August 15, 2006

Ms. Carole Colburn

Highlander Way Middle School

Dear Ms. Colburn:

Congratulations! After spending many exciting hours reviewing applications to the 2006 Microsoft US Innovative Teachers Forum, it is with great pleasure that we invite you and your learning team to this year’s Forum in Redmond, Washington, September 21^st and 22^nd. We are honored to be able to host your team, and other exemplary learning teams, and facilitate an incredible opportunity for sharing experiences, expertise, and learning among you.

In the next 48 hours you will be receiving very important logistical information regarding your travel and hotel arrangements for the 2006 Forum. Please share this congratulatory email, as well as the travel arrangement information, with your two (maximum) team members, as identified in your original proposal, who will be attending the Forum with you. Along with the travel arrangement information, you will also be receiving a press release template which you can distribute to your local media.

The theme for the 2006 Innovative Teachers Forum is “Challenges and Changes”. Factors driving the globalization of our society have placed more emphasis and demand on today’s education system than ever before. Educators are working to balance the challenges and associated changes facing them as a result of the growing pressure to ensure today’s students preserve our competitive advantage in the global knowledge economy.

As a result, the 2006 US Forum agenda will not be filled with presentations and keynotes, but rather will provide a unique opportunity for professional growth, collaboration, and innovation. US Forum attendees will participate in a series of site visits exploring the challenges and changes faced by other members of the community and how they adapted to and overcame these challenges. Participants will then have an opportunity share their key discoveries, learnings, and ideas with one another.

The Forum will begin on the morning of Thursday, September 21^st, with a day full of learning activities, followed by an awards dinner in the evening. It will conclude at noon on Friday, September 22^nd with a keynote presentation by Tom Carroll, President of the National Commission on Teaching and America’s Future.

We look forward to your participation in this extraordinary event and thank you for your efforts in helping students realize their full potential!

Please respond to this notification right away so that we know you have received it. When you do so, please confirm the names of up to two learning team members that will accompany you to the Forum.

Sincerely,

The US Innovative Teachers Team

Microsoft Partners in Learning |US Public Sector