Number 10

Digital Teaching and Learning Division's Coaching Collaborative Opportunity - Deadline Approaching

In alignment with the North Carolina Digital Learning Plan, the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction’s Digital Teaching and Learning Division will be providing a year long professional learning opportunity for coaches. The intention is to have two cohorts of 50 participants each, one Eastern cohort and one Western cohort. This application is for anyone who is interested in being either a participant or coaching ambassador.

Learn more here.

Number 9

July 2022 LEA Summer Convening

Superintendents, save the date for the July 2022 LEA Summer Convening - Using Data to Drive Local Recovery Practices and Plans! A detailed list of cohorts and dates can be found here.

The Office of Learning Recovery & Acceleration is excited to invite you to a one-day planning session where participants will discuss ways to use data to identify high-impact, evidence-based interventions for your students. 

Register your team here. Please contact Lynne Barbour with any questions. 

Number 8

NC Teachers to Receive Free Training on Google Classroom Tools

"With support from Google, more than 500 teachers from public schools across North Carolina will receive free professional training from the Department of Public Instruction, preparing them for the Google Educator Level 1 Certification. This specific level of certification helps teachers master skills in Google’s digital tools to support student learning, better manage coursework and improve student outcomes.

More specifically, Google Educator Level 1 Certification will support teachers in growing students’ digital literacy skills, allow teachers to connect and collaborate with educators worldwide and help them to grow data and gather feedback from students and colleagues."

Read the full press release here.

Number 7

North Carolina Beginning Teacher Virtual Summit

Beginning teachers, attend the 2022 NC Beginning Teacher Summit: Reaching for the Stars, 9:30 am - 3:30 pm June 21! The virtual event features live discussions with educators and recorded sessions covering a variety of topics.

Learn more and register here.

Number 6

37 North Carolina Counties to Benefit from Support for Connecting Young Adults to Living Wage Employment

"The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill’s Carolina Across 100 initiative announced on Wednesday the selection of 13 groups in North Carolina to expand education and employment pathways for young adults. The groups – made up of business, civic, education, nonprofit, faith-based, and government entities representing 37 counties from the mountains to the coast – will receive a variety of supports from the University, all aimed at connecting North Carolina’s young adults to jobs that pay a living wage. 

The 13 selected groups represent urban, suburban and rural areas covering 37 North Carolina counties working together to tackle the challenge of inspiring youth aged 16-24 to pursue education or paid work. Read the full list and view the map."

Read the story release here.

Number 5

Apex High Spice Girls’ Sope Wins Second Place in Southeast Jr. Chef Competition

"The “Spice Girls” North Carolina Jr. Chef Team from Apex High in Wake County won second place in the 2022 Southeast Jr. Chef Competition on Friday at Sullivan University in Louisville, Kentucky. Their recipe was a twist on a traditional Mexican street food: a masa shell topped with seasoned chicken, beans, pineapple salsa, cabbage, queso fresco and crema. The team competed with five other state teams in the regional cook-off. Each of the North Carolina student team members, Courtney McKinnon, Jissel Morales-Ledesma, Casey Murphy, and Kayla Ray, receive an $8,000 scholarship to attend Sullivan University."

Congratulations, Spice Girls! Read the full press release here.

Number 4

Virtual Schools Network Summer Institute 2022 Registration Deadline Approaching

The Friday Institute and NCVPS are now accepting registrations for the Virtual Schools Network Summer Institute 2022.

The Virtual Schools Network team is preparing for their first Summer Institute (SI). This two-day convening [June 28-29] will be held at the Friday Institute in Raleigh, North Carolina. Educators from across the state will connect to build individual and collective capacity and focus on addressing immediate and longer-term challenges faced by quality virtual school learning environments and their leadership teams.

Registration closes June 3. Learn more and register here.

Number 3

Locating Free NC Summer Meals

Looking for free NC Summer Meals for kid and teens? See below for how to locate meals near you:

• Use the NC Site Finder Map
• Text FOOD or COMIDA to 304-304
• Check your local school district website, social media, or other communications

Number 2

Toolkit for Tutoring Programs

High-Impact tutoring has gained traction since the pandemic started. The Office of Learning Recovery & Acceleration is excited to provide resources to help schools learn about and implement high-impact tutoring.

Check out this toolkit for tutoring from National Student Support Accelerator.

Number 1

Teachers Signal Desire to be Heard with Record Response to Statewide Job Survey

"Facing continuing challenges this school year related to the COVID-19 pandemic, North Carolina teachers showed high levels of concern on a number of issues with a record-setting response rate on the latest NC Teacher Working Conditions Survey presented today to the State Board of Education.

Still, with a response rate of nearly 92 percent on the long-running survey, the percentage of teachers agreeing with the statement that their school “is a good place to work and learn” remained high, at 85%, down only two points from the last two surveys from 2020 and 2018. Since 2002, the survey has been given every two years to all educators in the state’s public K-12 schools."

Read the full press release here.