Today’s ParentVision updates our previous overview of the transfer process for families seeking a different school assignment for their child. Since that podcast, the school board decided to conduct appeal hearings with WCPSS staff acting as hearing officers before the board renders its decisions.

The formal transfer application period ends on June 1. After that point, only transfer requests from families that have changed their address are guaranteed appeal hearings. More information is available at the Growth and Planning website.

The first graduating class from the Wake Early College of Health and Sciences spent the morning preparing for their graduation ceremony tonight. The Early College students will be marching across the stage in the auditorium of Southeast Raleigh High.

Here are some photos of the practice session.

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A team of Enloe Magnet High students earned honors in an international sustainability competition. Ivan Kuznetsov and Yash Mehta were Silver medal winners in the Senior Engineering Division of the International Sustainable World Energy, Engineering and Environment Project Olympiad or I-SWEEEP in Houston, Texas. The Enloe students were among 1,200 young scientists and project supervisors from 70 different countries displaying 450 projects. They earned honors in the Engineering category for their project, “Enhancing Solar Cell Efficiency through Coating by Flame-Synthesized Transitioned Metal-Oxide Nanoparticles.” Dr. Alexei Saveliev from NC State University was the sponsor for the project. In addition to their medal, Kuznetsov and Mehta won a cash prize.

The students earned their way into the I-SWEEEP by winning a top prize at the N.C. Student Academy of Science annual statewide competition. At the state competition, Kuznetsov and Mehta earned the NCAS Nanobusiness Talent Award.

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Millbrook High students in social studies teacher Lindy Poling’s Lessons of Vietnam class have published a new edition of the Bridges newsletter. In it, students Emily Bower and Alysa Citero describe the recent visit the class made to Washington, DC. For the 13th time, Poling took a class of students to the Vietnam Memorial where they met David Rabadan, Bill McGrady, Dr. Ric Vandett, and Colonel Bill Mayall, veterans who shared their stories of the conflict. You can read these stories and more in the student’s four-page newsletter.

In giving the Board of Education the latest quarterly report on the Curriculum Management Audit, Interim Superintendent Donna Hargens discussed strengthening program evaluations.

Prior to the audit, Evaluation and Research staff had a strong program evaluation component and was recognized nationally for their work. The auditors recommended ways to strengthen this area that fall under the audit’s recommendation 5: “Formalize comprehensive assessment procedures to provide data for decision making at all levels of the system. Establish a formalized process for selection, implementation, and evaluation of programs utilizing data that will be used as feedback for revision or continuation of programs and practices.” (p. 361).

Assistant Superintendent David Holdzkom says the auditors recommended that all academic programs be evaluated, that evaluations include cost benefit analysis, and that the response to program evaluations be reported.

Since that time, Evaluation and Research has:

• Inventoried all the programs in the district, both Central Services-generated programs and school-generated programs;
• Trained staff to perform cost benefit analysis; and
• Created a response system to program evaluations.

Assistant Superintendent David Holdzkom and Nancy Baenen talk about the audit and program evaluation.

Click to listen to Audit Strengthens Evaluations of Academic Programs

This is a 9.5 minute mp3 file.

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Over the past semester, students at Centennial Campus Magnet Middle School have been learning the steps to entrepreneurship and how to write a business plan. A total of 20 students recently presented their business concept ideas to a panel of judges that included school staff and members of the local business community. From the 20 business plans presented, judges choose the top six. The six finalists were later narrowed down to the top three. On May 24, the three finalists presented their business concept ideas to a group of local entrepreneurs with the hopes of taking the top spot for the most realistic business concept idea.

Drew Harrilchak took first place in the competition for his idea of Text on Demand, an educational service that would provide electronic reading tests and textbooks for the blind, dyslexic and auditory learners. The second place winner was Mahlon Rakes, and Nayasha Clarke took third place. The judges included Dan Crocker from Nationwide Insurance Agency, Donna Goodfred from Innovative Computer Systems, Inc. and Kelly Welch from Yes Career Services. Wake County Board of Commissioner District 2 Representative Lindy Brown was the community leader.

The Business Plan Competition was sponsored by the Centennial Campus Magnet Middle School Youth Chamber.

The 2010-2011 traditional, year-round and modified calendars available for download have been updated with the recently approved early release days.

The Class of 2010 will be the first graduating class for the Wake Early College of Health and Sciences.

These students have helped to pioneer the small school program that is a partnership between Wake Tech, WakeMed and the Wake County Public School System. These students are graduating a year early from the five-year program. Nineteen have earned 2-year college degrees from Wake Tech, as well as having completed their high school requirements.

Students Paris Fears and Julie Gassmann say the college credits and lessons learned at Wake Tech and WakeMed will be valuable as they head to universities where they may be able to enroll as juniors.

Click to listen to First Wake Early College Students Ready to Graduate

This is a 9.5 minute mp3 file.

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The Wake Early College of Health and Sciences is a new and different school that holds its first graduation ceremonies on Friday. The five-year program was established as a small school as part of the NC New Schools Project.

Four years later and a year ahead of schedule, a group of students are ready to graduate. Nineteen of these students have completed a 2-year college degree at Wake Tech, as well as their high school requirements. Many have volunteered and interned at WakeMed Hospital.

The school was established as a partnership between WakeMed, Wake Tech and the Wake County Public School System.

Teresa Pierrie is the principal at the Wake Early College of Health and Sciences.

Click to listen to Wake Early College Holds First Graduation

This is a 7.5 minute mp3 file.

Author John Grisham will publish his first book for children this week and he’s turned to students at Combs Magnet Elementary to help him with the book. Grisham was at Combs on May 20 to provide signed copies of the book to fifth graders. They had given him feedback after an earlier reading of several chapters from the book.

The NBC Network’s Today Show videotaped Grisham talking with the Combs students and will broadcast the discussion as part of news coverage on Wednesday, May 25 around 9 a.m. to mark the arrival of the book in book stores.

The name of the 288-page book is Theodore Boone: Kid Lawyer. It’s the story of a 13-year-old child whose parents are both attorneys.

The book is dedicated to Grisham’s daughter who is a fifth-grade teacher at Combs.

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