October Content
- Vance County Schools Celebrates Garden Champions
- Annual NC School Nurse Conference: Registration is Open
- Partner Spotlight: PORCH
- NC Safe Routes to School Grant Opportunity
- Regional Training for School Social Workers
- The Crucial Role of Recess: Policy Statement
- WSCC Learning Collaborative Launches Cohort 5
- Save the Date: Better Together: School Mental Health Summit
- October / November Health Observances
 Vance County Schools Celebrates Garden Champions
Vance County Schools kicked off a new season of school gardening with its first annual Garden Champion Party, bringing together students, staff, and community partners to celebrate the people helping school gardens thrive across the district.
In partnership with the Poe Center for Health Education and Vance County Cooperative Extension, participants enjoyed hands-on activities including garden rock painting, nutrition activities, and healthy snacks while recognizing student and staff Garden Champions.
The celebration also highlighted how school gardens can support nutrition education, outdoor learning, and student engagement as schools prepare for another year of growing and learning. The well-attended event reflects Vance County Schools’ continued work to strengthen healthy school environments through meaningful school-community partnerships.
 Annual NC School Nurse Conference: Registration is Open!
Registration is open for the 41st annual North Carolina School Nurse Conference, December 10-11, 2026, at the Koury Convention Center in Greensboro, N.C. More information can be located on the Annual North Carolina School Nurse Conference website.
PORCH Communities: Fighting Hunger One Neighborhood at a Time
PORCH Communities exists to combat hunger and food insecurity through the simple power of neighbors helping neighbors. Each month, more than 2,000 volunteers collect non-perishable food from neighborhood porches and deliver it to nearby pantries, schools, and community organizations. The result is a steady, reliable stream of food donations that helps families put meals on the table while honoring the unique needs of each community they serve.
Jordan Cole, Business Development Coordinator with PORCH Communities, shared on in a partner meeting affiliated with the CDC Cooperative Agreement, Improving Student Health, recently, and the business model, volunteer coordination efforts, and community engagement were impressive to all!
Learn more and sign up at: About | PORCH Communities
PORCH for Schools | PORCH Communities
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NC Safe Routes to School: Planning and Programming Grants Open October 5th
The NCDOT Integrated Mobility Division is pleased to announce that the next round of Safe Routes to School (SRTS) funding is open and accepting new project proposals beginning Monday, October 5. The application period will be open for five weeks and closes on Friday, November 6 at 11:59pm.
Safe Routes to School Planning and Programming Grants (formerly called non-infrastructure grants), support local and regional efforts to conduct Safe Routes to School-related planning and implement programs and activities that focus on creating safe opportunities for students to learn how to safety walk, bike and roll to school and in their communities.
The grant cycle will have a period of performance of 18 months, beginning on January 1, 2027, and ending on June 30, 2028. This will cover half of FY 27 and all of FY 28. Funded project proposals will cost between $25,000 and $300,000 each. Projects are funded on a cost-reimbursement basis and successful applicants must provide 20 percent matching funds towards the total cost of the project.
The application link and application guidance are posted on the Safe Routes to School NCDOT Connect website at https://connect.ncdot.gov/projects/BikePed/Pages/saferoutestoschool.aspx.
An informational webinar will be held on Wednesday, October 7 at 3pm. The webinar will also be recorded and posted on the website. Register for the webinar here.
Applicants will be notified of the status of their applications in December.
Regional Training for School Social Workers
Piedmont-Triad Region
October 20th | 9:00-4:00
This regional training series equips school social workers with the latest updates, critical response strategies, and practical tools needed to navigate today’s complex student needs. Participants will engage in learning focused on DPI guidance, effective crisis response, and identifying and addressing human trafficking. The day is designed to strengthen readiness, confidence, and impact in real-world situations. Professional development contact hours will be provided by NCDPI.
Presented by NC DPI (Pachovia Lovett) and the NC Human Trafficking Commission. Registration is required.
The Crucial Role of Recess in School: Policy Statement
This revision serves as an update of the 2013 policy statement, ”The Crucial Role of Recess.” It reemphasizes the crucial role of recess in child and adolescent development, citing research in the neurophysiology of learning, adolescent health, social-emotional development, executive skills, and the role of peer engagement and play for well-being. Recess represents a temporary suspension of academic cognitive effort helping to maintain efficiency, concentration, and morale. Breaks offer an opportunity for students to manage stress and promote prosocial development, a universal benefit for all ages. Recess positively impacts the teaching-learning environment and children’s mental health. Pediatricians are natural allies with parents, students, school nurses, and school staff for the promotion and protection of regular breaks from the demands of concentrated classroom instruction.
This policy statement reaffirms the central conclusion of the American Academy of Pediatrics in its 2013 iteration: “Recess is a necessary break in the day for optimizing a child’s social, emotional, physical, and cognitive development. In essence, recess should be considered a child’s personal time, and it should not be withheld for academic or punitive reasons.” Attention must be paid to location and design of play spaces and to training for staff that encourages equity and inclusion. School and district policies should emphasize the crucial role of recess breaks for the whole child and protect the time allocated for recess to ensure all students’ right to a safe, quality recess experience every day.
https://publications.aap.org/pediatrics/article/157/6/e2026077025/207527/The-Crucial-Role-of-Recess-in-School-Policy
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WSCC Learning Collaborative Launches Cohort 5
The WSCC Emotional Well-Being Learning Collaborative launched Cohort 5, bringing together teams from Iredell-Statesville Schools, Bertie County Schools, Warren County Schools, Newton-Conover City Schools, Pitt County Schools, Iredell-Stateville Schools, Gaston County/ Dreamcenter Academy and Pitt County Schools/United Way alongside state partners, NC DPI Healthy Schools, NC DHHS, NC Center for Afterschool Programming, Center for Supportive Schools, Poe Center for Health Education, 21st Century Community Schools, ECU School Health Training Center and the Center for Human Skills. Additionally, national partners include the Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning, CASEL, and the National Center for School Mental Health (NCSMH) at the University of Maryland.
The collaborative creates a shared learning space where district teams can build on existing strengths, identify opportunities for growth, and learn from one another. CASEL, NCSMH, and state partners support the cohort with expertise, resources, and guidance to help districts translate learning into local practice. Together, the partners are building relationships and capacity to support more coordinated, sustainable approaches to student well-being across North Carolina.
 SAVE THE DATE!
Better Together: School Mental Health Summit
Exciting new opportunity from the Healthy Schools section at NCDPI
December 8-9, 2026
Save the date for December 8-9 for 2 full days of professional development exclusively for school counselors, school social workers, school psychologists, school-based mental health clinicians, and their supervisors and directors. All of these positions will be invited to register soon. This event will be held in Concord, NC.
Make plans now to attend and stay tuned for more information.
October / November Health Observances Include:
- October 4th - 10th is National Mental Illness Awareness Week
- October 21st is Unity Day
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October 21st - 25th is National Health Education Week
- October is Bullying Prevention Month
- October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month
- October is Health Literacy Month
- October is Domestic Violence Awareness Month
- October is American Diabetes Month
- October is National Farm to School Month
- October is Lung Cancer Awareness Month
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- November is American Indian and Alaska Native Heritage Month
- November is National Homeless Youth Awareness Month
- November is National Diabetes Month
- November is Healthy Skin Month
- November is Lung Cancer Awareness Month
- November 19th is the Great American Smokeout
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