NCVPS Digital Transition Webinar Series

The North Carolina Virtual Public School (NCVPS) 2024-2025 Digital Transition Webinar Series for Educators offers seven free webinars per month on a variety of topics, including several that are specifically focused on AI implementation and World Languages. In September, the sessions below will be presented by different NCVPS instructors/leaders: Brian Harrison (Accounting, Business Ethics, and Financial Technology), Alison O'Dell (Computer Science), Ann Spencer (Blended Applied Science), and Lisa Worthington-Groce (German).

• Integrating Artificial Intelligence into Your Daily Lessons at 5:00-6:00 pm on September 18
• Building Cultural Competence in the World Language Classroom at 7:00-8:00 pm on September 24
• Personalizing Learning in Canvas at at 4:00-5:00 pm on September 26

Please use the links above to learn more and register for the upcoming broadcasts, which typically earn participants Content Area, Digital Learning, and/or General CEU credit.

FLANC Fall Conference

Join the Foreign Language Association of North Carolina in Winston-Salem on Saturday-Sunday, October 5-6, 2024, for the annual FLANC Fall Conference. This year’s theme is “Cultivating for Tomorrow” and will include professional development focusing on ways to grow world languages in our classrooms, schools, and community. Attendees can earn up to 22 contact hours or 2.2 CEUs.

Registration includes:

• Two pre-conference webinars
• General sessions (preview) for both WL and DL/I settings, plus higher education topics
• Scholarship raffle and scavenger hunt activities in the exhibit hall
• Continental breakfast and two lunches during the conference dates
• Allied group meetings on Sunday, October 6

The keynote address will be given by Paul Sandrock, a former Spanish teacher and World Language leader who has spent his entire career supporting teachers throughout the world in various capacities.

Early bird registration is available until Friday, September 20, and there are different registration rates for FLANC members, non-members, beginning teachers, full-time undergrad or grad students, retired educators, and Sunday-only attendance.

Go to the 2024 FLANC Fall Conference webpage for additional details, including the registration form. Questions can be sent to fall conference chair, FLANC 1st Vice President, Jennifer Solis, at 1vp@flanc.org. 

NCDPI AIM Conference

The North Carolina Department of Public Instruction (NCDPI) is hosting the fourth annual A.I.M. Conference at the Raleigh Convention Center on October 7-9, 2024. The Conference theme is "Accelerate, Invigorate, and Motivate." District and school teams can attend the conference as a way to celebrate amazing educators across the state, as well as collaborate with local, regional and state educational leaders to explore and engage with the tools and knowledge needed to implement promising practices for the betterment of every student’s education in North Carolina. The AIM Conference is an agency-wide event and an excellent opportunity to share your expertise with the field. This year’s conference supports public school units as they plan for and implement the Portrait of a Graduate.

Please click on the AIM Conference flyer in this article or go to the AIM Conference page for details, including registration forms for individuals and/or teams.

The 2024 K-12 Global Education Symposium, Opening Classrooms to the World, will set a foundation for interdisciplinary global learning in schools and districts across North Carolina and beyond. To prepare students to thrive in our interconnected world, plenary talks and smaller sessions will spark innovation, examine global issues, and build global competencies in educators at this event on Thursday, October 10, 2024, in Chapel Hill.

This program is designed for K-12 and early college educators, including classroom teachers, support personnel, and school and district administrators, as they develop or advance global education in their schools and districts. Participants will gain new knowledge, strategies, and resources that support curricula and global programs that open classrooms to the world. All educators are encouraged to come with a team and enjoy a great day of learning and networking!

Please see the UNC World View K-12 Global Education Symposium page for details about the agenda, registration, and a limited number of scholarships.

The NCDPI English Language Arts (ELA) Team is offering a Writing PD Series in 2024-2025 to support the integration of writing across disciplines. The series is grounded in the Literacy Instruction Standards (LIS), the North Carolina Standard Course of Study (NCSCoS), and current research. There are four webinars scheduled on the following Thursdays from 3:45 - 5:00 pm:

• Teaching Grammar in Context - October 10
• Teaching Vocabulary in the Context of Writing - November 7
• Writing in Response to Reading - March 20
• Time-Constrained Writing - April 10

To register for one or more of the broadcasts, view the Canva flyer. Participants who attend at least three out of the four sessions within this series will earn a 24-25 Writing Series badge. 

The Foreign Language Association of North Carolina (FLANC) awards scholarships for its annual Fall Conference to beginning K-12 teachers in their 1st, 2nd, or 3rd year of teaching in the state of North Carolina. These scholarships fully reimburse the $105 Beginning Teacher conference registration fee and also include a ticket to one 3-hour workshop at no cost ($35 value). The conference will give beginning teachers the opportunity to learn new ideas to bring back to their classrooms, as well as mingle with other language teachers from all types of World Language programs, including dual language/immersion (DL/I).

The deadline for K-12 teachers to submit a FLANC Beginning Teacher Scholarship application is Saturday, September 21, 2024. Recipients of the scholarship will be informed prior to the 2024 FLANC Fall Conference. For more information and for application support, contact FLANC's Scholarship and Mini-grant Chair at scholarship.minigrant@flanc.org.

US Senate Youth Program for Grades 11-12

Applications due Sunday, October 6

The U.S. Senate Youth Program is merit-based and highly competitive. Qualified junior or senior high school students applying to the program must show evidence of demonstrated leadership through public service in elected or appointed positions where they currently and actively represent a constituency in organizations that relate to government, public affairs, history, and/or community service.

Share this year’s U.S. Senate Youth information with students in your district, school, and community. 

Entries due Tuesday, October 15

The National Association of Bilingual Educators (NABE) is hosting its annual "Being Bilingual" student essay competition, which is open to all elementary school, middle school, and high school students who are enrolled in a bilingual classroom, such as dual language/immersion (DL/I), or in a classroom with native language support, like heritage language courses.

Explore the Student Essay Contest Guidelines and/or other NABE Award Competitions.