Signs and Symptoms of Viruses, Colds and Flu

Posted on February 2, 2012 by Bill Poston

In light of recent articles in the media, you may have questions regarding the signs and symptoms of viruses, colds and flu.

Children are sent home from school when they have the following symptoms:

  • Fever of 100 or higher
    (child should remain home until fever free for 24 hours without the use of fever-reducing medication)
  • Nausea, vomiting, diarrhea
    (child should remain home until free of symptoms for 12 hours)
  • Severe headache
  • Red, watery eyes with yellow discharge
  • Undiagnosed rash
  • Inability to attend to learning activities
  • Change in student’s usual medical status

To stay healthy students, families and staff should:

  • Get vaccinated -The single best way to prevent the flu is to get a flu vaccine each season
  • Stay at home when you are sick - If possible, stay home from work, school, and errands when you are sick
  • Cover your mouth and nose - Cover your mouth and nose with a tissue when coughing or sneezing
  • Clean your hands – Washing your hands often will help protect you from germs
  • Avoid touching your eyes, nose, or mouth - Germs spread this way

WCPSS Custodial Services use cleaning products and procedures that eliminate Influenza and  Norovirus.

Signs, symptoms and prevention of commonly seen illnesses may be found on the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) website

Thanks to Kelly Creech for sharing this information.

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Garner Principal Named Regional Wells Fargo Principal of the Year

Posted on February 1, 2012 by Bill Poston

Garner Magnet High principal Drew Cook has been named North Central Regional Wells Fargo Principal of the Year. Cook was in the running for the honor after being named Wake County Principal of the Year.

Cook becomes one of eight NC principals considered for 2012 State Principal of the Year. As a regional winner, Cook will receive $1,000 for personal use and $1,000 for his school.

A State Selection Committee will review the portfolios of the eight regional winners and visit each candidate’s school campus. Results of these site visits, portfolio assessments and personal interviews will be used to determine the 2012 Wells Fargo North Carolina Principal of the Year. The winner will be announced on April 5 during a luncheon sponsored by Wells Fargo to honor the regional winners.

“Congratulations to these eight talented school leaders who have gone above and beyond to prepare students for the next grade and life after high school graduation,” said State Superintendent June Atkinson. “Thanks also to the Wells Fargo Foundation for their faithful sponsorship of this program, which allows us to recognize the outstanding administrators who work so hard on behalf of North Carolina’s almost 1.5 million public school students.”

Since the program began in 1984, the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction and The Wells Fargo Foundation have recognized 32 Principals of the Year. The Wells Fargo Foundation has provided more than $1 million in cash awards to the state and regional winners.

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Kangaroo Express and BP’s Fueling Communities Donate $10,000

Posted on February 1, 2012 by Bill Poston

The Wake County Public School System today received a donation totaling $10,000 from The Pantry, Inc., the leading independently operated convenience store chain in the southeastern United States, and BP’s Fueling Communities program.

The Pantry operates its Wake County stores under the Kangaroo Express banner. The donation will provide $1,000 to 10 schools in the district.

“This $10,000 donation will go a long way for our schools,” said Superintendent Tony Tata. “We are grateful to Kangaroo Express and BP for their donation to our great school system. I am personally eager to watch as this donation helps our schools fund projects that will better the educational environment for our students.”

The schools receiving the donations are Apex High, Green Hope High, Jeffreys Grove Elementary, Leesville Road High, Millbrook Magnet Elementary, Millbrook Magnet High, Morrisville Elementary, Panther Creek High and Swift Creek Elementary.

The first grant presentation will be made Feb. 2 at the Business Alliance meeting at Millbrook Magnet High.

“Kangaroo Express doesn’t just do business here in Wake County. Our headquarters is located here. Our employees live, work, and have kids that go to school here,” said Scott Smith, region sales director at Kangaroo Express. “We are more than proud to have this chance to support so many local schools and to give back to our local community.”

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Student Artwork on Display in Wake Forest

Posted on February 1, 2012 by Bill Poston

The artwork of students from Wake Forest-Rolesville Middle School has been traveling around Wake Forest thanks to the Women’s Club.

In a note to art teacher Jose Cruz, Women’s Club leader Betty Phillips noted: We had so much fun displaying these drawings. We heard nothing but wonderful compliments about all of the art displayed and the talent of the art class. We put the name of each student on their drawing so that all of the students will be identified.

Student works by Jaliese Chism, Maya Grimmett, Schuyler Lauder, Arcelia Vargas Velazquez, Makenzie Weeks, Seth Blackwood, Steven Cook, Faith Dias, Amelia Fisk, Omar Perez-Beltran, Justin Rice, Marley Shattuck, Daniel Skube and Stacy Sumner were displayed at the Purple Door and B&W Hardware.

After the Feb. 2 Wake Forest Woman’s Club Art Contest presentations, the artwork of the Second Place Winner and the Third Place Winner will be displayed in Fidelity Bank. Paola Sias’ Butterfly earned Second Place. Sky Parks’ Dog earned Third Place.

First Place Winner Brian Rodman’s “Zebra” will go the Women’s Club-NC District VI Arts Festival on Feb. 11. Rodman’s work will be displayed in Fidelity Bank until going to the district competition.

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LISTEN: Teachers Receive Technology Grants

Posted on February 1, 2012 by Bill Poston

Five Wake County teachers received grants from Technology for Teaching in a ceremony Jan.26 at the Raleigh Business and Technology Center.

Tristan and Stacy Pan of Technology for Teaching and WCPSS Chief Transformation Officer Judy Peppler congratulated teachers  Laura Preston, Barbara Cooper, Margaret Knox-Ingle, Christine Tuttell, Jennifer Hosenfeld and Janiece Dilts who were awarded the grants.

Listen to Teachers Receive Technology Grants

This is a 5-minute mp3 file.

Reedy Creek teacher Jennifer Hosenfeld receives check from Stacy Pan of Technology for Teaching.

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Early College Students Win Video Competition

Posted on February 1, 2012 by Bill Poston

Students at the Wake Early College of Health Sciences took first place in the NC Society of Hispanic Professionals 2011-12 “Stay in School” video contest. You can see the entry from the Early College and others online here.

The Early College students will be honored in a March 30 awards ceremony at NC State University’s McKimmon Center during the 2012 Hispanic Educational Summit for middle and high school Hispanic students.

The 20 entries were scored by judges from Univision40, Nationwide Insurance, The NC State Department of Public Instruction, a student from Wake Technical Community College, and the NCSHP President, Director of Programs and a board member based on overall quality, message conveyed, creativity, entertainment appeal and the relevance to the central theme of staying in school.  The entries were posted on YouTube and have been watched by thousands of viewers.

The Stay in School campaign reminds students and their parents about the benefits of staying in school, finishing high school and continuing with their education. 

Thanks to new Early College principal Lisa Whitaker for sharing this story.

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Employee Excellence Awards Presented

Posted on February 1, 2012 by Bill Poston

The Board of Education honored two Wake County Public School System employees with Employee Excellence Awards at its Jan. 24 meeting.

Superintendent Tony Tata presented both employees with awards, while Dr. Stephen Gainey described the employees’ contributions.

The Employee Excellence Awards were presented to Barwell Elementary music teacher Amanda Bailey and Mary Morton, director in the WCPSS Internal Audit Department.

Bailey shows great determination to not just do her job, but excel at her profession.  In her short time at Barwell Elementary, she was able to bring a group from the NC Symphony to the school, form a chorus that was selected to participate in Pieces of Gold and secure funding for uniforms so each student had a new uniform free of charge.

For the past 18 months, Morton has tirelessly led the WCPSS Internal Audit Department in providing the district with high quality, thorough and unbiased audit services.  She is a true professional who never loses sight of the district’s goal to provide our students with the best education possible, and she does her utmost to help the district accomplish that goal.

The Employee Excellence Awards were presented to Mary Morton and Amanda Bailey.

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Greg Fishel Shows WCPSS Student Work

Posted on January 31, 2012 by Bill Poston

You can see the posters created by WCPSS students that won the Wetlands Are Wonderful poster contest this year in this week’s WRAL Greg Fishel weather reports.

Fishel will spotlight five of the winning posters throughout the week after his 5 p.m. weather forecast*. He is scheduled to highlight the work of:

Monday – Olivia Andrews in Laura Zimmerman’s class at Green Hope Elementary
Tuesday – Sonoma Knecht in Amanda Lefeld’s class at Pleasant Union Elementary Wednesday – Albert Choi in Brandy Smith’s art class at Farmington Woods Elementary
Thursday – Ryan Bodnarik in Stephanie Reid’s class at Wendell Elementary
Friday – Ashley Johnson in Rene Alford’s class at Alston Ridge Elementary

The students researched and illustrated a variety of ways we can protect wetlands by allowing natural wetlands to exist, restoring wetlands that have been altered by planting native vegetation and plugging ditches, constructing “new” wetlands to absorb and filter stormwater runoff and recharge groundwater, and joining a land conservancy that protects vital wetland ecosystems across NC.

* updated to correct time

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LISTEN: Leesville Road High Launches Murphy Scholarship

Posted on January 30, 2012 by Bill Poston

Leesville Road High School has created a scholarship to honor Richard Murphy, the school’s first principal.  The fully endowed scholarship will be awarded to two Leesville Road High seniors for the first time this year.  Each recipient will receive a $2,500 scholarship.

The Murphy scholarship will be awarded to a senior who embodies the high expectations and commitment to visionary leadership, service, and lifelong learning that Murphy epitomized and inspired others to achieve.

Dr. Stephen Gainey, the WCPSS Assistant Superintendent for Human Resources, served as an assistant principal under Murphy and later as Leesville’s principal. Gainey said that Murphy’s influence “will forever be present.” 

Listen to Leesville Road High Launches Murphy Scholarship

This is a 7-minute mp3 file.

The scholarship committee is seeking donations to fulfill and sustain the endowment.  The Richard Murphy Scholarship Fund has partnered with the NC Community Foundation to collect and invest funds for the scholarship.

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Enloe Magnet High Student Named Intel Science Talent Search 2012 Semifinalist

Posted on January 30, 2012 by Bill Poston

Enloe Magnet High student Ivan Kuznetsov was named an Intel Science Talent Search 2012 Semifinalist.

Kuznetsov was the only WCPSS student and one of 10 NC students to be named a semifinalist.

The Intel Science Talent Search (Intel STS) is the nation’s most prestigious pre-college science competition. The Intel STS recognizes 300 students and their schools as semifinalists each year to compete for $1.25 million in awards.  This year 1,839 students applied.

Finalists have now been selected and invited to Washington, DC in March to undergo final judging, display their work to the public, meet with notable scientists, and compete for the top award of $100,000.

You can read more about the talent search here.

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