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Well, Autumn has officially arrived.  The season of pumpkin spice lattes, elaborate Halloween decorations, and tryptophan induced naps is here- now if only someone could let the weather know... 

  

LAPCS would like to thank all those who attended our 6th Annual LAPCS Conference.  Based on the surveys and feedback, we think it's fair to declare the event a success.  We were excited and proud to bring you an esteemed keynote speaker, as well as a whole host of Louisiana and national session leaders.  We're already looking forward to next year's conference and making it even bigger and better for you.  If you have suggestions or additional feedback on how we can better serve you via the annual conference, please contact out Special Projects Manager, Nikki Chatelain, at [email protected].

 

A few other things of note this month:

 

Universal Meal Programs

Due to a recent change to the Louisiana Department of Education's financial policies, your school is now able to provide free meals to all students under the School Breakfast and National School Lunch Programs through Provision 2 and the Community Eligibility Option without losing your ability to count students eligible for at-risk funding.  Programs such as Provision 2 and the Community Eligibility Option allow schools to provide free meals to all their students while simplifying their paperwork, streamlining meal service, decreasing school food service costs and, most importantly, promoting good nutrition and helping student performance.  To help determine if taking advantage of these federal meal programs is right for your school and its students, visit www.feedmoreforless.com.  You can also request a hard copy of "Feeding More for Less: Understanding Universal Meal Programs for Your School" from Louisiana Appleseed

 

Gradual Transition to PARCC

The LDE recently held a meeting to go through their proposals for PARCC implementation for elementary and middle schools (they're still thinking through how to best do this for high schools).  You can review their full set of recommendations here.  Decisions regarding these proposals will be made at the December BESE meeting.

 

Compass Final Report

Want to see how your school or district fared on implementing Compass?  You can find the Compass Final Report and LEA reports here

 

Anti-Tobacco Program for Students

The Louisiana Office of Alcohol and Tobacco Control seeks to protect Louisiana youth by eliminating instances where dealers of alcohol and tobacco products may make these products available to minors.  They also have a strong desire to deter minors from even wanting to purchase or consume alcohol and tobacco.  Stephanie Chavis is with the Office of Alcohol and Tobacco Control and has provided the  full presentation they give to middle and high school students.*  Presentations for younger children include a live demonstration and activities that come from their Smoking Stinks workbook.

 

If you're interested in having Ms. Chavis present at your school, please contact her at (225) 925-6645 or via email at [email protected].

 

* Please be advised that High School presentation is given as a PowerPoint interactive presentation, so the slides that appear to be overcrowded simply contain information all the information that would not show all at once in an actual presentation.

 

Common Core

As many of you have probably noticed, Common Core has been in the news quite a bit recently.  Be on the lookout for a message from LAPCS and our partners regarding our position and why we support higher, more rigorous standards for our state's students.  In the meanwhile, we recommend you check out this opinion piece by Clancy DuBos on the subject.

 

Legislative Resolution Study Groups - Updated

The 2013 Legislative Session resulted in several resolutions requesting study of specific topics. The following groups will be meeting throughout the fall and submitting reports and recommendations to BESE and the legislature in the winter. 

  • Bullying Prevention - October 10
  • Task Force on Textbooks and Instructional Materials - October 23
  • Agriculture Education Study Group October 22
  • MFP Task Force Next meetings on October 21November 21, and December 13
    • Information available on the Current Initiatives section of the BESE website

Other Meetings of Interest: 

  • Accountability Commission - October 2
  • Next BESE meeting - October 15-16 

Contact [email protected] with any questions. 

 

Ethics Administration Forms - Reminder for Charter School Board Members

All board members of Type 2 & 5 charter schools are required to submit the Tier 3 Personal Financial Disclosure Statement according to Chapter 42 of Title 17 of the Louisiana Revised Statutes. Charter school board members are required to file the financial disclosure form on or before May 15 of each year they hold office. Charter school board members and leaders that are related to charter school employees are required to meet additional guidelines and submit the School Board Disclosure Statement annually. Please review the School Board Disclosure Statement for additional information.

 

The Department would like to remind charter school board members of these requirements as new board members join over the summer. Failure to submit the appropriate forms could result in fines and other penalties. In addition, adherence to the LA Code of Governmental Ethics is an important component of the Charter School Performance Compact.

 

If you have any questions, please contact the Louisiana Ethics Administration at 800-842-6630.

 

LAPCS on LPB and WWL

"Charter Checkup", this month's episode of LPB's Louisiana Public Square, features our very own Executive Director Caroline Roemer Shirley and Policy Director Veronica Brooks. The hour-long program includes one-on-one interviews and forums to provide a robust and balanced discussion on numerous charter school issues, such as the effectiveness of charters in Louisiana against traditional schools in the state, and charter accountability measures. The program will air again this Sunday, September 29th at 11 a.m. on LPB and is available to view online with some lagniappe videos (including some of Caroline!) by clicking here

Caroline also stopped by WWL TV to talk about the conference and how Louisiana's charter schools aim to set the bar higher for all Louisiana students. Check it out!

Cowen Institute Thinking Anew
Last week, the Cowen Institute unveiled a new three-year plan, Thinking Anew, articulating their strategic vision, guiding principles, and goals over that time-span. 

At the event, the Cowen Institute also announced the launch of their "Visionary Campaign", a fundraising effort to enlist individuals to help the organization achieve the outcomes laid out in the strategic plan. Interested individuals may contact Mary Lee Murphy at [email protected] or 504.274.3671.

 

Sincerely,  

The LAPCS Team

@LAPCSTeam