DoDEA Pacific Sept. 2016
The Department of Defense Education Activity (DoDEA) celebrates its 70th anniversary during the 2016-2017 School Year, continuing the tradition of excellence in education that began on October 14, 1946. hortly after the end of World War II and the arrival of military families overseas, schools for the children of American service members opened at 43 locations in Germany, Austria and Japan with 116 teachers and 1,297 students. From these humble beginnings with classrooms sometimes in Quonset huts or factory buildings, the Dependents School Service grew into an organization supporting an estimated 160,000 students in 300 schools around the world. Dr. Beth Stephens, former director for one of DoDEA’s predecessor agencies in the mid-80s, once said, “At no time in history has any other nation educated 150,000 of its children in 20 countries around the world and made it possible for them to understand and experience the culture of their host nations while maintaining their identity with and patriotism for their own country.” As the Cold War came to a close, U.S. military forces abroad began to draw down as did the schools and communities supporting families stationed overseas and all the schools serving military-connected students, in the U.S. and abroad, came under the umbrella of a new parent agency, DoDEA, in 1992. Today’s DoDEA operates 168 schools in eight districts across 11 countries, seven U.S. states and two U.S. territories for more than 73,000 students. Our current footprint is configured to provide 21st-century instructional facilities and a world class education in the areas where our country’s service members and their families are located and we maintain the organizational flexibility required to adapt to the evolving needs of the military services we support. Although the logos and organizational names have changed over the years, DoDEA’s core mission remains the same: To educate, engage and empower each student to succeed in a dynamic world. The DoDEA vision, to be among the world’s leaders in education, enriching the lives of military connected students and the communities in which they live, remains constant. Current Director Tom Brady, whose children have attended DoDEA schools, remarked on the seventh decade of military-connected schools. “I am honored to be part of this organization - a model college and career ready school system that serves the children of those who serve our great Nation. Students are the heart of everything we do in DoDEA and I am so proud of the dedicated educators and staff on our team that strive each day to build upon the legacy of excellence and commitment established so long ago.” Throughout School Year 2016-2017, DoDEA will feature videos, a timeline, and other products celebrating its 70-year history and tradition. Look for these products on the main DoDEA homepage, www.dodea.edu, and on local DoDEA district and school web pages.
DoDEA Adds Annual Seasonal Influenza Vaccine to Required List ALEXANDRIA, VA— Beginning this fall and continuing for subsequent school years, the Department of Defense Education Activity (DoDEA) has added the requirement for an annual seasonal influenza vaccine for students attending DoDEA Schools. The influenza vaccine has been added to the list of required immunizations for students attending DoDEA schools, following guidance and recommendations by the Centers of Disease Control and Prevention’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices and the Department of Defense Joint Military Medical Services regulation on immunizations. “The annual seasonal influenza vaccine is the best defense against influenza. Because the military community is a highly transient one, which increases the potential for exposure and the spread of infectious diseases, DoDEA added the influenza vaccine to the list of required vaccinations for school-age children,” said Dr. Linda Curtis, DoDEA Principal Deputy Director and Associate Director for Academics. “Reducing the spread of preventable infections in schools and the military community, improves students’ health, safety and attendance. A reduction in absenteeism greatly improves student academic achievement.” Parents are asked to check with the immunization clinic at their local Military Treatment Facility (MTF) or school nurse for more information. Vaccine administration schedules will be arranged by installation MTFs and completed no later than December 1 every year. Students will not be dis-enrolled from schools if the vaccine is not available at the MTFs or the MTFs cannot administer the vaccine before December 1, 2016. DoDEA will work with the MTFs to ensure students can receive the vaccine when it becomes available and the MTFs can provide the service. School nurses can also provide information about the immunizations. The complete list of required immunizations and at what age they should be administered is on the DoDEA website at http://www.dodea.edu/StudentServices/immunizationPgrm.cfm, as well as on individual school websites.
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Back to School 2016-17 Photos
Several DoDEA Pacific schools captured their first day of the 2016-17 school year in their own unique way. The photos sent to the DoDEA Pacific public affairs office were selected and placed on the Flickr site. Click here to see them all
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Political Activity Guidance 2016
uring the election cycle, all Department of Defense (DoD) personnel – military and civilian – should be aware of the various limitations that exist when it pertains to participation in political activity. A quick summary of the rules and sources documenting substantive guidance are included in the information below: Civilian Employees For DoD civilians, participation in political activity is regulated by a number of sources: the Hatch Act (5 U.S.C. §§ 7321–7326), implementing regulations (5 C.F.R. § 733 and 5 C.F.R. § 734), as well as DoD policy. For purposes of the Hatch Act, political activity is defined as “an activity directed toward the success or failure of a political party, candidate for partisan political office or partisan political group.” Because the application of the rules varies depending on an employee’s position or office, it is extremely important that employees who engage in political activity know which rules apply. With regard to civilian employees, there are two sets of restrictions for different groups of employees. The first and more restrictive set of restrictions applies to our Senior Executive Service (SES) employees. The second and more lenient set of restrictions applies to all other employees. Less restricted employees (all of us who aren’t SES) while in their personal capacities, may volunteer with a political campaign or political organization. Examples of permitted volunteer activities include: organizing political rallies and meetings, making phone calls on behalf of a candidate, serving as a delegate to a party convention, and working for a political party to get out their vote on Election Day. These employees are, however, prohibited from soliciting or receiving political contributions. Political Activity Guidance 2016 (Cont’d.) Regardless of whether a civilian employee is further restricted or less restricted, he or she may never engage in political activity while on-duty or in a Federal building. Specifically, an employee may not send or forward political emails, post political messages to a Facebook account or engage in political tweeting while in a Federal building (including when off-duty), even if the employee is using her personal smartphone, tablet, or computer. Moreover, employees should never use government equipment when engaging in political activities. Social Media Civilian and military personnel may generally express their personal views on public issues or political candidates via social media platforms, such as Facebook, Twitter, or personal blogs, much the same as they would be permitted to write a letter to the editor of a newspaper. If, when expressing a personal opinion, personnel are identified by a social media site as DoD employees, the posting must clearly and prominently state that the views expressed are those of the individual only, and not of the Department of Defense. For more information on the Hatch Act, personnel should contact their local ethics counselor. General guidance on the Hatch Act may be found at the U.S. Office of Special Counsel’s website at www.osc.gov
National PTO Official Back-to-School kit
elcome to the new and improved, digital Back-to-School kit. These easy-to-use quick reference guides will help PTA leaders implement all the important strategies and functions of your PTA. This kit contains resources and leadership tools and is designed to assist your executive team in meeting critical benchmarks and goals to ensure each child’s success this school year.... See more at: http://www.ptakit.org/#sthash.qKa3kpnF.dpuf http://www.ptakit.org/
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PACIFIC HIGHLIGHTS From the Office of the Superintendent
oDEA Pacific East Superintendent Dr. Steven Bloom has named Dr. Helen Bailey as the Community Superintendent for the DoDEA Pacific East District. Dr. Helen Bailey is a career educator with extensive teaching and administrative experience in DoDEA Pacific. She joined DoDEA as a business/computer science teacher with her first assignment at Yokota High School teaching grades 7-12, and has served as an Assistant Principal at Yokota High School, Yokota, Japan, and Assistant Principal at Nile C. Kinnick High School in Yokosuka, Japan. Dr. Bailey was promoted to the position of Principal at Daegu American School prior to joining the DoDEA Pacific Region Office in Okinawa, Japan, working with Instructional Support Specialists as a Branch Chief in DoDEA Pacific’s Education Division. Two years later, she transferred off to the beautiful island of Guam as the Principal of Andersen Elementary School and later joined the DoDEA Pacific South District in Guam as the Education Operations Manager. After 8 years in the Pacific South District, Dr. Bailey was reassigned at the beginning of this school year as the Chief of Staff for DoDEA Europe South District in Vicenza, Italy. Prior to DoDEA, Dr. Bailey was a middle school and high school business/computer teacher in Angier and Fayetteville, North Carolina, as well as a community college professor and teacher in Manhattan and Junction City, Kansas. Dr. Bailey earned her undergraduate degrees in Economics and in Comprehensive Business Education at Fayetteville State University, her master’s degree at Kansas State University in Educational Administration, and her doctorate degree at Capella University in Educational Leadership and Administration. Dr. Bailey is a member of The Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development as well as the Phi Delta Kappa International. She is also a proud “Life Member” of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Incorporated. Dr. Bailey is “happy to return to the Pacific” with aspirations of making positive contributions in each school. She and her husband, Patrick, have two children, Patrick, 22, and Britney, 15. Britney will be a junior at Yokota High School.
Assistant Secretary of Defense meets with DoDEA Teachers of the Year r. Todd A. Weiler, Assistant Secretary of Defense (Manpower and Reserve Affairs) meets with 2016 &2017 DoDEA Teachers of the Year at the DoDEA Teacher Leadership Summit in Alexandria, VA. Teachers are meeting this week to examine ways to build the capacity of the District Teachers of the Year to assume leadership roles in their schools and districts.
Photos from the DoDEA Pacific Superintendents conference in Tokyo
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PACIFIC HIGHLIGHTS DoDEA Pacific Chief of Instructional Leadership Selected Dear DoDEA Pacific Team, I am pleased to announce the selection of Dr. Beth Schiavino-Narvaez as the Chief of Instructional Leadership Development for DoDEA Pacific Dr. Narvaez brings to our team 22 years of experience as an educator, having most recently served as the Superintendent of the Hartford Public Schools, Hartford, Conn. During her tenure as superintendent, she maintained a focus on equity and excellence which resulted in an increase in access to college-level classes and internships; improved academic achievement; and a decline in chronic absenteeism and out-of-school suspensions. Prior to her appointment at Hartford Public Schools, Dr. Narvaez served as Deputy Superintendent of School Support and Improvement for Montgomery County Public Schools in Maryland. In this position, she was the architect of an innovative school support and improvement framework that enabled the school system to understand the unique strengths and needs of each school and match resources to accelerate their improvement efforts. Dr. Narvaez’ expertise is in the areas of leadership development, school improvement and professional learning. She has been recognized for her leading-edge work in central office transformation, strengthening central office service and support to schools. Known for her collaborative and engaging style, she is proven instructional leader who has led turnaround work as both a principal and central office leader. Her career also includes service as Assistant Superintendent and Chief Academic Officer for Springfield Public School in Springfield, Mass; five years as an elementary and middle school principal in the Pittsfield Massachusetts Public Schools; and work as a teacher in her home state of Pennsylvania. Dr. Narvaez holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Elementary Education from Pennsylvania State University. She completed her graduate studies at the Harvard University Graduate School of Education where she earned a Master’s degree in School Leadership and Doctorate from the Urban Superintendents Program. Dr. Narvaez and her husband Eric have made service to others a central part of their lives. They served in the Peace Corps together in the Republic of Kiribati. Dr. Narvaez also worked as a Fulbright Scholar in South Korea, and credits these international experiences with helping her to understand the importance of cultural competence. Her commitment to student achievement, leadership development, school improvement, and professional learning will be invaluable to our teachers and administrators as we continue to implement College and Career Ready Standards in our DoDEA Pacific Schools and will be instrumental as we finalize the transition to our new organizational structure that will support the implementation of those standards. Please join me in welcoming Dr. Narvaez to the DoDEA Pacific Team! Lois J. Rapp Director, DoDEA Pacific
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Ms. Lois Rapp Director of Student Excellence Chas Kelker Chief of Staff
Lawrence Torres III Acting Public Affairs Officer Christopher Provan Visual Information Specialist Lawrence Torres III Public Affairs Specialist Contact us: PublicAffairs@pac.dodea.edu
Media & Trend Watch
Fire Prevention Week This year’s Fire Prevention Week campaign, “Don’t Wait - Check the Date! Replace Smoke Alarms Every 10 Years,” Teaching resources - http://www.nfpa.org 2016 FPW infographic - http://www.nfpa.org
YouTube
National Bullying Prevention Month October 1-31 National Principals Month
9-15 Fire Prevention Week 10 Columbus Day (Federal Holiday) 23-31 Red Ribbon Week 29 Korea Regional Drill @ Osan American HS, Japan Regional Drill @ Kinnick HS 31 Halloween
November
5 D2 Football Championship 7-8 D1/2 Boys & Girls Cross-Country @ Edgren HS 7-10 D1/2 Boys & Girls Tennis @ Kadena HS 7-10 D1 Volleyball @ Seoul American HS, D2 Volleyball @ Yokota HS 11 Veterans Day (Federal Holiday) 7-11 D1/2 Cheerleading @ MC Perry HS, Japan 12 D1 Football Championship 13-19 American Education Week NEA offers promotional materials on their website including a poster, web banners etc: http://www.nea.org/grants/36934.htm 14-16 Far East Drill Meet @ Yokota HS 16 Education Support Professionals Day excellent promotional/planning toolkit: http://www.nea.org/home/1604.htm 14-17 Far East Jazz and Modern Music Festival @ Okinawa 24 Thanksgiving Day (Federal Holiday) 29-2 Dec FE Journalism @ Okinawa (tentative) November is Military Family Month: http://www.military.com/military-family-appreciation-month Please consider ways to celebrate military families through thankful sentiments in your school newsletters, a themed bulletin board, recognition at assemblies and parent-teacher conferences or other special occasions, or through some other special faculty-led activity November is Native American Heritage Month | teacher resources: http://nativeamericanheritagemonth.gov/teachers/index.html
Fire Prevention Week October 9-15, 2016 http://www.nfpa.org
LOOKING AHEAD
Twitter Web Site
7 December 12-15 19 24-1 Dec 25 26-1 Jan
Pearl Harbor Day Far East Creative Expressions & Film Festival @ Tokyo Begin Winter Recess Hanukkah (Festival of Lights) Christmas Day with 26 Dec (Federal Holiday) Kwanzaa
Feedback is welcome and encouraged! Please send us any suggested improvements or information you would like to see in future editions: PublicAffairs@pac.dodea.edu
The Cube
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Flickr
CURRENTS Vol. 008 September 2016