Chatham students head back to school on August 27

Posted Tuesday, August 7, 2007

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Chatham County, NC - Over 7,500 students and 1,200 employees in Chatham County Schools will usher in a new school year this August. There will be a required teacher workday on August 21. Staff development sessions are planned for the afternoon of August 21. August 22-24 are optional teacher workdays. Students will return to school on Monday, August 27.

The sixteen schools in the district will hold open houses during the week of August 20. Individual school open house dates have been set. That information is posted on the Chatham County Schools website at www.chatham.k12.nc.us and has been sent to area media outlets. Schools will have information related to classroom assignments, supply lists, etc.

Chatham County will hold a countywide, comprehensive crisis drill on Thursday, August 23. The training is a large-scale crisis drill designed to test the emergency plans of schools, the medical community, and Emergency Services, which includes fire, rescue, and law enforcement. The purpose is to help all the parties involved be better prepared in the event of an emergency that involves a school. The county held a similar drill in 2003. The drill will only involve certified staff.

All elementary, middle, and K-8 schools will begin the student day at 8:00 a.m. and end at 2:45 p.m. The daily schedule at the county high schools and SAGE Academy will be from 8:00 a.m. until 3:00 p.m.

School breakfast and lunch prices have not changed. Paid breakfast will cost .70. Reduced price breakfast will cost .30. Paid lunch for kindergarten through third grade will cost $1.25. Paid lunch for grades four through twelve will cost $1.50. The reduced price lunch for all grades will be .40. Weekly and monthly payment options are also given to families by school cafeterias.

Chatham County Schools will open a new elementary school in Siler City this fall. Virginia Cross Elementary School will serve students in kindergarten through fifth grades. District officials are planning pre-kindergarten programs for the new school and Siler City Elementary School later in the school year. The district is striving to open the school on or shortly after the first student day of August 27. If construction and/or road improvements force(s) a delay, Virginia Cross Elementary School kindergarten through second grades will be temporarily housed on the campus of Siler City Elementary School. Chatham Middle School would temporarily host grades three through five.

The school system introduced the AVID program, implemented with a group of sophomores at each of the three county high schools, in 2006. There will be AVID classes for groups of sophomores and juniors during the 2007-2008 school year. AVID, an acronym for Advancement via Individual Determination, targets middle-performing students and those who will be first generation college students who have the desire, academic potential, and determination to succeed in a rigorous high school curriculum; participate in extra-curricular activities; and apply to, enroll in, and graduate from a four-year college. AVID provides academic monitoring, study and organization skills, tutorials, motivational talks, SAT prep, and help with college planning, applications, visitations, and financial aid searches.

Chatham County Schools has hired three additional curriculum coaches this summer to support teachers and students in kindergarten through eighth grade classrooms. Siler City Elementary School already had a curriculum coach. The role of the curriculum coach will be to help in communicating and implementing districtwide curriculum initiatives. They will work on a daily basis in classrooms and with teachers and principals to strengthen the North Carolina Standard Course of Study that guides classroom instruction.

Over the summer classroom teachers helped the district formulate Essential Science Vocabulary Maps to assist teachers in helping students in grades five and eight prepare for the new state end-of grade science test. There is a separate manual for each grade level starting with kindergarten. The teachers identified the science terms that are essential for students to be successful in the area of science. They used the science kits, science textbooks, and N.C. Standard Course of Study in science as foundations. Classroom teachers also helped in creating writing guides for grades three through five. Eighth and ninth grade teachers collaborated to create the county's first algebra 1 mapping and alignment guide notebook that middle math teachers will use. The guide identifies the necessary skills for students to be able to successfully navigate the eighth grade math and algebra 1 curriculum. The county also now has a plan that outlines action steps that will be taken in order to support teachers with implementing diverse teaching strategies for all students.

For the second year all kindergarten through fifth grade teachers will have four sets of science kits for classroom use. The county has been committed to improving inquiry-based learning in science since 1999 and each year has increased the amount of training and materials for its classrooms. The Chatham County Board of Education is leasing the kits so teachers can concentrate on teaching rather than searching for resources. The kits contain the elements needed for hands-on learning in science lessons. Science kits are used in kindergarten through eighth grades across Chatham County Schools. Middle school teachers will continue to participate in training and have resources, like the kits and specialized modules, to use in their lessons. All of the kits and other materials are directly correlated to the North Carolina Standard Course of Study. Chatham County Schools is one of nine school districts across the state to be a member of Teachers and Scientists Collaborating/Center for Inquiry-Based Learning (TASC/CIBL). The program provides training, connections of scientists and teachers, and leasing of science resources. Subject integration is another component of the inquiry-based learning focus in Chatham County Schools. For instance, if a class is reading a book in language arts about butterflies, the county provides a collection of literacy books that integrate with the goals in science. Teachers and students are able to make connections with science, writing, and reading as a result.

SAGE Academy, the district alternative school in Siler City, will return to serving only high school students this school year after serving grades seven through twelve last year. Students come to the school via referral from their home schools.