Kentucky Teacher

Teachers can share ideas and practices by presenting a session at the annual Kentucky Council of Teachers of Mathematics (KCTM) Conference. This year’s theme is Driving the Standards: Content and Practices. The conference will be Oct. 8 in Bowling Green. Presenters are needed to share their expertise in any and all mathematics areas, particularly those knowledgeable on the new common core standards.

Go to www.kctm.org/ to submit a speaker proposal. Proposals are due by Aug. 1. The conference flyer can be accessed at KCTMConFlyer2011.pdf.

For more information, contact Julie Dunn.

The Danville (Independent) Schools Education Foundation will host a statewide National School Foundation Association (NSFA) training for school education foundations Sept. 15-16.

Training sessions for both days are geared for both school education foundations that are just beginning to organize and established foundations that need additional guidance.

Sessions include:

• K-12 Foundation Management Introductory Program
• Strategic Planning for K-12 Foundation Leadership; Starting a School Foundation
• Effectively Marketing a School Foundation; Fundraising for Schools and Districts
• Successful School Grant Writing Techniques

NSFA Executive Director Jim Collogan will provide much of the training with additional assistance from Jennie King, who chairs a successful education foundation. In addition, well-known presenter Fred Campos will be on hand for the Friday luncheon with his presentation “Successful Social Networking for your K-12 Foundation.”

The training on Sept. 15 will be at First Baptist Church of Danville from 8:30 a.m. to noon ET. The training on Sept. 16 will be at Eastern Kentucky University’s Danville Campus from 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. ET.

For more information, contact Kathy Belcher at (859) 936-8586.

More than 50,000 students in 128 Kentucky elementary schools will enjoy fresh produce in the 2011-12 school year as part of a federal Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Program (FFVP) implemented through the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA).

The FFVP provides all children in participating schools with a variety of free fresh fruits and vegetables throughout the school day. It is an effective and creative way of introducing fresh fruits and vegetables as healthy snack options. The FFVP also encourages community partnerships to support the schools when they offer free fruit and vegetables to children during the school day.

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From KSBA Executive Director Bill Scott

As Kentucky implements Senate Bill 1, the most comprehensive reforms since the passage of KERA (Kentucky Education Reform Act), board teams will be challenged to fully comprehend their specific roles and responsibilities related to the new standards, assessments and accountability system. KSBA is acutely aware of these pressures as district personnel translate the Commonwealth Commitment to College and/or Career Readiness into the reality of local teaching and learning.

KSBA has created a series of board team professional development workshops designed to assist members in this area. Because research indicates that the most effective district leaders learn together as board/superintendent teams, these trainings are designed to be provided on site by a KSBA trainer.

• All Students College and Career Ready – This two-hour session is designed to help boards better understand the purpose of Senate Bill 1 as it relates to college and career readiness for all students. Board teams will review the requirements of the law and receive the most current information related to the new standards, testing measures and district strategies related to this goal. All components of the law are discussed within the context of the specific roles and responsibilities of the local board.
• Shaping Our Future: A School Board’s Guide to the TELL Kentucky Working Conditions Survey – This 90- minute session was designed by KSBA and the New Teacher Center, the consulting group that created and managed the TELL Kentucky survey. Board teams will gain a better understanding of their districts’ results as well as how these results can be used to improve conditions for their staff. Discussions will focus on how the five leadership roles of effective school boards can be utilized to translate survey results into improved working conditions for district staff.

As the Kentucky Board of Education and Department of Education implement additional aspects of this agenda, KSBA will develop more training modules. For more information or to schedule one of the above sessions for your board, contact Kerri Schelling, KSBA director of Board Team Development, at (800) 372-2962.

A new advising toolkit will help districts keep students in school, better prepare them for postsecondary options and increase the number of students who are college/career ready.

The toolkit, Your Future Ahead, is available to all school districts free of charge. It was developed by staff at the Kentucky Department of Education (KDE).

“College and career advising is a vital component of KDE’s persistence to graduation strategy and college- and career-readiness plan,” said Kentucky Education Commissioner Terry Holliday.

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The Kentucky Department of Education’s Coordinated School Health team will be hosting two free summer professional development events, each offering three hours of credit. Both will feature useful resources for integration with Professional Learning Communities for the upcoming school year.

Both events will be July 25 at Western Kentucky University and July 26 at Murray State University.

Healthy Schools Program is for K-12 school wellness teachers.

FIT4FUN Reader is for elementary physical education wellness and classroom teachers.

For more information, contact Jamie Sparks at (502) 564-2706, ext. 4539.

To increase youth readership and encourage student reading during summer vacation, First Lady Jane Beshear has announced her Top 10 Summer Reads as a part of the First Lady’s Reading Recommendations Initiative.

Beshear introduced the Reading Recommendations program in the summer of 2009 and issues reading lists four times per year.

2011 Summer Reading List

1. Tale of Despereaux, by Katie DiCamillo (ages 7-12)
2. The Name of this Book is Secret, by Pseudonymous Bosch (ages 8-12)
3. The Lorax, by Dr. Seuss (ages 5-8)
4. The Good Earth, by Pearl S. Buck (ages 14 and up)
5. Turtle in Paradise, by Jennifer L. Holm (ages 9-12)
6. The Very Hungry Caterpillar, by Eric Carl (birth – preschool)
7. The Great Gatsby, by F. Scott Fitzgerald (ages 14 and up)
8. The Story of Babar, by Jean de Brunhoff (ages 3-8)
9. Ship Breaker, by Paolo Bacigalupi (ages 13 and up)
10. Chicka Chicka Boom Boom, by Bill Martin Jr. (ages 4-8)

The College of Design at the University of Kentucky will offer a Summer Career Discovery Program open to all upper-level high school students. This intensive, two-week program, which runs from July 11-22, is designed to introduce students to architecture and design practice.

The centerpiece of the program will be an intensive design studio in which students will be challenged to think creatively and analyze and present their work to peers and professionals. In addition to the design studio, students will broaden their experience of the design professions through lectures, field trips, office visits and workshops.

For more information about this program, contact Derrick Meads at (859) 257-5367.