Get out your Smart phones and mark your calendars for the following important dates for January:
January 1st: Happy New Year! Holiday-No School
January 2nd: Welcome back to school students on Track 1, 2 and 3!
January 10th: First Grade In House Field Trip Tracks 1 & 3
January 10th: General PTA Meeting 6:00 p.m. in the Multipurpose Room along with Student Character Education Awards Celebration
January 18th: Second Grade In House Field Trip Tracks 1 & 3 High Touch, High Tech!
January 21st: Observance of Martin Luther King Day: No School
January 24th: Title I PAC Night 6:30 p.m.
January 22nd: Welcome back Track 4! Enjoy your track out Track 3!
January 25th: Second Grade In House Field Trip Tracks 2 & 4 High Touch, High Tech!
Week of January 27th: Interims Go Home for students on Tracks 1 & 2
January 27th: ACCESS Testing Window Begins
January 30th: Book Fair Begins!
Please email me or call the school with any questions about our important January dates.
Happy New Year, Mrs. Graf
Sunday, December 30, 2012
Closing out 2012!
Trailblazers,
It is almost the end of the December and with the end of this month comes the end of the year of 2012. Time has gone by so quickly over the past two quarters here at Banks Road Elementary. We have so much to be thankful and appreciative for I thought I would share a few successes and accomplishments with you:
It is almost the end of the December and with the end of this month comes the end of the year of 2012. Time has gone by so quickly over the past two quarters here at Banks Road Elementary. We have so much to be thankful and appreciative for I thought I would share a few successes and accomplishments with you:
- bright and beautiful students to work with every day
- the safety and well being our students, staff and families
- caring and supportive parents
- professional and dedicated teachers who engage students in learning every day
- a wonderful, supportive and active PTA organization
- a Pre K program that surrounds our youngest Trailblazers in learning and love in order to prepare them for academic success in Kindergarten
- a positive and focused School of Focus Committee supporting and guiding us in our efforts to close the achievement gap
- a hard working custodial crew that keeps our building looking brand new
- Teacher of the Year for BRES Ms. Christie Bethel on staff
- our work in developing our own Character Education program
- Banks Boomers led by the wonderful Ms. Loftin
- raising over $12,000 for the Juvenile Diabetes Foundation and Research
- reaching High Growth and receiving the School of Distinction Award
- implementing successful Writer in Residence and Artist in Residence programs
- a new Student Council organization led by our very own Ms. Blackmon and several other staff members
- a professional and helpful office staff
- the academic growth of our students
- the professional growth of our teachers and supplemental staff members
- carpool ending by 4:15 most days
- a beautiful campus maintained by our hard working PTA committee members and parent volunteers
Monday, December 17, 2012
Box Tops Update
Here is the final count for Box Tops! Congratulations goes out to the following teachers and students:
- 1st Place: Ms. Brown with 1512 boxtops!
- 2nd Place: Ms. Parker with 1327 boxtops!
- 3rd PLace: Ms. Bishop with 1132 boxtops!
- Honorable Mention goes to Ms. Bethel's class with 1024 boxtops!
A message from Dr. Gainey
Trailblazer Parents,
Here is a message from Dr. Gainey, our Interim Superintendent of WCPSS. Please do not hesitate to contact me with any questions or concerns regarding school saftery here at BRES. Safety is our top priority. Thank you, Mrs. Graf
Here is a message from Dr. Gainey, our Interim Superintendent of WCPSS. Please do not hesitate to contact me with any questions or concerns regarding school saftery here at BRES. Safety is our top priority. Thank you, Mrs. Graf
A message from the Superintendent about school safety
Dear WCPSS students, parents and community:
Our hearts remain heavy today as we continue to extend our thoughts and prayers to the community of Newtown, Connecticut, in light of Friday’s tragic events.
I want to assure all families of the Wake County Public School System that safety and academic success are our top priorities for every student.
WCPSS has taken numerous steps to enhance school security at every school site and to strengthen emergency response planning and preparation. These measures include:
As we assess school safety, our schools and district-level staff will be reviewing not only our crisis-response planning and training, but also day-to-day security at our 169 schools.
We know that during this time, children may be worried about their safety and the safety of their loved ones. To assist parents in speaking with their children about these concerns, we have posted guidelines from the National Association of School Psychologists.
The well-being of every student is of the utmost importance to me, to our 18,000 employees, and to our school families. Let us continue to work together toward our common goals to ensure that every school is a safe, engaging learning environment that brings out the best potential of every student.
Respectfully,
Dr. Stephen Gainey
Interim Superintendent
Wake County Public School System
Download a copy of Dr. Gainey’s letter >>
Read our previous blog post, For parents: Reassuring your child in times of crisis >>
Our hearts remain heavy today as we continue to extend our thoughts and prayers to the community of Newtown, Connecticut, in light of Friday’s tragic events.
I want to assure all families of the Wake County Public School System that safety and academic success are our top priorities for every student.
WCPSS has taken numerous steps to enhance school security at every school site and to strengthen emergency response planning and preparation. These measures include:
- Site-specific school safety plans
- Crisis-response measures
- Annual training and regular drills
- Law enforcement presence and close monitoring of schools
- Full-scale drills with law enforcement and emergency responders
As we assess school safety, our schools and district-level staff will be reviewing not only our crisis-response planning and training, but also day-to-day security at our 169 schools.
We know that during this time, children may be worried about their safety and the safety of their loved ones. To assist parents in speaking with their children about these concerns, we have posted guidelines from the National Association of School Psychologists.
The well-being of every student is of the utmost importance to me, to our 18,000 employees, and to our school families. Let us continue to work together toward our common goals to ensure that every school is a safe, engaging learning environment that brings out the best potential of every student.
Respectfully,
Dr. Stephen Gainey
Interim Superintendent
Wake County Public School System
Download a copy of Dr. Gainey’s letter >>
Read our previous blog post, For parents: Reassuring your child in times of crisis >>
Banks Safety and Security
Trailblazer Parents,
The BRES school community expresses their sorrow to families and staff of Sandy Hook Elementary and the Newtown community. Today, we welcomed back our students with smiles and hugs. We also found comfort in following our normal routines for the day. In the wake of the events of Connecticut, our students may have questions about the events or may want to share their thoughts. If your children express anxiety or concerns about safety, we will address it on an individual basis and not through whole class discussions. Please do not hesitate to contact our school counselor, Esther Wu (919-890-7325 or ewu@wcpss.net), our school psychologist Lisa Occhipinti (919-890-7342) or me (919-890-7330 or cgraf1@wcpss.net) with questions and concerns.
I want to share that safety and welfare of our students is our number one priority. Wake County Public School System has a comprehensive Emergency Operations Plan in place. Every school also has its own emergency plan. Staff and students are familiar with their roles and responsibilities during an emergency, and practice them through drills. Our school staff and district-level staff work in collaboration with WCPSS security, local law enforcement and other crisis-response agencies to provide a safe learning for our students on a daily basis. In some emergency situations, it may be necessary for a school to be on lockdown.
Below is information regarding lockdowns:
What is a lockdown?
A lockdown is a precautionary measure in response to a threat directly to the school or in the surrounding community. In a lockdown:
Once a lockdown is put into place, police and school administrators work together to first ensure the safety of everyone on the school campus. Once the situation has been stabilized, a phone message, email and/ or paper letter will be sent to parents to inform them that the school was placed on a lockdown, the nature of the incident, and about how long the lockdown was in place.
In larger emergencies, such as a Code Red lockdown or lockdowns that affect numerous schools, WCPSS will take the following steps to notify you:
Our hearts go our to the families and the community involved in this tragic incident in Connecticut. Ms. Livengood, our school staff and I will continue to take measures daily to maximize constant supervision of our students. Take care, Mrs. Graf
The BRES school community expresses their sorrow to families and staff of Sandy Hook Elementary and the Newtown community. Today, we welcomed back our students with smiles and hugs. We also found comfort in following our normal routines for the day. In the wake of the events of Connecticut, our students may have questions about the events or may want to share their thoughts. If your children express anxiety or concerns about safety, we will address it on an individual basis and not through whole class discussions. Please do not hesitate to contact our school counselor, Esther Wu (919-890-7325 or ewu@wcpss.net), our school psychologist Lisa Occhipinti (919-890-7342) or me (919-890-7330 or cgraf1@wcpss.net) with questions and concerns.
I want to share that safety and welfare of our students is our number one priority. Wake County Public School System has a comprehensive Emergency Operations Plan in place. Every school also has its own emergency plan. Staff and students are familiar with their roles and responsibilities during an emergency, and practice them through drills. Our school staff and district-level staff work in collaboration with WCPSS security, local law enforcement and other crisis-response agencies to provide a safe learning for our students on a daily basis. In some emergency situations, it may be necessary for a school to be on lockdown.
Below is information regarding lockdowns:
What is a lockdown?
A lockdown is a precautionary measure in response to a threat directly to the school or in the surrounding community. In a lockdown:
- All school activities are moved indoors.
- Depending on the type of lockdown, interior and exterior doors on campus are locked.
- No one is allowed to enter or exit the building.
- Parents may not come to the school during a lockdown.
- Parents are also discouraged from calling the school directly. Additional calls hinder the ability of staff to respond to the primary task: keeping everyone safe.
- Code Red – used when there’s a direct threat to the school or in the immediate area of the school
- Code Yellow – used when there’s a danger in the surrounding community, i.e. police searching for a criminal suspect in the area
- Code Green – used once the lockdown has been lifted
Once a lockdown is put into place, police and school administrators work together to first ensure the safety of everyone on the school campus. Once the situation has been stabilized, a phone message, email and/ or paper letter will be sent to parents to inform them that the school was placed on a lockdown, the nature of the incident, and about how long the lockdown was in place.
In larger emergencies, such as a Code Red lockdown or lockdowns that affect numerous schools, WCPSS will take the following steps to notify you:
- dispatch an emergency phone message
- update the WCPSS Facebook page, Twitter account (@wcpss) and the WCPSS home page
- notify and update the local media as the situation develops.
Our hearts go our to the families and the community involved in this tragic incident in Connecticut. Ms. Livengood, our school staff and I will continue to take measures daily to maximize constant supervision of our students. Take care, Mrs. Graf
Thursday, December 13, 2012
Banks Boomers perform at Crabtree Valley Mall
I am here with the Banks Boomers preparing for our performance at 5:00 p.m. We have our Boomers on the risers and are getting ready to spread holiday cheer to the busy mall shoppers! 
Student Assignment Update
Trailblazer Parents,
The information below is from the WCPSS website regarding the newly passed student assignment plan.
The information below is from the WCPSS website regarding the newly passed student assignment plan.
Board Adopts 2013-14 Student Assignment Plan |
| The Wake County Board of Education adopted a Student Assignment Plan for the 2013-14 school year during its regular meeting on Tuesday, December 11. Under the plan, every student will be assigned to a school based on his or her home address. To offer continued stability for families, the plan includes minimal reassignments, as well as the opportunity for students to stay with their current schools if they are happy there. The plan offers sibling priority and families also will have options for traditional-calendar schools and year-round schools. Beginning December 12, 2012, any student who enrolls in WCPSS for the first time, or moves from another Wake County address will be assigned to a school based on this new assignment plan. Updated maps and an address look-up tool will be available soon for parents to preview their base school assignments. View a brief video explaining the plan - (YouTube - 3:00min) WCPSS will host four upcoming information sessions on the plan:
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