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School Playgrounds Benefit from Bonds
 Some DPS elementary school students greeted more than new teachers and classmates when they arrived for the start of the 2005-06 school year. Students at 11 elementary schools are enjoying new playgrounds, courtesy of 2003 bonds approved by Durham voters.
[FULL STORY]
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Capturing Kids’ Hearts: Middle schools focus on building relationships
 Rigor, relevance and relationships were topics of discussion for much of the middle and high school reform work last year. These “three Rs” are so important that middle school educators will participate in extensive training this year in a program that is designed to build productive relationships between teachers and students.
Beginning in October, teams of middle school educators will be trained in the “Capturing Kids’ Hearts” philosophy. Program founder M.B. Flippen said, “If you have a child’s heart, you have his head.”
[FULL STORY]
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Superintendent's Message
 Durham Public Schools teachers, principals and additional staff members are dedicated to the academic success of your child. But key to ensuring that your children learn is to have them in school and on time each and every day.
It doesn’t take a doctorate in education to understand the fact that students who are in school every day get better grades, score better on standardized tests, and are more likely to go to college. That’s why the DPS Mind Your Future campaign underscores the importance of regular attendance to parents and the rest of the community. We ask that you help us in this effort.[FULL STORY]
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‘Mind Your Future’ encourages attendance
 If you’ve found it difficult to convince your children that skipping school is not a good thing, you now have some more backing. There is solid research that supports the long-held tenet that regular school attendance is essential in ensuring that children receive a high quality education.
The data suggests that students who are in school every day get better grades, score better on standardized tests, and are more likely to go to college. That’s why “Mind Your Future: Be in school on time every day” is the theme for DPS’s attendance effort, backed by local PACs (Partners Against Crime), the DPS PTA Council and community agencies.
[FULL STORY]
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DPS Child Nutrition Services
Eat Smart!
 Eating smarter is easier in Durham Public Schools’ cafeterias this year thanks to changes to what’s served and sold.
Whole grain breads, baked French fries, 1 percent and skim flavored and unflavored milk, reduced sugar cereal and other offerings are now standard fare in our schools.
Nadine Blake, executive director of DPS Child Nutrition Services, said these changes and more are all designed to encourage better nutritional habits by students.
[FULL STORY]
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Caution issued regarding vinyl lunch boxes
Some vinyl lunch boxes may contain high levels of lead. The Center for Environmental Health (CEH) recently announced lawsuits against makers and retailers of soft vinyl lunch boxes that can expose children to harmful levels of lead. For example, an Angela Anaconda box made by Targus International, tested at 56,400 parts per million (ppm) of lead, more than 90 times the 600 ppm legal limit for lead in paint in children’s products.
Rhonda Sherman, DPS parent and faculty member of the Department of Biological and Agricultural Engineering at North Carolina State University, tested and found lead in her children’s lunch boxes after reading of the national report. Sherman wants DPS parents to be aware of this concern.
[FULL STORY]
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