Buncombe County Schools -

Hello, BCS Staff and Families: We want to remind you that our district is using a different mass communication system this year. This system does have different features than our previous vendor. Specifically, all calls from your school or the district will come from: >>828-255-5939 or >>828-255-5921. >>All text messages will come from 98900. Please save these numbers to your phone to ensure they are not marked as potential spam in order to receive timely school and district information, especially during the winter months. For the fastest emergency and weather notifications, please download the new Buncombe County Schools app which is linked in the Apple Store and in the Android Store. Please download the app and sign up for push notifications to the schools of your choosing. In the app, you can keep up with school news, events, lunch menus, and more! Parents, please make any changes to your phone number or email address through the Annual Information Update or Returning Student Registration in your PowerSchool Parent Portal account. Your contact information must be up-to-date in PowerSchool in order to receive notifications properly. If you do not have a PowerSchool Parent Portal account, please contact the school data manager. Staff, please update your contact information in LINQ (Time Keeper) in order to receive notifications to the proper numbers and emails. Finally, if you have bookmarked any URLs on our website prior to July 1, 2022, those links will no longer be active. Here are common bookmarks that may interest you and are live on our new site: buncombeschools.org/notifications buncombeschools.org/careers buncombeschools.org/enroll buncombeschools.org/calendar buncombeschools.org/findmyschool buncombeschools.org/volunteer

Dear BCS Staff and Families- We are closely following local and regional forecasts as Hurricane Ian makes its way toward our area. We will be operating on a normal schedule tomorrow (9/30). However, out of an abundance of caution, we will postpone all BCS field trips, after-school activities, and athletics on Friday, Sept. 30. We will continue to monitor forecasts, and should we need to make any further adjustments to our schedule, we’ll let our staff and families know as soon as possible. Don’t forget to download the new BCS app to receive the fastest notifications. Download for Android https://bit.ly/3u6NLGO
; Download for iPhone https://apple.co/3nlgLa1.

Students in Avery Creek Elementary's Katie Wilson’s English as a Second Language classroom are sharing their unique assets as multilingual learners with the school through a hands-on lesson. Each student traced their hand on colored paper, writing details about themself along the fingers such as their first language, where their family is from, and other pieces of their personal history. “I want to highlight to the students that being multilingual is an asset,” said Ms. Wilson. “It makes you a global citizen, it gives you the ability to relate to all kinds of people – there’s just so many benefits to having more than one language.” The lesson, she said, teaches not only fine motor skills such as tracing and cutting paper, but it also touches on the four aspects of language learning – reading, writing, listening, and speaking. Students had to listen to instructions, read various written topics to write about on the hands, and then share what they wrote to the class before the hands were displayed. The colorful hands were laminated and placed on a bulletin board inside the school to share the rainbow of cultures and languages the students are a part of. “I want them to be up as a badge of honor,” said Ms. Wilson.

We are loving our new app! Access documents, menus, news, emergency notifications, and more, right from your pocket. Download for Android https://bit.ly/3u6NLGO
 Download for iPhone https://apple.co/3nlgLa1

Hello BCS Families- This is a reminder that students entering Kindergarten, 7th, or 12th grade are required by the state of North Carolina to receive specific vaccines. They are linked on the NC Department of Health and Human Services website: https://bit.ly/3DOeptC All students entering kindergarten also need a North Carolina Health Assessment form. All students in 7th grade are required to have both Tdap and a Meningitis vaccine. All students entering 12th grade are required to have a meningitis vaccine booster dose. The deadline to submit proof of these immunizations and health assessment form is Tuesday, September 27. Talk to your Health Care provider or visit the Buncombe County Health and Human Services immunization clinic at 40 Coxe Ave. Monday through Friday. For questions, contact the immunization clinic at 828-250-5096 or your school nurse.

As we begin this new year, we want to remind you that our district is using a different mass communication system. This system does have different features than our previous vendor. Specifically, all calls from your school or the district will come from 828-255-5939 or 828-255-5921. All text messages will come from 98900. Please ensure these numbers are not blocked on your phone in order to receive important school and district information, especially during the winter months. For the fastest emergency and weather notifications, please download the new Buncombe County Schools app which is linked in the Apple Store and in the Android Store. Please download the app and sign up for push notifications to the schools of your choosing. In the app, you can keep up with school news, events, lunch menus, and more! Parents, please make any changes to your phone number or email address through the Annual Information Update or Returning Student Registration in your PowerSchool Parent Portal account. Your contact information must be up-to-date in PowerSchool in order to receive notifications properly. If you do not have a PowerSchool Parent Portal account please contact the school data manager. Staff, please update your contact information in LINQ (Time Keeper) in order to receive notifications to the proper numbers and emails.

Bus Ridership Week is happening next week! We maintain a fleet of over 200 buses that travel almost 16,000 miles each day carrying approximately 10,000 students. State funding for pupil transportation in each school district is determined by three factors: number of school buses operated, total expenditures, and number of students riding. The number of students riding is determined by an actual count taken in September each school year. ➡️ The student ridership count this year will be taken the week of September 26-30, 2022. Funding from the state is based on the number of students that we transport daily. It is important for us to operate as efficiently as possible to work with current funding and bus allotments. **If your child is going to ride a school bus to and/or from school anytime this school year, it is very important that he/she ride as many days as possible during the week of the count. ** The school bus is a safe form of transportation to and from school. It is our goal in the transportation department to provide safe, reliable, and efficient transportation service to our state’s most valuable resource--our students.

Bus Ridership Week is coming up soon! Approximately 750,000 students ride more than 14,000 school buses each school day in North Carolina. State funding for pupil transportation in each school district is determined by three factors: number of school buses operated, total expenditures, and number of students riding. The number of students riding is determined by an actual count taken in September each school year. The student ridership count this year will be taken the week of September 26-30, 2022. Funding from the state is based on the number of students that we transport daily. It is important for us to operate as efficiently as possible to work with current funding and bus allotments. **If your child is going to ride a school bus to and/or from school anytime this school year, it is very important that he/she ride as many days as possible during the week of the count. ** The school bus is a safe form of transportation to and from school. It is our goal in the transportation department to provide safe, reliable, and efficient transportation service to our state’s most valuable resource--our students.

Free and Reduced Applications for Buncombe County Schools Now you can apply on-line for your children to receive free or reduced-price school meals. Your application will be sent from a secure web site directly to the Buncombe County Schools School Nutrition office, so you don’t need to worry about filling out a paper form that could be lost or misplaced. LunchApplication.com is an easy, secure and convenient way to apply for free or reduced meals. It has been designed to make it easy for you to know exactly what information you need to provide and to guide you through the process. Once your application has been received the district office will determine your eligibility and send you a letter with the results. To apply, simply go to LunchApplication.com!

In honor of Queen Elizabeth II, seventh grade students in Katharine Zamarra's North Buncombe Middle class created fascinators – small, stylish hats popularized by British royalty. After reading about different types of governments around the world, students chose a specific country and designed a hat to reflect the characteristics of its government. Hats were fashioned out of recycled yogurt containers, leftover party hats, styrofoam bowls and a variety of paper and trinkets. Italy, Poland, Laos, the US and Mexico were among the governments represented. "Asking students to visually represent a form of government challenges students to think critically about how governments shape people's lives," said Mrs. Zamarra. "For example, students met the challenge to visually represent democracy by incorporating sample ballots, creating grids of colorful beads, and using colors to indicate voting options." Check out more photos here on our facebook post: https://bit.ly/3TVT1Zd

Schools are buzzing with excitement as the first day back wraps up. This morning, Sheriff Quentin Miller and supervisors from the Buncombe County Sheriff’s Office (BCSO) made a special visit to a few Buncombe County schools. This is part of an ongoing effort to keep our schools safe. “During the summer, the Sheriff’s Office and Buncombe County Schools worked closely together to review and update our school security plans,” BCSO Public Information Officer Aaron Sarver. “We want to welcome our students back to school and ensure they have a safe place to learn and grow!”

Every student deserves to go into the school year looking their best, but with the bustle of getting ready for school as the summer ends, some parents may find a haircut as last on their to-do list. That’s why the Buncombe County Sheriff’s Office has teamed up with two cosmetology programs to offer area students sharp new haircuts going into the 2022-23 school year. Both cosmetology schools will offer haircuts on certain days of the week until school starts - Carolina Cosmetology School on Mondays and A-B Tech’s Cosmetology program on Thursdays. At the first event on Monday students got their hair cut and enjoyed games like corn-hole and a cook-out of burgers, hot dogs, chips, and Capri-Suns. “It’s a good way to bring the community together,” said Deputy Keenan Nesbitt, who offered up hot dogs and high-fives to students. “The students can meet different people who work with the sheriff's office. It’s something we prioritize- that community building.” Haircuts will be offered at Carolina Cosmetology School at 1302 Patton Ave. on August 22, and can be booked by calling (828) 253 -2875. A-B Tech’s haircuts will be offered on August 18 and 25 at the A-B Tech Main Campus Birch Building, 18 Student Circle, and can be booked by calling (828) 398-7670.

Free/Reduced Meal Applications for the new school year are available now! You may apply online >>> https://bit.ly/3QaVJHm This important program ensures all of our students have access to healthy lunches during the school day without accruing large cafeteria balances. This program is confidential and registration is easy! This year, children who qualify for this program will not be responsible for any of the cost of the lunch. This year, universal free lunch is no longer available at the majority of our schools as we continue with COVID recovery. Paper applications will be given out on the first day of school. Please take a few minutes to fill out a free and reduced meal application today, even if you aren’t sure if you will qualify. If you have questions or need assistance please call 828-255-5927. Please note that all schools will still serve breakfast to students at no cost next year!

Attention, Parents: If you have already moved or have plans to move this summer and will switch schools, please plan on enrolling your child in their new school as soon as possible! This includes those remaining in Buncombe County Schools and those leaving the area. Our schools have begun sending out important information for the new school year, and if you aren’t enrolled in the correct school, you’ll miss these messages. Not sure which is or will be your community school? Click buncombeschools.org/findmyschool to connect with your new Buncombe County School. We look forward to welcoming your child to school!

Choose AmazonSmile whenever you buy from Amazon, whether it is for your business or personal purchases, and you will be helping to donate to Buncombe County Schools Foundation. What is AmazonSmile? Launched in 2014, Amazon.com found a way to give back to charitable causes through the convenience of online shopping with Amazon Smile. This grant-giving foundation has donated $89 million dollars to more than 1 million nonprofit organizations since its inception. The AmazonSmile Foundation continues to be committed to helping nonprofits achieve their missions. AmazonSmile is a website operated by Amazon that lets customers enjoy the same wide selection of products, low prices, and convenient shopping features as on Amazon.com. The difference is that when you shop on AmazonSmile (smile.amazon.com), the AmazonSmile Foundation will donate .005% of the price of eligible purchases to our Foundation. There is no cost to us or to you to participate. The shopping experience is identical to Amazon.com with the added benefit that the AmazonSmile Foundation will donate to our Foundation. During the holidays (and all year long), when you shop at smile.amazon.com you can generate AmazonSmile donations for Buncombe County Schools Foundation. Here's how to shop AmazonSmile: 1. Visit smile.amazon.com 2. Sign in with your Amazon.com credentials 3. Choose a charitable organization to receive donations, or search for the charity of your choice- BUNCOMBE COUNTY SCHOOLS FOUNDATION INCORPORATED 4. Select your charity 4. Start shopping! 5. Add a bookmark for smile.amazon.com to make it even easier to return and start your shopping at AmazonSmile #BCS #WeAreBCS #BCSadvantage #the828 #828isGreat #WNC #AVLtoday #Asheville #AVL #AshevilleMoms #PublicSchoolProud #NCPublicSchools #EveryoneIsWelcome

Scheduling routine health check-ups and routine immunizations took a backseat during the pandemic. Now is the time to get back on track with routine care which includes being up-to-date on the vaccines. North Carolina's student immunization schedule includes vaccines such as polio and measles, mumps, rubella (MMR). Kindergarten, seventh, and twelfth graders require certain vaccines that can be found here>>> https://immunization.dph.ncdhhs.gov/schools/k-12.htm Make an appointment with your health care provider to get back on track today. Don’t have a health care provider? Buncombe County Health and Human Services can help. Visit buncombecounty.org/immunize for more information on their walk-in hours and appointment scheduling.

Now hiring substitute teachers. We need you and our students need you! As you know, here are a few of the many benefits of being a substitute: 🍎Increased Pay: Licensed sub pay = $145/day; Non-licensed sub pay = $120/day 🍎Flexible job placement 🍎Work as many or as few days as you'd like 🍎Safe and supportive school environment We value our substitutes. We know they have a heart of service and a desire to see students succeed. If you'd like to learn more about what jobs may be available, please visit: https://www.buncombeschools.org/substitute

As the Summer is heating up, so is the fun at our BCS camps. Enka High School’s Future Farmers of America (FFA) students and staff spent this week showing kids the importance of the program, and how farming plays a big role in our daily lives. Over 30 children from grades first through sixth attended the engaging camp that was filled with games and activities. Students learned about farm animals. And, students wrapped up the camp with an old fashioned water ball battle. There are several more CTE Summer Camps with a few spaces left this summer: Automotive Maintenance - Enka High School - Week 3: July 18-21 (grades 9-12) ESports & - TC Roberson High School - Week 3: July 18-21 (grades 6-12) 9:00AM - 3:00 PM Woodworking Fun - TC Roberson High School - Week 3: July 18-21 (grades 6-12) Fun with Robotics - Nesbitt Discovery Academy - Week 4: July 25-28 (grades 9-12) BCS CTE Leadership Camp - TC Roberson High School - Week 4: July 25-28 (grades 9-12) Woodworking Fun - TC Roberson High School - Week 4: July 25-28 (grades 6-12) You may sign up https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSf462Kh0oyVnob5_W5Ly9eP6TqV1GNB2L5oRyIyMB6lvAje9w/viewform

Is your child looking for an engaging and hands-on summer camp opportunity? There are several BCS CTE Summer Camps with a few spaces left this summer: Automotive Maintenance - Enka High School - Week 3: July 18-21 (grades 9-12) ESports & - TC Roberson High School - Week 3: July 18-21 (grades 6-12) 9:00AM - 3:00 PM Woodworking Fun - TC Roberson High School - Week 3: July 18-21 (grades 6-12) Fun with Robotics - Nesbitt Discovery Academy - Week 4: July 25-28 (grades 9-12) BCS CTE Leadership Camp - TC Roberson High School - Week 4: July 25-28 (grades 9-12) Woodworking Fun - TC Roberson High School - Week 4: July 25-28 (grades 6-12) You may sign up using this link: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSf462Kh0oyVnob5_W5Ly9eP6TqV1GNB2L5oRyIyMB6lvAje9w/viewform

Good afternoon, BCS Staff and Families: We’re pleased to announce several principal and central office leadership changes. Angie Trantham, currently the Assistant Principal at Estes Elementary, will be the principal of Johnston Elementary. Ms. Trantham, National Board Certified Teacher, has been the Assistant Principal at Estes Elementary since 2017. She’s worked in education for 26 years. Her first day is July 18. Kelly Owen, currently a teacher at Black Mountain Primary, will now be the Principal at the school. Ms. Owen has been an educator for 22 years, serving as a teacher, assistant principal, and principal. She’s previously served as a Principal in Hickory City and Rutherford County from July 2010 to 2019. Ms. Owen’s first day is July 18. At the Central Office, Jennifer Reed has been named the interim Assistant Superintendent. Ms. Reed is currently the Director of Elementary and Intermediate Education. Dr. Paula Pinkerton has been named the interim Director of Elementary and Intermediate Education. Dr. Pinkerton previously served as Principal at Estes Elementary. These interim positions begin on August 1. Congratulations and thank you for your service to the students and staff of Buncombe County Schools.