The Red Carpet Gala

It was an honor to recognize our teacher ambassadors at the 2022 Red Carpet Gala. This event is a wonderful opportunity for the Board of Education, together with administrators and district leaders, to celebrate our educators' contributions.

Thank you to 2021-2022 Teacher Ambassadors:

·    Alyssa Argentieri-AH Bangert Elementary

·    Misty Yost-Arthur Edwards Elementary

·    Sybrina Turney-Ben D Quinn Elementary

·    Allison Drasser – Bridgeton Elementary

·    Ellen Finn-Brinson Memorial Elementary

·    Rachel Massey-Creekside Elementary

·    Renee Foley-Graham A Barden Elementary

·    Tracie Atkinson-Havelock Elementary

·    Rodnesha Minor-JT Barber Elementary

·    Ashley Cleland, James W. Smith Elementary

·    Beverly Cuthrell, Oaks Road Academy

·    Laura Wilson, Roger Bell New Tech Academy

·    Lindsay Weatherington, Trent Park Elementary

·    Melanie Ross, Vanceboro Farm Life Elementary

·    Luana Palmetakis, WJ Gurganus Elementary

·    Nikole Jefferson, Grover C Fields Middle

·    Lydia Matthews, HJ MacDonald Middle

·    Valerie Hernandez, Havelock Middle

·    Timothy Erlitz, Tucker Creek Middle

·    Christopher Langdon, West Craven Middle

·    Ashlee Tetreault, Craven Early College

·    Logan Robles, Early College EAST

·    Jorge Benitez, Havelock High

·    Meredith Boyd, New Bern High

·    Bobby Cox, West Craven High

·    Jason Willis, Craven Virtual Academy

We extend congratulations to our 2022 Rookie Team! Be sure to applaud the following members of the Rookie Team:

·    James Blanchard-New Bern High School

·    Brooke Bonnell-Tucker Creek Middle School

·    Tiffany Campbell-West Craven High School

·    Chetina Cloud-Brinson Memorial Elementary School

·    Morgan Hill-James W Smith Elementary School

·    Kaitlyn Jones-HJ MacDonald Middle School

·    Sarah Palmer-Trent Park/Bridgeton Elem School

·    Kelly Squires-Vanceboro Farm Life Elem School

·    Ariel Wade-Graham A Barden Elem School

And a huge shoutout to Betsy Jutras, our Linda Thomas Volunteer of the Year Award from AH Bangert Elementary School.

We also celebrated our four Teacher of the Year Finalists-

Alyssa Argentieri-AHB

Melanie Ross-VFL

Rodnesha Minor-JTB

Laura Wilson-RBNTA

Each of our finalists is very worthy of being selected as Teacher of the Year so our selection committee had a very difficult task.

It is exciting to announce Mrs. Laura Wilson as the 2022 Teacher of the Year.

Thank you again to Toyota of New Bern for the beautiful Toyota Camry for our Teacher of the Year & AlphaGraphics of New Bern for the perfect wording and wrap.

Also, we appreciate Keith Davis, Assistant Principal at JT Barber for sharing his musical talents with the guests this evening.

We honor all of our teachers this week for the amazing work they do on a daily basis.

Retirement Celebration

On Thursday, May 5th, the Board of Education celebrated 58 retirees at a special recognition at The Flame Catering and Banquet Center. Combined they contributed 1,335 years of service, that’s a great amount of learning, loving, caring, and commitment to our school system.

It was a wonderful night celebrating our dedicated retirees and this year’s recipient of the Rocking Chair for the most years of service was Jasper Flowers with 41 years.

We appreciate JoQuita Roberson sharing her beautiful talents with the audience.

Congratulations to all and best wishes on your next journey.

REMINDER From our District Lead Nurse

Below are the Covid-19 like symptoms:  If you present any of the following symptoms please stay home and contact your school nurse and direct supervisor:

• Fever or chills  
• Cough  
• Shortness of breath or difficulty breathing 
• Fatigue 
• Muscle or body aches 
• Headache 
• New loss of taste or smell 
• Sore throat 
• Congestion or runny nose 
• Nausea or vomiting 
• Diarrhea

These are the symptoms per the StrongScholsNC Public Health Toolkit (K-12)- Updated March 4, 2022.

Student Contacts in PowerSchool

As we plan to prepare for next school year and have parents complete the Annual Student Update online starting in July, we need your help. Please have your teachers review their student contacts as shown in PowerSchool. If a student has a parent without an email address or one that is inaccurate please have them notify their data manager so it can be updated prior to the end of the school year. This is also true with parent phone numbers. If a phone number no longer works or the parent has a new phone number please have your teachers let you data manager know of changes.

In addition, have your teachers check if a parent associated with a student does not have a Relationship designated for them or if it is inaccurate, please have them reach out to your data manager to correct this as well in PowerSchool.

NCCEE Economics and Personal Finance Summer Institutes

Registration for the NC Council on Economic Education (NCCEE): Economics and Personal Finance Summer Institutes is now available. For a preview of the session dates, whether in person or virtual, please visit www.nccee.org/events. 40 hours of professional development for high school teachers of the Economics and Personal Finance course. 

• $500 Stipend for first-time attendees
• Lodging may be covered for some
• Breakfast and lunch daily
• Access to thousands of lesson plans, games, simulations, and more

Sci-TECH Fest 2022

This announcement is sent on behalf of Adrienne Evans.  If you have any questions please contact Adrienne Evans by email: adrienne.evans@swake.org.

Classroom teachers!  Are you interested in a free opportunity to learn about 3D printers and bioprinters?  Would you like some hands-on experience with smart sensors and nanotechnology in the science classroom? 

Please register/sign up for our Sci-TECH fest hosted by Southern Wake Academy in conjunction with NC State University for a day of fun and learning on June 25, 2022.  Stipends are available through application and a free continental breakfast/catered lunch is available to all.  

Participants will be awarded with a certificate of attendance for CEU purposes. See flyer attached. For more details, visit our website.  Thank you so much!

• SciTechFest for Middle-High Sch List Server 5-4-22.jpg

FINISH THE FAFSA- UPDATE!

With less than 30 days away we must put our best efforts forth to FINISH THE FAFSA! As of now our percentages are lower than the state average​.​ There is still time to ensure our students have their FAFSA submitted prior to June 1

Contact students who have shared their college intentions​...​  

Contact scholarship recipients... 

Contact athletic coaches and club advisors.... 

Contact, Contact, Contact...

Apply at https://bit.ly/AIGCOHORT2

Advanced Learning and Gifted Education

AIG, AP/IB/CIE, CCP, CIHS Coordinators

Great Summer Opportunity for Teachers

This summer, North Carolina Business Committee for Education (NCBCE) is partnering with Epic to provide 40 hours of professional development and support for 100 NC teachers. They will have 4 in-person regional sessions for 8 hours followed by virtual sessions and coaching. Teachers must go through an application process for the program, and the ones that attend the May 24th meeting will get the first chance to apply. NCBCE is excited to provide this incredible PD opportunity to NC teachers. 

please click here to register:  

Epic Educator Leader Interesting Meeting Registration

Visit bit.ly/ditfspark to view all issues!

Visit this link to view the resources.

Summer Staffing Opportunity: NC Governor’s School

Are you interested in working with exceptionally talented, intellectually engaged high school students in a thriving learning community this summer? If so, come work at the NC Governor’s School.

NCDPI has openings in a variety of positions ranging from Instructors to Dean of Students to Teacher Assistant/Counselors (TACS). The summer session will be from June 13 - July 16 for staff (June 19-July 16 for students) and will be at two campuses: Meredith College and Winston-Salem State University.

Being on staff at NC Governor’s School will allow you to play a role in a life-changing summer for these amazing students and to remind yourself why you went into teaching. It’s an opportunity to work with students in an environment where creativity and curiosity is valued and learning is without grading.

NCDPI will be reviewing applications and conducting interviews through an on-going process.

Position availability, job descriptions, and application are available Governor’s School Employment Information. If you have questions regarding any openings, please contact ncgovschool@dpi.nc.gov.

For General Information on NC Governor’s School, please visit NC Governor's School.

Medical Coordinator and Counseling positions will be made available soon. If you are interested, please contact Rodney.Allen@dpi.nc.gov.

WREATHS ACROSS AMERICA

My name is Cindy Tatum, I am the Education Liaison for Wreaths Across America. I was a public-school educator In TN for 26 years, I retired in May 2020. Wreaths Across America is a 501(c)3 nonprofit, whose mission is to Remember our Fallen, Honor our US Veterans and Teach the Value of Freedom to Our Children. In 2021, WAA volunteers placed more than 2.4 million veterans' wreaths on headstones at 3,137 participating locations around the United States to honor the service and sacrifices veterans made for our freedoms. A little over a year ago, Karen Worcester, Executive Director for WAA asked me if I would review their education program and provide curriculum to help the organization strengthen the Teach component of their mission, focusing on character development and service.

With that focus in mind, the first step WAA took was to collaborate with existing organizations including the American Rosie Movement, Congressional Medal of Honor Society, IKE Eisenhower Foundation, Random Acts of Kindness Foundation, and The United States of America Vietnam War Commemoration, whose education programs focus on character development or service or both. The next step for WAA was to develop new lesson plans and educational materials based on Common Core State Standards, National Council for the Social Studies Standards or the Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning (CASEL) Standards. If necessary, educators can utilize the educational materials and cross-reference it to one of their state’s standards.

Wreaths Across America is launching our new education program, in conjunction with the WAA 2022 theme to "Find A Way to Serve." We are excited to share those resources with you HERE via this email. Please know that we will be adding additional resources frequently, as this is an ongoing project.

From one educator to another, thank you for taking the time to read this email and thank you for all you are doing to help educate future generations of Americans! We encourage you to provide us with feedback and hope you will share these resources with others you may know who are also involved in the education of our youth!