Focused Dialogue Rescheduled for April 8

The Focused Dialogue, for purposes of discussing the 2014-15 school district budget, has been rescheduled for Tuesday, April 8 at 6:30 p.m. The event will take place in the Cafe Commons at Carrboro High. The public is invited to observe this in-depth conversation.

The focused dialogue was originally scheduled for Tuesday, March 18, but was postponed due to icy roads.

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CHCCS Hosts Focused Dialogue on Budget

Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools is holding its second Focused Dialogue on Tuesday, March 18 at Carrboro High in the Cafe Commons at 6:30 p.m.  District leaders will meet with representatives to gather input for the creation of the district's 2014-15 Budget.

The purpose of the focused parent dialogues is to give parents a more represented voice in the decision-making process and not keep people out.  Members of each school's School Improvement Teams (SIT), PTA and school community have been selected to participate in this focused dialogue, but all members of the community are invited to attend and observe.

from the December 2 Focused Dialogue Night

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District Hosts Focused Dialogue Night on 12/2

Focused parent dialogue is meant to invite a more representative parent voice in the decision-making process and not keep people out. Because of its importance, the Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools (CHCCS) administration is hosting a Focused Dialogue Night on Monday, December 2 at 6 p.m. in the East Chapel Hill High Commons, where select representatives from each school's School Improvement Teams (SIT), PTA and the school community will have focused dialogues on the pilot topic, "Enrollment Levels at Glenwood Elementary School."  These parent dialogues add another layer to the conversation and a way to improve communications with parents and the community.  

This particular topic generated significant input from parents at the November 7, 2013 Board of Education meeting and is not slated to come back to the Board until January. The December 2 focused dialogues should provide sufficient time for the administration to combine the input from this session with other available information in order to make a recommendation to the Board of Education. 

In order to keep the dialogue focused, the PTA Council suggested to keep the number of representatives selected from each school small, with at least one representative from the SIT and one from the PTA. Depending on the issue, a faculty representative may also be included, with other parent representatives selected from the general school community. All parents and community members are welcome to observe and there will be an opportunity for those who are not at the discussion tables to share their input electronically. 

The goals, vision and strategies of the new CHCCS Long Range Plan are rooted in a set of guiding principles which were crafted after significant input from staff, parents, the community and students. One of those principles reads, “We believe in a culture that promotes collaboration, civility, mutual trust and community partnerships.” 

Focused dialogues are in support of that belief and help to engage parents in meaningful conversations on important issues that impact CHCCS schools. The district's intent is to provide parent representatives with accurate information about current initiatives. 

“The focused dialogue model has been used in other school districts with tremendous success,” said Superintendent Tom Forcella. “Parents and community members have an opportunity to discuss issues in greater depth and collaborate on recommendations.”

After this first CHCCS focused dialogue, the district plans to hold more throughout the Long Range Plan that runs through 2018. Parents can still utilize all the existing communication avenues such as email and public comment to voice their opinion. 

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Welcome Back!

Months of preparation have come to fruition as the 2013-14 school year is now officially under way. Over 12,000 students walked through the doors of our 20 schools on August 26, greeted by friendly staff who were refreshed and eager to get started.

Many innovative initiatives and changes are in store for this school year, including new principals at Carrboro Elementary and Chapel Hill High. Additionally, Frank Porter Graham Elementary opened this year as the district's first-ever magnet school and Northside Elementary opened in a brand new facility, built on the historic site where the original school of the same name once stood. The district has also launched its new long-range plan which will guide our work and lead us to sustained excellence.

Parents are encouraged to get involved...and that starts with building relationships with teachers and other members of the school community. We urge everyone to become familiar with the websites for both the school and district, where policies, calendars, contact information and much more can be found. Another great way to stay connected is to "like" us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter.

Sulura Jackson, Principal of Chapel Hill High, greets a student and welcomes him back to school.

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Long-Range Plan...Our Roadmap to Excellence

Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools is pleased to introduce our new long-range plan. It will serve as our roadmap to excellence over the next five years. Superintendent Tom Forcella recently shared the plan as part of the program at this year's back-to-school convocation.

There is no individual or group who can ensure the success of this plan. Instead, it will require the focused effort of our entire community. We must all be committed to implementing its components and holding ourselves accountable.

The plan is flexible and adaptable to change. It is designed to guide our work in a manageable way and will be reviewed each year, soliciting suggestions for additions, deletions and revisions based on the current educational landscape.

You will notice this plan contains five goals accompanied by 28 strategies. Multiple criteria will be utilized to measure the success of each goal. A mid-year progress update will be provided to the Board in February, and a final report will be presented at the conclusion of the school year.

Please take a moment to look through the goals and strategies and become familiar with the direction in which our schools are headed. You can also view the implementation schedule. Do not hesitate to contact our Office of Community Relations (919-967-8211...ext.28227) if you ever have a question.

Thank you to our community for the amazing support throughout the years. We look forward to a very promising future for our children, our schools and our community.

Click here to visit the Long-Range Plan page.  

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District Hosts Focus Groups for Upcoming Long-Range Plan

CHCCS is planning several focus groups to provide parents and community members an opportunity to provide feedback regarding the “Shared Beliefs” generated by the 250 participants at the Greenhouse Project last spring.

The belief statements will serve as the foundation of the district's new long-range plan.  Input from staff and parents is critical during the early steps of the long-range planning initiative.  Last year, Superintendent Tom Forcella visited faculty meetings to receive input with regard to the school district's strengths, weaknesses and critical issues.  The information generated by staff members and other community groups and organizations served as important information in generating the shared beliefs.

A number of focus group meetings have been scheduled for anyone in the community who would like additional information about the long-range planning initiative or would like to offer feedback with regard to the district's shared beliefs.  Focus groups for school staff have also been scheduled.

Below are the focus group meetings and the current draft of the belief statements.

• Parent/Community Focus Group:   September 18, 2012 from  6:30 - 8:30 p.m.  in the Carrboro HS Commons
• EC Focus Group:  September 27, 2012 from 6:30 - 8:30 p.m.  in the Carrboro HS Commons

Shared Beliefs

(April 2012 Draft)

The items listed are the areas cited most often by the participants at the 2012 Green House Project.  The exact belief  statements will be crafted as part of the next phase of long-range planning.  These statements are to be considered a “work in progress."

• Belief in a “Growth Mindset” in a 21st Century Learning Environment. The fact that all students can increase their intelligence given the appropriate instruction, effort and time is critical for increased student learning and the reduction of the achievement gap.
• Belief in the importance of an equity focus in all schools and programs. In all cases an emphasis on the “whole child” should be evident; social, emotional and academic well being.
• Belief that professional development and training should be valued and embedded into the culture of the organization. New and innovative models should be examined and implemented.
• Belief that a culture of collaboration and mutual trust as well as the existence of a collective commitment to do  whatever it takes to improve the learning environment is critical to our success. Communication that is open and honest is critical to improvement and supports positive change in our schools.
• Belief that accountability and more importantly responsibility for implementation at multiple levels is critical to our success as a school system. Principals acting as instructional leaders are key to the improvement of instruction and student achievement.

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