— press release courtesy of Granville County Public Schools by Dr. Stan Winborne

As the holiday season approaches, GCPS continues to support families and children during this challenging time. As the pandemic surges and the district temporarily shifts to Plan C, the Board of Education and Superintendent McLean took the unique steps of providing surplus student desks to needy families. “Making sure our families have quality home learning centers is critical for our children. When our students shift to remote learning, we need to do all we can to help promote a strong learning environment at home – whether it be laptops, MiFs, learning packets, meal services, or even a comfortable desk – we must do all we can, however we can” commented Dr. McLean.

At their December meeting, the Board of Education declared surplus approximately 50 student desks of various sizes. School staff distributed these desks to families in need prior to the holiday break in an effort to help provide a little something ‘extra’ over the holidays. Having a workspace dedicated to school can help students focus and improve their learning.

Things have been busy for many departments across the district as the new year approaches. The GCPS Transportation Department recently designed custom routes during the final exam week for high school students, which helped ensure successful completion of courses requiring a NC State Standardized test. Unlike recent previous school years, the semester ended prior to the winter break, which means students will return in January with a “fresh start” for the second semester. Because the exam schedule occurred during the shift back to Plan C, new special bus routes were created to match each period of exam administrations.

While under Plan C, school buses will also still be deployed to deliver meals at various sites throughout the county, including during the winter break, when 7 breakfasts and 7 lunches will be served to help bridge the gap between the break. On Wednesday, December 30, GCPS will be serving these 14-meal packets free of charge to all children 18 and under at the following sites: Butner-Stem ES; West Oxford ES; CG Credle ES; Stovall-Shaw ES; South Granville HS. Since the pandemic began, the GCPS Child Nutrition program has served more than 900,000 meals. The USDA has approved free meal service to continue for all children 18 and under through the remainder of this school year.

Finally, as an added layer of support during these trying times, school administrators, social workers, counselors and teachers continue to make ‘porch visits’ to the homes of children and their families. While there, staff are able to meet in a safe, socially distanced manner to determine if there are ways school staff can help. Whether it be learning materials, food, or social-emotional support, educators are committed to doing whatever it takes to reach out to our students. “Our philosophy is, if they can’t come to school, then we try to make the resources of school come to them – one way or another.” explained Dr. McLean.

Board Chairman Richardson offered his remarks, “As the pandemic drags on, we know many of our families and community members are struggling mightily. In addition to the many efforts to support our students academically, we also want to do all we can to help in other ways. We wish all of our children and their families the very best during this holiday season.”

—
Dr. Stan Winborne
Assistant Superintendent of Operations & Human Resources
Public Information Officer
Granville County Public Schools