The Pulse

Families please note: March 15 is a workday. We will see students on March 18.

Spring Break is March 29 - April 5. We will see students on April 8.

A virtual Parent and Family Resource Hub has been created as a one stop space for community resources, articles and learning websites to help families support their child/children. The site can be accessed below. If you have suggestions for resources or information that may help families, complete the form here. Thank you!

The event is free and open to the public! It is never too early to start making plans for college and post-secondary opportunities. Representatives from nearly 20 public and private colleges and universities from NC and VA will be present along with military recruiters to answer questions and provide information about opportunities after high school to both students and families.

If you have questions about the college fair please reach out to your child's school counselor. We hope to see you there!

On February 28th, students at Butner Stem Elementary School had the opportunity to participate in school clubs. From games to soccer to drama and yoga, all students from pre kindergarten to fifth grade enjoyed the opportunity to partake in a club of their choice. These clubs would not have been possible if it were not for the generous donations from our family and community members during our Ugly Sweater Fun Run in December.

This weekend, GreyStone Church demonstrated their commitment to community service by partnering with Butner Stem Elementary to construct a greenhouse. This exciting initiative will provide students with hands-on opportunities to explore science and learn about healthful living. Additionally, the greenhouse will serve as the foundation for a new club aimed at establishing a fresh food pantry for the local community. Through this collaborative effort, GreyStone Church and Butner Stem Elementary are empowering students to make a positive impact on their environment and the lives of those around them.

BSES students attended their first ever Science Olympiad competition at Southern High School in Durham on Saturday, March 9th. The team has been working hard since December to prepare for the competition. They prepared for events like Pasta Tower where they had to create a tower of pasta that could hold up to 10 pounds and other events like Backyard Biologists where they had to learn about and display their knowledge on critters of North Carolina and plants of North Carolina. The team did an amazing job for their first competition and most of all had a good time!

Workshop sessions include:

• Elementary, Middle, and High School Transitions
• The IEP Process and How Parents Can Participate
• What is Developmentally Appropriate?
• Reading Interventions
• What to Do if you Suspect a Disability
• Career and Technical Education (CTE)

Community Resource Vendors:

• Boys Scouts
• Vocational Rehab
• The Public Library

*Additional community vendors will be available.

Parents and families, you will have the opportunity to choose up to four sessions that best appeal to your interests. Registration is not required. All parents and families are welcomed and encouraged to attend!

Find the application at Granville County Public Schools or visit your nearest elementary school for a paper copy. You must submit proof of birth, proof of address and proof of income with your application.

Cypress Creek Renewables is awarding $1,000, one-time scholarships to high school seniors interested in pursuing a career in renewable energy and STEM! This scholarship is available for a traditional student seeking a 4-year degree or for a student seeking a trade school or certificate program! Click the link for more information: https://bit.ly/496MDpj.

Click the flyer below to visit the GCPS webpage for information about your child's attendance zone for the 2024-2025 school year.

Vance Granville Community College Civic Center Red Tails is inviting 6th Grade and Up students to join them for Drone Soccer. This in an indoor team sport played with a radio controlled quadcopter in protective exoskeletons designed for collisions. This sport begins February 14 at the VCCC Civic Center at 5:00-8:00pm. Please click the attached PDF for additional information and to complete the interest form.

Cadence Academy’s objective is to deliver a personalized learning opportunity to high school students who may need an alternative learning environment. Cadence Academy will provide these students with the opportunity to earn high school credits towards graduation. Cadence Academy’s non-traditional class schedule allows students to continue their educational journey after normal school hours. Students will be using the online platform Edgenuity to complete course work.

Who is eligible: Seniors a few credits of meeting graduation requirements. Juniors seeking a minimum credit diploma. High school students that need a different learning environment.

Schedule: Monday - Thursday from 4-6pm.

If you are interested in this program, contact, Principal Anthony Dickens at 919.690.2300 or dickensad@gcs.k12.nc.us.

Read Across America (RAA) has already passed but reading is an essential every day practice for our young people! Visit the resources below to continue and increase literacy skills with your child.

Diverse Books

Free Kids Books

NEA RAA.

NCDPI Literacy at Home

Storyline Online

Women's History Month

National Geo Kids

Smithsonian

Smithsonian Magazine

NC State National Library

More information

Registration

We should indeed keep calm in the face of difference, and live our lives in a state of inclusion and wonder at the diversity of humanity. — George Takei

Create inclusion—with simple mindfulness that others might have a different reality from your own.

— Patti Digh

We need to give each other the space to grow, to be ourselves, to exercise our diversity. We need to give each other space so that we may both give and receive such beautiful things as ideas, openness, dignity, joy, healing, and inclusion. — Max de Pree

Strength lies in differences, not in similarities. — Stephen R. Covey

Welcoming Breath is a practice of welcoming in all that is present for us in our emotional world,

using the power of intentional breath and the affirmation, “I welcome all of my emotions.”

1. Maintaining a healthy relationship with our emotions is a skillset, and this welcoming breath can help us accept our emotional worlds to create a sense of calm and peace.

2. What do you think is the most important relationship in the world?

3. Some say that the most important relationship in the world is your relationship with what is.

4. When there is something in our life that we don’t like or have a hard time accepting, we tend to resist it, wishing it weren’t there, avoiding it, ignoring it, or otherwise fighting it. On an emotional level, what we resist, persists, whereas what we allow ourselves to feel can move through our minds and bodies with more ease.

5. It can be tempting to shut down challenging emotions like fear, sadness, anxiety, grief, guilt, etc. Avoiding these emotions can make them stuck in the body and make us feel worse than actually

feeling them.

6. This welcoming breath practice helps us to welcome in the full spectrum of our emotions. Let’s try it together, if you wish.

7. Let’s start with a simple breath in through the nose, and a simple breath out through the mouth.

8. Now just notice your breath for the next two breaths, breathing in, filling up, and breathing out, emptying.

9. Begin to connect to how you are feeling right now, trying to notice any emotions that are present inside your heart, your throat, your belly, or any other place in the body that feels safe to explore.

10. With your next breath in, silently repeat to yourself, “I welcome all of my emotions.” On your exhale, allow yourself to feel what is present for you now.

11. With each inhale you take, repeat to yourself “I welcome all of my emotions. I welcome all of my emotions. I welcome all of my emotions.”

12. If you feel any emotions that are too big or overwhelming, just acknowledge that the emotion is there and choose something else to feel, be it a different emotion or the feeling of your feet on the

ground or your seat on the chair.

13. Continue practicing this welcoming breath for another 1-5 minutes on your own.

14. Optional: Take a couple minutes to journal about your experience of welcoming your emotions with this Welcoming Breath.

How do you feel after practicing this Welcoming Breath?

What emotions were present for you?

Were there any emotions you didn’t expect to feel?

Was it challenging to feel any of your emotions?

How did it feel to say “I welcome all of my emotions?”

How can welcoming your own emotions help you in being more welcoming of others?

When would be a good time to practice Welcoming Breath in your life?

Taken from Breathe for Change, Dr. Ilana Nankin, Ph.D

Creamy Spinach Pasta

Rosemary Roasted Salmon with Asparagus and Potatoes

Slow-Cooker Lemon-Pepper Chicken Thighs with Broccolini

Skillet Lemon Chicken with Spinach

Spinach & Artichoke Casserole with Chicken and Cauliflower Rice

Additional Recipes can be found at Eating Well (Food Journalism Site).

1. Why are water beds so bouncy?
2. What did one flower say to the other flower?
3. What is a flower's favorite kind of pickle?
4. Why did the chicken take a nap?
5. Why did the Spring breakers miss their flight?

1. They're filled with Spring water.
2. A peony for your thoughts.
3. A daffo-dill.
4. Because it was eggs-hausted!
5. They had no Spring in their step!

In August, I would like to embark upon a Book Study Adventure to strengthen parent/family, school, community engagement in our district. Please indicate your interest by completing the form below. I will be in touch. Thank you!

All staff, parents and families are asked to complete the survey below to help us assess and improve our programming and for future planning. To complete, scan the QR code or fill out the embedded form below. Thank you in advance for your honestly and time!

Stephanie Humphrey

Granville County Public Schools

Family & Community Engagement Coordinator

Website: https://www.gcs.k12.nc.us/

Parent University: https://www.gcs.k12.nc.us/page-warehouse/parent-university

News/Events: https://www.gcs.k12.nc.us/newsevents

Location: 101 Delacroix Street, Oxford, NC, USA
Phone: (919) 693-4613
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/gcpschools/
Twitter: @GCPSchools