Thursday, October 30, 2014

Teachers' Presentation Voted 10 Best

Five CHCCS Foreign Language in Elementary Schools (FLES) teachers, made two presentations at the annual Foreign Language Association of North Carolina (FLANC) conference earlier this month.  Their presentations were entitled, Cultural Infusion: Blending culture into your lessons and An Assessment Journey: Tales from 5th grade FLES teachers.  Of the 96 presentations made, their Cultural Infusion session was voted as one of the 10 best.  Selections were made based on topic, expertise, delivery, usefulness, audience response and overall quality.

The presentation team consisted of:  Ana Bernad-Calhoun, Morris Grove Elementary; Shawna Catlett, Ephesus Elementary; Luisa Caicedo, McDougle and Scroggs Elementary; Carlos Perera, Seawell Elementary; and Jennifer Roth, Glenwood Elementary.

"It is an honor and privilege for me to work with such an excellent team of teachers," said CHCCS World Language Coordinator Dr. Elaine Watson-Grant.  "Our FLES teachers build the solid foundation that students need in language acquisition within a cultural and interdisciplinary context.  I am thrilled that they are being recognized at the state level for all of their hard work," she added.

The annual FLANC conference was held October 2-4 in Winston-Salem.

FLES Teachers Pictured Left to Right
Shawna Catlett, Carlos Perera, Luisa Caicedo, Ana Bernad-Calhoun, Jennifer Roth


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Wednesday, October 22, 2014

CHCCS Score Above State and Nation on 2014 SAT

Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools’ SAT scores for seniors were once again well above the state and national averages for 2014.

New results released by The College Board show that CHCCS’s combined math and critical reading SAT score for 2014 was 1,183. Nationally, the combined average score on math and critical reading was 1,010, while North Carolina had an average score of 1,006. Including the essay portion, CHCCS's average score was 1,753, compared to the national average of 1,497 and North Carolina’s average of 1,483.

Carrboro High School experienced significant increases in its SAT scores for 2014. The school’s combined average score on math and critical reading rose 42 points this year and the average score, including the essay portion, increased by a total of 53 points.

“While we are pleased that, as a district, our SAT scores are among the highest in the state and well above the national average, we know we still have more work to do,” said Assistant Superintendent for Instructional Services Dr. Magda Parvey. “We take seriously the importance of SAT scores to our students and families during the college admissions process.”

A total of 710 seniors, or 78.9 percent, took the SAT, compared to 82.5 percent the previous year. Participation rates across North Carolina have been dropping since the state began offering the ACT to high school juniors for free.

For more information regarding the SAT scores and participation rates, click here.

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Friday, October 17, 2014

Ryan Named CHCCS Principal of the Year

Darlene Ryan, principal at Glenwood Elementary, was named the Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools' Principal of the Year at a surprise announcement this morning at her school.

"Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools is very fortunate to have such an outstanding leader working with teachers and students at Glenwood Elementary School," said Superintendent Thomas A. Forcella.

Ryan has been the principal at Glenwood since 2010, having served as its assistant principal for the previous two years.

Ryan first joined CHCCS in 1986 for three years as an elementary physical education teacher before returning in 2004 as its math and science coordinator and served in that position for four years.

Ryan began her career in education as a health/PE teacher in Chatham County Schools, but throughout the years, she has taught elementary, middle and high school students.  She has also taught middle school science and social studies before becoming a science curriculum resource teacher in Chatham.

She has served as the President of the North Carolina Science Leadership Association and as the Director of District 5 for the North Carolina Science Teacher Association (NCSLA).

In 1996, Ryan was named North Chatham Elementary School Teacher of the Year and in 1999, she was named Technology and Learning North Carolina Teacher of the Year.  She earned the Distinguished Alumni Award for Excellence in Teaching from UNC-CH in 2002.  Ryan also received the NCSLA Herman Gatling Award for Outstanding Science Education Leadership in 2009.

Ryan holds a bachelor of arts in education, a master of education and a doctorate in educational leadership from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

Ryan will represent the district for the Wells Fargo Principal of the Year program. 

An emotional Darlene Ryan after the announcement

Glenwood Staff and CHCCS Administrators applaud Principal Ryan

Dr. Darlene Ryan, principal, Glenwood Elementary


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Monday, October 6, 2014

Nyree Sullivan to Lead Title I

Nyree Sullivan will be transitioning into a new position. She currently serves as the Elementary English Language Arts Coordinator K-6 and will be assuming a new role as the district's new Director of Title I. Nyree has been a valuable asset to the district's English Language Arts program and to the Instructional Services Division (ISD). Her hard work is greatly appreciated, and we look to her leadership in this new role.

Along with her many skills, Nyree brings her experience as a Title I Interventionist for grades 2-5, nine years teaching experience in a district wide Title I school in Indianapolis, and serving as a Director of Instruction for grades 6-8. In this role, she managed the Title I budget, purchased materials and used data to drive decisions about students served by Title I funds.

Please join us in congratulating Nyree on her new role in ISD!

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