OCS Weekly Newsletter for August 21, 2020

North Carolina Public Schools sent this bulletin at 08/21/2020 05:16 PM EDT

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Weekly Newsletter- August 21, 2020

This week's outline of content:

OCS Guidance on recent legislation
OCS Saves The Dates
Updates and resources from beyond OCS
OCS updates and resources
Other news from our charter schools
Employment opportunities at charter schools
OCS Contacts

Please be sure to keep EDDIE up to date!

Upcoming Events and Reminders!

Save the Date!

OCS OFFICE HOURS: Monday August 24th, 11:30am-12:30pm

Join us on Webex through this link

August 27th, 12:00: Meet and Eat for Charter School Leaders offered by the Office of Charter Schools, Integrated Academic and Behavior Systems, and Exceptional Children Division (see flyer here)
August 27th, 2:00: New MTSS Coordinator Meeting (see flyer here)
September 14th&15th 9am: Charter Schools Advisory Board Monthly Meeting

PLANNING YEAR SESSIONS

Board members from charter schools that are opening in 2021, as well as acceleration applicants, are required to attend 5 virtual Planning Year Sessions from September to March; this year we have spaced the sessions out more throughout the year. Schools is a delay year are not required to attend but are welcome to. The school leader and some of the board members are also required to attend the New Charter School Leaders Institute in June 2021. As a customer service, the Office of Charter Schools continues to open up these sessions to all charter schools; however, if our sessions are over registered, we will prioritize planning year and acceleration 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. Registration for the September 30 virtual Planning Year Session I is OPEN NOW THROUGH THIS LINK.

Please note the schedule below:

2020-21 Planning Year Professional Development Schedule
Date	Time	Location	Topic
September 30, 2020	8:30 – 4:00	VIRTUAL	Charter School Governance
October 28, 2020	8:30 – 4:00	VIRTUAL	Charter School Finance
January 27, 2021	8:30 – 4:00	VIRTUAL	Charter School Operations & Accountability
February 24, 2021	8:30 – 4:00	VIRTUAL	Meeting the Needs of All Students
March 24, 2021	8:30 – 4:00	VIRTUAL	Our School Opens in 5 Months! Now What?

Note: Dates and topics are subject to change. If needed, other trainings may be scheduled. Site visits and/or board meeting observations may be scheduled during these months, as well.

Innovative Childcare and Remote Extended Support (ICARES) Grant Competition: CLICK HERE FOR DETAILS

If interested, please complete the “Intent to Apply” by 5:00 p.m. on Friday, August 28, 2020.

NC CENTER FOR SAFER SCHOOLS

NC Dept. of Public Instruction

Task Force Meeting

September 24

10:00 am until 2:00 pm

Virtual Link and Additional Info Coming Soon

DHHS Important Resources for Charter Schools: (Please Read by clicking each downloadable link)

Charter School Diabetes Memo

Charter School Epinephrine Memo

Annette Richardson, MSN, RN, NCSN

Charter School Health Nurse Consultant

Division of Public Health - Children and Youth Branch

NC Department of Health and Human Services

COVID TOP TEN:

To help recap important news of the week, we are pleased to bring you the NCDPI COVID-19 WEEKLY TOP TEN. The link does not change. New content is added to the top of the document weekly.

8/13/2020 NCDHHS COVID-19 Response Updates

Clarifications:

Please review the attached memos, Adherence to the 10/20 Day Rule & Request for Testing Exceptions Based on Significant Medical Emergencies and/or Conditions, from Deputy Superintendent of Innovation, Dr. David Stegall and Director of Accountability Services, Dr. Tammy Howard.

FBS CRITICAL INFO UPDATE

State and Federal Zero outs for Charters

DPI will process state and federal zero outs starting with the month of August. Remember that the year-to-date (YTD) cash certifications must equal the YTD expenditures each month.

If you have questions, please contact Roxane Bernard at roxane.bernard@dpi.nc.gov.

Emergency Cash Request

DPI Financial Services cannot prepare emergency cash requests. Make sure your charter school enters the cash request information into the cash management system correctly. Please review the information that you have entered.

The School Nutrition Section has provided additional guidance on the use of PRC125 CRF School Nutrition. This document is posted on our website at https://www.dpi.nc.gov/districts-schools/district-operations/financial-and-business-services under “PRC125 School Nutrition 75m”

The 2020-21 Allotment policy manual is posted at

https://www.dpi.nc.gov/districts-schools/district-operations/financial-and-business-services/allotments-%E2%80%94-funding-public-school-units

The 2020-21 Salary Schedules are posted at

https://www.dpi.nc.gov/districts-schools/district-operations/financial-and-business-services/compensation-public-school-employees

The 2020-21 Salary Manual is posted at

https://www.dpi.nc.gov/districts-schools/district-operations/financial-and-business-services/compensation-public-school-employees#state-salary-manual-and-forms

Confirmation of Funds for Annual Financial Statement Audits by CPA firms

DPI is providing the appropriate reports to your independent auditors via the internet. These reports for FY20 are now posted in a public application at: http://apps.schools.nc.gov/auditorconfirmationreports (Annual Reports).

Please direct your independent auditor to the site provided.

Please contact Roxane Bernard at roxane.bernard@dpi.nc.gov with any questions.

Public Schools of North Carolina

Clarification: MEMO: RTA Guidance for 2020-21 School Year

Good Afternoon,

As a follow up to the RtA memo sent on Tuesday, August 18, 2020, the following K-3 formative/diagnostic assessment update is being provided. In efforts to bring consistency across the state among our literacy programs and assessments; the Beginning of Year (BOY), Middle of Year (MOY), and End of Year (EOY) benchmark windows were set with consistent time periods between and within established windows to meet requirements for EVAAS. SBE Policy requires the completion of three benchmarks and progress monitoring each school year to gather data for instructional decisions and to meet data requirements.

KNEC-002 Benchmark assessments shall be given three times a year: Beginning of Year (BOY), Middle of Year (MOY), and End of Year (EOY). Teachers should use data to determine the frequency of Progress Monitoring for individual students.

We recognize that data are being collected now to demonstrate present levels of performance for students in K-3; therefore, assessments given using a SBE K-3 Literacy Approved Formative/Diagnostic Assessment tool in the first 20 instructional days of September as well as those given during the month of August will count as meeting the BOY score requirement. EVAAS growth will be measured from MOY to EOY for the 2020-2021 school year. In order to calculate growth, January (MOY) and May (EOY) benchmark windows must remain consistent across the state and data must be gathered within the specified time periods.

*Note: The legislative requirement remains the same to complete the one-time fourth-grade reading assessment no later than the tenth day that school buildings are open to students for the 2020-2021 school year.

Please share this information with district leaders, administrators, and educators as needed. Thank you for your continued leadership across the state of NC!

For any questions please contact Dr. Tara Galloway, Director of K-3 Literacy, at tara.galloway@dpi.nc.gov.

Charter School Teacher of the Year process

Please remember to nominate your Charter Teacher of the Year. The NC Teacher of the Year is recognized at the school, regional, and statewide levels. Individual public charter schools nominate a Teacher of the Year who participates in a selection process facilitated by the Office of Charter Schools at the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction. Once the charter school nomination processes are completed, the teacher finalists vie as one of the state’s nine Regional Teachers of the Year. The state is divided into eight geographical regions and NC Charter Schools are clustered together to form the ninth region of the state. The Charter School Teacher of the Year joins the Regional Teachers of the Year team as a finalist for the state Teacher of the Year. This selection process is facilitated in each region by Regional Education Facilitators, linked below. If you need additional information please reach out to your Regional Educator Facilitator or Dr. Sonja Brown at Sonja.Brown@dpi.nc.gov

Regional Education Facilitators

Second Annual NCCAT BTOY Award

Charter leaders, please take a look at the timeline and requirements for the Second Annual NCCAT Beginning Teacher of the Year Award! Recognize your amazing beginning charter leaders. All the details are right here Please find a link here to the new timeline. https://drive.google.com/file/d/19cGanTnK5KwiXlKe2BNp2mgtn7Eb5Xgr/view

NCPAPA has recently partnered with DPI to host a new virtual PD program, Distinguished Leadership in a Remote Learning Environment (DLR). This program is available to all NC practicing principals to attend individually or attend with their leadership team. Please see detailed information linked here.

North Carolina Principals and Assistant Principals' Association

To: Superintendents, Charter Leaders, Middle School Athletic Directors

On August 12, 2020, the North Carolina High School Athletic Association (NCHSAA) amended the 2020-2021 High School Sports Calendar. While middle schools in many LEAs and charter schools will mirror the NCHSAA calendar, final determination for middle school sports calendars are to be made by each LEA and charter school. The resources below are available to help guide athletic activities.

NCHSAA

Reopening Sports/Activities

2020-2021 Sports Season

Interim Guidance for Administrators and Participants of Youth, College & Amateur Sports Programs

(July 22, 2020)

NC DHHS StrongSchoolsNC Public Health Toolkit (K-12)

(July 24, 2020)

NCDPI Lighting Our Way Forward

Jessica B. Swencki | District & Regional Support-Sandhills Region

N.C. Department of Public Instruction-Sandhills RST

jessica.swencki@dpi.nc.gov | 910-524-7020 | @JessicaBSwencki

Please see the attached Parent Newsletter and message from the Director.

Greetings,

I hope this finds you and your family safe and healthy, as we continue to face the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. School year 2020-21 has begun, unlike any other school year we have experienced. Districts and schools are working hard to provide instruction to students, while doing their very best to keep students, families, and staff safe. Parents are juggling schedules, advocating for their children, and being supportive. We all are dealing with moments of frustration, anxiety and much stress!

These unprecedented times require patience, grace and sometimes a deep breath from all of us as we work to support our students and families in their educational settings. As a Division, we are providing guidance, support and a listening ear to parents and school administrators alike, to support problem-solving and identification of solutions. Here’s hoping our students, families, teachers and school staff have a successful school year in spite of these difficult times.

May we all continue to be well!

Sherry

Sherry H. Thomas
Director, Exceptional Children Division

Resources Galore:

Opportunities to Explore Social Emotional Learning (SEL) 8/21/20

School Business Resources 8/21/20

Digital Teaching and Learning Insider 8/21/20

Early Childhood & Child Care 8/21/20 Update

NCSciFest Statewide Elementary School STEM Initiative 8/19/20

August NCDPI K-3 Literacy Newsletter

HOME BASE Bulletin 8/13/20

Growing Success for ELs 8/17/20

August 2020 ESL/Title III Newsletter Update 8/17/20

K-12 STANDARDS, CURRICULUM & INSTRUCTION ELA Resources 8/20/20

K-12 STANDARDS, CURRICULUM & INSTRUCTION NC Arts Education 8/20/20

K-12 STANDARDS, CURRICULUM & INSTRUCTION Global Education 8/13/20

K-12 STANDARDS, CURRICULUM & INSTRUCTION: Social Studies Update 8/12/20

K-12 STANDARDS, CURRICULUM & INSTRUCTION - World Languages 8/11/20

Foreign Language Scholarships Available 8/13/20

Integrated Academic and Behavior Systems(IABS) 8/10/20 Message

High School Environmental Science Teachers: September Virtual PD Workshop Opportunity

Some Special Education Apps covered recently by NBC4:

Office of Charter Schools (OCS) Updates

From the desk of Dave Machado, Director of OCS

The charter school movement started in 1996, and who could have imagined that 24 years later we would have 200 schools, over 116,000 students, 20,000 employees, and over 60,000 students collectively on our waiting lists. The answer is …. the families of North Carolina looking for quality school choice. As you open your schools under these very challenging times, I want to thank you for all your hard work to provide the best possible education for your students. I often tell charter school leaders that we have to give our families a reason to come to our schools every day. They don’t come to our schools because they are assigned to us, they come because they choose to. I challenge you to continue to provide the best education to all students in the safest setting possible.

Georgia Maimone agreed to help us out temporarily, and it turned into a seven-month gig. She was instrumental in assuring our schools received accurate and timely communication during the Covid 19 pandemic. Georgia is now doing what she loves, teaching. Thank you, Georgia, we miss you already!

The Office of Charter Schools is committed to supporting our schools with professional and timely assistance. Do not hesitate to contact us, we are here to serve. Thank you for all you do!

Please send general inquiries to ocs@dpi.nc.gov or contact us individually.

Professional Learning & Renewals Newsletters

Professional Learning 101

The Scoop With Coop-All Things Renewals

Other News from Our Charter Schools:

A poster created about project-based learning at NEAAAT. Mary Willson/EducationNC

EdNC Reports - Making a school out of a former mall: NEAAAT, a charter in Elizabeth City, finally has a home

abc13NEWS Reports - Learning during a pandemic: How a Brevard school is keeping students safe

WBTV Reports on our ACCESS Grant

Also, a SBE Press Release!

Leadership Opportunities:

Southern Wake Academy Head of School

Pine Springs Prep 8th Grade Science Teacher

The Exploris School K-8 ESL Teacher

Brevard Academy Assistant School Director

Lake Lure Classical Academy Classroom Teacher K-12, Curriculum Resource Teacher (CRT), and Assistant K-12 Principal

Socrates Academy Elementary school teachers, middle school ELA teachers, and middle school band teacher

Whom Should I Contact at the Office of Charter Schools?

Please note that response times to voicemails left on our phones will be much slower than usual due to the COVID-19 response efforts. Sending us an email is ideal. Clicking the link on our names will bring up an automatic email prompt. Thank you!

OCS Main number: 984 236 2700 ocs@dpi.nc.gov

Dave Machado 984 236 2702

Director of the Office of Charter Schools

VACANT 984 236 2701

Program Administrative Assistance, Communications

Shaunda Cooper 984 236 2707

Consultant, Renewals & Performance Framework

Claire Porter 984 236 2709

Consultant, Planning Year & Ready to Open Process

Ashley Baquero 984 236 2708

Consultant, Amendments & Compliance

Joseph Letterio 984 236 2703

Consultant, Epicenter Tech Support & Performance Framework

Darian Jones 984 236 2705

Consultant, Applications & Renewals

Jay Whalen 984 236 2711

Program Administrator, NC ACCESS Program

Barbara O'Neal 984 236 2706

Program Coordinator, NC ACCESS Program

Please join us in welcoming(emails and phone numbers coming soon):

Davida Robinson, NC ACCESS Subgrant Program Manager

Lakisha Robbins, NC ACCESS Finance Administrator

IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENT – EDDIE is the authoritative source for NC public school numbers and demographic information, is used by multiple NCDPI technology systems including: Accountability, PowerSchool, NC School Report Cards, and is used to meet federal reporting requirements. LEAs and charter schools are responsible for ensuring their data in EDDIE are complete, accurate, and current. EDDIE is located at: http://apps.schools.nc.gov/eddie

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