School Connection

August 12, 2003

NEW YEAR BEGINS SMOOTHLY
Superintendent Bill McNeal met news reporters in front of Millbrook High School before the sun rose on the first day of school. McNeal talked live during morning television news about Celebration 2003, the Oct. 7 vote for school construction bonds and the excitement of the first day of students returning to school.

It was a smooth opening. Two new schools opened in Holly Springs, and several schools opened in swing spaces for the year.

Wake's 743 buses transported more than 58,000 students to Wake's 127 schools today. As new families are fit into bus routes and families make decisions about children riding the bus, routes will begin to run more smoothly. It usually becomes routine after the first two weeks of school.

"Parents who want students to ride the bus can help us by putting their students on the bus the first day of school," Hatley said. "Waiting several days to begin bus service means the Transportation Department has to make additional adjustments to routes as new students are added."

CELEBRATION 2003
A week of celebration is planned to mark the hard work and success of Wake County Public School System students during the five years of Goal 2003.

Superintendent Bill McNeal announced the results of students' End-of-Grade testing at a press conference in June. He congratulated students on their success, thanked them for their hard work and called for the community to join in celebration the week of August 18-22 to congratulate Wake County's children and teachers.

"Every year for the last five years, we have seen the hard work of our students and teachers result in greater academic success that has been clearly measured through the state's End-of-Grade testing," said Superintendent McNeal. "We have created an environment of sustained, documented and focused academic success for all students. Goal 2003 achieved its purpose."

Businesses, community organizations, faith groups and educators have been asked to offer kind words to students and teachers, display pride in their schools and find creative ways to show children how excited the community is with their efforts. Flyers and posters about Celebration 2003 will be distributed in the community. Schools will hold their celebrations Friday, August 22.

TWO NEW SCHOOLS OPEN
Holly Ridge Elementary and Holly Ridge Middle opened this year. Principal Pam Peters opened Holly Ridge Elementary with kindergartners through fifth grade. The new school is located at 900 Holly Springs Road in Holly Springs. Principal William Crockett opened Holly Ridge Middle - located at 950 Holly Springs Road in Holly Springs - with sixth through eighth grade. Last year, the two schools served as swing space for two other schools that had campuses under renovation.

SCHOOLS RETURN TO RENOVATED CAMPUSES
The two schools - Apex Elementary and Fuquay-Varina Middle - returned to their renovated campuses this year. Dr Laurel Crissman is principal of Apex Elementary, which was originally built in 1935 and serves kindergarten through fifth grade students. Principal Tony Cates leads Fuquay-Varina Middle's sixth- through eighth-graders at the campus built in 1956.

Cary and Underwood elementary schools - originally built in 1935 and 1927 respectively - return to like-new campuses that underwent renovation. LaVaughn Buchanan is principal of Cary Elementary and Mary Ann Kearney is the principal of Underwood Elementary.

REEDY CREEK MIDDLE
East Cary Middle has moved to Reedy Creek Middle and become Reedy Creek Middle School. Matthew Wight remains principal of the school - located at 930 Reedy Creek Road in Cary - that serves sixth through eighth grade. The East Cary campus will be renovated and then reopened as a temporary ninth-grade center for two years before serving as a year-round middle school.

CHANGING TRAFFIC PATTERNS
Wake Forest Elementary remains in swing space this school year while its renovation project continues. The school moved in December 2002 to Jones Dairy Elementary, and will return to its original site for the 2004-05 school year.

Kingswood Elementary and Apex Middle opened in swing space this year while renovations are underway. Kingswood Principal Sue Sisson, her students and staff are at the new Cedar Fork facility at 1050 Town Hall Drive in Morrisville. Apex Middle, led by new principal Richard Conley, are at the new Salem Middle facility at 6150 Old Jenks Road in Apex.

Swing space has important benefits. Instruction is not disrupted by construction. Renovations can be completed faster and less expensively where builders don't have to work around classes being held.

SOUTH CENTRAL AREA CREATED
The continuing growth of the school population has led the Wake County Public School System to reorganize into six geographic areas.

The reorganization was recommended last year by the Citizen's Advisory Committee, which indicated area assistant superintendents were being asked to work with too many schools. Under the new assignments, area assistant superintendents will work with no more than 23 schools. When there were five areas, they may have worked with as many as 26.

The new south central area has been added to eastern, northern, western, southern and central areas. Bugg, Fuller, Poe and Washington elementary schools, Carnage Middle and Southeast Raleigh High move to the new south central from the eastern area. Apex, Baucom and Olive Chapel elementary schools, Apex Middle and Apex High move to the new south central from the western area. Oak Grove, Penny Road, Swift Creek and Yates Mill elementary schools and Lufkin Road Middle move to the new south central area from the southern area. Combs and Dillard Drive elementary schools, Centennial, Dillard Drive and Mt Vernon Redirection middle schools and Athens Drive High move to the new south central area from the central area.

APPOINTMENTS
Two new area assistant superintendents have been named. Donna Hargens who has served as principal of Green Hope High School has been named area assistant superintendent for Western Wake County Schools. She fills the opening left by Luther Cherry's appointment as associate superintendent for operations. Cherry will organize the new south central area until October 1 when he moves to the associate superintendent's job. Julye Mizelle who has served as principal of West Lake Elementary School has been named area assistant superintendent for South Central Wake County Schools.

BUS DRIVERS HAVE PREPARED
School bus drivers started driving the 2003-2004 routes that Wake County Public School system buses will travel to pick up students weeks before school started Aug. 11.

The Wake County Public School System's transportation department consists of 793 drivers, 51 mechanics, 19 managers, 37 operations team leaders and 10 administrative staff members who all work together to provide students with safe, efficient and reliable transportation service that contributes to their overall academic success.

Transportation director Vern Hatley said the transportation team was ready for the first day of school. Hatley said he's looking for another 20 bus drivers. He said processing and training takes about two weeks, and they conduct one training class a month for new drivers.

SCHOOL CONSTRUCTION BOND GOES TO VOTERS
Wake County Commissioners have agreed to ask Wake County voters to approve a $450 million school construction bond on the Oct. 7 ballot. Continuing dramatic growth in Wake County has added 3,000 students to WCPSS enrollment annually for the past 10 years. The Wake County Planning Department projects nearly 124,000 students by 2008-2009.

School officials have set goals and assumptions such as: reduce crowding, strike a balance between investment in new and existing school projects and ensure that everyone has a top-quality learning environment. The officials have been studying data including enrollment and demographic projections, consultants' and staff's evaluations of existing building conditions and input from principals and advisory committees. They have prioritized needs by health and safety, life cycle repairs, capacity gains and program needs. The school system and county staff have jointly reviewed assumptions, projects, priorities and funding projections.

The $550 million construction program is to be funded with a $450 million school construction bond with the balance coming from savings from construction programs, state school construction funds, interest earnings and other local funds.

At its Aug. 5 meeting, the Board of Education approved PLAN 2004, which includes 13 new schools, a pre-kindergarten center, 16 comprehensive renovation projects and reproofing and repair projects at 61 campuses.

CARY HIGH FOOTBALL STADIUM FIELD HOUSE NAMED
At its Aug. 5 meeting, the Board of Education approved naming the field house at Cary High football stadium "The Andy G. Greene Field House in honor and memory of Andrew George Greene who passed away Oct. 29, 2002. Andy was a 1978 graduate of Cary High. As a student, he was a manager for the football, basketball and track and field teams. After graduation, he returned to Cary High where he continued to perform the same duties and was given even more responsibilities during the 26 years he was associated with Cary High athletics. The field house was built and occupied in 1975, the year he first came to Cary High as a 10th-grader.

BOARD NAMES DESIGNERS FOR PROJECTS
At its Aug. 5 meeting, the Board of Education named designers for construction/renovation projects. The board selected:

BOARD APPROVES CONSTRUCTION DOCUMENTS AND SCHEMATIC DESIGNS
At its Aug. 5 meeting, the Board of Education approved the construction documents for two projects and schematic designs for a third project.

IMPACT OF STATE FUNDING REDUCTIONS
At its Aug. 5 meeting, Deputy Superintendent Del Burns talked with the Board of Education about state funding reductions. To balance the 2003-2004 state budget, reductions were made in K-12 allotments to school districts. Through proactive planning and expenditure reductions in prior years, WCPSS allotment formulas have been protected to the extent possible, minimizing the impact of the reduction in state funding on schools and personnel. He said the greatest risk for negative impact to budgets is in the potential enrollment growth above the projection from DPI, which is the basis for allotting state funds.

Dr. Burns told the board the result of the state reduction in funding included:

WAKE IB DIRECTOR ATTENDS INTERNATIONAL IB MEETING
Dr. Flo Durway, WCPSS director of International Baccalaureate (IB) programs, has been asked to represent U.S. IB schools at a meeting on the International Baccalaureate educational continuum that will be held at Cardiff in Wales. Dr. Durway will take part in a panel discussion with other school system IB leaders from around the world about offering IB programs in elementary, middle and high schools. Wake County is one of the few school systems in the nation that has been authorized to offer the IB primary, middle and diploma programmes. Durway's participation in the meeting is funded through the IB organization.

WATCH WCPSS MONTHLY NEWS MAGAZINE ON COMMUNITY TV
School Connection TV is Wake County Public School System's monthly television program that connects you to news, features and information about education in Wake County.

The 30-minute news magazine program focuses on WCPSS news, programs, employees, students, services and issues. Each month, the show takes a look at interesting programs or activities in our schools, features employees who make a difference in the lives of our students, offers insight into an educational issue, and provides answers to parents' questions. The program concludes with an artistic performance by a different student group each month.
The School Connection will air on Time Warner Cable channels 10 and 11 in Raleigh and on channel 11 in Cary. You can view the show online at http://www.wcpss.net/schooltv

BELLSOUTH FOUNDATION AWARDS $70,000 TO PROJECT LIGHTHOUSE
Wake Education Partnership, in collaboration with the Wake County Public School System, will receive $70,000 from the BellSouth Foundation to stimulate the integration of technology into public school classrooms and measure the impact on student achievement. The grant will expand the Partnership's Project Lighthouse, an intensive program that focuses on increasing teachers' and principals' skills in using technology to enhance student success.

INSTITUTE PREPARES CITIZENS FOR LEADERSHIP ROLES
This fall, the Partnership will host the third biennial Institute for Wake County School Leaders, in collaboration with Boney Architects, Investors Management Corporation, the Public School Forum of North Carolina, the North Carolina School Boards Association, Wake NCAE, the Wake County PTA Council and the Cary, Garner and Greater Raleigh Chambers of Commerce. The Institute will be held on four dates: September 6, 10, 17 and 24. The goal of the Institute is to prepare citizens for leadership roles in public education at a variety of levels - from school to school system - by focusing on trends in educational leadership, policies that affect public education, and facts about public education in North Carolina and Wake County. Applications are available online at http://www.wakeedpartnership.org/Events/Institute.html.

POE HEALTH CENTER PLANS READY, SET, POE
This year s Ready, Set . . . Poe! event will take place on Sunday, August 24, at the Shops of Cameron Village from 5:00 to 8:00 pm. WakeMed and the YMCA are sponsoring a family festival featuring live music from the Second String Band, a climbing wall, a moon bounce, health and safety activities, face painting, and much more. There will be a Twilight Trot for Tots, a One-Mile Family Fun Run and a 5K certified race. This year is going to be the best ever with lots of new sponsors and enhanced marketing efforts. Check out our website for more details www.poehealth.org and click on "news". We are expecting significant increases in participants so we REALLY NEED VOLUNTEERS to help during the event. We have two-hour shifts available from 3:00 p.m. until 9:00 p.m. Please call Ellen Grosman at 231-4006 if you can help us on the 24th. You can help set up, give out food and beverages, staff the race water stations, clean up or help with lots of other tasks. And remember...this is a great way for students to earn community service credits and have fun too!

SCIENCE FESTIVAL PLANNED AT NORTH CAROLINA STATE UNIVERSITY
The Sally Ride Science Festival will be held at North Carolina State University on Sept. 6. The festival is for girls in grades 5-8, their families and educators. The festival seeks to empower girls to become future engineers and scientists. The festival draws girls, parents, teachers and business and community supporters. Each festival features a keynote speech by Sally Ride, a street fair with exhibit booths from NASA and local science centers, organizations like Girls Inc. and SWE, and corporate sponsors like The Weather Channel, and Discovery workshops led by successful female professionals ranging from aerospace engineers to veterinarians. The goal is to create an entertaining event that girls can come to with their friends, have a good time, and be exposed to a variety of fascinating topics and engaging role models. Pre-registration for the event is $18 (on-site $20). The festival web site is at http://www.SallyRideFestivals.com.

INSIDE THE NEWS

WCPSS has 2003-2004 back to school information

The Department of Public Instruction has the new 2003-2004 Approved Social Studies Curriculum

The Beacon of LEARN NC reports on education

Time Warner News 14 reports School News

CNN reports on education

The National School Board Association reports the School Board News

CALENDAR

August 15

8 a.m. Board of Education retreat at the NC School Board Association offices, Falls of the Neuse Road.

August 17

Celebration 2003 begins congratulating WCPSS students and teachers for their efforts during Goal 2003

August 19

2 p.m. Committee of the Whole; 4 p.m. Board of Education meeting

August 20

Principals meeting

August 27

4 p.m. Reception for teachers who have earned National Board Certification at Webster Center.

August 28

5 p.m. Healthy Schools Task Force meeting at the Webster Center

You can find more information on school events at http://www.wcpss.net/Calendars

School Connection is published electronically every other week for everyone interested in the Wake County Public Schools. Is what you read in this edition helpful? What information would you like to see in future editions? Contact me by calling 850-1829 or e-mailing bposton@wcpss.net.

Bill Poston
Wake County Public School System
Communications Department
3600 Wake Forest Road
Raleigh, North Carolina 27611
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