Rock Hill Schools Update for November 26, 2008

By Elaine Baker

Model UN Teams Receive Top Awards

Congratulations to Model UN team advisors, Cathy Griffin (Northwestern High
School) and JoAnn Keller (South Pointe High School), whose students received
individual and team awards at the Clemson Model UN competition Nov. 12-14.
Northwestern's team representing the U. S. took first-place overall honors,
and its team representing South Africa took third-place overall. South
Pointe's team representing North Korea received second-place overall honors.

Sullivan Middle Plans Carnival

The Leadership Academy Class at Sullivan, which focuses on community service
and is led by counselor Li Mia Bowen, will host a carnival on Sat., Dec. 6,
from 10 a.m.-3 p.m. to benefit Pilgrims Inn and the Back-the-Pack
initiative.

¡Cecilia Boles, health teacher at South Pointe High School, has been
selected by the S. C. Dept. of Education as one of six teachers state-wide
to serve on the Biology Curriculum Project Committee. The committee will
develop scope and sequence documents along with a curriculum guide based on
state academic standards.

¡ Rock Hill Adult & Community Education received four awards at the
Celebrating Our Success Luncheon on Nov. 21. Congratulations to Director
Sandy Andrews and her outstanding faculty and staff. And speaking of Adult
Ed., a Para Pro class is scheduled to begin in mid-January. .

¡Rock High High School's Theatre Dept. will present an evening of four
original one-act plays at 7:30 on Dec. 4 & 5. Directed by Stephanie
Daniels, the plays are Borrowed Parts, You Can't Escape Fate, First Day
Nightmare, and Bring Me a Dream.
¡Congratulations to Serena Williams, coordina-tor of community services, who
will serve as co-chair of the South Carolina Dept. of Education's Volunteer
Coordinators' Advisory Board.

¡Jimmie Matthews, talented art teacher at Independence, will update the
historical Rock Hill public school timeline at the Flexible Learning Center.
Former employee, Harriet Bucy, initiated the timeline in 2004 and kept it
updated until her death last spring.

¡Dutchman Creek Middle School has a special treat in store for its female
students on Saturday morning, Dec. 13. The school, in conjunction with the
Girl Scouts, will hold a workshop on dealing with stress; determining what
foods are both yummy and healthy; and what's in fashion.

¡Richard Pickering, accelerated studies coordinator at Sunset Park, was
recently recognized by the Rock Hill City Council for "Community Hoops," a
summer basketball program initiated in 2000 to give area youth, ages 8-17,
constructive ways to spend their time. The program began with 80
participants but now serves over 500.

¡Rosewood ESL teacher, Abe Senbel, has an article published in Volume 55 of
the national publication, Journal of Media Literacy. Dr. Senbel's article is
titled The Journey of a Young Muslim from Morocco.

¡Congratulations to Kathy Stanley, with RH Adult Education, who will receive
a $23,000 grant on Dec. 2 from the Charities Board of Directors for BI-LO.
The grant will benefit the York County Literacy Association where Cathy
serves as coordinator.

Rock Hill November Business Meeting Notes

School Board Meeting / Rock Hill Schools / November 24, 2008

The following action was taken by the board:

        approved the minutes of the October 27 and November 10 school board meetings; personnel recommendations; and overnight field trip requests submitted by Dutchman Creek and The Children's School at Sylvia Circle; vote was 7-0

        approved a request from Impact Community Church to use the auditorium at Rawlinson Road Middle School for Sunday morning church services for six months; vote was 6-1 with Brown against. Brown stated this would put the board in the middle of a church conflict.

        approved new high school course proposals for school year 2009-10, which include Honors Chorus 3 & 4, Symphonic Honors Band 3 & 4, Fundamentals of Coaching, Biology 2, and Warehousing and Distribution Technology 1. No new teaching positions will be required; vote was 7-0.

        approved first reading of policies KF (Community Use of School Facilities),  KCA (School-Community Relations Goals/Priority Objectives), IHBH (Charter Schools), IJJ (Textbook Selection and Adoption), ILBB (State Program Assessments), GCF (Professional Staff Hiring), GDF (Support Staff Hiring), JFAA (Admission of Resident Students), JJ (Student Activities), and JJI (Student Athletics); vote was 7-0

        approved second reading of policies DKB (Salary Deductions), JI (Student Rights and Responsibilities), and GBAA (Employee Racial/Sexual Discrimination and Harassment); vote was 7-0

        approved the purchase of property on East Black Street adjacent to the Central Child Development Center in the amount of $45,000 to be paid from the capital fund; vote was 7-0

        approved a gym lease at the Rock Hill Flexible Learning Center, January through April, to the Rock Hill Volleyball Club; vote was 7-0

        approved the recommended 2009-10 school calendar; vote was 7-0

recognized Judy Mobley, Rock Hill High principal, on her selection as Administrator of the Year by the S. C. School Counselors Assn.;

recognized the Rock Hill High School Band of Distinction as the 2008 South Carolina 5A Upper State Marching Champion and second place finish in the state. Representing Rock Hill High were Band Director Joe Gulledge, Asst. Director Randy Grantham, and Principal Judy Mobley.

heard Supt. Moody make the following announcements:

There has been a tremendous community response to our Back-the-Pack initiative introduced in October. We're continuing to receive food and money donations which will allow us to provide food for the elementary students who have little or no food to eat during weekends. Our only hope is that the Rock Hill community will continue to support this important program and that, at some point, we'll be able to extend Back-the-Pack to our middle and high school students.

When Business Week magazine published its second annual ranking this month of the Best Places to Raise Your Kids, Rock Hill beat out Charleston and Mount Pleasant to earn top honors in South Carolina. The magazine, which considered cities with at least 50,000 residents and a median family income between $40,000 - $100,000, looked at school performances, crime rate, air quality, job growth, and amenities. It cited Rock Hill's warm weather and "some of the best public schools in the state, as well as being the home to Winthrop University."

Rock Hill Schools, in partnership with the City of Rock Hill, will host a "dropout summit" on Thurs., Dec. 4, to serve as a call to action for our local community.  The summit will provide local businesses and individuals with information on the number of students who fail to receive their high school diploma and will lead to the development of local action plans. The summit, which is a part of a national call to action on behalf of the America's Promise Alliance, will be held from 8:00 a.m. until noon in The Palmetto Room in downtown Rock Hill.

        Representatives from Rock Hill Schools will also attend South Carolina's first-ever summit focused on reducing dropouts and increasing on-time graduation rates for the state's public schools on December 2 in Columbia.

The next Community Chat will be held on Wed. morning, Dec. 3, at Durango Bagel in the Millwood Shopping Center on Herlong Ave. Any citizen who wants to talk about the Rock Hill Schools can join the superintendent between 7:30-9:00.

All schools and offices will be closed for the Thanksgiving holidays, Nov. 26-28.

        All schools will be closed for the winter holidays, Dec. 22 through January 2.

The board work session on Dec. 8 will be held at 5:30 p.m. at The Children's School at Sylvia Circle.  On Jan. 12, the board will hold its work session at Belleview Elementary.

Mike Miller, from the Operations Research/Education Laboratory (OR/Ed.Lab) reviewed growth projections, current housing permits, and school capacity. Rock Hill Schools has  contracted with OR/Ed for the past six years to assist in determining the need for new schools or expansion of existing schools.

Associate Superintendent Harriet Jaworowski talked about the delay in the release of state report card information due to an error in the scoring of end-of-course tests given in middle and high school. Dr. Jaworowski stated that the projected release date will in January or February.

held an Executive Session for a property matter.

Northwestern Cheerleaders Finish 4th in State

Rock Hill's Northwestern High School followed up its second place upper state showing with a fourth-place finish Saturday in the 4A State Competitive Cheer Championships at the Bi-Lo Center in Greenville.

Summerville High School won the championship. The Green Wave put together an electrifying routine, receiving a standing ovation from many of the fans and fellow cheerleaders in the audience.

Summerville finished just ahead of Dorman and third-place finisher Mauldin.

Read the Spartanburg Herald's write up here.

4A scores

1. Summerville - 281

2. Dorman - 275

3. Mauldin - 265

4. Northwestern - 262

5. Dutch Fork - 253

6. Irmo - 251

7. Wren - 248

8. Lexington - 246

9. Boiling Springs - 242

10. Gaffney - 237

11. Hillcrest - 229

12. White Knoll - 229

13. Stratford - 220

Gilmore and Neely Are Finalists for South Carolina Mr. Football Award

South Pointe's Stephon Gilmore and Northwestern's Jarrett Neely are finalists for the South Carolina Automobile Dealers Mr. Football of South Carolina.  The award will be given out during the 2008 BB&T Awards Program, 7:30 pm on December 12 at Myrtle Beach High School.

Other finalists are:

Mallicial Goodman, West Florence
Roderick McDowell, Sumter
David Sims, Calhoun County
D.J. Swearinger, Greenwood
Jamere Valentine, Myrtle Beach
Quinton Washington, Timberland

Rock Hill Education Awards Breakfast

The York County Regional Chamber of Commerce held their Education Awards Breakfast at The Connection on Friday, November 21, 2008.  Student leaders recognized were:

• Michael "Ross" Baker from Northwestern High School
• Asa Watson from Rock Hill High School
• McKenzie Brannon from South Pointe High School
• Holly Elizabeth Mosley from Westminster Catawba Christian School

Teachers of the year were:

• Bryan Coburn from the Rock Hill Schools
• Pat Blaney Bright from St. Anne Catholic School
• Erin Barks from Westminster Catawba Christian School
• Carol Lewis from Clinton Junior College
• Dr. Martha Benn MacDonald from York Technical College
• Dr. Michael Lipscomb from Winthrop University.

The crowd was entertained by the Northwestern High School Troubadours who sang two songs from their winter concert scheduled for December 4th and 5th.

The Unsigned Letter

Every now and then, the School Board will get an unsigned letter wanting to
make the Board "aware" of gross injustices in the District. I received one
of those this week. The writer chose to remain anonymous due to "fear of
retaliation" - Although they claimed to represent a sizable portion of the
school. This was a well written letter, and for sure, there is at least one
unsatisfied person at the school.

However, the board cannot take action from anonymous sources. Nor is it the
job of the Board to get involved until proper procedures have taken place.
There are policies in place to handle the situation that was described in
the letter and these should be followed with the board being the last
appeal - not the first. I feel for the person, but the procedures are there
for a reason and need to be followed. Schools need the opportunity to
correct any wrongs before outside intervention. If you don't trust the
system, you will not be satisfied with any outcome.

Jim

Rock Hill Schools November Business Meeting Agenda For Monday, November 24, 2008

Meeting of the Board of Trustees

Monday, November 24, 2008

6:00 p.m. – District Office Board Room

A G E N D A

I. Call to Order

Approval of Agenda

(Under consent agenda, all action items will be voted on after one motion and second to approve them without discussion. If a board member wants any action item discussed or voted on separately, the board member, before the agenda is approved, must ask that the action item be moved to the discussion item section.)

II. Citizen Participation

III. Special Business

A. Recognition of RHHS Principal Judy Mobley as Administrator of the Year by SCSCA

B. Recognition of RHHS Band of Distinction as Upper State Champions

IV. Consent Action Agenda

A. Approval of Minutes

1. October 27, 2008, business meeting

2. November 10, 2008 work session

B. Approval of Personnel Recommendations

C. Approval of Overnight Field Trip Requests (3)

D. Approval of 2009-10 School Calendar

E. Black Street Land Purchase

V.Communications

VI. Report of the Superintendent

A. Announcements

B. Growth Projection Update

C. State Accreditation and Report Cards

VII. Review of Work Session

VIII. Action Agenda

A. Use of Facilities Request – Impact Community Church

B. New High School Course Proposals

C. Approval of Policy DKB – 2nd Reading

D. Approval of Policy JI – 2nd Reading

E. Approval of Policy GBAA – 2nd Reading

F. Approval of Policy KF – 1^st Reading

G. Approval of Policy KCA – 1^st Reading

H. Approval of Policies IHBH, IJJ, ILBB – 1^st Reading

I. Approval of Policies GCF, GDF – 1^st Reading

J. Approval of Policies JFAA, JJ, JJI – 1^st Reading

IX. Other Business

X. Executive Session

XI. Adjourn

Educators on WRHI's Straight Talk

Craig Craze, York Preparatory Academy Charter School was on WRHI's Straight Talk on Wednesday, November 19 to talk about a new Charter School starting next year. You can listen to the interview here.

Luanne Kokolis, Associate Superintendent of Planning for the Rock Hill Schools was on Straight Talk on Thursday, November 20 to talk about the programs that have been implemented to reduce the drop out rates. You can listen to the interview here.

Who Should Take AP/IB Classes

Jay Mathews, retired writer for the Washington Post, has a blog entry today about who should be allowed to take AP/IB classes. Jay has advocated for years that these classes should be open to everyone. His post today includes comments, pro and con, from teachers and students. It is worth the read. I don't know which way is correct. See what you think. The article can be found here.

Students Talk Back to Rock Hill School Board

Well...., not really. A group of student ambassadors discussed cell phone policy and virtual classes with the Rock Hill School Board Trustees at their November work session on November 10. Highlights:

• 85% of students violate current cell phone policy
• Harder the class and more demanding the teacher, the less likely you are going to be able to use a phone in class
• Cheating not a big issue with phones but social text messaging is
• Phones need to be banned from classroom, students need structure - although there needs to be some moderation. A lot of people use phones to tell time, to put items in the calendar (home work reminders for instance). It would be nice if phones could be used in "non" classroom times or at the end of each class. This would cut down on the amount of use during class.
• Acceptable use of phones and technology is learned from parents. Have gotten very little guidance from schools on this issue (note: a lot of education technology supports suggest schools should be in the business of teaching proper use and not in restricting its use.)
• There is a purpose for elementary, middle and high schools. Virtual classes should not be the first choice. All students should try conventional classes first and then use virtual classes after they have failed the traditional class or as a supplement to the regular class.

The students were; Sarah Matthews - Northwestern High School Student Body President; Jordan Cosper - Rock Hill High School Student Vice President; Yarheil Santa - Saluda Trail Student Ambassador; Rudi Raley - Rawlinson Road Middle School Student Body President; Hannah Maghsoud - Rawlinson Road Student Body Vice President; Nathaniel Brown - Castle Heights student ambassador.

Other items at the work session:

• Bob Norwood, Walter Brown, Ann Reid, and Mildred Douglas were sworn in for another 4 year term of office
• Bob Norwood was elected as Board Chair and Jim Vining was elected as Vice Chair
• Phoenix Academy provided a tour of some of the "on-line" learning and several students spoke about their experiences.
• There was a discussion about several items which will be on the November Business meeting - rental of Rawlinson Road Middle School Auditorium, new high school classes, and several board policy revisions
• The proposed 2009-10 School Calendar was presented and will now be given to teachers and staff for comments. The development of the calendar was a joint effort of all York County School Districts.
• The Board selected Ann Reid and Mildred Douglas as Delegates for the 2008 South Carolina School Board Delegate Assembly. Bob Norwood and Walter Brown were selected as alternates.
• There was a brief discussion on EIA cuts and how that will impact the schools this year.
• The Administration was asked to get financial numbers from the South Carolina High School League because they get 20% off the top of all tournaments, playoffs, and jamborees.

Tentative 2009 - 10 Rock Hill School Calendar Highlights

First and Last Days for Students       
August 18 for 6th & 9th Grades 
Aug. 19 for 5K-Gr. 5, Grades 7-8 & 10-12       
June 3 for Gr. 6 & June 4 for Other Grades     

Student Holidays
Sept. 7 for Labor Day  
Oct. 12 and 23* for Teacher Days       
Nov. 24 for Ninth Grade
Nov. 25-27 for Thanksgiving    
Dec. 21-Jan. 1 for Winter Break        
Jan. 15 for Teacher Day
Jan. 18 for MLK Birthday       
Feb. 15 for Presidents' Day*   
March 19 for Teacher Day*      
Apr. 2 and 5-9 for Spring Break        
May 31 for Memorial Day*       
       
Teacher Days
Aug. 3-7 for First-Year Teacher Orientation    
Aug. 10-11 New Teacher Orientation     
August 12, 13, 14, 17, & 18    
Oct. 12 & 23, Jan. 15, Mar. 19, June 4 
       
Open House     
High School —Sept. 14 & Feb. 1, 6:30-8:00 p.m. 
Middle School —Aug. 27, 6:30-8:00 p.m. 
Applied Technology Center —Sept. 15 & Feb. 2, 6:30-8:00 p.m.   
       
End of Grading Periods
Oct. 22, Jan. 14, Mar. 23, June 3      
       
Report Card Dates      
Oct. 29, Jan. 21, Mar. 30, June 3      
       
*Bad Weather Make-up Dates     
Oct. 23, Feb. 15, Mar. 19, May 31      

Rock Hill Schools Information for Wednesday, November 12, 2008

By Elaine Baker

Rock Hill High Principal Judy Mobley has been selected as Administrator of the Year by the S. C.  School Counselors Association. Judy and several members of her staff attended a banquet on Nov. 10 in Charleston where Judy "thought" one of her counselors was to be recognized.

Representatives from all York County school districts have agreed upon a proposed calendar for 2009-10.
-All York County school districts will have the same major holidays, including winter and spring breaks and Good Friday.

-A day in each month, Sept. through May, is set aside for either a holiday or teacher day.
-There will be a teacher day following three of the four grading periods.
-First semester will be 91 days long.
-All three graduations will, hopefully, take place on Saturday, June 5. This is yet to be determined, however.

Rock Hill High's wrestling team is having its second annual Boston Butt Bonanza on Nov. 21 and Nov. 22. The roasts will be prepared and ready for pick up in front of the main gym from 2:00-7:00 p.m. on Nov. 21 and from 7:00 a.m. until noon on Nov. 22. Orders will be taken until Nov. 18 by contacting Cain Beard, Ryan Whitmore, or Justin Williams at 981-1300. The cost of each roast is $25.

Northwestern Girls' Varsity Basketball Team will host a "Basketball for Poverty" tournament on Nov. 24 and 25, the proceeds of which will benefit local organizations which battle poverty. For tickets or more information, email Coach John Bramlett or call 981-1231.

Rock Hill High thespians, directed by Stephanie Daniels, will present The Good Times are Killing Me by Lynda Barry at 7:30 p.m. on Nov. 20 and Nov. 21.  Tickets are $5 and may be purchased at the door.  The play is about two 12-year-old best friends growing up in an interracial neighbor-hood during 1967.

Beverly Laney, choral teacher at South Pointe, is beaming with pride because two of her students have been chosen to participate in the national Honor Choir in Oklahoma City in March. Only six students from S. C. were selected.

The Applied Technology Center  will have a car show on Sat., Nov. 15, and they're seeking entries.

The current edition of Business Week cites Rock Hill as one of the "best places in the country to raise kids." It cites Rock Hill for its warm weather and some of the best public schools in the state, as well as home to Winthrop University.

Go to College After 10th Grade?

There is an interesting article in Time Magazine which talks about several states which are starting a testing program, similar to AP & IB tests which will allow students to graduate from High School and go to college. This has been one of the recommendations from The New Commission on the Skills of the American Workforce and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.

Northwestern High School Cheerleaders Make State

Northwestern High School Cheerleaders qualify for the state meet by placing second in the upstate. Read The Herald article.









Scores for those who qualified were as follows:

Mauldin 259

Northwestern 257

Boiling Springs 254

Gaffney 245

Wren 244

Hillcrest 240

Rock Hill Selected Best Place For Kids in South Carolina

Business Week Magazine has selected Rock Hill as the best place to raise kids in South Carolina for 2009. They had this to say about Rock Hill:

"Rock Hill, 20 miles south of Charlotte, N.C., has warm weather and some of the best public schools in the state. It is also home to Winthrop University, a four-year liberal arts college that was ranked the eighth-best public university in the Southeast by U.S. News & World Report in 2006."

Tips For Parent Teacher Conferences

You may want to ask the teacher:

Does my child participate in classroom activities?

Does he/she show self-control in school?

How does my child get along with others?

Can my child handle the learning materials of the grade?

Does she/he seem to enjoy reading in her/his spare time?

Is his/her reading comprehension suitable to his/her grade level?

How does my child read orally?

Does she/he know the number facts?

Can my child express thoughts and ideas clearly?

How is his/her written communication?

Does my child seem happy in school?

Is she/he accepted by other children?

You may want to tell the teacher: 

What your child’s strengths and weaknesses are.

Which school activities your child talks about at home.

What types of books your child reads at home.

What responsibilities your child handles at home.

If anything has happened lately at home which might affect your child’s performance at school.

Which classmates your child sees at home.

What are some of your child’s favorite activities outside of school.

How you discipline your child at home.

Remember, sharing information about your child with his or her teacher will help provide a learning program that will best meet the needs of your child.

KIPP Co-founder Pushes for National Standards

Mike Feinberg, co-founder of KIPP, suggests the new administration push for national standards and testing as well as public choice. Read his comments here. An excerpt:

"A stark achievement gap exists in public education today. Fourth-graders growing up in low-income communities are already three grade levels behind their peers in high-income communities. I saw this injustice firsthand when I began teaching in 1992 through Teach For America, and the experience continues to fuel my determination to improve education in this country."

"Pick a secretary of education committed to accountability and public school choice: When Obama picks his Cabinet, he will make a strong statement about the direction of his administration.

President-elect Obama should pick a secretary of education who deeply understands the issues of funding and accountability on the federal, state and local levels, and who is passionate about student achievement and growth. Having one national test with one rigorous set of national standards will ensure our children can compete in the global marketplace as well as help parents know how well their children are progressing in school."

"Focus on the early years: Even in this time of economic uncertainty, we need to make critical investments in pre-K and early childhood education.
In his recent book Whatever It Takes, New York Times Magazine editor Paul Tough notes that by age 3, children in low-income communities have been exposed to 20 million fewer words than their more affluent peers. By providing a language-rich learning environment at an early age, schools can offset this gap and give children the tools they need to succeed."

Rock Hill's Hannah Robinson Wins SC 4A Cross Country Championship

Rock Hill High School's Hanna Robinson won the Girls South Carolina 4A Cross Country Championship on Saturday. You can read about the race here. Hanna is the Daughter of Mr. & Mrs. Joe Robinson. One of Hanna's grandfathers was the long time minister of the Rock Hill First ARP church and her other grandfather was the long time Human Resource Manager of Bowater Carolina.

Student Rights ?

An education blog, "From the Trenches of Public Education", has an interesting discussion on how student rights are affecting the learning environment. It is worth a read. You can read it here.

Some excerpts:

"As Philip K. Howard said in his book, The Death of Common Sense, the courts' interpretation of students' rights has done more damage to public education than anything else in the last 40 years. (I wonder how many of the Supreme Court justices responsible for making the most important of those decisions sent their kids to public schools.) If we really want to make significant improvement in public education, especially in schools that are doing poorly, we are going to have to re-think the concepts of "the right to an education" and student rights in general."

"Education should not be considered a right. A "right" is something that government should not be able to take away from you, not something government is obligated to give you. As Philip K. Howard says, education is not a right, but a benefit provided by a democratic society. I believe that our democracy should provide education, but there are going to be a lot of places where we can't do it effectively as long as we look at it as a right."

SC High School Football 2008 4A Playoff Brackets are Posted

The South Carolina High School League has released their 2008 4A Football playoff brackets - and in a move that only a League "junkie" can explain, South Pointe High School, arguably the best 4A Division II team, is seeded third, behind Northwestern and Conway. This means that Northwestern, the number one seed, will play all their games at home (assuming they win) until the championship game in Clemson on Friday December 5 at 8:00 PM. South Pointe will get at least two games at home before having to possibly travel to Conway. The interesting part is that South Pointe and Northwestern could end up playing against each other for the State Championship in Clemson. Download the playoff schedule here. Northwestern will play York and South Pointe will play West Florence this week.

In the Division I bracket, formerly called "Big 16", Rock Hill is seeded 7th and will play the first playoff game at home and then will probably travel to Irmo for a second round game. The good news is that Rock Hill is not in the same bracket as Dorman or Byrnes and stands a good chance at making it to the championship game in Clemson on Saturday December 6 at 3:00 PM. You can download a copy of the playoff schedule here. Rock Hill will play Ft. Dorchester this week.

Dalton Sherman

A remarkable speech by a 10 year old boy to a group of Dallas Teachers

Rock Hill School Board November Work Session on November 10, 2008

SCHOOL BOARD WORK SESSION                              
                               
LOCATION:       The Phoenix Academy                    
                               
START:  5:30 p.m.                              
                               
DATE:  November 10, 2008                                                       
                               
                               
ITEM#   AGENDA TOPIC    DISCUSSION LEADER       TIME   
        Dinner - Cyber Café             5-5:30 
                               
        WORK SESSION - Cyber Café                      
1       Swearing in of Board Members    Don Harper      15 minutes     
2       Election of Officers    Lynn Moody      15 minutes     
3       Presentation by Phoenix Academy Walter Wolff    30 minutes     
4       Student Perspectives on Cell Phones, High School Choices        Superintendent's Student Advisory Council       45 minutes     
5       Rental of RRMS by Impact Community Church       B. Vaughan / Mike Lowery        15 minutes     
6       Policy KF - Use of Facilities   Bill Mabry      15 minutes     
7       Minor Policy Changes Suggested by SCSBA:                   KCA, IHBH, IJJ/IJJ-R, IKE-R, ILBB/ILBB-R, GCF, GDF, JFAA, JJ, JJI    Lynn Moody      10 minutes     
8       Proposed 2009-10 School Calendar        Elaine Baker    15 minutes     
9       New High School Courses Sheila Huckabee 15 minutes     
10      Certification of Delegates for 2008 Delegate Assembly   Board Chair     10 minutes     
                               

Norwood, Douglas, Brown, and Reid Return to Rock Hill School Board for another 4 Year Term

Rock Hill Schools Board Chair, Bob Norwood, easily returned to the Board in Tuesday's election. Mildred Douglas squeaked out a win and Walter Brown and Ann Reid had no opposition.

Rock Hill Schools Information for Wednesday, November 5, 2008

By Elaine Baker

"Back the Pack" Event Slated for Nov. 8
Williams & Fudge will sponsor a community event from 7:00 a.m. until 1:00 p.m. on Nov. 8 to collect donations for "Back the Pack." Baked items will be for sale and children can enjoy playing on inflatables and seeing familiar mascots. Williams & Fudge is located in the Cotton Factory at the intersection of Dave Lyle Blvd. and W. White St.

Awards Breakfast Set for Nov. 21
Teacher of the Year, Bryan Coburn, and school-level teachers of the year will be recognized on Nov. 21 when the Rock Hill Area Chamber honors them and other top educators at the annual Education Awards Breakfast at The Connection. A senior from each high school will also be recognized, and the Northwestern High School Troubadours, directed by Gene Bumgardner, will entertain.

Middle Schools to Host Mini-Conference
Dutchman Creek and Sullivan Middle Schools will host a regional conference of the S. C. Middle School Assn. on Thursday, Nov. 13.

Students at Sullivan Middle School  had their picture taken in the shape of a large ribbon to indicate their support of the American Cancer Society and to celebrate raising over $1,000 for the cause. Teacher Mary Sanford, who completed the Avon Walk for Breast Cancer, worked with students to increase their awareness of the disease and the need for more research.  

Congratulations to drama teacher Tamara Altman and the Northwestern High School thespians on placing second in the high school play competition sponsored by the S. C. Theatre Assn. Their production of Time Flies is now in exhibition at the SCTA convention at Newberry College.

Rock Hill Schools will host the S.C. Region 1 Honors Orchestra at South Pointe High School on Nov. 14 and 15. This orchestra includes students from Laurens, Spartanburg, Boiling Springs, and Rock Hill. A public concert will be held at 7:30 p.m. Nov.15 in the school auditorium.

 
School Talk on Cable 18, produced by students in Martha Menchinger's class at the Applied Technology Center and hosted by Supt. Lynn Moody, now features Walter Wolff, from the Phoenix Academy; Jamie Quinn, from the Renaissance Academy; Sandy Andrews, from Rock Hill Adult Education; Sandra Lindsay-Brown, from The Children's School at Sylvia Circle; and Tammy White, Sunset Park Elementary. The show is on unique schools and programs.

This is a great week for football in the District Three Stadium. The South Pointe High Stallions will host the Rock Hill High Bearcats on Thursday Nov. 6, and the Northwestern High Trojans will host the Gaffney High Indians on November 7. Games begin at 7:30.

Rock Hill Schools 45 Day Enrollment

Below are the enrollment numbers for Rock Hill, School District Three as of October 23, 2008.

School	45 Day Enrollment
Sunset Park Elementary	316
Ebenezer Ave Elementary	321
Sylvia Circle Elementary	330
Central Early Childhood Development Center	334
Northside Elementary	375
Belleview Elementary	451
Lesslie Elementary	461
Mt. Holly Elementary	485
India Hook Elementary	500
Independence Elementary	509
Mt. Gallant Elementary	509
York Road Elementary	511
Richmond Drive Elementary	539
Finley Road Elementary	542
Oakdale Elementary	549
Ebinport Elementary	563
Old Pointe Elementary	589
Rosewood Elementary	610
Castle Heights Middle School	738
Dutchman Creek Middle School	746
Rawlinson Road Middle School	766
Sullivan Middle School	804
Saluda Trail Middle School	867
South Pointe High School	1409
Northwestern High School	1790
Rock Hill High School	2039
Total Students in Dist.	17653

Rock Hill High Band Wins Upper State Championship

The Rock Hill High Band of Distinction took the Upper State Big 16 Championship in Orangeburg Saturday night, just missing out at a State Championship. Wando, the defending state champion took first in the state. You can read details here.