Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority Named FCPS 2009 Business Partner of the Year

The Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority (MWAA) has been named the Fairfax County Public Schools 2008-09 Partner of the Year for its work with Sandburg Middle School. MWAA was honored at the 22nd annual FCPS business-school partnership reception and awards ceremony held May 14. (watch related video)

MWAA was recognized for its 19-year partnership with Sandburg Middle and for the creative way the organization has worked with the school and its students. Chief executive officer James Bennett serves as principal for a day at the school each year, and Sandburg principal Wendy Eaton serves as CEO of MWAA one day each summer. Student studio and performing artists have a venue for their work at Reagan National Airport; their artwork is hung year-round in the historic terminal, and students in the orchestra, jazz band, and chorus perform regularly at the airport. During the holiday season, students create ornaments for a tree displayed in the baggage claim area. 

For Sandburg’s annual Career Day, MWAA provides professionals representing many different positions to talk about their careers. Employees also participate in a reading mentor program and talk to students about money management. MWAA fire department members volunteer their time to provide CPR, AED (cardiopulmonary resuscitation, automated external defibrillator) training to Sandburg staff members. MWAA employees adopt needy Sandburg families during the holidays, and, each year, the group presents each of two students with a citizenship award and a cash prize.

Other winners include:

• Herndon United Methodist Church, Community Partnership Award.
• Mitre Corporation, Career and Technical Education Award.
• Trible's Inc., Career Connections Award.
• Capital One and the Heart of American Foundation, Blue Ribbon Award for Outstanding Event, for their Library READesignSM project at Glen Forest Elementary School.
• Washington Metropolitan Airports Authority, Blue Ribbon Award for Improving Reading, Writing, and Speaking.
• West Potomac High School and Bucknell Elementary School, School-Based Mentoring Award.
  
• Coldwell Banker and Louise Archer Elementary School, Outstanding Mentoring Partnership Award.
• Santana's 30/30 Club, Blue Ribbon Award for Promoting Appropriate Student Behavior.

For more information, go to http://commweb.fcps.edu/newsreleases/newsrelease.cfm?newsid=1173.

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May 22 Is Application Deadline for 2009-10 Secondary Great Beginnings Coaches

The Department of Professional Learning and Training (PLT) is seeking coaches for the secondary Great Beginnings programs for the 2009-10 school year. Critical needs areas include math, language arts, ESOL, and special education. Current secondary 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.

Completed applications with the principal recommendation and colleague recommendation should be submitted by May 22 for consideration.

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

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Additional National Board for Professional Teaching Standards Information Meeting Added on May 28

A National Board for Professional Teaching Standards (NBPTS) information meeting on the certification process will be held from 5 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. on Thursday, May 28, in training room 1 at the Dunn Loring Center, 2334 Gallows Rd., Dunn Loring, VA 22027. This is in addition to the meeting being 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 and 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 and 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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Register Now for 2009 Academic Diversity Institute

The Academic Diversity Institute is a one-day summer opportunity designed to further develop the expertise of
prekindergarten-12 teachers and administrators as they work to challenge and engage all learners. It is offered through the collaborative efforts of a wide range of FCPS offices and departments.

This year’s institute will be held at West Potomac High School on August 19 from 8 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Breakfast will be provided starting at 7:30 a.m., and participants will receive compensation at the rate of $15 per hour in addition to recertification hours assigned through MyPLT.

This year’s keynote speaker is Rafe Esquith, who has been described as “one of America’s most beloved and celebrated schoolteachers and living proof that patience, understanding, love, and imagination can work miracles.” He has written two books, Teach Like Your Hair's on Fire: The Methods and Madness Inside Room 56 and There Are No Shortcuts: Changing the World One Kid at a Time.

Registration will open in MyPLT on May 20 at 4 p.m. Search for “Diversity” in the course title. (Please note: If you teach in a modified calendar school, you will register directly with your principal.) For more information, go to http://fcpsnet.fcps.edu/is/summeroflearning/diversity.htm.

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Summer Academy Registration Now Open

The FCPS Summer Academy catalog is now available online at http://www.fcps.edu/plt/catalogs.htm. Online registration will be available beginning May 20 at 4 p.m. 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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June 30 Is Deadline for Summer 2009 Tuition Reimbursement Requests

Changes in the FCPS Tuition Reimbursement Program became effective with the spring 2009 semester. The newly enacted Tuition Assistance Regulation 9005 establishes five priorities for tuition reimbursement and can be found at http://www.fcps.edu/plt/treimbursement.htm. The regulation outlines the approval process, when and how to apply for tuition reimbursement, and the Tuition Reimbursement Request Form (PLT-905).

When to Apply for Tuition Reimbursement

• Tuition reimbursement must be pre-approved.
• The last date to submit a summer 2009 Tuition Reimbursement Request form PLT-905) is June 30.
• A request for tuition reimbursement will not be approved after the last day on which a course meets.
• The employee must complete the new (PLT-905) tuition reimbursement request form located at http://www.fcps.edu/plt/treimbursement.htm and submit the completed application to the Department of Professional Learning and Training, Dunn Loring Center.
• Upon receipt of the request, the Department of Professional Learning and Training will notify the employee of the approval or denial of their request. Once a tuition reimbursement request is approved, the funds will be held in reserve for the employee.

How to Receive a Tuition Reimbursement Payment

To receive a reimbursement payment for spring 2009 and summer 2009 tuition reimbursement requests:

• Tuition reimbursement payments will be initiated after the approved  course has been satisfactorily completed with a grade of “A”, or “B”, or “Pass” (if it is Pass/Fail) for a graduate-level course or “C” or better for an undergraduate course as verified by an unofficial university transcript and/or grade report and proof-of-payment from the college or university.
• Grade verification and proof of payment for spring 2009 and summer 2009 coursework ending on or before June 30, must be received by the Department of Professional Learning and Training, Dunn Loring Center, by June 30.
• Tuition reimbursement payments are paid monthly and are included in the employee’s paycheck.

Note: The cost of textbooks, miscellaneous fees, travel, etc., is not reimbursed by the tuition reimbursement program. Substitutes, hourly paid employees, and employees on leaves of absence are ineligible for tuition reimbursement. Final determination of an employee’s eligibility for tuition reimbursement shall rest with the assistant superintendent, Department of Professional Learning and Training, or his or her designee.

Questions regarding tuition reimbursement should be directed to Rita Cloutier, Department of Professional Learning and Training, by phone at 703-204-3905 or by e-mail to Rita.Cloutier@fcps.edu.

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2009 Leadership Conference Speaker Announced

The 2009 Leadership Conference is scheduled for Wednesday, August 5, at Hayfield Secondary School in Alexandria. Dr. Jack D. Dale will kick off the day promptly at 8 a.m. with a welcome, introduction of guests, and his vision for the new 2009-10 school year. The morning keynote speaker will be Tony Wagner, bestselling author of The Global Achievement Gap. Wagner is co-director of the Change Leadership Group (CLG) at the Harvard Graduate School of Education. He consults with schools, districts, and foundations and has served as senior advisor to the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.

Dr. Dale will dismiss support administrators at 11:45 a.m., and shuttle bus service will be available for transportation back to initial pick up locations. Instructional school-based administrators will remain for a keynote presentation in the high school cafeteria where a box lunch will be served. To facilitate efficient use of time in the afternoon, lunch will be served from 11:45 a.m.-12:45 p.m. Breakout sessions will begin promptly at 1 p.m. Shuttle buses will pick up administrators immediately after the sessions end at 3:45 p.m.

Updates will be posted as they become available on the Department of Professional Learning and Training web site, found at http://www.fcps.edu/plt.

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