Chapel Hill High School social studies teacher Holly Loranger of Chapel Hill High School was named this week's Teacher of the Week on WRAL television.  View the video feature:

Several students from CHCCS high schools were named to All-District and All-Region Bands.

Chloe Deshusses, flute, was named to the All-District Band.  Ray Damron and Justin Morrell were named to the Central Region Jazz Ensemble.  Their director is Frank Jones.

Students from Chapel Hill High are:  Adam Wang, clarinet; Lewis Holder, clarinet; Michael Huang, clarinet; Zack Farley, clarinet; Eric Jiang, trumpet; Anna Baynes, flute; and Abby Muller, oboe.  Adam Wang and Eric Jiang also were named to the All-Region Orchestra.  John Carmichael is their director.

Students from East Chapel Hill High are:  Tianyi Wang, clarinet; Tiffany Ho, clarinet; Grace Gelpi, alto saxophone; Koya Osada, flute; Vishwas Rao, flute; Anna Quercia-Thomas, clarinet; Yize Dong, timpani; Blaise Whitesell, French horn; Corentin LeHir de Fallois, clarinet; Amos Pomp, trombone; and Alex Young, trombone.  Ryan Ellefsen is their director.

During Global Connections week in November, the Spanish classes at Smith hosted a bracelet sale to benefit the Pulsera Project, a non-profit organization that helps develop the creative talents of street children in Nicaragua. 

The organization works specifically with children who live in a shelter called Los Quinchos, as well as with former shelter residents who have aged out and have formed an artisans cooperative.  The children and young adults make woven bracelets by hand; no two are exactly the same. 

The bracelets (pulseras) were a total hit!  During the course of the week, the students sold 373 pulseras and raised $1,865 for the Pulsera Project.  According to the letter of thanks Smith Middle received in December from the co-founder of the Pulsera Project, their sale was one of the most successful sales the organization has ever seen. 

The money the students raised will go toward the Pulsera Project's educational and community initiatives.  In fact, it's enough to send a member of the artisan cooperative to college for three years, an opportunity that none of these former street children had ever thought possible.

Guidance counselors will soon begin the process of distributing course books and registering students for classes for the 2012-2013 academic year.

Registration for rising sixth graders will be held February 6-10.

Registration for rising seventh and eighth graders and rising tenth through twelfth graders will be held February 6-24.

Registration for rising ninth graders will be held February 27-March 2.

District schools often host special parent nights to provide additional information about this process.  Chapel Hill High will hold its registration and AP night on February 23.  East Chapel Hill High will host a tenth through twelfth grade parent night on February 21.  East will host a second parent night for rising freshmen on February 27.  CHS will host Registration Night on March 5 from 6:30 to 8pm.

The course books reflect the curriculum changes that accompany the state's implementation of the Common Core State Standards and NC Essential Standards.

View the registration course book for middle school students

View the registration course book for high school students

The PTA Council and McDougle Elementary's PTA were each awarded $1,000 grants to support family engagement activities.

The activities will be held in conjunction with the seventh annual PTA Take Your Family School Week February 12-18.

The grant recieved by the PTA Council will support the districtwide Parent University project currently being conducted by the Blue Ribbon Mentor-Advocate (BRMA) program under the aupices of the Community Action Committee for the Success of All Students (CACSAS).

Learn more about Take Your Family to School Week at www.pta.org/take_your_family_to_school.asp