Number 10

No Kid Hungry 2023 Summer Meals Outreach Toolkit

No Kid Hungry has provided a toolkit that was created to help get the word out to families about meals available for children and teens this summer. The toolkit offers a variety of ready-to-use and customizable materials—in both English and Spanish—to help quickly and easily communicate with families. The materials include social media graphics, sample social media posts, postcards, and more.

Find the toolkit here.

Number 9

Nominations Open for National Career Clusters Framework Industry Advisory Groups - Deadline June 9

The ideal candidate for these advisory groups is an individual who has a long-standing history in a given sector, can speak broadly to both national and regional workforce needs, and thoroughly understands the hiring and training opportunities and challenges of that sector. For that reason, public institutions, private businesses, associations, unions, training organizations, and other groups are viable participants.

These nominations are open to the public and shareable. You may nominate industry members or industry members may nominate themselves or a representative. These groups will meet at least twice with a time commitment of no more than ten hours over the next twelve months. 

For more information about the Industry Advisory Groups, including their purpose, a list of the IAGs, how these groups were designed and other Frequently Asked Questions click here. For any remaining questions, please email careerclusters@careertech.org.

The nomination form is available here and will close Friday, June 9.

Number 8

Register for Summer PRC Webinars with the Office of Learning Recovery and Acceleration!

To further assist PSUs in effectively spending their funds, OLR will be conducting technical assistance webinars that will provide updates on required data collection for PRC 176, 177, and 188 (Summer Career Accelerator #2) as well as exemplars from PSUs who conducted these programs during Summer 2022.

Please register for one of the webinars below if your PSU has not expended all funding from PRC 176 and/or PRC 177 OR if your PSU was awarded PRC 188 funds. Check out the latest Covid-19 Allotment and Expenditure Workbook to check your balance. Feel free to share the registration information with necessary parties (Federal Programs Director, CTE Director, etc).

If you have any questions, please reach out to OLR Director, Rachel Wright Junio.

Webinar Registration:

• June 5th from 3:30-4:30 p.m.
• June 6th from 9-10 a.m.
• June 6th from 1-2 p.m.

Number 7

Gen Z Policy Forum Deadline Extended to June 4

16-24 year olds are invited to join policy officials from the Office of the Governor and State Agencies to have a candid dialogue about policy solutions to the most pressing issues of their generation. 

Proposals must be submitted by June 4 at 5 p.m. Learn more, RSVP and/or submit a proposal here.

Number 6

From EdNC: DPI Presents Work to Update School Performance Grades to Lawmakers

"North Carolina public schools are performing better than the current school performance grades suggest, state Superintendent Catherine Truitt told state lawmakers at a House education committee meeting on Tuesday.

As EdNC has previously reported, it is no secret that state leaders think it’s time to reconsider the accountability model used to give schools performance grades across North Carolina. Currently, school grades are based on each school’s achievement score, weighted 80%, and on students’ academic growth, weighted 20%.

On Tuesday, Truitt presented the N.C. Department of Public Instruction’s (DPI) work toward redesigning the accountability model, including new indicators unveiled in January."

Read the full story here.

Number 5

District Highlight: Hickory City Schools - Hickory Fourth-Graders Raise Over $800 for Well-Drilling project in South Sudan After Reading, 'A Long Walk to Water'

"Seven fourth-grade students raised $813 for Water for South Sudan, Inc. after reading Linda Park’s 'A Long Walk to Water' during an after-school mentoring program.

The story follows Salva Dut, who was a real-life refugee when civil war broke out in Sudan. Dut is from the Dinka tribe and is one of many Lost Boys of the Sudan who grew up in a Kenyan refugee camp. Now, Dut operates the Water for South Sudan project.

The fundraising journey began when one of the mentors, Barbara Appling, started reading to the students for 20 minutes each time they met. Appling, a retired educator, said she used the book as a tool to teach about water conservation.

At the end of the book, Appling challenged the students, asking: 'What can we do to help?' She said it was the students who came up with the idea to sell bracelets and notecards."

Read the full story here. It is so inspiring to see our young learners making a difference in the world!

Number 4

‘Mercy Rules’ Will Soon Take Effect When NC Middle School Games Become Blowouts

"'Mercy rules' — in which athletic events end when one team takes a substantial lead — are being standardized for North Carolina middle school sports.

The State Board of Education says the aim is 'to maintain dignity of the athletes.'

The mercy rules, which would go in effect for the 2023-24 school year, would guide what happens when one team builds a large lead. In those situations, the game would end immediately or the game clock would keep running to speed up completion.

The updated middle school/junior high school athletic manual with the new wording on mercy rules was presented at Wednesday’s board meeting."

Read the full story here.

Number 3

Report Proposes Changes to School Accountability System

"An advisory group of education leaders reviewing the state’s approach to assessing public schools based on A-F performance grades is proposing that several indicators be added to the state’s school accountability system to more accurately and fairly reflect school quality and student success.

In a progress report presented today to the state House K-12 Education Committee, staff from the N.C. Department of Public Instruction outlined several potential recommendations from the advisory panel aimed at improving the state’s School Performance Grades, which now are keyed almost exclusively to student scores on the state’s standardized year-end exams."

Read the full press release here.

Number 2

Center for Safer Schools (CFSS) to Host 'Choices' Screening at NCDPI

The NC Center for Safer Schools is hosting a screening of the film "Choices" at NCDPI on Wednesday, June 28 from 1-2 p.m. 

"Choices" is usually shown during CFSS' Educating Kids About Gun and Gang Violence program, and challenges youth to consider safe options when facing potentially violent situations. 

RSVP to Charles Kinnin. 

Number 1

21 School Districts Receive $1.3 Million in Grant Funding to Advance Digital-Age Teaching and Learning

"The State Board of Education today approved 18 proposals through a competitive grant-program under the state’s Digital Learning Initiative. The state-funded grants support the development and dissemination of local innovative digital learning models. The goal of the grant program is to have effective digital learning practices spread across all North Carolina K-12 public schools.

State Superintendent of Public Instruction Catherine Truitt said these grants are key to helping North Carolina’s students be better prepared to compete for high-wage, high-demand careers while supporting districts in their effort to adopt new technologies and methods for teaching."

Read the full press release here.