Tag Archive for: #granvillecountypublicschools

Granville County Public Schools

Granville School Board to Hold Special Meeting on Procedures, Health Updates

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-Information courtesy Granville County Public Schools

NOTICE TO PUBLIC AND PRESS

The Granville County Board of Education will meet for a Special Meeting on Monday, March 16, 2020, at 6 p.m. at the Central Services Building, 101 Delacroix Street, Oxford, North Carolina.

The purpose of this meeting is for the Board of Education to discuss Board trainings, Board procedures, health updates and mid-year information with the Superintendent.

The Board will also meet in a Closed Session with the Board’s attorney in accordance with N.C. General Statute pursuant to G.S. 143.318.11 (a)(6), 143-318.11 (a)(3), 143.318.11 (a)(5) and Section 115C-321 for Personnel, and Attorney/Client Privilege on this evening.

To view the agenda for this meeting, please click here.

Granville County Public Schools

Coronavirus Prompts GCPS to Cancel Field Trips, Suspend Work-Related Travel

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-Press Release, Granville County Public Schools

Granville County Public Schools has been in close dialogue with the Health Department and can confirm that there are no confirmed cases of COVID-19 or Coronavirus in Granville County.

We continue to focus our efforts on prevention and following best practices to keep students and staff healthy. This includes regular, thorough cleaning in our buildings, frequent hand-washing and use of hand sanitizer, and respecting personal space. Also, we ask that all students and staff who have cold or flu-like symptoms stay home and seek medical care as needed. These efforts will promote healthy school environments for everyone.

Out of an abundance of caution, we have decided to temporarily suspend all out-of-county and overnight field trips for the next four weeks effective immediately. We will attempt to reschedule these events at a later date if possible. While we make no promises, for those trips may have involved fees or deposits, we will do our very best to work with the companies to secure refunds and/or credits as allowed. Schools will be sending out details about impacted trips soon.

Also, we will follow the guidelines set forth by the NCHSAA as it relates to our student-athletes. Finally, we are also suspending all non-essential work-related travel for staff.

We apologize in advance for any inconvenience this may cause. We hope you will join us in taking precautions to keep our students, staff and schools healthy so we can continue educating our students. We will keep you posted with additional updates as needed. In the meantime, wash those hands and stay healthy!

Granville County Public Schools

Granville Co. Public Schools BOE Adopts Calendar Changes

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-Press Release, Granville County Public Schools

At their regularly scheduled meeting on Monday, March 2, 2020, the Granville County Board of Education approved several changes to the district’s academic calendars.

First, the Board approved changes to the current 2019-20 calendars as a result of the recent “snow day” which caused school to be canceled for students and staff on Friday, February 21. For students, that day was essentially “forgiven” as the district already had a surplus of instructional hours beyond the minimum the state requires in order to comply with calendar law. For staff, the missed day will now be replaced with an Optional Workday added to the end of the calendar in June.

These revised calendars are now posted to our district websites and will be made available in our schools as hard copies.

Next, the Board decided to discontinue the “dual-calendar” programs which are currently offered at Butner Stem Elementary School, Butner Stem Middle School and West Oxford Elementary School. These three schools currently offer both a traditional and a year-round calendar as options for students as part of the choice program. Beginning with the 2020-2021 school year, these schools will operate on the single, district-wide calendar.

In making their decision, the Board reviewed data about the program which showed declining enrollment, a lack of interest from parent surveys, increasing cost, and no clear changes in overall academic achievement for children.

Finally, the Board approved a NEW district-wide academic calendar for the 2020-2021 school year. This calendar differs from the current traditional calendar in that all students will report to school two weeks earlier than normal, with their first day back to school being Monday, August 10, 2020. The calendar also provides a longer winter break, with opportunities for students to participate in an “intersession” in early January. This optional intersession will provide students with innovative opportunities for enrichment, exploration and remediation, as well as clubs and extracurricular activities.

The calendar offers spring break right before Easter and ends with the last day for students occurring on Friday, May 26, 2021. An additional three-week intersession period is also offered for students in the month of June.

The Board cited several student-friendly features of this new calendar design, including finishing the first semester before the winter break, closer alignment with VGCC course schedules, intersession programs, better alignment with athletic programs, and more flexibility for offering professional development to improve teacher effectiveness.

The new calendar, dubbed an “innovative year-round” calendar, provides additional flexibility for the district in start and end dates, which makes many of these new features possible. The Board reviewed survey data to help inform their decision, which showed that of 1082 respondents, an overwhelming majority (644) chose this new calendar option as their first choice. Additionally, more respondents (415) chose the current traditional calendar design as their least favorite choice.

Board Chairman David Richardson commented, “I am pleased we can offer this new innovative approach that puts children first. The Board has made increasing academic performance its top priority, and we need to make sure our efforts focus on ways to best support our students and staff in this regard. We recognize there will be some adjustments to this new design and will work with families to help make the transition as smooth as possible.”

All schools except Granville Early College High School (GECHS) will follow this new, innovative calendar for the 2020-2021 school year. GECHS will follow a separate calendar mirroring that of its partner, Vance-Granville Community College.

Both the new 2020-2021 district calendar and the 2020-2021 GECHS calendar are posted on the district website and available in hard copy at schools.

Granville County Public Schools

GCPS Working to Keep Students & Staff Healthy

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-Press Release, Granville County Public Schools

On Thursday, February 27, 2020, the GCPS District Safety Task Force convened for their regular monthly meeting. This group of approximately +/- 40 members has a laser focus on improving and protecting the safety, health and welfare of students and staff in our school district.

Superintendent McLean created the District Safety Task Force shortly after arriving in the district more than two years ago. Since that time, it has been extremely successful in addressing areas of concern with rapid and effective solutions. The Safety Task Force consists of a wide variety of stakeholders, including board members, law enforcement officers, first responders, health care officials, local elected officials, faith-based leaders, district administrators, school nurses, principals and, of course, parents.

At this recent meeting, one of the agenda items was COVID-19, or the “Coronavirus,” and how the district should plan and prepare for its potential threat. Currently, there are no confirmed cases in North Carolina, and the threat of the virus remains very low. In fact, the district has recently been more focused on absenteeism and illnesses caused by the common cold and influenza viruses. In just the past two weeks, some schools have had nearly 1/3 of students and staff out as a result.

The district’s immediate response to those outbreaks, as recommended by the CDC and the Departments of Health, largely focused on the following three tactics:

  • Practicing and encouraging good personal hygiene (Frequent and proper handwashing, coughing or sneezing in the bend of elbow or sleeve, using tissues, just being “courteous” with your space, etc.).

  • Thoroughly cleaning frequently touched surfaces or high traffic areas using Lysol or similar products which are highly effective at killing the viruses.

  • Staying home when sick, and avoiding people who are sick.

These three main tactics are highly effective against the spread of any such contagions and should be practiced by all, especially when considering the potential future threat of COVID-19.

One additional item of consideration is the use of facemasks. According to the CDC, the use of facemasks is NOT recommended for use by people who are well. Instead, only those who show symptoms should wear them, but ideally, those individuals should stay home and be isolated if possible.

Dr. McLean has already begun close dialogue and scheduled meetings with our local Health Department officials, school nurses and healthcare experts. “We are certainly not attempting to create a scare or undue alarm. Just like we drill, practice and prepare with any other potential threats, we are simply doing what is needed to keep our children and staff safe. After all, if you are ready, then you don’t have to get ready.”

The district continues to work with the Health Department and other experts to create action plans for the district. GCPS would like to thank everyone in the community in advance for their attention to this matter. The safety, health and well-being of everyone in our community is the top priority for GCPS!

Granville County Public Schools

Granville Board of Education to Meet March 2

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-Information courtesy Granville County Public Schools

NOTICE TO PUBLIC AND PRESS

The Granville County Board of Education will meet for a regular board meeting on Monday, March 2, 2020, at 6 p.m. at the Central Services Building, 101 Delacroix Street, Oxford, North Carolina.

The Board will also meet in a Closed Session with the Board’s attorney in accordance with N.C. General Statute pursuant to G.S. 143-318.11(a) on this evening.

To view the agenda for this meeting, please click here.

Granville Co. Elementary Students to Compete in District Spelling Bee

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-Press Release, Granville County Public Schools

Ten students from elementary schools around Granville County will compete for the Local Spelling Bee Trophy in two weeks. “All of these children are already winners,” stated Dr. Tonya Thomas, Director of Student Services for GCS, “and we know they are going to succeed!”

The 3rd Annual Granville County District Spelling Bee for third, fourth, and fifth-grade students will take place on March 10, 2020, at 7 p.m. in the multi-purpose hall at Tar River Elementary with a reception to follow provided by the office of Granville County’s Superintendent, Dr. Alisa McLean. The public school system is sponsoring the Spelling Bee again this year.

Families, friends and the community are invited to come out and show their support for these excellent students!

Four fourth graders will be representing their elementary school at the Bee:

Joel Jose, winner from C.G. Credle Elementary; Aubrey Canada, winner from Mt. Energy Elementary; Jasper Luffman, winner from Stovall-Shaw Elementary; and Bree Blackley, winner from Wilton Elementary.

Six fifth graders will round out the competition:

Cayden Middleton, winner from Butner-Stem Elementary; Belen Elizarraras, winner from Creedmoor Elementary; Payton Gary, winner from Falls Lake Academy Charter School; Jordan Hershberger, winner from Granville Academy; Morgan Congleton, winner from Tar River Elementary School; and Dacari Burrell, winner from West Oxford Elementary School.

Two of our spellers are return competitors from last year’s bee – Dacari Burrell and Joel Jose. Joel took the winner’s trophy home at the 2019 District Bee. He then went on to represent Granville County at the Nationals. He is hoping for a return trip this year.

For the District Bee, these students are studying 1,200 words from the Scripps Spelling Bee list. Each one has a chance to move on to the National Spelling Bee in May if they can out spell the others!

Joel Jose, winner from C.G. Credle Elementary

Aubrey Canada, winner from Mt. Energy Elementary

Jasper Luffman, winner from Stovall-Shaw Elementary

Bree Blackley, winner from Wilton Elementary

Cayden Middleton, winner from Butner-Stem Elementary

Belen Elizarraras, winner from Creedmoor Elementary

Payton Gary, winner from Falls Lake Academy Charter School

Jordan Hershberger, winner from Granville Academy

Morgan Congleton, winner from Tar River Elementary School

Dacari Burrell, winner from West Oxford Elementary School

Dr. Gregory McKnight Appointed to Vacant Granville BOE Seat

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-Press Release, Granville County Public Schools

At a special work session on Monday, February 17, 2020, the Granville County Board of Education voted unanimously to appoint Dr. Greg McKnight to the vacant seat for District 5. This seat became vacant when Mr. Ed Mims resigned in December of 2019.

The Granville County Board of Education has appointed Dr. Greg McKnight to the vacant seat for District 5. (Photo courtesy GCPS)

As directed by Board policy, the vacancy was filled through a selection process, which included the submission of an application, followed by an interview process. Three applicants were interviewed for this seat.

Board Chair Mr. David Richardson commented on the decision to appoint Dr. McKnight, stating, “We are very pleased to have someone with Dr. McKnight’s depth of experience in public education, and passion for educating children. We believe his presence on our Board will be a huge asset.”

Dr. Gregory McKnight’s career in public education spans more than 15 years. Some of his previous roles in the field of education are middle school teacher, elementary principal, and professional development consultant with the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction. In his current role, Dr. McKnight is an Educator Support Specialist for SAS EVAAS.

Dr. McKnight holds a bachelor’s degree in Middle Grades Education from North Carolina Central University, a master’s degree in School Administration from UNC-Chapel Hill and a doctorate in Educational Leadership from UNC-Chapel Hill. McKnight and his wife Latisa have a daughter Gabrielle, who is a student at G.C. Hawley Middle School.

Granville County Public Schools

Granville School Board to Interview District 5 Candidates at Special Meeting

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-Information courtesy Granville County Public Schools

NOTICE TO PUBLIC AND PRESS

The Granville County Board of Education will hold a Special Meeting on Monday, February 17, 2020, at 5 p.m. at The Mary Potter Center of Education, 200 Taylor Street, Oxford, North Carolina.

The purpose of this meeting is to interview candidates for the District 5 vacancy and to consider the additional agenda items.

To view the agenda for this meeting, please click here.

Granville Co. Public Schools to Hold Equity ‘Lunch & Learn’ Wed.

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-Information courtesy Granville County Public Schools

Granville County Public Schools invites you to a Community “Lunch & Learn” on Wednesday, February 12, 2020, from 1 – 4 p.m. The event will be held at the GCPS Central Office, 101 Delacroix St. in Oxford.

Participants will take part in an equity conversation about strengthening the school and family partnership. The conversation will be facilitated by Dr. Susan Silver and Mr. Alessandro Montanari with the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction.

Granville County Public Schools

Granville Board of Education to Meet Feb. 3

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100.1 FM / 1450 AM WIZS; Local News broadcasts M-F 8am, 12pm, 5pm

-Information courtesy Granville County Public Schools

NOTICE TO PUBLIC AND PRESS

The Granville County Board of Education will meet for a regular board meeting on Monday, February 3, 2020, at 6 p.m. at the Central Services Building, 101 Delacroix Street, Oxford, North Carolina.

The Board will also meet in a Closed Session with the Board’s attorney in accordance with N.C. General Statute pursuant to G.S. 143-318.11(a) on this evening.

To view the agenda for this meeting, please click here.