Letter from Dr. Causby

Below is a message sent from Dr. Causby to all CHCCS  parents by phone and by email updating them on the opening of school.

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Dear CHCCS Families,

Another exciting school year opened yesterday. I have been out visiting schools and principals, and from all indications our students and teachers are off to a great start. However, I feel a need to update you on a few areas that did not go as planned.

First, we woke up on Monday to learn that Estes Hills Elementary had no power. I understand this school had electrical issues last year. Fortunately, yesterday’s power outage was not the fault of our school infrastructure. It was entirely on the shoulders of Duke Energy. We worked with them throughout the day and they got it fixed later in the afternoon. However, we did make the decision to send home the students at 11 a.m., primarily due to the lack of air conditioning. I am pleased to report that today has been a great day at Estes Hills. Classrooms are cool and students are learning.

The second big issue, and it is one that impacted almost as many people, is our transportation errors. While there are always problems on the first few days of school, the number of problems we have experienced this year greatly exceeds years past. There are a variety of reasons for this, but they all came together to create a perfect storm this year. Additionally, the heavy volume of parent questions and concerns being called into our Transportation Office quickly filled up all voicemail boxes and resulted in frustration on the part of both parents and Transportation staff.

To that end, we have asked our technology team to restructure the phone system to increase the number of incoming lines, and we are bringing in staff from Lincoln Center and schools to assist with manning these phones in an effort to increase our capacity to provide live assistance as needed. Now, of course, our Transportation leaders are working to resolve the bus route issues, and that is the bottom line goal. But in the meantime, we want you to know that we are working to get every route straightened out and to provide a greater level of customer service in the meantime.

Thank you for your continued understanding and support. I will call you again within the next 24 hours with another update. I hope you enjoy the remainder of your day.

Sincerely,

Jim Causby
Interim Superintendent

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Labor Day Holiday, Monday, Sept. 5 / Festivo Día del Trabajo, Lunes, 5 de sept.

Schools and Offices Closed

District schools and offices will be closed on Monday, September 5 for the Labor Day Holiday.  School will resume as usual and district offices will be open on Tuesday, September 6.

Escuelas y oficinas cerradas

Las escuelas y oficinas del distrito estarán cerradas el lunes, 5 de septiembre, por el día festivo del trabajo.  Las escuelas reabrirán sus puertas como de costumbre y las oficinas del distrito estarán abiertas el martes, 6 de septiembre.

read more "Labor Day Holiday, Monday, Sept. 5 / Festivo Día del Trabajo, Lunes, 5 de sept."

Estes Hills ES Dismisses Early Due to Power Outage

Estes Hills Elementary Dismissing at 11 a.m. on Monday, August 29
Due to a power failure at the school, Estes Hills Elementary is closing at 11 a.m.  Duke Energy is on site and additional testing is required before power can be restored.  Because of the continued high heat forecast for today, the school is being closed.  Please watch for additional updates throughout the day.

read more "Estes Hills ES Dismisses Early Due to Power Outage"

PSF Teacher Supply Store Provides Assistance to CHCCS Staff

The 10th Annual Teacher Supply Store Provides $45,000 in School Supplies

Hundreds of Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools teachers and staff received $75 vouchers to "shop" at the Public School Foundation's (PSF) Teacher Supply Store on August 23-24.  The store, located at the American Legion Hall, is sponsored by the East Chapel Hill Rotary Club and PSF.

The store is stocked with items teachers have identified as necessities in their classrooms, including pencils, paper, staplers, glue, markers, tissues, hand sanitizer and much more.  The nearly 600 teachers invited include elementary teachers, social workers, visiting international teachers, and novice teachers.  To be fair, teachers and staff are invited on a rotating basis, so middle and high school teachers will be invited in 2017.

"This is an amazing event to be a part of and witness," said Interim Superintendent Jim Causby.  "The happiness shown by all of the staff members while they shopped and picked out their items is truly priceless.  It's so impressive what the Public School Foundation and the East Chapel Hill Rotary Club - with the help of our community - are able to offer our teachers, saving them money from their own pockets to start off a new school year.  I'm glad CHCCS and its staff are able to participate in something that provides so much."

"Teachers spend hundreds of dollars of their own money each year to be sure that students have what they need in the classroom.  We hope that this supply store eases that burden for our teachers and school social workers," said Allison Worthy, co-chair of the planning committee.  "Social workers often need to offer backpacks and basic supplies to identified families who cannot afford to purchase items on the school supply lists.  Novice teachers have not accumulated any supplies for their classrooms, so we want to support them so they don't have to spend money from their own pockets."

Each year, CHCCS hires approximately 35-45 novice teachers.

According to the NC Department of Public Instruction, in 2007-08, the state allocated just over $83 million for classroom materials, instructional supplies and equipment.  During the last school year, the state allocated around $44.3 million.  That reduction is reflected in local school district budgets.

"This project is so meaningful to our club members," said East Chapel Hill Rotary chairperson, Pat Phelan.  "Our rotary members love the smiles on the teachers' faces when they see the tables stocked with supplies that they can get for free with their vouchers.  Our rotary club considers this a favorite among our charity projects.  The teachers are so grateful and some teachers are moved to tears.  It is a wonderful way to kick off the school year."

Over the past 10 years, more than $275,000 in supplies have been given away to CHCCS teachers at the annual Teacher Store.  Funding for the store comes through generous support by the East Chapel Hill Rotary and other area rotary clubs, Staples of Chapel Hill and the Staples Foundation, as well as the Public School Foundation.  Over 50 volunteers help work the checkout stations for the shoppers.

To celebrate the 10th anniversary of the Teacher Supply Store, PSF accepted donations of $10 gift cards to various local businesses to offer teachers as door prizes during the event.

read more "PSF Teacher Supply Store Provides Assistance to CHCCS Staff"

Summer Reading at Northside Elementary

This summer, the Northside Elementary School Library was open to serve students residing in the general walk zone. Public library data suggests these students do not typically access the public library summer reading program. Coordinating a partnership with the Boys and Girls Club, the Chapel Hill Public Library and UNC athletics, the school library was open three days per week from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. for a period of eight weeks. This initiative was made possible by a parent donor and the support of the Public School Foundation. Below is a quick snapshot of the summer.

PARTICIPATION

- 848 total books checked out from the Northside Elementary School Library this summer

- 80 total students participated in some capacity

- 45 Boys and Girls Club students

- 35 students in the walk zone (not included in B&G club)

- 15 students attended daily

- 9 students reached full goal of 20 hours and turned in completed log (others kept a log but didn't necessarily record up to 20 hours)

- 5 Northside Elementary Schools teachers volunteered time to support and engage with students

- 4 middle school students/former Northside Elementary Schools students accessed the library and participated in programs

- 3 parents participated with their children

- 3 younger siblings of Northside Elementary Schools students participated.

- 1 incredible summer with lots of student engagement.

read more "Summer Reading at Northside Elementary"

First Day of School: Grades 1-12, is 8/29; PreK/Head Start is 9/6 / Primer día de escuela: 1º-12º grado, el 29 de agosto; PreK/Head Start, el 6 de sept.

First Day of School Scheduled for Different Grades
The First Day of School for grades 1-12 is Monday, August 29.

Kindergarten Orientation and the First Day of Kindergarten are school based.  Please contact your child’s school for details.

There are two days of staggered entry for PreK students, September 1 and 2.  The first full day for PreK is Tuesday, September 6.

Please remember to watch for bus riders getting on/off buses and for families walking to and from school.

El primer día de escuela programado para los diferentes grados
El primer día de escuela para 1º-12º grado es el lunes, 29 de agosto.

La orientación y el primer día de kindergarten varían dependiendo de la escuela. Por favor póngase en contacto con la escuela de su hijo(a) para los detalles.

Hay dos días de entrada escalonada para los estudiantes de PreK, el 1 y 2 de septiembre.  El primer día completo para PreK es el martes, 6 de septiembre.

Por favor recuerde tener cuidado con los estudiantes que se están subiendo y bajando de los autobuses y con las familias que caminan hacía y desde la escuela.

read more "First Day of School: Grades 1-12, is 8/29; PreK/Head Start is 9/6 / Primer día de escuela: 1º-12º grado, el 29 de agosto; PreK/Head Start, el 6 de sept."

Updated Parent Handbooks Now Available Online

The CHCCS Parent Handbooks have been updated for the 2016-17 school year and are available online in both English and Spanish.

The Parent Handbooks are great resources for families, as they include information about conferences, delayed openings, messages from the school/district, testing information, bus rules, and parent involvement opportunities, just to name a few.

The district also posts "Supplement Pages" that offer school-specific information, including meeting dates, in both English and Spanish.  Supplement Pages are available for the elementary level, middle school level, and high school level.

Supplement Pages include information on dropping off students, school specific contact information, PTA and SIT dates, as well as other information parents need.

Be sure to check out the CHCCS Parent Handbooks as one of the many online resources offered to families.

read more "Updated Parent Handbooks Now Available Online"

Lincoln Center on Summer Hours, June 13-Aug. 12 / Lincoln Center funcionará con horario de verano del 13 de junio al 12 de agosto

Lincoln Center Starts Summer Hours
Lincoln Center will operate on Summer Hours from Monday, June 13 through Friday, August 12. During those weeks, Lincoln Center will be open Monday through Thursday, 7:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. and on Fridays from 7:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.

Horario de verano en Lincoln Center y para inscripción de estudiantes – del 13 de junio al 12 de agosto
Lincoln Center funcionará en horario de verano del lunes 13 de junio al viernes 12 de agosto. Durante estas semanas, Lincoln Center abrirá de lunes a jueves de 7:30 a. m. a 5 p. m. y los viernes de 7:30 a. m. a 1:30 p.m.

read more "Lincoln Center on Summer Hours, June 13-Aug. 12 / Lincoln Center funcionará con horario de verano del 13 de junio al 12 de agosto"