Connection Newsletter - Winter 2012
....uniting families and schools for our students
In this issue:
Last spring Asheboro City Schools was awarded a 3-year $375,000 Golden Leaf grant to support STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics) education for students in grades 4 -9. The goal of the grant is to better prepare students to be college and/or career ready in areas that require strong STEM skills.
As part of the grant, teams of teachers have participated in intensive professional development focusing on scientific inquiry, experimentation, content, and technological design. Additionally, we are working to integrate major science concepts with mathematics and technology. Common laboratory investigations and lab reports have been developed and implemented in grades 4-9.
We are excited to see more rigorous classroom practices and look forward to their impact on our students’ ability to be successful in higher level STEM courses in high school, other expected outcomes resulting from this project includes increased student motivation, engagement and overall academic performance.
During the summer of 2011, 6th graders from both middle schools formed our Project STEM Stars cohort and participated in engaging summer enrichment. This cohort is currently meeting once a month for after school enrichment and will continue to work together through the summer of 2013.
Another important component of this grant is working with our community and industry partners. We are pleased to have support and participation from the following partners: Randolph Community College, Timken, Randolph Economic Development Corporation, Asheboro/Randolph Chamber of Commerce, North Carolina Zoo, Department of Public Instruction, North Carolina A&T University, High Point University, Randolph Hospital and the City of Asheboro.
Lindley Park School received the Piedmont Triad Education Consortium Signature School award in December 2011. Awarded annually by the consortium, each school system may select one school to honor based on significant changes in the areas of increased achievement or innovative programs and practices.
Lindley Park School has exemplified continuous improvement over the past three years. The school has been designated a School of Distinction and nominated by the state for National Title I Distinguished School recognition. Some highlights of the successes are reducing the Hispanic to White achievement gap in reading as well as reducing the Black to White achievement gap in both reading and math.
The school met all Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) targets again in 2010-2011. A culture of high expectations, intervention support for struggling learners, and after-school enrichment activities have contributed to Lindley Park students’ successes. Since 2002-2003 Lindley Park has met 169 of their 171 AYP targets, or met 98.8% of the goals established through No Child Left Behind.
Under the state ABCs model, Lindley Park School has achieved high growth consecutively over the past five years, and eight of the past ten years.
- Sharon Andrews – 4th Grade, Guy B. Teachey
- Sheila Brewer – Social Studies, Asheboro High School
- Billie Coleman – Reading, Charles W. McCrary School
- Pam Hyatt – 4th Grade, Balfour
- Shea Grosch – Career and Technical Education, Asheboro High School
An important parent meeting (flyer) has been scheduled for parents of current 8th grade students in preparation for their transition to high school. The meeting will be held February 13th at 6:30pm in the Professional Development Center located on the AHS campus. Parents will learn about the Blue Comet Academy, graduation requirements, the new common core curriculum, registration timeline and much more. Administrators and counselors will also be on hand to answer parent questions. Please mark your calendar and plan to attend on February 13th.
- Middle School District Science Fair, January 31, 12noon to 1:00pm, South Asheboro Middle School
- Board of Education Meeting, Feb. 9 at 7:30pm in the Professional Development Center
- FAN workshop for parents of 8th grade students, Feb. 13 at 6:30pm in the Professional Development Center
- District Spelling Bee, Feb. 21 at 7:00pm in the Professional Development Center
- All County Honor Band Concert, Feb. 24 at 7:30pm in the AHS Performing Arts Center
- FAN workshop for parents of 5th grade students, March 12 at 6:30pm in the Professional Development Center
- Report cards go home March 12
The new Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act (HHFKA) will require major changes to K-12 school meals for the first time in 30 years. The bill, signed into law by President Obama in December 2010, authorizes funding for federal school meal and child nutrition programs and is aimed at increasing access to healthy food for low-income children.
At Asheboro City Schools, we will continue to work to ensure that we execute the HHFKA or “reauthorization,” which it is commonly called, to help us achieve our vision of providing student well-being solutions that help children succeed via nutrition, achievement, environment, community and activity in their daily life.
We anticipate the announcement by the USDA sometime in late January of the changes that will impact the 2012-2013 school year. We currently have begun implementing some changes that we feel are a benefit to students. For example, we continue to offer all students a variety of fresh fruit and vegetable choices each day. In addition we have increased the amount of whole wheat and whole grain products in our daily menu. We now offer brown rice, whole wheat pasta items and whole grain pizzas; along with the 100% whole wheat bread products we have had for the past three years.
Another expectation is that water be made available during the National School Lunch Program Meal Service and we have met that requirement as of this school year at all of our schools.
We are working with our vendors to insure all whole grain items, as of next school year, are at least 50% whole grain and that our nutrition guidelines are in line with the final ruling from the USDA.
We are excited about these new changes and will work hard to communicate them to you as we go forward in 2012.
The performance for grades 3-5 will be held February 28 in the AHS Performing Arts Center at 9am, 10:30am, and 12:30pm. Students will enjoy an original Mexican musical about a fiesta in Mexico and the tradition of the piñata in their celebrations in the Magical Piñata.
Pre-K - 2nd graders will enjoy The Fisherman and his Wife on March 1 at 9am, 10:30am, and 12:30pm in the AHS Performing Arts Center. This is a story of a fisherman and his wife, Isabel, who live in a small hut by the sea. Every morning, the fisherman heads out to the sea to fish while Isabel tends the garden. One day, the fisherman catches a huge flounder in his net; but he quickly discovers it is no ordinary flounder...this flounder can talk!
April 26, 27 and 28 at 7:30pm and April 29 at 2:30pm in the AHS Performing Arts Center, the Park Street Players will present "The Secret Garden." This musical is based on the 1911 novel of the same name by Frances Hodgson Burnett. The musical's book and lyrics are by Marsha Norman, with music by Lucy Simon. It premiered on Broadway in 1991 and ran for 709 performances.
The story is set in the early years of the 20th century. Mary Lennox, a young English girl born and raised in the British Raj, is orphaned by a cholera outbreak when she is eleven years old. She is sent away from India to Yorkshire, England, to live with relatives whom she has never met. Her own personality blossoms as she and a young gardener bring new life to a neglected garden, as well as to her sickly cousin and uncle.