Weekly Update

Happy Friday, OCS families! As a reminder, OCS will be closed for students and staff on Wednesday, November 11, in observance of the Veterans Day holiday.

We hope you enjoy the midweek day off and encourage you to take time in the coming days to reflect on the significance of Veterans Day and appreciate the sacrifices made by those who have served our nation in the armed forces.

Dixon Middle School held its annual Career Day on Wednesday with more than 60 presenters participating and sharing with students the future job opportunities available to them.

Dixon Middle has been doing an annual Career Day for the last eight years. The school invites community presenters to register, and students then make selections from those signed up. Each student participated in three sessions, with the day culminating in several career development activities.

There were 41 total sessions with more than 60 presenters that included Dixon alumni, parents, local businesses and even current students who shared internship experiences.

We can't wait to see what our middle schoolers took away from Career Day and hope they were inspired for the future!

Opioid use and addiction can affect individuals, families and communities in many ways, but funding from legal settlements related to the opioid crisis provides an opportunity for communities to address these challenges and strengthen local support.

Onslow County is developing a long-range plan for how these funds can best serve our community, and your voice can help make a difference!

Onslow County Schools is helping spread the word about the Onslow County Community Insights Survey, which invites adults who live, work or serve in Onslow County to share their perspectives on substance use, prevention, treatment, recovery, and the services and supports that could help make a difference.

The survey is anonymous, and community feedback will help the county identify local needs and establish priorities for the future.

Take a few minutes to share your thoughts and help shape a stronger, healthier community for everyone!

The nomination window for Operation Homefront's Military Child of the Year Award is open through Dec. 1, and Onslow County Schools students took home the title the last two years in a row!

Military children demonstrate strength, resilience and leadership beyond their years, and the Military Child of the Year Award honors these young people who have made a meaningful impact on their families, schools and communities.

A recipient will be named to represent each branch of the U.S. Military, and winners will receive $10,000 in cash, a laptop and a three-night stay in Washington, D.C., for the awards gala in April.

If you know a military child between the ages of 13 and 18 who leads with heart, serves their community, inspires others, and excels in academics, the arts, sports and/or leadership, consider nominating them by clicking or tapping on the link below.

Let's make sure the voices and stories of these amazing young people growing up in military families are heard!

Keeping your contact information up to date helps ensure that your child's school can reach you when it matters most. Especially in an emergency, having current phone numbers and email addresses on file is essential so that you can receive important information and updates without delay.

If your phone number, email address or other contact information has changed, please contact your child's school to make sure your records are updated.

Know someone who isn't receiving OCS email updates or phone calls? Please encourage them to contact their child's school, as well. A quick check of their contact information can help make sure they don't miss important news and information throughout the school year.

Thank you to everyone who participated in last week's poll asking, "What are you dressing up as for Halloween?" The winner, with 54% of the votes, was "A favorite book/tv/movie character!"

Did you know: Many, if not all, of our schools got in on the Halloween fun last week. We saw plenty of creative costumes from not only our students, but our staff and administrators too! Many of them posted their costumes on social media and even held contests for the best. It's so fun to see everyone getting in the holiday spirit!