Dear Families and Friends of Idaho's Charter Schools:

It's hard to believe that 2007 is quickly coming to a close. I hope you all are having a great school year so far. Here's some news and information from your fellow parents and the coalition:

CONGRATS TO THE IDAHO TEACHER OF THE YEAR

State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Luna on November 1 announced the 2008 Idaho Teacher of the Year -- and she's a charter school teacher!!

Here's what was included in the Superintendent's November 1 newsletter:

Carol Scholz of Idaho Arts Charter School in the Nampa School District has served as an elementary and special education teacher for 23 years. As Idaho Teacher of the Year, she will receive $20,000 in cash and donated gifts and represent the state of Idaho as a nominee for the National Teacher of the Year.

“Scholz has served as an innovative leader in every school that she has worked in throughout her career,” Superintendent Luna said. “She goes above and beyond to mentor new teachers, develop curriculum and readily share her expertise with others. Scholz exemplifies the quality and innovative teacher we need in every Idaho classroom.”

Scholz is also active in her community and recently created the Idaho Arts Charter School Education Foundation to raise funds for school projects.

“Carol is willing to share her expertise with all teachers and offer a helping hand whenever asked,” said Jackie Collins, the principal at Idaho Arts Charter School who nominated Scholz for Idaho Teacher of the Year.

For more information on the Idaho Teacher of the Year program, visit www.sde.idaho.gov/TeacherOfTheYear/.

SUMMIT PLANNING

The coalition is planning the Fifth Annual Charter School summit, which will bring together parents, policymakers, school leaders and others for a lively discussion on the state of charter schools in Idaho. Stay tuned for more information.

IDVA STUDENT WITNESS TO HISTORY

All Idaho students felt a special connection to the space shuttle Endeavour earlier this year when Barbara Morgan of McCall fulfilled the Teacher in Space mission that was interrupted by the Challenger disaster in 1986. 

But as the guest of launch VIP Gene Nora Jessen who is also her grandmother, Idaho Virtual Academy sixth-grader Mary-Michael LeClaire literally “felt it” as she witnessed the launch while seated next to the countdown clock at Kennedy Space Center. 

“The air was shaking,” Mary-Michael reported to her mother in a phone call after blast-off.  “And, the red ants were biting.”  Apparently Mary-Michael and Grandma didn’t know not to sit in the grass in southern Florida, but even biting ants couldn’t mar this once-in-a-lifetime event.

WE WANT TO HEAR ABOUT YOU

One of our goals is to share the great news about charter schools in Idaho! We'd like to post families' stories on our web site, to share with Idahoans and the world why families choose charter schools for their children. Send your testimonials to info@idchartercoalition.org. We will review what you submit and will post some on our web site. (We may edit some of the submissions for space, and will let you know if we do!).