CHHS Students Place at State FBLA Conference

Thirteen members of Chapel Hill High's FBLA organization attended the State Conference March 15-17 in Greensboro, joining the more than 2,500 other students and advisors from across North Carolina.

At the conference, Ting "Nick" Pan was elected as the Triad Region's Vice President.  With this honor, CHHS FBLA will host the Regional Competitive Events in 2017.  Pan is also leading an entire region of FBLA chapters, both at the middle and high school levels.

CHHS also earned several places in the conference's competitive events:

• First Place, Website Design, Reily Johnson, Justin Mecham and Jonas Todd;
• Second Place, Intro to Business Communication, Maddie Springer;
• Second Place, Public Speaking I, Gabrielle Kmiec;
• Third Place, Network Design, Alan George, Ryan Halstater and Alex Li;
• Fourth Place, Future Business Leader, Evan Amico;
• Top 10 Finish, Computer Applications, Erik Amico;
• Top 10 Finish, Intro to Financial Math, Dhruv Patel; and
• Top 10 Finish, Networking Concepts, Nick Pan.

All of the students who placed received plaques, awards and medallions.  Those students who placed first through fourth go on to compete at the National FBLA Leadership Conference in June in Atlanta.

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Spring Break, March 28 - April 1 / Vacaciones de primavera, 28 de marzo – 1 de abril

Spring Break for CHCCS is March 28 through April 1. During this week, schools may be working limited hours, with limited staff. Also during Spring Break, Lincoln Center is minimally staffed and operating on a modified schedule: Monday is a holiday and all schools/offices are closed, Tuesday through Thursday from 7:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. and on Friday from 7:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.

Las vacaciones de primavera para CHCCS son del 28 de marzo al 1 de abril. Durante esta semana, las escuelas estarán trabajando con un horario limitado y poco personal. También durante las vacaciones de primavera, Lincoln Center tendrá poco personal y trabajando en el siguiente horario: está cerrado el lunes, abierto de martes a jueves de 7:30 a.m. a 5 p.m. , y abierto el viernes de 7:30 a.m. a 2 p.m.

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CHCCS Read2Me Tailgate Stories Program Wins Award

The Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools' Read2Me Tailgate Stories program received the Laurie Horne Family Engagement Award on March 11 at the National Family Engagement Summit in Richmond, VA.  The award, in the amount of $2,500, was presented to Mary Andrews, a retired CHCCS educator, and Roslyn Moffitt, director of elementary education and Title I.

"The district will use the money from this award to purchase additional books and resources for the program," said Moffitt.

The Read2Me Tailgate Stories program, created by Andrews, engages children and families during the summer months.  Teachers go into neighborhoods to read aloud with students and families.  The program introduces children to a variety of literary styles and builds a communication bridge between the community and the school, while also increasing the children's personal book collection.

The National Family Engagement Summit is held each year for educators to highlight effective practices and techniques to engage families.  School districts from across the nation share innovative ideas to support parental involvement and promote family and school relationships.  The Laurie Horne Family Engagement Award is named for Laurie Horne, an esteemed North Carolina family engagement specialist, who epitomized connecting with families in a respectful and caring manner.

Mary Andrews (left) and Roslyn Moffitt (right) with award and check received at Summit

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Record Setting 5K for Education!

The Chapel Hill-Carrboro Public School Foundation, along with Fleet Feet Sports, sponsored the 5K for Education race on Saturday, March 19 with 800 registered runners participating. This event brings attention to the local schools and supports the health and wellness of teachers and students. The race was preceded by a six-week training session for teachers and staff. More than 250 teachers ran the race on Saturday with 300+ CHCCS students and families running by their sides. 

The day began with a warm-up featuring school mascots to get the crowd ready to run. Awards were given for the top winners in their age groups. Brendon Howell, a teacher at Smith Middle School, was the top overall finisher with a time of 17:03!

5K for Education chairperson, Christine Cotton, reported that this was a record for participation with a 50 percent increase in registrations over any of the previous five years. 

"We hope to bring the message to all the CHCCS teachers and staff to come together, train together and set the goal to walk or run a 5K. This was a first-time race for more than 60 people," said Cotton. "Fleet Feet Sports was wonderful to offer trainings at reduced rates for all teachers and staff. It was so great to see teams from each school training and competing together. The school spirit was everywhere on Saturday."

The Chapel Hill-Carrboro Public School Foundation (PSF) supports programs for teachers and students in CHCCS through fundraising efforts and grant awards. To help or donate, visit their website at www.publicschoolfoundation.org.

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Schools in Session on March 25 - No Teacher Workday / 25 de marzo - Escuelas estarán abiertas y en sesión - No habrá día de trabajo para maestros

Teacher Workday Canceled and Inclement Weather Day on March 25
Because schools were closed on January 25 due to inclement weather, the next Inclement Weather Day to make up any missed school is Friday, March 25.  This means that school will be in session and the Teacher Workday is canceled.

Día de trabajo para maestros está cancelado el 25 de marzo
Por que las escuelas estuvieron cerradas el 25 de enero, por mal clima, y el 25 de marzo es el siguiente día designado en el calendario como día de reemplazo en caso de mal clima. Esto significa que las escuelas estarán abiertas para los estudiantes y en sesión y el día de trabajo para maestros está cancelado.

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High School Students Selected for 2016 Governor's School

CHCCS had 19 students selected to attend the 2016 NC Governor's School this summer.

Students selected from Carrboro High and their subjects are:  Grace Schneider, Social Science and Caroline A. Smith, Choral Music (Alto).

Students selected from Chapel Hill High and their subjects are:  John Holly, French; Jerry Ji, Instrumental Music (Cello); Clement Li, Choral Music (Tenor); Bram Raets, Choral Music (Bass); and Allene Xing, French.

Students selected from East Chapel Hill High and their subjects are: Christopher Hassel, Spanish; Jewel Kim, Instrumental Music (Cello); Allison Lai, Instrumental Music (Violin); Danielle Losos, Art; Tucker Owens, Math; Sidharth Sirdeshmukh, Natural Science; Amy E. Smith, Choral Music (Soprano II); Clara To, French; Stephanie Yao, Instrumental Music (Flute/Piccolo); Ellison Young, Choral Music (Alto); Samuel Zhang, Math; and Rebecca Zuo, Math.

The Governor's School is the oldest statewide summer residential program for academically or intellectually gifted high school students in the nation.  The program, open to rising seniors only (with some exception made for rising juniors in the performing/visual arts area), is located on two college campuses, Salem College in Winston-Salem and Meredith College in Raleigh.  The sessions will run June 19 to July 27.

Over 800 students are selected to attend.  The Governor's School is administered by the State Board of Education and the Department of Public Instruction through the Exceptional Children Division.  A Board of Governors is appointed by the State Board of Education to act as an advisory body.

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Paws4Reading

Amanda Castor's second-grade class at Carrboro Elementary entertains some very popular visitors each month. As part of the Paws4Reading program, two service dogs, along with their military veteran owners, stop by the class to give students the opportunity to read to a captive audience.

Ms. Castor says the visits are a highlight of their second-grade experience. The students work very hard to prepare for their visitors. In many cases they even write stories of their own that they can share with the dogs.

This month, Thornton, a golden retriever, and Champ, a chocolate lab, along with their respective owners, Justin and Matt, visited the class to sit with the students and listen to inspired reading.

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School Social Worker Week

School social workers are part of a multidisciplinary educational team that helps address the needs of students and their families. Students receive assistance to help them overcome issues with self-esteem, social skills, depression, anxiety, anger management, and much more. Because of their specialized training, they are adept to address the social and psychological issues that can block academic progress. 

Through student screening, individual and group counseling, crisis intervention and prevention programs, they help young people overcome the difficulties in their lives, and as a result, give them a better chance to reach their full academic and personal potential.

This week, we celebrate the dedication and expertise of our school social workers. Governor McCrory has signed a resolution proclaiming March 6-12 as School Social Worker Week in North Carolina.

Please join us in thanking and honoring these very important members of our school teams.

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Delayed Opening, March 17 / Fechas para apertura demorada de las escuelas, 17 de marzo

Delayed Opening Scheduled for March 17
The district has approved a plan for schools to operate on a Delayed Opening schedule eight Thursdays during the 2015-16 school year.  Schools will open two hours late, allowing teachers to use the time for collaborative planning or professional development.

On these days, buses will run two hours later than the normal schedule and schools will open to students two hours later than usual. Schools will dismiss at their normally scheduled time.

• Elementary Schools begin at 9:50 a.m.
• Middle Schools begin at 10:20 a.m.
• High Schools begin at 10:45 a.m.

Fechas para apertura demorada de las escuelas, 17 de marzo
Las escuelas públicas de Chapel Hill-Carrboro han aprobado las fechas para apertura demorada de las escuelas, correspondientes a ocho (8) jueves durante el año escolar 2015-2016.  Las escuelas abrirán 2 horas más tarde, para darle a los maestros tiempo para preparar y planificar las clases, así como tiempo para educación continuada.

Esos días los buses recogerán a los niños 2 horas más tarde de lo acostumbrado y las escuelas abrirán sus puertas a los estudiantes 2 horas más tarde de lo acostumbrado. Las clases terminarán a la hora regular.

• Escuelas de Primaria empezarán a las 9:50 de la mañana
• Escuelas de Secundaria Media empezarán a las 10:20 de la mañana
• Escuelas de Secundarias Superior empezarán a las 10:45 de la mañana

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Meet Joal Broun...Newest CHCCS Board Member

Joal Broun was sworn in as the newest member of the Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools Board of Education on Thursday, March 3. She was appointed to fill the remainder of a seat vacated by the resignation of former board member Michelle Brownstein.

Ms. Broun, a resident of this school district for 23 years, has two children attending Chapel Hill High School. She is a graduate of Wake Forest University and Wake Forest School of Law. By day, she is the Lobbying Compliance Director for the North Carolina Department of the Secretary of State.

A former member of the Town of Carrboro Board of Aldermen, Ms. Broun has also served as a board member for the Orange County Dispute Settlement Center, the Orange Water and Sewer Authority, and Friends of the Carrboro Library. She is also the parent co-chair of the Chapel Hill High School Improvement Team.

Ms. Broun is a member of the St. Paul AME Church, where she serves on the usher board, the Board of Trustees and sings in the choir.

Please join us in welcoming Joal Broun, and let her know how much we appreciate her service to our students and schools.

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