NCDPI Office of Charter Schools (OCS) Updates
"CSAB recognizing Mrs. Heather Futrell of East Wake Academy for outstanding teaching and service."
Web Links:
Important Resources for Charter Schools: (Please Read)
Please click on each link.
Charter School Diabetes Memo
Charter School Epinephrine Memo
Planning Year Sessions
Board members from charter schools that are opening in 2020 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:
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Date
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Time
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Location
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Topic
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September 25, 2019
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8:00 - 4:15
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DPI: Room 150
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Charter School Governance
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October 30, 2019
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8:00 - 4:15
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DPI: Room 150
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Charter School
Finance
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November 20, 2019
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8:00 - 4:15
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DPI: Room 150
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Charter School Operations & Accountability
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December 18, 2019
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8:00 - 4:30
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DPI: Room 150
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Meeting the Needs of All Students
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January 29, 2020
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8:00 - 4:15
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DPI: Room 150
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Our School Opens in 7 Months! Now What?
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June 9 - 10, 2020
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8:00 - 5:00
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DPI: Rooms 150, 224, 564
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New Charter School Leaders Institute
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Registration is now open for the September session. Registration ends on Sunday, September 15th. Please use this link to register: https://forms.gle/xXS62yMDXFsS418JA
For questions, please contact Dr. Kebbler Williams at kebbler.williams@dpi.nc.gov or 919-807-3920.
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SAVE the DATE!
What: Leading & Learning Days (formerly LP/CLP bootcamps)
Where: Healthy Start Academy, Durham
When: September 26th 2019
Invitations and agendas will be sent to schools
For more information, contact Claire Porter @ Claire.Porter@dpi.nc.gov
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CSLI - Charter School Leadership Institute (2019)
What: Charter School Leadership Institute 2019
When: October 17 and 18, 2019
Where: Envision Science Academy
Registration is open! Click link below.
2019 Charter Leadership Institute registration
Please send your checks for $55.00 per person. Your receipt will be sent to confirm your registration. Parking at Envision will be limited so please plan on carpooling with others from your school.
For more information, contact Claire Porter @ Claire.Porter@dpi.nc.gov
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The Scoop with Coop is a newsletter that focuses on the North Carolina Charter School Renewal process. In addition, this letter provides insight on a variety of charter school topics to assist our leaders and readers alike!
https://www.smore.com/8hcf9
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Upcoming Charter School Advisory Board Meetings - CSAB
October 7 - 8, 2019
November 12 - 13, 2019
December 9 - 10, 2019
Upcoming State Board of Education Meetings - SBE
October 2 - 3, 2019
November 5 - 7, 2019
December 4 - 5, 2019
Follow the Office of Charter Schools on Twitter
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.
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NC Department of Public Instruction (NCDPI) Updates
Web Link:
NCVPS Virtual Innovators Conference: Sneak Peak at Concurrent Sessions
NCVP VIC 2019 Webpage
Financial and Business Services Newsletter
Please click on the link below for important financial information
Allotment Newsletter Item
The Child Count Transfer System is now open for transfers. We appreciate your patience while we prepared the system for the 2019-20 Fiscal Year. We ask that you please submit your transfers promptly to avoid missing the deadline.
Please be advised that the deadline for submitting transfers, for student who enrolled in July and August, is September 25, 2019.
Outreach and Engagement Initiative from DPI
As part of DPI's initiative to improve engagement with students, parents, and educators in North Carolina, your district will be receiving the following engagement pieces to send home with students by their teachers:
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Be Kind - This handout is reminding middle and high school students that being kind is the first step to avoiding violence in and out of schools. Please make sure these handouts reach each middle and high school student in your district.
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Opioid Awareness - This handout is to help inform students and parents of students in grades 9-12 of the dangers of opioids. Please make sure these handouts are given to students in grades 9-12.
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Bookmarks – The bookmarks are for students in grades K-3 and remind them and their parents of the importance of reading for 20 minutes a day.
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Be Kind posters – Each school should receive one poster. This poster includes an uplifting message to students reminding them to be kind to one another. This is part of our school safety initiative.
These handouts will be arriving to your warehouses and will need to be dispersed to the schools in your district. There will be more handouts arriving to your districts soon. Thank you for your help in spreading these messages to the students and parents of North Carolina.
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Letters of Recognition from the State Superintendent
For students, faculty, and staff
Do you know of a student or faculty or staff member who has achieved something extraordinary? State Superintendent Mark Johnson would like to recognize individuals and groups who have earned such accomplishments with a letter applauding their achievement. Examples of excellence include special service to one’s community, receiving recognition or awards, excellence in competition, athletics, or academia, and more.
If you wish to request a letter of recognition from Superintendent Johnson, go to https://www.ncsuperintendent.com/letterrequest. We look forward to hearing about your good news.
Resources for Classrooms
Educators -
Below are a few free resources we gathered over the summer to share with you that you may want to investigate for your own classroom or school this school year. If you do, please share your feedback with us on your experience with them. Best, Mark
DonorsChoose.org
Many teachers already know of and use donorschoose.org. (I had a project funded when I taught.) The organization has really stepped up in North Carolina after Hurricane Florence hit, and they are still placing extra focus on our state. Please check them out if you haven’t already. Click here to learn more. Since launching in North Carolina, DonorsChoose has gotten $40 million to NC classrooms to fund projects.
GO Grants
The NC Outdoor Heritage Advisory Council awards grants of $250 to $2,500 to support outdoor educational field trips. Click here for the application if you are interested in funding for a potential field trip. Click here to learn more.
MoneySkill
Financial literacy is important for our students, and we want to help students get financial skills without putting additional burdens on you. MoneySKILL is a free online personal finance course addressing topics ranging from tracking expenses and budgeting to savings and investing. The program offers high school and middle school versions with opportunities for student self-directed learning. It is available in English and Spanish and is accessible via computer, tablet, and mobile devices. Students and parents can even access it at home or at their local libraries. Click here to learn more.
The Brian Hamilton Foundation
The Brian Hamilton Foundation, through speaking events and online courses, helps instruct students on entrepreneurial and economic skills that encompass creativity, critical thinking, problem solving, and collaboration. Brian Hamilton travels to middle and high schools around the state to speak with students in both assembly and classroom settings, and there is also an online 5-day course that teaches users about owning a business. Click here to learn more.
Registration Information for Low Performing Webinars to be Sent to Communications
After the release of the Low Performing designation for schools and districts, NCDPI’s District and Regional Support unit provides a webinar for leaders in these schools and/or districts, whether newly designated or continuing in the designation.
The webinars will provide information for leaders concerning the policies, expectations, and deadlines for the Comprehensive Plan required for Low Performing Schools and Low Performing Districts, respectively.
PLEASE NOTE: Each webinar, one for Low Performing Schools and one for Low Performing Districts, will be offered twice, and participants need only attend one of the offered webinars. Only leaders in schools and districts who are designated Low Performing need to register.
Please find the registration links below:
Low Performing Districts Webinar Options: (Select one)
Please register for Low Performing Districts Webinar Option 1 on Sep 20, 2019 2:00 PM EDT at:
https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/608448145867809292
After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the webinar.
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Please register for Low Performing Districts Webinar Option 2 on Sep 23, 2019 2:00 PM EDT at:
https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/2610796259001459724
After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the webinar.
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Low Performing Schools/Charter Schools Webinar Options: (Select one)
Please register for Low Performing Schools Webinar Option 1 on Sep 20, 2019 3:00 PM EDT at:
https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/2988454313886761228
After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the webinar.
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Please register for Low Performing Schools Webinar Option 2 on Sep 23, 2019 3:00 PM EDT at:
https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/4421001416646399244
After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the webinar.
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During September MTSS Network Meetings, your MTSS Teams have been introduced to a tool developed to walk them through monitoring core support. In order for teams to engage in this process of assessing the effectiveness of core instruction, they must first establish a common understanding of the areas that make up core:
- Instruction,
- Curriculum, and
- Environment.
The teams used this resource on ICE Definitions to clarify and deepen their knowledge of more strategic areas to support teachers for strong outcomes for all students. Your administrative team may consider using these handouts to facilitate conversations around school improvement. Please contact your MTSS Consultant or email integratedsystems@dpi.nc.gov if you need additional guidance.
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EL Coordinators Meeting Fall 2019
September 18: NEW EL Coordinators
September 19: ALL EL Coordinators
September 20: Break-out Sessions
- EL Advisory Council and 2. Charter Schools
Registration
Please complete the registration form to confirm your attendance at the meeting. This meeting does NOT have a registration fee. Once you submit your registration form you will receive a confirmation email with all the detailed information (Check your spam/junk folder).
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PowerSchool Upgrade to 19.4.3.0
PowerSchool’s latest version of SIS, 19.4.3.0, will be installed on all North Carolina instances during our next scheduled maintenance weekend. That maintenance period is scheduled for Friday, September 20 through Monday, September 23. NCDPI has been testing this version release for the last several weeks with positive results. As promised, NCDPI will continue to strive to stay within 6 months of the latest release.
Key Fixes
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Issue: In some cases, changing a section's term or meeting periods could result in orphaned attendance records, which can result in misrepresentation of data.
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Fix: In PS version 19.4.3.0., changes to a section that would orphan existing attendance records is prevented.
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Issue: When editing the first or last name of a contact that has an access account, an email of the change is not sent to the contact as expected.
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Fix: In PS version 19.4.3.0, the job sends an email notifying the contact of the change.
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Issue: When using the Data Import Manager to delete contacts that have access accounts, orphaned access accounts' records are created.
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Fix: In PS version 19.4.3.0., the #delete function results in an error and any row that contains a contact that has an access account will be skipped. Additionally, any currently orphaned access accounts will be re-migrated to Contacts.
Thank you for your support of NC SIS. For PowerSchool technical support, please follow the guidelines below:
- CHAT: Chat support is available for you through the PowerSchool Community at: Launch Chat Support
- CASE: Submit a case via the PS PORTAL: https://help.powerschool.com/
- CALL: 1-855-339-4790 (This is a dedicated NC Support line.)
Calendar Changes Due to Inclement Weather
Many of our NC public schools units (PSUs) were compelled to close due to last week’s inclement weather. As a courtesy reminder to those PSUs that may need to make up school days, please review and forward to the appropriate staff the document, Calendar_Change Process.pdf. It includes instructions on how to adjust your school calendar during the school year to account for missed school days. This process involves updates made by the PSU and PowerSchool. Therefore, once your updates are complete, submit a case via the PS PORTAL: https://help.powerschool.com/ to notify them that you are ready for PowerSchool to complete their part of the calendar update process.
Common Follow-Up Reporting Due Date – Sept. 30
As a reminder, Common Follow-Up (CFU) collection is due Monday, September 30 for all schools that include grade levels 9 – 13. All warnings and errors about blank diploma types can be ignored for non-senior students; only seniors who graduated are required to have diploma type information populated. Career plans are only required for students who completed a CTE concentrator; all other students’ career data may remain blank. Please review and correct all your warnings and fatal errors that are listed on the CFU Exception reports before approving your CFU. If the CFU is not populating at a school that includes grade levels 9 – 13, reference the PowerSchool Assigning Collections to Schools document on how to add the collection to the state compliance dashboard at a school. A quick reference document, Common Follow Up Data Collection, is also available on the NC SIS website.
Free Webinar
Webinar: October 3, 2019 3:30-4:30
EVERFI - Free Resources for National Bullying Prevention Month
Positive school climates are critically important for students to achieve their full academic and personal potential. But bullying can negatively impact students’ sense of social, emotional and physical safety – key components of a positive school climate. Honor Code takes a practical approach to bullying prevention by empowering students to create change, whether they’re engaging in bullying, on the receiving end of it, or witnessing it in their school. Join us October 3rd for a National Bullying Prevention Month Webinar featuring EVERFI's digital course Honor Code and additional resources that address cyber-bullying. Register here to learn how these free, state-of-the-art digital courses can help your students develop resilience and courage, while contributing to a positive school community.
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New Preschool EC Consultant
Please review the attached memo regarding the new Preschool EC Consultant.
New Preschool EC Consultant.pdf
LISTSERV: EXCEPTIONAL CHILDREN INFORMATION FOR PARENTS
Please review the attached memo and directions for Parents of Exceptional Children to sign up for a new informational listserv. Please share this information with your parent groups, listservs, councils, etc. and disseminate as appropriate to make parents across the state aware of this resource.
Directions for EC Info for Parents listserv.pdf
EC Listerv for Parents.pdf
DEADLINE FOR CHARTERS IS: SEPTEMBER 25th
Class Size/Caseload Waivers
Please review the time critical memo attached regarding the submission for Class size/Caseload Waivers for SY2019-20.
Request for Related Services Caseload Waiver.pdf
Request for ClassSize Waiver Request.2019-2020.pdf
2019 ClassSizeCaseloadWaiverDirections.pdf
FTE.Workload.Guidance.pdf
2019 Class Size Caseload Memo.pdf
Nominations must be turned in by Sept 27
2019 Exceptional Children Educator of Excellence Recognition
Please review the attached memo regarding the Educator of Excellence Recognition at the 69th EC Conference in November.
EOE - Memo 2019.pdf
Autism Funding & Professional Learning Opportunities
Autism Funding Submission and Professional Learning Opportunities.pdf
Fall 2019 Statewide Meeting of Related Services Representatives-Updated with Locations
Please review the attached updated Memo regarding the Fall Statewide Meeting of Related Services Representatives.
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, 2019 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.
Annette Darden Richardson, MSN, RN, NCSN
Charter School Health Nurse Consultant
Division of Public Health - Children and Youth Branch
NC Department of Health and Human Services
Office: 252-339-3009
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