School Connection

May 25, 2004

Goal 2008: WCPSS is committed to academic excellence. By 2008, 95 percent of students in grades 3 through 12 will be at or above grade level as measured by the State of North Carolina End-of-Grade or Course tests, and all student groups will demonstrate high growth.


BOARD COMMITTEE DISCUSSES HIGH SCHOOL SCHEDULES
High school principals and school administrators talked with the Board of Education's Program Committee May 19 about progress made in personalizing high school education for students. Steve Hauge, WCPSS senior director for high school programs, told the committee the change by 11 high schools to the block schedule showed benefits to students for advanced courses, restarts and early graduation. Hauge said student participation increased 44.7 percent in all three levels of advanced courses: Advanced Placement, Honors and other advanced classes. He said there were 2,218 restarts, students who had the opportunity to immediately retake failed courses, especially those required for promotion and/or graduation. More than 1,100 were in math classes. The 11 high schools had 274 students who chose early graduation. Hauge said students chose to accelerate graduation for a number of reasons: starting college early, working to earn money for college, or joining the workforce.

Hauge said schools continued to support students in Advanced Placement classes this year and additional support was provided with tutoring sessions held in April. Schools used purposeful scheduling and offered study packs, mock tests, on-line tutorials and after school tutorials. Students in WCPSS high school Advanced Placement courses were offered tutoring sessions conducted by more than 40 teachers April 17 and 24 at Cary and Sanderson high schools. There were review sessions for 14 different Advanced Placement courses each Saturday from five different subject areas - Second Language, Math, English, Science and Social Studies. More than 500 students attended.

The move to block scheduling followed the state's change in graduation requirements and state university's more demanding admissions requirements.

Hauge told the committee WCPSS has been awarded several grants to investigate methods of personalizing high school. East Wake High earned a Gates Foundation New School Project grant and its faculty is studying a health sciences academy. Fuquay-Varina, Garner, Millbrook, and Southeast Raleigh High have earned federal Smaller Learning Communities grants. Nine additional high schools were awarded a system Smaller Learning Communities grant. The schools include Apex, Athens Drive, Cary, East Wake, Green Hope, Leesville Road, Sanderson, Wakefield and Wake Forest Rolesville.

Dave Coley, principal of Cary High, spoke for principals serving on the Principals Futures Committee, thanked the school board for their support. Coley described the year as a time of tremendous change and a successful year. He said the committee is looking at three issues: 1) making data-driven decisions; 2) allocation of resources; and 3) non-traditional students. Coley said several schools have piloted the use of new software that captures the data they need to best help students. He said it would serve as a companion to NCWISE, the state software system for reporting student information. He said the committee has discussed teacher allocation, use of faculty and alternative programs for more students. He said the middle college concept that builds connections between high schools and community colleges and universities will be considered. He said several principals will attend a Harvard University session this summer that's looking at American high schools.

Superintendent McNeal said that block scheduling is a piece of creating the new high schools that students will need. He said principals will continue to look at what is needed to meet student needs. He said it will be helpful to get the input of the business and university community. McNeal said what's important is making sure our children are getting the best education possible.

THOUSANDS ATTEND WCPSS JOB FAIR
More than 2,000 people attended the WCPSS Job Fair Saturday, May 22 at Leesville Road middle and high schools. WCPSS Senior Director for Recruitment Diane Kent Parker said more than 1,200 teacher jobs will be filled by this fall. School principals or assistant principals interviewed candidates to fill current teaching vacancies and anticipated vacancies for the 2004-2005 school year. WCPSS has many positions to fill with seven additional schools opening, a projected enrollment increase of about 4,000 students, as well as teacher retirements and attrition

BOARD CONGRATULATES VALEDICTORIANS
The top students in Wake County high schools sat down with Board of Education members and school administrators to talk about their years in school and their futures at the annual Valedictorian Luncheon held May 18 at the N.C. State University Faculty Club. Twelve of the 15 students plan to attend North Carolina universities with four bound for UNC-Chapel Hill, three each to Duke University and NC State University and one to East Carolina. One student is weighing options between NC State University and the University of Toronto. Three are headed out of state - one to Vanderbilt University, one to the University of Pennsylvania and one to Emory University. Four indicated interest in medicine and two in teaching.

The valedictorians include Alexandra Balaban of Apex High, Mollie Tucker of Athens Drive High; Katherine Tesh Southern of Broughton High; India Blaire Evans of Cary High; Amy Christa Allen of East Wake High; Evan Wu of Enloe High; Jo-Zahn Oliver of Fuquay Varina; High; Laura Clements of Garner High; Lauren Eckhardt of Green Hope High, Siva Darbha of Leesville Road High; Barbara Nee of Millbrook High; Roby Chatterji of Sanderson High; Amy Lenfestey of Southeast Raleigh High; Laura Manette of Wake Forest Rolesville High; and Rachit Shukla of Wakefield High.

BOARD APPROVES HIRING PERMANENT SUBSTITUTE TEACHERS
At its Tuesday (May 18) meeting, the Board of Education approved hiring 36 permanent substitute teachers. The permanent subs will be assigned to 17 high schools and 19 elementary schools that receive federal Title I funds and did not make Annual Yearly Progress in 2002-2003. The permanent subs will be employed for 160 student days at the rate of $ 85 per day plus benefits.

Last year, the board approved $1.2 million for 2003-04 year to outsource substitute teacher management with the goal of increasing absence fill rates with high quality subs. After extensive research, WCPSS staff determined that technology and financial reconciliation issues are significant obstacles to outsourcing our process.

Further study led staff to recommends that funds originally allocated for outsourcing be used to employ permanent subs. Assistant Superintendent Toni Patterson said the advantages of using permanent subs are: greater instructional continuity for students, recruitment of high quality subs, and improved working conditions for teachers (who will not have to give up planning periods to cover for teacher absences when a sub cannot be obtained). Use of permanent substitutes as an option to fill long-term sick leave situations will also improve the quality of instruction for students and reduce costs.

The board approved hiring the 36 permanent substitute teachers and asked staff to determine criteria to measure the success of this pilot project.

BOARD APPROVES CONTRACTS FOR SCHOOL RESOURCE OFFICERS
At its May 18 meeting, the Board of Education approved state-funded contracts with Cary and Raleigh and sought a federal COPS grant with Wake County for school resource officers. A contract in the amount of $113,514 with the Town of Cary provides school resource officers at Cary High, Green Hope High, and Middle Creek High. A contract in the amount of $302,704 with the City of Raleigh provides school resource officers at Athens Drive High, Broughton High, Enloe High, Longview/Phillips High, Millbrook High, Sanderson High, Southeast Raleigh High, and Wakefield High. The board also approved WCPSS submitting an application for a federal COPS In Schools grant in partnership with the Wake County Sheriff's Department to provide school resource officers at Heritage Year-round Middle and Moore Square Middle.

WCPSS STUDENTS AND VOLUNTEER BUSINESSES HONORED
Awards were presented to 45 students and 122 Wake County businesses in the Wake County Public School System's community-based vocational training awards ceremony. Parents, students, teachers, job coaches and business volunteers met in the Wake County Commons Building Friday (May 14) to celebrate the success of the special education high school students job-training program. Food Lion was recognized as the top business volunteer of the year. Marvin Adams of Food Lion on Western Boulevard called the students can-do individuals with a great deal to offer and took pride in the work of students at his grocery during the past year. The vocational training program serves more than 400 WCPSS high school students. Sixty students will graduate this year.

BOARD RECOGNIZES BATTLE OF THE BOOKS TEAMS
At its May 18 meeting, the Board of Education congratulated middle school students who won the Wake County Battle of the Books competition. Students are given a list of books to read and then compete in answering questions about those books. The champion Carnage eighth-grade team included Mary Burroughs, Sonja Escamilla, Kary Koesy, Evan Kochuk, April Nonato and Alice Yen. Linda Armstrong was the team's advisor and Linda Cearbaugh is the school's media specialist. The champion Ligon seventh-grade team included Michael Chen, Amanda Hawkins, Eli Hornstein, Saranya Karthikeyan, Anna Kumar and Emily Myers. Sylvia Gorham was the team's advisor. Kevin Phipps and Kimberly Shelton are the school's media specialists. The champion Durant Road sixth-grade team included Lindsey Brunson, Sam Carter, James Goertz, Shay Kimzey and Lise Ross. Doug Sturdivant was the team's advisor. Judy Bright, Kyra Davis and Kristen Ziller are the school's media specialists.

APPOINTMENTS
At its May 18 meeting, the Board of Education named five principals and a senior director. The board named principals including Gary Baird at Lead Mine Elementary, Scarlett Bryant at Heritage Elementary, Robin Swaim at Morrisville Elementary, Diane Schwenker at York Elementary and Frederick McNary at Phillips High. The board named Marilyn Moody senior director for Child Nutrition Services.

-Baird has served as assistant principal at North Ridge Elementary since 1999. He was a teacher at Washington Elementary and schools in Winston-Salem and Massachusetts.
-Bryant was assistant principal at Wilburn Elementary since 2002. She was a central office administrator with the Beaufort County Schools for nine years and was a principal in Washington City Schools.
-Swaim was assistant principal at Morrisville Elementary since 2000. She was an assistant principal and teacher in the Cumberland County, NC schools.
-Schwenker was assistant principal at Lockhart Elementary since 2001. She was an administrative intern at West Lake Middle and Elementary and was a teacher at Fuller and Smith elementary schools.
-McNary was director of professional development and technical assistance for alternative educational and mental health projects in Dublin, Ohio since 2001. Prior to that he was principal of Mt. Vernon Redirection and assistant principal of Fuller Elementary.
-Moody was a senior administrator with WCPSS Child Nutrition Services since 2002. She was Child Nutrition Supervisor and a teacher in the Wilson County, NC schools.

BOARD APPROVES SCHEMATIC DESIGN FOR ELEMENTARY SCHOOL
At its May 18 meeting, the Board of Education approved the schematic design prepared by Small Kane Architects, PA. of E11 Elementary, a 792 student capacity school. The Mitchell Mill Road area site is being developed in conjunction with Wake County Parks and Recreation and the City of Raleigh and will include a public multi-purpose field and track. The project will be funded from the PLAN 2004 School Building Program, with $21,000 from Wake County Parks and Recreation.

BOARD APPROVES CHANGE FOR TURNER CREEK ROAD ELEMENTARY
At its May 18 meeting, the Board of Education approved a change order to Barnhill Contracting Company for construction of turn lanes at the intersection of Turner Creek Road and NC 55. The new year round school is due to open July 12 and the roadway is needed prior to the state Department of Transportation improvements to NC 55. The project will be funded from the PLAN 2000 School Building Program and $12,900 is from the Town of Cary.

BOARD AWARDS CONTRACTS FOR FOUR SCHOOL PROJECTS
At its May 18 meeting, the Board of Education awarded contracts for school construction projects at Brentwood, Leesville and Wiley elementary schools and Martin Middle. The board awarded:
-a single prime contract to Climate Control, Inc. in the amount of $167,900 for the ceiling and lighting renovations, kitchen hood replacement, and kitchen air conditioning at Brentwood Elementary. The project will be funded by the PLAN 2000 building program.
-a single prime contract to Baker Roofing Company in the amount of $331,700 for the roof replacement at Leesville Road Elementary. The project will be funded by the PLAN 2004 building program.
-a single prime contract to Polovick Construction Co., Inc. in the amount of $941,243 for life safety improvements at Wiley Elementary that will provide a required access for K-1 students from the second floor media center and the basement level gym through the use of ramps and bridges. The project will be funded by the PLAN 2000 building program.
-a single prime contract to Beau Chene Construction, LLC in the amount of $244,645 for the Phase "A" Clearing and Grading at Martin Middle. The project will be funded by the PLAN 2004 building program.

MAGNET STUDENTS COMPETE IN ACADEMIC TOURNAMENT
Students from eight magnet elementary schools competed May 18 in the annual Scholastic Pursuit Tournament at Peace College. The tournament is the culminating event in the elementary magnet elective, "Scholastic Pursuit". Sixty-four students selected from and prepared by their fellow Scholastic Pursuit classmates competed in the tournament. Students from Conn, Hunter, Powell, Fuller, Underwood, Wake Forest, Washington, and Wendell elementary schools spent nine weeks preparing for the competition, which is a quiz-bowl-style tournament consisting of three preliminary rounds and a final round. Students from Hunter edged out the team from Washington to win the title. Both teams received pins and medals.

CALENDAR (WCPSS 2004 Graduation Ceremonies)

Friday, May 28 5:00 p.m.

Athens Drive

Friday, May 28 5:00 p.m.

Wake Forest-Rolesville (at BTI)

Friday, May 28 8:00 p.m.

Wakefield

Friday, May 28 8:00 p.m.

Fuquay-Varina (at BTI)

Saturday, May 29 8:00 a.m.

Apex

Saturday, May 29 8:30 a.m.

Sanderson (at BTI)

Saturday, May 29 11:00 a.m.

Cary

Saturday, May 29 11:30 a.m.

Broughton (at BTI)

Saturday, May 29 2:00 p.m.

Garner

Saturday, May 29 5:00 p.m.

Enloe

Saturday, May 29 8:00 p.m.

Green Hope

Sunday, May 30 8:00 a.m.

Millbrook

Suday, May 30 2:00 p.m.

Leesville

Sunday, May 30 5:00 p.m.

Southeast Raleigh

Sunday, May 30 8:00 p.m.

East Wake

Thursday, May 27 7:00 p.m.

Phillips (at Meymandi Concert Hall)

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 School System. 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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