Spring 2023 Edition

Get on the Bus!

On April 4, the Reich College of Education hosted "An Evening with NC Award Winning Educators" featuring our NC Teacher of the Year, Leah Carper, our NC Superintendent of the Year, Dr. Don Phipps, and our NW NC Regional Teachers of the Year. It was a wonderful night of inspiration for our pre-service educators and public school partners across the region. The message that was clear and resounding throughout the evening was one of positivity and positionality. We were reminded that educators are positioned to have an impact on the students we work with--by our words, our actions, and our choices. We are also positioned in society to tell the story about our profession. We can tell a sad, desolate story about teaching which discourages future educators and encourages current educators to find other positions. Or, we can use our voice to share a positive, hopeful story about the value and impact of teachers. This is the message that will build our pipelines and build a better future for our students! Yes, this message is clear--get on the bus and support education with your words and actions! The education profession needs you to take the positive route--now, more than ever!

Our theme this year in the Public School Partnership is "Innovations in Action". As we think about the innovations in our region, we are reminded that successful innovations need to be identified, elevated, collaborated on, and scaled to meet the needs of others! Let us continue to grow together as we learn from each other and celebrate our work!

Stay informed of ways in which we have been celebrating and elevating the education profession in the Reich College of Education at Appalachian State University by checking out the newsletter included here, as well as our weekly RCOE Connected Newsletters:

Dr. Betsy Rosenbalm, NBCT

Public School Partnership, Director

NC New Teacher Support Program, Regional Director; NC Principal Fellows, Co-Director

Reich College of Eduction, Office 404 G

Appalachian State University; (704) 657-0764

rosenbalmem@appstate.edu; partnership.appstate.edu

Summer Mini-Grant Application Window Closes Soon!

Congratulations to our Spring 2023 Mini-Grant Recipients! We were able to fund 18 fantastic collaborative projects in our region in March!

And now...the Summer 2023 PSP Mini-Grant Application can be found HERE and is due to me by 5pm on May 5, 2023. Let the Public School Partnership help you fund your next collaborative project of up to $1,000!

The PSP Mini-Grant Committee is looking for applications that reflects collaborative efforts between educators and Appalachian State University, sustainable efforts that will have a lasting impact in your school or community, and/or a clear budget outline requesting no more than $1000. If you would like to receive generalized guidance on application preparation in an effort to send in an application, or re-work and re-submit a declined application for funding in the next round, please join the PSP for a quick information session on May 4th from 3:30pm to 4:30pm. Email Dr. Rosenbalm at rosenbalmem@appstate.edu if you would like the Zoom link to this meeting!

It's Mountaineer Readers Time!

Appalachian Mountaineer Readers Reading Logs will soon be sent out to School Library Media Coordinators for the 2023-2024 reading program!

Since 2007, participating students from the PSP's (now) 18 districts, as well as the Appalachian State Academies at Middle Fork and Elkin, and the RCOE Anderson Reading Clinic, read books of their choosing during the summer months and record their reading on a log provided by the Public School Partnership. Students then submit the log to their School Library Media Coordinator the first week of school. The RCOE processes a tally sheet from each participating school and announces the top readers in grades 1-2, 3-4, and 5 in each district. These top readers and guests are then invited to Appalachian's annual Education Day football game.

This year, TOP Mountaineer Readers will be recognized for their reading achievements during Appalachian State University’s Education Day football game on November 4, 2023!

Winning classrooms and schools receive parties, prizes, baseball tickets, and swag from Appalachian State! Ask Betsy Rosenbalm (rosenbalmem@appstate.edu) how your media center can get involved this year!

Applications will soon be released for the 2024-2026 NC Principal Fellows Program at Appalachian State University. The App State Principal Fellows Program is a two-year program to prepare outstanding educators to serve as school administrators in NC Public Schools.

The NC Principal Fellows Program provides participants with:

Full in-state tuition and fees for the entire Masters in School Administration degree program over a 2 year period.
Salary replacement during the second year for the 10-month, full-time internship at the salary level commensurate to the position they hold in 2024-2025 (plus any relevant step increases, supplements, and raises).
Extended leadership opportunities in 12+ partnering districts

......and so many more opportunities to network, grow, & expand horizons!

Participation in the Principal Fellows Program requires a commitment of service for up to 4 years in a NC public school as a school administrator, and candidates must repay the grant through service.

Application Deadlines:

Step 1: Application due to the Districts - January 31, 2023
Step 2: Application due to App State Graduate School (MSA Program) - by March 2024

The Appalachian State Principal Fellows Program is a partnership between Appalachian State University and Watauga County Schools, Ashe County Schools, Alleghany County Schools, Alexander County Schools, Avery County Schools, Caldwell County Schools, Burke County Schools, Newton-Conover City Schools, Elkin City Schools, Wilkes County Schools, Appalachian State Lab Schools, and Winston-Salem Forsyth County Schools, with the possibility of adding additional partners in the coming cohort!

Please reach out to Dr. Betsy Rosenbalm (rosenbalmem@appstate.edu) or Dr. Kimberly Money (moneykd@appstate.edu) with questions about the program!

Resources for YOU!

Engaging Opportunities!

NWRESA Spring/Summer PD O fferings

(Click above for a full list of Professional Development Opportunities!)

MSEC Spring 2022 Newsletter

The NC School of Science and Math is now accepting applications for Summer Programs!

- For rising 5th - 12th grade students who may be interested in a week-long summer camp (Morganton, Durham or online) or

- For potential summer staff ranging in education from a high school diploma to a Bachelors degree.

See the websites linked below for more information and an application link. Applications wil remain open until all courses and staff positions are filled. Please hurry! Spots are filling quickly!

- Student registrations for Summer Accelerator courses:

https://www.ncssm.edu/summer-programs/accelerator

- Summer staff applications

https://www.ncssm.edu/summer-programs/accelerator/work-here/staff-opportunities

Conference Website: AIC 2023

Date: June 12-14

June 12th- Pre Conference Social Event- Renaissance Hotel

June 13th Full Day Conference (Dinner is on your own in Asheville)

June 14th Half Day Conference

Conference Location: AB Tech Community College

Hotel: Renaissance Hotel Asheville

Audience: Middle and High School Educators from the GEAR UP Community

Presentations Provided By: Teachers, District Leaders, 3rd Party Vendors and IHE Partners

2023 Summer Math Workshops

Since 1998, the Mathematics Education Leadership Training program (MELT) at Appalachian State University in Boone, NC, has provided cutting-edge professional development opportunities for K-12 mathematics teachers and community college faculty through MELT Summer Institutes. This summer, MELT continues to provide week-long, residential and online Summer Institutes focusing on the mathematical and pedagogical content knowledge needed for teachers to assist their students to succeed.

Please note that MELT Summer Institutes are not only for math CEUs. Some Institutes provide CEUs in digital learning, and general CEUs.  Each MELT Summer Institute provides participants with the opportunity of earning either continuing education units (CEUs) or graduate credits.

Registrations are coming in for the 2023 MELT Summer Institutes. Click on this hyperlink to reach the MELT Summer Institutes webpage and find the registration tab on the left of the screen or use this link for the Registration Form.  Last year, almost 200 teachers, coaches, and curriculum personnel attended MELT Summer Institutes. You are encouraged to begin exploring and making your summer PD plans. (All registrations are first come, first served.)

Please note these major changes from previous years:

(A) MELT will provide Summer Institutes in both BOONE and HICKORY, NC.

(B) MELT will be following a four-day (Monday-Thursday) schedule.

Three CEU Opportunities

Visual Journaling

Make some creative space in your week this summer! Dr. Theresa Redmond is offering a five-week visual journaling craft enrichment. Educators can earn one (1) CEU. Registration opens May 17th.

Date: May 25 - June 22, 2023

Location: Appalachian State University campus

Learn more!

Appalachian Mountains Writing Project

The 2023 theme will be "Writing as Resistance." Through a series of writing activities and discussions, we will explore how writing can be a source of resistance and self-expression for us and for our students. We especially welcome K-14 teachers, writers, and anyone who wants to explore the ways in which writing can change themselves and the world.

Date: June 12-30, 2023

Location: Combination of on-campus and online

Learn more!

21st Annual Martin and Doris Rosen Symposium

This years symposium will be guided by the theme "The Holocaust and Lessons For Today." Earn four (4) CEU credits (for 40-contact hours) and learn how to use multimedia and experiential learning to enhance lessons on the Holocaust, i.e., field trips, incorporate art, film.

Date: July 8-13, 2023

Location: Appalachian State University campus

Learn more!

Links to Make Us Think!

Research Time!

Dr. Damiana Pyles and Dr. Morgan Blanton, co-editors of Fringes: The North Carolina English Teachers’ Association Journal, invite manuscript submissions that address the interests and experiences of practicing ELA teachers, pre-service ELA teachers, and ELA teacher educators. Specifically, Fringes accepts submissions of the following:

Teacher Practices: These articles describe innovative, effective, and practical teaching strategies that English Language Arts educators can adapt and incorporate into their own classrooms

Empirical & Theoretical Research: These articles share scholarship that can inform pedagogical strategies, curricular choices, and instruction.

Next Generation: Similar to Teacher Practices, these articles are written by pre-service English Language Arts teachers who are interested in sharing their pedagogical and/or curricular ideas with others in the field.

Scholarly & Professional Development Book Review: Situating newly published academic books (within 3 years) within the field of literacy, these book reviews provide chapter summaries and a professional critique of the book as it relates to English Language Arts.

Children & Adolescent Literature Book Review: These book reviews feature newly published (within 3 years) children’s or adolescent literature that could be used in the English Language Arts classroom.

For more information and to submit your manuscript, please visit our website at http://www.ncenglishteachersassociation.org/journal/