Homeroom

Students at Hilton Head Island Elementary School recently finished up work on their latest project, a rain harvesting sculpture that has been placed on the school's grounds.
The sculpture, which was crafted by students in an after-school arts program, will divert rainwater to a reservoir. The water can be used to care for plants.
The project was a result of collaboration with local artists and businesses. The goal was to promote conservation awareness through art instruction.

The Beaufort Jasper Academy for Career Excellence Board of Education will meet at 5:30 Thursday in the school's cafeteria. The agenda includes finance and personnel updates. Click here for the full agenda.

The Beaufort County School District Board of Education will meet at 5 p.m. today in the County Council chambers at the Beaufort County Government Center, 100 Ribaut Road.

Agenda items include a presentation of the Port Royal TIF and discussion of the Riverview student recruitment plan. The board is also slated to discuss budget priorities for the upcoming fiscal year and the S.C. Department of Education's request for a flexibility waiver from No Child Left Behind. Click here to view the full agenda.

The Enterprise Campus Authority of the Technical College of the Lowcountry will meet at 8 a.m. Tuesday in the MacLean Hall board room at the school's Beaufort campus on Ribaut Road.

The agenda is as follows:
1. Call to Order
2. Review of Formulation Plan Draft
3. Other Business
4. Adjournment

A new app from a Beaufort resident aims to get kids in the practice of writing.
“Pencils, Words & Kids” is based on eight years of writing projects with students in public schools and at ARTworks in Beaufort, the app’s creator Lisa Annelouise Rentz said in a news release. The app is available in the iTunes store for iPhones and iPads.
The app is based on the idea that learning to write takes practices; like weight-lifting, every repetition makes you stronger.

Looking to sharpen your kitchen skills? Three upcoming courses at the Technical College of the Lowcounty can help you.
Dessert 101 will be offered from 9:30 a.m. to noon Feb. 4. You will learn mixing methods and techniques used to prepare a variety of desserts with a healthy twist. Baking skills will also be covered. The class will teach tips for cutting calories and fat out of desserts. Sample recipes include a Oreo cream chocolate cake, chocolate soufflé, cherry clafoutis, peanut butter mosse, Kahlua flan and apple turnovers. The cost is $150.

The agenda for the Riverview Charter School board meeting Jan. 9 includes election of officers.

The Beaufort County School District board of education will meet for two full-day work sessions on Friday and Saturday at district offices, 2900 Mink Point Blvd. in Beaufort.

On Friday, the meeting begins at 9 a.m.

South Carolina schools’ Superintendent Mick Zais has drafted an application for opting out of the federal No Child Left Behind program.
Under his plan, South Carolina schools would earn letter grades based on their performance. High-performing schools could receive financial bonuses, and merit-based pay would be introduced for teachers, The Charleston Post and Courier reported Friday.

The Beaufort Jasper Academy for Career Excellence Board of Trustees will meet in a special conference call meeting at 10 a.m. Monday, Dec. 19.