Granville County Public Schools

Save the Date for a ‘Kitchen Table Conversation’ with Granville Co. Public Schools

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-Information courtesy Dr. Stan Winborne, Public Information Officer, Granville County Public Schools

Place a “hold” for the evening of Tuesday, November 13 from 6 – 7:30 p.m. for a “Kitchen Table Conversation” with Superintendent Alisa McLean!

This community event is a fun and informal way to come out and hear first hand how things are going in our school district. Dr. McLean will be presenting our new District Strategic Plan, updating attendees on the latest and greatest, and seeking input on the future of our schools.

EVERYONE is welcome!  We look forward to seeing you then and there!

Tuesday, November 13

6 – 7:30 p.m.

Mt. Energy Elementary School

“Kitchen Table Conversation”!!

UPDATE: All Campuses of VGCC CLOSED Today

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-Information courtesy Vance-Granville Community College

Updated message from VGCC:

This message updates the announcement posted earlier about VGCC opening later today.

As of 8:30 a.m. all classes are canceled at all campuses, the Child Care Centers are closed and employees have an optional workday.

All Campuses of VGCC to Open at 9 a.m.

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-Information courtesy Vance-Granville Community College

All campuses of Vance-Granville Community College open at 9 a.m. today, Friday, October 12.

VGCC Closing Early; Scholarship Dinner Postponed

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-Information courtesy Vance-Granville Community College

Due to the threat of inclement weather, all campuses of Vance-Granville Community College will be closing at 10:30 a.m. today, Thursday, October 11.

The Scholarship Awards Dinner scheduled for tonight will be postponed to a later date.

Granville County Public Schools

Granville Co. Public Schools Closed Thurs., Oct. 11

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-Information courtesy Granville County Public Schools

In anticipation of the arrival of Hurricane Michael, all Granville County public schools will be canceled for all students and staff tomorrow, Thursday, October 11.

The forecast of heavy rainfall, flooding, strong wind gusts and isolated tornados could make for dangerous conditions during the school day. Please be attentive to weather alerts about this powerful storm. We wish everyone a safe and uneventful day off.

Granville County Public Schools

GCPS to Use Technology to Help Improve Attendance During Flu Season

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-Press Release, Granville County Public Schools

As schools everywhere go back in session, all elementary schools in GCPS hope to stay one step ahead of illness this year, keeping more kids healthy and in school with the help of Kinsa Smart Thermometers. As one of the districts accepted into the Lysol + Kinsa FLUency health program, all GCPS elementary families will receive free Kinsa Smart Thermometers, priced at $19.99 retail, and will be able to see aggregated, anonymous information on any symptoms and illnesses going around the school through an accompanying mobile phone app.

This FREE product for families is made possible through a research grant. GCPS was invited to participate with one other school district in the country as part of a larger study on how school facility cleanliness can impact student health. Our team of five School Nurses will be charged with implementing and monitoring this program in all 9 elementary schools in our school district.

“Our top priority is keeping our students in class learning,” explained Superintendent Alisa McLean. “With this innovative program, we hope to see the trends affecting our classrooms so that we can help contain the spread of illness, increase attendance, and continue giving our students the education they deserve.”

The FLUency program, now in its 4th year, has already helped over 60,000 families, and 90 percent of participating school nurses believe FLUency kept them more informed of illnesses going around their school.

The deadline for elementary school families to order their FREE thermometer is Friday, October 26. No orders will be accepted after this deadline. The research grant will be renewed at the beginning of next school year for any new families who wish to participate.

Elementary school parents should be on the lookout for additional information coming soon via phone calls, emails, paper brochures, GCPS websites, and more!

Applications, Nominations Being Accepted For New VGCC President

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-Press Release, Vance-Granville Community College

The Vance-Granville Community College Board of Trustees is now inviting applications and nominations for the position of President of the college.

A website has been launched with a presidential profile and the details of the application procedure. The site can be reached at www.vgcc.edu/presidentialsearch.

General inquiries about the college and application materials can be directed to April Perkinson, search liaison to the board, at (252) 738-3227 or perkinson@vgcc.edu.

To be assured consideration, resumes and cover letters must be received by Friday, November 9, 2018, according to the website. Resumes with cover letters and nominations will be accepted until the position is filled.

The Trustees are working with the firm of Executive Leadership Associates (ELA) LLC of Emerald Isle to assist in the search for a replacement for Dr. Stelfanie Williams who left the college in August to take a job with Duke University. The new president will be the seventh in the history of the college.

ELA, described as “a consortium of former North Carolina community college presidents who are committed to ensuring that our internationally recognized community college system continues its proud tradition of excellence,” was selected by the Board of Trustees at its September 17 meeting.

The firm is helping the Trustees by creating the presidential profile of the ideal candidate needed, guiding the search process, and recruiting and screening applicants as needed.

The trustees are expected to present finalists to the State Board of Community Colleges for evaluation early in 2019, said Dr. Gordon Burns who is serving as interim president for the college. The board plans to have the new president in place in March 2019. Dr. Burns served as president of Wilkes Community College in North Wilkesboro for 18 years before retiring in 2014.

Serving on the Trustees’ presidential search committee are Trustees Deborah Brown, chair; Herb Gregory, vice chair; N. Annette P. Myers, Abdul Sm Rasheed, Donald C. Seifert, Sr., and Sara C. Wester.

J.F. Webb Public Hearing Guidelines

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Granville County Public Schools would like to make sure certain guidelines are in place and met at the upcoming J.F. Webb High School and J.F. Webb High School Health and Life Sciences Public Hearing scheduled for Tuesday, October 9, 2018.

It will take place at the J.F. Webb High School cafeteria.

In a news release, the following guidelines were provided:

-Guest speakers must “Sign up” to speak (up to 30 minutes prior to the 7pm Public Hearing start time);

-The guest speaker sheet will be pulled to close sign-up at 7pm;

-Guests will have 4 minutes to speak;

-The hearing is scheduled to last until 8:30 p.m. If there are still guests who signed up waiting to comment at 8:30 p.m, the Board can decide by majority vote whether to extend the hearing or make some other accommodation;

-The Board of Education will only listen to guests, as no responses or decisions will be provided that evening;

-The Board of Education will take the public input and study information under advisement and will deliberate and make a final decision at a later public meeting.

Granville County Public Schools Public Hearing on Proposed Consolidation Oct 9

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— courtesy Granville County Public Schools

The Board of Education will meet on October 9, 2018, at 5:30 p.m. at JF Webb High School, to review information compiled by school system staff regarding the proposed consolidation of J.F. Webb High School and J.F. Webb School of Health & Life Sciences, as well as other topics. During this meeting the Board may hold a closed session pursuant to N.C.G.S. 143-318.11(a).

At 7 p.m. on October 9, the Board will hold a public hearing pursuant to G.S. 115C-72 on the proposed consolidation of J.F. Webb High School and J.F. Webb School of Health & Life Sciences. The purpose of this hearing will be for the Board to receive comments from the public regarding the proposed consolidation. Members of the public wishing to comment on the proposed consolidation are encouraged to attend this hearing. Procedures for the hearing, along with a copy of information provided to the Board regarding the proposal, will be made available to the public prior to the hearing via the school system’s website.

Granville County Public Schools

Granville Co. Public Schools is ‘WOW’ About Wellness

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-Press Release, Granville County Public Schools

This year, families in Granville County Public Schools may ‘CATCH’ their kids exploring healthy habits as a part of an expanded effort to use the Coordinated Approach To Child Health in all district elementary schools.  The C.A.T.C.H. program has been used in schools across the country to encourage good nutrition and physical activity among students. Stovall-Shaw Elementary School piloted use of the program during the 2015-2016 academic year.

Last year, the CATCH program expanded to Butner-Stem Elementary School and West Oxford Elementary School. This summer nearly 100 teachers and administrators received training on the CATCH program to enable every elementary school in the district to utilize the coordinated school health program. Granville County Public Schools Superintendent Dr. Alisa McLean offered her perspective on the initiative, stating, “The CATCH program is so vitally important to our work in educating children. Increasing our focus on the health and well-being of our students will only help improve their academic success.  It’s a true win-win for everyone!”

The Coordinated Approach to Child Health (CATCH) unites multiple school-based players to create a community of health. CATCH teaches children to identify healthful foods and increase the amount of moderate to vigorous physical activity they participate in each day. In-class lessons on nutrition and physical activity are supported by coordinated messaging throughout the school community, with the ultimate goal of changing the school environment and policies to support these healthy choices.

Principal Mary Ann Crews of Mt Energy Elementary School explains how these activities are implemented on a daily basis. “There may be some days when instead of children having free time at recess, our teachers may instead lead them through a structured yoga class, with a focus on mindfulness and core physical fitness. Other days there may be a 5 or 10 minute structured mini-lesson during recess. It is amazing the impact it has on how they feel during the school day.”

The Working on Wellness (WOW!) Coalition has been an integral part of the effort to bring the CATCH program to Granville County Public Schools. The WOW! Coalition brings together organizations and people to help kids stay healthy. The WOW! Coalition is one of ten North Carolina coalitions funded through Healthy People, Healthy Carolinas to implement and evaluate the impact of evidence-based interventions.

Healthy People, Healthy Carolinas is a bold initiative of The Duke Endowment, which aims to improve community health outcomes with a focus on nutrition, physical activity and prevention of chronic disease.  “Right before the start of the school year, we were able to train our teachers across all nine elementary schools. I have heard so many positive comments about CATCH – and not just how it is helping our students, but also our staff too. It’s starting to change the entire conversation at school about health, wellness, exercise and diet. It’s been wonderful”, says Assistant Superintendent for Curriculum and Instruction, Dr. Michael Myrick

The WOW Coalition has adopted the overarching goal of improving child health and well-being in Granville County, North Carolina, through health promotion efforts targeting nutrition and physical activity.  Poor nutrition, obesity, and physical inactivity have been connected to poor school performance as well as chronic conditions that impact health across the lifespan.

By targeting interventions during childhood, health-promoting behaviors are more easily adopted and maintained, thereby improving health across the lifespan and avoiding adverse health outcomes in adulthood.  One 5th grader described CATCH in this way, saying “I think it is good to know which foods are best for us. I also tell my mom about this and we try to do this at home too. Being healthy is good.”

Principal Courtney Currin offered her perspective on its impact on academics, saying, “CATCH makes a difference in the academic achievement and overall discipline of students.  We saw double-digit growth the first year when we implemented the program with our third graders!”

Want to get involved?  Consider joining the effort by attending one of the upcoming WOW Coalition meetings held at Granville Vance Public Health in Oxford on the 4th Wednesday of each month.