OCS Weekly Newsletter for April 1, 2021

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6307 Mail Service Center, Raleigh, NC 27699-6307  

Weekly Newsletter- April 1, 2021


Updated Lighting Our Way Forward Guidance

 

Superintendents, Charter Leaders, and Public Information Officers

 

Click here to see the news release marking the one-year anniversary of school closures, as issued by State Superintendent of Public Instruction Catherine Truitt and State Board of Education Chair Eric Davis.

REOPENING PLANS AND SCHEDULING REVISED EXPECTATIONS MARCH 25TH 2021

Please be sure to keep EDDIE up to date!

 

Regarding next school year...

SCHOOL CALENDAR AND REMOTE OPTIONS FOR 2021 SCHOOL YEAR

  • Charters can begin to create their calendars for next year without action by the General Assembly, using the statutes that applied pre-COVID. For the 2020-2021 school year, the General Assembly created special calendar requirements and allowed remote learning under certain conditions for all public schools. However, those laws will not apply after the 2020-2021 school year.
  • For the 2021-2022 school year, charters will follow the law as it existed pre-COVID - They must provide 185 days or 1025 hours of instruction over 9 months.
  • Regarding Remote Instruction: There is no current authorization in statute for any public schools, except for the 2 pilot virtual charters, to conduct remote learning for the 2021-2022 school year. Of course, the General Assembly may enact a new law to apply to the 2021-2022 school year that addresses whether remote learning can be used, and if so how. But since no law has been enacted yet, charters can proceed with setting up their calendars using the same requirements that applied at the beginning of the 2019-2020 school year, but do not have authorization to include remote instruction for 2021-2022 at this time.

Upcoming Events and Reminders!

Save the Date!

 


The OCS Newsletter will be on Spring Break this coming week and will be back April 16th!

OFFICE HOURS will be on Spring Break and will resume Monday, April 19th. CSAB meets April 12th.

 

Here is the NEW OCS Office Hours LINKhttps://ncgov.webex.com/webappng/sites/ncgov/meeting/download/184509c605b64005a0671c573f999fe7?siteurl=ncgov&MTID=m63130db7d3357c89a7332d38b6921c79


NC Office of Charter School Petition Bootcamp - 2021 Application Cycle 


Hosts: Melanie Rackley / Dr. Darian Jones
Date: Thursday, April 1, 2021 
Time: 5:00 pm, Eastern Daylight Time 
Session number: Not Available 
Registration password: This session does not require a registration password. 
------------------------------------------------------- 
To register for this session, go to https://ncgov.webex.com/ncgov/k2/j.php?MTID=t3843308ba1978cf717be0a64ec8737cc and register. 

Once the host approves your registration, you will receive a confirmation email with instructions for joining the session. 
Note: If you have already registered for this session, you do not need to register again. 

AppsCamp

2021-2022 Home Base Opt-in Process is Scheduled to Begin in May

 

The NC DTL Home Base team is preparing to open the 2021-22 Home Base Opt-in Process during the month of May. District finance officers and charter school directors will receive further information as to when the system will be taken offline and returned to service for the opt-in process to begin.  Please ensure all finance officer and charter principal information in EDDIE is up to date.  This information is used to identify who is eligible to opt in for the districts and charter schools.


Spring 2021 Course Code Webinar Series

 

Please join the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction (NCDPI) for a Spring 2021 course code webinar series. PowerSchool Data Managers, PowerSchool Coordinators, School Counselors, Career and Technical Education Directors, Career Development Coordinators, CCP Coordinators, and Curriculum and Instruction/Academic Leaders are encouraged to join the conversations. Please see details below and we look forward to seeing you (virtually) soon! 

 

Note: Due to technical issues we have updated the webinar links below.

 

SAVE THE DATES! 

Time:  2 - 3 pm EST

Platform:  Webex

Dates and Registration Information:

Questions? Please enter your questions in the Question Collection Form.

 


Monthly NCDHHS Joint COVID Webinar Tuesday, April 6 - Info linked

Weekly COVID Top Ten-March 25, 2021


NCDPI Agency Horizontal Logo

Charter school leaders,

Please thoroughly read the memo, Justification Required for Exceeding 1.0 Percent Participation in the Alternate Assessment, from Dr. Catherine Edmonds, Dr. Tammy Howard, and Ms. Sherry Thomas.


IMPORTANT DETAILS: NCDPI CAO Academic Policy Update


3/18/21 Charter Leader's Call Recording


2020-2021 P-EBT Updated Toolkit

Materials that are OK to be shared EXTERNALLY (i.e. sharing to the general public)

• Social media messages for March and April: Messages for March and April that can be distributed over Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. The messages will be aligned with the DHHS campaign. (English/Spanish)

 P-EBT Scam Warning social media messages: Message and associated graphics warning the public of how to avoid potential P-EBT scams. (English/Spanish)

Materials that should only be used INTERNALLY

• UPDATED Info Sheet: One-pager with clarified language around eligibility and benefit amount. The purpose of this document is to highlight key messages that can help partners/stakeholders answer basic questions about P-EBT. (English/Spanish)

• Simplified Messaging and Special Circumstance Document: Provide key internal stakeholders with clear and concise messaging and clarify some of the unique situations that stakeholders may receive questions on. (English)

• P-EBT Call Coordination: Displays responsibilities and call transferring guidelines for different parties who receive P-EBT calls, updated to provide additional clarity in redirecting callers to contact their schools. (English)

In addition, the FAQs and P-EBT webpage continue to be updated with the most recent and relevant information regarding P-EBT for students.

To learn more about P-EBT, please visit www.ncdhhs.gov/PEBT.


Joint Letter from Superintendent Truitt and Chief Deputy Secretary Susan Gale Perry

 

Please see this letter from Superintendent of Public Instruction Catherine Truitt and North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services Chief Deputy Secretary Susan Gale Perry.

Please note at the bottom of the letter that new guidance on vaccine operations is now available to help support your school personnel in getting vaccinated.


Important Note on Annual Charter School Health Report

 

The COVID-19 Pandemic has continued to create challenges for schools over the course of the 2020-21 school year. As a result, the Annual Charter School Health compliance reporting requirement has again been waived. Please remember that while the report for this school year has been waived, the related requirements that are associated with performance framework A17 still apply. Those include the following: Charter schools are required to maintain 2020-2021 school year records on the status of Health Assessments for those students who enrolled for the first time in a North Carolina public or public charter school (§ 130A-441(c)), and the Immunization status of all students in Kindergarten and in Seventh Grade (G.S. 130A-155(c)). 

 

Additionally, charter schools are required to comply with the Care of Students with Diabetes law (G.S. 115C-375.3.) and with the School Supply of Epinephrine Auto-Injectors law (G.S. 115-375.2A.) for those students participating in in-person instruction for the 2020-21 school year. Charter schools also must follow State Board of Education Policy SHLT-001: Return-to-Learn After Concussion, charter school nursing services and identified student health conditions.

 

If there are questions or concerns about the report, please contact:

 

Annette Richardson, MSN, RN, NCSN

Charter School Health Nurse Consultant 

Office/Mobile: 252-339-3009 

annette.richardson@dhhs.nc.gov


School Business Contact Information 

 

To ensure that School Business staff are able to contact you: 

Budget

 

School Financial Reporting

SCHOOL BUSINESS DIVISION

FINANCIAL AND BUSINESS SERVICES

 

Cash Request for FRD 04/01/2021

Due to the new State Cash Management System's implementation, DPI will not be able to process cash requests for FRD of 4/1/2021.   Normal operations will resume on April 5, 2021.  DPI apologizes for any inconvenience that this may cause.

 

Should you need additional information, please contact Jennifer Baird at Jennifer.Baird@dpi.nc.gov.

 


EWIC, CTE Grant Applications now Available

Charter School Leaders,

The North Carolina Education and Workforce Innovation Commission (EWIC) invites interested schools to apply for grant support through The Education and Workforce Innovation Program fund (EWIF). This Career and Technical Education (CTE) grant is established to foster innovation in education that will lead to more students graduating career and college ready.

To apply please click here.

This is a competitive grant. Upon receiving applications, a special committee within the EWIC Commission will be average the amount of qualified applications with the overall grant amount. Grant applicants can expect an award amount between $35,000 and $50,000, depending on how many applicants are approved.

Grant descriptions can be found in the respective legislation, hereThe application is available until April 20. Please contact Jacqueline Wyatt, Career Readiness Specialist, Career and Technical Education at NCDPI, Jacqueline.Wyatt@dpi.nc.gov with any questions.


IABS

Hello Charter School Directors, 

For the upcoming months, we are using #FamilyFridays on the @ncmtss Twitter Account. We want to stimulate thinking about your family engagement work that positively supports all students. Join us in lifting the by sharing a resource, shout out, or question that will ensure we keep this stakeholder group at the forefront of our work. This graphic was shared on Twitter in one of the first #FamilyFridays tweets. We are deeply grateful to collaborate with such a dedicated group of educators!

Lynn Bailey, M.A. Ed.

Strategic Outreach Consultant
(828) 226-2820
Division of District and Regional Support

IMPORTANT: Please see the attached memo regarding changes with automation of GPA and Grade-Scale beginning with the 2021-22 school year.


Please send the attached memo, Summer Programs 2020–21, from Dr. David Stegall and Dr. Tammy Howard to all Charter School Directors.


Exceptional Children Division


 

Corrective Action

Technical Assistance Materials Statewide corrective materials have been made available through the shared drive http://bit.ly/SEAcaFOLDER

 

Local leaders should continue to access this drive to support local implementation of required corrective action. The only new items that will be posted to this location will be the FAQs from the EC Office Hours. The FAQs will be posted within five to ten business days after the scheduled EC Office Hours.


The North Carolina Homeless Education Program (NCHEP)  
Deadline Approaching:  McKinney-Vento Homeless Education --  Mini-Grant Funding Opportunity 
NCHEP released a Listserv announcement on March 25th to all charter school liaisons announcing additional funding which is available to school districts and charter school homeless education programs that currently are not receiving a McKinney-Vento subgrant.  There is no requirement regarding the number of identified McKinney-Vento students; districts and charter schools with "0 students identified qualify to apply.
Total Award Amount:  Charter schools (including the lab, virtual, and ISD Schools)               $2,000.00  
The Request for Proposals (RFP) is open and provides the details on the process for applying, what is allowable, how awards will be made, and the timeframe for applying and receiving the mini-grant. The RFP is available through this link and is also available on the NCHEP website.  The deadline to apply is April 8, 2021, at 11:59 pm (no extensions).

 

NEW DATE - Required Homeless Data Collection Training Webinar

NCHEP has found it necessary to reschedule the March 22, 2021, data collection webinar to Wednesday, April 14, 2021.  The webinar is required for all new homeless liaisons as well as for all charter school liaisons.  Participation in the webinar will prepare both charter school liaisons and new LEA liaisons for the upcoming annual homeless data submission due in June.  Guidance on specific homeless data to collect will be provided, as well as direction on homeless data entry into PowerSchool.

 

Registration is now open; click link below.  Additional information will be posted to the NCHEP McKinney-Vento Data Collection web page.

In the interim data collection technical assistance is available on the NCHEP website, as well as from your Program Specialist, Tricia Lentz (336-681-7561).

Resources Galore

Advanced Placement Coordinators' Update- AP Exams

Principal of the Year info - Submission Due April30!

NC Center for Safer Schools NEWSLETTER - Apr. 2021

NC SIS Weekly Email Bulletin - March 26, 2021

School Business – March 26, 2021

Monthly Update: NC Healthy Schools 3/31/21

STEMtastic News - April 2021

Character Education News & Updates: March 2021

NCDPI School Counseling Updates 3/31/21

Announcing the First Annual Student-Led Computer Science Virtual Summit - Student Registration

CFNC's Take Your Dreams Off Hold Initiative for Seniors

Let’s Get Ready! A Family’s Guide to Support Kindergarten Readiness

Advanced Placement Coordinators' Update- AP Exams

25th Anniversary Art Contest

March/April 2021: Social Studies Update

LinguaFolio Webinar on 4/8 and Canvas Course

Digital Learning Standards Course for 2021

Advancing Social and Emotional Learning (SEL) as a Lever for Equity and Excellence - Equity Insights Report

DL/I Discourse: IHE- Strategies for Online Academic Language Learning for DL/I

Summer Nutrition Programs Offer Meals for Children at No Cost While School Is Out

Available ELA Professional Learning Opportunities!


Office of Charter Schools (OCS) Updates

logo

 

 

Evaluation Instrument Validation & Crosswalk

 

In State Board Policy TCED-016, it is stated that a local board shall use the North Carolina Professional Teaching Standards (NCPTS) and North Carolina Educator Evaluation System (NCEES) unless it develops an alternative evaluation that is properly validated and that includes standards and criteria similar to those in the NCPTS and NCEES.

 

Critical Considerations:

  • The validation study should be conducted by an external agency. This means that the LEA or vendor should not be conducting its own validation study, but that an unbiased third party should conduct the validation study.
  • The third-party evaluator should submit a summary of its methodology along with its findings.
  • The LEA/charter school or the vendor should submit a crosswalk between the new instrument and the state instrument which demonstrates the coverage of all the domains of the state evaluation system.
  • *Note – A charter school is only required to use a validated/aligned evaluation system when it is used for the purpose of a Beginning Teacher Support Program in pursuit of licensure.

Per policy, if the charter school is using a tool REGARDLESS of when it was prepared, it must be resubmitted for validation.  This includes any evaluation tools used prior to 2018 that may or may not have been written into your approved charter agreement.  The agreement was approved, however the evaluation tool itself still MUST be validated by a third party.  No beginning teachers can be transitioned to career teachers on alternative evaluation instruments until said instrument has been validated.  DPI has indicated no exceptions. 

 

The Office of Charter Schools has been approved as a third party validator and we are in the process of developing a validation tool for charters that desire to use alternative evaluation instruments.  As such, we are preparing to have it as an upload in Epicenter for both your instrument and crosswalk.  OCS will then provide either validation or feedback for revision of your instrument.  Again approved validation by OCS or another third party MUST occur prior to using the instrument for evaluation purposes of Beginning Teachers.  We will keep you updated when the tool and the upload is ready.

 

If you have any additional questions, please do not hesitate to contact our office, Dr. Darian C. Jones, darian.jones@dpi.nc.gov


ACCESS

April Professional Development

 

SOCIAL EMOTIONAL LEARNING: REACHING THEM THROUGH TEACHING THEM

Wednesday, April 7, 2021 3:30pm – 4:30pm

 

FAMILY EMPOWERMENT: PART I

Limit: 50 participants

Note: This PD is presented in two parts and you MUST commit to attending both sessions.

Thursday, April 8, 2021 9:30am – 2:00pm

 

WHAT EVERYONE SHOULD KNOW ABOUT POSITIVE BEHAVIOR INTERVENTIONS AND SUPPORTS (PBIS) Tuesday, April 20, 2021 3:00pm – 5:00pm

 

AN EXPLANATION OF EXPECTATIONS: HARNESSING THE POWER OF RUBRICS

Tuesday, April 20, 2021 3:30pm – 4:30pm

 

COVID RECOVERY/REENTRY THROUGH THE LENS OF GRIEF

Wednesday, April 21, 2021 3:00pm – 5:00pm

 

SPECIAL EDUCATION 101

Tuesday, April 27, 2021 3:00pm – 5:00pm

 

FAMILY EMPOWERMENT: PART II

*Limit: 50 participants

Note: This PD is presented in two parts and you MUST commit to attending both sessions.

Thursday, April 29, 2021 9:30am – 2:00pm


Professional Learning, RTO, and Renewals Newsletters

Professional Learning 101

 

The Scoop With Coop-All Things Renewals 

 

Ready to Open/Planning Year


Other News about Our Charter Schools:

SECU

The Office of Charter Schools is pleased to unveil our 2020-2021 People Helping People Charter School Nominees.  The OCS Scholarship committee is working diligently to narrow this list to 3 nominations that will be provided to the SECU Foundation.  We have 28 amazing seniors who have done tremendous work, service, and are leaders in their community of which we all should be very proud.

 

https://padlet.com/drdcjones/3uvvuqv70cndgf45


ICT Arts

INVEST COLLEGIATE: Transform hopes you enjoy a clip from their Virtual Night of the ARTS last Thursday evening. "For most of our students, our school programming provides their first encounter with Arts opportunities. This clip, from the one hour program, features students Kindergarten - Grade Ten." 


Peak

Peak Charter Named a Model School for the Second Consecutive Year


KIPP Halifax

WRAL reports - Participation skyrockets after school offers evening classes for students in Halifax County


Leadership Opportunities:

Brevard Academy School Director

Lincoln Charter Human Resources Director

The Magellan Charter School Administrator

Old Main STREAM Academy School Principal

Old Main STREAM Academy Staff

Telra Institute Early-Tenure Teacher

Telra Institute Grade Level Lead Teacher

Socrates Academy - Multiple Opportunities!

Pine Springs Prep Middle School Principal

Pine Springs Prep Math Teacher – 8th Grade

Cape Fear Center for Inquiry: School Director

Carolina International Art, PE, Biology, 6th Grade, Interventionist

Charter Schools USA Regional Grants Coordinator for the Carolinas


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

Shaunda Cooper      984 236 2712

Consultant, Renewals & Stakeholder Support

Claire Porter              984 236 2707

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, Professional Development

Melanie Rackley     984 236 2712

Consultant, Charter Applications

Jay Whalen              984 236 2711

Program Administrator, NC ACCESS Program

Barbara O'Neal        984 236 2706

Program Coordinator, NC ACCESS Program

Davida Robinson   984 236 2878

NC ACCESS Subgrant Program Manager

Lakisha Robbins  984 236 2704

NC ACCESS Finance Administrator