Office of Charter Schools Weekly Newsletter for September 28, 2018

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Office of Charter Schools

6307 Mail Service Center, Raleigh, NC 27699-6307  •  919.807.3491

WEEKLY NEWSLETTER  –  SEPTEMBER 28, 2018



Upcoming Events

 

October 2, 2018

EC Directors' Webinar - 10:00 - 11:00am


October 3 - 4, 2018

State Board of Education Meeting

 

October 8, 2018

Charter Schools Advisory Board Meeting

 

October 12, 2018

Cash Management and MSA Training Class (for Charter Schools)


October 18 -19, 2018

Charter School Leadership Institute


Action Items

 


November 1, 2018

Immunization and Health Assessment Compliance

 

 

Future Action Items 

 

November 14 -16, 2018

EC Conference

 

 

November 15, 2018

NC EVAAS Exploration Summit


December 4, 2018

EC Directors' Webinar - 10:00 - 11:00am


January 28 - 31, 2018

NCCAT Charter Conference   


NCDPI Office of Charter Schools (OCS) Updates


Charter School Operations Survey: Hurricane Florence

Please complete this survey to help NCDPI gather appropriate information on how Hurricane Florence has impacted the operations of our NC Charter Schools.   The deadline to submit this survey is Friday, September 28, 2018.   If you have any questions please don't hesitate to contact the OCS.

 

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 CHARTER SCHOOLS:  DID YOU KNOW?

 

All low-performing charter schools must develop a school improvement plan. These plans must be submitted using the state system, NCStar. In that system you will receive feedback on your plan from DPI staff. Please go to https://ncstar.weebly.com/ for more information and to register for training on how to use NCStar.

 

In addition, these plans will be reviewed by our office annually through Performance Framework. Low-performing schools are also required to provide parental notification within 30 days of identification (G.S. 115C-105.37). If you would like a template academic notification letter, please contact Ashley.baquero@dpi.nc.gov.

 

 

 

Question Marks

New OCS Data Management System 

Contact: ocs@dpi.nc.gov

  

The Office of Charter Schools is very excited to announce the implementation of a new data management platform called Epicenter which will assist with automating and streamlining our compliance and performance processes.


Any information that you need to submit to the Office of Charter Schools for the renewal, ready to open, and performance framework processes will be uploaded and stored in Epicenter, along with academic, operations, and personnel information. All schools will transition to Epicenter later this fall and trainings will be held across the state for users. More information to follow. Stay tuned!


Follow the Office of Charter Schools on Twitter 

Contact: ocs@dpi.nc.gov

  

The Office of Charter Schools is officially tweeting! Follow us @NCCharterOffice for news, updates, and to see the great things happening at charter schools around the state.

 


 

NC STAR Regional Trainings

Contact: Alessandro.Montanari@dpi.nc.gov

  

Federal Program Monitoring & Support will be conducting regional NCStar Trainings. These regional opportunities will contain both beginner trainings and Q&A sessions for experienced users. From 8:30am – 1:00pm at each location, beginner training will be conducted and then from 2pm-4pm Q&A sessions for experienced users will be held. 


Registration is open at www.ncstar.weebly.com. Space is limited and registration for each site will close once site capacity is reached. Please remember that any school identified in a federal or state list will be required to use NCStar to create and manage their school improvement plan. Any school that wishes to use the tool, must attend a beginner training at least once. These are the eight dates and sites:

  • October 2nd   – Asheville City Schools at 85 Mountain Street in Asheville
  • October 3rd – Linda Rader Staff Development Center at 240 Eighth Avenue in Cramerton
  • October 5th  – Wake County Schools Webster Center Crossroads II at 110 Corning Road in Cary
  • October 11th  – New Hanover County Schools Board of Education Center at 1805 South 13th Street in Wilmington
  • October 19th  – Sadie Saulter Educational Center at 400 Spruce Street in Greenville
  • October 23rd  – Workforce Development & Continuing Education Building at 629 Industrial Park Avenue in Asheboro

 

Charter School check mark

 Planning Year Sessions for RTO

 

Board members from charter schools that are opening in 2019 are required to attend 5 face-to-face Planning Year Sessions from September to January.  The school leader and some of the board members are also required to attend the New Charter School Leaders Institute in June.  As a customer service, the Office of Charter Schools continues to open up these sessions to all charter schools.  If you have a new school leader and/or a new board member interested in attending any of the sessions, he or she must register to attend.  Please note the schedule below:

 

Date    

Time    

Location

Topic

September 26, 2018          

8:00 - 4:15

DPI: Room 150

Charter School Governance

October 31, 2018

8:00 - 4:15

DPI: Room 150

Charter School Finance

November 14, 2018

8:00 - 4:15

DPI: Room 150

Charter School Operations & Accountability

December 12, 2018

8:00 - 4:30

DPI: Room 150

Meeting the Needs of All Students

January 30, 2019

8:00 - 4:15

DPI: Room 150

Our School Opens in 7 Months!  Now What?

June 11 - 12, 2019

8:00 - 5:00

DPI: Rooms 150, 224, 564

New Charter School Leaders Institute

 

Registration is now open for the October session.  Registration ends on Sunday, October 21st.  Please use this link to register:   https://goo.gl/forms/OrBieAkHvrBfPPlk2

For questions, please contact Shaunda Cooper at shaunda.cooper@dpi.nc.gov and Stephenie Clark at stephenie.clark@dpi.nc.gov.

 


Cash Management and MSA Training (Charter Schools):

 

We will have a Cash Management and MSA training class for Charter Schools on Friday, October 12, 2018 at the Department of Public Instruction in Raleigh, NC, Room #564 from 10:00 am - 4:00 pm. 


There is no registration fee for the class, but you must register to attend.  The class is designed for those who work in the charter school’s finance office.  The class consists of "Hands-on" training with the emphasis on understanding the monthly financial reports, a brief lecture on Compliance & Monitoring, and a brief overview of the Cash Management System.  Instruction is geared to the beginner or new user and as a refresher for others.  There are only a certain number of seats in the training room, so limited space is available on a first come, first serve basis.

 

If you would like to attend this class, please provide your name, charter school name, charter school number and email address. 


Please email Roxane Bernard at roxane.bernard@dpi.nc.gov.  If you have questions, please call Roxane Bernard at 919-807-3725.  You will be notified by email when you have been successfully registered for the training class. 

  


 

Attention Teachers of American History: Founding Principles, Civics, and Economics:


Did you know that there are 13 Founding Principles required by N.C. law to be taught in the American History: Founding Principles, Civics, and Economics course? Are you currently teaching all 13 of the “Principles” which have been identified by the N.C. General Assembly?


If you would like to learn more about the Founding Principles contained in the legislation and discuss some ways in which you might be able to make sure all of them are incorporated in your curriculum, consider taking the Founding Principles course in Canvas. You will earn 2.0 CEUs and reflect on some of the Founding Principles you may already be teaching as well as plan ways to integrate those you are not currently teaching. If interested, fill out this form. When asked the name of the course, put in “Founding Principles”. Registration ends Oct 12. Course will run from Oct 15 – Nov 16. Contact Tom Daugherty with any questions. 

 

 

Tom Daugherty

Husband/Father

K-12 Social Studies Education Consultant

Division of Curriculum and Instruction

North Carolina Department of Public Instruction

6th Floor Social Studies Section

6307 Mail Service Center Raleigh, NC 27699-6307

(919) 807-3862 (P)

 


Congrats!

Good News!

September 25, 2018

PRESS RELEASE

 

Moore Montessori Wins National Education Award

MOORE COUNTY, NC –


Moore Montessori Community School (MMCS) has been awarded $400,000 over two years in a federal grant competition. Funded through the Charter School National Dissemination Competition Program within the US Department of Education, the grant will provide support to MMCS to fully implement its public Montessori program.


Katherine Rucker, founder and Head of School, said,“Our community persevered for two years to make our school a reality. This national recognition underscores the promise of our school community, and the funding ensures we will be able to provide the very best in public Montessori for our students in the years to come.”


Dr. Benjamin Greene, Chairman of the MMCS Board, said, “MMCS has had a great opening this year. It is a major undertaking to open a new school, especially one with a unique approach to education. I am thankful for the hard work and dedication of our founding board, the MMCS faculty and staff, and the support we have received from our parents and community. We are eager to move to the next step in providing a quality Montessori education program to our community. The grant from the US Department of Education will allow us to do just that.”


MMCS is a publicly funded, tuition-free charter school currently serving children in Kindergarten through second grade. The school will expand to serve children up to sixth grade over the next four years. MMCS’s mission is to be a vibrant learning community, where diverse students build strong academic foundations, executive function skills, and trust in their abilities, in preparation for lives of joy and purpose in the 21st century. For more information, please visit www.mooremontessori.org.

 


The 2018 Charter School Leadership Institute is coming! 

What is it?   

The Charter School Leadership Institute is an annual gathering of charter leaders, staff, and board members from across the state. Join us for informational sessions, hands on workshops, and panel discussions on a wide range of topics including specific tracks for finance and serving special populations. Sign me up!

  

When is it? 

Great question! Thursday, October 18 (8am-4:30pm) and Friday, October 19 (8am-1pm) 


Where is it? 

Even better question! This year’s Institute will be at Pine Springs Preparatory Academy at 220 Rosewood Centre Drive, Holly Springs, NC 27540. Huge thanks to Pine Springs for hosting!

  

How much does it cost? 

Less fun, but extremely relevant question. The registration fee is $55 per participant.

 

Where should I stay? 

There are a few options in the immediate vicinity. Here are some recommendations: Hampton Inn and Suites Holly Springs (3.3mi); Comfort Inn Apex (2.7mi)Holiday Inn Express Apex-Raleigh (3.2mi)


What else should I know? 

Lunch will be provided both days. Agendas, speakers, logistics, and more coming soon!


NC Department of Public Instruction  (NCDPI)  Updates



 Leadership announcement

 

Colleagues:


I am pleased to announce that Joe Maimone will be joining the department as Chief of Staff on Monday.


Joe will be an excellent addition to the team of professionals who make up DPI by adding his 20-plus years’ experience in education and finance oversight, as well as his experience serving on boards and councils throughout the state.


As headmaster of Thomas Jefferson Classical Academy since 1998, Joe successfully led the growth of TJCA from 110 students in grades 7-9 in 1999 to 1,300 students in grades K-12 today. Students thrived at TJCA, which earned many state and national honors during Joe’s tenure; Joe was inducted to the NC Alliance of Charter Schools Hall of Fame in 2011.


He holds an MBA with a concentration in finance and marketing from the University of Chicago and a bachelor’s degree in economics from Hamilton College.


Joe was appointed by Gov. Pat McCrory to the Charter School Advisory Board from 2013-17 and was reappointed by House Speaker Tim Moore in 2017, where he serves as chairman of the Performance Committee.


Please join me in welcoming Joe to the team.

Mark

 


 

2018 Exceptional Children Educator of Excellence Recognition

 

Please see the attached Memoradum regarding 2018 Exceptional Children Educator of Excellence Recognition.

 

 

Fall 2018 Statewide Meeting of Related Services Representatives

 

Please see the attached Memoradum regarding Statewide meeting of LEA representative practitioners (Audiology, Occupational Therapy, Physical Therapy, School Psychology, Speech-Language Pathology and School Nursing).

 


 

 Registration Open - 68th Conference on Exceptional Children:

 

Registration is now open for the 68th Conference on Exceptional Children. More information is located at https://ec.ncpublicschools.gov/conferences-profdev/annual-conference. Registration deadline is October 31 so be sure and register early.

The Exceptional Children Division looks forward to seeing everyone at the conference!

 

Mark your Calendar

Day of Dyslexia flyer

http://nc.dyslexiaida.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/41/2018/08/Day-of-dyslexia-flyer-2018.pdf


 

ARE YOU READY TO HELP SHAPE NC STUDENTS' DIGITAL LEARNING STANDARDS?

 

As part of the NC Standards Review, Revision and Implementation process, the Department of Public Instruction is seeking your input on the current student information and technology standards (known as ITES, Information Technology Essential Standards) via survey. The survey may be accessed via: ncvps.co1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_3EO3ABH2pjftRVH

 

 

Thank you in advance for taking the time to complete this survey and assisting in our evaluation of the 2009 ITES. We value your expertise and unique perspectives on digital teaching and learning in our state. The ITES Steering Committee will be reviewing this data to determine if they should be revised.

 

NC Students in a Digital Learning Environment

Charter Read to Achieve Webinar

 

Many charters have requested benchmark extensions due to the disruptions or closures caused by Hurricane Florence and its aftermath.  We have also had additional extension requests due to technology and classing issues some districts have encountered this year.  

 

In an effort to accommodate the needs of affected schools and districts, the state will extend the BOY window for mClass:Reading 3D to Monday, October 8th.  Exceptions to this final extension date include those districts and schools in the Southeast and Sandhills regions. You can set your Charter date anytime before October 8th.

 

Many of you have emailed me about dates beyond October 8th and I have approved those dates (you do  not need to email me again). If you have not contacted me and will need a date beyond October 8th, email be with the date you wold like your window to close and the reason for the needed extension.

 

 

Rebecca Belcastro

K-3 Literacy Consultant, Piedmont-Triad

North Carolina Department of Public Instruction

919-789-1036

rebecca.belcastro@dpi.nc.gov

 


September Data Files Due 

School Financial Reporting

SCHOOL BUSINESS DIVISION

FINANCIAL AND BUSINESS SERVICES

 

 

This is a reminder that September 2018 (FY2018) Financial and MFR data files need to be built and available to DPI no later than 11:59 p.m. on Tuesday, October 2, 2018

 

For LEAs using the LINQ software, once the month is closed your data will be created and sent to LINQ for submission to DPI. Should any LINQ LEA encounter problems with the monthly closing, please contact the LINQ HELP Desk.

 

DPI will begin processing data files first thing on October 3, 2018. Please make every effort to create the data files on the due date. We also ask that you please make certain there is someone on site October 3, 2018 to answer any data-related questions DPI may have.

 

If this reminder needs to be sent to others at your district, please forward this message to them and amanda.cruz@dpi.nc.gov.


Extended Deadlines due to Hurricane Florence

 

Please see the attached memo regarding extended deadlines for submission to the EC Division due to Hurricane Florence.

 

 


Presidential Scholars Program

 

Please see the memo linked below from State Superintendent Mark Johnson and Career and Technical Education Director Trey Michael.

 

 


 

September 2018 ECATS Newsletter

 

Please find the September 2018 ECATS newsletter attached.

 

 

 


ECATS update

 

Please see the memo linked below from State Superintendent Johnson, Deputy State Superintendent Maria Pitre-Martin, and Bill Hussey.

 

 


 Reminder Exit Count Closes Friday, September 28, 2018

 

9/25/2018 - Reminder Exit Count Closes Friday, September 28, 2018


If you have already submitted your Exit count, thank you and please disregard this message. The 2017-18 Exit Count is well underway. Please be reminded that all LEAs, charter schools and state operated programs are expected to be certified by close of business on Friday, September 28, 2018. 

*New Charter schools that began in the 2018-19 school year do not need to complete the Exit count.


Submitting the Count: 

The EC Director must sign into CECAS.

Open Data Exchange folder, Open the Periodic Count folder, Click on Periodic Count Submissions.

On the Periodic Count Submissions page, click New Submission. Click and fill in the drop lists on the following page.


To Certify the Count: 

Make sure the count status is VALIDATION COMPLETED

The EC Director must sign into CECAS.

Open the Data Exchange folder.

Open the Periodic Count folder.

Click on Periodic Count Submissions.

On the Periodic Count Submissions page, drop down the Count period Type field. Select EC Child Count.

From the count period drop list select September Exit 2018 Child Count. 

Select your Region and LEA.


Do not select a FILE TYPE. 

Click Search. The Certify button will appear next to the Search button.

Click Certify.

Print the next page for your records.


All errors must be corrected and all LEAs, Charters and State Operated Programs must certify their submissions no later than September 28, 2018. If you have any questions regarding the End-of-Year Reporting for Exiting Data, please contact your Regional Trainer or the Help Desk at (919) 807-4357 and press option 3 for CECAS.

 


Florence updates from DPI #2   *(This is a separate Survey from previous OCS Survey)

As most of you know, the General Assembly will convene for a special session on Tuesday, Oct. 2 to address the effects of Hurricane Florence. We are working to have this information in time for legislators’ consideration of the impacts to public schools.

Please click here to take the survey.


Healthy Schools Banner

Other News


Immunization and Health Assessment Compliance Reporting

 

Each year, all schools are required to report the immunization status of their kindergarten and 7th grade students, according to G.S. 130A-155(c) and G.S. 130A-440. The purpose of these reports is to ensure that all children enrolled in North Carolina schools are protected against vaccine-preventable diseases and to determine the number of children who meet state immunization requirements. 

 

Additionally, all North Carolina public and public charter schools are required annually to report on the status of Health Assessments for those students who are enrolling for the first time in a North Carolina public or public charter school (G.S. 130A-441(c)).

 

Report submission can take place after the 30th calendar day from the school’s official first day.  A combined compliance report is available this year, by school name, and must be completed on-line at this link: Annual Health Assessment and Immunization Report.  You may use the link to access instructions as well as worksheets to gather your responses prior to entering the online report.  

 

Compliance reports are due no later than November 1, 2018 but may be completed at any time prior to that date. 


 

Communication From The Consultant

The Technical Assistance Summary provides valuable school health information.  School Health Coordinators and/or School Nurses are encouraged to review this quarterly circular so you can stay up-to-date with news and announcements from the Charter School Health Nurse Consultant.

 

Do You Have a School Nurse or School Health Coordinator?

In order to ensure proper delivery of School Health Services information, please use this link to provide contact information.  The contact information provided will be used to ensure receipt of important school health requirements and continuing education opportunities.  Please have your school nurse or school health coordinator fill out this quick survey so they may be included on our distribution list.

 

 

Kristin Wike, MSN, RN, NCSN

Charter School Health Nurse Consultant

NC Division of Public Health - Children and Youth Branch

NC Department of Health and Human Services

 

828 230 7148    office

828 230 7148    mobile

kristin.wike@dhhs.nc.gov