DPS providing meals

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Durham Public Schools announces that the popular summertime No Kid Hungry NC program will be reopened to provide meals for young people during the COVID-19 crisis. Sixty-seven venues have been chosen, where students up to age 18 can pick up instructional materials, a bag lunch, and bag snack. Homeschooled and religious and other specialty schools are eligible for this program and can also pick up instructional materials when they announce their grade levels when receiving their meals. You can text “FOODNC” to 877877 and receive a message listing the closest location (or simply see the list below). This program is funded by the US Department of Agriculture (USDA).

Here are the “Grab and Go” school sites, where students can pick up instructional materials, bagged meals (lunch and a snack) from 11am to noon:

Bethesda Elementary • RN Harris Elementary • Parkwood Elementary • Shepard Middle • Hillside High • Githens Middle • Southwest Elementary • Lakewood Middle • Eno Valley Elementary • Eastway Elementary • Glenn Elementary • Sandy Ridge Elementary • Hillandale Elementary • Brogden Middle • Club Blvd Elementary • Southern High • YE Smith Elementary.

And here are the mobile sites where students can pick up bagged meals (lunch and a snack) from special designated school buses from 11am to noon (unless otherwise noted):

McDougald Terrace Apartments (DHA) • TA Grady Recreation Center • Falls Pointe Apartments • Forest Glen Apartments • Greens of Pine Glen Apartments • Lyon Park Recreation Center • Hillside Park (behind WD Hill Recreation Center) • Cornwallis Road Apartments (DHA) • Colonial Apartments • Oak Creek Village Apartments • The Mews Apartments • South Point Apartments • South Square Townhomes • Durham Rescue Mission • KIPP Charter School • Maureen Joy Charter School • Global Scholars Academy • Holton Career & Resource Center • Juniper Square Apartments (noon–12:45pm) • Liberty Street Apartments (DHA) • Club Blvd (DHA) • Oxford Manor (DHA) • Seven Oaks Townhomes • Edgemont Elms • Duke Manor Apartments • Morreene Road/Demar Court (DHA) • Holly Hill Apartments • Magnolia Pointe Apartments • Independence Park Apartments • Meriwether Place Apartments • Strawberry Hills • Foxfire Apartments • Marquis Garden Apartments • Morreene West Apartments • Cambridge Village • Oakley Square Apartments • East Durham Recreation Center (11–11:45am) • Geer Street/Midland Terrace • Bentwood Apartments • Naples Terrace Apartments • Pine Crest Apartments • Rochelle Manor • Birchwood Heights Rec Association • Hoover Road (DHA) • Fox Ridge Apartments (11–11:45am) • Mission Triangle Point Apartments (noon–12:45pm) • Springwood Park Apartments (11–11:45am) • Lynn Haven Apartments (noon–12:45pm) • Whispering Pines Mobile Home (noon–12:45pm) • Mineral Springs Village (11–11:45am).

Health-education workshops for teens

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​The Community Health Coalition announces a new workshop series, The ABCs to Healthy Living from Your, the Youths’, Point of View, for young people ages 12 to 18. This free workshop series will run for eight sessions on Tuesdays, 4:15–6pm, at North Carolina Central University’s Wellness Clinic (500 Nelson St, in the Miller Morgan Building) from January 21 to March 10. Participants are invited to learn how drinking and vaping can adversely affect their health. Snacks will be provided, and each participant will receive a camera and $25 at the end of the program. Call 919-470-8680 for more info and to register.

DPS Text-a-Tip

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Students (and sometimes even their parents) often feel that reporting bullying and drugs/weapons possession at school can put themselves at risk. Durham Public Schools has started its Text-a-Tip program, which simplifies the process and makes it totally anonymous. You have two choices:
  1. Go to tipsubmit,com and then type in Durham Public Schools under “Choose agency.” Click on Next in the lower right-hand corner; you’ll see the “Confidential tip disclaimer.” Click on Agree in the lower right-hand corner, and you’ll end up on the page where you can fill out an “Incident report” (type of incident, time, location, and details. You can even add photos or video footage.) Then, under “Follow-up,” you can add your contact information, or you can choose to leave it blank.
  2. Or you can decide to use text. Text your tip to 274637 (they suggest adding this number to your contact list). Be sure to start your message with DPSTIP so it will be routed to the right person quickly. Your phone number and any identifying information will be kept confidential.

DPS employment opportunities

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Click here to see the list of full- and part-time jobs at Durham Public Schools. This list is up to date, so if you’re looking for work, check back periodically.

Free tutoring program

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First Calvary Baptist Church and the West End Community Foundation’s free Project FINE Tutorial Program is underway and ready to help students (kindergarten through college) with one-to-one tutoring and remediation assistance. Snacks will be provided. Study sessions will be held 10am to noon at the Lyon Park Recreation Center (1309 Halley St) on Saturdays, January 11, 18, 25, and February 1. Contact Elnora Shields at 919-688-7833 or elnorashields@aol.com, or DeWarren Langley at 919-937-2115 or dewarrenklangley@outlook.com to set up your child’s study session.

Edu-informational podcast 

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Get loads of information on various school-related topics by listening to the Center for Family Engagement’s podcast, “Notes from the Backpack.” Click here for more info and to see a list of podcasts to choose from.

Free college-level courses

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Keep your skills sharp and have fun learning new things over your summer vacation. edX is an online source for finding classes offered by renowned colleges and universities from around the world that you can take for free. Some courses start on specific dates and others are totally self-paced. Most require that you dedicate a few hours per week to the course, and although work is involved, you don’t have to worry about finals and term papers. Here are some upcoming courses; click here to explore the site and look for classes on subjects you’re interested in.
  • Computer Science 101—Explore and play with short phrases of code to understand what computers are all about.. [6-week self-paced course offered by Stanford University starts Friday, February 28; click here for more info and to sign up.] ​
  • How to Write an Essay—An introduction to academic writing for English Language Learners can get an introduction on essay development, including correct grammar and self-editing.. [5-week self-paced course offered by Berkeley University of California; start at your convenience; click here for more info and to sign up.]
  • Academic and Business Writing--English Language Learners can get an introduction to academic and business writing with a focus on grammar, vocabulary, structure, editing, and publication. [6-week self-paced course offered by Berkeley University of California; start at your convenience; click here for more info and to sign up.]
  • Strengthening Community Health Worker Programs​—Learn how to deliver high-quality primary health care at scale through national community health worker programs. [6-week self-paced course offered by Harvard University; start at your convenience; click here for more info and to sign up.]
  • Making Sense of Climate Science Denial—Learn how to make sense of the science and to respond to climate change denial. [7-week self-paced course offered by the University of Queensland (Australia); start at your convenience; click here for more info and to sign up.]

Arabic classes for k–6

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Arabic Classes are being offered on Saturdays from 6 to 7:30pm at Jamaat Ibad Ar-Rahman’s Fayetteville St masjid (3034 Fayetteville St). These classes are for young people from kindergarten through 6th grade. Call 919-394-7336 or write to administrator@ibadarrahman.org for more info.