Number 10

Purple Star Award Submissions Open September 1

The submission period for the Purple Star Award opens September 1! Help honor those schools that go above and beyond to demonstrate their commitment to military students and their families by encouraging them to apply.

Learn more and see previous awardees here.

Number 9

District Highlight: Guilford County Schools - New, Donated Refrigerators Will Help Guilford County Schools Reduce Waste, Offer Snacks

"There's a new option coming for Guilford County Schools students who get hungry during school.

Local nonprofit A Simple Gesture has paid for 85 refrigerators to be delivered to schools around the district this week.

These refrigerators will store leftovers from the school cafeterias, such as fruit and milk, that will be available for students to grab during the day.

With this donation plus the 30 refrigerators the organization already provided in past years, there will now be one refrigerator for each of the district's comprehensive schools. The district's Early and Middle Colleges, which are hosted on college campuses, aren't part of this round, but could participate in the future, according to Laura Oxner, director of the organization's food recovery program."

Read the full story here.

Number 8

Register for Portrait of a Graduate Rubrics Webinar

On August 23, NCDPI's Portrait of a Graduate team will be hosting a webinar to assist educators with understanding and implementing the newly released Portrait of a Graduate Rubrics and supporting documents. 

Participants will learn more about the Portrait and Portrait process, walkthrough new resources and learn more about getting started with the Rubrics and supporting documents. There will also be opportunity for Q&A. 

The webinar will be Wednesday, August 23 at 2 p.m. Register here.

Number 7

Fall 2023 NCStar & School Improvement Planning Professional Development

The Office of District & Regional Support is excited to announce the Fall 2023 NCStar & School Improvement Planning Professional Development! This two-day training will be offered in eight locations across the state this fall. The sessions will cover content similar to what was shared during the 2022-2023 trainings and will offer collaborative work time for each school improvement planning component.

Day 1: Participants will learn about school improvement using NCStar and how to navigate the platform to assess, create and monitor school-based practices. Participants will also learn about the components of Set Direction in NCStar, including the use of Performance Measures to monitor progress of school improvement goals.

Day 2: Participants will continue to learn about school improvement using NCStar with a focus on the Continuous Improvement Cycle (Assess, Create, Monitor) to create robust school improvement plans. Participants will also learn about best practices for school improvement teams, including how to run an effective SIT meeting, effective forms of distributive leadership and the critical role that SIT leaders and committees play in moving the school achievement needle forward, and evaluation of a school’s School Improvement Plan.

Register here.

Number 6

Register for PRC 189 Technical Assistance Webinars

Join the Office of Learning Recovery and Acceleration (OLR) team for upcoming PRC 189 technical assistance (TA) webinars. These webinars will provide important information about data collection, allowable uses, and updates based on the recent allotment policy change for PRC 189. 

Register below for the webinar that works best with your schedule. A recording will be provided for those unable to attend the webinar.

• Wednesday, August 30th 9 a.m.-10:15 a.m.
• Thursday, August 31st 1 p.m.-2:15 p.m.

If you have any questions about the upcoming webinars, please reach out ARP Program Administrator Richard Lewis.

Number 5

Portrait of a Graduate Durable Skill Office Hours

NCDPI's Portrait of a Graduate team will host a series of office hours to help educators and administrators gain a deeper understanding of the Portrait's seven durable skills and how the rubrics and supporting documents work with them. 

The office hours will provide participants with a quick review of the Portrait process, a deep dive into the durable skill rubric and "I Can" statements by grade band, an interactive experience and time for Q&A with the experts at Battelle for Kids.

The seven office hours, one for each durable skill, will be hosted August 29-31. Find more details and registration links here.

Number 4

Sign Up for the Center for Safer Schools Newsletter

Keep up with the Center for Safer Schools (CFSS) and school safety in North Carolina by subscribing to the CFSS newsletter! 

Check out the August edition here. Sign up here by entering your email and selecting "Center for Safer Schools" when prompted. 

Number 3

NCCAT Fall Registration Open

North Carolina educators have several opportunities from September through January to attend the North Carolina Center for the Advancement of Teaching (NCCAT). Registration for these programs is open now. Applicants are encouraged to register as soon as possible to ensure a spot.

Programs are available to North Carolina educators at the Cullowhee and Ocracoke campuses, online, and with NCCAT faculty visiting school districts. From literacy-focused programs to digital learning, to STEM, math, and science, there are plenty of offerings designed to help teachers positively impact student learning across our state

Learn more and see the fall programming schedules here. 

Number 2

North Carolina Working to Attract and Retain Early Childhood Teachers

"North Carolina is making it easier for aspiring and current early childhood teachers to get classroom experience and college credit to meet the state’s growing child care needs. The NC Department of Health and Human Services announced today early care and learning teachers can now use their previous training and skills development to qualify for NC Community College credits to earn certificates and further their higher education. High school students can now also use career and technical education courses and apprenticeship opportunities to get a head start on a career as an early childhood teacher.

The NCDHHS-Division of Child Development and Early Education, NC Department of Public Instruction and North Carolina Community Colleges are working together to recruit and retain early childhood teachers as North Carolina, along with the nation, faces a growing shortage."

Read the full press release here. 

Number 1

Register Now for the 2023 AIM Conference

Registration for AIM 2023 is now open! 

This year's conference will be October 9-11 at the Raleigh Convention Center. 

Learn more and register here.