RMMS TAKES HOME 1ST QUIZ BOWL SEMI-FINAL WIN!

Approximately 100 NRMPS middle school students filled the Booker T Theatre on December 10 to compete in the district's Semi-Final Quiz Bowl competition. After 15 rounds and more than 500 questions, the results were tabulated. Congratulations to Rocky Mount Middle School who finished with 5 wins and 410 points! RMMS is coached by Angel Pope. Following right behind RMMS with 4 wins and a total of 400 points was Nash Central Middle, coached by Stephen Tobie. Three wins and 315 points was earned by third place Red Oak Middle coached by John Pietryk and Crystal Waters. Congratulations to all of the students and their coaches who competed in the event! We look forward to the final competition in March!

Contributed by Laura Parrot

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COMMUNITIES IN SCHOOLS HOST ALLIED HEALTH MINI-RETREAT

Seventh graders from around our district attended the Communities in School Allied Health Mini-Retreat in early December. The day-long event allowed students to gain hands-on experience and learn about opportunities available in the healthcare field.

Students learned to take a pulse, give CPR and even gained insight on the difficulties senior citizens face. Particularly insightful for some was the use of a black light for revealing germs on hands. The goal of the mini-retreat is to introduce students to some of the choices they will have available in high school and to get them thinking about what they may want to choose, or not choose, as a career.

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NRMPS SEEKS COMMUNITY FEEDBACK VIA CAPITAL IMPROVEMENT PLAN SURVEY

December 11 marked the launch of the latest outreach by Nash-Rocky Mount Public Schools to the local community through the district’s Capital Improvement Plan survey. This brief survey seeks parent and community views on how NRMPS can maintain safe 21st century learning environments for all students. 
Administered by technology and communications firm K12 Insight, the Capital Improvement Plan survey is one of many collaborative efforts to assess school facilities. Nash-Rocky Mount Public Schools recently completed a long-range facilities needs assessment to outline the major needs of each school facility across the district. In addition to the needs assessment, the school district hosted a preliminary group of parent meetings, toured sites and shared information with county commissioners about improvement opportunities. Engaging the broader community in the Nash-Rocky Mount region will help determine next steps.
“Our needs assessment identified several facility and mechanical needs, which we examined closely as we developed this 10-year Capital Improvement Plan,” said Dr. Anthony Jackson, NRMPS Superintendent. “The CIP lists each potential improvement project, and establishes an order of priorities, based on the level of need. Just as with student reassignment, community input will be essential as our school board seeks to make informed decisions.”
Parents and residents with email addresses on file will receive invitations to participate in the survey. It will also be accessible via the Your Voice Counts link on the district website homepage (http://www.nrms.k12.nc.us). All responses are anonymous and confidential. Paper copies are also available upon request. 
Following the survey closing on December 31, the district will engage the community by sharing results.
“A healthy infrastructure is the foundation for student success,” said Jackson. “By engaging in ongoing, two-way dialogue, we can begin to examine how significant improvements will help prepare NRMPS and all our students for a bright and prosperous future.”
For more information on the NRMPS Capital Improvement Survey, parents and community members are encouraged to visit the Nash-Rocky Mount Public Schools Your Voice Counts page at  www.nrms.k12.nc.us/your-voice, and take the survey.

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NCHS MAKE A DIFFERENCE FOR CHRISTMAS

The Make A Difference Organization from Nash Central High School collected over a hundred and fifty toys to help those in need across the Nash-Rocky Mount school district. Under the guidance of Mr. Archer, students from the organization solicited gifts from staff, other students, parents and the Oak level Café. Fifty students throughout the district were able to be assisted for Christmas. The students spent hours wrapping gifts and filling orders for those families in need.
Mr. Archer explained, “This was a tremendous assignment given to a group of students and they did an outstanding job of making sure it was successful."
Several students from NRMPS elementary, middle and high schools reaped the rewards from the toy drive.

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READ TO ACHIEVE PARENT MEETINGS - THIRD GRADE PARENTS ENCOURAGED TO ATTEND

Following the Thanksgiving holiday, Nash-Rocky Mount Public Schools will host a series of four parent meetings for parents of third grade students regarding the potential impact of the Read to Achieve legislation on student promotion and retention.
The meetings are scheduled for December 2 at Nashville Elementary, December 3 at Bailey Elementary, December 10 at Benvenue Elementary and December 12 at OR Pope Elementary. Parents of students in kindergarten, first and second grades are also invited to attend the meetings.
“Read to Achieve is part of the Excellent Public Schools Act, which became law in 2012 and took effect this school year,” said Melissa-Dancy Smith, Executive Director of Elementary Instruction. “We want all parents to be informed of how this impacts promotion and retention for third grade students.”
The goal of the legislation is to ensure that every student reads at or above grade level by the end of third grade. If a student is not performing on grade level, he or she can enroll in a Summer Reading Academy that will be offered by the school district. Parents have the option to decline enrolling the student in the Summer Academy, but students who do not attend will be retained in a third grade classroom next school year.
Each of the parent meetings will be hosted in a town hall format. A moderator will pose questions to a group of panelists including school administrators, instructional coaches, directors and other staff. Parents will also have the opportunity to ask additional questions, as needed.
For more information on Read to Achieve, parents are encouraged to visit the Nash-Rocky Mount Public Schools website, www.nrms.k12.nc.us, and click ‘Read to Achieve’ on the district homepage.

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SPRING HOPE ELEMENTARY STUDENTS SEND CHRISTMAS IN SHOE BOXES

Most people have heard the saying, "It is better to give, than to receive," and fifth grade students in the Spring Hope Elementary Spirit Club recently put these words into action.  The students packed four shoe boxes that will be sent to children in other countries as part of Operation Christmas Child, a division of the Billy Graham Evangelism Association.

Students packed the shoe boxes  with everything from crayons, coloring books and small toys to soap, washcloths and toothbrushes. Wrapped in purple, yellow, green and red, the boxes were coded with a tracking number that will allow the students to track their gifts to the countries where they are distributed. Knowing they were helping those less fortunate than they, brought smiles to the faces of the fifth graders at Spring Hope Elementary.

Submitted by Kimberly House

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BOARD MEMBERS EARN HONORS AT NCSBA CONFERENCE

Nash-Rocky Mount Public Schools received numerous honors during the North Carolina School Board Associations annual conference held at the Joseph S. Koury Convention Center in Greensboro November 18-20.

The Nash-Rocky Mount Public Schools Honors Band & Dance Ensemble performed during one of the conference’s general sessions. Students from Nash Central High, Northern Nash High, Rocky Mount High and Southern Nash High participated in the performance. The students performed three works in a medley of music from Africa, Ireland, and Latin America.
Members of the Nash-Rocky Mount Board of Education were recognized November 19 during the conference’s annual awards ceremony.

Evelyn Bulluck, Board Chair was named to the All-State School Board. Those recognized received nomination from their school board as a candidate for the Raleigh Dingman or School Board Member Leadership Award. Bulluck will serve on the association’s Board Development committee.
Other Board members receiving recognition included: Ann Edge and William Sharpe, for Certificates of Merit; Jon Hardy and Reginald Silver, each for Certificates of Achievement; Robert Jenkins for a Certificate of Advanced Achievement, and Evelyn Bulluck and Robert Bynum each for Diplomas of Honor. These individual level recognitions are given to Board members based on the number of hours of training completed during the 2012-13 academy year.
As a group, the Nash-Rocky Mount Board of Education was recognized for achieving Level II Master Board Training.
The NCSBA Master Board program emphasizes team building, conflict resolution, goal setting, communication, change management, ethics, problem-solving, decision-making and evaluation. The program, which represents a joint project of the NCSBA and the School of Government at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, responds to the desire of the school district’s leadership team to train as a unit and address the board issues that pertain to the individual school system.
School board members Evelyn Bulluck, Brenda Brown, Robert Bynum, Doneva Chavis-Battle, Anne Edge, William Sharpe, Franklin Lamm, Reginald Silver, and Jon Hardy, were on hand to accept the award, along with Dr. Anthony Jackson, Superintendent.
Dr. Jackson was also honored as one of eight finalists for the State Superintendent of the Year Title during the awards ceremony. Administrators from Nash-Rocky Mount Public Schools also gave two presentations at the conference, “Putting the Public Back in School Public Relations,” and “iConnect: Preparing Students to be Globally Competitive through 21st Century Tools.”

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