School Partnership Mission
Mission
The task of the School Partnership Mission team is to maintain an open and supportive relationship with our local schools. We partner with Dr. WT Griggs Elementary School in Poplar Branch. We are a visible presence and support to staff, students and their families.
Purpose
The School Partnership was started around 2012 when we read a report that the state superintendent of schools was trying to get the Give Five-Read Five program started. We thought that this would be a great project for our church to get involved with as we wanted to encourage students to read over the summer. The idea was presented to our Pastor (Renee Edwards) and she encouraged us to get it started. We started with a collection of books based on Beverly Cleary and asked for book donations or funds from our congregation to buy the books. Our goal was 100 books which we met the second year of our partnership. We also read with the students at Dr. WT Griggs Elementary School. Along with the books, we collected school supplies and needed items for the students. We soon created a team of volunteers to help with things for the staff as well as the students at Dr. WT Griggs Elementary School and at Jarvisburg Elementary School such as providing staff luncheons, recognition of excellence, tokens of appreciation, etc. Soon Mt. Zion UMC joined our team to shadow us and then to become the connection for Jarvisburg Elementary School. Today Sharon UMC and Mt. Zion UMC meet to plan events and activities that we do for the schools as Sharon UMC partners with Dr. WT Griggs Elementary School and Mt. Zion partners with Jarvisburg Elementary School.
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Each year we celebrate our students and staff with various welcome back to school activities such as collecting school supplies, providing a teacher luncheon, and delivering baskets of goodies. We are so thankful for our SUMC educators and give them a small gift of appreciation on Educator Sunday and thank them for all they do for our church and community. Prior to the start of school our congregation donates backpacks filled with school supplies for children at Dr. WT Griggs Elementary School so they will have a great start to a new year. We have a blessing of the backpacks and they are prayed over and blessed and delivered just in time for the start of school. We wrapped up our year by presenting a video recap of the year’s missions to our congregation in celebration of One School, One Book featuring the book read throughout the school.
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Throughout the year we show our support for our school educators by taking them special treats and goodies to say “We are Thankful for our Educators.” In the Fall we collect gloves, mittens, hats, toboggans, scarves, socks, undies and school supplies from the congregation then deliver them to the school for distribution to the students. We provide needed supplies to send home with the children so they will have them to complete their homework by supplying “Homework Bags.” It is a joy to pass on the message of Christmas with our “Christmas Card” ministry and to celebrate Jesus with the school staff. We think our school staff is “souper” and provide homemade soup and desserts to warm them up on a cold day with our “Soup Luncheon.”
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Ladies from our church volunteered to read to the students during Read Across America and were truly blessed by this mission. We were able to lead in math games and get to know students and families at our family math afternoon. It is wonderful to recognize our dedicated staff with a special recognition gift to say thank you for your achievements and hard work. We recognized the cafeteria staff, custodians, office staff, bus drivers, counselor, teacher and teacher assistant of the year. At the end of the school year we prepare desserts or baskets of treats to send the staff off for the summer, for a much deserved break, with a message that We Won’t “Dessert” You and that we will see you again in the coming school year. In the summer we continue the Currituck 4-H Backpacks for Kids, a program initiated by Currituck Extension’s 4-H program. We provide food bags to families once a week throughout the summer during our "Summer Meals Ministry."
Read more at: https://currituck.ces.ncsu.edu/2016/09/currituck-4-h-backpacks-for-kids/
School Partnership Mission Team Members
Anita Cotton, Chair Jeanne Murray
Iris Meekins Mary Simmons
Joyce Jagucki Rev. Toni Wood
