nocadmin – Page 12

NOC Celebrates a Successful 2015 After-School Fall Session

December 21, 2015 By nocadmin

Last week, there was much excitement at NOC’s six Learning Centers ( 2 in HHI, 2 in Bluffton, and 2 in downtown Beaufort) as more than 280 children successfully completed the After-School Fall Session. The children radiated an air of confidence because they knew that they had accomplished their goals. They came to the Learning Centers regularly to complete their homework and spend time on laptops connected to school-approved internet learning software, mastering skills in math, reading, and English language, while receiving support from teachers from their schools and friendly volunteers. The Leaning Centers have become a safe learning environment for the children, who can walk to the centers without having to worry about transportation. They regularly receive healthy snacks provided at the centers. The children are challenged by NOC’s incentive programs that recognize them for academic performance, attendance, and personal behavior.

Parents, guardians, and friends were proud to see the children celebrate the end of a successful session as they received certificates of achievement and report cards. The celebration was extra special with outside visitors, including principals, teachers, NOC staff, and Board members in attendance. Lastly, special treats and gifts provided by many supporters of the program gave the children reason to be happy and excited. They knew that people in the community care about them and want them to be successful.

The children are already looking forward to the winter/spring session, which will begin in early January 2016.

NOC Chairman Addresses BSCD

December 3, 2015 By nocadmin

Speaking at the annual BSCD State of the Schools meeting, Dr. Narendra P. Sharma discussed the NOC business model, focusing on outreach, results, and impact in the broader context of poverty and the significant “achievement gap” in Beaufort County. He emphasized the importance of public/private partnerships in educating children and providing after school learning opportunities and technology within the neighborhood to the more than 4000 high-risk students who come from poverty backgrounds and low-income households. He noted that NOC is making a difference by helping children develop learning skills in math, reading, and language arts at a low cost.

Click on the link below for Dr. Sharma’s complete Power Point presentation:

BCSD presentation, October 23, 2015

Marsh Pointe Celebrates Opening of New Learning Center

November 16, 2015 By nocadmin

On a crisp Saturday morning (November 14, 2015), parents, children, friends, and supporters strolled to NOC’s Marsh Pointe Learning Center. This was a special day for the community and nothing would stop the children from participating. The atmosphere was festive.

Every day, more than 25 children come to this Learning Center, which operates outside regular school hours afternoons, weekends, and summer. NOC’s model of innovative partnership brings the school’s learning platform, curriculum, teachers, and technology, together with volunteers to improve children’s achievement, attendance, and behavior, and parent and family engagement. Children receive healthy snacks and juice as a component of this learning program. Incentives and regular consultations with parents and guardians are new features to improve academic performance.

Speeches were made by several leaders (Narendra P. Sharma, Founder & Chair, NOC; Jeffrey Moss, BSCD Superintendent; Bill Evans, Community Leader; Angela Childers, Director, Beaufort County Housing Authority; and Alice Howard, Councilwoman). Mayor Billy Keyserling led the ribbon cutting ceremony. He remarked that the children and parents ultimately will be the winners. Bill Evans noted that “the most essential and enduring piece of the NOC Model is the use of technology and local teachers who come into the child’s community to work with them.” Angela Childers said that she and her staff are already seeing evidence of the positive impact of NOC’s program on learning and behavior. Alice Howard remarked that we need to create similar opportunities for other children who come from a poverty background. Narendra Sharma concluded that the future of our country depends on how we invest in our children and how we prepare them to meet the challenges of the 21^st Century.

Neighborhood Health Screenings

October 25, 2015 By nocadmin

In the past several weeks, NOC together with its partners – Beaufort Memorial Hospital, VIM, and DEHEC – completed health screenings at Simmons Cay in Bluffton and at Cordillo and the Oaks in Hilton Head Island. About 150 adults were screened for hypertension, diabetes, breast cancer for women, prostate cancer for men, and HIVAIDS. In all of these neighborhoods, poverty is widespread and a majority of the families do not have health insurance or access to affordable health care.

NOC’s health screenings — working in conjunction with the Lions Club, Ronald McDonald, and local volunteers with health care expertise and experience – have benefited more than 1,500 people over the past seven years. NOC plans to hold additional health screenings in 2015 at Parkview and Marsh Pointe Apartments in downtown Beaufort. People in these neighborhoods appreciate the convenience and ease of these screenings. Scheduling screenings between 5 p.m. and 7 p.m. allows many workers to participate. Also, having these screenings in their neighborhoods enables women to take advantage of this essential service.

Beaufort Initiative Enjoying Great Success

September 15, 2015 By nocadmin

In May 2015, NOC opened two new Learning Centers North of the Broad in Beaufort. Following a very successful Virtual Summer Learning Program, both centers are now in full swing, bringing education support to children living in the Marsh Pointe and Parkview Apartment complexes.