Beth Tally Named News Liaison of the Month for March

Beth Tally, career and transition teacher at Chantilly Academy, has been named the News Liaison of the Month for March by the Department of Communications and Community Outreach (DCCO). This new recognition program rewards school news liaisons for submitting newsworthy media tips and creative photographs.

Tally regularly submits news releases to the Connection, the Times, and the Chronicle Newspapers touting the accomplishments of Chantilly Academy students and staff members. Among her March submissions were an article on the Chantilly Academy Robotics team and Chantilly High DECA students. She also submitted photos of DECA club members and winners at the state DECA competition as well as photos of SkillsUSA competition winners.

Tally, who has been employed by FCPS for nine years and at Chantilly Academy for seven years, received a $25 gift card from Starbucks for being named March’s News Liaison of the Month.

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Summer Academy Catalog Available Online on May 7, Registration Begins May 20

The FCPS Summer Academy catalog will be available online beginning May 7 at http://www.fcps.edu/plt/catalogs.htm. Online registration will be available beginning May 20. All employees must register through MyPLT.

Follow these steps to use My PLT for the first time:

• Go to http://www.fcps.edu/plt/MyPLT/index.html.  
  
• Click on the LOGIN button.
• Type your FCPS domain name in the username field.
  
• Type the same domain name in the password field.
  
• Click on the LOGIN button.
  
• You will be prompted to type a new password with a maximum length of eight characters.

If you have problems with your user name or password, contact the IT Service Desk at 703-503-1600 or ITServiceDesk@fcps.edu.

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National Board for Professional Teaching Standards Information Meeting Set for May 21

A National Board for Professional Teaching Standards (NBPTS) information meeting on the certification process will be held from 4:30 to 5:30 p.m. on Thursday, May 21, in the Instruction and Professional Development (IPD) room at the Fairfax Education Association (FEA) office, located at 3917 Old Lee Highway, Fairfax, VA 22030.

The NBPTS seeks to establish and maintain high and rigorous standards for what accomplished teachers should know and be able to do. Each candidate for NBPTS certification undergoes an assessment process that includes four portfolios of the teacher’s work and six assessment center exercises.

NBPTS certification is available in the following fields for secondary teachers: English/language arts, math, science, social studies, career and technical studies, health education, music, foreign language, physical education, and art.  Generalist certificates, as well as art, music, and physical education certificates, are available for elementary school teachers. 

Certificates are also available for teachers of students with exceptional needs (students birth to 18+), library media (students 3 to 18+), and for teachers of English as a new language (ages 3 to18+), literacy: reading-language arts (ages 3 to12), and school counseling (ages 3 to18+).

Fairfax County Public Schools has more than 300 teachers certified by the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards (NBPTS) at the elementary, middle, and high school levels. The Virginia Department of Education and FCPS offer stipends, dependent on budget availability, to teachers who attain NBPTS certification.

If you plan to attend or need additional information about NBPTS, send an e-mail to Patty Dimetres, national board program manager, Department of Professional Learning and Training, at patricia.dimetres@fcps.edu.

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Teacher Transfer Opportunity (Transfair) to Be Held May 5-7; Vacancy Lists Available April 30 on UConnect

Clusters I, II, III	Clusters IV, V, VI	Clusters VII, VIII
May 5	May 6	May 7
3:30 to 9 p.m.	3:30 to 9 p.m.	3:30 to 9 p.m.
Marshall High School	Lee High School	Centreville High School

Transfair specifies specific times that are devoted to principal interviews of teachers interested in changing work locations. Three evenings are dedicated to the interviewing process during the spring.

A vacancy list will be be posted on UConnect on April 30. Teachers wanting to transfer should call individual schools from May 1 through May 7 to schedule appointments. The deadline for transfers is August 1. The last day to transfer from a modified calendar school (MCS) is July 2.

For more information, go to http://www.fcps.edu/DHR/employees/transfair.htm.

Please Note: Transfair is open only to current full-time FCPS teachers who want to move to another work location while staying in the same teaching assignment.

For instructional positions, the date for resignation without prejudice is June 1. This date is consistent with all other school systems in Northern Virginia. To resign, an employee fills out an HR-2 form, Notification of Resignation or Retirement, and submits it to his or her program manager for signature. Employees who resign after the June 1 deadline may jeopardize their rehire status.

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Partners in Education and MentorWorks Award Nomination Deadline Is April 17; Celebration Set for May 14

Honor your exceptional business partners and mentors by nominating them for a Partners in Education award. Nominations are currently being accepted to recognize the many valuable contributions being made by business and organization partners in Fairfax County.

Eligibility

School partners are broadly defined as those companies, organizations, or individuals who give assistance to a school for the purpose of furthering student achievement and who receive no remuneration for their efforts.

All partnerships nominated must be officially listed on the FCPS 2008-09 Partners in Education roster or be involved with MentorWorks or Career Connections.

The deadline for nominations is 1:30 p.m. on April 17, and the results will be announced at the Partners in Education and MentorWorks Celebration on May 14 at Falls Church High School from 3:30 to 5:30 p.m.

For more information on criteria or procedures, or to obtain a nomination form, go to http://fcpsnet.fcps.edu/cco/buscompart/awards.shtml.

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Applications Due April 24 for 2009-10 Great Beginnings Coaches

The Department of Professional Learning and Training (PLT) is seeking coaches for the elementary and secondary Great Beginnings programs for the 2009-10 school year. Current classroom teachers who have an interest in supporting beginning teachers should consider applying. All Great Beginnings coaches receive a stipend of approximately $3,000 as well as recertification points. Applicants should possess the following:

• A minimum of three years’ successful teaching experience in FCPS.
• Extensive knowledge of curriculum and instruction, FCPS instructional goals and expectations, and solid classroom management skills.
• A strong desire to work with beginning teachers to support their growth and learning in the profession.
• Strong communication and human relations skills.
• A commitment to collaboration and teamwork.

Interested applicants must be available two days per month for professional development and after-school seminars during the school year. Applicants must also be available August 17-21 for coach professional development and
August 24-28 for the Great Beginnings Summer Institute. The application, a principal recommendation, a colleague recommendation, and an interview are required. Applicants may also be visited in their classrooms by the program managers.

Application packets are available at http://www.fcps.edu/plt/greatb.htm. For more information, call 703-204-4061.

Completed applications with the principal recommendation and colleague recommendation must be received by Friday, April 24.

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Proposals for Summer Leadership Seminars Due by April 28

The Department of Professional Learning and Training (PLT) is now accepting proposals for summer leadership seminars (formerly Leadership Academy seminars). Summer seminar offerings run from June 23 to August 19.

Registration for these seminars will be offered through the new online leadership publication PLT Compass. The goal of PLT Compass is to provide direction, instruction, and inspiration for current and aspiring school-based, central office, and support administrators; teacher leaders; and school teams within FCPS. Each issue has an overall theme; the theme for the summer issue is “Closing the Gap.”

FCPS personnel may submit leadership seminar proposals through the online proposal form at http://www.fcps.edu/plt/Leaders/Programs/Leadership_Seminars.htm. The deadline to submit a proposal is April 28.

For further information contact Janet Kabel at Janet.Kabel@fcps.edu.

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