SAVE THE DATE!!

Retirement and Longevity Awards Wednesday,

May 12, 2010

Paris Gibson Education Center Cafeteria

7:00 pm

 All employees who have served the District for 25, 30, or 35 years will be honored, as well as those employees who have retired during the 2009-2010 school year or are retiring at the end of the school year. 

Honorees will be sent an invitation via letter in April.If you do not receive one, please contact Kim Fadrhonc at 268-6051.The District will honor each recipient with a gift.

Dessert refreshments will be provided.

UPDATED

In-District Transfer Information

Current openings close today, MONDAY, MARCH 8, at 5:00 p.m.Check the website or hotline for a listing.Be sure to hand-deliver your form to meet the deadline. 

There will be several openings available for in-district transfer posted on FRIDAY, MARCH 12 on the District website (www.gfps.k12.mt.us, Employment Button), on the hotline (268-6019, option #3) and on the bulletin board at the DOB.  If interested, please check one of these places for more information.  All In-District Transfer Forms for these openings will be due on TUESDAY, MARCH 16 AT 5:00 P.M.

GFPS PIR Survey 2010-11

Please take the time to complete the following survey regarding your needs and interest for PIR offerings next school year (2010-11).  Based on your input, we have broken the survey into separate Elementary and Middle/High School forms.  Please click on (or copy/paste) the following links that correspond with your setting:

 Elementary Survey - http://www.zoomerang.com/Survey/?p=WEB22A7QZZJC6Z  Middle/High School Survey - http://www.zoomerang.com/Survey/?p=WEB22A88D6TQ3A The results of this survey will be used to determine final PIR offerings available through the district next year.   We would also like to make an official "Call for Proposals" for PIR ideas.  These proposals will be considered by the PIR Steering Committee as a potential offering for next school year.  Please go to the following link for the proposal form: 

http://www.gfps.k12.mt.us/Staff/PIRForm.pdf 

2010-2011 CONTRACT INFORMATION

To:         Teachers and Other Licensed Staff

 1.  It is tentatively scheduled for contracts to be hand-delivered to teachers and other licensed staff onMONDAY, APRIL 12.

2.  Each contract is due back to HR in 20 days of receipt or it is considered to be a non-acceptance of theposition.  That due date

is May 7 if the contract is received by the employee on April 12

.3.  If an employee is planning on not returning for the 2010-2011

school year, the District would appreciate a

letter of resignation as soon as possible.

SEVERANCE PAY FOR TEACHERS RESIGNING AT THE END OF THE SCHOOL YEAR

Teachers with a minimum of 2-9 years

A teacher who has completed 2 to 9 years of service in the District, as a licensed teacher, including approved leaves of absence, and who resigns from District employment shall receive a payment of $50 for each unused and accumulated sick leave day.  To be eligible for this payment, the teacher shall submit a letter of resignation to the Board no later than April 1st if terminating employment at the end of the second semester. 

                         Human Resources Office

PIR Courses Added

If you still need PIR credit for the year, an Outlook Training Moodle have been added to PIR eCentral.

Questions? Contact Katie Kotynski.  katie_kotynski@gfps.k12.mt.us

District Info
Board of Trustees Meetings/Info
March 8, 2010,7:00 pm

District Offices Building, Aspen

Board of Trustee Meeting

March 22, 2010, 7:00 pm

Paris Gibson Education Center

HEISEY FOUNDATION

ELEMENTARY TEACHER GRADUATE WORK SCHOLARSHIP

What:

            ▪ Fifteen $1,000 scholarships will be awarded competitively to elementary school teachers in

the Great Falls School District to help fund work toward a master’s degree,      

endorsement or other advanced degree in elementary education, including  counseling, administration, special education, music, health enhancement, reading, gifted education or any other field related to elementary education. 

▪ One scholarship will be awarded to fifteen elementary school teachers.  In the event that one or more schools does not have a qualified applicant, multiple scholarships may be awarded at the same school.

▪ Any teacher who has already completed a master’s degree may apply the scholarship to a second master’s degree or an advanced degree (Ph.D. or Ed.D.).

▪ The scholarship may also be used for the purpose of working toward an advanced degree or securing an endorsement in a specific subject area, which is applicable to elementary teaching. 

▪ Monies will be distributed directly to the individual, payable to both them and the university to cover tuition and fees for a teacher to attend an accredited university. 

▪ All monies must be expended within fourteen months of the date the scholarship is awarded.

Who:

 ▪ Any elementary teacher in the Great Falls School District.

When:

▪Applications are available through GFPS Newsbits, or at the GFPS web site. www.gfps.k12.mt.us

▪ The application is due to the Office of the Superintendent by 4:00 PM on March 10, 2010

APPLICATION WIIL BE RANKED ON:

▪ Competency as a teacher as indicated by letters of reference and other information presented to the committee.

▪ Commitment to the profession as indicated by goals. 

▪ Availability of job vacancies in the field, as well as needs of the district.

Questions:

▪ Questions can be referred to Rhonda McCarty, Valley View Elementary, 268-7145

GFEF GRANT FUNDS AVAILABLE FOR 2010-2011!

The Great Falls Education Foundation was established as a support organization for the Great Falls Public Schools.  GFEF Grants can provide teachers with the resources to make classroom dreams come true!  The grants are designed to encourage K-12 educators to experiment with new ideas that will benefit students in this district.  Just complete an application, available at your school, and submit it to the District Curriculum Office by 5:00 p.m., Friday, April 9, 2010.  Successful applicants will be notified in May.

Each grant will be reviewed by the GFEF Grants Committee using the following criteria:

Need

What is the problem that this grant addresses? 

How many students will it/can it serve?

Goal

How will this project address the need? 

How will it benefit students?

Is it innovative?

Activities/Timelines

Is the project well planned?

Realistic?       

Sustainable after grant funds expire?

            Budget

Is it specific?

Complete?

Tied to the goal?                                  

ING Unsung Heroes

Are you an educator with a class project that is short on funding but long on potential?  Do you know a teacher looking for grant dollars?  ING Unsung Heroes could help you turn great ideas into reality for students.  Grants of up to $25,000 are given to K-12 educators using new teaching methods and techniques that improve learning.  Apply by April 30, 2010, at www.ing.com/us/unsungheroes.

Class through MSU-Northern

2 credit Graduate Course  March 15,16,18,19,20

2 credits/ Get a jump on credits before the summer sun!

Contact Rhonda McCarty at 268-7155, or rhonda_mccarty@gfps.k12.mt.us

Wrap it up with Writing

The purpose of this course is to bring the craft of writing alive in the classroom.  Participants will engage with the writing process, and work through the challenges of classroom application.   Numerous classroom writing strategies, lessons, programs, and ideas will be shared.  Finally, participants be familiarized with several writing rubrics, and develop a practical system for assessing students’ writing.  Class will meet March 15,16,18,19, from 4:00-9:00, and on Saturday , March 20 from 8:00-4:00. 

Preregister by March 10th, call or email Rhonda McCarty at 268-7155, or rhonda_mccarty@gfps.k12.mt.us

2 credits/ $140.00 per credit

LOVE & LOGIC COURSE K-12

Short Session (2 days, 2 nights, 2 credits)  Chapman University                             

Classroom Discipline for K-12 educators    

“ Discipline For Problem Students” ED 9890B Thurs. & Fri. Evenings: 

April 15 & 16  5:30PM-9:30PMSat. & Sun.  April 17 & 18  8:30AM-4:30PM           

2 semester graded, graduate credits, from accredited Chapman University

                                                .

Class Location: Town House Inn,

1411 10th Ave So, Great Falls              Richard Gunter Ph.D. instructor.            Cost: [$314 for 2 semester credits]  OR: [$195 for attendance, includes OPI renewal unit certificate]

Reservation required, contact Dr. Rick Gunter at (406) 846-3014.

Lesley University Graduate Programs in Great Falls

Lesley University Graduate Programs in Great Falls

Technology in Education, M. Ed. Target Start Date:  June, 2010

Integrated Teaching through the Arts Curriculum & Instruction, M.Ed.         Target Start Date:  September, 2010

Literacy: Language, Reading and Writing, M.Ed.

Skills that transfer to your everyday lessons!

Move up on the Salary Schedule!

Financial Aid Counselor to assist Student Loan Process!

Deferred Student Loan payment 6 months after completion of your degree!
$5000 Loan Forgiveness is available          $50 application fee waiver!

NEW FORMAT:

First 4 courses – two weekends: 

Saturday & Sunday 8am – 5pm

Next 5 courses – first weekend: 

Saturday & Sunday 8am – 5pm

                                                          Second weekend on line

Last 2 courses – both online

Contact:  Cathy Kuntz

406.899.7308 ckuntz@lesley.edu

Fitness Center Schedule for

2009-2010

School Year click here

Tobacco-Free

Schools in Montana

Please click here for more information…

GFEA Calendar
Items For Sale
Employee Wellness

09-10 School Calendar

Reminder to Teachers:  Nutrition Guidelines for All Students

Fruits, vegetables, whole grains, combination products, snack foods, nonfat and low-fat dairy products, per portion as packaged:

• ≤200 calories

• ≤35% total calories from fat (≤3.5 grams per 100 calories

• ≤10% of calories from saturated fat (≤1 gram per 100 calories)

• Trans-fat free

• ≤35% total calories from sugars (sugar grams divided by total weight in grams of serving)

• ≤480 mg sodium

• Nuts, seeds, trail mix: ≤1.75 oz serving with 7 grams (trail mix) or less of fat and 5 grams or less sugar.  Yogurt: Low- or nonfat ≤ 30 grams sugar per 8 oz.  Cheese: 100% real, part-skim, reduced fat ≤ 1.5 oz serving.

The Paris Store Hours

Thrift Store update...Firday, March 12, the store will be closed from 11:45-1:30ish.  I am part of the FCS Advisory Board and will be attending the meeting.  I will open that day at 9:30 and will close the usual time of 3:30.  Also, I will be having another $5 Bag Sale on Tuesday, March 9th.

Thrift Store hours will be 10 am - 3:30 pm  Monday - Friday. Hey everybody- all coats are 50% off for the rest of the season.

Questions? 

Contact Deidra Haffner:  deidra_haffner@gfps.k12.mt.us 

NewsBits Article Submission Deadline

Please submit any articles to be included in Newsbits by electronic files only to kim_fadrhonc@gfps.k12.mt.us.

The deadline for submitting articles is 3:00 pm on Thursday afternoon.

Great Falls Public School - Employee Assistance

Program
Individual Attention for Individual Problems
CARE Main Line - 268-6770 Confidential Line - 268-6771
Located at Chief Joseph Annex, 5305 3rd Ave South.