Spring is always such a special time. There are visible signs of things coming to fruition - signs that previous work is yielding positive results. Much of what's happened at Carolina Community Academy since our last update is reminiscent of the season in bloom. Just over a year ago, Person County Schools entered into a partnership with the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill - a partnership then of potential, a partnership now of outcomes. In August 2022, CCA staff planted the seeds of hope, communication, and trust with the families we serve. Throughout the last quarter, our families are engaging with us on nearly every opportunity supporting their students' success. Campus collaborations that began just last fall are blossoming into joint ventures benefiting CCA, UNC students and faculty, and the greater Roxboro community. Spring has a special way of reminding us to appreciate the work that has led to where we are and to set the stage for the deeper, steadier things to come. Thanks for being part of our work and for nurturing the many ways in which we're growing and sustaining our community.
Most sincerely,
Amy Richardson, Director of Carolina Community Academy & PK-12 Partnerships
Facilities and Operations
Person County Schools continues to be an excellent collaborator. Due to the nature of our partnership, facilities and operations are the primary responsibility of Person County Schools. However, below are updates regarding the UNC School of Education's commitment to upgrade the portion of the building we call the CCA Suite.
- CCA Suite updates are in progress. UNC School of Education faculty and staff recently met with campus interior designers to get the finishes and materials selected for the CCA Suite update. The three main areas are described below:
- 1: The Community Commons - We're calling the main area of the CCA Suite the Community Commons because it will function as a catch-all. From informal/impromptu meetings with students and families to more townhall-type events, the entry room will be inviting, flexible, and supportive of a variety of attendees and their comfort.
- 2: The Professional Development Room - This area will host up to 40 participants and can be used by CCA staff, North Elementary staff, Person County Schools staff, UNC practicum placements, and UNC faculty. High-flex capabilities will also bridge attendees in the suite with those on campus and around the community.
- 3: The Carolina Commons - This area has been designed to mirror flexible work environments that allow practicum placements and campus collaborators to feel confident and connected. Comprising three different neighborhoods, an ideation zone, and high-tech "phonebooths" that are soundproof and privacy-rated, this space will serve as a heel print in Roxboro for the collaborative commitment made by UNC.
Carolina Community Academy is now working to implement the RAVE panic button. As a school within a school, the RAVE panic button will not replace our school safety plan nor collaboration with North Elementary staff. Instead, it will ensure that our school staff are able to communicate quickly with appropriate personnel in the event of an emergency. Implementation and training are underway.
Curriculum & Instruction
While Carolina Community Academy takes a whole-child approach by investing in robust wrap-around services for its students, we still follow the North Carolina Standard Course of Study and provide students with high-quality instruction. As such, our teachers are supported with understanding their expectations, how best to facilitate student learning, and best measurement techniques to assess student understanding.
- Carolina Community Academy students and teachers are working diligently each day. The image to the right is our most recent math data that demonstrates our students' ability to meet kindergarten grade-level standards. You'll notice that 81% of our students are at or above grade level, while only 19% are only one grade level below. Mr. Watson has been leading our teachers through best practices for small-group instruction based on demonstrated needs, and as a result, our students are responding.
- Carolina Community Academy recently chatted with two UNC School of Education faculty members about the implementation of LETRS in the 2023-24 academic year. Carolina Community Academy and the UNC School of Education are excited about the possibilities of embedding field experiences within the kindergarten and first grade classrooms along with sustained professional development on impactful literacy practices.
LETRS is a professional learning course of study based in the science of reading and highly focused on elementary application.
School Business
Carolina Community Academy is learning the ropes of Lab School business from both the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction and other lab schools. Both the finance and human resources support from UNC-Chapel Hill have been top-notch.
- The standard entitlement grants available to schools, including Carolina Community Academy, have just recently been released to new schools for this fiscal year. So, what does that mean? For the IDEA and Federal Consolidated grants, CCA plans to move the funds into one or two purpose codes and simply allow them to roll over into the next fiscal year since the allocated funds will arrive with only one month left in the academic year.
- Carolina Community Academy applied for and received one of the state's competitive grants for school safety. As every school is taking steps to ensure that students and staff work in a safe and nurturing environment, CCA was awarded funds to purchase and install a visitor management system which will allow us to accomplish everything from scanning the sex offender registry to withhold entry from the school to simple visitor management when we have large events on campus.
Campus Collaborations
On Thursday, March 30, nearly 30 faculty and staff from across UNC Chapel Hill's campus came together to formally establish the Carolina Community Academy Campus Coalition.
Why: Honor and deepen the campus commitment to both Carolina Community Academy and Roxboro/Person County.
How: Align resources (human, time, financial) to support community assets along with community requests while meeting rigorous expectations for UNC faculty, staff, and students.
What: An interdisciplinary and cross-campus alliance for combined action on behalf of and with Carolina Community Academy and Roxboro/Person County.
Spring Campus Field Trips and Carolina Interactions
- February 2023: UNC School of Education HDFS majors host CCA students for a heart-healthy field trip.
- February 2023: Read Across America Week saw the School of Education's Martinette Horner, Diana Lys, and Hariette Able reading to CCA students. Students also got to enjoy stories from our Carolina Student-Athletes in Track & Field and Football!
- March 2023: The Ackland hosted CCA for a second visit where shouts of "Hey! I know this place!" could be heard as they approached the building. The UNC Softball team intended to be buddies, but the weather forced an earlier game. Thanks to our staff and families, we made a quick pivot and were able to cheer on the team for an inning before heading home to Roxboro.
Exciting News! Carolina Community Academy was invited to submit a proposal to the Gillings School of Global Public Health for their student capstone projects. Our proposal was selected, and in early April, we'll find out which students will be working with us to advance our community support projects over the next academic year.
Campus Partners Committed to CCA
- Ackland Art Museum
- Adams School of Dentistry
- Carolina Athletics
- Gillings School of Global Public Health
- Morehead Planetarium & Science Center
- NC Botanical Garden
- School of Education
- School of Information and Library Science
- School of Medicine - Allied Health Sciences
- School of Medicine - Pediatrics
- School of Nursing
- School of Social Work
22-23 & 23-24 Advisory Board Updates
Carolina Community Academy has added Policy 4100 to mirror Person County Schools' policy for early kindergarten entry. Additionally, CCA was able to implement an accompanying procedure that eliminates potential access barriers. By capitalizing on our UNC School of Education school psychologists who can administer the required assessments free of charge to qualifying students, CCA students asking for early-entrance evaluations now have one less barrier to overcome.
Advisory Board Reminders
The legislation that established Lab Schools requires that the advisory board meet, at least, quarterly. That being said, we want you to be up to date more than once each season. Below is the commitment we're asking each board member to make for the remainder of this year and next.
- Advisory Board Hybrid Meetings will be held from 1:00 - 3:00 on the first Tuesday of August, November, February, and May.
- Advisory Board Updates will be provided on the last Friday of September, December, March, and June.
- Advisory Board Member Visits are always available. We'd love to host you whenever you'd like to join us!
Next Advisory Board Meeting
- Tuesday, May 2, 2023
- 1:00pm
- Hybrid Available - Zoom invite on your calendar holds
- Room Reserved at CCA for members who can attend in person
- Reminder: This is Teacher Appreciation Week
Credits:
Created with images by BillionPhotos.com - "Book." • Plutmaverick - "Books on the table against the background of a chalkboard on which are drawn graphs and charts of growth and decline. Business training school." • faithie - "management board meeting room with whiteboard"