CHCCS Teachers Benefit from $29 Million DonorsChoose Gift

Unless you keep up with Stephen Colbert’s fundraising preferences, you would be forgiven for asking what the comedian has to do with the new Sphero robots at Ephesus Elementary, or the soon-to-be-delivered collaborative desks at Seawell Elementary. But Colbert has long been a friend and fan of DonorsChoose, the national non-profit that funds teacher requests. This spring, Colbert used his late night show to announce a $29 million gift from the cryptocurrency company Ripple, a gift that funded every single active request on DonorsChoose nationwide. Five Chapel Hill-Carrboro teachers had the good fortune to be among the 28,210 teachers whose projects were filled by the Ripple gift.
   
Claire Nelson, third-grade teacher at Ephesus, said, “Needless to say, I’m still quite shocked at Ripple’s generosity!”  She had requested six Sphero Mini robots and one Sphero SPRK robot, after learning about the resource at the North Carolina Technology in Education Society (NCTIES) conference that she attended in March. “My son is on a high school robotics team. I have seen what a difference robotics and coding has made to him. Even though robotics and coding are out of my comfort zone, I wanted to challenge myself to integrate it into my classroom instruction. I sought out a few sessions on Robotics and Programming at NCTIES. I decided Sphero would be a perfect place to start!”
   
Tori Mazur, Digital Learning Specialist at Ephesus, said she has been using DonorsChoose since 2008, and she now writes most of her project requests with the school’s Hour of Code in mind. “We borrowed a 12-pack [of Spheros] from Morris Grove for Hour of Code in December and we discovered so much potential, that we had to have our own!”
   
The title of Mazur’s funded project was “May the Force & Motion Be With Us!” She wrote in her proposal, “My students need a 12-pack of Spheros to work in programming teams. We can use the force (and motion) standards to engage in STEM every day, not just during Hour of Code.”
   
Nationally, the Ripple gift funded more than 35,000 classroom requests, which according to DonorsChoose, will cover 70,000 books, 15,000 art supplies and 6,200 pieces of lab equipment. The day after Colbert announced the Ripple gift on his show, teachers created more than 15,600 projects on DonorsChoose, which beat the site's record for the number of projects created in an entire week.
   
Nan Lujan, English as a Second Language (ESL) teacher at Seawell Elementary, benefited from Ripple’s gift with the funding of two separate requests: i-Pads for first grade math centers, called “Math that is Just Right for Me,” and “Black History Matters” for twenty T-shirts for children and adults to wear at school events. For the i-Pads, Lujan wrote, “One of our centers is technology, in which students can utilize a program which uses a screener to determine what specific skills a student is proficient in and which skills they need to work on in order to become proficient. It then tailors their time in the application to allow them to practice the skills they need the most work in so that they may advance.” In regards to the T-shirts donation, Lujan explained, “We want our kids of color and all of our kids to know that at our school, Black History Matters.We would love to be able to outfit our teachers and students in our affinity group with Black History Matters t-shirts to make a strong statement at our assembly and throughout the school year. It's important that we tell the stories of strong black men and strong black women and inspire a new generation.”
   
Tomika Altman-Lewis, the fifth-grade Learning Environment for Advanced Placement (LEAP) teacher at Seawell, has a long and fruitful history with DonorsChoose, and she now serves as an ambassador for the non-profit, as well as an essay reader for project proposals. “As an ambassador, I help spread the word about DonorsChoose and assist teachers with creating their projects.” Over the years, DonorsChoose has funded 61 of Altman-Lewis’ requests, most of which have supported her wide-ranging and creative approaches to STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Math) instruction.
     
Her most recent grant was for twelve standing desks, plus materials for hands-on learning activities. For “The Ultimate Learning Space,” Altman-Lewis wrote, “Learning does not stand still and neither should my students. Students need the opportunity to move, materials for them to work collaboratively or independently, and space for them to feel comfortable. Students will learn about architectural design and blueprints as they create the ultimate learning environment because my students will design the layout of our class.”

“Game On” was what Altman-Lewis named her other request. “Integrating literacy with hands-on experiences will allow my students to truly understand the concepts taught in school and this project will allow them to share such learning with their families. I am requesting a variety of STEM-related games such as the Food Chain, Mammal Survival, Human Body, and Forces and Motion activity kits and family games such as 'Smath, 5 Second Rule, Man Bites Dog, and etc. These games will also serve as models when they create their own games.”
   
The fifth teacher to receive a DonorsChoose gift from the Ripple donation was Jessica Plant, seventh-grade math teacher at Culbreth. Titled “Help! I Can’t Sit Still,” Plant’s request was for additional seating choices. “Students will have the option to sit on the classroom rug, sit on yoga balls, or on the bean bags to complete classwork assignments and work collaboratively with their peers. These materials will make a difference in the lives of my students and help students that have a lot of trouble staying focused for the entire class period.”
   
Two years ago Stephen Colbert, as a member of the board of directors of DonorsChoose, pledged to pay for every project request in South Carolina, his home state. Little did he know that he was establishing a national model for blanket funding.
   
DonorsChoose CEO Charles Best told EdSurge, "We believe in the wisdom of the front lines. Hardworking, passionate teachers know their students' needs better than anyone else in the school environment. If we can tap into their needs, we can unleash smarter solutions and empower those people on the front lines."

View Colbert’s announcement here:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wfw4FWJJVOQ



     

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Roy Wilkins Featured in Public Service Announcement for Living Wage

CHCCS is pleased to have our very own Roy Wilkins, custodian at Ephesus Elementary, featured in a recent public service announcement promoting the importance of the Living Wage.

Thanks to Roy, and all of our custodians, for the important work they accomplish every day. Our schools could not function without them.

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Lulu, the Chewing Gum Artist

The vision came to her a few summers ago at camp when Lulu Nery was briefly trapped under a bowling alley table. Stuck in that position she looked up, and the amount of chewing gum under the table made a powerful impression- “thousands” of chewers’ castoffs, she guessed. “There were so many different colors, textures and patterns which gave me an idea.” Art, she thought with surprise, and that’s how the new permanent Ephesus artwork came into being.

     

Lulu is a 5th grader in Ms. Sheila Singh’s class who has achieved a new notoriety among her schoolmates. Although Ephesus school policy allows for chewing gum, it also stipulates that students chew quietly and dispose of gum properly. But Lulu had noticed that gum proliferated under desks. “Last year I could always identify my desk, not by the name tag, but by the gum!  My desk had a purple and white chewing gum pattern. It was kind of  fascinating but really gross.” 

     

As Lulu wrote in her project proposal, “What if we just stopped the growing population of gum under desks, and redirected the flow of never-ending chewing gum?  What if we made art?” 

     

Next step for Lulu was a conversation with the art teacher, Ms. Hannah Murphy, Principal Victoria Creamer and Assistant Principal Danielle Sutton. They devised a plan, and then Creamer sent an email to Ephesus parents, which included Lulu’s guidelines. 

They clarified that the project was open to “all Roadrunners,” and was completely voluntary. Lulu noted, “Each person can contribute to creating our own abstract Ephesus Chewing Gum Masterpiece!” Ms. Creamer added, “We will also use this project as an educational opportunity about preventing the spread of germs with regular hand-washing. Wash your hands afterwards!”

      

The designated canvas was set up outside the main office for a month, and during that time the blobs, streaks and shaped pieces of gum accumulated to create a distinctly Jackson Pollock-ish work. The colors range across the spectrum. Upon close examination, a red Gummi Bear and a sneaky Googly Eye show up as the two “non-gum” contributions. When it was time for Lulu to memorialize the gum for posterity, she enlisted her grandpa to find a substance to use as protective coating. “My grandpa has everything in his tool shed!”

       

Lulu said that she originally imagined a fully covered canvas, but now she appreciates the amount of white space still visible. 

“Like music, the silences are just as important,” she observed.

       

The five layers of coating haven’t entirely masked the whiff of fruit flavors still emanating from the artwork, though any germs have been neutralized. The canvas has now been set up in the atrium as a permanent contribution. Principal Creamer’s pride is evident in an email, “I am so proud of Lulu's creativity and her initiative!”

      

And Lulu? Her own webpage on fineartamerica.com shows a growing collection of abstract digital art for sale. She doubts she’ll spend more time exploring gum as a medium. After all, she doesn’t much like gum. Lulu had only chewed two pieces in her lifetime, before the call of the blank canvas (or the bottom of a table) inspired her to chew a few pieces more.

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Social Workers and UNC

Pictured left to right: Marne Meredith (Ephesus Elementary),
Wendy Johnston (Glenwood Elementary) and Melissa Breaden
(Pre-K)

The Field Education Program of the UNC School of Social Work recently extended its appreciation to Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools for long standing service and commitment to the field of social work and to the community by serving as a training site for Master-level social work interns.  

Congratulations, CHCCS school social work field instructors!

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New Voices Foundation Recognizes Two CHCCS Staff

New Voices Foundation announces Lara Jane Parker Award Recipients

An estimated 400 children in North Carolina’s Triangle region can’t speak, can’t write, and have trouble walking or even moving through space. Families and public schools struggle to meet their complex medical, technological, and educational needs.

In 2007, nonprofit New Voices Foundation was established to improve educational opportunities for children with severe communication and mobility disabilities to help maximize their learning potential.

“New Voices children have the same needs and aspirations of all children, and a bit more,” said Don Stedman retired Dean of Education at UNC-Chapel Hill and co-founder of New Voices. “There is no reason that their communication and mobility challenges cannot be successfully addressed in a way that will allow full inclusion in our schools and community.”

Over the past decade, with the support of outstanding teachers, therapists, parents, leaders, and education and health professionals, hundreds of lives of New Voices children have been changed, unlocking communication, mobility, inclusion, and possibilities.

When Lara Jane Parker was born in 1971, she did not breathe for fifteen minutes and was not expected to survive. Later diagnosed with Cerebral Palsy, Lara was unable to sit, stand, or talk. Overcoming her limitations with self-determination and with a lot of support from teachers and others, Lara graduated from UNC-Chapel Hill, lived independently, and served on committees working with issues involving developmental disabilities.

In memory of Lara, the Lara Jane Parker Awards for Excellence and Advocacy was established in 2013 to recognize and reward individuals who work tirelessly to improve the lives of New Voices Children. This year’s recipients will be honored Thursday, April 21, at 4:30 p.m. at Friday Center in Chapel Hill. The program is free and open to the public.

RSVP by April 15 to: Pat@NewVoicesNC.org.

2016 Award Recipients:

Alecia Osisek, 2016 Lara Jane Parker Award of Excellence
Teacher, Ephesus Elementary School, Chapel Hill-Carrboro City School System

With a passion for teaching and a gift for creating a communication rich environment, Alecia’s classroom has successfully transitioned a student into general education and is a model for processes used by Assistive Technology/Augmentative Alternative Communications teams. Alecia received her BA in Elementary Education and Graduate Certification in Special Education from Eastern University in Pennsylvania.


Ashley Robinson, 2016 Lara Jane Parker Advocacy Award
Augmentative Alternative Communication Specialist, Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools

Ashley inspires others to believe in their students and provides a dynamic approach for them to implement successful communication systems in the classroom. Her motto is “everyone deserves a voice.” Ashley received her Masters of Science from UNC-Chapel Hill.


For more information, contact:

Sandy McMillan, Board Chair
New Voices Foundation
Web: www.NewVoicesNC.org
Email: www.newvoicesnc.org/contact/
Phone: 919-659-5961

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International Walk to School Day

International Walk to School Day took place on Wednesday, October 7. It is a global event that involves communities from more than 40 countries walking and biking to school on the same day. It began in 1997 as a one-day event. Over time, this event has become part of a movement for year-round safe routes to school and a celebration with record breaking participation each October. Now, thousands of schools across America – from all 50 states, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico – participate every October.

Among local schools participating, Rashkis Elementary and Ephesus Elementary, did it up in a big way.

The team at Rashkis Elementary enjoyed a make shift drum line, police officers, emergency workers, UNC cheerleaders to keep up the spirit, flags from all over the world to represent our international students, Len Cone, i9 Sports (to place safety signs), and even a representative from the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction.

Ephesus Elementary celebrated their healthy choice with a dance party before classes. Students who ride the bus had the opportunity to walk a lap around the building, too. There was also a special appearance by the Chapel Hill Police Department, who provided a speed sign on Ephesus Church Road to raise awareness of safety in the school zone.

Congratulations to all who participated. What a great way to start the day!

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Emma Richie Awarded Morehead After School Program Scholarship

Congratulations to Emma Richie, a fifth-grader at Ephesus Elementary, for being named a recipient of the coveted Morehead After School Program Scholarship. As a recipient of the scholarship, the $320 per month tuition is fully covered for the entire 2015-16 academic year. 

Emma is also a member of the Blue Ribbon Mentor-Advocate (BRMA) program. To learn more about the BRMA program, click here.

Because of great students, like Emma, and her amazing teachers, Ephesus Elementary is a shining light in the Chapel Hill-Carrboro community!

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Ephesus Elementary's Kindness Video

In addition to being National Volunteer Week, it is also Kindness Week (coincidence?).

To help remind us of its impact, our friends at Ephesus Elementary, with the help of the Public School Foundation, made this wonderful video tribute to kindness. Enjoy.

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Jill Wright - Data Manager of the Year

Jill Wright of Ephesus Elementary has been named Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools Data Manager of the Year.

Jill started as Ephesus Elementary School’s Data Manager just before the start of the 2013-2014 school year. With the switch from NCWISE to PowerSchool, Jill was quick to take advantage of the self-directed training, and was inquisitive. She used both state and district resources, along with her fellow data managers, to quickly learn the new state student repository software. Her prior knowledge and experience of relational databases was a big help in needing only a few short weeks to be ready for the opening of the 2013-2014 school year.

Jill embraced the district’s mission by insuring the data in PowerSchool protected the students by having the software being able to report where the students are during the school day, what they are doing at a given time, and who is supervising them. She is now often available to assist her fellow data managers when questions arise about PowerSchool.

Congratulations to Jill, and to Ephesus Elementary, for a successful year in exceeding district and state data entry standards.

Ms. Wright being interviewed by a student.

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Ruth Morgan Wins a 2014 Lara Jane Parker Award for Excellence

Ruth Morgan, a speech-language pathologist at Ephesus Elementary School, has been selected as a winner of a 2014 Lara Jane Parker Award for Excellence by the board of directors of New Voices Foundation.

These awards are given to outstanding individuals, within the public schools of Chatham, Durham, Orange and Wake counties and the Chapel Hill–Carrboro City Schools, who directly serve or advocate for children with both physical and communication challenges. Individuals selected for this honor have improved the lives of children who use alternate ways of communication and serve as an inspiration to others who work with such children.

Morgan has worked as a speech-language pathologist for CHCCS since 1992. She has special expertise in assistive technology, autism, and language.

Jamezetta Beford, chair of the Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools Board of Education, said Morgan helped to pioneer the use of assistive technology at Ephesus Elementary.

“Ruth Morgan has worked with students with disabilities at Ephesus Elementary and during the extended school year since the early 1990s. From as early as 1993, she was into assistive technology,” she said.  “Touch screens were new then, and she immediately began helping non-verbal students and those with low motor skills to use them, so they could learn from educational software.  She was the first user of a MessageMate with my daughter around 1994. We recorded our voices into the machine and overlaid pictures to match the words and phrases. This was the very beginning that would lead to iPads with sophisticated word banks in this decade!” 

Morgan will be honored during the Lara Jane Parker Awards ceremony scheduled for Thursday, April 24 from 4 to 7 p.m. at the Friday Center in Chapel Hill.  She will receive a trophy along with a cash award of $500.

New Voices Foundation is a non-profit organization that strives to help children with severe communication and physical challenges maximize their learning potential.

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NCPTA Reflections - State Level Honorees

Three CHCCS students have been named NCPTA Reflections state level honorees!

Jenny Liu, of East Chapel Hill High School, won 1st Place in Dance for the high school level. 

Nicole Murashima, of Ephesus Elementary, won 2nd Place in Literature at the intermediate level.

Krish Ghandi, of Morris Grove Elementary, won 3rd Place in Visual Arts at the primary level.

Congratulations to Jenny, Nicole and Krish!

By being named as state level winners, the honorees are invited to a special Reflections celebration in Raleigh in April. The full announcement of winners, as well as additional information about the celebration can be found at the NCPTA website.

 

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United Way Campaign - Thanks To All Who Contributed!

The CHCCS United Way Campaign recently came to a close and we are pleased to announce that our 19 schools plus central office raised $28,787.56 this year. A few highlights of this year's campaign:

- Estes Hills Elementary, McDougle Elementary, East Chapel Hill High and the UNC Hospital School showed the largest percentage increase in contributions versus the previous year;

- Ephesus Elementary led all sites with 44 donors;

- The elementary school with the largest total was Morris Grove Elementary with $3,234.

- The middle school with the largest total was McDougle Middle with $1,155.

- The high school with the largest total was East Chapel Hill High with $2,284.

We want to thank everyone who participated in this great event. Your contributions are positively impacting lives in our community and beyond!

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5th Annual Asian Parents Conference

Everyone is invited to the 5th Annual Asian Parents Conference sponsored by the Asian American Parent Advisory Committee (AAPAC) of Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools. The event will take place from 7-9 pm on Wednesday, October 24 in the Smith Middle School Auditorium (9201 Seawell School Road). Tony Srithai, Assistant Principal at Ephesus Elementary, will deliver the feature presentation entitled: “My Asian American Experience: An Assistant Principal’s Journey.” The conference will also include a panel discussion entitled: “How Can Your Child Succeed In Our Public Schools?” The panel will include Mr. Srithai, Assistant Superintendent Dr. Magda Parvey, Superintendent Dr. Tom Forcella, Assistant Principal Esther Hahm and Teacher Gregory Cain.



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Gina Chapman, Ephesus Elementary - Teacher of Excellence

Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools congratulates Gina Chapman of Ephesus Elementary for being nominated as our Teacher of Excellence for the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction's annual Exceptional Children's Conference. Gina has taught at Ephesus for ten years and currently teaches in a self-contained setting. She is a leader among her peers and is highly regarded for her collaboration skills and ability to teach a very diverse group of learners with significant education needs. Gina will be honored at a ceremony the evening of Thursday, November 14 in Greensboro.

Congratulations, Gina Chapman!

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