Last Updated on Saturday, February 04, 2012 at 10:03 PM
February is the second month of the year in the Julian and Gregorian calendars. It is the shortest month and the only month with less than 30 days. In common years, February has 28 days. This is a Leap Year, however, and there are 29 days this month.
February is: Black History Month, Chocolate Lover's Month, National Bird Feeding Month, Age-Related Macular Degeneration/Low Vision Awareness Month, American Heart Month, Children’s Dental Health Month, International Prenatal Infection Prevention Month, Kids ENT (ears, nose, throat) Health Month, Wise Health Care Consumer Month.
Also: Pride in Food Service Week (Feb. 6-10); Kick In to Stop Sarcoidosis Week (Feb. 6-10); Congenital Heart Defect Awareness Week (Feb. 7-14); Cardiac Rehabilitation Week (Feb. 12-18); Cardiovascular Professionals Week (Feb. 12-18); Children of Alcoholics Week (Feb. 12-18); Eating Disorders Awareness Week (Feb. 19-25).
Digital Learning Day(Feb. 1); Groundhog Day (Feb. 2); Give Kids A Smile Day (Feb. 3); World Cancer Day (Feb. 4); Super Bowl XLVI (Feb. 5); Wear Red Day (Feb. 6); World Day for the Sick (Feb. 11); Valentine's Day (Feb. 14), Donor Day (Feb. 14); President's Day (Feb. 20), Mardi Gras (Feb. 21), Ash Wednesday (Feb. 22).
Monopoly board game goes on sale (Feb. 6, 1935); Alan Shepherd hits three golf balls on the moon (Feb. 6, 1971); Glenn Miller receives first-ever gold record for “Chattanooga Choo Choo” (Feb. 10, 1942); post office uses adhesive stamps for first time (Feb. 15, 1842); NBC TV begins its first nightly newscast (Feb. 16, 1948); Former planet Pluto discovered (Feb. 18, 1930); prize inserted in Crackerjacks box for first time (Feb. 19, 1913); first Tootsie Rolls go on sale (Feb. 23, 1896); U.S. marines raise American flag in Iwo Jima (Feb. 23, 1945); bomb explodes at World Trade Center, killing six people (Feb. 26, 1993); Yellowstone becomes first national park (Feb. 29, 1872).
Announcements
More on Unbridled Learning
The Kentucky Department of Education’s (KDE) Unbridled Learning: College/Career Readiness for All initiative is designed to ensure that all students are prepared for college and/or career by the time they graduate from high school.
Log into KET Teachers' Domain to explore Kentucky's Unbridled Learning: Operation Preparation, two modules that prepare community volunteers for their individual advising sessions. Module 1 provides an overview of the role of community volunteer advisors. Module 2 details the components of an advisory session.
Locust Trace veterinarian receives award
Dr. Jim Martin, a veterinarian at Locust Trace AgriScience Center Veterinary Clinic (Fayette County), won second place in the Inspiration in Action veterinary contest recently.
He will receive $5,000 toward his project to help Fayette County school district high school students achieve aspirations of becoming veterinarians. Prize money from the Inspiration in Action contest will be used to provide outstanding students with scholarships to pursue the next step of their education and explore a career in veterinary medicine.
For more information about Locust Trace, go to http://locusttracevet.com.
Autism listserv started
A listserv dedicated to discussions about autism has been started for the benefit of parents, educators and therapists who are concerned with autism spectrum disorders. Those interested can find the subscription page at www.coe.uky.edu/lists/kylists.php.
Conferences and professional development opportunities
Program review technical assistance trainings
The Kentucky Department of Education (KDE) will hold Program Review Technical Assistance trainings Feb. 14-17 from 9 a.m. to noon on the following dates and at the designated locations:
- Feb. 14 - Barren River State Resort Park and NorthEast Christian Church, Lexington
- Feb. 15 - Bruce Convention Center, Hopkinsville and Corbin Center for Technology and Activities, Corbin
- Feb. 16 - METS Center, Erlanger and E. P. Tom Sawyer State Park, Louisville
- Feb.17 - Hazard Community College and KEDC Conference Center, Ashland
Principals are encouraged to participate in these trainings to learn more about the program reviews. To register, click here. For more information, contact Rae McEntyre at (502) 564-2106.
PD program addresses literacy education hot topics
The Kentucky Reading Project (KRP) is a professional development program that focuses on Senate Bill 1 mandates; Kentucky Core Academic Standards; college and career readiness preparation; and formative assessments.
For more information about KRP and the application for the 2012-13 cadre, go to www.kentuckyliteracy.org/elementary/krp/forms or contact Cary Pappas, at (859) 257-6118.
Carnegie Center writing workshops
The Carnegie Center for Literacy and Learning has several writing workshops slated for February. Go to www.CarnegieCenterLex.org or call (859) 254-4175 to learn more.
New construction and renovation workshop
Teachers or administrators in school district planning a new construction or renovation project can attend the High Performance Sustainable School Buildings Workshop providing site visits, case studies and design guidelines.
The workshop will be March 14-15 at the Galt House in Louisville.
To view workshop details and agenda or to register, click here.
Building upon initial certification
Certified teachers who would like to learn more about pursuing an advanced degree or receiving an endorsement or additional certification can attend the University of Louisville’s College of Education and Human Development (CEHD) Teacher Career Session Feb. 22 from 5:30-7:30 p.m.at the Ohio Valley Educational Cooperative in Shelbyville.
CEHD teacher education faculty and staff will be on hand to answer questions about degree and certification programs, application procedures and coursework.
All registered participants will be placed in a drawing for an Apple iPad, but participants must be present to win.
Those interested should RSVP by Feb. 17.
Go to http://louisville.edu/education/teachercareer to register. For more information, contact Susan Hildebrand at (502) 852-0568.
Anti-bullying event planned
Quest Education Systems is hosting one-day, anti-bullying workshops Feb. 27 through March 1, 2012 in four Kentucky cities: Owensboro (Feb. 27), Bowling Green (Feb. 28), Corbin (Feb. 29) and Frankfort (March 1).
K-12 teachers and administrators will learn about the five types of bullying, how to identify each type, what to do when they occur, and how to prevent them from happening. This workshop teaches the five main types of bullying: cyber, physical, emotional, resource and relational.
For more information, call (866) 942-4430 or e-mail info@questeducationsystems.com.
Computer program training
New Horizons CLC of Lexington offers several courses in the Microsoft Office Suite as well as Adobe. Teachers can learn about Excel, Word, PowerPoint, Access, Outlook, InDesign, Photoshop and Illustrator. Contact Julie Metz at (859) 266-2900, ext. 223 for more information.
Opportunities for gifted teachers, students
The Frances A. Karnes Center for Gifted Students has information about programs and services for youth, parents and teachers posted on its Web site.
Check the KDE Professional Development Bulletin Board for additional opportunities.
Webinars and other online events
Public relations webinar offered
The Kentucky Association of School Administrators (KASA) is offering a free webinar presented by Brenda McClain, president of McClain Communications.
The webinar is called “Creating the Buzz your Community Needs for the Sake of your Kids.” This session would be valuable to any administrator and is a great refresher course. Click here to learn more.
‘Using Data to Improve Instruction’
REL (Regional Education Laboratories)
Appalachia and the Kentucky Educational Development Corporation (KEDC) have archived a bridging research to practice webinar series, “Using Data to Improve Instruction.”
Webinar #1: Data use
Webinar #2: ILP Plans
Webinar #3: Wrap up
Webinar series from ‘Green Teacher’
Green Teacher’s 2011 webinar series offers 30 free webinars on various environmental education topics this year. Each session will feature a 20-30 minute presentation and 30-40 minutes for questions. For more information, go to http://greenteacher.com/webinars or contact Tim Grant at (416) 960-1244.
Online physics opportunity
The University of Kentucky is offering an online physics courses for teachers. This is for elementary and middle school teachers who want to learn more about physical science, either for course credit or professional development. Course topics include light; electricity and magnetism; temperature and heat; and force motion and energy. For more information, contact Joseph P. Straley at (859) 257-3197.
Economics podcast
The Economic Lowdown is a podcast series for high school students produced by the Economic Education department of the St. Louis Fed. The series covers topics in economics, personal finance, banking and monetary policy. The Economic Lowdown is available on the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis’s website, www.stlouisfed.org/education_resources/podcasts and on iTunes. There are six episodes available: Opportunity Cost, Factors of Production, The Role of Self-Interest and Competition in a Market Economy, Inflation, Unemployment, Demand and Supply. Market Equilibrium will be added this spring with more episodes to follow.
Educators wanted, call for proposals and presenters
‘Hands-on Amazon’
The Heritage Institute, in conjunction with Antioch University and Project Amazonas, Inc., is offering a summer travel study course called Hands-on Amazon.
The course runs from July 20-28 and is limited to 15 participants.
For more information and to see if this course is right for you, visit http://ptonline.org/hol/amazon/.
KAEE’s 36th annual conference call for proposals
The Kentucky Association for Environmental Education (KAEE) 36th annual conference is set for Sept. 14-15 at Lake Cumberland State Resort Park.
The call for proposals has officially opened, and an online submission form can be found here. The deadline to submit a proposal is April 15.
The theme of the conference is “Creating a Balance.” See more information on the conference at http://kaee.org/conference/.
ETS seeks mathematics raters
The Educational Testing Service is looking for raters with a mathematics education background to help code more than 6,700 mathematics lessons as part of the Measures of Effective Teaching (Gates) study. Raters will be trained on the Mathematical Quality of Instruction instrument, certified, and then paid to watch and code mathematics lessons. This job has proven appealing to graduate students, mathematics teachers and others because of the wide variety of instruction and the disciplined approach to examining mathematics teaching. Those interested can click here for more information or contact Kim Zeidler-Watters at (859) 257-4836.
Grants, awards and contests
Presidential awards in mathematics and science
The 2012 Presidential Awards for Excellence in Mathematics and Science Teaching honor K-6 mathematics and science teachers. To self-nominate or to nominate another teacher, go to www.paemst.org. Any full-time K-6 teacher who teaches science as part of the instructional day may be nominated. The deadline for nominations is April 1, and applications must be completed by May 1.
FAFSA Completion Project
The U.S. Department of Education (USED) has announced an opportunity for school districts to participate in the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) Completion Project for the 2012-13 filing year.
Districts with two or more high schools are invited to apply no later than March 2 for the opportunity of being selected through a randomized selection process.
More details and additional requirements are available at www.FSA4counselors.ed.gov.
Districts interested in participating in the FAFSA Completion Project for the 2012-13 FAFSA filing year, and that meet the technical and evaluation requirements, should send an e-mail to Dena Bates at FAFSACompletion@ed.gov. Include in the subject line "FAFSA Completion Project.” The e-mail should include the name of the local education agencies and the name, position, e-mail address and phone number(s) of a primary contact person.
Trooper Island Scholarship
Trooper Island Camp, located on Dale Hollow Lake near the Clinton-Cumberland County line, is a co-ed camp serving approximately 700 boys and girls ages 10 to 12. These students are selected by Kentucky State Police troopers to attend a free weeklong camp during the summer months.
The Trooper Island Scholarship fund helps prior campers continue their education. Two scholarships are given annually by the Trooper Island Board of Directors from applications received by high school seniors who plan to attend college or technical/vocational school.
The deadline to apply is April 1. For more information, contact Camp Director/Commander Sgt. Craig Sutton, P.O. Box 473, Albany KY 42602; (270) 433-5422.
Computer Safety Contest
The Multi-State Information Sharing and Analysis Center (MS-ISAC) is conducting a national K-12 Computer Safety poster contest open to all public, private or home-schooled students in grades K-12. The deadline to enter is March 1.
For more information, contact Elaine Harrison Lane at (502) 564.2020, ext. 236.
Eco-Art Contest
The Kentucky Department for Environmental Protection (DEP) is soliciting nominations for the 2011–12 Eco-Art Contest, formerly known as the Green Art Contest. Multiple awards will be presented to eligible Kentucky high school students who create art using the contest themes or categories of conservation, pollution prevention and environmental protection.
Contest nominations are being accepted until the close of business on March 14. All nominations must be sent to envhelp@ky.gov. A digital picture of each artwork nomination must accompany each form submitted.
For more information about the Eco-Art Contest and to access a nomination form, go to http://dca.ky.gov/LGGS/Pages/ecoart.aspx or call the Division of Compliance Assistance toll-free at (800) 926-8111.
Forward in the Fifth AppLE awards
Forward in the Fifth is looking for an educator, parent, student, community leader or school staff member who is leading the way in their home community and region to advance education.
Nominations forms for Forward in the Fifth’s 2012 AppLE Awards will be accepted through March 31 in four award categories:
· educators, professional and support staff
· community leaders or business/community organizations
· parents or parent groups
· students or student groups
All completed nomination forms must be e-mailed to Rhonda Lawson at fif@centertech.com.
They also may be printed, completed and mailed by the March 31 deadline to Forward in the Fifth, 2292 South U.S. 27, Somerset KY, 42501. Submissions by fax or telephone will not be accepted.
For more information on the AppLE Awards, contact Jim Tackett at (606) 677-6000 or e-mail fif@centertech.com.
Kavli science video contest
The Kavli Science Video Contest promotes STEM subject learning by challenging students to research, brainstorm and communicate creatively through video.
This year the contest theme is "Save the World through Science and Engineering.”
Students in grades 6-12 can make a short video that shows how scientific discoveries and inventions can improve lives and change the world, either now or in the future.
The winners receive cash prizes. Entry deadline is March 21.
For more information, click here.
Student nominations sought for Eco-Art contest
The Kentucky Department for Environmental Protection (DEP) is seeking nominations for the 2011–12 Eco-Art Contest, formerly known as the Green Art Contest.
Multiple awards will be presented to eligible Kentucky high school students who create art using the contest themes or categories of conservation, pollution prevention and environmental protection. Students may submit artwork using the media types of drawing/painting/print, mixed media, sculpture, and photography. One winner will be chosen for each submitted art type within each category.
Contest nominations are being accepted until the close of business March 14. All nominations must be sent to envhelp@ky.gov.
For more information about the Eco-Art contest and to access a nomination form, visit here or call the Division of Compliance Assistance toll-free at (800) 926-8111.
Educational Opportunities
The Great Central U.S. ShakeOut drill
The 2012 Great Central U.S. ShakeOut is set for Feb. 7.
For more information about the ShakeOut, contact Brian Blake, Program Coordinator for the Central U.S. Earthquake Consortium at or Paulette Aniskoff.
‘Mission 2: Flight to Freedom’
The second Mission US game, Mission 2: Flight to Freedom, has launched.
In Mission 2, players take on the role of Lucy, a 14-year-old slave in Kentucky. As they navigate her escape and journey to Ohio, they discover that life in the “free” north is dangerous and difficult. In 1850, the Fugitive Slave Act brings disaster. Will Lucy ever truly be free?
Teachers and students can play the game at www.mission-us.org.
Spaceflight program seeks applicants
The National Center for Earth and Space Science Education, in partnership with NanoRacks, invites communities across the U.S. to participate in the Student Spaceflight Experiments Program (SSEP) Fourth Flight Opportunity – SSEP Mission 2 to the International Space Station (ISS).
Each participating community will be provided all launch services to fly a real microgravity research mini-laboratory on ISS from Sept. 28 to Nov. 12 and a kit for assembly of their mini-lab. An eight-week experiment design competition in the community, held spring 2012, will allow grade 5-12 student teams to design real microgravity experiments vying for their community’s reserved mini-lab slot on ISS.
The deadline to apply is Feb. 27. More information is available here or contact Jeff Goldstein at (301) 395-0770.
Work with professional artists
Kentucky Arts Council’s Teacher Initiated Program (TIP) grant is for public or private K-12 schools. Teachers work with professional artists to apply for a residency that they create together based on the needs of their school/classroom. It is a matching grant where the arts council pays 65 percent of the artist fee and the school or district provides the remaining 35 percent.
Those interested can find the application link at http://artscouncil.ky.gov/Grants/TIP.htm.
To view the directory of teaching artists, click here.
Mobile Ed Productions
Mobile Ed Productions school assemblies offer productions for elementary and middle school assemblies to motivate students to want to learn more. For more information, contact Geoff Beauchamp at (800) 433-7459. Mobile Ed has a blog at www.mobileedproductions.com/blog.
Student spaceflight experiments
The National Center for Earth and Space Science Education has launched the Student Spaceflight Experiments Program. The program’s website contains information on program objectives, customizing to community need and how to participate. For more information, contact Jeff Goldstein at (301) 395-0770.
Resources
New occupational therapy website
A new website has been created to help teachers who want to earn master’s degrees in occupational therapy.
The goal of the website is to give prospective students easy access to the best information available on Occupational Therapy degree programs. The site offers an extensive campus listing of schools offering a master’s degree in Occupational Therapy as well as helpful career information
2011 official highway maps available
The Kentucky Transportation Cabinet is distributing free surplus copies of the 2011 official highway map to Kentucky classrooms. In order to receive map copies, teachers should send their name, school, address, county and number of maps requested to Ryan Watts at the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet. He can be reached at (502) 564-3419.
Requests should be submitted by Feb. 17.
Resource explains mathematics concepts
Mathmaster.org offers short videos explaining mathematics concepts of numbers, algebra, space and shape, and data and probability. Each video offers a short, concise explanation on how to perform tasks such as adding numbers in a column or graph transformations.
The activities section offers video explanations of some fun mathematics activities for students such as curves of pursuit and sequence designs. Each activity is based on using mathematics concepts to create beautiful art.
MathDoku puzzles
MathDoku is a mathematical and logical puzzle based on KenKen and loosely similar to sudoku puzzles that can be solved by combining the four main mathematical functions of addition, subtraction, multiplication and division. Difficulty levels of the puzzles can be chosen from random, easy, medium or hard, and hints can be accessed to help solve puzzles. Size of puzzles also can be chosen from 6x6, 8x8 or a printable version.
Social studies, arts sampler
A State Divided: Exploring the Civil War Through Images includes 15 images related to the Civil War in Kentucky, ranging from medals and photographs to portraits and weapons. This sampler was produced as a partnership of the Kentucky Historical Society and KET. The goal is to provide images of artworks, artifacts, photographs and source documents that can be used to teach social studies and arts and humanities.
This also will go along nicely with the second mission in Mission US, which will be released in January 2012. In Flight to Freedom, students will play the role of a runaway slave, as they explore events leading up to the Civil War. This game is partly set in Kentucky.
New teacher network
Skype has launched a network dedicated to teachers called “Skype in the Classroom.” The new network allows users to post and search for projects to collaborate on and find other teachers by location on a map. More than 8,600 teachers have already signed up for this network.
Old newspaper copies
The Library of Congress has made available scanned and searchable images of newspapers from Kentucky, as well as other states, from 1860 through 1922. The newspapers from Kentucky include several from the central Kentucky area: Bluegrass Blade, Berea Citizen, Bourbon News, Winchester Sun and others.
‘Chemistry Now’
"Chemistry Now," is a weekly online video series that uncovers and explains the science of common physical objects in our world and the changes they undergo every day. Made especially for students and teachers to explore chemistry in and beyond the classroom, the online videos are matched with lesson plans from Triangle Coalition member the National Science Teachers Association (NSTA) and are free online.
Scale City learning aid
Teachers in grades 5-8 can use Scale City’s Using Scale City to Teach Proportional Reasoning, a professional development resource for mathematics teachers in grades 5-8. It is located on the KET Teacher’s Domain. This collection features three self-paced modules and a resource list with frequently asked questions and a guide to the media found in each of the modules. Scale City recently won the National Educational Telecommunications Association Instructional Content Award.
Making the best college choice
“College Cost and Planning Report,” a personalized calculation and comparison of aid eligibility and net prices of the colleges a student is interested in attending, is based upon the student’s academic and financial status. Students may request a free report by registering for or using their free Zip Access account on www.kheaa.com. Visitors to the website also can learn about state and federal grants and loans and can conduct a free scholarship search.
Writing lab reports
LabWrite comes from North Carolina State University and is a website that is designed to take students through the process of writing a lab report. For a Powerpoint description, go to http://ncsu.edu/labwrite/info/howto.htm or go to the LabWrite Home Page at http://ncsu.edu/labwrite/index_labwrite.htm.
New study further supports video game research
In the February issue of Pediatrics, the journal of the American Academy of Pediatrics, there is an article about a new study that has found even more evidence that video games can be hazardous to children’s health. The two-year longitudinal study linked the problems of depression, anxiety, social phobias and lower school performance to children who were found to be “pathological gamers.” The children studied were from Singapore, but findings are universal according to a researcher involved with the project. Read the complete study here.
New Math@Home now online
Parents can get more involved in their children’s mathematics education with the enhanced version of MetaMetrics’ popular Math@Home utility. By entering the child’s grade and Quantile measure from his or her Kentucky Core Content Test score report, parents can then select the child’s textbook to find ability-appropriate, family-friendly resources, like games, books, worksheets and websites that will provide the child with extra help on the skills and concepts covered in any textbook lesson. Math@Home resources are available at http://mah.quantiles.com.
Federal STEM resources
Federal science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) education resources are available across the science agencies of the federal government at ScienceEducation.gov. Users can access these federal STEM education resources from a single query, tag, comment and rate material using social networking capabilities. All resources are automatically tagged by grade level. The free content includes lesson plans, curricula, classroom activities, homework help and information relating to professional development.
New link for school/district contact information
KDE has added a new link to the agency’s website, called School/District Contact Information. The link – available on the KDE homepage – connects to a page that provides demographic information for schools and districts, including superintendent and principal contact information. The information may be exported as an Excel file. The information is extracted nightly from the Kentucky Student Information System (KSIS). Previous instructions have been given to districts about how to update that information, and those instructions are posted here. For more information contact Donald Aviles at (502) 564-5279.
Planning for college
High school counselors can receive free books to distribute to students who are planning and preparing for college. The books are published by the Kentucky Higher Education Assistance Authority (KHEAA). For more information about Kentucky scholarships and grants, visit www.kheaa.com; write KHEAA, P.O. Box 798, Frankfort, KY 40602-0798; or call (800) 928-8926. To learn how to plan and prepare for higher education, visit www.GoHigherKY.org.
KET EncycloMedia
This Internet-based comprehensive learning service is free to Kentucky public schools. It is the result of a partnership between Kentucky Educational Television and the Kentucky Department of Education. It offers teachers and students more than 4,000 videos, 40,000 video clips and thousands of digital images, all searchable by keyword, content area, grade level and Kentucky academic standards.
Kentucky Teacher
The Kentucky Department of Education keeps people informed about the good things happening in Kentucky schools through its professional development publication, "Kentucky Teacher."
Online KDE Bookstore
Buying publications, compact discs and videotapes about the state's education system has been made simpler by the opening of the Online KDE Bookstore.
For Parents
The Kentucky Department of Education has a Web site, "For Parents," that gives parents of Kentucky schoolchildren one-stop access to education information, resources and "ParentInfo" e-mail updates.
Scholarship information
Find helpful scholarship information and tips to avoid scholarship scams.