Media

A Word To Our Readers

It's September, which means school is back in session and our local programs are in full swing! As the state headquarters of the Communities In Schools network in North Carolina, Communities In Schools of North Carolina (CISNC) is again pleased to share with you news from the state office, grant opportunities, news from our network and important dates and times for upcoming trainings and events.

If you are new to our Monthly Newsletter, we welcome you, as this is one of the best ways to stay connected with the work of the state office. We encourage you, too, to regularly visit our website for more information to keep students of all ages in school, ready to graduate and prepared for life. Feedback and newsletter submissions can be directed to Communications & Media Specialist Rebecca Clendenin. We welcome your input!

Stay Connected with CISNC

For those new to Communities In Schools of North Carolina, there are a number of ways you can stay connected to our work as well as to what's happening within the network at large:

Sign up for CISNet, a wealth of information and resources for the Communities In Schools network.

Check CISNC's website regularly for Events & Trainings, Press Releases and more.

Like CISNC on Facebook.

Follow CISNC on Twitter.

Check CISNC out on YouTube.

Read the CISNC Blog.

Help Us Tally "Build A Backpack"

Thank you so very much for your time and effort in making the inaugural "Build A Backpack" back-to-school supply drive a success. We are hearing great things from this campaign and would like to hear more. Please send pictures, news clippings and any other testimonials to us. Also, please help us by filling out the Build A Backpack Results Survey and returning it to Training & Events Coordinator April Clark by September 6. Thereafter, we will issue a template news release to our local partners to report out the tremendous success of this school supply drive. Thank you for all your hard work this summer to ensure that students are returning to school this fall with the resources they need to be successful in school!

"Overcoming Obstacles: CIS Success Stories" August Video

Meet mentor/mentee pair Rose Locklear and Sequoya Tucker, who stand out as enjoying a wonderful relationship beyond just the mentoring program run by CIS of Robeson County, which has its focus on serving middle school students and primarily at-risk Native American students. Rose and Sequoya do all sorts of things together: they play tennis, go bowling, go to church together. CIS of Robeson County's mentoring program kicks off with the new school year, though Rose and Sequoia have seen each other all summer long. Meanwhile, CIS of Robeson annually operates one of the most successful back-to-school supply drives anywhere in the state. It’s called “Stuff The Bus!” and this year, it was accompanied by the statewide back-to-school drive called “Build A Backpack,” involving every single Walmart store in North Carolina. Check out this month's "Overcoming Obstacles" video and also multimedia producer Justin Cook's blog post to learn more about Rose and Sequoya and the role of CIS of Robeson in the community of Lumberton/Pembroke, NC.

"Chefs Inspiring Success" Signature Event Postponed Til April 2012

Please note that the signature event we're calling "Chefs Inspiring Success" has been postponed until April 2012. Chefs Inspiring Success will be closely modeled after The Food Network’s "Iron Chef" Program. Eight to 10 head chefs from top restaurants in the Triangle area will be invited to come together to compete for the title of “2011 Chef Inspiring Success Champion,” in what will become an annual competition and fundraiser. CISNC has chosen this fun, informal fundraiser-competition to raise awareness of our mission and help our affiliates with programs such as BackPack Pals. For more information, including information about sponsorship opportunities, please contact Training & Events Coordinator April Clark.

Reminder: EOY Report Due September 2

The CIS End of Year Report is due on September 2, 2011. Please also remember to attach your site, staff and Board lists. Affiliates that have used CISDM in accordance with TQS can run their EOY Report from the database. A webinar has been recorded on to do this and can be viewed on CISNet, under "Resources: Completing the EOY Report Using CISDM." If you have any questions or need assistance, please contact Nevin Daryani.

9/11 Service Projects

If you are planning a service project to commemorate the 10th Anniversary of September 11th, please contact Shalini Patnaik. ServiceNation is collecting information on events and organizing publicity and special guests for projects around the country.

Linda Harrill Awarded 2001 TBJ Women in Business Nonprofit Leadership Award

CISNC is pleased to announce that President & CEO Linda Harrill was recently awarded the 2011 Triangle Business Journal Women in Business Award for Nonprofit Leadership.

The Women in Business Awards recognize Triangle women who have proven to be dynamic and outstanding leaders with established track records of significant accomplishments in business and/or community service. “Our winners this year represent a consummate balance of business success and community building,” said Bryan Hamilton, Publisher of Triangle Business Journal. “These are the leaders who not only have an impressive list of achievements, but are also looked to as role models and mentors for women hoping to follow in their footsteps.”

Click here for the press announcement with more information.

Tools for Improving Attendance

Attendance Works is a national and state initiative that promotes awareness of the important role that school attendance plays in achieving academic success. It aims to ensure that every school in every state not only tracks chronic absence data for its individual students but also intervenes to help those children and schools. Click here to access tools for monitoring, understanding and addressing chronic absence, starting in the early grades. You will find tools for implementing strategies at the school, district and state level. Attendance Works has put together tools for those who want to do presentations about attendance and has tailored other tools for particular audiences, whether it’s a city leader, school administrator, parent or afterschool provider. Check out these great materials!

Fuel Up to Play 60 Grants—October 1 Deadline

The National Dairy Council and the National Football League announce the "Fuel Up to Play 60" grants, available to any public or private K-12 school in the U.S. The Competitive Funding Initiative provides money to help schools jumpstart and sustain healthy nutrition and physical activity improvements.

Any U.S. school may enroll in the free program and thus be eligible to apply for up to $4,000 to help increase access to and consumption of nutrient-rich foods and participation in physical activity opportunities for students. The funds may be used for a variety of activities and tools, from resources that help enhance students’ healthy eating to items that help schools address students’ physical activity needs (such as exercise equipment and student and staff incentives). Click here for more information.

Target Field Trip Grants

Learning opportunities extend far beyond the classroom. But schools are finding it more and more difficult to bring students to museums, historical sites and cultural organizations. Field Trip Grants help give children these unique, firsthand learning experiences.

Since launching the program in 2007, Target has awarded $9.76 million in grants—providing 1.2 million students in all 50 states with the opportunity to enhance their studies in the arts, math, science and social studies.

As part of the program, each Target store will award three Target Field Trip Grants to K-12 schools nationwide, enabling one in 25 schools throughout the U.S. to send a classroom on a field trip. Each grant is valued at up to $700. Click here for more information about this and other Target grant opportunities.

Project L.I.F.T. Partnership with CIS of Charlotte-Mecklenburg

Project L.I.F.T. (Leadership and Investment for Transformation), a community initiative aimed at providing intensive support to help close the achievement gap in the West Charlotte Corridor schools, recently committed $950,000 of funds raised to date to support CIS of Charlotte-Mecklenburg. This contribution will enhance programming efforts focused in the West Charlotte corridor schools beginning in the fall for the 2011-2012 school year. Communities In Schools will begin deploying additional services in selected West Charlotte corridor schools in conjunction with Project L.I.F.T. strategies. Please join CISNC in congratuating CIS of Charlotte-Mecklenburg on this amazing news—a great example of the business community stepping up! Click here for the press announcement with more information.

North Gaston Senior Enhances Bessemer City Middle School Campus

North Gaston Senior Bret Edwards worked tirelessly throughout the summer to completely reconstruct a 2,300 square foot courtyard patio at Bessemer City Middle School. In March, Bret approached Bessemer City Middle School’s CIS Site Coordinator Dwayne Burks and shared his desire to give back to the community. Burks worked with Bret to arrange a $4,000 Lowe's "Toolbox for Education" grant to cover the cost of supplies.

Once the middle school emptied for the summer, Bret, his family, grandfather, and friend, Harrison Campbell (also a North Gaston student) toiled tirelessly in record-breaking heat to install 2,300 square feet of patio pavers—all by hand. Burks stated, “The Lowe's grant covered the cost of the materials but there was zero money for labor. Brett knew he had a huge job ahead of him and no money to hire any workers. It was Brett versus the courtyard. Brett came through with flying colors.”

Bret decided that the project would not be finished without permanent tables for the teachers and students. Parkwood Baptist stepped forward with a $750 donation to purchase the tables. The church became so excited about the project that a partnership with Communities in Schools of Gaston County was initiated. Parkwood is recruiting mentors to work with students during the upcoming school year.

Thanks to Bret’s project, the students have returned to an enhanced courtyard and a group of caring adults to help them stay in school and prepare for life. CISNC applauds Bret's desire to give back to his peers and community!

Middle Schoolers Learn About Legal System

Becoming part of the juvenile judicial system is serious business. Fortunately for the 38 middle school students who gathered at the Brunswick County Courthouse, they were there only to learn how to become clerks, bailiffs, attorneys and jurors in Peer Court. The Peer Court program began in Brunswick County in 2006 as an off-shoot of Teen Court and is now available at all Brunswick County middle schools. It is an alternative justice system that encourages youth to take responsibility for their actions and correct their mistakes. For more information, click here for the article that appeared in the August 25 edition of The StarNews.

BackPack Pals Fundraiser in Lee County

Backpack Pals is starting its fourth year as CIS of Lee County's biggest program. Food and monetary donations were down last year as the number of children fed on the weekend increased. If you need a good reason to play golf, you have one on Wednesday, September 14, at Tobacco Road for CIS of Lee County's 2nd Annual BackPack Pal Golf Tournament. All money goes directly to purchasing food for BackPack Pals! $250 Hole Sponsors, $325 4 man team, $450 includes a Hole Sponsorship and a 4 man team (plus 4 free rounds of golf in the Sandhills). For more information, contact Joe Gay at Tobacco Road at 919-775-1940 or the CIS of Lee County office at 919-718-5426. 

Sign Up for A Personalized "Charting for Success" Webinar Today

Want to know more about the "Charting for Success (CFS) Curriculum"? The national office of Communities In Schools invites your affiliate to your own personal webinar to discuss CFS, a college readiness tool for CIS students. The goals of CFS are to:

Engage CIS students in planning and preparation for post-secondary training and education by providing career awareness and exploration activities;

Increase the number of high school graduates ready for college and post-secondary success through a variety of college-access activities;

Help students transition to post-secondary education by teaching parents and students about the valuable link between high school and college success, providing information on college requirements, the preparation process and exploring the financial aid options that make college more affordable.

The CFS process provides a streamlined, comprehensive curriculum of college- and career-access information for the students served. It is an effort to create and model a college-going culture for the students. CFS lessons are intended to guide the students through the information and steps necessary to move toward a post–high school plan of action. The curriculum engages both students and parents in the planning and preparation for post-secondary education and/or training. Through the lessons, activities and events, one learns the key steps for future academic and career success—academic preparation, college/career exploration, college financing and financial literacy.

CIS National is excited about the curriculum for CIS affiliates and invites you to schedule a webinar for your affiliate. Please contact, Arleen Peterson. The curriculum is located on CISNet under the tab "National Initiatives: Charting for Success."

Free Training: Dropout Prevention Program for Middle and High Schoolers

September 8 & 9, 2011, 9 a.m. - 5 p.m., 512 Brickhaven Drive, Suite 203, Raleigh, NC

You are invited to participate in a free two-day training to learn skills and a program to help keep kids from dropping out of high school. The Together program began by serving Latino audiences but is now fully revised for English speaking families as well. Participants will receive the 200-page "Together/ Juntos Program Manual" in both English and Spanish as well as other newly revised resources and games. Space is limited. Click here to register.

Tenth Annual N.C. OPT-ED Alliance Day

October 14, 2011, McKimmon Conference & Training Center, Raleigh, NC

Alliance Day is a powerful conference, which unites secondary school students through graduate students together in promoting continued education in the science, technology, engineering and mathematics fields (STEM) and the social, behavioral and economic sciences (SBES).

N.C. OPT-ED Alliance Day features:

Keynote Speaker;

Student Poster Presentations;

Student Oral Presentations;

Informative Workshops; and

Undergraduate and Graduate Recruitment Fair.

N.C. OPT-ED invites students participating in CREST, ERC, HBCU-UP, LSAMP, NC-MSEN, NCCCS BioNetwork, McNair, RISE, AGEP and SBE and other programs and institutions to attend. Click here for more information.

Save The Date: CISNC Mentoring Summit

October 25, 2011, McKimmon Conference & Training Center, Raleigh, NC

In partnership with the N.C. Commission on Volunteerism and Community Service, the Office of the Governor and United Way of North Carolina, CISNC is hosting a Mentoring Summit this fall. We are currently planning the workshops and identifying keynote speakers. If you have ideas on what you would like to see that day, please share them with us. Three regional mentoring summits will be take place the first half of 2012. Registration is $25 and will be available online next week at www.cisnc.org.