. She said knowing about the incident this morning, her office was ready with alternate routes for drivers when they arrived to pick up their buses in the afternoon. She said Cary Police did a good job of putting signage up for the detour and had officers in place to help direct traffic through the detour area.

Posted by Bill Poston at 02:36 PM on October 10, 2007 | Leave Feedback

The PSAT is Coming!

WCPSS high schools will be administering the Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test on Wednesday, October 17 and Saturday, October 20. The test is administered at no cost to students in grade 11; for others the cost is $13.00.

The PSAT/NMSQT is a standardized test that provides firsthand practice for the SAT, and gives students a chance to enter the National Merit Scholarship Corporation (NMSC) scholarship programs. The PSAT/NMSQT measures critical reading, math problem-solving, and writing skills.

Students looking for more information about taking the PSAT/NMSQT should contact their guidance department.

Posted by Chip Sudderth at 01:46 PM on October 10, 2007 | Leave Feedback

Swift Creek Making AC Repairs

Jim Argent, principal of Swift Creek Elementary School, let us know that he's shared some information with school families about air conditioning issues at the school.

When Argent arrived at school this morning, he found the air conditioning system was not working in parts of the school

They've moved younger students into air conditioned areas of the school and are rotating older students through the gym which remains air conditioned. They've brought in cold water to provide students through the day.

The afterschool program in Swift Creek's gym that serves students from Swift Creek and Yates Mill elementary schools will continue as usual this afternoon.

Repair crews have identified the problem and will replace a part so that air conditioning to be back to normal for Tuesday.

Posted by Bill Poston at 11:28 AM on October 08, 2007 | Leave Feedback

Board names Principal

At its Oct. 2 meeting, the Board of Education named Kendra Culberson principal at Timber Drive Elementary.

Culberson has served as assistant principal at Timber Drive Elementary since 2003 and was an assistant principal intern there during 2002. Prior to that, she was a teacher at West Lake Middle School and Martin Middle School.

The board named retired principal Bobby Allen as an assistant principal at Sanford Creek Elementary. Patrick Grant was named a 50 percent assistant principal at Holly Springs Elementary.

Posted by Bill Poston at 02:37 PM on October 03, 2007 | Leave Feedback

At Broughton: Plan Ahead for SAT Oct. 6

The SAT is being administered on Saturday, October 6. Broughton High School will be one of the test sites. The SAT site coordinator for Broughton is expecting more than 1,200 students and is concerned about students being on time. Parking is at a premium in the area and students should plan ahead to give themselves plenty of time to reach the school and be in their seats for the 8 a.m. start of the exam.

While many students taking this exam are from Wake County, others may be traveling from neighboring counties. The SAT site coordinator at Broughton is encouraging students to carpool, or for students to be dropped off for the exam and picked up after its administration.

The SAT is administered by the College Board.

Posted by Bill Poston at 11:22 AM on October 02, 2007 | Leave Feedback

Sparks talks on OPEN/net

Eric Sparks, Director of School Counseling for the Wake County Public School System, will serve on a panel talking about academic readiness for college at 8 p.m., Tuesday, Oct. 2 on OPEN/net.

The program will focus on academic readiness, which requires careful planning on the part of parents, students and their counselors. The panel on OPEN/net will discuss strategies of how to prepare students for the academic rigors of college.

The program will be available in Raleigh on Time Warner cable channels 22 and 24 and is available via live streaming video at www.ncapt.tv

Persons with questions on this topic can call during the show 8-10 p.m., Tuesday, Oct. 2 at 1-888-228-6736 or send questions and comments by e-mail to open@ncmail.net

OPEN/net is a statewide television call-in program produced by the Agency for Public Telecommunications in the NC Department of Administration. OPEN/net has partnered with the cable industry to reach more than 400 communities across North Carolina every Tuesday evening from 8 to 10 pm.

Posted by Bill Poston at 02:23 PM on October 01, 2007 | Leave Feedback

Searching for a College

More than 1,000 people - high school seniors and juniors, their parents and college recruiters - filled the McKimmon Center on NC State's campus for 2.5 hours Sunday afternoon for the Wake County College Fair.

Students and parents had the chance to talk directly to representatives from more than 115 colleges and universities - many from North Carolina, as well as others up and down the east coast from Florida to Vermont. There was a wide variety: large and small, urban and rural, also women's, military and religious. Some schools had tables staffed by a number of representatives who fielded questions and had rows of people waiting to talk with them. Others had fewer visitors, but offered lots of helpful information on their schools and the college search. College representatives unable to answer detailed questions about areas of study at their schools quickly provided e-mail addresses directly to the dean of that school.

Handout information from colleges and universities showed open house and campus visits are in full swing. Some had begun open house earlier this month and others are scheduled into October. Most have opportunities on websites to sign up for visits that might even include staying overnight or sitting in on a professor's lecture.

Information sessions were available on preparing for college with tips that included considering a range of schools, developing a calendar to keep important application dates and the importance of visiting perspective campuses to see if schools live up to their brochures and flyers. Another session on financial aid described the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) form, encouraged a wide search for financial aid and noted WCPSS has financial aid counselors at each high school.

The college fair was sponsored by the Wake County Public School System, NC State University and the Carolina Association of Collegiate Registrars and Admissions Officers.

UPDATE 9/28: Eric Sparks of WCPSS Counseling and Student Services reports around 2,700 people attended. They were able to speak with 121 college, university or military representatives.

Posted by Bill Poston at 05:46 PM on September 24, 2007 | Leave Feedback

Educators Write About Leadership

WCPSS educators Carolann Wade and Bill Ferriter have written an article published in this month's edition of Education Leadership, the monthly magazine of the Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development. Wade and Ferriter, both teachers who earned National Board certification, write a description of how established teacher leaders helped them break through hesitancy about accepting leadership roles early in their careers. Ferriter's participation in the online Teacher Leader Network helped him find opportunities more suited to his strengths. Wade was invited by a savvy administrator into leadership and opportunities that helped strengthen her skills. Wade now serves as coordinator for National Board Certification for WCPSS and liaison for the Peace College Teacher Education Program. Ferriter is a teacher at Salem Middle School, a former Wake County Teacher of the Year and a contributor to the Morning Announcements. You can read more here.

Posted by Bill Poston at 04:39 PM on September 21, 2007 | Leave Feedback

Board Names New Principal

At its Sept. 18 meeting, the Board of Education named a new principal for Millbrook Elementary and a new administrator in Technology Services.

The board named Paula Trantham principal at Millbrook Elementary. Trantham has served as the school's assistant principal since 2005. Prior to that, she was a teacher at Centennial Campus Middle and Apex Elementary. She was the 2007 NCAE Assistant Principal of the Year.

The board named Dawn Castonguay a senior director in Technology Services. She has worked as a technology administrator for a Michigan school district and was a teacher in a Pennsylvania school district.

The board named to the position of assistant principal Laura Walser at Adams Elementary and Maria Uttaro-Williams at Lead Mine Elementary. Dana Dougherty-Primiano was named 50 percent assistant principal and 50 percent instructional resource teacher.

Posted by Bill Poston at 08:47 AM on September 21, 2007 | Leave Feedback

WCPSS Recognized for Pilot Indoor Air Quality Program

September 17, 2007- The Wake County Public School System has received the "Great Start Award" for successfully implementing the Indoor Air Quality Tools for Schools Program. Tools for Schools is a voluntary program, developed by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, that teaches schools how to identify and deal with potential indoor air quality issues and health risks.

Poor indoor air quality can lead to a variety of health problems including asthma and potentially affect a student's comfort, concentration, and performance level. The school system launched Tools for Schools as a way of taking a proactive approach to creating a healthy learning and teaching environment for students and staff and to build on the school system's existing environmental education programs.

The pilot program began in the fall of the 2006-07 school year at Northwoods Elementary, Wilburn Elementary, and Luftkin Road Middle. As part of the program, on-site teams at each of the three schools were taught how to look for signs of mold and other indoor air quality factors during routine on-site inspections. Training also included general information on indoor air quality and the potential health risks associated with exposure to it.

The Environmental Health and Safety department and the Organizational Development department helped facilitate the Tools for Schools Program in Wake County. Currently plans to expand the program to all WCPSS schools are being developed.

Posted by Ashley Smith at 01:53 PM on September 18, 2007 | Leave Feedback

School Start Age Changes

One of the questions Christine McGrath in the WCPSS Customer Center has received recently has to do with a change in the state law for the age when children start kindergarten. After checking on the issue, Christine found that Gov. Easley signed legislation July 4 that changed North Carolina kindergarten admission requirements. This will take effect for the 2009-10 school year.

Currently, a child must reach the age of five on or before October 16 of the upcoming school year to enter kindergarten. The new law that goes into effect in 2009-10 will move that date back to August 31.

The law is an 'Act For Modifying The School Admission Requirements To Ensure That Every Child Is Ready To Enter Kindergarten And Thereby Reduce Student Dropout Rates In Later Grades.'

You can find more information about school registration at Kindergarten Registration and Early Entry

For information on the Wake County Public School System, call the Customer Service Center at 850-1600.

Posted by Bill Poston at 04:04 PM on September 14, 2007 | Leave Feedback

College Fair at McKimmon Center

Representatives from more than 100 colleges and universities will be at the McKimmon Center Sunday, September 23 for the Wake County College and Post Secondary Opportunities Fair. The college fair begins at 2 p.m. and continues until 4:30 p.m. There will be free sessions on financial aid and college planning. It's a great place for parents and students to have questions answered by representatives from colleges, universities, community colleges and all military institutions. The college fair is sponsored by Wake County Public School System Counseling and Student Services, Carolina Association of Collegiate Registrars and Admissions Officers and NC State University.

Posted by Bill Poston at 08:15 AM on September 14, 2007 | Leave Feedback

Meeting the Teachers

Open house is one of the most important nights of the school year. You have a chance to sit in the classroom where your child will be spending time every school day for the year. You meet the teachers who will be guiding your child's learning for the year.

I went to open house last night and met an interesting group of high school teachers. One had been teaching at the school for 23 years. Another had moved here from California, but was an experienced math teacher. All were excited. They mentioned some of the challenges coming up. The biology teacher talked about the dissection the students would tackle after spring break. The language arts teacher had a Blackboard webpage set up to help students and parents navigate her lessons including a series of books they'll be reading. The Spanish teacher warned of tapings the school is requiring in all foreign language courses this year. In her class, a student would randomly pick a question in Spanish and record their answer in Spanish on tape during class. All of the teachers offered their e-mail address and said it was the best way to stay in touch.

Several of them posted hours they would be available to assist students. The math teacher is available in her classroom every morning at 7 a.m. and sometimes after school. Several of the teachers noted they carried on conversations with students by e-mail about homework and class problems.

I did notice a tinge of sadness expressed by one or two of them regarding the fact that parent turnout was low in some classes. They realize the impact parents have on students. When parents take steps such as attending open house to show they value school, it sends an important message to their children.

The teachers I saw last night all had plans in place for instruction and were offering opportunities to go beyond classroom time to work with students. A partnership with parents will help them and their students enjoy a successful school year.

Posted by Bill Poston at 03:08 PM on September 12, 2007 | Leave Feedback

10th Day Student Enrollment

WCPSS had 133,715 students in school today. This is 5,948 more students in school than the 127,767 students who attended the tenth day of school in 2006-07.

Given the increased number of year-round schools that opened this year, school administrators are waiting for further reports in the coming days to determine what this increase in enrollment may mean for the school year.

WCPSS had 65,458 elementary students, 29,938 middle school students and 38,319 high school students.

On the 20th day of 2006-07, student enrollment was 128,074.

WCPSS will check student enrollment again on day 20 and will report this enrollment to the NC Department of Public Instruction in October.

Posted by Bill Poston at 05:32 PM on September 10, 2007 | Leave Feedback

Seventh Day Student Enrollment

WCPSS had 132,980 students in school today. This is 6,058 more students in school than the 126,922 students who attended the seventh day of school in 2006-07.

Given the increased number of year-round schools that opened this year, school administrators are waiting for further reports in the coming days to determine what this increase in fifth day enrollment may mean for the school year.

WCPSS had 65,156 elementary students, 29,792 middle school students and 38,032 high school students.

On the 20th day of 2006-07, student enrollment was 128,074.

WCPSS will check student enrollment again on day 10.

Posted by Bill Poston at 05:26 PM on September 05, 2007 | Leave Feedback

Fifth Day Student Enrollment

WCPSS had 131,644 students in school today. This is 5,190 more students in school than the 126,454 students who attended the fifth day of school in 2006-07.

Given the increased number of year-round schools that opened this year, school administrators are waiting for further reports in the coming days to determine what this increase in fifth day enrollment may mean for the school year.

WCPSS had 64,363 elementary students, 29,578 middle school students and 37,703 high school students.

On the 20th day of 2006-07, student enrollment was 128,074.

WCPSS will check student enrollment on day 7 and 10.

Posted by Bill Poston at 05:14 PM on August 31, 2007 | Leave Feedback

First Day Student Enrollment

WCPSS had 127,352 students in school today. This is 8,675 more students in school than the 118,677 students who attended the first day of school in 2006-07.

Given the increased number of year-round schools that opened this year, school administrators are waiting for further reports in the coming days to determine what this increase in first day enrollment may mean for the school year.

WCPSS had 63,071 elementary students, 28,568 middle school students and 35,713 high school students.

On the 20th day of 2006-07, student enrollment was 128,074.

WCPSS will check student enrollment on day 5, 7 and 10.

Posted by Bill Poston at 05:07 PM on August 27, 2007 | Leave Feedback

National Organization Encourages Fathers to Walk Children to School Monday

The Black Star Project, a Chicago-based non-profit organization dedicated to community involvement in education to eliminate the achievement gap, is sponsoring a Million Father March encouraging fathers and male guardians to take their children to the first day of classes. More information about the event is here.

Posted by Chip Sudderth at 11:47 AM on August 24, 2007 | Leave Feedback

Board Names New Administrators

At its August 21 meeting, the Board of Education named two educators to lead Wake County high school instruction.

Ken Branch was named Senior Director for Secondary Education Programs. Dr. Branch has served as Senior Director for Magnet Programs since 2006. Prior to that, he was principal of Centennial Campus Middle School, Lynn Road Elementary, Zebulon Middle and assistant principal at Carnage Middle. He also worked as an assistant principal and teacher in other NC school districts.

Ruth Steidinger was named Director for Secondary Education Programs. Steidinger has served as Director of Literacy since 2003. Prior to that, she was principal of Dillard Drive Elementary, assistant principal at Apex High and a teacher at Athens Drive High.

The Board named new assistant principals including Claudia Bazemore at Douglas Elementary, Catherine J. Yanello at Wildwood Forest Elementary, Mary Ciffone-Baker at Wake Forest-Rolesville Middle, Kimberly Harrison at Longview School, Stephanie Raiford at Reedy Creek Middle and Chri