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AJ HAMMOND NAMED THE 2020 WELLS FARGO NC SANDHILLS REGION PRINCIPAL OF THE YEAR

Congratulations to Alfred Jean Hammond - 2020 Wells Fargo NC Sandhills Region Principal of the Year! Ms. Hammond is the principal at Upchurch Elementary.

Ms. Hammond was born and raised in Lake City, South Carolina. She earned her undergraduate degree in Elementary Education from Francis Marion University and her Master’s in School Administration from Fayetteville State University. Her teaching career began in Cumberland County at Ferguson Easley Elementary in 2006. She transitioned to Hoke County in 2011 as the Assistant Principal at McLauchlin Elementary, and later served as Assistant Principal at Rockfish Hoke Elementary. For the past four years she has served as the Principal at West Hoke Elementary School, and is now Principal of Upchurch Elementary School. “I believe that all students can learn if given a positive learning environment, a committed and focused educational team, an encouraging community, and a supportive family.” -AJ Hammond

DEBORAH DAVIS CARPENTER NAMED NC CHILD HUNGER HERO

No Kid Hungry NC celebrated 14 child hunger heroes at its annual NC Child Hunger Leaders Conference on Wednesday, February 19 at the Friday Center in Chapel Hill. Among the heroes was Deborah Davis Carpenter, Child Nutrition Executive Director for Hoke County Schools. Congressman David Price and First Lady of NC Kristin Cooper served as special presenters during the ceremony announcing these NC Child Hunger Hero Award winners.Deborah Carpenter received more nominations than any other candidate for this year's NC Child Hunger Hero Awards. As Child Nutrition Executive Director for Hoke County Schools, she has led the district in drastically increasing school breakfast participation, using innovative service methods like Breakfast in the Classroom, Second Chance, and Grab and Go. Hoke County Schools currently has the highest ratio in the state of free-and-reduced-price-eligible students eating both school lunch and breakfast. This is a metric used nationally to evaluate success in the school breakfast program. In addition, she has worked diligently to make sure all students are served healthy, tasty meals at no charge for both breakfast and lunch, and all staff have a supportive and modern working environment.The NC Child Hunger Hero Awards are a way of showing appreciation for the everyday heroes who make healthy meals possible for kids. No Kid Hungry NC received more than 100 nominations from across the state for people who are combating child hunger in various ways. Each Child Hunger Hero is working to make nutrition more accessible for kids in need. You can learn about all of the hero award winners and nominees, and download photos, at NoKidHungryNC.org/Hero.Almost 60% of the nearly 1.5 million public school students in North Carolina qualify for free or reduced-price meals. Many of those students rely on child nutrition programs at school or elsewhere for at least some of their daily nutrition.“There are many unsung heroes in our state working to ensure that children have the nutrition they need,” said Lou Anne Crumpler, State Director of No Kid Hungry NC. “One of the best parts of our work is getting to celebrate these nutrition professionals, educators, volunteers, and others whose work often goes under-appreciated.”This was the ninth annual NC Child Hunger Leaders Conference, a day of celebration and inspiration for professionals, volunteers, and advocates working to feed more kids in our state. The NC Child Hunger Hero Awards are a new addition to the conference. Gerald Owens, WRAL-TV News Anchor, was emcee for the awards ceremony.No Kid Hungry NC hosted the event with conference sponsors Share Our Strength, Food Bank of Central & Eastern NC, The Dairy Alliance, and Barbara and Jim Goodmon. Conference partners include The North Carolina Institute for Public Health, Carolina Public Press, and Capital Broadcasting Company, Inc./WRAL-TV.No Kid Hungry NC is an initiative of the UNC-Chapel Hill Center for health Promotion and Disease Prevention. It works to end child hunger by increasing access to child nutrition programs, including school breakfast, free summer meals for kids, and At-Risk Afterschool Meals. It does this by providing grants, technical assistance, marketing tools, and other resources to the schools and community organizations operating these nutrition programs.

WORKFORCE CONTINUING EDUCATION - HOKE HIGH GRADUATE FINDS SUCCESS

Jacob WCE.mp4

"Taking these classes and getting all of this experience while I was still in high school, and being able to immediately move from high school to the workplace was really beneficial...because I was able to be self-sufficient and start right away." Jacob Barnett, Hoke High graduate

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CHANGES TO GRADING PERIODS, REPORT CARDS - MARCH 25, 2020

Due to the mandatory school closures in response to the coronavirus, Hoke County Schools has made some changes to the beginning and ending of grading periods.

Grading for the third grading period ended on March 13. This was the last day students were in school before the mandatory school closures. This change shortened the length of the third grading period which is typically nine weeks.

Students/parents should contact their child’s teacher as soon as possible if they need to make-up any missed work from the third grading period.

Report cards for the third grading period will be available to parents on PowerSchool beginning April 15.

Parents who need access to PowerSchool will need to contact their child’s school.

Grading for the fourth grading period began on March 16. This change will lengthen the fourth grading period making it longer than the typical nine weeks.

Parents can continue to access grades through the parent portal or the PowerSchool app.

SCHOOL CLOSURES EXTENDED, HOKE COUNTY'S RESPONSE - MARCH 23, 2020

On March 23, Governor Cooper announced that all schools in North Carolina will be closed through May 15. Although schools in Hoke County will be closed through May 15, teaching and learning will continue. Our teachers will continue working with our students through online remote learning.

Hoke County Schools will also continue to offer breakfast and lunch at no charge. Meal deliveries will take place each weekday, except during spring break.

Hoke County Schools will observe spring break next week, March 30-April 3. During our week of spring break there will be no remote learning and no mobile meal deliveries.

If you are in need of meals during spring break, there are several churches in the area that may be able to assist you.

After spring break, we will continue with our remote learning and mobile meal deliveries. Meal delivery routes will begin each weekday morning at 10:00 am. Hoke County children between the ages of 2-18 may pick up a package containing breakfast and lunch at the bus stop closest to their home. If parents have a question about the location of their bus stop, they are encouraged to call their child’s school.

Parents, we understand that this is a stressful and challenging time for you and our students. Please know that we are in this together. Our teachers and staff are here to support you. If you have any questions, please contact your child’s teacher or your child’s school.

UPDATE ON COVID-19 RESPONSE - MARCH 23, 2020

Earlier today, Governor Cooper announced that all schools in North Carolina will be closed through May 15. Although schools in Hoke County will be closed through May 15, teaching and learning will continue. Our teachers will continue working with our students through online remote learning.

Hoke County Schools will also continue to offer breakfast and lunch at no charge. Mobile meal deliveries will begin at 10:00 am tomorrow, Tuesday, March 24. Meal deliveries will take place each weekday, except during spring break.

Hoke County Schools (*except SandHoke) will observe spring break next week, March 30-April 3. During our week of spring break there will be no remote learning and no mobile meal deliveries.

If you are in need of meals during spring break, there are several churches in the area that may be able to assist you.

We will continue sharing updates as they become available. Please stay safe and healthy!

BREAKFAST AND LUNCH DELIVERY DURING SCHOOL CLOSURE - MARCH 16, 2020

Hoke County Schools will continue to provide breakfast and lunch to our students at no charge from March 17 through March 27.

School buses will be used to deliver meals.

Any Hoke County child between the ages of 2-18 may pick up a breakfast/lunch package at the bus stop closest to their home.

If you have a question about which bus stop your child should go to for meals, please contact your child’s school.

Buses will begin their delivery routes at approximately 9:30 am. It is difficult to estimate what time the bus will be at your stop. We encourage parents and students to watch for their bus. We ask parents to please be patient as we work on making this process as efficient as possible.

All meals will be prepared in the school cafeteria and transported in temperature-controlled containers. All health and sanitation guidelines will be followed.

SCHOOL CLOSURE: REMOTE LEARNING, BREAKFAST AND LUNCH, AND OTHER IMPORTANT UPDATES - MARCH 15, 2020

All schools in Hoke County will be closed for students from March 16-March 27. Monday, March 16 will be a mandatory workday for staff with extended hours from 8:00 am until 9:00 pm.

If students have already received packets of school work with directions from their teacher, they may begin working on these materials. Remote learning and online instruction will begin by Thursday, March 19.

If elementary and middle school students need a device, parents may pick devices up from their child’s school on Monday, March 16 between 2:00 pm-8:30 pm. Schools will also distribute additional information, instructional resources, and directions for students during this time.

Hoke County Schools will continue to provide breakfast and lunch at no charge. Beginning Tuesday, March 17, both breakfast and lunch will be delivered to children using school buses. Buses will run their normal routes beginning at 9:30 am. Children may pick up breakfast/lunch at the bus stop closest to their home.

Several changes have also been made to the current school calendar. Spring break has been moved to March 30-April 3. Friday, April 10 will be a regular school day. The Good Friday holiday has been moved to Monday, April 13. No changes have been made to SandHoke Early College’s calendar.

If you have any questions, please contact your child’s school.

ALL NC SCHOOLS CLOSED BY GOVERNOR COOPER - MARCH 14, 2020

ATTENTION: This afternoon, Governor Roy Cooper announced that all schools throughout North Carolina will be closed to help prevent the spread of the coronavirus. Therefore, Hoke County Schools will be closed beginning Monday, March 16 through Friday, March 27. Monday, March 16 will be a workday for all staff. More information will be provided as it becomes available.

LETTER FROM SUPERINTENDENT WILLIAMSON - MARCH 13, 2020

Hoke County Schools Families, Students, and Staff,

As we continue to receive information about COVID-19, also known as Coronavirus, we wanted to share with you the steps we are currently taking in Hoke County Schools to prevent the spread of this virus. We have been communicating with local and state officials about COVID-19 and the best course of action to keep our students and staff safe. We realize this is a difficult time, and may cause significant unpredictable hardships, and the decisions we make in response are very carefully considered.

While there are no confirmed cases in Hoke County, there are numerous cases in North Carolina and that number is growing each day. We have taken the advice of Governor Roy Cooper to limit large gatherings and travel. This means that effective immediately all district events, including athletics, are cancelled until further notice. All field trips have been cancelled, and all professional development and travel outside the district has been cancelled for staff.

At this time, our schools will remain open. In the event that we receive an order to close schools, we are preparing to continue our teaching and learning. We are developing a plan to provide remote learning opportunities if we experience long-term closures. The Remote Learning Plan will ensure all of our students will receive a quality learning experience remotely from home. Parents will receive additional information about this plan in the coming days. Please read this information carefully and if you have any questions you may contact your child’s school.

We will continue to assess these precautions and make adjustments as necessary based on guidance from Governor Cooper and local/state health officials. In the event that Hoke County Schools close, we will make every effort to give parents advance notice. We understand the inconvenience that these restrictions may cause. However, we feel we are making the best decisions with the information we have to do our part in slowing the spread of this virus. Now is the time to work together as a community to protect the health of our students, staff, and families.

Sincerely,

Dr. Freddie Williamson

Superintendent, Hoke County Schools

OFFICIAL STATEMENT FROM HOKE COUNTY SCHOOLS REGARDING COVID-19 (Click here for more information.) - MARCH 11, 2020

On Tuesday, March 10, Governor Roy Cooper declared a state of emergency in North Carolina to help limit the spread of COVID-19, also known as coronavirus. A state of emergency will allow government officials to take additional measures to protect the public. It will also have an immediate effect on our school district.

Effective immediately and until further notice, Hoke County Schools will take the following precautions to protect the health, safety and well-being of our students, staff, and community:

• All out-of-state field trips and travel by students and staff have been cancelled.

• All out-of-district field trips and travel by students and staff have been cancelled.

• All field trips within Hoke County have been cancelled.

• The North Carolina High School Athletic Association has cancelled all athletics across the state effective Friday, March 13, 2020 through Monday, April 6, 2020 at this point. This shutdown includes all sports to include: games, practices, off-season workouts, afterschool conditioning, after school weight training, meetings, etc. The shutdown on athletics becomes effective in Hoke County Schools this evening, Thursday, March 12, 2020.

• All district-level events, including STEM Competition, Special Olympics, and High School Prom, have been cancelled until further notice.

• School events held on school campus will continue at the principal’s discretion.

Based on recommendations from state officials, our schools will remain open as we continue to monitor this situation.

We will continue to remind our school community that the best ways to prevent the spread of COVID-19 are the same preventions that are recommended for the spread of the flu and common cold. We encourage students, staff, and school visitors to follow proper handwashing and sanitation practices to prevent the spread of respiratory illnesses.

These guidelines are subject to change based on updates from local and state health officials.

Information about COVID-19 is developing quickly and the CDC continues to share new updates. We encourage staff and families to visit the CDC website for the most accurate and timely information about the virus. For more information, visit: www.cdc.gov/COVID19.

Staff and families may also visit the following websites for additional guidance: www.ncdhhs.gov/, (English) https://sites.google.com/hcs.k12.nc.us/hoke-county-schools/coronavirus-updates, and (Spanish) https://sites.google.com/hcs.k12.nc.us/hoke-county-schools/coronavirus-updates-spanish.

FIELD TRIP REFUNDS

All field trips for Hoke County students have been cancelled. This decision was made after considering Governor Cooper's Executive Order declaring a State of Emergency due to COVID-19, as well as considering the health risks associated with travel. The health and safety of our students and staff are our top priority. However, we also understand that our families have invested their money into paying for these field trips. Our schools are working diligently with the travel companies to get refunds for our families. At this time, we cannot guarantee that all students will receive refunds, but we are doing all we can. This process will take time and our schools will update parents as they receive more information about refunds for specific field trips.