Information for Educators

Posted on October 1, 2008

Information For Educators

Fall Web Curator Conference to Be Held November 4
Be Green: Sales Tax Holiday on Energy Star and WaterSense Qualified Products to Take Place October 10-13
Spring 2009 Academy Course Requests Due
October 17

2008 United Way Campaign to Go Paperless and to Begin on October 20
Marymount University’s Professional Development School Information Sessions Scheduled for October 2, 15, 20, 22, and 29
Fulbright Teacher Exchanges Available for 2009-10 School Year, Application Deadline Is October 3

Fall Web Curator Conference to Be Held November 4

The FCPS web curator user group is an informal group of school-based and office web publishers. The annual fall Web Curators Conference will be held on Tuesday, November 4, at Gatehouse Administration Center I with breakfast and registration beginning at 7:30 a.m.

The keynote session will begin at 8:30 a.m., and workshops will continue until 12:30 p.m. Registration is available through MyPLT. Breakout sessions will include Creating Web Banners With Photoshop, Design With Style, Online and Instructor Led Training Opportunities in FCPS, How to Write Valid Web Pages, Dreamweaver Extensions, and Streaming Videos for Your Web Site, with an update on the future of web sites in FCPS.

For more information, contact Nancy Moy at 571-423-1221 or nancy.moy@fcps.edu.

Be Green: Sales Tax Holiday on Energy Star and WaterSense Qualified Products to Take Place October 10-13

The state of Virginia will hold a sales tax holiday from Friday, October 10, through Monday, October 13.

What's Exempt: During this period, purchases of certain Energy Star and WaterSense qualified products purchased for noncommercial use and costing $2,500 or less will be exempt from sales tax. The exempt Energy Star items include dishwashers, clothes washers, refrigerators, air conditioners, ceiling fans, compact fluorescent light bulbs, and programmable thermostats that carry the Energy Star designation. The exempt WaterSense items include bathroom sink faucets, faucet accessories, and toilets. Retailers may also choose to absorb the tax on other items during the holiday period, but they are responsible for paying the tax on those items to the Department of Taxation.

Complete information on the Energy Star and WaterSense sales tax holiday has been posted:

Spring 2009 Academy Course Requests Due October 17

It is time to look ahead to the spring Academy semester time line. A review process is necessary to ensure that course information and supporting documents are complete. Course requests, especially new ones, should be submitted as early as possible, but no later than October 17, to facilitate this process.

Request forms are available online at http://fcpsnet.fcps.edu/plt/CCRindex.htm. The spring catalog will be online by December 5, and registration will begin Monday, January 5.

October 17—Course requests due.
January 5—Registration begins.
January 16—Registration ends.
January 26—Classes begin.
June 5—Classes end.

General Course Information

Enrollment maximum is set at 30. Requester must provide justification if requesting less than 30.
A resumé must be submitted if the instructor is a new Academy teacher.
Technology classes must be held in a facility that has at least 20 workstations.

Approved Course Information

Complete the approved course request form when submitting a request. The form can be downloaded from the web site http://fcpsnet.fcps.edu/plt/CCRindex.htm.
A resumé must be submitted if the instructor is a new Academy teacher.
Courses offered through GMU must have an updated syllabus each semester.

New Course Information

Complete the course application for new courses and include a one-page application and description of the proposed course with appropriate signatures.
Include the course syllabus and current resumé if the instructor is new to the Academy.
State clearly whether the course is to be assigned a special designation, e.g., SOL, content, or validation of technology standards. Content designation requires approval from the Department of Human Resources and the state, a process that takes 6-8 weeks.

Spring classes may begin on or after January 26. If you have any questions about offering courses that are already approved, call Betty Davis at 703-204-4085. If you have questions about new course requests, call Elma Hinson at 703-204-4002.

2008 United Way Campaign to Go Paperless and to Begin on October 20

The start of the FCPS 2008-09 United Way campaign Dare to Share: Your Time! Your Talent! Your Treasures! is fast approaching—October 20.

New for 2008—FCPS will be running a green campaign. Recognizing the importance of preserving our natural resources, FCPS has partnered with the United Way of the National Capital Area (UWNCA) to provide all FCPS employees with an easy way to contribute to community organizations through an online pledge system that’s easy, safe and secure. Just four clicks … and you’re done.

We all win when children and families are healthy and financially stable. UWNCA is working to advance the common good by focusing on education, income and health. These are the building blocks for a good life—a quality education that leads to a stable job, enough income to support a family through retirement, and good health.

Watch for more information on how you can Dare to Share! and other and updates about the campaign through fanouts and Supergram and by going to http://fcpsnet.fcps.edu/unitedway/index.htm.

Marymount University’s Professional Development School Information Sessions Scheduled for October 2, 15, 20, 22, and 29

Are you an instructional assistant or a substitute teacher who wants to earn a graduate degree and a license to teach? Do you know someone who might make a great teacher?

If you hold a bachelor's degree and want to become a teacher, you can earn a master of education degree and licensure to teach in 12 to 17 months.

Marymount University's Graduate School of Education and Graduate Admissions office is hosting information sessions for prospective teachers who want to learn about Marymount's unique professional development schools (PDS), a collaborative partnership with Fairfax County Public Schools.

To learn more, attend one of our information sessions to be held on the following choice of dates and times:

October 2 (Thursday)—Woodlawn Elementary (cafeteria), 5:30 p.m. and 7 p.m.
October 15 (Wednesday)—Silverbrook Elementary (library), 5:30 p.m. and 7 p.m.
October 20 (Monday)—Hutchison Elementary (room 216), 5:30 p.m. and 7 p.m.
October 22 (Wednesday)—Aldrin Elementary (theater), 5:30 p.m. and 7 p.m.
October 29 (Wednesday)—Sunrise Valley Elementary (library), 5:30 p.m. and 7 p.m.

At the session, you will learn about PDS, a full-time program that integrates a minds-on and hands-on internship in FCPS PDS schools with graduate education coursework, and about financial incentives that accompany this program. The next PDS internship program begins in fall 2009, with graduation in May 2010.

Programs include a way to earn these degrees and endorsements:

M.Ed. in elementary education (preK-6) in 12 months, including licensure in general education (preK-6).
M.Ed. in learning disabilities (K-grade 12) in 12-17 months, including licensure in learning disabilities (K-grade 12).
M.Ed. in learning disabilities (K-grade 12) in 17 months, including licensure in learning disabilities (K-grade 12) with licensure endorsement in elementary education (preK-grade 6).

Note: Marymount graduate courses for all learning disabilities and learning disabilities-preK-6 interns begin in January 2009. Courses for preK-6 interns begin in August 2009. The full-time internship in schools for all programs (learning disabilities, learning disabilities-preK-6, and preK-6) begins in August 2009.

To RSVP, send an e-mail to Carolyn.Kazemi@fcps.edu or Jean.Massie@fcps.edu. If you're interested in learning more, but cannot attend an information session, call Debbie Jacobs, associate director of graduate admissions for M.Ed. programs, at 703-284-5905, or send an e-mail to debbie.jacobs@marymount.edu.

Fulbright Teacher Exchanges Available for 2009-10 School Year, Application Deadline Is October 3

Overseas teacher exchange opportunities are available for the 2009-10 school year. FCPS participates in the school-year direct exchanges. Other short-term exchanges are not supported by FCPS because of the impact on instructional programs. In addition to meeting the Fulbright eligibility requirements, applicants must have taught for three years in FCPS prior to the exchange year. Opportunities and other eligibility requirements vary by country.

Information and applications are available from the USIA Fulbright Teacher Exchange program at 1-800-726-0479 or by e-mail at fulbright@grad.usda.gov. The application is also available online by going to www.fulbrightexchanges.org. All applications must be approved by FCPS prior to submission.

All FCPS applications must be submitted to the Department of Professional Learning and Training, Dunn Loring Center. Applications must be received no later than Friday, October 3, to meet the Fulbright deadline. Applications will then be submitted by FCPS directly to Fulbright. For more information, call Patty Dimetres at
703-204-3934.