Our Public School Partnership Wish for You: TO CONTINUE!
In a year that has many people hoping, dreaming, and planning like never before....2021 has A LOT to live up to! Let's be honest, we are all anticipating that our school year, our students, our teachers, our home life, our kids, our politics, our careers, our social lives and our health will all be "better" in the next few months--well at least back to "normal", right? This hope for the future might leave us all wondering what and how we accoplish normal or better, despite all of the controversy and barriers we face. I want to encourage you to read the poem below, written by one of my favorite poems, and a former Inaugural poet from way back in 1992...My wish for you is that you just---CONTINUE!
CONTINUE: A Poem
By Maya Angelou
My wish for you
Is that you continue
Continue
To be who and how you are
To astonish a mean world
With your acts of kindness
Continue
To allow humor to lighten the burden
Of your tender heart
Continue
In a society dark with cruelty
To let the people hear the grandeur
Of God in the peals of your laughter
Continue
To let your eloquence
Elevate the people to heights
They had only imagined
Continue
To remind the people that
Each is as good as the other
And that no one is beneath
Nor above you
Continue
To remember your own young years
And look with favor upon the lost
And the least and the lonely
Continue
To put the mantle of your protection
Around the bodies of
The young and defenseless
Continue
To take the hand of the despised
And diseased and walk proudly with them
In the high street
Some might see you and
Be encouraged to do likewise
Continue
To plant a public kiss of concern
On the cheek of the sick
And the aged and infirm
And count that as a
Natural action to be expected
Continue
To let gratitude be the pillow
Upon which you kneel to
Say your nightly prayer
And let faith be the bridge
You build to overcome evil
And welcome good
Continue
To ignore no vision
Which comes to enlarge your range
And increase your spirit
Continue
To dare to love deeply
And risk everything
For the good thing
Continue
To float
Happily in the sea of infinite substance
Which set aside riches for you
Before you had a name
Continue
And by doing so
You and your work
Will be able to continue
Eternally
Your eternal impact as an educator is hard to measure and rarely fully known, but please know that even if your 2021 is not better or perfect, it will be a rich time for you to leave a lasting public kiss of concern that will be appreciated and embraced by all those who look to you as a leader. KUDOS to you for all that you do on the front lines of our public schools each day! Check out these KUDOS from your friends in the RCOE! To find out more about how the RCOE is CONTINUING to operate this semester, check out the January RCOE Weekly "Connected" Newsletters, featuring news from our own Dean Spooner each week:
Dr. Betsy Rosenbalm, NBCT Director, Public School Partnership/Regional Director, NC New Teacher Support Program Reich College of Education, Appalachian State University rosenbalmem@appstate.edu; 704-657-0764 |
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Spring PSP Mini-Grant Application Window is NOW Open!
The Appalachian State University Partnership Mini Grants are intended to build relationships between Appalachian State faculty members by engaging in collaborative projects that are connected to internships, student teaching, professional development of teachers, and/or student learning (P12 and preservice teachers). The funding should not be used to take the place of current monies, but should be used to expand or refine existing efforts or to begin new initiatives. Partnership districts include Avery, Ashe, Alleghany, Alexander, Caldwell, Burke, Elkin City, Watauga, Newton-Conover City, NC School for the Deaf, and Wilkes.
The following guidelines should be followed in designing a project proposal:
- Groups should include public school teachers or administrators, education faculty, and pre-service teachers if possible.
- Funding for grants is contingent on available resources and number of grants submitted.
- $500-$1,000 is the funding range. Stipends for teachers are allowed by the University with specific paperwork. Funds may be used for substitute pay, classroom resources, registration, or faculty pay.
Important Considerations
Projects should be focused on the preparation and/or professional development of practicing teachers, practicing administrators, practicing faculty members, or current students. Projects should include the involvement of teachers, administrators, teacher education/RCOE faculty, and/or clinical interns in the planning/implementation/evaluation process, when possible.
Deadline for Proposals: February 26, 2021
*All work and project evaluations should be submitted, and all funds should be spent by the end of each round of funding.
Award Notification- The review team will begin processing proposals as they are received.
Here is the revised Mini-Grant Application for the Febraury 26, 2021 deadline, based on the PSP Mini-Grant committee's feedback. It will not be a Google Form this time, but rather it will be a Google Doc (forced copy). Applications must be emailed to rosenbalmem@appstate.edu no later than Feb. 26th at 5pm. The Mini-Grant Committee will reconvene the first week of March to evaluate the applications for the spring of 2021. The rubric we will be using to evaluate and make decisions on funding is located at the bottom of the application as a resource and a guide for our applicants. Please let me know if you have any suggestions or questions about this application or rubric.
The Grant Committee chose the grants this fall based on their alignment to our goals of collaboration, sustainability, and innovation. See the full description of the PSP Mini-Grant Funded Projects here!
Now, check out our Spring 2021 PSP Mini-Grants application link, which can be found HERE!!
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Does your School District Need a Spelling Bee Sponsor? The Carolina Panthers have partnered with the Scripps National Spelling Bee program to create the Carolina Panthers Regional Spelling to support designated school districts in need of a Spelling Bee sponsor. Once enrolled, district winners will be invited to The Carolina Panthers Regional Spelling Bee that will be held at the Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte on March 21, 2021. The top three finishers in the competition will advance to the Scripps National Spelling Bee in Washington, D.C. in June. For more information and to check your district’s eligibility please click here. To enroll your district in the Scripps National Spelling Bee by January 31, please click here. |
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PSP Governing Board Dates
- Feb. 19th: 10 am to 12 noon
- April 15th: 10 am to 12 noon (Thursday)
Partnership Leaders Council Dates
- February 10th: 4 to 6pm
- April 14th: 4 to 6pm
- June 3rd: 4 to 6pm (subject to change)
- July 14-15, 2021: RCOE Conference opportunity (2 day virtual event; responsibilities will vary among participants)
NOTE: We will meet virtually until further notice, due to social distancing guidelines. |
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The MSEC will not have regular in-person hours in January but will accept requests to reserve materials by emailing Leah McManus at mcmanusld@appstate. Items should be requested at least 3 business days in advance. For more information check out the following link: https://msec.appstate.edu |
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Congratulations, Teachers of the Year! It is difficult to imagine completing a first year of teaching during the early stages of a pandemic. But, not only did some teachers in NC complete the year, they did so successfully enough to be nominated by their district or charter school to be selected as a Beginning Teacher of the Year. The following individuals attended Appalachian and were nominated by their school district or charter school for the BTOY award: 
The names highlighted in green have also been selected as finalists for the BTOY award. On April 15, 2021, one of the 27 finalists will be selected as the NCCAT 2020 Prudential NC BTOY. Congratulations to our Ashe, Alexander, and Watauga BTOYs for this honor, and to Dalton Lewis in Ashe County who will go on to represent our region as a finalist for the state! Information about the NCCAT BTOY process and timeline can be found at www.nccat.org/btoy. (Credit: Dr. Karen Sumner, CAO of NCCAT) Also, a huge CONGRATULATIONS is in order for Watauga County's own Erin Ellington at Mabel School who is now our NC NW Regional Teacher of the Year! She will go on to compete for the state Teacher of the Year award this spring! 
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NC New Teacher Support Program Remembers a Remarkable Teacher The NC New Teacher Support Program and the Appalachian State University RCOE would like to share our deepest and most heartfelt condolences with Ashe County Schools on the loss of one of their new teachers who has been in our program for the past 2 school years, Mrs. Crystal Bennett. Mrs. Bennett passed away on January 13, 2021 and will be missed by a community who truly loved and appreciated her infectious positive support and unconditional love for her students and family. Mrs. Bennett taught in the Exceptional Children's program at Ashe High School, where she taught students in grades 9-12. Prior to teaching special education, Mrs. Bennett served as an instructional teaching assistant in the EC program at Ashe County High School. Our thoughts and prayers will continually remain with Mrs. Bennett's fellow colleagues, but especially with her two beautiful young children and her husband, Travis, who is also employed with Ashe County Schools.  
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NBCTApps Update! Thank you to all of those participants who were able to join us on January 11th for our fifth National Board Support Group Session entitled, "Content Area Breakout Session Support!" We hope to see you next month at our February 8th meeting, "Self-Assessment and Wellness Check", from 3:45 to 5:15pm. Check out our additional support events in the coming months, and sign up to attend at the link below!
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February 8, 2021 (3:45-5:15): Self-Assessment and Wellness Check
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March 8, 2021 (3:45-5:15): Content-Specific Meetings
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April 12, 2021 (3:45-5:15): Finalizing Products & the e-Portfolio
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May 10, 2021 (3:45-5:15): Celebration of Submission!
Visit the NBCT website for the latest COVID-19 page of resources:
For the most up to date training on the National Board Portfolio Components, click HERE! And please consider filling out this brief registration survey to take advantage of our App State NBCT supports! You will be contacted with more information via email, upon completion of this form. Interested Candidates Complete THIS Form! |
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Engaging Opportunities for YOU!  NW RESA PD Offerings:
 NCCAT PD Offerings:
 NCDPI PD Offerings:
- Consolidated Communication:
- January 22, 2021
- January 15, 2021
- January 8, 2021
- NCDPI COVID-19 Weekly Top Ten
- 10th annual NC Child Hunger Leaders Conference-- Two days of celebration and inspiration for anyone interested in making sure children have sustainable access to healthy food. Wednesday, February 17 and Thursday, February 18, 2021.; 10am to 3pm (schedule subject to change).
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MetaMetrics Lexile® and Quantile® Hub Webex Trainings are intended for classroom teachers, principals, instructional coaches, counselors, and librarians. Please click on the appropriate link below to register.
*Registration is capped at 1,000. Each Webex will be recorded and posted on the Lexile and Quantile pages of the DPI website for those that are unable to attend.
 App State PD Offerings:
Online PD Offerings and PSAs:
 
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Black Lives Matter at School Week February 1-5, 2021
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Coming Soon.... A Virtual Treat from the "Boone Book Buddies"! We know that teachers are used to having guest readers in their classrooms during Read Across America (RAA) Week in March of every year. Sadly, Covid may not allow that to happen this year, but have no fear! The Public School Partnership and the Appalachian Educators Club have a real treat coming your way soon! As you read this, undergraduate and graduate students in the Reich College of Education are busy selecting picture books to read aloud to your students on pre-recorded videos. App students have been encouraged to select books that are special to them, have a powerful message, and/or that will make your students laugh! Once this project is complete, each of these recordings will be available for your class to view at your convenience for RAA Week! These story videos will be included on a YouTube channel specifically sent out to the elementary teachers in our 12 Public School Partnership districts. Teachers will be able to choose and play videos from this variety of read alouds during Read Across America Week (March 1-5, 2021.) We hope that our partnering elementary students in these pK-5 classrooms will enjoy watching our pre-service teachers read to them all week long, in lieu of face to face visitors this year. The YouTube Channel links will be sent to our Public School Partnership districts by Friday, February 26 for use during the week of March 1-5, 2021!  
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| Mailing address: Appalachian State University, 493 Ridgeway Ave, Statesville, NC, 28677, US
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