August 2011

We have some big ideas to discuss, so this should be pretty interesting. In addition to election plans, the standing agenda is:

• Upcoming blog and calendar post ideas and assignments
• Policy issues and technical tip for manmaging the site
• Debrief the past month on the site
• Next editors meeting date and and time

We will probably be at Southern Rail in downtown Carrboro, but check back as this could change. The meeting is open to the public as always!

News ReleaseSeptember 13, 2011

For Immediate ReleaseContact: Emily Martine (919) 933-5222Margaret Samuels (919) 699-4400Lalanii Sangode (919) 636-7557 School
Board Candidates Forum Set for September 28Chapel Hill, NC -- Candidates for the Chapel Hill-Carrboro Board of
Education will respond to questions from the public at a forum to be held on
Wednesday, September 28th from 7 to 9 p.m. in the Council Chamber of Chapel
Hill Town Hall.The forum is sponsored by the district PTA Council, the Chapel Hill-Carrboro
chapter of the NAACP Education Committee and the Chapel Hill-Carrboro chapter
of Partners for the Advancement of Gifted Education (PAGE).School board candidates who have accepted the invitation to participate
in the forum are James Barrett, Jamezetta Bedford, Mia Burroughs, Kris
Castellano, Mike Kelley and Annetta Streeter.Commenting on the first-time partnership of the three sponsoring
organizations, PTA Council President Margaret Samuels said, “It’s very exciting
that these organizations that work on behalf of families are collaborating. The
questions will be truly encompassing. I hope representatives of all the PTAs
will attend.”The school district traditionally has been supportive of educational
excellence, she said, but the PTA Council is concerned about the prospect of
additional budget cuts, and the effect of those cuts on funds that the District
has set aside for a rainy day. She said the public will also be interested in
the proposed quarter-cent sales tax and its impact on the school budget.The Council continues to be concerned with closing the achievement gap
between white students and minority students, this and decreasing the
suspension and expulsion rates has been the focus of the NAACP .“We’re concerned with equity and accountability, and seeing that there
is follow-through on the data that is collected and how to gain a quality
education for all students,” said Lalanii Sangode, a member of the NAACP
Education Committee. “We want to know why we continue to lag in reading and
math, why that varies from one school to another.”Emily Martine, chair of PAGE, said that she believes all three
sponsoring organizations want schooling that will enable children to meet the
demands of working and thriving in the twenty-first century. “Our community should aim for excellence, and that includes making sure
that all children are appropriately challenged and stimulated to reach their
true potential,” she said.  “We hear district administrators beginning to talk about a challenging
and engaging educational experience that provides growth for every child,” she
said, “but the primary measure of success -- which puts
tremendous pressure on our teachers and many students -- continues to be the
percentage of students who score at proficiency level on end-of-grade tests. We look forward to hearing the candidates’ views on measurements that go
beyond proficiency and beyond EOGs, and to their ideas on how best to prepare
all students to think critically and creatively.”Ms. Sangode said there is value in parents actually being present with
the people who represent them on the school board, and that parents need to
know directly about such matters as how disciplinary policies affect them, how
standardized tests are used, how parents can advocate for their children &
be supported in Individual Education Plans for their children, and what
resources are available to them.Navigating the system was a concern expressed by both Ms. Sangode and
Emily Martine.“The gifted plan is long, complex and not fully understood by the
majority of parents in our district,” Ms. Martine said. “The school system
currently is not recognizing the gifts of a lot of bright kids who may not have
had the preparation or opportunities other kids have had, or who are not native
English speakers, or are twice-exceptional learners, or who don’t raise their
hands and speak up in class.““In part our goal is to ensure that all students receive an equitable
education that gives them the tools to attend college. We know that there are
African American students with wonderful gifts, and we know that there is
little funding for gifted and the nurturing portion of gifted education,” Ms.
Sangode said.“It’s all relevant,” she said. “If something is affecting one segment of
the community, it’s affecting all of us, they are all our children.”Members of the public may submit questions for the candidates online through
the end of September 21st. The form for
submitting questions is at www.ChapelHillPAGE.org.For more
information visit Chapel Hill-Carrboro NAACP: www.chapelhill-carrboro-naacp.org/ CHCCS PTA Council: www.chccs.k12.nc.us, click on “Family
Resources” then “PTA.” Chapel Hill PAGE: www.ChapelHillPAGE.orgThe Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools PTA council and Chapel Hill PAGE
are also on Facebook.

Support Project Connect 2011 and Help End Homelessness in Orange County!
 

  The
5th annual Project Connect will be held on Thursday, October 13, 2011
from 9:00 AM to 3:30 PM at Hargraves Community Center in Chapel Hill in
Orange County. Project Connect is a one-day, one-stop center to provide people experiencing-or at risk of experiencing-homelessness with a broad range of services
including housing, employment, health and dental care, mental health
care, veterans' and social service benefits, legal services, and more.Formerly
called Project Homeless Connect, event coordinators changed the name
this year to reach out to more community members in need of services in
an effort to prevent homelessness. Organizers expect an increase
in guests this year as a reflection of the increase in need seen in our
community. Expected this year are 250 guests with over 50 social
service agencies and 300 volunteers participating. Since 2007 the event
has served over 700 people in Orange County. The event is a key strategy
of Orange County's Ten-Year Plan to End Chronic Homelessness.

   PROJECT CONNECT


Thurs, October 13, 2011

9:00 AM to 3:30 PM
Hargraves Community Center, Chapel Hill 

 
 Visit our website for complete details:
www.phc-orange.org 
 
 
 

Sign Up to Volunteer Today! 

Volunteer positions are available for all schedules, abilities, and
interests. You can volunteer on the day of the event (the shifts are 2
to 2 ½ hours) or the evening before for set-up (volunteers will be
needed from 7-9pm on Wednesday, October 12th).  Spanish speakers are especially needed! 
For questions contact Megan Wooley at wooley@townofchapelhill.org or Amy Crump at 919-491-7361.

• Volunteer Descriptions

• Sign up to volunteer online TODAY!  

Donate to Project Connect!
Project Connect is possible because of the generosity of the entire community.  Monetary donations
are graciously accepted and will go towards event costs such as
equipment rentals and supplies. All donations are tax deductible. In
2011, donations will also help launch a very unique and meaningful new
program to help homeless individuals in our community connect with
employers. Funds will go towards JOB PARTNERS through the Orange County Partnership to End Homelessness, to help with assessment tests, background checks, and career portfolios. 


Other Ways to Support Project Connect:

• Forward this email to friends, family and coworkers. Encourage them to get involved and volunteer with you! 

• Post a link to our website (www.phc-orange.org) on your Facebook page, Twitter, or blog. Share the message that together we can end homelessness in our community!

• Include information about Project Connect on your neighborhood, church, or office listserv.

• Download a Project Connect flyer for both guests and volunteers. Post it on a community bulletin board, at your work, church, or school. CLICK HERE for flyers.

• Invite a Project Coordinator to come and talk to your church, office, or business about how to get involved. Contact event coordinator Jamie Rohe, Orange County Homeless Program Coordinator, at 919-245-2496 or jrohe@co.orange.nc.us.   

News release from the Town:

A public input meeting on the expansion of the Eubanks Road Park and Ride lot will be held from 6 to 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, Aug. 31, in the Great Hall of the Seymour Senior Center, 2551 Homestead Road.

Park and Ride is an important component of Chapel Hill's transportation system. To allow adequate time for the planning, design and construction of an expanded park and ride lot in the north end of Martin Luther King Boulevard, the six-month process will begin with a feasibility study.

Chapel Hill Transit (CHT) desires adequate park-and-ride capacity developed in an environmentally-friendly, financially-efficient manner that supports transit-compatible redevelopment of adjacent properties. The objectives of the study are to:

• Confirm the level of demand for park-and-ride spaces in the Eubanks Road facility for both CHT passengers and other users; 
• Review the site suitability and configuration options presented in the Eubanks Road Concept Plan in relation to an expanded park-and-ride facility and formulate alternatives for park & ride expansion in the planning area; 
• Develop an effective access plan including determination of impacts and service requirements so that transit service, walking and biking access, and traffic needs are addressed; 
• Understand financial strategies and implications of park-and-ride development; 
• Define a variety of potential alternatives, test the alternatives, complete NEPA requirements and select a preferred alternative for environmental permitting, funding, construction and operation; 
• Define and manage an inclusive public and agency process to develop consensus around the Eubanks Road Concept Plan, facility options and study outcomes.

To be included in future notifications, send an email to transitplanning@townofchapelhill.org with "Eubanks Notifications" in the subject line.

For more information, visit www.chtransit.org and click on "Projects."

CHT wants to hear from you! If you are unable to attend the meeting, there are several ways to share your thoughts and suggestions:

1. Call CHT at 919-969-4900, press 1
2. Email us at transitplanning@townofchapelhill.org
3. Fax to 919-968-2840 (Attn: Transit Service Planner)
4. Mail to CHT, Attn: Transit Service Planner, 6900 Millhouse Road, Chapel Hill, NC 27516

From the Town of Carrboro:

50th Anniversary Commemoration of Vickers v Chapel Hill-Carrboro Schools

This landmark civil rights case was rendered from the United States Federal Court in August of 1961. The case changed the course of school integration in the Chapel Hill-Carrboro District and served as a model for antidiscrimination in schools within North Carolina and across the Southeastern United States.

The program will salute the courage exhibited by Carrboro native Stanley Vickers, his parents, and a multi-racial community support system that took a bold stand for equity and justice a half-century ago.

Monday, August 29, 2011
5:30 PM until 7:00 PM
Second Floor - Century Hall
The Century Center
100 North Greensboro St.
Carrboro, North Carolina

The program is free and the public is cordially invited to attend this celebration of history and courage