Exams, State Tests: No Opt-outs For Students

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Vance County Schools students will begin taking exams, end-of-course (EOC) and end-of-grade (EOG) tests in less than two weeks, and school officials are working hard to make sure parents are informed about schedules and understanding the logistics  necessary to satisfy state requirements in a safe environment.

Exam schedules are posted on each school’s website, according to Aarika Sandlin, public information officer. High school students will kick off the testing season, taking  EOC and Career Technical Education (CTE) the week of May 17-21.

Testing continues through the end of May and into June for students on a year-round calendar.

“NCDPI has indicated all state exams must take place on campus,” Sandlin said in a written statement to WIZS News. “We have exam schedules for all of our schools posted on each school’s website and encourage families to contact their child’s school for specific concerns or questions,” she said.

The testing schedules provide details for students who have returned to in-person learning as well as those students who continue to learn remotely. Sandlin encouraged any parent to contact their child’s school if they have questions about the test schedule.

North Carolina students in grades 3-8 take EOGs in Reading/English Language Arts and Math. Students in grades 5 and 8 also take a Science EOG.

Students in grades 9-13 take EOC exams in Biology, English II, NC Math 1 and NC Math 3.

Exams count as a percentage of high school students’ final grades.  The state also uses this information to measure proficiency and to maintain metrics and data, Sandlin said.

There will be no school report card letter grades this year.

“There are no opt-outs for state assessments and we encourage all of our families to be present for all of their state testing,” Sandlin said.

For basic information and tips about preparing students for the standardized testing, parents can visit https://drive.google.com/file/d/1dOqA6dZ_3pShTaVc9ADOY2su2nvKn-B0/view.

Henderson, NC National Day of Prayer 2021

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Henderson, NC presents an annual National Day of Prayer Service.

This year, the tradition continues using a broadcast format.

Thank you for listening.

WIZS, Your Community Voice!

To the Glory of God Only. #ASDG

GCPS Announces Teacher, Principal of the Year

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The Granville County Board of Education announced winners of the Teacher of the Year and Principal of the Year at its May meeting. Samala Dawson-Robinson, a teacher at G.C. Hawley Middle School in Creedmoor, and Courtney Currin, principal at Tar River Elementary are this year’s honorees.

GCPS Human Resources Director Jamar Perry announced the winners during a virtual presentation. Each school puts forth the name of one teacher to vie for the honor of teacher of the year. District principals nominate their colleagues to be considered for the award.

Dawson-Robinson, a Career Technical Education (CTE) teacher, received a trophy and flowers from Superintendent Dr. Alisa McLean the day after the announcement, in addition to $1,000 from the Granville Ed Foundation. Two runners-up each receive a trophy, as well as a $500 check from the Granville Ed Foundation.

McLean commended Dawson-Robinson for her accomplishments. “We are sure that Samala Dawson-Robinson will be a shining star among the others recognized across the country for this top honor.  We are proud of her and all she represents,” McLean stated.

Board Chair David Richardson  “I am so proud of all of these teachers and the dedication and love they have for their students.  I know that Ms. Dawson-Robinson will represent our district well in this coming year as a true ambassador for our county and the profession itself.”

Currin has been a principal since 2015. She graduated from the North Carolina Teaching Fellows Program at Meredith College in 2004 and taught English for eight years at J.F. Webb High School and got a master’s degree in school administration in 2012. She was an assistant principal at Northern Granville Middle School before being named principal at Butner-Stem Elementary in 2015. At Tar River, she is leading the school’s transition to project-based learning in a competency-based education framework.

School districts from across the state choose a principal of the year (POY). District winners compete for state-level honors, and the state winner goes on to the national competition.

McLean congratulated Currin for being selected. “We are proud of you and thank you for your service to our students and leadership at Tar River Elementary School,” she said.

Henderson-Vance Rec and Parks Welcomes Curry Hall

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— From the Henderson-Vance Recreation and Parks Department

Curry Hall is the newest member of the Henderson-Vance Recreation and Parks Department. Curry is from Burlington, NC, and has worked in local government for over five years. He worked as a police officer in Burlington and Hillsborough before switching to the parks and recreation career field full-time. Curry has a Bachelor’s degree in Sociology from UNC-Greensboro and Master’s degree in Public Administration from Liberty University. He enjoys hiking with his fiancée, Morgan, and his Golden Retriever fur baby, Georgia, along the Haw River. Curry has a love for outdoor recreation and natural resource education.

Cooperative Extension with Jamon Glover 05-06-21 – Emotional Coaching

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Listen live at 100.1 FM / 1450 AM / or on the live stream at WIZS.com at 11:50 a.m. Mon, Tues & Thurs.

Kerr-Tar Agency on Aging Helps Families Find Options for Care

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Family members often find themselves pitching in to help older parents, grandparents or siblings with their daily living needs. Providing that extra support, however, often comes at the expense of their own needs. And sometimes, they just need a break.

The Kerr-Tar Area Agency on Aging can help those caregivers connect with resources to assist with the kind of service – for the care receiver and the care giver, said Austin Caton, Kerr-Tar family caregiver support specialist. Caton and Camille Koonce, a certified case manager and eldercare consultant, discussed some local options with John C. Rose on Thursday’s Town Talk.

Navigating through the various programs and services can be confusing and time-consuming, but Caton can help untangle the knots for families to access the option that best suits their needs.

One program is called respite care, Caton said, which provides unpaid primary caregivers a break from the responsibilities of caring for a family member. “The caregivers are just depleted,” he said. There are vouchers funded through the Older Americans Act that can help pay for this respite care so the primary caregiver can do things like go to the grocery store or get a haircut.

“Some people will use someone they know – from church, a neighbor, a family member not living in the home,” Caton said. Other people will contact a local home care agency, and Caton can provide a professional referral. The agency will conduct an assessment and set up a schedule for the respite care, he added. The voucher can help pay for this service.

Often, caregivers are juggling the demands of a full-time job and family obligations with providing that extra care for a family member in need. There are day programs that provide those needing care with a place to spend the day while the primary caregiver is at work. These programs can cost between $50 -$75 a day, but Koonce said it may be the best option for all parties involved. Day programs offer a way for participants to socialize with one another while being supervised by a staff of caregivers.

They explained the difference between home care and home health. Home care is non-medical care, like preparing meals, light housework, medication reminders and helping a care recipient get from a chair to a bed and back again –any daily activities that person may need help with. Insurance doesn’t cover this expense, but help with paying for it may be available through veteran’s programs or long-term care insurance, for example.

Nurses provide home health care, Koonce said, and includes wound care, administering IV medication and other things that require a doctor’s orders to perform.

“There’s a big push right now for family members to stay comfortably in the home,” Caton said, “because of the skyrocketing cost of health care.” Expect to pay $9,000 -10,000 a month, he said, for a bed in a long-term skilled care facility.

Contact Caton by phone 252.436.2040 ext. 6072 or apply at www.kerrtarcog.gov.

“It’s a pretty simple process,” he said. He or others will complete an assessment – either in home or by telephone – to get started. “We want to be a wholistic, all-encompassing agency (to) help identify those needs or whatever you’re struggling with and help get you to the right place and the right services,” he said.

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The Local Skinny! Annual Spring Cleanout Granville

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GRANVILLE COUNTY GOVERNMENT PRESS RELEASE:

The Annual Spring Clean Out is scheduled for 8 a.m. until 1 p.m. on Saturday, May 15 at the Granville County Expo and Convention Center. This event provides an opportunity for residents to recycle and/or properly dispose of unwanted household items during spring cleaning.

On-site vendors will be accepting scrap metal, electronics, batteries of all types, polystyrene/styrofoam, outdated prescriptions, books, paper documents for shredding, pesticides, fungicides, herbicides, flares, ammunition and other items. New to the spring event is the collection of paint and household chemicals, which has typically been accepted at fall recycle/collection events only.

“This event provides an opportunity for everyone to properly dispose of and potentially recycle waste in our county,” said Granville County’s Recycling and Sustainability Coordinator Teresa Baker. “We have had much interest in the past, and participation continues to build each year. We invite everyone to come out and bring their recyclables and waste materials on May 15 as we work together to protect our environment.”

Last year’s county-wide event resulted in the collection of more than 5,000 pounds of shredded paper, 4,500+ pounds of electronics and televisions, 800 pounds of hardback books, 185 pounds of medication/sharps, almost 1,000 pounds of scrap metal and an entire pallet of batteries.

The 2021 event will include a convenient drive-through collection service, so that participants can remain in the safety of their own vehicles. The Humane Society of Granville County will also be available to collect dog and cat food, crates, dog houses, leashes, collars, towels and flea/tick prevention.

As in previous years, a follow-up event is also being planned for the Fall of 2021 at the same location.

For more information, please contact Granville County’s Recycling and Sustainability Coordinator Teresa Baker at 919-725-1417 or at bakertd@gcs.k12.nc.us.

TownTalk 5-5-21 VGCC Applied Technologies

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Vance-Granville Community College offers an array of certificate and degree classes under the heading of Applied Technologies – from welding to mechatronics, these programs are designed to put students on a new career path or gain additional skills in their current field of work.

Robinette Fischer chairs VGCC’s applied technology department. She and Rusty Pace, who heads up the school’s welding program, discussed the various areas of study available at the college with John C. Rose on Wednesday’s Town Talk.

Welders are in short supply in the four counties that VGCC serves, Pace said. “There is a shortage of qualified welders,” he said. On top of that, the average age of a qualified welder is late 50’s or close to 60 years, so as more workers reach retirement age, industry will be looking for replacements.

Students in the welding program can earn a two-year degree or diploma, and Pace said evening classes offered at Main Campus provide convenience for those who may be working during the day.

Fischer said she fields calls regularly from businesses and industries asking for candidates to fill job openings. Electricians, heating and cooling (HVAC) technicians and welders are just a few of the jobs that are in demand.

Andrew Lynam of Youngsville, seen here in the Welding shop on VGCC’s Main Campus, is the college’s recipient of the North Carolina Community College System Academic Excellence Award for 2018. (VGCC Photo)

“The jobs are out there,” Fischer said. “And they pay well.” More women are applying to these programs, she said. “We’re trying to market more to women and make it understood that (they are) as capable as anyone else,” she said.  “There’s no reason that women can’t go into those occupations and be successful.”

Pace said students who complete the welding program at VGCC will leave qualified in one of several areas of welding and must meet American Welding Society standards. Successful completion of the program prepares students for at least an entry-level welding job.

Other programs in the applied technologies department offer certificates, diplomas and degrees.

The carpentry program is being offered again after a pause, Fischer said. Other areas of study include electrical system studies for residential and commercial wiring, automotive, HVAC, mechatronics and electrical engineering (geared to a manufacturing environment that includes motors and other types of controls).

Whatever the program, Fischer said students have access to help all along the way. “If you’re wanting to go from ground zero to the top, we’re here for you and we’ll make that possible,” she said. We’ve got people to help you from the time you come in and say what program you’re interested in, getting you registered and started,” Fischer continued.

Pace said he and his fellow instructors help students not just have a job in welding, but have a career in welding. “The best place to start is at Vance-Granville,” he said.

Classes start May 24 for the summer term; the fall semester begins Aug. 16. Visit www.vgcc.edu to learn more.

(VGCC is an advertising client of WIZS and WIZS.com. This is not a paid ad.)

Click Play for Broadcast Audio and Full Details.

 

Granville Board of Education To Consider School Closures, Announces Principal Changes

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The Granville County Board of Education is a step closer to determining whether to close one or more school campuses in the southern end of the county as it continues to define its school reorganization plan. During its May 3 meeting, the board voted unanimously to begin a study to close Granville Central High School and repurpose the campus.

Dr. Stan Winborne, district public information officer and assistant superintendent of operations & human resources, said in a press release that the campus, located off Sanders Road in Stem could possibly be used to house students from G.C. Hawley Middle School or South Granville High School.

In other action at the meeting on Monday, the board announced some district leadership changes. Lisa Tusa, currently principal at South Granville High School in Creedmoor, will become the new principal at Northern Granville Middle School in Oxford. She replaces Dr. Brenda Williamson, who will take over as principal at C.G. Credle Elementary in Oxford. Sherrie Burns, current principal at Credle, recently announced her resignation for the upcoming school year.

Tusa has been principal at SGHS for 13 of the 22 years she has been an educator. Williamson was principal at Mary Potter Middle School in Oxford and moved to NGM when the two campuses merged a few years ago.

The board also voted to direct district staff to review and update the possible closing of two elementary schools – Wilton and Creedmoor – those studies were paused back in the fall pending additional input from a strategic task force.

Board Chair David Richardson formed the task force, which presented findings to the board in April. “Their findings were presented to the board in April, which helped inform the Board’s current course of action,” Winborne stated.

Next steps of the school reorganizations may be determined at an upcoming board work session on May 17. “The goal of the is to finalize any possible reorganization decisions prior to July 1, 2021,” according to Winborne, but the actual closing or mergers likely would take effect for the 2022-23 school year.