SCHOOL CONNECTION
Jan. 29, 2003
2003 Goal: By 2003, 95 percent of students tested will be
at or above grade level as measured by NC End-of-Grade testing
at grades 3 and 8.
MAKE UP DAYS
Make-up days have been set for the four days of school canceled
because of the impact of severe weather conditions on transporting
students to school. School was cancel on Dec. 5 and 6 and
on Jan. 23 and 24. Traditional calendar schools will make
up those days February 17, March 14, April 21 and May 26.
Students in Year Round schools on Tracks 1, 3, and 4 that did not attend school Dec. 5 and 6 will make up those days Feb. 8 and 15. Students in Year Round schools on Tracks 1, 2, and 4 that did not attend school Jan. 23 and 24 will make up those days March 1 and 22.
Students in modified calendar schools that did not attend school Dec. 5 and 6 will make those days up March 19 and 20.
DATES SET FOR MAGNET SCHOOL SESSIONS AND APPLICATIONS
The Wake County Public School System will hold a series of
magnet school information sessions and open houses prior to
the magnet application acceptance period, which has been scheduled
for Feb. 8-19. Magnet applications will be available in all
Wake County public schools by Jan. 27 and online from Feb.
8-19. You can find more at http://www.wcpss.net/news/magnet_2003info.html
2003-2004 GROWTH MANAGEMENT PROPOSAL PUBLISHED
The Wake County Public School System Office of Growth Management
has published the 2003-2004 student assignment proposal. Information
about the proposal can be found on the Internet at http://www.wcpss.net/growth-management/index.html.
The Office of Growth Management mailed postcards earlier
this month to families affected by the proposal and has received
feedback from phone calls, e-mail and letters that will be
considered in the proposal presented to the Board of Education
Feb. 18. There will be public hearings on the proposal in
March. The board will be asked to approve the proposal in
April.
The assignment proposal will fill two new schools - Holly
Ridge Elementary School and Holly Ridge Middle School - scheduled
to open in 2003-2004, and relieve crowding in other schools
in the area. The new schools will help provide space for Wake
County's growing student population. WCPSS enrollment has
grown to 104,373 students this year from 70,052 in 1992-93,
roughly 3,000 students per year.
FLORIDA SCHOOL ADMINISTRATORS VISIT WAKE SCHOOLS
Administrators from the Pinellas County Schools of Largo,
Fl, visited WCPSS administrators Jan. 23 and 24. Assistant
Superintendent Kenneth Rigsby, Assistant Superintendent Elaine
Cutler, Title I administrator Mardell Ammon of the Pinellas
Schools met with WCPSS Superintendent Bill McNeal, Associate
Superintendents Del Burns, Walt Sherlin and Jo Baker, and
Assistant Superintendents Karen Banks and Cindi Jolly to discuss
practices that have helped Wake reduce the gap in student
achievement. The Tampa-area school system has 112,000 students.
WAKE PLANNING DIRECTOR UPDATES STUDENT PROJECTIONS
Wake County Planning Director Melanie Wilson told the Board
of Education at its Jan. 21 meeting that the school system
should expect an enrollment of 160,500 students in 2020. Wilson
provided board members an update of projections by grade for
long term facility and budget planning, by planning areas
to indicate expected growth and by grade and school to assist
in student assignments and teacher and mobile classroom placement
for the upcoming year.
Wilson said the school system this year has 104,373 students including 50,455 in elementary school, 25,296 in middle school and 28,622 in high school. She said growth continues at the rate of about 3,000 students a year.
Wilson noted that over the last four years WCPSS has added 12,746 students. In looking at student residency in the county's six planning areas, Wilson noted the largest growth occurred in Area C where 4,289 students were added. Area C is the Apex-Cary area.
Wilson said about 90 percent of students attend school close to their place of residence in the planning area where they reside, or just across a planning area boundary.
BOARD NAMES CONTRACTOR FOR TURNER CREEK ELEMENTARY
At its Jan. 21 meeting, the Board of Education awarded a single
prime contract to Barnhill Contracting Company in the amount
of $8,102,900.
BOARD APPROVES LIGON MIDDLE CONSTRUCTION DOCUMENTS
At its Jan. 21 meeting, the Board of Education approved construction
documents designed by Pearce Brinkley Cease + Lee, PA for
renovation and additions at Ligon Middle School.
BOARD NAMES ARCHITECT FOR PROPOSED HIGH SCHOOL
At its Jan. 21 meeting, the Board of Education selected Cherry
Huffman Architects PA as architects for the design of high
school H5 to be located in southwest Wake County. This would
be a reuse of the Wakefield High prototype. Adapting the design
to the new location will shorten design time, reduce cost,
and help expedite the project.
BOARD NAMES NEW CHIEF TECHNOLOGY OFFICER
At its Jan. 21 meeting, the Board of Education named Beverly
White WCPSS Chief Technology Officer. White has served as
the executive director of Education Technology Services for
the Greenville, SC, schools. She helped the Greenville school
district establish a website; update technology standards;
improve services to schools; and decrease the average network
down time to just 1.9 hours per school, per year. Prior to
joining Greenville County Schools, White served as Director
of Information Systems at Lehigh Carbon Community College
in Pennsylvania, and in several technology and research capacities
at Keystone College in Pennsylvania. White earned a bachelor's
degree from Valdosta State College and a master's degree from
Lehigh University.
PROMOTIONS
At its Jan. 21 meeting, the Board of Education named three
WCPSS administrators to new jobs.
- William H. Crockett, Jr. has been named principal of Holly Ridge Middle School. Crockett has served as principal of East Garner Middle School since 1995. He has also worked as principal of Carnage Middle School, assistant principal of Cary High School and a teacher at Enloe High School.
- Pamela K. Peters has been named principal of Holly Ridge Elementary School. Peters has served as principal of Fuller Elementary since 1997. She has also worked as principal of Knightdale Elementary School, assistant principal of Knightdale and Lockhart elementary schools and a teacher at Knightdale Elementary.
- Isaac M. Holton, Jr. has been named principal of East
Garner Middle School. Holton has served as assistant principal
at Enloe High School since 2000. He has also worked as an
assistant principal in Red Oak, NC, and a teacher in Rocky
Mount, NC.
WCPSS ON TV
Superintendent Bill McNeal talks with NBC 17's Monty Knight
about education issues as part of WNCN's Wednesday morning
newscast on Time Warner Cable Channel 6 in Raleigh. Tune in
every Wednesday around 6:40 a.m. to see Superintendent McNeal
discuss the latest issues in education.
Watch for the Wake County Board of Education meetings broadcast
on Time Warner Cable Channel 11 in Cary and Raleigh. Each
city's website provides a weekly schedule of programming.
"Making Choices," a series of three programs sponsored
by Wake Education Partnership, Wake County PTA Council, Time
Warner Cable and News 14 Carolina, will be broadcast Mondays
at 12 and 8 p.m., Thursdays at 9 a.m. and 9 p.m. and Saturdays
at 7:30 p.m. The program airs on Time Warner Cable Channel
24.
DURANT ROAD MIDDLE NAMED SCHOOL TO WATCH
Durant Road Middle School is one of four middle schools in
North Carolina recognized as a School to Watch by the North
Carolina Middle School Association. This is the association's
first year for recognizing schools making progress towards,
or sustaining, excellence in middle level education. North
Carolina is one of three states in the nation chosen to pilot
the National Forum to Accelerate Middle Grades Reform's "Schools
to Watch" project. You can read more about Schools to
Watch at http://www.ncmsa.net/
LIGON MIDDLE STUDENTS WIN FUTURE CITY COMPETITION
A team of seventh-graders from Ligon Middle School won North
Carolina's first Future City competition this month at the
NC Museum of History. The students will now compete in Washington,
DC, Feb. 17 for the national title. The Ligon team was one
of 12 competing in the event where students write an essay,
design a model, and make an oral presentation on a city they
design using "SimCity 3000" software. The Ligon
team included Adam Meyer, Cory Li and Samantha Powers. The
students received advice from teacher Brian Bock and Eric
Misak, an engineer with Parsons Brinckerhoff. You can read
more about the competition at http://www.futurecity.org
HAVE A HEART FOR EDUCATION COFFEE SOCIAL
Parents in the western region of Wake County are invited to
a coffee social to learn more about the Wake Education Partnership.
There will be an opportunity to participate in the Voices
and Choices Survey. Information on how to donate to the 2003
Annual Fund for Education will be available. Schools participating
in the parent campaign have an opportunity to win a $500 grant
for your school.
WHEN: Feb. 11 (Tuesday) 9:30 A.M. - 11:30 A.M.
WHERE: Cary Chamber of Commerce, 307 North Academy Street,
Cary
WHO: Parents with children in Wake County Public Schools
COST: FREE, however a $10 donation for the Wake Education Partnership Annual Fund is appreciated. Please RSVP to Liza Weidle, 2003 Parent Campaign Chair - familyfilter@nc.rr.com - in order to reserve a spot.
If you want to show your heart for education by donating to Wake Education Partnership during their annual fund giving time but can't make this coffee social, you can find online pledge cards available at http://www.wakeedpartnership.org/Giving/2003_pledgeform.html For more information, contact Amanda Haynes, Wake Education Partnership Development Associate, at 821-7609 or email ahaynes@WakeEdPartnership.org
INSIDE THE NEWS
U.S. Department of Education reports "Paige to Highlight Race-Neutral Alternatives in Higher Education" and "2004 Budget to Include More Student Loan Forgiveness for Math, Science and Special Education Teachers"
North Carolina Department of Public Instruction reports "Four North Carolina Middle Schools Recognized as National Schools to Watch" and "Ward Announces Plans"
WRAL News reports "Education Leaders Remove Hurdles For Schools"
Education Week talks with WCPSS Superintendent Bill McNeal and reports "Job Sharing: Appealing for Teachers"; "Judge Ready to Scrap Chicago Desegregation Order"; "State Intervention Alone Won't Help Schools, Study Finds"; and "NASA Launches Educator-Astronaut Program"
Technology Horizons in Education includes an article from Lead Mine Elementary Principal Gregg Decker on "Using Data to Drive Student Achievement in the Classroom and on High-Stakes Tests"
Washington Post reports "Teaching Schools Forced to Rethink Approach"
The Beacon of LEARN NC reports on education
Time Warner News 14 reports School News
CNN reports on education
The National School Board Association reports the School Board News
CALENDAR
|
Feb. 4 |
3:30 p.m., Board Committee of the Whole; 5 p.m., Board of Education meets |
|
Feb. 5., 4 p.m. |
Miss America speaks about violence and bullying to students at Southeast Raleigh High auditorium. |
|
Feb. 5., 7 p.m. |
Miss America speaks to the community about violence and bullying at BTI Center for the Performing Arts, Fletcher Hall. |
|
Feb. 10, 12 p.m. |
Board of Education luncheon with Wake legislative delegation |
|
Feb. 10-11 |
Emerging Issues Forum at NC State University |
|
Feb. 11 |
Board of Education committee meetings: Policy at 12:30 p.m. Community Relations at 2 p.m., Finance Committee at 3:30 p.m. |
|
Feb. 13, 6-9 p.m. |
No Child Left Behind - Greater Understanding 2003 at Ligon Middle School |
You can find more information on school events at http://www.wcpss.net/Calendars
School Connection is published electronically every other week for everyone interested in the Wake County Public Schools. Is what you read in this edition helpful? What information would you like to see in future editions? Contact me by calling 850-1829 or e-mailing bposton@wcpss.net.
Bill Poston
Wake County Public School System
Communications Department
3600 Wake Forest Road
Raleigh, North Carolina 27611
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