Volume III, Issue 20, September 17, 2007

 

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This issue of the Charter Leader News features...

Operations News

Professional Development Sessions on Quality School Designs - September 26

New Auditing Standards (SAS 112) Workshop - October 10

Fundraising

Fundraising Consortium Update

Fund Development Fellows RFP

Charter Replication Funding Available

 

Certification

Teacher Certification Workshops for Current and Prospective Teachers

Certification and Fingerprint process Material Guide

2007-2008 Teacher Certification Worksheet 

 

Center Resources

Updated Guidebooks/Templates

Charter Portal Update

Revised Operations Calendar

Effective Practices Library

 

Current Events
SAVE THE DATE- Teacher Certification Workshops for Current and Prospective Teachers
SAVE THE DATE- DOE Conference for Parents of English Language Learners
New Auditing Standards (SAS 112) Workshop
Save the Date- Urban Education Symposium

 

 

The 2007-08 NYC Public Charter School Directory Is Now Available

 

Copies of the 2007-08 New York City Public Charter School Directory are now in print and available to interested schools. The directory, which is available in both English and Spanish, features information about all the public charter schools currently operating in New York City, including a description of mission, educational program and other important criteria.

 

Now in its third edition, the directory is offered as a resource for parents, guardians and interested individuals who are considering charter schools as an alternative to traditional public schools.

 

To request copies of the directory please contact Jeff Maclin at jmaclin@nycchartercenter.org.

  

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OPERATIONS NEWS

 

 

*Visit the Charter Portal Section for new and improved Operations Documents and Tools.

 

 

Professional Development Sessions on Quality School Designs - September 26, 2007:

The New York City Department of Education invites you to attend the first of eight professional development sessions on the elements of quality schools design.  The New School Creation Professional Development Workshop Series is designed for educators, community leaders, and partner organizations interested in developing new schools to start in September 2009 and beyond.  This event will be held September 26, from 5pm to 7pm, at Washington Irving High School, 40 Irving Place (between 16th & 17th Streets).  Registration is required to attend.  Please register by September 24 by visiting the New Schools Web site: http://schools.nyc.gov/Offices/newschools

 

 

New Auditing Standards (SAS 112) Workshop - Wednesday, October 10, 2007

Fiscal Management Associates and Signature Bank are hosting a workshop that will discuss the new regulations and auditing standards that have recently been introduced that changes the ways auditors communicate with not-for-profit organizations and their boards. SAS 112 changes the rules on what auditors must report as control deficiencies, significant deficiencies, or material weaknesses. Key areas to be addressed include:

• New Regulations & Standards
• Auditor/Client Communication & Relationship Management
• Proper Audit Preparation
• Board Member Participation

Where: Baruch College Vertical Campus, 55 Lexington Avenue (at 24^th Street)

When: Wednesday, October 10 (9am - 12pm)

RSVP: Michael Schwartz (mschwartz@signatureny.com)

 

2008-2009 Emerging Leaders Fellowship Nomination Applications

As it grows into its second year, the Emerging Leader Fellowship (ELF) promises to train high performing teachers to be effective and excellent members of your school leadership team. School leaders - if you have a high performing teacher who you know you want to train and support to be part of your leadership team, please contact Glenn Liebeck at

gliebeck@nycchartercenter.org for application details.

OPERATIONS- FUNDRAISING - CERTIFICATION - CENTER RESOURCES - CURRENT EVENTS

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FUNDRAISING

 

 

*Visit the Charter Portal Section for new and improved Grants Documents.

 

 

Fundraising Consortium Update - Topic Ideas Wanted

The Center is currently seeking workshop topic ideas for the 2007-2008 Fundraising Consortium school year. Topics can range anywhere from private philanthropy to government grants. The Center wants to ensure our 2007-2008 workshops include and explore fundraising/development topics that are most useful to your school. Please submit your workshop topic ideas to Mark Crusante at mcrusante@nycchartercenter.org no later than September 20.

 

The Fundraising Consortium consists of individual charter schools and planning teams seeking assistance and support in the realm of Fundraising and Development. Participants will gain extensive knowledge in areas such as donor cultivation, writing effective grant proposals, corporate sponsorships, etc. Registration is FREE. Click here to complete the registration form. For questions, please contact Mark Crusante no later than September 20.

 

RFP now open for Fund Development Fellows (FDF) Program
The Center will implement a Fund Development Fellows (FDF) Program in 2007-2008. Five Fellows will be selected by the Center to be placed in five individual charter schools from October-June. Each FDF will assist their individual charter school in increasing fundraising capacity and development. To qualify for a FDF, schools must be participants of the above Fundraising Consortium. For more details and to apply, click here for the application. The RFP will be closed on September 20.

 

Charter Replication Funding Available from Charter School Growth Fund

The Charter School Growth Fund (CSGF) is a philanthropic venture firm founded to make early-stage grants and loans for the development and expansion of charter management and support organizations that provide a quality education option to underserved students nationwide. CSGF seeks to accomplish its mission by providing proven charter school operators with the guidance and resources necessary to create self-sufficient networks of high-performing schools. The CSGF is now seeking applicants for its 2008 business planning cohort. The application is now posted on the CSGF website (http://www.chartergrowthfund.org/) for completion no later than September 21.

 

 

OPERATIONS- FUNDRAISING - CERTIFICATION - CENTER RESOURCES - CURRENT EVENTS

 

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CERTIFICATION 

 

 

*Visit the Charter Portal Section for new and improved Grants Documents.

 

 

Teacher Certification Workshops for Current & Prospective Teachers - September 26

To assist charter schools to meet compliance with state and federal laws regarding certification, the Charter Center announces the first of the Fall series of Certification Workshops for teachers and teaching assistants.  It will be held on Wednesday, September 26 from 4:30 pm - 8:30 pm.

 

Current and prospective uncertified teachers and teacher assistants, as well as teachers from out-of-state who need assistance with the New York State certification process, are encouraged to register for this workshop. The workshop will take place at the NYC Center for Charter School Excellence. 

• All workshop participants must show a photo ID to gain building access.
• All participants must bring student copies of complete undergraduate (and graduate) transcripts and any other related documents, such as proof of the Child Abuse Identification and Violence Prevention workshops, previous State Ed evaluations, etc.
• Those who possess certification from another state must bring a copy of their college transcripts as well as a copy of their out-of-state certificate.
• Each participant will be pre-assigned a specific 30 minute time slot between 4:30pm and 8:00pm to meet individually with a certification specialist who will recommend a personalized education plan leading to certification. A hard copy of this plan will be given to the participant who is advised to share with his/her school leader.
• A list of participants from each school will be provided to the school leader for appropriate follow-up to ensure compliance with state and federal laws.
• Refreshments will be available 

Please share this announcement with current and prospective hires and advise them that they need to register in advance by emailing Caryl Cohen no later than September 24, 2007.   They must include the name of their charter school in the email. All questions should be directed to Caryl Cohen at ccohen@nycchartercenter.org

 

Material to guide school leaders and operations personnel through the certification and fingerprint process (links are below):

Workshop on NYS Certification and NCLB's HQ Checklist Aug 2007

NCLB Field Memo #03-2007 Checklists and HOUSSE Rubrics

 

 

2007-2008 Teacher Certification Worksheet

Based on the new 2007-2008 Certification Worksheet, Caryl Cohen's research will cover the following: current certification status for your teachers and teaching assistants; New York State exam status; fingerprint clearance for those teachers who have an application in the SED's database; comments/notes on actions needed for specific staff; and, statistics on school's certification compliance. The certification worksheet for 2007-08 is now available here and on the Charter Portal for schools to complete and email their portion to Caryl Cohen  at ccohen@nycchartercenter.org for appropriate follow-up.

 

OPERATIONS- FUNDRAISING - CERTIFICATION - CENTER RESOURCES - CURRENT EVENTS

 

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CENTER RESOURCES

 

 

NEW! Updated Guidebooks/Templates

The Center has made significant updates to several of our guidebooks on our Web site. If you are using the previous guidebooks/templates, we ask that you replace it with these newly updated ones. Bookmark or print to use for the 2007-2008 school year.

 

Operations Guidebook

- Newly created audit and parent involvement sections

- Updated media relations tips

- New funding allocation figures for 2007-08

 

Government Grants Guidebook

- New funding allocation figures for 2007-08

- Updated Charter School Planning and State Stimulus Fund information

- Newly-created "Preparing a Foundation Application" section

 

Personnel Template

- Revised termination policy

- Newly created "Employment Manual Legal Supplement" with PDFs of Article 56 (cap lift provision of state's Charter School Law), the Charter School Act, Civil Service Law, FMLA, Labor Law, FOIL, etc.

 

 

CHARTER PORTAL UPDATE

• NEW! Revised Operations Calendar

  The Center has greatly enhanced the Operations Calendar on the Charter Portal. The calendar is a guide to help school staff comply with numerous compliance and training deadlines.
  

  • Calendar entries include, BEDS survey deadline, Annual Report deadline, DOE holiday schedule, and Assessment Training.
    

  • The "Alert Me" function will send an electronic reminder of when specific task is due or when to begin.

We hope that this is a useful tool for you throughout the school year. If you have any suggestions or questions, please contact Vinice Davis. 

• DOCUMENTS LIBRARY

  The Charter Portal is a Web-based informational tool, developed by the Center to make your job as a school leader easier. The Documents Library is just one of many exciting features. Log on to the Portal to view the following new additions to the Library:
  

Certification

No Child Left Behind Field Memo #3 - Checklists and HOUSSE Rubrics
New York State Certification and NCLB HQ Checklist - Workshop

Development
Charter School Growth Fund Application Announcement

 

Operations

National Charter School Consortium of the Effective Practice Incentive Community from New Leaders for New Schools
Personnel Manual Template (new for 2007!) from NYC Charter Center
Personnel Manual Template (Legal Supplement) 

 

To access the Portal:

1. Go to the Center's Web site - http://www.nycchartercenter.org/ - and follow the link in the upper left corner.

2. Enter your school's user name and password. If you do not know your user name contact Nathan Hood at nhood@nycchartercenter.org.

3. Click on the Documents Library, under "Resources". View documents by clicking on the blue highlighted text.

 

 

 

 

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CURRENT EVENTS

 

SAVE THE DATE- Teacher Certification Workshops for Current & Prospective Teachers

(See Certification for more details) 

When: Wednesday, September 26

            4:30pm - 8:30pm

Where: NYC Center for Charter School Excellence

 

 

SAVE THE DATE - DOE Conference for Parents of English Language Learners - October 10

The New York City Department of Education is holding a Back to School event for parents of English Language Learners (ELLs), entitled "Aim High: Setting High Expectations for Your Child."  Parents of ELLs will receive information and resources on ELL programs and their role in strengthening their children's academic performance for higher education learning.  The conference will feature panels, workshops and community resources. The event is sponsored by the Office of ELLs, the Office of Public and Community Affairs, the Office for Family Engagement and Advocacy, and Learning Leaders.  It will be held on October 10, from 9am to 2pm, at Columbia University's Alfred Lerner Hall.  For more information, contact Carlos Rodriguez in the Office of Public and Community Affairs at crodriguez27@schools.nyc.gov or (212) 374-0265 or register online:  http://schools.nyc.gov/Academics/ELL/default.htm

 

 

New Auditing Standards (SAS 112) Workshop - October 10

(See Operations for more details)

Where: Baruch College Vertical Campus, 55 Lexington Avenue (at 24th Street)

When: Wednesday, October 10 (9am - 12pm)

RSVP: Michael Schwartz (mschwartz@signatureny.com)

 

 

SAVE THE DATE - Urban Education Symposium

The Children's Storefront, an independent, tuition-free school in Harlem, invites school leaders for the Urban Education Symposium on Friday, October 26, from 8:30 am - 4:00 pm on the campus of City College of New York in Harlem.

The objective is to bring together private, public and charter school administrators and graduate students in education and administration to add a fresh voice to the national conversation on education, to define keys to academic success, and to create a network in which to exchange practical ideas that work.

Workshops:

• Teacher recruitment and retention
• Fundraising techniques
• Building alliances
• Curriculum
• Improving test scores
• Teaching science and math
• Involving parents
• Applying for scholarships
• Creating a culture of respect
• and more!

Cost is $100 per person. For more information call Daniel Brewer at 212-427-7900 ext. 224.

 

Center Staff Updates: 

Jennifer Genovesi, new Director of New School Development- Prior to coming to the Center Jennifer was a Teacher for America corps member and the founding business director for Manhattan Charter School. As the Center’s Director of School Planning, Jennifer will advise school teams on the charter application process as well as planning professional development for opening charter schools. You can reach Jennifer at jgenovesi@nycchartercenter.org or (212) 437-8319. 

 

Victoria Caicedo, new Project Manager for Advocacy and Communications - Victoria is a former intern who is familiar with the Center's work with schools and has assisted Operations staff on numerous projects. She will support the VP of Communications in the development and deployment of various public awareness and charter school parent advocacy initiatives. Victoria can be reached at vcaicedo@nycchartercenter.org or 212-437-8334.

OPERATIONS- FUNDRAISING - CERTIFICATION - CENTER RESOURCES - CURRENT EVENTS

 

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MISSION

 

The mission of the New York City Center for Charter School Excellence is to stimulate the supply of high-quality charter schools and support ongoing student excellence in all NYC charter schools, impacting the effectiveness of public education. As an independent nonprofit, the Charter Center is an advocate, bridge and catalyst for the achievement of academic and operational success and sustainability of all NYC charter schools for each young person.