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Parent Matters Winter 2009-10

Superintendent's Column

We're at the halfway point of the school year, and the excitement of the holiday season has become a pleasant memory as we return to the important work of educating each child. It has been a time for reflection and assessment. Now it's time for a renewal of energy and focus.

Though there have been changes in our community and school system in the last year, our vision is steadfast: that every child will graduate on time, prepared for the future. A vision is a statement of an ideal. It reflects what we want as educators and as a school system. The WCPSS vision guides all of our efforts to improve your child's academic experience inside and outside the classroom.

We still have a long road to travel to reach that vision. It depends on strong schools and strong relationships with parents. We hope the information in this Parent Matters newsletter will help you understand what is happening in WCPSS today, provide some tips that will assist your child, and perhaps prompt some conversations between you and your school community about how we can help every child achieve his or her potential -- both the potential we recognize, and the hidden potential lying beneath that can only be unlocked by parents and teachers, working together.

School Summits Help Engage the Community

When you lead a large school district in a growing community, finding a way to have meaningful engagement with all your key stakeholders can be a real challenge. With such a large number of stakeholders, how can a Superintendent manage to get good information – the input and feedback needed to shape future decisions?

Imagine a room where mixed groups of parents, teachers, assistant principals, principals and support staff gather at tables to discuss ideas, issues, concepts, and concerns as they relate to the future of your school system. That’s exactly what takes place in Wake County four times each year. The Superintendent’s summits are a way to bring representatives from all our key stakeholder groups together in the same room, at the same time, to provide the Superintendent and the senior leadership team valuable information that can be used to help them make better decisions as we strive to move our school system from good to great.

One of the most exciting aspects of the Superintendent’s Summit model is that it can be easily replicated. Our principals are using the model to address issues that they must face in their schools. A school like Underwood GT Magnet Elementary is a perfect example. Earlier this year, Principal Jackie Jordan brought shared leadership to life when she held the school’s first-ever summit, inviting parents, administrators, teachers, students, Central Services personnel, and other GT elementary principals to participate in a discussion about how to strengthen the elective program at Underwood.
Parents who had the chance to participate appreciated the opportunity for open communication between teachers, parents, administrators and Central Services personnel. 
“This summit helps build trust among stakeholders,” said parent Anne Cooper. “I think the large turnout of participants produced lots of collaborative, productive energy around the question of how to maximize all students' learning.”
The summit provided a forum where a variety of stakeholders discussed key issues and shared input that would help shape Underwood’s future decisions.
Wake Forest-Rolesville High School is another school that brought in community members and school personnel to discuss ways to address the achievement gap at the school. This discussion was based on school data and led to several ideas for action.

Our principals are being forward-thinking, they are using this model, and they are having great results. WCPSS hopes the summit model will be used in our schools as our school system continues to look for ways to improve communication and collaboration among all community members.

Kindergarten Registration Begins

Kindergarten registration begins February 4, 2010. If your child is five-years-old on or before August 31, 2010, then they may enroll in kindergarten.  Students may register for kindergarten throughout the spring and at any point prior to the opening of school. But it is helpful in planning for your entering student, to have him or her registered as early as possible.

Families should register at their child’s base school assignment. If you are unsure of your child’s base school, you may check on our webpage, www.wcpss.net and click on the Parent Tab. You may also call the Office of Growth and Planning at (919) 850-1921 or visit a nearby school to ask them for assistance. Your child does not have to be present during registration but you will need to bring several documents with you.

Registration Checklist

North Carolina law requires that a kindergarten health assessment (physical exam) be completed on or before the first day of school before a child can enter kindergarten.

Parents Can Be of Great Help During End-of-Year Testing

Parents can be a part of the testing process by serving as proctors or coordinators! Students begin taking end-of-year tests starting in April. If you are interested in volunteering, now is the time to begin thinking about the volunteer registration process.

This year staffing needs are going to have an impact on schools being able to provide proctors for all of the testing. Wake County Public School System is interested in getting more parents involved with helping schools administer End-of-Grade and End-of-Course tests to students. Our parent coordinators will work with test coordinators at schools that are in need of volunteer support. Parents do not proctor in the same rooms as their children, and may be asked to assist a school that needs additional support. Assisting with the testing process is a Level 3 volunteer activity meaning volunteers would take part in a school-led orientation and undergo a criminal background check before being permitted to work with children in a classroom or group setting. Volunteering is a rewarding experience that will benefit our schools and students. If you are interested in getting involved in the testing process or other volunteer opportunities, go to www.wcpss.net/volunteer.

Testing Calendars

Wake County Public Schools testing calendars can be accessed through the Evaluation and Research website at http://www.wcpss.net/evaluation-research/ under Academic Information, Testing Calendars. Test dates for all calendars are subject to change per NC Department of Public Instruction (NCDPI) scheduling. To learn more about North Carolina’s Testing Program, there is information available on the NCDPI website at http://www.dpi.state.nc.us/accountability/testing/.

New Members Serving on the Board of Education

On December 1, 2009, four new school board members were sworn into office following the fall elections. The four new Board members are Debra Goldman, Chris Malone, Deborah Prickett and John Tedesco. Earlier in 2008, Board members Keith Sutton took office on August 18 and Carolyn Morrison took office on September 15 due to two board vacancies.

Our school system is governed by a nine-member Board of Education whose members are elected from nine separate districts in the county and serve staggered four-year terms. The board sets policy, while the superintendent and administrative staff manage the system’s day-to-day operation.

District 1 (Northeast Wake)
Chris Malone
cmalone2@wcpss.net
District 2 (Southeast Wake)
John Tedesco
jtedesco@wcpss.net
District 3 (North Raleigh)
Kevin L. Hill
klhill@wcpss.net
District 4 (East Raleigh)
Keith Sutton
ksutton@wcpss.net
District 5 (South Central Raleigh)
Anne McLaurin
amclaurin@wcpss.net
District 6 (Central Raleigh)
Carolyn Morrison
cbmorrison@wcpss.net
District 7 (West Raleigh/Morrisville)
Deborah Prickett
dprickett@wcpss.net
District 8 (Southern Wake)
Ron Margiotta, Chair
rmargiotta@wcpss.net
District 9 (Western Wake)
Debra Goldman, Vice Chair
dgoldman@wcpss.net

Congratulations to Principal and Assistant Principal of the Year

The Wake County Public School System named John Wall of North Garner Middle School the 2009 Principal of the Year during an Oct. 15 ceremony at the Marbles Kids Museum in Raleigh. The awards ceremony is sponsored by Pierce Group Benefits, the Wake County Public School System and the Wake County Division of Principals and Assistant Principals.
Wall has been in education for 22 years and has been principal at North Garner Middle for four years. Prior to that, he was principal and assistant principal at Zebulon Middle and a teacher at Carnage Middle. Earlier he taught in New York. Wall was a finalist for Wake County Principal of the Year in 2004; Mentor of the Year by the Helping Hands Program; and served as president of the Wake County Division of Principals and Assistant Principals.

Fay Jones of Forest Pines Drive Elementary was named the 2009 Assistant Principal of the Year. Jones has been in education for 15 years and has been assistant principal at Forest Pines Drive Elementary for five years. Prior to that, Jones has served as an assistant principal and teacher who split time between Green Hope Elementary, Adams Elementary and Farmington Woods Elementary. She also worked as a teacher at Farmington Woods Elementary and West Lake Elementary.

Principals and assistant principals are nominated by their peers. Each finalist is required to submit a portfolio, receive a site visit, and is interviewed by a panel of educators and community members.

Magnet Application Period Underway in February

Here are some quick things to remember about this year’s application process:

Central Service Budget Cuts

WCPSS is already in the process of preparing a budget for the next fiscal year. Like last year, the budget planning process reflects the economic downtown, less state and local revenue and increased cost largely due to new schools, growth and higher employee benefits costs.

In order to prepare for a potential funding gap for the next fiscal year beginning July 1, Superintendent Del Burns directed his senior management team to prepare plans for cutting $20 million out of Central Services budgets. Central Services are comprised of departments that support schools including Human Resources, Curriculum and Instruction, Technology, Transportation and Maintenance and Operations. The $20 million in cuts will not come out of school budgets.
The reductions will be reviewed and presented in the Superintendent’s budget recommendations which are slated to be presented to the Wake County Board of Education in early March. The school board will work through the recommendations and submit their request to the Wake County Board of Commissioners by May 15.

Encouraging Better Reading Habits

Children form lasting impressions about reading at home. The best way to become a better reader is to read and then discuss what you have read with others. If your child sees you reading, noticing books, newspapers, and magazines around the house, and senses that you enjoy reading, your child will copy you and be much more likely to enjoy reading. Spend time talking about what you are reading, as well as what your child is reading.

Children of all ages like to be read to at home. Read to your child often. Let your child choose a story and you choose one that you enjoy also. Remember that libraries are a great place to explore, especially during the winter when you tend to focus on more indoor activities!

 

New Videos Support Reading at Home

Parents interested in reinforcing their children's classroom instruction or giving them a strong foundation before entering school can find some helpful tips on the new WCPSS Reading at Home website: www.wcpss.net/readingathome/
When you visit this website you will find links to 11 short videos that are one to three minutes long, featuring research-driven, easy-to-understand advice on reading.
"We know that families and caregivers want the very best for their children," said Sherri Merritt, director of K-12 literacy programs for WCPSS. "However, we often hear them ask for suggestions on what specific, concrete things they can do to support reading. These videos give a brief glimpse into how we can all support the literacy development of children in ways that are engaging and fun."
Watching these videos will teach you how to…

And there are many more tips and topics covered in the Reading at Home video series. “These videos provide easy suggestions for interacting with children to support their reading growth at home, in the car, and in everyday life," said Merritt.

Math Activities for Home

What Happens During a Snow Day?

In case of snow or other potentially hazardous weather or emergency situations, a decision may be made to close or delay school. These decisions are made after consulting the National Weather Service, local weather forecasters, and area law enforcement. Additionally, school district personnel drive bus routes to check firsthand on local conditions.

Important: never assume that schools will be closed, delay opening or close early. Schools will be open on their regular schedule unless otherwise announced.
As soon as a decision is made, local radio and television stations are notified and a notice is posted on the school system's web page and to the system's e-mail notification service. Schools typically update the school's main phone line with a message to reflect the closing or delay status. Please do not call radio and television stations. Telephone lines must be kept open so that news media can receive special information from schools and businesses regarding schedule changes.

According to state law, all schools must be open for 180 days during the academic year. When schools close due to weather, students must go to school on a make-up day to meet this requirement.
If schools are closed, please consult the appropriate instructional calendar for make-up days. Make-up days are used in the order they appear on the calendar.

Make-up Days

Traditional calendar schools follow, in order, a list of potential dates approved by the Board of Education. The dates are as follows:
November 25
February 15
December 21
December 22
June 10
March 29
March 30
March 31
April 1

Year-round calendar schools typically hold make-up days the next available Saturday, so that the three tracks involved in the closure are tracked-in at the time of the make-up day.

Modified calendar school make-up days may be amended by the Board of Education to provide additional days the first week of fall break, the first week of spring break, and the end of the year.

Center for International Enrollment

There are more than 125 unique languages spoken by Wake County families.
The Center for International Enrollment (CIE) opened in 2009 to assist non-native English speaking families with the registration process. International families arriving from another North Carolina school district, out-of-state, out-of-country or with children who have never previously attended school, may visit the CIE for assistance. The CIE helps families complete enrollment paperwork, provides testing for English as a Second Language services and enters new student information into the system for schools. The Center for International Enrollment is located on the first floor of the Central Services building at 3600 Wake Forest Road. Parents can contact (919) 790-6444 to schedule a visit.

FYI

A new federal mandate this year requires that local education agencies and schools create and distribute new surveys on race and ethnicity. These surveys will allow respondents to more accurately identify their ethnic and racial background, including multi-racial heritage as well as further distinguish Hispanic decent.

Surveys will be distributed by schools in the spring and made available on SPAN for students in middle and high school to complete. The information will be reported to the US Department of Education and the NC Department of Public Instruction.

Please ensure that you and your child take time to complete the survey.

Be Counted in 2010

The Wake County Public School System has partnered with the Census Bureau to help spread the word about the upcoming 2010 Census.

The census is a count of everyone residing in the United States. Census questionnaires will be delivered or mailed to every household in the country in March 2010. With only 10 questions, the 2010 Census questionnaire is one of the shortest in history and takes less than 10 minutes to complete.

It’s important for everyone in Wake County to be counted. Every year, the federal government allocates more than $300 billion to states and communities based, in part, on census data. An incomplete count could mean that our community does not receive its fair share of funding.

Census data also guides local decision makers on where to build new roads, schools, hospitals, child care centers and other services. Businesses use it to make decisions on where to locate new stores, restaurants and other facilities. In addition, the data is also used to determine voting districts and how many seats each state will have in the U.S. House of Representatives.

Be sure to complete and mail back your questionnaire upon receipt. Information provided will remain confidential. By law, the Census Bureau cannot share an individual’s responses with anyone, including other federal agencies and law enforcement entities.

Staying Active During the Winter

Our school system cares about your child’s physical health as much as their academic health. The Board of Education recently adopted a new policy on child nutrition that places a greater emphasis on student health and minimizing childhood obesity.

During the winter months there are fewer opportunities for children to play outside. When the mercury drops our schools do more indoor activities. Elementary schools tend to provide fitness stations, climbing wall activities, or other exercises in the gym. At the middle and high school level there is also a trend toward indoor sports such as volleyball, track and aerobics.

When students are not in school, there are some great no-cost home activities for them to enjoy. Activities such as hide and seek, obstacle courses, dancing, playing follow the leader can be a great way to get their bodies moving. Additionally, families may want to consider other options that include ice-skating, roller-skating, indoor hockey, or visiting the indoor swimming pool. Be sure to encourage your children to stay active and allow them to see you as an example too.

Fun in the Snow
Build a snowman
Make snow angels
Build an igloo
Have a snowball fight
Ice-skating
Skiing
Sleighing
Snowboarding