Education Briefs for week of Dec. 3

Posted

More students return under Plan B

PITTSBORO — The Chatham County Board of Education voted to provide the option for students in 3rd grade through 5th grade to participate in a mix of in-person instruction and remote instruction beginning Nov. 19. The vote also provided the same option for students in sixth grade through eighth grade beginning Dec. 7. That mix of instruction is the statewide option known as Plan B. Individual schools will communicate directly with the appropriate individuals to provide more information in the coming days.

Since October 19, Plan B has been an option for Chatham County Schools students in preschool through 2nd grade, as well as the district’s extended-content standards students.

Board members continue exploring the feasibility of phasing in additional students over time. Updates will be provided accordingly.

Students enrolled in the Chatham County Schools Virtual Academy will continue participating in total remote learning. Please direct questions about the Virtual Academy to Mitch Stensland at mstensland@chatham.k12.nc.us.

— Chatham County Schools

CCS COVID-19 at-home learning tools

Since August, Chatham County Schools has updated a website with tools and resources for at-home learning. The site included information related to remote learning at each of the district’s schools, technology resources for students and families, community resources and more.

“Chatham County School System believes that every student deserves access to rigorous, relevant and engaging learning opportunities,” the website’s homepage said. “While we cannot replace the value of the teacher-to-student interaction in the classroom, we are working to provide supplemental resources and activities that will help students remain engaged in learning while schools are closed.”

Since Oct. 19, some students have returned to in-person learning under Plan B, with more returning Nov. 19 and Dec. 7. Still, under the hybrid learning plan, at-home learning will continue to be a part of the district’s learning plan. You can access this resources page from the district’s website or at sites.google.com/chatham.k12.nc.us/ccs-ahl.

Chatham Reads and CEF Book Drive collecting donations through Dec. 16

Sixty-one percent of low-income families have no books at home for their children, reads a Chatham Education Foundation flyer.

That’s a statistic the organization is partnering with Chatham Reads to hopefully combat — collecting new and gently used books to distribute in Chatham. Collections are taking place now through Dec. 16.

To donate, you can drop off at Briar Chapel Clubhouse porch, 501 Pharmacy, Opus Financial or Peppercorn Coffee Shop in Siler City.

“Are you cleaning out your bookcases to make room for the Christmas joy that will be coming? Please consider donating your gently used or new books to our book drive,” CEF posted on its Facebook page. “The books will help fill libraries of Chatham County children. Thank you for your generosity!”

For more information, contact Sarah Linkhorn at sarah@cefmail.org or go to www.chathamreads.org.

CCS virtual science fair project applications due by Dec. 4

PITTSBORO — The look of the Chatham County Schools Science fair has changed but not its mission of having students developing questions about the world and answering them using scientific tools and methods.

This edition of the science fair is virtual. Students will share projects through Google Slides or PowerPoint presentations. They’ll use the Zoom platform to interact with judges.

There are no school-level science fairs this time around. Students from kindergarten through 12th grade may submit an application online for a project by Dec. 4. Each school has a science fair site coordinator, who will provide specifics and resources along the way.

Group projects of two or three students are allowed, but the district strongly discourages those in the interest of safety. Parents and guardians would make that decision and assume the responsibility of students adhering to safety guidelines.

More general information about the how the science fair works both in the district and across the state can be found at ncsef.org/index.php/students/students.

The science fair culminates with a virtual awards ceremony the district will broadcast live Jan. 26.

­— Chatham County Schools