It's Cool to be in School - rally & school supply give-a-way

The City of North Charleston, in partnership with area churches and businesses, will hold its 6th annual school supply giveaway on Saturday, August 17, 2013, 10:00 am to 12:00 noon at the Charleston Area Convention Center.

Bring your school-aged children to receive supplies for the school year.  Supplies will be given out on a first-come-first-serve basis. Children must accompany their parents at the event.

It's Cool to be in School program is organized by North Charleston Police Department's Community and Police Panel.

Senator Tim Scott sings "Hold On To Your Dreams"

US Senator Tim Scott (R-SC) sang "Hold On To Your Dreams" at RB Stall High School in North Charleston, SC to the student body. Although he admits he left his singing voice in Washington, DC.

Senator Scott graduated RB Stall in 1983. In his speech, he recounts being in high school and the difficulties and uncertain future he faced while growing up in a single parent household.

Senator Scott is a native of the City of North Charleston. Sworn in on January 3, 2013, he is one of eight African-American members to have ever served in the US Senate. Senator Scott was elected in 2010 to the 112th Congress and served as the 1st Republican African-American Representative from South Carolina since 1897.

Teaching Artists Sought for After School Arts Enrichment Programs in North Charleston

Thanks to the dedication of Mayor Summey and City Council, the City of North Charleston continues to provide after school programs to several public elementary schools within city limits. One component of these programs is arts enrichment classes through the City’s Cultural Arts Department. The department is seeking teaching artists in all disciplines to offer these classes for the 2012/13 school year. Local artists with a willingness to share their talents and an ability to work with young students are invited to participate in this after school arts enrichment program.

Thirteen elementary schools in North Charleston are identified sites. Classes are held for one hour twice a week with instructors rotating to a new school site on a bi-monthly basis. The number of participants will vary at each site and teaching artists should anticipate working with large groups of children. A site staff person is available to offer assistance. Rate of pay for these part-time positions is $20 an hour and a limited supply budget is available depending on the needs of the arts discipline. A minimum two month commitment is requested, which results in 16 one hour classes. To insure the safety of the children, background checks are required.

Interested artists should submit a class proposal form and resume as soon as possible to be considered for this program, as rotations begin in September. Forms are available for download from the Applications and Registration Forms page at http://bit.ly/culturalarts. Application materials may be emailed to culturalarts@northcharleston.org or mailed to the attention of Nancy Rodriguez at City of North Charleston Cultural Arts Dept., PO Box 190016, North Charleston, SC, 29419-9016. For more information, contact the North Charleston Cultural Arts Department at 843-740-5854.

It's Cool to be in School, 5th annual school supply giveaway

The City of North Charleston, in partnership with area churches and businesses, will hold its 5th annual school supply giveaway on Saturday, August 11, 2012, 10:00 am to 12:00 noon at the Charleston Area Convention Center.

Bring your school-aged children to receive supplies for the school year.  Supplies will be given out on a first-come-first-serve basis.

It's Cool to be in School program is organized by North Charleston Police Department's Community and Police Panel.

Target unveils new library, food pantry at Burns Elementary

Students, families and staff from Edmund A. Burns Elementary School along with Target Corp., volunteers and The Heart of America Foundation celebrated the unveiling of the school’s newly renovated library. As a result of the makeover process, the library at Edmund A. Burns Elementary School now features 2,000 new books, eco-friendly design elements, a complete technology upgrade, as well as new furniture, carpet and shelves. As part of the unveiling festivities, each student will receive 7 new books to add to their own at-home collections.

In addition to the remodeled library, the Edmund A. Burns Elementary School community will receive a Target Meals for Minds school-based food pantry, which was incorporated as part of the renovation process. The pantry will allow all students and their families to choose from a variety of staple foods and fresh produce to take home.

Each student will take home 22lbs of food each month.

If a families has 3 students attending Burns Elementary, then that family will receive 66lbs of food a month.

As part of the 2011 Target School Library Makeover season, Target will renovate a total of 42 school libraries nationwide. The Target School Library Makeover program is part of Target’s commitment to help more U.S. children read proficiently by the end of third grade. As a result of programs like this one, Target is on track to give $1 billion for education, with a focus on reading, by the end of 2015.

More photos:
Charleston County School District Superintendent Dr. Nancy McGinley addresses the students and attendees.
A volunteer from Target paints new artwork in the hallway of Burns Elementary School.

Jerry Zucker Middle School of Science

The Jerry Zucker Middle School of Science, grades 6-8, is the newest school to serve the residents of North Charleston, and will be opening for the upcoming school year. Zucker Middle will be a catalyst for young minds that are interested in pursuing careers in science and math.

North Charleston Mayor R. Keith Summey took a tour of the school as construction nears completion. Here are the photos from his tour:

Jerry Zucker Middle School of Science

According to the Charleston County School District, “Teachers at Jerry Zucker Middle School of Science teach the state standards and Charleston County School District's Coherent Core Curriculum.” Interwoven amongst their standard classes, are highly specialized courses that will be challenging, yet comprehensive in the field of science. “Students observe situations, ask questions, develop hypotheses, conduct tests, and analyze data to draw conclusions. This approach is integrated into all core subject areas for a hands-on and comprehensive education.”

The school has been built to the U.S. Green Building Council’s LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) standards, offering energy savings, water efficiency, CO2 emissions reduction, improved indoor environmental quality, and stewardship of resources and sensitivity to their impacts.

The library is one of the most charming features of the school. It is arranged in a lounge type setting that is similar to a coffee shop or café. The beautiful woodwork and perched view of the school’s courtyard will provide a comforting setting for the students to study.

Zucker Middle will be home to all students zoned for the school with 100 available seats for students zoned for Morningside Middle and Alice Birney Middle.

Since Zucker Middle is designed, from the curriculum to the classroom, to foster the study of science, Principal Sheryl Biss and her assistant principals are all science educators. This will provide a unique perspective to administering a school of this type.

Jerry Zucker Middle School of Science is located at 6401 Dorchester Road, North Charleston, SC 29418. School will commence at 9:00am and will dismiss at 4:00pm.


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