January 2022

2021-2022 AppVisory Board on January 24, 2022. Photo Credit: Rebekah Saylors

New Year, New Message!

The Reich College of Education began the new year with a positive and encouraging convening of educators! On January 24, 2022, visitors from the NC Department of Public Instruction, as well as our Dean, Associate and Assistant Deans, faculty, staff, students and public school partners spent the day sharing about our RCOE's most promising practices. However, we also addressed our goals for increasing support, relevance, accessibility, recruitment and retention in the profession of teaching. Although every one had an individual voice and a seat at the table, there was a unifying message of sincerity, hope, and concern for educators--present and future! We agreed that we all have a responsibility to change the narrative when it comes to the reputation of a career we all hold so dear! We look forward to continuing the conversation about the ways in which we can advocate and collaborate to keep education alive and well!

As we embrace other new and exciting events taking place this spring on our campus, we want to continue to keep you engaged as a valuable member of our RCOE community. Check out our weekly January Connected newsletters from the Office of the Dean to stay in touch! Together, we will continue to create positive messaging around the value of education and educators!

January 11, 2022 Connected

January 18, 2022 Connected

January 25, 2022 Connected

Dr. Betsy Rosenbalm, NBCT

Public School Partnership, Director

NC New Teacher Support Program, Regional Director

Reich College of Eduction, Office 404 G

Appalachian State University; (704) 657-0764

rosenbalmem@appstate.edu

App State is Expanding!

What could we do with more space down the mountain?

As many of you know, Appalachian State recently purchased the former Corning Optical Communications Building on Hwy 321 right before the I-40 Interchange in the Hickory, NC area. Here is an article detailing this new development in our region!

Dean Spooner and other deans across our campus are working to create a plan for that building, and they are looking for input as to what our Partners would like to see happen in that building and area of our region.

If you have any ideas for what we could use this large meeting space for (your leadership retreats, regional PD, math and science events, etc.) please include your thoughts, needs, and visions on this provided Jam Board by February 4th! We look forward to expanding our support to this large space! We want to innovate with YOU in the foothills of NC!

PSP Mini-Grant Update!

Can YOU use up to $1000 for classroom needs?

The Public School Partnership Spring 2022 Mini-Grant Applications are now available and due by February 25, 2022. The purpose of such grants is to create opportunities for P-12 teachers and App State Faculty to work together on sustainable, innovative projects for the classroom and beyond!

To apply for a mini-grant for up to $1000 towards a classroom project or research initiative in our region, please complete this form by February 25, 2022 and email it to Betsy Rosenbalm at rosenbalmem@appstate.edu.

NBCTApps Support Group

The Public School Partnership is pleased to offer support and opportunities to our regional P-12 partners and our alumni from Appalachian State University and the Reich College of Education. We have recently been informed that for the sixth consecutive year, Appalachian State University leads the nation for the number of its alumni who are National Board Certified Teachers (NBCT).

This national certification is based on a rigorous performance-based assessment that typically takes from one to three years to complete and measures what accomplished teachers and counselors should know and be able to do. Any teacher who has taught for 3 years is eligible to begin this process.

Recently, our university topped the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards’ list of “Top 50 Alma Maters by Total Number of NBCTs” for 2021, with 2,211 alumni having earned the national credential to date.

Additionally, North Carolina continues to lead the nation in the number of teachers who have become National Board Certified Teachers (NBCT) — since 1987, 23,418 total educators have earned the certification. In 2021, 399 North Carolina teachers gained the endorsement.

We want to invite YOU to be a part of this legacy of NBCTs who are known for their nationally recognized accomplishment in teaching. If you are interested in being a part of our monthly support group or receive an App State Alumni as a mentor for the NBCT process, you are still able to sign up this year! You can click on nbpts.org to register by Feb 28, 2022 for this school year, and you can contact me to begin the FREE support process with the Reich College of Education Public School Partnership!

Please reach out to me at rosenbalmem@appstate.edu if you have any questions about the NBCT process, our support team, or registering for the process. We are here to help YOU take the next successful step on your career journey!

WHAT IS THE STEAM EXPO?

The annual STEAM Expo is the largest STEM outreach project of Appalachian State University. Started by Dr. Tonya Coffey in the Department of Physics and Astronomy and Tracey Tardiff, formerly of Appalachian, the STEAM Expo shares dozens of interactive events, demonstrations, and more with thousands of regional middle and high school students. Take a look at this demonstration for a sample! https://youtu.be/wJg5GwwrSX8

NC New Teacher Support Update

Reminder: AppEd Reads Resources Available!

The Outreach/Philanthropy Committee of Appalachian Educators Club recently set out to put together a video collection of RCOE students reading children's books aloud for K-5 students. This project was previously named Boone Book Buddies, but it is now referred to as AppEd Reads. Due to COVID, education students haven't had many opportunities to partner with surrounding schools, especially in the volunteer capacity. Led by two dynamic education majors, Goodwin and Owens saw this as an opportunity to have students record read-alouds of some of their favorite books to share with local elementary schools!

Click on the links below to see our pre-service teachers sharing some great literature in a video format! Consider sharing these with your kiddos on those damp, frigid recess days!

Check out the Fall 2021 Read-Alouds HERE!

Check out the Spring 2021 Read-Alouds HERE!