Tag Archive for: #vancecountyschools

Vance Co. Schools: Remote Learning, Breakfast/Lunch, COVID-19 Updates

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-Press Release, Vance County Schools

Vance County Schools continues to maintain communication between the Department of Public Instruction, Governor Cooper’s office and the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services. We are working diligently to ensure we are meeting the needs of our students while adhering to the executive orders in place.

Calendar & Spring Break
All Vance County Schools will be closed for students from March 16 – March 27 in accordance with the Governor’s mandate. Spring Break will be adjusted in the calendar to take place March 30 – April 3.

Meals
Vance County Schools will provide meal packages beginning Tuesday, March 17. For the first couple of days, parents/caregivers/siblings may pick up two days worth of meal units, which includes two breakfasts and two lunches, at no charge for students. This is available for all school-aged children in Vance County, including public, private and charter schools.

Meals will be available at the following locations: Aycock Elementary, New Hope Elementary, EM Rollins Elementary, Zeb Vance Elementary, Vance County Middle and Vance County High.

Hours of operation will be from 11 a.m. – 12:30 p.m.

Teaching & Learning
Remote learning and online instruction will begin Thursday, March 19. Learning packets will be available at your child’s school for all elementary and middle school students.

High School students enrolled in English 4, Biology and Advanced Functions will also have packets available at the high school. Packets can be picked up on Wednesday from 10 a.m. – 4 p.m. or on Thursday from 8 a.m. – 1 p.m. They will also be available on the Vance County Schools website.

Students at STEM, Advance Academy and Early College High School should continue their online instruction. Additional learning packets for other subjects will become available at a later date.

Electronic Devices
School-owned devices will be available to high school seniors. Deployment of computers will be on Tuesday, March 17 from 1 p.m. – 4 p.m. and on Wednesday, March 18 from 9 a.m. – 1 p.m. at Vance County High School. A schedule for device deployments for additional grades will be available at a later date.

Remote Learning Resources
Additional information and instructional resources will be made available on our webpage.

Staff Schedule
Monday, March 16 – Wednesday, March 18 will be mandatory workdays for staff.
Thursday, March 19 – Friday, March 27 will be flexible workdays for staff, with more information coming from district leaders.

We reserve the right to bring staff in on flex days as district leaders deem necessary.

We will continue to keep our families updated with information as it becomes available. This situation remains very fluid and ever-changing. We commit to you that we are working hard to meet the needs of our students and our community. Continue to follow the latest information on our website at www.vcs.k12.nc.us.

It is our intent to have staff in every school and our district office to answer questions from 9 a.m. – 1 p.m. Monday
through Friday. We appreciate your patience as we continue to work through this unprecedented situation.

Vance Co. Schools Announces Procedure Changes Due to Coronavirus Risk

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-Press Release, Vance County Schools

Over the past few days, Vance County Schools has been in close dialogue with the Health Department and can confirm that at the time of this writing there are no confirmed cases of COVID-19 or Coronavirus in Vance County.

As such, our efforts will continue to be focused on prevention and following best practices to keep students and staff healthy. These include:

  • Regular, thorough cleaning in our buildings
  • Frequent hand-washing and use of hand sanitizer
  • Respecting personal space

Also, we ask that all students and staff who have cold or flu-like symptoms to stay home until fever-free for 24 hours and seek medical care as needed. These efforts will promote healthy school environments for everyone. Consistent with guidance from the Granville Vance Health Department, we are implementing the following:

School Closure: Currently, there are no plans to close schools. Should this change, we will alert you via our standard communications procedures (ConnectED, Twitter, Facebook, District Website).

Field Trips & Travel: Out of an abundance of caution, all field trips will be suspended 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 that may have involved fees or deposits, we will do our best to work with the companies to secure refunds and/or credits as allowed, given the uniqueness of the situation. We are also suspending all non-essential work-related travel for Vance County Schools staff, including professional development workshops and conferences.

School Events & Visitors: All school-based events that draw crowds will be evaluated by the district to determine the best scenario, as we gain an understanding of COVID-19 and its progression. We are also monitoring our volunteers and visitors on all campuses to reduce potential exposure to our students and staff.

Athletics: The North Carolina High School Athletic Association Board of Directors decided to suspend all interscholastic athletics beginning at 11:59 p.m. on Friday, March 13, 2020, through Monday, April 6, 2020. This means that all workouts, practices, games and skill development sessions for all middle and high school athletics in the state of North Carolina must be suspended. The NCHSAA will continue to assess the situation with COVID-19 to determine the next steps and we will keep our community informed of new information.

This situation is very fluid and we will continue to post updates on our website at www.vcs.k12.nc.us.

Facility Rentals: All facility rentals for Vance County Schools will be canceled until further notice. This allows us to keep our schools disinfected, ensuring the safety of our students and staff. If you have a rental scheduled you will be contacted by the district on the next steps.

Proactive Steps: As previously shared, our custodians, maintenance and transportation are continuing to proactively disinfect frequently surfaces and buses. We will also continue sanitizing our buildings and provide hand sanitizing stations throughout every building in the district.

We realize these cancellations and changes will come as disappointments to many, but please understand our Vance County Schools family is of the utmost importance – and is what drives our decisions as we work to keep everyone safe.

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.

Town Talk 03/12/20: Fourth Annual VCS Arts Alive! to Showcase Student Talent

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Aarika Sandlin, public information officer for Vance County Schools, appeared on WIZS Town Talk Thursday at 11 a.m. Discussing upcoming district events, Sandlin said students and staff are busy preparing for VCS’ fourth annual Arts Alive! talent showcase.

Arts Alive! will be held at the McGregor Hall Performing Arts Center in downtown Henderson on Saturday, April 25, 2020. The showcase will feature VCS student talent in a variety of mediums including painting, drawing, dancing, singing and dramatic performance. All grade levels will be represented.

Parents, students, family, educators and community members are invited to view the artwork that will be on display in the McGregor Hall Gallery beginning at 3 p.m. Gallery viewing is free of charge.

New this year, a silent auction will be held to allow the public to bid on their favorite pieces of art.

In addition to the art gallery, performing acts ranging from large to small groups of vocalists, musicians, dancers and more will entertain on McGregor Hall’s stage beginning at 7 p.m.

Tickets for the Arts Alive! show are available for purchase at McGregor Hall’s box office beginning at 3 p.m. the day of the event. Tickets for adults and children are $5 each; all seating is general admission. Proceeds from the event benefit the Vance County Public School Foundation.

Returning this year will be a series of “master classes” offered in drama, art, dancing and musical instruments offered the morning of the Arts Alive! event. The classes, ranging in target age from Pre-K through 12th grade, will be offered by Hill’s Music Shoppe, Ballet Arts, Wolf Trap Education and Vance-Granville Community College. For more details on these classes, please visit VCS’ newly designed website at www.vcs.k12.nc.us.

Master classes are free of charge and are offered at McGregor Hall and across the street from the performing arts venue at First Baptist Church in Henderson.

“It’s a really exciting day for our district to come together and show what our students are capable of doing,” Sandlin said.

To hear the interview with Sandlin in its entirety, including a series of brief updates from the most recent School Board meeting, go to WIZS.com and click on Town Talk.

Vance Co. Schools Continues Support of Decades-Long Leandro Case

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-Information courtesy Vance County Schools

At the Vance County Board of Education meeting held on March 9, Vance County Schools Superintendent Dr. Anthony Jackson addressed the on-going Leandro Case.

What is Leandro? In 1994, families from five low-wealth counties (Hoke, Halifax, Robeson, Vance, and Cumberland) claimed that North Carolina was not providing students with the same educational opportunities as those in higher-income districts, at which time the court case began and is still ongoing.

Both sides agreed in 2017 to have an independent consultant come in to make recommendations, unveiling the WestEd report.

Dr. Jackson shared the WestEd Leandro Report that gave eight recommendations for a sound, basic education for children. 1) Revise the state funding model to provide adequate, efficient, and equitable resources, 2) Provide a qualified, well-prepared, and diverse teaching staff in every school 3) Provide a qualified and well-prepared principal in every school, 4) Provide all at-risk students with the opportunity to attend high-quality early childhood programs 5) Direct resources, opportunities, and initiatives to economically disadvantaged students 6) Revise the student assessment system and school accountability system 7) Build an effective regional and statewide system of support for the improvement of low-performing and high-poverty schools 8) Convene an expert panel to assist the Court in monitoring state policies, plans programs, and progress.

The Vance County Board of Education indicated unanimously they support this cause and the district will continue to follow the decades-long case as it continues in court.

For more information on the case, please visit the Public School Forum of North Carolina website at www.ncforum.org/leandro/.

Vance County Schools Addresses Coronavirus Concerns

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THIS STORY IS PRESENTED IN PART BY DRAKE DENTISTRY

-Press Release, Vance County Schools

Vance County Schools continues to follow the guidance of local, state, and federal health officials regarding all communicable diseases. With the current concerns around COVID-19 coronavirus, the state of North Carolina has no reported cases at this time. Medical experts have indicated that the best ways to prevent the spread of COVID-19 are the same recommendations for preventing the spread of the flu.

The district is in the process of installing hand sanitizer stations near the Main Entrances of all of our facilities. All hard surfaces will be appropriately cleaned with EPA-registered disinfectants. Also, additional refresher training is being provided to our custodial and maintenance teams. Our buses will be disinfected appropriately as well.

The district is encouraging students and staff to follow basic prevention guidelines. Here are some helpful tips that, with everyone’s help, will aid in prevention:

  • Wash your hands frequently – and thoroughly. Use a hand sanitizer if soap and water are not available.
  • Avoid touching your eyes, nose, or mouth with unwashed hands.
  • Cover your mouth and nose with a tissue when you cough or sneeze. Then, throw the tissue in the trash and wash your hands.
  • Remain home with a fever – if you have a temperature of 100.4 or greater, you should remain home until you are 24 hours fever free without fever-reducing medication.
  • Use the appropriate EPA-registered disinfectants on high-touch surfaces, such as doorknobs, tabletops, electronics, light switches, and more.

We will continue to monitor the situation and adjust protocols and processes as warranted. Updates will be posted on our district website at www.vcs.k12.nc.us.

 Additional Information and links:

Vance County Schools: Emergency Health Information for Coronavirus can be found here.

What you need to know about Coronavirus (English) can be found here; in Spanish here.

Coronavirus Q&A can be found here.

How to Clean and Disinfect Schools to Help Slow the Spread of the Flu information is available here.

Coronavirus updates from the CDC can be found here.

VCS to Hold District-Wide Family Engagement Night at Vance Co. Middle School

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-Information courtesy Vance County Schools

The Vance County Schools Family Resource Center will host a District-Wide Family Engagement Night at Vance County Middle School on Thursday, February 27, 2020, from 5:30 – 7 p.m. Light refreshments will be provided and childcare will be available for those age 12 and under.

Two sessions will be offered: “EOG & EOC Prep/Reducing Test Stress” and “Dealing With Peer Pressure/Bullying Uncovered.”

Don’t miss the special performance by VCS students.

Vance County Middle School is located at 293 Warrenton Road in Henderson.

Harvey Recognized by NC Governor

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-Information courtesy Vance County Schools

Marsha Harvey, an English teacher at Vance County High School, received the Governor’s Education Discovery Award, entitling her to a stipend for professional development within her field.

She has committed to attend Paper to Stage at the Chicago Shakespeare Theatre Company.

Vance County Schools is proud of Ms. Harvey’s accomplishment and looks forward to what she brings back to share with her fellow teachers and students.

Pictured L to R: Vance County Board of Education Chair Edward Wilson, Vance County High School teacher Marsha Harvey and Superintendent Dr. Anthony Jackson. (VCS photo)

VCS Teachers, Principals Receive Performance-Based State Bonuses

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-Press Release, Vance County Schools

Vance County Schools is proud to announce that many of our teachers and principals received recognition and bonuses from the state of North Carolina for their growth in our district.

The General Assembly of North Carolina created the bonus structure, where principals and teachers within certain areas are eligible. There must be growth performance met within the criteria set in order to qualify to receive the bonuses. Growth is measured by EVASS, an analytics measurement created by SAS. The system evaluates each individual student and determines the overall progress of the student made while enrolled in a specific course, with the final analysis using the state test score.

The school is also given a letter grade, with proficiency counting 80% and growth as 20%, determining the principal growth. 

The following principals and teachers have been recognized and awarded monetary bonuses by the State of North Carolina for their performance in Vance County Schools.

Aycock Elementary School:

Taylor Bibee (Hedgepeth) – 5th Grade Reading

Stephanie Brown – 5th Grade Math & Reading

Susan Fletcher – 3rd Grade Reading

Sarah Jeffries – 4th Grade Reading

Reagan Ross – 4th Grade Math

Kristen Boyd – Principal

Carver Elementary School:

Debra Glanz (McCune) –  4th Grade Reading

Fe McCoy – 4th Grade Math

David Westbrook – Principal

Dabney Elementary School:

Justin Wrenn – 3rd Grade Reading

Michael Putney – Principal

E.M. Rollins Elementary School:

Tiffany Manning – 5th Grade Math

E.O Young Elementary School:

Shawanda Talley – 5th Grade Reading

Marylaura McKoon – Principal

L.B. Yancey Elementary School:

Analiza Maghanoy – 3rd Grade Reading

New Hope Elementary School:

Yackesha Samuda-Green – 4th Grade Math & Reading

Pinkston Street Elementary School:

Cheryl Jones – 3rd Grade Reading

STEM Early High School:

Charlie Carroll – 7th Grade Math

Vance County High School:

Audrey Brown – CTE

Francis Brown – CTE

Angela Cusaac – CTE

Vance County Middle School:

Kevin Johnson – 8th Grade Math

Sallie Nelson – 7th Grade Math

Adith Williams-White – 6th Grade Math

Zeb Vance Elementary School:

Taylor Alston – 3rd Grade Reading

Vance County Early College:

Travis Taylor – Principal

 

Vance County Schools Recognized Nationally

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THIS STORY IS PRESENTED IN PART BY DRAKE DENTISTRY

-Press Release, Vance County Schools

Vance County Schools was recently recognized at the National Convention for Digital Convergence (NCDC) for its success in the Modern Teacher Digital Convergences Framework. The mission of Modern Teacher is to empower educational leaders to make learning relevant for all students and teachers by creating a blended school with the learner at the center.

Pictured left to right: Dr. Cindy Bennett, Assistant Superintendent, Aarika Sandlin, Public Information Officer and Michelle Burton, Chief Human Resources Officer. Also in attendance but not pictured was Dr. Trixie Brooks, Assistant Superintendent. (VCS photo)

Vance County has progressed to Stage 3 in the process, one of only 23 districts in the nation recognized. Dr. Cindy Bennett, Vance County Schools Assistant Superintendent, also served on a panel for Digital Convergence during the conference, sharing her expertise in the process with districts from around the country.

The digital framework focuses on the drivers of Leadership, Instructional Models, Modern Curriculum, Digital Ecosystems, Professional Learning and Community. AASA, the School Superintendents Association, has recognized the Modern Teacher Digital Convergence Framework as the nation’s premier methodology for transitioning traditional classrooms to modern learning environments at scale.

Dr. Cindy Bennett shared that “this work has provided the district with a clear process for analyzing the current reality, identifying successes and opportunities for growth, and designing a pathway of personalization of the teaching and learning process.”

Vance County Schools is proud to be part of the Modern Teacher network and excited about the journey ahead, as we work to reach the next stage.

Vance Co. Schools Announces Pre-K, Kindergarten Registration Dates

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-Press Release, Vance County Schools

Vance County Schools Pre-K and Kindergarten registration is open and “The Wow Starts Now!” Stop by any of our elementary schools or district office (1724 Graham Avenue) to begin the registration process.

Pre-K is open to children whose fourth birthday is on or before August 31, 2020. Children whose fifth birthday is on or before August 31, 2020, are eligible for Kindergarten.

Between February 24 and March 11, each elementary school will offer two tours on their respective day at 9 a.m. and 5:30 p.m. Families are invited to come to any of the tours, meet the administration and ask any questions they may have.

Vance County Schools School Tour Schedule: February 24 – Carver; February 25 – Aycock; February 26 – Dabney; February 27 – EO Young; March 2 – Pinkston; March 3 – EM Rollins; March 4 – New Hope; March 5 – LB Yancey; March 9 – Clarke; March 11 – Zeb Vance.

On March 10 and 12, every elementary school in our district will hold Learning in Action opportunities at 9 a.m. This allows families to come see the class in action and learn about specific programs offered at all of our schools, including Letterland and Feeling Friends.

We would like to remind everyone, you must bring your photo ID to enter our buildings for school tours and our Learning in Action opportunities. We will have district employees on-site at each school tour to assist those wishing to register that day. Registration is also available every day at the district office, where staff are available to assist you with the process.

When coming to enroll, you will need to bring Proof of Residency (utility bill, rental lease, or mortgage statement), the child’s immunization record and their proof of age (birth certificate, medical record, or baptismal record).

Vance County Schools continues to offer phenomenal programs, making sure our learning is personalized and relevant to every single student in our ever-changing world. We are excited to meet our new families and begin their adventure of learning in Vance County Schools. We are truly better together!