Kentucky Teacher

The Kentucky Arts Council has several opportunities available to teachers and schools. They include:

Teaching Art Together (formerly Teacher Initiated Program) is a grant that enables teachers to collaborate with and bring to the school a professional teaching artist. Artists are available in a variety of disciplines (dance, music, video, folk arts, literary, storytelling, theatre and visual art) and are spread across the state.

The deadline for fall residencies is April 1, 2013. Visit the webpage now to learn more: http://artscouncil.ky.gov/Grants/TAT.htm

TranspARTation is a bus subsidy grant that aids schools in paying for field trips to approved arts organizations. The grant amount is based on mileage from your school to the organization and the minimum is $100. The next deadline is June 1, 2013 for field trips from July 1 – Dec. 31, 2013. Currently there are four deadlines a year, so check out the one that is best for you. Go to the webpage to learn more: http://artscouncil.ky.gov/Grants/TranspARTation.htm Continue Reading

Video support of the Kentucky Framework for Teaching based on the Danielson Framework for Teaching is available to all educators in Kentucky through CIITS and PD 360 resources.

Teachers and leaders can access multiple videos aligned to each component of the framework. Support for topics such as differentiated instruction, higher-order questioning, classroom climate, exceptional learners and instructional leadership is available.

To view these resources, access PD 360 from CIITS and click on “Focus”. On the applications bar, click “State/Province” on the gray bar below the applications, and topics are listed under the heading “Kentucky.”

Additionally, several recorded webinars on how to best utilize all the applications located in PD360 are available for Kentucky leaders. These recordings can be found on the “PD/Videos” application link, just below the videos library.

Grant funding is available from the Kentucky Arts Council for teachers and schools seeking assistance with transportation costs to and from arts events.

Kentucky schools, public or private, supporting grades pre-K through 12 may apply for a TranspARTation Grant. Grants are awarded based on mileage from the school building to the arts organization or performance venue and the number of buses necessary. There is a minimum grant amount of $100.

Schools must attend activities at one of several pre-approved arts venues. All arts organizations are participants in the Kentucky Arts Partnership program and demonstrate appropriate arts programming and the ability to provide supplemental educational materials to teachers and schools.

The March 1 application deadline applies to field trips that will occur between April 1 and June 30. TranspARTation grants are awarded on a quarterly basis. View guidelines and find an application form online at http://artscouncil.ky.gov/Grants/TranspARTation.htm. For more information about the TranspARTation grant, contact Dan Strauss, senior program analyst, at dan.strauss@ky.gov or (502) 564-3757, ext. 474 

The National Coalition for Core Arts Standards (NCCAS), a partnership of organizations and states leading the revision of the 1994 National Standards for Arts Education, has released a narrative framework that details the rationale, goals, and strategy of the new National Standards for Arts Education.

The National Core Arts Standards: A Conceptual Framework for Arts Learningis available online. Five arts discipline teams are currently writing the standards based on the framework. NCCAS’s current timeline calls for the first public look at the new standards in June 2013.

Several new resources to support schools in implementing Operation Preparation have been posted to the Operation Preparation toolkits available on the Kentucky Department of Education website.

Included is a video which can be downloaded and used to help promote the March event. For questions about Operation Preparation, contact Sharon Johnston, sharon.johnston@educationl.ky.gov or (502) 564-2106, ext. 4517.

Kentucky Secretary of State Alison Lundergan Grimes is making a video available to help support lessons you may be teaching surrounding the presidential inauguration.  The video explains the electoral college and the process by which the President and Vice President are elected.  The video is available on the Kentucky Secretary of State’s website. Educators are encouraged to use it in their classrooms or in your school-wide announcements. Contact the Secretary of State’s office with any questions or for a written summary of the electoral college process.

Associate Commissioner Dale Winkler (Office of Career and Technical Education) and Education Commissioner Terry Holliday made a video recently on the status of career and technical education and what will happen to this area in the future. Administrators are asked to share this video with district principals and teachers.

It can be found at the following link: http://media.education.ky.gov/video1/On-Demand2012/CTE_12-4-2012c.mp4.

The 2013 Kentucky Literacy Celebration, hosted by the Collaborative Center for Literacy Development (CCLD), is scheduled for March 4-8, 2013.

As a part of the pre-event festivities, CCLD is posting daily tips and/or activities to the KLC Facebook page. Those interested may visit the KLC Facebook page to participate in the tips/activities.

Those wishing to include a tip/activity/resource to be posted on the page should e-mail it to Erin Wobbekind.

The Green Strides Webinar Series shows how to reduce a school’s environmental impact and costs; improve health and wellness; and teach effective environmental literacy, including STEM, green careers and civic engagement. Upcoming sessions include:

• Dec. 5, 2012, 2-3 p.m. ET: Fitness, Sports and Nutrition Programs
• Dec. 12, 2012, 4-5 p.m. ET: Solar Energy: Power for Earth, the ISS and Exploring Other Worlds (NASA)
• Dec. 19, 2012, 4-6 p.m. ET: Chipmunk Cheeks and Chicken Legs: Body Systems and Life in Space (NASA)
• Jan. 9, 2013, 3-4 p.m. ET: Using Remote Sensing to Quantify Changes over Time (NASA)
• Jan. 16, 2013, 4-5 p.m. ET: Space Food and Nutrition (NASA)

Earth Savers announces the first public release of its How-To Guide to Starting an Earth Savers Club: Activity Book.

Earth Savers Club partners may request a copy of the guide in their classrooms by e-mailing esc@greeningforward.org. Those who are not Earth Savers Club partners can consider joining the network at www.theearthsaversclub.org.