Click Here for the accommodation coverage schedule for second semester.

Hello Everyone,

Thank you for coming to last week’s POWER 2.0 training. I am excited to see all of the activities that are being created in FlexTime!

URGENT: For all of you who already loaded POWER A activities, I accidentally lost the data when I was toggling with making it inactive and unavailable to students until Friday, 1/26.

You will need to open “my schedule” and reload the activities for Mon-Fri A.This should only take a few minus, but I am sorry for the inconvenience!

Homeroom

Here is a sneak preview of my video to show the students how to sign up for activities. Please review it, so you will know what the student’s screen will look like and how to help them navigate through the process of signing up for their weekly activities.

Click here to see the homeroom slide deck. With the admin grade level meetings, you have the flexibility to show Days 1-3. You must wait until Friday to do the FlexTime training.

Important Dates & Reminders

1/22-1/26 Homeroom during POWER on our new bell schedule

1/22 Admin meetings Seniors and Juniors during HR

1/23 Admin meetings for Sophomores and Freshmen during HR

1/23 Drop by for help in Room 207 to finish loading your POWER activities, scheduling students to your Standards Labs, and getting Ms. Joyce to look over your activities

1/23 POWER Ambassador meeting with Ms. Joyce

1/24 Deadline to complete your passion blocks, standards labs and Friday A Club

1/25 Mandated meeting for any staff member who has not completed loading POWER activities by the deadline.

1/26 Students sign up for their first week of POWER!

Homeroom Buddy Assignments. (Ambassadors will assist 9th grade and new teachers on 1/25 & 1/26)

PowerSchool is down, so I cannot check homeroom rosters. If you do not have a homeroom, be sure to check on fellow teachers and help out!

Babb: Please adopt Ms. K’s homeroom for the week (Ms. K will supervise and project the presentation, but you will assist the juniors with the presentation and signing up for POWER activities, and training new students.

Harding: Adopt Ingram -114- (she will need you to hook up your laptop); tv projector is still in room129. Check in on Aguirre.

Stafford: Assist math department

Wilson: Adopt A. Williams’ Homeroom

Garrett: Either Purvis or Virgil have a homeroom (please check). Bring your laptop!

Parisher: Assist Pittman as needed

Last week, APlus, the ACT prep program, connected with our students and worked with them on testing tips and strategies to help them succeed in taking the ACT. The program was not only effectively preparing students for the ACT but it also fostered an environment where learning was enjoyable and engaging.

One key factor contributing to the program's success was our students' dedication and hard work. Their commitment to the preparation process was evident in their active participation and focused efforts during the practice sessions. Students demonstrated a genuine enthusiasm for improving their skills and achieving their best scores on the ACT.

The ACT Prep will return for all six groups on the following dates. We will follow the POWER schedule, and students will report to 1st, 2nd, 3rd, and the last lunch."

1/26

2/1

2/19

• NCDPI Releases Guidance on the Use of Artificial Intelligence in Schools. NCDPI recently released a guidebook for the use of generative artificial intelligence in public schools, making it the fourth state education department in the nation to issue guidance to its schools on the use of this cutting-edge technology. Learn more and review the guidebook.
  

• North Central TOY: Rachel Brackney. NC Teacher of the Year Finalists were announced yesterday, and this is what our own Rachel Brackney had to say. SouthWest Edgecombe High School

Brackney, a high school math teacher, has a simple platform for North Carolina Teacher of the Year: “Lead with Love.”

“When students feel valued, supported and understood, they are more likely to engage actively in their learning and take risks in the classroom,” she said. “In addition to fostering a loving environment, I strongly advocate for promoting a growth mindset among my students. Intelligence and abilities are not fixed traits but ones that can be developed and enhanced through effort, perseverance and a positive attitude. The best way to accomplish this is by embracing failure as an essential part of the learning process.”

Among the highlights of her eight years of teaching, Brackney lists her role as director of SouthWest Edgecombe’s POWER (Plan, Organize, Work, Engage, Relax) initiative, which gives students time during the school day for clubs, tutoring and other activities. She serves as a leader for the school’s multi-tiered system of support and a member of the school improvement team.

• 10/20 Day Rule. We met our 10 days for High School schedule changes this week. This means that students who are enrolled in EOC courses should not have their schedules changed to remove an EOC without first having a discussion with Mr. Holland regarding the reasons for the change. Based on the 10-day rule, a student who drops an EOC after this time will still count in the school's denominator regarding accountability results. In rare cases where changes need to be made, a request can be submitted to waive this, but Mr. Holland must submit this and should be in the loop prior to the changes taking place.

  
  

• Licensure Renewal Requirements. Policy amendments to LICN-005 have changed the CEU requirements for license renewal. Educators no longer need 2 DLC credits to renew their licenses.

• Required Leave for missed work. When school is closed or delayed outside of the regular school calendar, classified staff without an approved remote work plan option by their supervisor are required to make up time or be charged leave. Finance will send out letters with more details to each school.

• 10/20-Day Rule/CR Courses. High School teams, please be reminded that the 10th day of the semester will be January 18th, 2024. Students scheduled in EOCs at that time are expected to be tested. They should not have schedules changed to remove them from these courses without prior communication with Mr. Holland to ensure we stay in compliance with accountability business rules.

• National Board Certification. The NC National Board Certification registration window will end on February 29, 2024. More information can be found at https://www.nbpts.org/. If you are interested in becoming National Board certified, reach out to Donisha Barnes at donishabarnes@ecps.us.
  

• Licensure Status Meeting. The ECPS Licensure Team has begun hosting individual meetings with teachers who hold less than a Continuing License. During these meetings, requirements for licensure and continued employment are being discussed. Questions regarding licensure concerns can be directed to Benita Knight at bkknight@ecps.us.

Helping All Learners Succeed: Secondary Teachers

Monday February 12th is an Optional Teacher Workday. Imagine Learning (Edgenuity) will be hosting a webinar specifically for ECPS educators. There will be two opportunities to join us in learning more about how Edgenuity can help meet the needs of your special populations.

Session Title: Helping All Learners Succeed

Session Description: Learn about tools and strategies to support all students, with a special focus on exceptional student populations. Leverage individual student customization and accommodations/modifications to meet learner needs. Dive into progress monitoring best practices to set and track goals, and create strategies to help all learners succeed.

Session 1 – 8:30-9:45

Session 2 – 10:00-11:30

Join Zoom Meeting
https://imaginelearning.zoom.us/j/97503220383?pwd=VmFZUzJPVU5MeWZuOXlHSTJhWWhvUT09

Meeting ID: 975 0322 0383
Passcode: 932629

Please contact Dr. Batts if you have any questions.

The two main goals for revising the NC TWC include 1) reduce the data collection burden on schools; and, 2) improve data quality and data use.

Some of the BIGGEST changes include the following:

Process

• Reduced the number of items from 199 to 100 (!!!) but retained the domain structure
• Emailing a survey link with unique code directly to teachers with regular reminders but maintaining school-level NC TWC Coordinator as main Point-of-Contact
• Added optional demographic items (including race/ethnicity, content area, licensure status, credentials)
• Increasing minimum response rate to 50%
• Partnering with NCPAPA and NC Principal Advisory Committee to create a “NC Principals Working Conditions Survey”
• Shifting incentives directly to teachers
• Getting survey data back in the hands of school leaders ASAP

Content

• Reordered domains so Retention and School Leadership are first
• School Safety shifted to Safety & Wellbeing
• Facilities & Resources is now about whether a school's physical environment is sufficient for quality instruction.
• Professional Learning is now asking about top three needs for areas for professional development
• Instructional Supports & Practices are now about top three needs for support and the NCEES process
• Teacher Leadership is now aligned to Standard 1 (Teachers Leading in the Classroom and School)

March: NCTWC Survey Opens!!

NC Virtual Public School (NCVPS) to Offer Four Free Digital Transition Professional Development Sessions for Educators Throughout January

• January 16 at 7:00 pm - Differentiating to Support All Students. CEU: Digital Learning.
• January 30 at 7:00 pm - Digital Tools for Core Subject Courses. CEU: Digital Learning
• January 31 at 6:30 pm - WORLD LANGUAGE track: Using Bloom’s Taxonomy to Create Escape Rooms for Language Learners. CEU: Spanish or Digital Learning

Visit the NCVPS Digital Transitions website for registration links and archived recordings of all sessions.

The second semester's Check-In courses and test windows have been created and are now available within NC Test. This allows school test coordinators to begin checking enrollment and verifying accommodations/SIQs, etc. Remember that the review period for all Check-Ins is set for approximately one month following the end of the testing window. This allows those in the school with access to have 3 to 4 weeks of time to review the assessments with their classes following the test administration. Remember that data for NC Check-Ins is not stored from year to year, so if you desire to keep reports/data generated following the assessments beyond the end of the year, you will need to download/save them as desired. The Data Hub will hold all reports through the end of the year, but then they will be lost when the system is updated following the year's conclusion

Funding of $4600 per year for four years is now available for all TAs to be reimbursed for classes being taken that will lead to a teaching license. We must submit a list of all TAs interested in receiving reimbursement. Please send the names of any TAs in your building who are interested in this opportunity to Benita Knight by Friday, January 19th. On-time submission of information is imperative to ensure we can fund all interested TAs and not lose any funding.

Dear ECPS Staff,

I hope this message finds you well. As we kick off the new year, we're excited to offer you the chance to bring a bit of casual comfort to your Fridays from January 12 to May 24, 2024....and support the ECPS Scholar Teacher Program!

For a simple $25 contribution, you can enjoy wearing jeans each Friday during this period. If you prefer a payroll deduction option, please use this form. Alternatively, you can make a one-time donation using this online link. When using the link, kindly mention your school in the "Company Name" section for proper acknowledgment.

Checks, made out to "ECPS Educational Foundation," and cash donations will be collected on the morning of January 12. Your generosity will undoubtedly make a positive impact, and we'll make sure to recognize your support.

Thank you for considering this opportunity to contribute to the future of ECPS and add some casual flair to our Fridays!

--

Arlane Gordon-Bray

Director of Development

Edgecombe County Public Schools Education Foundation

C: (757) 944 -1259

P: (252) 641- 2659

Date: Wednesday, January 24, 2024

Time: 5:30-6:30

Location: Tarboro High School Media Center or Cafeteria Annex

Facilitator: Pre-Employment Transition Staff and Vocational Rehabilitation

If you know of any leads for our current vacancies, please inform them to contact us @ (252) 823-4284. Becoming fully staffed is one of my top priorities as it has the potential to make a widespread positive impact on our school. See below for our current vacancies and use the link to apply:

• English
• Science
• Exceptional Children

• Art

• School Testing Facilitator

• Band/Music

Here are ways to log in:

Clever

OR

Google Securly Pass

OR

www.pass.securly.com

OR

download the app Securly Pass

RAVE Panic Button: RAVE is a smartphone app that communicates emergencies to on-site administrators, 9-1-1 personnel and first responders. Please enter the requested information at this link. This information will allow you to have access to the RAVE Panic Button for our campus. For more information about RAVE, check out this website. More details to come once we are ready to "go live".

PDP's. Mid-year professional development plans are due before January 19, 2024.

Supervision and Vigilance. Teachers do not send two or more students to the restroom at one time. Also, provide students with a set number of bathroom passes for the semester. Too many students are in the hallway and/or going to the restroom each period. Students lose valuable instructional time when they are absent from the classroom.

PowerSchool Grades. As a reminder, district policy states that grades must be entered 5 days after an assignment is given. Administration will be periodically checking grade books to ensure grades entered are in compliance with district policy. This helps parents and students be able to have an accurate representation of current student grades.

Parent Contacts. Teachers will contact parents at the end of each day if they send a student to chill out or the office. Remember to use the digital parent contact form to keep up with your parent contact log. If you have not already done so, update your classroom voicemail greeting by clicking here.

Data Notebook. Please be sure you have uploaded your weekly lesson plans (print-outs required) and your 2-weeks of emergency sub plans (no paper print-outs required) to the Shared Drive: Viking Data Notebook under your department and name.

Online Worksheet Translator. This is the website many of our teachers have been using to translate documents for our students. Click here to see an example.

Hall Passes: Click Here

THS HUB: Click Here

Student/Parent contact: Click Here

Duty Schedule: Click Here

Accommodation Schedule: Click Here

Say Something Anonymous Reporting System allows students, parents, and community members to submit secure & anonymous safety concerns ..

Due to recent news and events in our state, we want to continue to provide every opportunity for our students to provide information that could prevent any act of bullying or violence on campus.. Please continue to inform our students that this system is available for them to report any act of bullying, violence, drugs, or weapons on campus anonymously. We want to maintain a safe, productive and inclusive culture for all of our students and staff.

January 6th - Dual Team (Tournament) @ Person County High School at 8 a.m.

January 10th - Conference Duals @ NECP at 8 a.m.

January 13th - South Lenoir Duals @ South Lenoir at 8 a.m.

January 19th - North Pitt Dual @ North Pitt at 5 p.m.

January 20th - South Lenoir Invite @ South Lenoir at 8 a.m.

January 22nd - High School PLC @ Edgecombe Early College (Hopkins off-campus)

January 24th - Pre-ETS Parent Information Night @ 5:30 p.m. (Vocational Rehabilitation)

January 26th - Progress Reports

February 8th - NCILA

February 12th - Optional Planning Day

February 14th - DLT (Hopkins off-campus)

February 20th - End of Grading Period

February 26th - High School PLC @ North Edgecombe High School (Hopkins off-campus)

February 27th - Report Cards

February 28th - Early Release (Parent Conference and School-Based PD)

March 7th - Required Planning Day (Amplify ECPS Day)

Marth 8th - Optional Planning Day

March 13th - DLT (Hopkins off-campus)

March 28th - Spring Blood Drive in gym

March 29th - Holiday

April 1st - 5th Spring Break

Marth 15th - Progress Reports

March 20th - Early Release (School Based PD)

April 10th - DLT (Hopkins off-campus)

April 12th - Special Olympics

April 16th - Grading Period Ends

April 24th - Early Release (School Based PD)

April 25th - Report Cards

April 30th - NCILA

May 2nd - Required Planning Day (School-Based PD)

May 4th - Prom

May 10th - Progress Reports

May 15th - DLT (Hopkins off-campus)

June 5th - End of Grading Period

June 6th - Required Planning Day (End of Year Closeout)

June 7th - Graduation @ 8 p.m.

June 12th - DLT (Hopkins off-campus)

July 12th - 18th - Summer Leadership

In response to the new legislation requiring schools to offer a three-year graduation option to families, NCDPI is working with legislators on technical corrections to provide clarity and guidance to districts about implementing this new mandate. The central issue is whether districts can retain their local autonomy to require more than 22 credits (most districts currently require 28 credits to graduate). This article from EdNC explains what is currently mandated in the new legislation and also describes the technical corrections that are being discussed.

K-14 Teachers Earn $1500 to Attend 5-Day Experiential Learning Program.

Please apply to join us for a new project in supporting NC full-time K-14 teachers, staff, and administrators to engage in a 5-day innovative agricultural experiential learning program. This training is open for all disciplines. Each group will consist of 15 participants. The program is funded by USDA Professional Development for Agricultural Literacy (PDAL) Program and led by Dr. Kathleen Liang at NCA&T, offering new knowledge and skills to participants in a dynamic agri-food system interface to enhance everyone's ability and capacity to develop exciting new curricula/activities for our students. Attend all five days, and you will receive a certificate of completion and $1500* (depending on the training period and your school calendar year). The application deadline is January 31, 2024.

Our priority is to serve the K-14 schools working with socially disadvantaged and underserved populations in North Carolina, including teachers/staff who work as full-time employees in rural and urban areas and also teachers/staff who support students with special needs.

Application is FREE and program fund will include Lodging, Meals, Materials and Program Travel covered by the Grant. Childcare, translation and special accommodations can be arranged.

The training will be held at the Cherry Research Farm, 604 Farm Road, Goldsboro, NC 27530. Some training sessions will also be arranged at the local hotel.

Please see the information session PowerPoint attached and the application link below:

https://ncat.az1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_9tLnvpDQjotLatg

If you have additional questions or comments, please reach out to Tiffany Slade at 336-285-4653 or sladet@ncat.edu.

Thanks,

Tiffany Slade

Business Services Coordinator

Cooperative Extension at N. C. A&T

Additional EVAAS reporting for 2022-23 is now available on the web. This release includes updates to the following:
- Individual Teacher Value-Added reports
- Teacher Evaluation Dashboard
- District and School Value-Added reports for ACT, PSAT, SAT, Career and Technical Education (CTE), and K-2 assessments
- Enrollment for projection reports
- Pre-Populated Custom Student Reports
- School Performance Composites
- CTE, SAT/PSAT, ACT, and College Readiness projections

Progress Reports

September 14, 2023

October 23, 2023

December 1, 2023

January 26, 2024

March 15, 2024

May 10, 2024

End of Grading Period

October 3, 2023

November 8, 2023

December 20, 2023

February 20, 2024

April 16, 2024

June 5, 2024

Report Cards

October 12, 2023

November 16, 2023

January 4, 2024

February 27, 2024

April 25, 2024

Translation Services

Remember that Google Translate will allow you to type/cut and paste your message into its platform and will translate it for you. It will also translate this in audio for you as needed.

Steps

• Search for Google Translate Audio in your search browser. Google Translate will open to the top of the screen in your search engine.
• In the first text box on the left, ensure that your language is set to English, and type or cut and paste your message into the text box.
• Ensure that the box on the right is set to be translated to the correct language that you need.
• Google Translate will automatically translate the message into the other languages.
• At the bottom of the text box on the right side you should see the audio button. (Looks like a speaker icon) If you click this, the device will begin to play aloud the translated text.

This could be used to allow you to record your phone messages into another language as needed.

Also, remember that you can use Canva and create an educator account for free. This will allow you to translate entire documents for your parents/students. If you need in-person translation services for a meeting with parents, please remember to reach out to Dr. Battle directly to help get this arranged for you.

A Will to Live is an intervention program designed by the Edgecombe County Sheriff's Office to provide youth an opportunity to foresee the possible consequences of making poor decisions. This program option is for 10-16-year-old students, it combines physical fitness, a jail tour and interactive experience, a visit to a funeral home, parent sessions, and one on one sessions with a deputy to help students adjust negative behaviors. Parent participation is required for student participation in the program. Will to Live operates on the last Friday of the month with a new group of students joining the program each month. Follow-up will be ongoing for the students and parents. Please see the flyer below for additional details. This program may also be used as an intervention or alternative to suspension from school.

AWTL flyer.jpg