2003 Virginia Science Standards Institute Scholarships

COMMONWEALTH OF VIRGINIA

DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION

P.O. BOX 2120

RICHMOND, VIRGINIA 23218-2120

PRINS. MEMO NO. 16

May 13, 2003

ELEMENTARY / MIDDLE / SECONDARY

TO:

Principals

FROM:

Patricia I. Wright

Assistant Superintendent for Instruction

SUBJECT:

2003 Virginia Science Standards Institute Scholarships

The Department of Education in collaboration with the Virginia Museum of Natural History (VMNH), the Science Museum of Virginia, and four other state agencies will conduct the Virginia Science Standards Institute this summer. This action was communicated to division superintendents in Supts. Informational Memo No. 83 dated May 9, 2003. VMNH has received funding to support 40 teacher scholarships for VSSI. The VSSI will have two concurrently running institutes, an upper elementary school institute and a middle school institute. This six-day summer learning experience for fourth-,fifth-, and sixth-grade teachers is designed to support the implementation of the 2003 Science Standards of Learning (SOL) and provide detailed training, print, and hands-on resources on the SOL content and skills. The VSSI, scheduled for July 20 25, will be conducted at Hungry Mother State Park in Smyth County, a site that has a rich natural learning environment with comfortable meeting and lodging facilities.

The upper elementary school institute of the VSSI will be offered to 20 fourth- and fifth-grade teachers at schools accredited with warning in science. The middle school component of the VSSI will focus on training 20 teachers related to content knowledge and activities needed to implement the 2003 Science Standards of Learning for the sixth grade.

These schools will be limited to one scholarship each. In the event that all scholarships are not requested, schools requesting additional positions will have the request honored based on availability of remaining scholarships.

Due to the newness of the middle school portion of the institute, scholarships for the VSSI middle school positions will be offered to teachers across the commonwealth with an attempt to provide appropriate representation from each of the superintendents regions. Twenty scholarships will be provided for sixth-grade teachers on a first-come, first-serve basis. In the event that all scholarships are not requested, schools requesting additional positions will have the request honored based on availability of remaining scholarships. Decisions for awarding the scholarships will be based on the registration submission date. The registration form should be returned to Dr. Dennis A. Casey, by May 23, 2003. The recipients will be notified by May 30, 2003.

Participants will be asked to share the information and resources from the institute within their home school, and with other teachers in their divisions (as determined appropriate by the local instructional leader). School divisions are encouraged to provide their participants with stipends and travel reimbursements; however, this is not a requirement of the program.

If you have any questions, please contact Eric Rhoades (erhoades@mail.vak12ed.edu), science specialist, Office of Secondary Instructional Services, at (804) 225-2676, or Dennis Casey (dcasey@vmnh.org), director of education, Virginia Museum of Natural History, at (276) 666-8620.

JLD/EMR