COMMONWEALTH OF VIRGINIA

DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION

P.O. BOX 2120

RICHMOND, VIRGINIA 23218-2120

SUPTS. MEMO NO. 73

March 31, 2006

INFORMATIONAL

TO:	Division Superintendents
FROM:	Patricia I. Wright Acting Superintendent of Public Instruction
SUBJECT:	Two Chesapeake Bay Summer Academies

The Virginia Resource-Use Education Council (VRUEC), in cooperation with several state, federal, and private agencies, will again conduct two Chesapeake Bay Academies this summer. The Coastal Bay Academy will focus on the coastal portion of the Chesapeake Bay watershed and will be held in Tappahannock, Virginia, June 19-23, 2006. The Mountain Academy will focus on the headwaters of the Chesapeake Bay watershed and will be held at Douthat State Park in Bath and Alleghany Counties, June 19-22, 2006.

The VRUEC has been awarded a federal National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Bay Watershed Education and Training (B-WET) grant to support the participation of 30 science teachers in each academy. The week is a summer learning experience for middle and high school science teachers and is designed to closely support the implementation of the Science Standards of Learning and provide detailed training, field experiences, print materials, and hands-on resources supporting the science standards content and skills.

The academy in Tappahannock will be conducted at Saint Margarets School and at Port Isobel Island in the Chesapeake Bay. The Mountain Academy will focus on field activities near Douthat State Park. Both sites have a rich learning environment with comfortable meeting and lodging facilities.

The full cost of $1,000 per participant for each academy is being offered for teachers who serve in leadership roles in their schools and who are willing to share information, teaching materials, and educational resources with other teachers. Special emphasis is being given to provide instructional resources that will support the science standards related to watersheds and the Chesapeake Bay (Sixth Grade Science, Life Science, Earth Science, and Biology).

Scholarships have been allocated for each of Virginias eight regions to promote broad statewide representation in the academies. Decisions to award the scholarships will be based on when the application is received and the geographic distribution of applicants. The applications are due May 5, 2006, and applicants will be notified by May 12, 2006. Applicants are encouraged to apply early.

School divisions are encouraged to provide participants with stipends and travel reimbursements; however, this is not a requirement for the program. Participants will be eligible to receive up to 40 points for licensure renewal. Optional three hours of graduate credit can also be earned through Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) for the 2006 fall semester with the $300 fee paid by the participant.

For a copy of the preliminary agenda and registration information, go to the Virginia Naturally website at http://www.vanaturally.org/bayacademy.html. If you need additional information about the 2006 Chesapeake Bay Academy, please contact Paula Klonowski, science specialist, Office of Elementary Instruction, by e-mail at Paula.Klonowski@doe.virginia.gov, or by telephone at (804) 371-0249; or Eric Rhoades, science coordinator, Office of Middle and High School Instruction, by e-mail at Eric.Rhoades@doe.virginia.gov, or by telephone at (804) 225-2676.

PIW/PK/ER/yba