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February 8, 2010 |
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Good Afternoon, The Office of Management Information Systems has received reports of fraudulent emails being sent to school district employees. These emails claim to be a "Maintenance Notice" that MDE will be performing a database upgrade from "Old" to "New" servers. The contents of the email request that employees enter in their user name and password to help with the upgrade. It also reinforces this with a scare tactic by saying they may lose access to the database if they do not send the needed information. MDE recommends that you alert your employees that the Office of MIS will never request username and password information via email communication for any production system. The Office of MIS will also never send account information over email. If any of your employees feel that they may have leaked their account information please have them contact the Office of MIS immediately at 601-359-3487. The Governor's Commission on Educational Structure (School District Consolidation) met last week at the State Capitol. Dr. John Augenblick, President of Augenblick, Palaich and Associates, Inc. presented a power point presentation that included: the history of consolidation in the United States ; current consolidation activities in other states and the latest research on consolidation efforts. I also gave a presentation on the history of consolidation in Mississippi . The Department is in the process of gathering a tremendous amount of data for Augenblick, Palaich and Associates to begin their research on our school districts. They will present their findings to the commission on March 8, 2010, at 1:00 p.m. in Room 216 at the State Capitol in Jackson. The commission is charged to make recommendations to the Governor and the State Board by April 1, 2010. MDE will be closed Monday, February 15, 2010 in observance of the birthday of George Washington. The office will reopen Tuesday, February 16, 2010. To find a comprehensive list of summaries of bills for the 2010 session, visit the Office of Legislative Services Web site at http://www.mde.k12.ms.us/Extrel/leg/leg.htm or call (601) 359-3519. Please go to http://www.mde.k12.ms.us/extrel/news/2010/10weekly/weekly.html to read a copy of my latest column. We are continuing to work through the legislative process and I will seek to keep you informed regarding pending legislation and budget projections. Have a good week, Dr. Tom Burnham
The Mississippi Department of Archives and History, Manship House Museum will present - "Voices from the Past: Manship Black History Program." The program runs each Thursday and Friday, February 4th - 26th from 9:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. Students grades 3 through 5 can experience the history of their African American ancestors through hands-on activities and a special tour of the Manship House Museum as they examine what the lives of house servants would have been like in the late nineteenth century. Program lasts approximately one hour and meets many of the Department of Education social studies curriculum competencies and benchmarks. For more information or to schedule your class, call 601-961-4724. Take a step back in time and learn what life was like in old Jackson! To register or to find out more information, contact the Manship House Museum at 601-961-4724 or email to mbusbin@mdah.state.ms.us. There is no cost to attend the program. If you haven't already made plans to attend, please consider attending what is going to be one of the best Mississippi Educational Computing Association (MECA) conferences ever. We hope that you'll be a part of the 2010 Conference that will be held at the Jackson Convention Complex, 105 East Pascagoula Street, Jackson MS, on February 8-10, 2010. Onsite Registration - February 8-10, 2010, $150.00 For further information please contact Kim Stringer, MECA President, at kstringer@ms-meca.org or Curt Parker, MECA President-Elect, at cparker@ms-meca.org. New Stage Theatre Spring Youth Class Sessions Developing Character - Follows the course begun in the fall session, this time incorporating the specific elements of developing a character focused on voice, movement and an introduction to text analysis. February 13, 20, 27, March 6, 13 and 20, 9 a.m.-10:30 a.m. 1st - 3rd grade; 10:30 a.m.-12 p.m. 4th - 6th grade, Cost: $100. Advanced Acting - Focuses on scene work and textual analysis. Mondays, February 15 through March 22, 5:30 p.m.-7 p.m. 7th - 12th grade Cost: $100. For more information or to register for a class, please contact Education Director Chris Roebuck at 601-948-3533 ext 232 or education@newstagetheatre.com. The 2010 Saturday Gifted Studies Program at The University of Southern Mississippi will be held January 16 – February 27, 2010. The Program meets on seven consecutive Saturdays from 9 a.m. – noon from the middle of January through February. It is open to gifted students in pre-kindergarten (4 or 5-year olds) through Grade 12. The program is designed to enhance cognitive and affective abilities of gifted students through planned enrichment/acceleration programming. Emphasis is placed on participation in areas that provide in-depth analysis of specific topics in small group activities with other gifted youth. Intellectually gifted students with intelligence quotients of 120 or above or those who score in the 90th percentile or above at the national level on a group achievement test on either the Total Reading, Total Math, Total Language or Total Battery are served through a wide variety of enrichment courses in the humanities, social studies, language arts, mathematics, science and technology and the arts. For more information, please call The Frances A. Karnes Center for Gifted Studies at 601-266-5236 or visit our Web site at www.usm.edu/gifted. The Mississippi Department of Archives and History presents Black Mississippians: Road To The Vote each Tuesday and Thursday 9:30 a.m. and 10:30 a.m. February 2-25, 2010 at the Old Capitol Museum. Students will learn the 19th century political history of black Mississippians, which paved the way for the modern civil rights movement. An introductory overview and tour of the Old Capitol Museum will cover such topics as Slavery, the Civil War, Reconstruction and the 1868 and 1890 Constitutions. For reservations and information call 601-576-6920. NEW NOTIFICATIONS Deadline for Governor's Award Nominations is February 12 Make sure your partnership gets the recognition it deserves! The Mississippi Association of Partners in Education reminds schools that the deadline for nominating your partnership for a Governor's Award is Friday, February 12. The Governor's Award recognizes outstanding school-community partnerships throughout Mississippi, and awardees are honored at a luncheon ceremony highlighting their achievements. This year the Governor's Award and MAPE State Seminar will be held April 8 at the Jackson Hilton. Grey Ferris Scholarships are available to provide financial assistance for teachers to attend the State Seminar. The Governor's Award nomination form and Grey Ferris Scholarship application are available at www.mapie.org. America's Milk Processors (the people who bring you the "got milk?" and Milk Mustache ads) and USA TODAY are pleased to bring you the 13th annual "Scholar Athlete Milk Mustache of the Year" (SAMMY) 2010 Awards Program. The SAMMY 2010 Award Program recognizes outstanding scholar athletes in grade 12 from high schools throughout the United States. An athlete from your high school could be one of the 25 winners who will each receive the following: * A $7,500 college scholarship from the Milk Processor Education Program * An invitation for winners, parents and/or guardians to attend a SAMMY 2010 awards weekend scheduled for June 2010 * An opportunity to be pictured in a special congratulatory Milk Mustache ad in a June 2010 edition of USA TODAY and other national publications. SAMMY 2010 application deadline is March 5, 2010 and will only be accepted online at bodybymilk.com. For the official rules visit bodybymilk.com. Teachers, thank you for your past participation in the Finance Challenge Online! I am writing to let you know that registration is open now for the spring online competition to be held March 1-5. Even if you participated in the competition this past fall, you are still welcome to register teams. The set up will be the same as in the past-Teams of 3-4 students (working individually) answering 30 questions online in 35 minutes. The week of March 8th we will announce winning teams. Winning teams will receive $100 so please give your students this opportunity again! You can register your students online at www.financechallenge.org. Registration is also open for the Economics Challenge Online! The dates are also March 1-5 and consists of teams of 3-4 students answering 30 questions in 35 minutes. Registration is available at www.econchallenge.org. The week of March 8th we will announce winners and declare the teams that will come to Jackson for the State Championship on March 25th (for the high school division). Scholarships are available to the winners and the Economics Student of the Year will be declared! Please read the rules carefully and make sure you assign your students to the correct division! Teachers who participate in the online Challenges will be entered into a drawing for a free computer and a trip to the 2010 Council on Economic Education Annual Conference in Miami! The Society of American Military Engineers (SAME) is accepting applications from qualified high school sophomores and juniors interested in attending the SAME/ARMY Engineering and Construction Camp, June 13-19, 2010 in Vicksburg, February has been designated as National Dating Violence Prevention Month. To assist secondary teachers to teach the violence prevention topic in their classrooms, The Mississippi Department of Education's Office of Healthy Schools is partnering with the Attorney General's Office to provide violence prevention lesson plans for teachers. Highly qualified Mississippi teachers were selected to write lesson plans for English, Drama, Marketing, Economics, History, Art and Government that can be used by high school teachers to teach this topic. The lesson plans are available in the Health In Action database at: http://activities.healthyschoolsms.org. To access the lesson plans, a teacher can logon to the site, click on 9th -12th grade and type in Violence Prevention on the subject line. For more information about these lessons and the Violence Prevention Initiative, contact cphilley@mde.k12.ms.us . Mental health issues are on the rise among young adults in Mississippi. In 2007, more than 50 young adults died by suicide. Many young adults are in need of someone to talk to who can provide support and resources. Individuals who access the "Talk About It" program can discuss a variety of topics including depression, bullying, suicide, stress, grief, death of a loved one, relationship issues, self-esteem, physical/emotional/verbal abuse, cutting/self-injury, drugs, alcohol and peer pressure among other topics. Individuals can access the program by visiting www.dmh.ms.gov and clicking on the "Talk About It" button on the home page. After creating an account, individuals can anonymously e-mail a Helpline staff member or communicate via text messaging. The DMH Helpline is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week at 1-877-210-8513. “ AG DAYS ” at the Mississippi Agriculture and Forestry Museum begin February 2010 and extend through May 2010. “AG DAYS ” are sponsored by Monsanto and will include fun-filled science activities, developing student's understanding and appreciation of agriculture. Target audience is 3rd and 4th grade students. Reservations are required. Regular Museum admission: Ages 5-18: $2. For every 10 students, one adult receives free admission. The Mississippi Agriculture and Forestry Museum is located at 1150 Lakeland Drive , Jackson , MS 39216 . Contact Elizabeth Johnson, at (601) 713-3365 or 1-800-844-8687, email: Elizabeth@mdac.state.ms.us . Visit our Web site: www.msagmuseum.org. Cards of Care....is a simple way for American children and their parents to touch the hearts of Haitians. The National Disaster Recovery Fund http://www.nationaldisasterrecoveryfund.org/, managed by Volunteer USA Foundation, launched the project recognizing the need to provide hope and comfort in many months and years ahead as Haiti begins a long journey of recovery. Simply send handmade cards and letters to show your love and support. We'll make sure they get to the people of Haiti through outreach at hospitals, shelters, schools and non-profit groups. Please mail your messages of hope to: Volunteer USA Foundation Cards of Care for Haiti 5970 SW 1st Lane Ocala, FL 34474 (*be sure to provide your name and contact information with your card/message.) Mississippi History Now's February feature is "Rosenwald Schools in Mississippi" by Jennifer Baughn, architectural historian at the Mississippi Department of Archives and History. Lesson plan was developed by Karla Smith, Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College. Beginning in the 1910s new schools for African-American students began to spring up on the Mississippi landscape. The schools, constructed as a partnership between the Julius Rosenwald Fund and local citizens, represented a leap forward for black southerners who wanted to ensure an education for their children. The article and The Manship House Museum invites classes to come and hunt Easter eggs on the grounds of the Museum Monday, March 29, 2010 beginning at 9:00 am. Students will take a step back in time and learn holiday customs and games similar to the ones that were popular back in the late nineteenth century. This is a great event that usually lasts about an hour. Large groups are invited to hunt for eggs and to learn about life in old Jackson . Limited space available. Call now to get your school involved! To register or to find out more information, contact the Manship House Museum at 601-961-4724 or email to mbusbin@mdah.state.ms.us. College Goal Sunday 2010 in Mississippi, sponsored by GEAR UP Mississippi, will be held from 9 a.m.-1 p.m. on Saturday, February 27, 2010 at 42 locations across the state. The event is aimed at helping college-bound students and their families complete the Federal Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA), and will include a two-hour information session on the application. There will be a drawing for a $500 college scholarship at each site. Students must fill out the FAFSA to qualify for federal financial aid, such as grants and loans, to help pay for higher education. Many scholarship donors also require students file a FAFSA, and many colleges and universities use the form to make decisions about institutional grant and scholarship awards. For more information or to view a complete list of College Goal Sunday sites visit www.mscollegegoalsunday.org. REMINDERS The current Monday Memo and archived issues are available on MDE's Web homepage. To submit information for consideration in the Monday Memo, email the information to Pete Smith at smith@mde.k12.ms.us by noon on Thursday. LESS THAN TWO WEEKS REMAIN: Do not forget to submit your application packet for the 2010 Mississippi Administrator of the Year Program. Please take advantage of this excellent opportunity to recognize an outstanding school administrator in your district! Check your email, select your nominee and help us give these school leaders the recognition they deserve. If you have questions or need an application packet, contact Gail Gettis, Mississippi Teacher Center, at ggettis@mde.k12.ms.us or call 601.359.3631. February 19, 2010 is the deadline to submit an application packet for your 2010 Mississippi Administrator of the Year award nominee. Virtual License now available! Educator License can now be viewed online by using our Educator License Manager System. This is a secure public site where the license of each certified Mississippi educator can be viewed. School district personnel will be able to view and verify the certification of any educator in real time. Information to look up a license is as easy as entering an Educator ID, name, date of birth and certificate number. Go to http://www.mde.k12.ms.us/ and click on Educator Licensure Management System -- License Lookup and follow the instructions. For more information, please contact the Office of Educator Licensure at 601-359-3483. Haskell Essay Contest Sam Haskell and the Mary Kirkpatrick Haskell Foundation are sponsoring an essay contest based on Sam's book, Promises I Made My Mother, for all Mississippi high school students who plan to attend a state-funded college or university. State winners will receive a total of $15,000 in cash scholarships. All contest rules and flyers have been emailed to guidance counselors and school librarians. A native of Amory, Mississippi, Sam was the head of Worldwide television for the William Morris Agency in Hollywood before retiring in 2005. Sam and his wife Mary have raised over 55 million dollars for charitable causes, including millions for Mississippi scholarships through his "Stars over Mississippi" concerts. For more information, see your local guidance counselor or go to www.samhaskell.com for contest forms. District superintendents are reminded to ask the responsible district personnel to submit the necessary information to the Mississippi Instructional Resource Center (MIRC) at the Mississippi School for the Blind for large print and/or Braille textbooks for next school year (2010/2011). The information was sent to all district Special Education directors in December. If there are any questions or issues, feel free to contact Sandra Hollins 601-984-8226 or Doris Johnson 601-984-8080 or Kevan Clinard 601-984-8021 or 8221. Applications for the Master Teacher in Economics Program provided by the Mississippi Council on Economic Education (MCEE) and its university/college centers are now being accepted. Modules begin in February at Mississippi State University, Mississippi College and the University of Southern Mississippi. Applications are available at www.mscee.org click on programs. Completion of the program leads to the new "193" economics endorsement. The program costs MCEE $2,000 per teacher to provide and qualified applicants are eligible for "scholarships" as a result of support from sponsors and others. Teachers cannot teach what they do not know and economic and financial literacy are skills that all students need for success in the real world. Teachers who earn the certification score 40 points higher on a test of economic literacy and teachers who are in progress in the program are succeeding in mastering the complex material. For additional information, contact the MCEE at 601-974-1325. The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) is alerting the public, school officials, facilities managers and municipal and public safety officials that outdoor steel stadium light poles manufactured by Whitco Co. LP, of Fort Worth, Texas can fracture or crack and fall over, posing a risk of serious injury or death to patrons and bystanders from being hit or crushed. To reduce the risk of injury, Whitco Co. LP outdoor light poles should be inspected immediately. Cracks in the welds around the bases of these poles are to blame for nine confirmed failures (falls) mostly in the state of Texas though Whitco Co. LP poles have been installed in other states as well. No injuries have been reported. CPSC recommends that Whitco Co. LP poles be inspected and repaired by a qualified professional immediately to reduce the risk of poles falling over and crushing a patron or bystander. CPSC also recommends that all stadium light poles, regardless of manufacture, be routinely inspected for damage. If you have questions regarding this warning please contact Valery Ceasar, Senior Compliance Officer/Team Lead at (301) 504-7605 or by email at vceasar@cpsc.gov. Register now for participation in the Stock Market Game at www.stockmarketgame.org. The Stock Market Game has been shown to significantly raise math and financial literacy scores of students who participate. The program is a simulation where teachers place their students in teams and the teams invest $100,000 in hypothetical cash in the real market. The curriculum is aligned to state standards in math, social studies and language arts. A state competition for students with the grand prize of an all expense paid trip to New York City is provided thanks to the support of Merrill Lynch, BancorpSouth, Entergy, State Farm Insurance, the Clarion-Ledger and Trustmark. For additional information, contact the Mississippi Council on Economic Education at mscee@millsaps.edu or 601-974-1325. Thomas L. Messenbourg, the Acting Director of the U.S. Census Bureau, announces "The 2010 Census: It’s About Us" program. The purpose of this FREE program is to inform the nation’s kindergarten through 12th grade and adult English as a Second Language students about the importance of the 2010 census. As you may know, census data are used to determine funding for schools, Title I programs and other community services. MDE's Office of Instructional Programs and Services is helping to make available resources that could be helpful in helping teachers to introduce and educate students K-12 concerning the importance and purpose of the 2010 Census. The resources can be found here http://www.mde.k12.ms.us/ACAD/ID/Curriculum/ss/resource.html. FEBRUARY The Mississippi Department of Education, Office of Innovative Support would like to invite all 21st Century Community Learning Centers (CCLC) grantees and Supplemental Educational Service Providers to participate in our first 21st CCLC Winter Institute on February 9-11, 2010 at the MSU Riley Center, 2200 Fifth Street, Meridian, MS. This institute is mandatory for all grantees. Participants may register on-line by visiting the MDE web page at www.mde.k12.ms.us click on Go Sign Me Up. Each grantee is asked to bring a team of eight consisting of project directors, site coordinators/managers, superintendents, principals, federal program coordinators, teachers, tutors, parents, partners and community leaders. Continuing Education Units (CEUs) and School Executive Management Institute Credits (SEMIs) will be awarded for attendance during this institute. For more information, please contact Karen Austin, Chris Norwood or Mariea B. Jackson at 601-359-3499 or via email at kaustin@mde.k12.ms.us , crnorwood@mde.k12.ms.us or mbanks@mde.k12.ms.us . The deadline for Free Books for Read Across America Day is February 12, 2010. The Literacy Empowerment Foundation, a 501(c)3 non-profit organization, invites your school or other literacy project to apply for FREE books for The Special Education Advisory Panel will meet on Wednesday, February 17, 2010, at 9:00 a.m. at the Marriott Hotel, located at 200 East Amite Street, Jackson, Mississippi. The Panel will hear public comments at 10:15 a.m. and 1:00 p.m. Written comments may be submitted to Dr. Armerita Tell, Mississippi Department of Education, P.O. Box 771, Jackson, Mississippi 39205-0771; fax: 601-359-1829; email: atell@mde.k12.ms.us; or call the Parent Hotline Number: 1-877-544-0408. For more information, contact Dr. Armerita Tell at 601-359-3498. The Literacy Empowerment Foundation, a 501(c)3 non-profit organization, invites your school or other literacy project to apply for FREE books for Read Across America Day. During the past year, LEF has distributed over 3,000,000 books to schools all across the country for Read Across America Day and other literacy projects. Resources are allocated on a first-come, first-served basis. Orders must be received by February 12, 2010. Free Books for Read Across America Day: Order Form at http://www.lefbooks.org. Due to very high demand, The College Knowledge Project, at the Mississippi Institutions of Higher Learning will offer a second session of the high-quality professional development online course: College Knowledge: Strategies for School Counselors in College and Career Advising. The second session will begin on Monday February 15, 2010 and registration for the course is open NOW. The online course is divided by topic into 3 Modules each with 12 sessions. • Module 1: Building a College-going Culture for all Students • Module 2: College, Career and Academic Planning • Module 3: Financial Aid and College Applications Counselors can earn CEUs for each module completed and, for those who pre-register, the College Knowledge project will support the cost of CEUs. Counselors may register for up to 2 Modules at a time and all 3 modules will run concurrently. Please register now by visiting https://cia.rcu.msstate.edu/mypdc/ . If you have not previously requested a guest id in MyPDC from RCU at Mississippi State, please go to https://cia.rcu.msstate.edu/mypdc/ and click on Request a Guest ID. Complete the entire form that will be sent to a secure server. Your account will be activated by the RCU, and an e-mail will be sent to you regarding registration procedures. If you have questions, please contact RCU Professional Development Specialist Dr. Marilyn Bowen at marilyn.bowen@rcu.msstate.edu or College Knowledge Project Director Marsha Watson at mwatson@ihl.state.ms.us . The Mississippi Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development presents "Formative Assessment: Can It Really Be Transformative?" by Dr. W. James Popham, February 23, 2010. This practical, hands-on workshop is designed to promote attendees' understanding of seven key concepts associated with the formative assessment process. At the conclusion of the one-day session, attendees will understand: What formative assessment is and what it is not; What it can do and what it can't; Why levels can lead to lucidity; Why learning progressions must lurk; What the essence of formative assessment is; Why right-size bites rule; and Why dawdling is dumb. Registration fee is $161.00 for MASCD members and $173.00 for non-members. The workshop will be held from 8:45 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. at the Education and Research Center, 3825 Ridgewood Road, Jackson. For more information, contact Dr. Milton Baxter at 601-591-2210 or email mbaxter@mascd.com. You may also visit the Web site at www.mascd.com. The Office of Leadership and Professional Development offers low-cost on-line professional development workshops through the MS e-Learning for Educators Initiative, a collaboration between the Mississippi Department of Education and Mississippi Public Broadcasting. This initiative provides Mississippi educators with quality professional development opportunities designed to address content knowledge and the skills required to improve student performance. The workshops are scheduled to begin March 3, 2010 (Spring 3 session) and will run for a total of seven weeks. Registration ends February 24, 2010. Participants are eligible to receive a certificate of participation or 3.0 CEUs. Workshops require a $30.00 registration fee; there is no charge for CEUs. To download the registration fee form click on the provided link http://www.mde.k12.ms.us/olpd/elearn/docs/reg_fee_form.doc. Please visit http://www.mde.k12.ms.us/olpd/elearn/ to read about courses and registration instructions for e-Learning for Educator workshops. Enter the following address into the web browser to register for an online course http://www.mde.k12.ms.us/olpd/elearn/docs/Instruct.doc. If you have any questions, please call 601-359-3954 or email elearningsupport@mde.k12.ms.us. New Stage Theatre has a few shows this spring that have matinees available for students. For more information or to purchase tickets, please call 601-948-3533. A Year with Frog & Toad - Music by Robert Reale; Book & Lyrics by Willie Reale Based on the books by Arnold Lobel School Fest Matinees: February 24-26, March 2-5 and March 9-12, 2010 at 10 a.m. (All ages) Subject to availability. Public Performances: February 27, March 6 & 7 at 2 p.m. and March 5 at 7 p.m. This musical follows two great friends, the cheerful and popular Frog and the rather grumpy Toad through four fun-filled seasons. Waking from hibernation, they plant gardens, swim, rake leaves and go sledding, learning life lessons along the way, including a most important one about friendship and rejoicing in the attributes that make each of us different and special. For more information or to register for a class, please contact Education Director Chris Roebuck at 601-948-3533 ext 232 or education@newstagetheatre.com. The Frances A. Karnes Center for Gifted Studies will host the Day of Sharing for Teachers of the Gifted on March 5, 2010, from 8 a.m. – 3:45 p.m. at the R.C. Cook University Union on the Hattiesburg campus of the University of Southern The Office of Management Information Systems will hold two days of technical training sessions on Tuesday, February 23 and Wednesday, February 24, 2010. The training will be held at 836 Foley Street Lab in Jackson, MS, from 9:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. each day. Training sessions to be held on Tuesday, February 23rd are Windows 2008 Group Policy and Introduction to Clark Connect 5.x and Windows 2008 Group Policy will be held on Wednesday, February 24th. The training is especially geared for the Technology Coordinators and Technicians in each school district. Registration is required. To register, go to the MDE main web page and click on GOSignMeUp. For additional information, call Rachel Day at 601-359-3487, or email rday@mde.k12.ms.us. Office of Safe and Drug Free Schools (OSDFS) is pleased to announce the release of the Fiscal Year (FY) 2010 Readiness and Emergency Management for Schools (REMS) grant application (CFDA 84.184E). The Notice Inviting Applications was published in the Federal Register on January 8, 2010. The FY 2010 REMS grant application package may be downloaded from the REMS Technical Assistance Center Web site (http://rems.ed.gov/index.cfm?event=GrantApp). The application is posted to the Department of Education's Web site (http://www.ed.gov/fund/grant/apply/grantapps/index.html). The application deadline date is February 26, 2010. The REMS grant competition limits eligibility to local educational agencies (LEAs) and consortia thereof. Note: The REMS grant competition also limits eligibility to applicants that do not have an active grant under this program as of the application deadline date of February 26, 2010. For the purpose of this eligibility requirement, a grant is considered active until the end of the grant's project or funding period, including any extensions of those periods that extend the grantee's authority to obligate funds (71 FR 70369). Therefore, if your grant is still active, your district is not eligible to apply. The FY 2010 REMS application has undergone several changes since the FY 2009 grant competition. Applicants are encouraged to carefully review the application package to ensure that they are responding directly to this year's priority, eligibility requirements, grant requirements, selection criteria and the Government Performance and Results Act measure for this program. We will be scheduling a series of Question and Answer telephone calls during the grant application period to respond to applicant questions. To view the dates and times for those calls, please visit our REMS TA Center Web site at http://rems.ed.gov. For specific questions regarding the REMS grant program, please contact the Competition Manager, Sara Strizzi at sara.strizzi@ed.gov. MARCH The Thurgood Marshall College Fund is looking for National Board Certified Teachers to serve as adjunct faculty for its 2010 Summer Teacher Quality and Retention Institute, a week-long training program designed to equip pre-service teachers with the additional support and training they will need to meet the challenges of teaching in high-need urban and rural schools. Faculty who are selected will be instrumental in preparing pre-service teachers from historically black colleges and universities around the country. For more information, email Misha Lesley at misha.lesley@tmcfund.org or call 713.987.4485. The deadline for applications is March 1, 2010. The interview, selection and notification process will be completed by April 15, 2010. Pregnancy Resources of Mississippi, PROMISS, is launching a public service announcement (PSA) contest entitled, “Wake Up Mississippi!” Mississippi currently ranks number one in the nation for teen pregnancy. We hope to receive entries from Mississippi 's youth that address this problem and encourage people in Mississippi to Wake Up and respond to this epidemic. Entries may be in audio or video format and must address the issue of teen pregnancy. We are open to new approaches and encourage all students in grades nine– college to submit their entries. The entries may use forms of drama, comedy, or narrative to address teen pregnancy and must be received no later than March 1, 2010. This is a great chance to highlight your organization and show off your talent! Winning entries will be aired throughout Mississippi and winners will have their photo taken for an article to be published in local newspapers. Please contact PROMISS at 228-297-6477 or promiss@i-55.com for complete list of rules and guidelines. The Manship House Museum will also host Growing Up in Mississippi: 1857–1888 Thursdays and Fridays, March 4 – April 30. Students kindergarten through fourth grade will try their hands at the chores, lessons and games that would have been a part of a child’s life in late Victorian Mississippi. Students will also receive a tour of the Manship House Museum. Mississippi Department of Archives and History Manship House Museum is located at 420 East Fortification Street Jackson, MS. The event is free of charge but reservations are required. Call 601-961-4724 or email: info@manshiphouse.com. Middle and High School Teachers can register now for the FREE third quarter online assessments available March 1 through March 5, 2010. Following the completion of the third quarter assessments, the regional winners will be announced. Winning teams for 2009-2010 competition are provided with prizes ranging from $100 per team member for each region of the state to $1,000 scholarships and an all expense paid trip to Kansas City, MO. Regional winners of the high school MS Economics Challenge will be invited to Jackson for the State Economics Challenge to be held on Thursday, March 25. The winning team of the high school MS Financial Literacy Challenge will be invited to compete in the National Personal Financial Literacy Challenge in Kansas City on May 20. For information, contact the Mississippi Council on Economic Education at mscee@millsaps.edu or Phone: 601-974-1325. To register go to www.econchallenge.org and/or www.financechallenge.org. Results are in for the first quarter of the Mississippi Online Financial and Economic Literacy Competition for Middle and High School students, which is the final opportunity to qualify for the prizes. The Challenges are sponsored by Bank Plus, Blue Cross & Blue Shield of Mississippi and the Mississippi Council on Economic Education. It time to submit nominations for the 2010 National School Change Awards, co-sponsored by the American Association of School Administrators (AASA). During the first ten years of this award, there were 714 nominations from 44 states. The United States Department of Education joins in conducting a national change awards ceremony in New York City each July. At that time, the 25 finalists are saluted and a $5,000.00 check is presented to each of the six awardees. Additionally, each winning school’s principal is a guest for the National Principals Leadership Institute, a local awards ceremony is conducted at each school site and the school is involved in a national research project. The deadline for materials to be submitted is March 4th, 2010. A downloadable application form and more information are available at www.npli.org/nsca. Please contact Jason Benjamin at 646.233.2941 or jbenjamin@npli.org if you would like hard copies of the brochure sent to you or if you have any questions. The Fay B. Kaigler Children's Book Festival will be held April 7-9, 2010, at the University of Southern Mississippi Thad Cochran Center . For more information on the festival and online registration, please visit http://www.usm.edu/bookfest or contact Karen Rowell at Karen.Rowell@usm.edu or (601) 266-4510. Jim Henson's Fantastic World, a Smithsonian Traveling Exhibition, is now on view through March 14, 2010, at the Mississippi Museum of Art. For more information, visit http://www.msmuseumart.org/jim-hensons-fantastic-world.html . To schedule a tour of Jim Henson's Fantastic World, please contact Ivy Alley at 601-960-1515 or ialley@msmuseumart.org. The Mississippi Department of Education is accepting applications for the Robert C. Byrd Honors Scholarship Program. The federally funded program is named in honor of Senator Robert C. Byrd of West Virginia . The scholarship program is open to graduating high school seniors and eligible general education development recipients. Furthermore, the scholarship program will award 65 to 70 scholarships worth $1,500 each. The scholarships are renewable for up to three additional years of undergraduate study at any postsecondary institution of higher education in the United States excluding military academies. Applications for the Robert C. Byrd Honors Scholarship Program are available through local school district superintendents, high school principals, headmasters, high school counselors or the Mississippi Department of Education (MDE) at 601- 359-4305. Also, the application maybe downloaded from MDE's Web site at www.mde.k12.ms.us/scholarship/scholdev.html. The deadline for submission of the application is March 31, 2010 . All applications must be postmarked by the deadline. APRIL New Stage Theatre has a few shows this spring that have matinees available for students. For more information or to purchase tickets, please call 601-948-3533. Presenting A Play - Focuses on the different aspects of play production, culminating in a class! Mondays, April 12 through May 10, 5:30 p.m. - 7 p.m. Cost: $100. Dividing the Estate - Written by Horton Foote; SchoolFest Matinees: April 15 & 22 at 10 a.m. (High School appropriate) JUNE LEADERSHIP STUDIES PROGRAM - JUNE 13 – 18, 2010 The Leadership Studies Program, is a one-week residential program designed for students in grades six through 11, who have a desire to develop and enhance their leadership abilities. Students will be housed in dormitories on the campus of The University of Southern Mississippi in Hattiesburg, Mississippi. Tuition includes room, board, recreational activities and limited accident insurance. Leadership I is a program with specific emphasis on leadership skills. Training will include those areas necessary for leadership development: fundamentals of leadership, written and oral communication, group dynamics, problem solving, planning, personal skills and decision making. Avenues for becoming leaders in the schools, communities and religious affiliations will be utilized to heighten the awareness and development of leadership potential. Leadership II is a continuation of the program, with Leadership I as a prerequisite for entry. It is an intense study to further develop leadership concepts and qualities. Emphasis is placed on the psychology of leadership, assertiveness training and situational leadership. SUMMER GIFTED STUDIES PROGRAM - JUNE 20 – 25, 2010 The Summer Gifted Studies Program, a one-week residential program designed for intellectually gifted students in grades four through eight with intelligence quotients of 120 or above on an individually administered test or the 90th percentile or above at the national level on an achievement test. The program enhances the cognitive abilities of gifted students through planned enrichment/acceleration activities. Content areas are combined with processing skills to enable students to explore a wide variety of topics. Students will be housed in dormitories on the campus of The University of Southern Mississippi in The Office of Educator Licensure would like to remind all school districts that hire teachers on emergency licenses that 3-year Interim Certificates (IC) that expire on June 30, 2010 cannot be renewed. In December of 2009, all educators that hold a 3-year Interim Certificate expiring at the end of this school year were sent a letter reminding them that they must be working diligently to obtain a standard license. These teachers must qualify for a traditional teacher education license or alternate route license or vocational license before next year or they cannot be rehired. Please contact the Office of Educator Licensure at 601-359-3483 if you have questions. JULY NEH Summer Institute for School Teachers present "Social Movements in Modern America: Labor, Civil Rights and Feminism" Teachers are invited to apply for our three-week summer institute at Indiana University in Bloomington July 11-31, 2010. Together we will examine the pivotal role of three major social movements in America: their history, their interrelationships and their transformative political and cultural impact over the last century. For more information, eligibility requirements and application instructions, visit http://www.indiana.edu/~inst2010 or contact Dr. Barbara Truesdell, barbara@indiana.edu.Your application must be postmarked or received electronically no later than March 2, 2010. This summer institute is co-sponsored by the Center on Congress and the Center for the Study of History and Memory at Indiana University. SUMMER PROGRAM FOR ACADEMICALLY TALENTED YOUTH - JULY 4 – 23, 2010 The Summer Program for Academically Talented Youth, a three-week residential program, is designed for students in grades seven through 10 who qualify based on SAT or ACT results. A variety of intensive, fast-paced courses will be offered, such as mathematics, including Algebra I and II, geometry, trigonometry, calculus and modern analysis; physics; human anatomy/physiology; marine biology; forensic science; polymer science; political science; psychology; criminal justice; creative writing; and debate. The program is designed to include appropriate academic, cultural and recreational experiences. The University of Southern Mississippi offers the program through cooperative efforts with the Duke University Talent Identification Program. Tuition includes the instructional program, books, room and board, recreational activities, and limited accident insurance. Financial aid is available based on need and on a limited basis. VACANCIES To inform you of vacancies in school districts, we provide a link each week to a list of school district openings. This list, updated monthly, is compiled by the Mississippi Teacher Center and includes job openings for administrators and teachers. Superintendents, please encourage all schools within your district to submit their vacancies to your office. To view the current monthly list, visit http://www.mde.k12.ms.us/mtc/vacancy.htm . For information on employment in the MDE, contact the Office of Human Resources at 601-359-3511 or visit the "Active Recruitment List" on the State Personnel Board Web site at http://www.spb.state.ms.us/ for a list of openings in all state agencies. |
