Tag Archive for: #vancecountyschools

School Choices in Vance County and Granville County

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Two local school districts have announced virtual events to share information with families about the variety of choices available for students in the 2021-22 school year. The Vance County Schools event is scheduled for Feb. 4; Granville County Public Schools will host a Choice Fair Saturday to showcase its school options.  (See both graphics at bottom of page.)

Vance County Schools Innovative School applications will be available beginning Monday, Feb. 1, said Aarika Sandlin, public information officer for Vance County Schools. Interested parents or students can download the application from the district website www.vcs.k12.nc.us. Printed copies also are available at the district office, located at 1724 Graham Avenue, Henderson. The virtual event is set for Thursday, Feb. 4 at 6 p.m. Interested participants can find information about how to attend by visiting the district social media sites or the district website, Sandlin said.

Completed applications are due no later than February 28 and should be returned to the district office, Sandlin said in a statement provided to WIZS.  February 28 is a Sunday, so applications should be returned to the district office no later than Friday, Feb. 26. Schools included in the Innovative Schools are EM Rollins STEAM Academy, STEM Early High, Vance County Early College and Advance Academy. The Vance Virtual Village Academy has an online application, Sandlin said, so those completed applications should be returned online no later than Feb. 28.

The Granville County Public Schools Showcase will be held virtually from 9 a.m. to noon on Saturday, Jan. 30, according to Dr. Stan Winborne, Assistant Superintendent of Operations & Human Resources and public information officer for the district. “We invite the community to come and meet the administrators and staff,” Winborne said, giving individuals “an opportunity to explore, chat and ask any questions that you have to learn about the many choice programs our schools have to offer.” The virtual event will help families choose which program best meets their educational needs, he added.

Registration is required, Winborne said. Visit the GCPS website at www.gcs.k12.nc.us to find a link to the registration page.

Local News Audio

Noon News 1-11-21 Wilton Baskett Passes; Davis Chapel Partners With Raleigh Firebirds

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Stories include:

– Death of Vance Co. basketball coach Wilton Baskett

– Davis Chapel partners with Raleigh Firebirds for basketball tournament

For full details and audio click play.

 

Local News Audio

Noon News 1-5-21 VCS Resumes; Blood Pressure & Diabetes; Fish Fry; Senior Bingo; Oxford Newsletter

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Stories include:

– Vance County Schools to resume online learning

– Blood Pressure and Diabetes conference

– ACTS Fish Fry

– Senior Bingo to be held by Vance Co. Parks & Recreation

– Oxford Newsletter

For full details and audio click play.

 

Vance County High School

Vance County High School Resumes Online Learning January 6

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— written from information courtesy of Vance County High School on Facebook

Vance County High School will resume online learning on January 6th.

In a Facebook post seen below, Principal Rey Horner has provided a number of timely and important reminders for students.

He wrote, “During third quarter, you will take whichever course is on your schedule for first and second period.”  Teachers are reaching out Monday and Tuesday.

Attendance is important.  Horner wrote, “All students will be expected to be present for their virtual class on Wednesday. Please remember that attendance does count and it is important that you earn these credits and do not fall behind.”

If a student is behind in his or her work, it will require extra effort and the time is now.  Horner wrote, “We are now in the early stages of creating a plan for students who have fallen behind to catch up. It will require patience, determination and work on the students end… but it can be done. Please know that we are all in this together.”

Please consider reading Principal Horner’s entire message.

Vance County Schools Logo

Vance County School Board Members Take Oath of Office; Chair and Vice Chair Selected

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— press release courtesy of Vance County Schools, Public Information Officer Aarika Sandlin

Three Vance County Schools Board of Education members were recently re-elected to represent their districts: Mr. Edward B. Wilson, Mrs. Dorothy W. Gooche and Mrs. Linda S. Cobb. They each took their Oath of Office at the December 14, 2020 Board of Education meeting before Judge Caroline Burnette.

Mrs. Dorothy W. Gooche represents District 3 and has served on the Vance County Board of Education since November 2010. A Vance-Granville Community College retiree, Mrs. Gooche continues devoting herself to education in Vance County, sharing “I am honored to be re-elected to the Vance County Board of Education. Serving our students these past 10 years has been rewarding. I am constantly reminded of my role to provide ideas and recommendations that help meet the educational and developmental needs of all students, while also supporting the excellent faculty and staff that have a direct influence in the life of each student. I look forward to the continued work with the board, our schools, parents and community.”

Mr. Edward B. Wilson represents District 4 and has served on the Vance County Board of Education since November 2012. A retired Vance County Schools educator, Mr. Wilson continues to be dedicated to serving, sharing that “at first, I may have viewed it as a civic responsibility but now I view it as an opportunity to learn from the very best and most highly qualified school professionals in the state.”

Mrs. Linda S. Cobb represents District 5 and was first appointed to the Vance County Board of Education in September 2019. Retired from the Division of Social Services through the Department of Health and Human Services, Mrs. Cobb continues her commitment to serving our community. She shared “I am grateful to continue my service on the Board of Education, having the opportunity to represent our community and our students – this brings joy to me.”

The board also voted in a new chair and vice chair at the meeting. Mrs. Linda S. Cobb (District 5) will serve as the School Board Chair and Mrs. Margaret A. Ellis (District 6) as Vice-Chair.

Vance County Schools Logo

Vance County Schools Re-entry Plans Ready; Just Need Date

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The Vance County School system has been hard at work on a re-entry plan for students, and this week at the Vance County Board of Education meeting that re-entry plan was approved.

No date was set.

VCS Public Information Officer Aarika Sandlin provided the information in her latest board briefs.  She wrote, “The Board of Education approved the re-entry plan for students; however, the re-entry date was not determined. The Board of Education will continue to review metrics, along with discussions with The ABC Science Collaborative, NCDHHS and Granville Vance Public Health.

“The re-entry plan approved allowed for two days of face-to-face instruction and a staggered entry, beginning with PreK, K and 6 grades, followed by grades 1 and 2 and then grades 3-5. Additionally, self-contained EC students in grades PreK-12 begin re-entry.”

The plan will allow any student wishing to remain fully remote to do so, with live instruction on specific days and times.

Sandlin can be heard each morning on WIZS at 7:45 and each afternoon during the WIZS Local News with school information.

Superintendent Dr. Anthony Jackson will join WIZS on TownTalk Tuesday, December 22 at 11am.

VCS High School Athletic Schedule

Vance Co. Schools Begins Staggered Phase-In of High School Athletics

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100.1 FM ~ 1450 AM ~ WIZS, Your Community Voice ~ Click to LISTEN LOCAL

-Information courtesy Vance County Schools

Vance County Schools will permit a staggered phase-in of high school athletics beginning the week of November 2, 2020, as outlined in the schedule included below. This phase-in is consistent with expectations outlined by the NC High School Athletic Association and endorsed by the Vance County Board of Education.

Student-athletes involved in volleyball, cross country, cheerleading, basketball, football or swimming, along with their parent/guardian, MUST attend a required virtual orientation meeting via Zoom on Wednesday, November 4, 2020, at 6:30 p.m. All high school students will receive a zoom link in their school email. This meeting will provide important information for our student-athletes and their parents.

Should you have any questions, please contact the High School Athletic Director, Joe Sharrow at (252) 430-6000 or by email at jsharrow@vcs.k12.nc.us. The latest information will be updated on the VCHS website (www.vcs.k12.nc.us/vchs).

A decision regarding middle school athletics will be announced in the near future.

Vance County Schools Logo

Town Talk 10/21/20: Vance Co. Schools Launches ‘Attendance Matters’ Campaign

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THIS STORY IS PRESENTED IN PART BY DRAKE DENTISTRY

Four members of Vance County Schools’ Behavioral Health Team appeared on WIZS Town Talk Wednesday at 11 a.m.

Toni Fletcher, lead of the School Student Behavioral Health Team and Lead Social Worker, began the segment by announcing that VCS is kicking off its ‘Attendance Matters’ campaign with the slogan ‘In School, Logged In, Every Day.’

With the Vance County Board of Education’s recent vote to extend fully remote learning through December, Fletcher explained the importance of offering continued support during this unprecedented time in education.

“It is very important to us that we make the connections with our children and our families,” said Fletcher. “This is something we’ve never done before – teaching this way.”

Counselor Erica Wright, with the Student Behavioral Health Team, said VCS will recognize students for their hard work on billboards throughout the community, through local news and media sources and with school incentives as a way to encourage good attendance practices.

School Safety/District Hearing Officer Dr. Ralph Holloman said, “The National Dropout Prevention Center has recorded that family engagement is the number one key for attendance, and we want to send that message to parents. Keep on encouraging your child to participate, log in and be in school every day.”

Thanking parents for all they have done to keep their child engaged while also balancing work, family and other responsibilities, Holloman said, “Parents, your continued involvement is the key to our children’s success in Vance County schools.”

To address mental well-being, Dr. Latoria Fleming, counselor for the Student Behavioral Health Team, said school counselors and social workers are remotely available to provide social and emotional support.

“Please reach out to school support staff if you know of a student that’s struggling,” said Fleming. “Those staff members can provide short-term counseling or, if necessary, connect you with community resources or mental health agencies.”

While support is the key to continued motivation, Fletcher said completing remote schoolwork is difficult without reliable internet access. “Some of our families live rurally and don’t have access to the internet, and some are unable to afford access due to financial barriers.”

To combat this problem, VCS has placed WiFi rangers in fire departments, daycare centers, churches, apartment complexes and in some homes with five or more children throughout the county.

In addition, Fletcher said Kajeets, portable devices approximately the size of a cell phone, have been placed in over 150 homes to provide internet capabilities.

For those in need of technology assistance, Fletcher reminded listeners that a technology help desk with tech support is available to parents and students Monday – Friday from 8 a.m. until 4 p.m. To find the help desk phone number for your child’s school, please visit the VCS District website (click here).

To hear the interview in its entirety, go to WIZS.com and click on Town Talk.

Vance County Schools Logo

Town Talk 10/15/20: Jackson Discusses VCS’ Decision to Remain in Plan C

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100.1 FM ~ 1450 AM ~ WIZS, Your Community Voice ~ Click to LISTEN LOCAL

Dr. Anthony Jackson, superintendent for Vance County Schools, appeared on WIZS Town Talk Thursday at 11 a.m.

Jackson discussed the Vance County Board of Education’s 5-2 vote at its October 12 meeting to remain in Plan C – fully remote learning – for the remainder of the first semester. The first semester for the 2020-2021 school year is set to end prior to the Christmas holiday.

In July, NC Governor Roy Cooper announced public and charter schools could begin the school year under Plan B – a hybrid of online and in-person learning – or could choose the more restrictive Plan C.

In September, Cooper announced public and charter elementary schools (K-5) had the option to operate under Plan A – in-person, socially distanced learning – beginning October 5.

At its July Board meeting, the Vance County Board of Education voted to begin the year under Plan C, revisit the decision in October and review again in December.

The Board will meet in December to determine if the second semester, starting in January, will begin fully remote under Plan C or move to Plan A or B.

“Our Board is looking at the data and trying to determine the safe integration of students into the school environment,” Jackson explained. “Based on what they understood and were presented with, they thought it would be safer to keep our kids on Plan C until we know a little more about [COVID-19] transmission and local data.”

According to Jackson, the Board also took recent news reports of spikes in COVID cases and hospitalizations into consideration when making the decision to remain in remote learning.

Working with Granville Vance Public Health and Duke University, Jackson said the school system receives daily local COVID updates and seeks guidance from healthcare experts.

“The decision of how to start the next semester will be based on the data available on infection rates, hospitalizations and transmission in the community at that time,” Jackson said. “Our goal is to be back to some form of face-to-face interaction by the second semester. We are still hopeful, but we have to go with what the metrics tell us. Ultimately, the liability rests with them as the Board of Education; they’ve taken that very seriously.”

While seeking improvements to areas such as students’ access to online connectivity, Jackson said the strives are evident. “The positive out of this is that we have set up a remote digital learning framework in this short period of time. We have distributed over 5,000 devices and hotspots to our kids, provided over a half-million meals to this community and supported our teachers with a small model of childcare.”

Acknowledging it’s not the school year anyone expected, Jackson said he is encouraged by the teamwork and dedication on all sides.

“I want to thank our teachers for the work they are doing every day to make sure our kids are okay and learning. I also thank our parents for trusting us. This is not what we had planned, but it is what we have, so we are going to make the best of it.”

To stay updated on VCS’ decisions and announcements, please visit the District’s website or Facebook page.

To hear the interview in its entirety, go to WIZS.com and click on Town Talk.

Local News Audio

Local Noon News 09/25/20

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100.1 FM ~ 1450 AM ~ WIZS, Your Community Voice ~ Click to LISTEN LOCAL

City of Henderson to Move Forward With Coronavirus Grant Application

Vance County Planning Committee to Consider White Goods Disposal at Hwy 39 Convenience Site

Vance County Schools Recognizes Teachers, Principals at Annual Excellence in Education Event

Click Play to Listen to Full Details…