Number 10

Partner with North Carolina Education Corps (NCEC) to Accelerate K-5 Literacy Recovery - Deadline Approaching

NCEC partners with districts to recruit, train, and support high-impact tutors who extend the reach of teachers and accelerate K-5 student learning. Successful recruitment efforts have resulted in 530+ tutors being hired by districts this school year. In 2023-2024, NCEC will help districts recruit, train, and support local talent to work in schools during the school day as high-impact literacy tutors for students in grades K-5. Tutors work with students 3x/week, 30 minutes/session, at a ratio of 1 tutor to up to 3 students per session throughout the school year.

NCEC provides recruitment services, tutor training (aligned with LETRS) and coaching, and year-long implementation support. This includes supporting districts’ use of a digital tutoring log for managing and monitoring tutor effectiveness. Partner schools are reporting strong gains for students engaged in high-impact literacy tutoring with the ‘22-‘23 mClass MOYs. Further results will be available at a later date, through the program evaluation currently underway led by NCSU's Friday Institute and Duke University's SSRI.

Applications for new partners are due by March 15, 2023, with extension available to March 31 as needed. For more information, contact Pam Hartley, Director of School Partnerships or Dr. Lory Morrow, School Partnerships Consultant, or visit www.nceducationcorps.org.

Number 9

2023-24 NC Virtual Teacher of the Year Announced

NC Virtual is proud to present Rob Leichner as the 2023-24 NC Virtual Teacher of the Year. Rob has been a Math 1 and Math 2 co-teacher with NC Virtual for the past 10 years. He also taught various high school math courses and coached rugby at West Mecklenburg High School, in Charlotte, for 12 years, and he has been a district math specialist for the past 7 years.

At the state level, Rob worked with DPI throughout the most recent standards revision process, helping review stakeholder feedback from around the state and write the unpacking documents, and he has worked and presented with NC2ML on various projects supporting the implementation of the new standards and pedagogy for conceptual understanding in math.

Read more about Rob and NC Virtual's TOY program here.

Number 8

Center for Safer Schools Announces Rave Panic Button

When an emergency happens at a school, minutes can make a world of difference. To reduce the time it takes for an emergency response, the Center for Safer Schools announces the launch of the Rave Panic Button, which the N.C. Department of Public Safety has made available to all public K-12 school districts and K-12 charter schools across the state.

The Panic Button – an app created by Framingham, Mass.-based Rave Mobile Safety – alerts authorities to an active shooter, medical emergency, fire or other crisis. The app simultaneously sends out a notification to other teachers and staff on campus.

Learn more here.

Number 7

Sign Up for New Parent Newsletter from Superintendent Truitt

Superintendent Truitt is starting a twice yearly parent newsletter that will help parents and guardians stay in the know on education happenings in our state. 

Sign up for the newsletter here by entering your email address and selecting "Superintendent Truitt's Parent Newsletter" under the "Internal Lists" section and keep an eye out for the first edition this spring!

Number 6

Adolescent Substance Use and Proactive Intervention Training

The Center for Safer Schools will conduct in-person Adolescent Substance Use and Proactive Intervention training Thursday, March 30, 2023, from 9 a.m. to noon at the CFSS Training Center, 3600 Samarcand Road in Jackson Springs.

The presenter will be Amanda Clark, Drug and Injury Prevention Manager for the Guilford County Division of Public Health. The training will provide both school and law enforcement personnel a comprehensive perspective in the following areas:

• Overdose crisis among adolescents
• Drug use trends in schools
• Drug myths
• Q&A

Register here. For more information, email cfss@dpi.nc.gov.

Number 5

NC Virtual Digital Transition Webinar Series

NC Virtual Digital Transition series for March are all about data! Sessions are presented by Maureen Stover, M.A.Ed - NC Virtual Science Teacher and 2020 Burroughs Wellcome NC Teacher of the Year:

"Using Data to Inform Instruction: Collecting Data That Help Children Learn"
Target Audience: All Are Welcome.
Register for March 16 at 5 p.m.

"Using Data to Inform Instruction: How to Analyze Data to Personalize Instruction"
Target Audience: Science Teachers; All Are Welcome.
Register for March 21 at 6 p.m.

Number 4

Sampson County Project Activate to Host Active Shooter Response Certification (ALICE) Training

Sampson County Project Activate embraces the highest standard of safety preparedness and will be hosting Active Shooter Response Certification Training (ALICE Training) on June 20th and 21st, 2023. This certification is a 2-day train-the-trainer class on civilian, active shooter response options to enable you to empower others to survive violence. Attendees will range from law enforcement, local school officials, and area business leaders.

ALICE Training is a program that teaches proactive options-based strategies that empower individuals to participate in their own survival in the face of violence. 

Learn more and register here.

Number 3

Governor’s Educator Discovery Award - Deadline to Apply March 31

The Governor’s Educator Discovery Awards recognize the value of quality professional development for teachers at all phases of their careers. The program will provide a stipend of up to $1,000 for preK-12 traditional public and public charter school teachers to pursue a professional development experience of their choosing. Teachers can use the grant award to attend a workshop or conference that deepens their subject area knowledge, such as a coding workshop for computer science teachers, or a session on how to create a project-based learning experience for students. 

Applications close March 31. Learn more and apply here.

Number 2

PD Opportunity - Global Educator Digital Badge

Educators, if you’re looking for an opportunity that will help you integrate global education into curricula and build global competency in students, consider earning the Global Educator Digital Badge (GEDB)!
Educators can earn the GEDB by completing a professional development plan and a capstone project focused on embedding global education in instruction.

Learn more here.

Number 1

Center for Safer Schools 10th Anniversary Contest Deadline Extended to Friday, March 10

In honor of the Center for Safer Schools' 10th anniversary on March 19, students across the state are invited to create a video, flyer, poster or any other creative representation to describe their interpretation of school safety. Prizes will be given to first-, second- and third-place winners.

The deadline has been extended and all submissions are due Friday, March 10 by 5 p.m. Submissions can be sent to Michael Wheeler.