PSRC Monthly Newsletter

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Click here to read highlights from the February 13, 2024 meeting of the PSRC Board of Education.

PSRC Board of Education members approved the 2024-2025 academic calendars during the Feb. 13, 2024 board meeting at PSRC Central Office, located at 100 Hargrave St. in Lumberton.

Click here to view the calendars.

On Thursday, March 7, 2024, PSRC will host its annual Title 1 Planning and Evaluation Meeting.

This meeting aims to provide parents, guardians, caring adults, and community stakeholders with an overview of how Title 1 is implemented in Robeson County.

Please use the link below to register for the meeting: https://forms.gle/LEvnSSNhhmEfVdvJ9

For additional information, contact Family Engagement Specialist Brendalyn Thompson at brendalyn.thompson@robeson.k12.nc.us or by calling 910-671-6000 ext. 3560.

The PSRC Association of Educational Office Professionals' annual golf tournament is March 29 at Pinecrest Country Club. Registration opens at 7:30 a.m. and the tournament begins at 9 a.m. Register by March 18 to secure your spot! The cost is $70 per golfer or $280 per team. Snacks, beverages and lunch are included.

To register, please send a completed Registration/Sponsorship Form and any donations by mail to: Deep Branch Elementary Attn: Rosa L. Locklear at 4045 Deep Branch Rd in Lumberton, NC 28360.

All proceeds will go towards scholarships for PSRC seniors.

Donors also are needed. Donors can become a Hole Sponsor for $100.

For more information, contact PSRCAEOP Special Projects Chair Rosa Locklear at 910-738-2514.

Applications for Title I Pre-K for the 2024-2025 school year are now being accepted. Applications can be picked up from your school of choice during the regular school day and should be returned no later than April 8, 2024.

Se están aceptando solicitudes para Pre-K del Título I para el año escolar 2024-2025. Las solicitudes se pueden recoger en la escuela de su elección durante el día escolar regular y deben devolverse a más tardar el 8 de abril de 2024.

PEMBROKE — Three scholarships have been established by Elliott Lowry and Anya Lowry Oxendine on behalf of their parents Craig and Elaine Lowry and grandparents Adna and Letha Mae Lowry and Alex and Lillie Strickland.

The three $1,000 scholarships were established at the University of North Carolina at Pembroke by the children of Public Schools of Robeson County Board of Education Member Craig Lowry to help students pursue careers in education.

Read more here.

HIGH POINT — The North Carolina School Public Relations Association (NCSPRA) has honored the Public Schools of Robeson County for excellence in communications.

PSRC earned a total of seven Blue Ribbon Awards for outstanding and effective communication. NCSPRA presented the awards during a special ceremony held in High Point, NC on February 9, 2024.

PSRC received a Gold Award in Marketing, five Silver Awards in Excellence in Writing and a Bronze Award in Electronic Media from the North Carolina School Public Relations Association’s Blue Ribbon Awards Ceremony. PSRC Chief Communications Officer Jessica Sealey received the awards during the ceremony.

“I am thrilled that the Public Schools of Robeson County has received Blue Ribbon Awards for communication excellence this year,” said PSRC Chief Communications Officer Jessica Sealey.

“We continue our work to enhance internal and external communications and to share about the success of our students and staff members. I am committed to the work and grateful for the opportunity to continue sharing the story of the Public Schools of Robeson County,” she added.

Read more here.

The Public Schools of Robeson County has been awarded a grant to enhance robotics across the district.

The $74,955 Afterschool Robotics Competitive Grant will be used for robotics team registrations, teacher coaching stipends, travel expenses to regional and state competitions, and robotics equipment. The funding comes from a legislative grant that uses ESSER III (Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief) funding. Funds must be spent by Sept. 30, 2024.

“The Public Schools of Robeson County continues its commitment to providing our students with opportunities to think critically, solve complex problems and foster a lifelong love of learning. Robotics certainly provides those opportunities for our students and this grant is one way we hope to strengthen the program,” said PSRC Superintendent Dr. Freddie Williamson.

PSRC Science Supervisor Susan Miller-Hendrix said the grant will allow the district to “remove barriers” that might keep schools and robotics teams from participating in events such as events held at the regional and state levels, she said.

Read more here.

A new analysis of North Carolina 2022-23 test results shared in the Year-Over-Year State Analysis Report indicates clear signs of continued academic recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic for students in the Public Schools of Robeson County and across the state.

The 2023 Year-Over-Year State Analysis Report, released recently, indicates further progress towards recovery and also affirms that PSRC and North Carolina students are steadily continuing to recover from the pandemic, with gains virtually across all grades and subjects. In most areas, PSRC is recovering at a faster pace than the state.

The 2023 Year-Over-Year State Analysis Report is part of an effort by State Superintendent Catherine Truitt and the Office of Learning Recovery to measure the pandemic’s impact on student learning for North Carolina students in grades 3-12.

Read more here.

Four local students have been selected to participate in the NC Teaching Fellows Program.

St. Pauls High School senior Junior Torres Diaz, Purnell Swett High School senior Harmony Brooks and Lumberton High School seniors Kenleigh Freeman and Haley Lewter are among 130 individuals to receive North Carolina Teaching Fellows awards for the Class of 2024 during its early-decision window.

The Teaching Fellows Program is a competitive, merit-based forgivable loan program providing tuition assistance of up to $10,000 per year for qualified students committed to teaching elementary education, special education, science, technology, engineering, or math in a North Carolina public school. The purpose of the program is to recruit, prepare and support future teachers who attend institutions of higher education in North Carolina.

Read more here.

Lumberton, NC – This summer, Aleah Kerns from Lumberton, NC will join outstanding students from across the nation to take part in a unique academic and career oriented development experience, National Youth Leadership Forum: Explore STEM, taking place this summer on the campus of Campbell University.

National Youth Leadership Forum: Explore STEM is one of the Envision by WorldStrides family of programs (www.envisionexperience.com) that enable students to explore their interests and experience learning beyond the classroom.

Read more here.

Lumberton FFA students hosted a Silos Sign Dedication Ceremony on Feb. 19 at the Dr. Raymond B. Pennington Athletic Complex.

The sign at the silos honors the legacy of Dr. Horace M. Baker and his family. The silos represent the history of the Baker Sanitorium and Dr. Baker Sr.’s dairy farm.

“We are the Lumberton FFA Chapter and we are so excited to have you all here to celebrate National FFA Week and to be part of the unveiling of the sign we have made to preserve the silos and remind our community of the importance of agriculture,” said Allie Hendren, 2023-2024 Lumberton FFA Chapter President.

Read more here.

RALEIGH – A Littlefield Middle School student is among 15 outstanding North Carolina 7th graders who have been named as recipients of the Victor E. Bell, Jr. Scholarship. Each Bell Scholar is eligible to receive up to $20,000 for higher education expenses.

Rheya Jamya Lane, who attends Littlefield Middle School, is among recipients announced recently by College Foundation.

Lane shared words of excitement for her selection as a recipient.

“Having the opportunity to achieve this scholarship makes me very excited and happy. I'm glad I was able to be one of the recipients,” Lane said.

“This scholarship will allow me to further my education career and pursue my dreams while leading me to become successful in life. It also makes me very proud of myself and I appreciate the award,” Lane added.

Read more here.

LUMBERTON — A class from Littlefield Middle School is one of forty classrooms across the nation to earn the Literacy Bowl MVP Classroom Title from Imagine Learning.

Samantha Odom’s class was one of the classrooms chosen from more than 200,000+ eligible classrooms across the country. Odom is a long-term substitute teacher for a fifth-grade class at LMS.

Odom’s ELA class earned the recognition for averaging 240+ minutes during the month-long contest.

“They (the class) will celebrate this win with a $50 e-gift card award to a pizza restaurant,” said Lisa Wise, Customer Engagement Manager at Imagine Learning.

Read more here.

LUMBERTON — The Public Schools of Robeson County’s Digital Teaching and Learning Instructional Technology Facilitator has been selected to participate in the 2024 cohort of the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction’s Artificial Intelligence Collaborative.

PSRC Digital Teaching and Learning Instructional Technology Facilitator Lisa Thoman will participate in the cohort from February 28 - June 20, 2024.

“The NC AI Collaborative was developed to meet the tremendous need that educators have for guidance as they adapt to the widespread availability of generative AI,” said Vera Cubero, Western Region Digital Teaching and Learning Consultant with NCDPI’s Office of Digital Learning and School Connectivity.

Read more here.

RALEIGH — A Public Schools of Robeson County Career and Technical Education Coordinator was among educators honored recently by NC Gov. Roy Cooper in a ceremony honoring African American educators during Black History Month.

PSRC CTE Coordinator Demetria “Dee” Grissett was among multiple educators honored on February 21, 2024 at the ceremony held at the NC Executive Mansion.

“I was truly humbled to be recognized for the work I do. Education has been my platform for over twenty-five years. It was even more humbling to be recognized during Black History Month and be among so many ‘super’ educators,” she said.

Read more here.