Student Teachers

Click here for a link to the video.

Norwood Stepping Down From The Rock Hill School Board

Rock Hill School Board Chairman Bob Norwood announced today (3/30/12) that he would not be seeking re-election to the board in November. Norwood was first elected in 1996 and will be completing his 4th term. There will be four school board seats up for election in November

Those include:

At-large – Now open with Chairman  Norwood's announcement today

District 1 – Ann Reid

District 3 – Mildred Douglas

District 5 – Walter Brown

For those thinking about running, below is some information which may be helpful:

In the first place God made idiots. This was for practice. Then He made school boards. Reportedly said by Mark Twain. 

The  information below was posted 2 years ago:

The Role of School Boards

The local school board is a critical public link to public schools. School board members serve their communities in several important ways.

• First and foremost school boards look out for students. Education is not a line item on the school board’s agenda—it is the only item.
• When making decisions about school programs, school boards incorporate their community’s view of what students should know and be able to do.
• School boards are accessible to the public and accountable for the performance of their schools.
• School boards are the education watchdog for their communities, ensuring that students get the best education for the tax dollars spent.

Effective school board members share some common attributes. Before deciding to run for election, consider whether you possess the qualities that will enable you to best serve your community.
Effective board members:

• Have a conviction that public education is important.
• Are committed to improving public education for all children.
• Possess a sincere desire to serve the community, rather than a desire for personal glory or to achieve a personal goal.
• Have the ability to understand the forces of change in our society and foresee, to some extent, the shape of the future in order to plan wisely.
• Have loyalty to the democratic process.
• Have the courage to make difficult decisions, defend the philosophy and goals of the organization, and withstand criticism from people who hold opposing views.
• Are able to accept the will of the majority and support a decision when it is made by the board.
• Respect the diversity of perspectives and cultural backgrounds on the board and in the community, enabling them to serve with tolerance and without prejudice.
• Have cooperative spirits, recognizing that success in achieving board goals and implementing ideas requires a team approach.
• Can communicate well with others.
• Are willing to invest the significant time and energy required by board service.
• Are available to attend all board meetings and related board work.
• Strive to be knowledgeable about policies and programs.
• Have professional respect for district staff.
• Are respected and involved in their communities.
• Bring a broad base of knowledge and experience to the job, enabling them to vote with intelligence and confidence on complex issues such as finance, curriculum and student-employee-community relationships.
• Know that the reputation of the entire school district is reflected in their behavior and attitude.
• Understand the board's roles and responsibilities.

WHAT DO SCHOOL BOARD MEMBERS DO?
School board members are responsible for broad, futuristic thinking, minute analysis and decisive action in all areas that affect students and staff in their schools. Some roles and responsibilities are implicit. Others are specifically mandated.
Set the Direction
The governing board, with extensive involvement from the staff and community, is responsible for envisioning the future of the public schools in their community. After setting the vision and mission for the district, the governing board works collaboratively to establish strategic goals to move the  organization toward the community's vision for its schools.
Establish the Structure
Board policies and goals establish the structure and create the environment for ensuring that all students are served. The superintendent uses the structure established by the board to manage operations on a day-to-day basis. Although the superintendent may suggest changes to policies, only the board as a whole has the legal authority to adopt policy.
Provide Support
The board provides support to its organization by ensuring that resources are adequate and aligned to meet established goals. Support also is provided by recognizing and encouraging excellence throughout the organization.
Ensure Accountability
As the community's representative in the local schools, the board is responsible for ensuring that the schools are well run – that resources are used wisely and that high standards for academic performance are set. The board as a whole needs to monitor performance to meet established goals – academic, financial and operational.
Advocate for Your Students
One of the board's most important roles is to be the ambassador for public education in the community. As individuals, each board member can help communicate the ways in which their local schools are supporting student educational needs, parent and community aspirations, and state and federal standards. Together, the board also can demonstrate that an atmosphere of collaboration and respect is the most conducive environment for providing the best education for children in the community.
Specific Duties
Specific duties of school boards may relate to employment, purchasing, budget preparation, students and policies. They may include:

• Hiring and evaluating the district superintendent.
• Providing guidance in the development of the budget to ensure funding needed to meet board established goals.
• Approving the budget.
• Monitoring the budget.
• Setting salaries for employees.
• Approving purchases.
• Establishing and approving policies.
• Approving curriculum materials.
• Adopting the school calendar.
• Reviewing regulations for compliance with policy.
• Approving personnel actions based on the superintendent's recommendation.
• Closing or constructing schools.
• Assessing board effectiveness.
• Monitoring progress toward goals.

What School Board Members and Boards DON'T Do
School board members DON'T:

• Implement policy; school boards make policy and superintendents carry it out.
• Manage the day-to-day operations of the school district; school boards see to it that the district is managed by professionals.
• Evaluate staff, other than the superintendent, nor do they become involved in employment interviews, other than those for superintendent

South Carolina School Board standards

The school board:

• serves as an advocate for children and public education
• communicates a clear vision
• acts with fiscal responsibility
• monitors student achievement
• understands and responds to community needs
• conducts professional meetings
• supports the superintendent and administrative staff
• avoids micromanagement

South Carolina School Board member standards

The school board member:

• acts ethically
• demonstrates courage
• works as a team player
• communicates effectively
• makes sound decisions
• stays informed
• devotes sufficient time to duties

South Carolina School Board Member Code of Ethics

As a school board member in South Carolina, I pledge my efforts to improve public education in my community and will solemnly try:

• to represent the interests of the entire district when making decisions and to rely on available facts and on my judgment rather than on individuals or special interest groups;
• to understand the proper role of the board to set policies governing the district and to hire the chief administrative officer to carry out these policies;
• to encourage an open exchange of ideas by all board members during the decision-making process;
• to seek regular communications between the board and students, staff and all segments of the community;
• to attend all board meetings, to study issues facing the board and to enact policies and official actions only after full discussion at such meetings;
• to work with other board members in a conscientious and courteous manner befitting the public trust placed in the position of school board trustee;
• to communicate concerns and public reaction to board policies and school programs to the superintendent and other board members in a professional manner;
• to support employment of the persons best qualified for staff positions and to ensure a regular and impartial evaluation of all staff;
• to avoid conflicts of interest and to refrain from using my board position for personal or partisan gain;
• to encourage recognition of the achievements of students and staff and of the involvement of community residents;
• to support legislation and funding which will improve the educational opportunities and environment for students and staff;
• to take no individual action which would compromise the integrity of the board or administration and to respect the confidentiality of information that is privileged under the Freedom of Information Act;
• to study current educational issues and to participate in training programs such as those offered through the South Carolina School Boards Association and the National School Boards Association; and
• to make the educational setting in our district the best possible to encourage all students to achieve and to love learning.

South Carolina School Board Oath of office

"I do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I am duly qualified,
according to the Constitution of this State, to exercise
the duties of the office to which I have been
elected (or appointed) and that I will, to the best
of my ability, discharge the duties thereof and
preserve, protect and defend the Constitution
of this State and of the United States, so help me God."
(S.C. Constitution, Art. III, Sect. 26)

 Read what one school board member(Gary Lister) compiled from board members across the US and Canada by clicking here. 

Read more here: http://www.heraldonline.com/2012/03/30/3860459/rock-hill-school-board-chairman.html#storylink=cpy

Message From Joy Grayson - Greenville county

Friends.

Last night, our House of Representatives voted 65-49 to pass H. 4894, the Tuition Tax Credit/Deduction bill, labeled by some as a "school choice" bill.

What Does This Bill Do? 

First, this bill, regardless of income, will give tax deductions to parents for each child enrolled in a private school, home school or in a public school outside his or her district. Keep in mind, this is a “deduction” not a credit. So, a $4,000 deduction may only amount to a few hundred dollars off your tax bill if your kids leave public schools for other options.  Second, this bill also gives a tax break to individuals or corporations who make donations to scholarships (vouchers) to fund private school options.  Third, this bill will cost our State and you, the taxpayer, $37 million in its first year!

What Does It Not Do? 

Theoretically, the scholarships provided for in the bill would allow "exceptional needs" students and children who receive Medicaid and free or reduced lunches to attend private schools.  However, private schools do not have to take these children. Private schools have full control over their admission policies. The bill does not require private schools to admit low income or special needs students.  Also, low income families typically do not pay income taxes. There is no tax break provided for those who do not pay income taxes. This does NOT help the poor children in our state choose other schools. There is no busing requirement, no after school care, no special needs requirements and no reduced lunch plans for students. Therefore, this bill only helps the parents who can already afford private school education. Please do not be fooled when politicians say this helps poor children have school choice.

 

It is estimated that SC will lose $37 million in revenue during the first year due to this bill. The house passed their budget a few weeks ago, but this potential $37 million reduction was not factored into it.

Our state does not fully fund the current public education costs at levels required by the state Constitution, yet the Legislature deems it necessary to start funding private education. Currently, public schools are funded at 67% of the amount required by law. With next year's budget, funding levels will rise 72% of the required amount. This is the amount used to fund our school 14 years ago in 1998.

My house representative, Tom Corbin, voted yes to this bill last night. Truthfully, I am extremely upset as he has stated he was a public school advocate. However, his votes do not show this and his vote last night proves to me that he is more interested in a political show. There are outsiders from NYC and PA who are pouring in tons of money into our political system and are helping candidates get elected. They are pushing their agendas and the main agenda they have is a school voucher bill using the name school choice. Howard Rich and the Koch brothers are some of these. They have already paid millions of dollars to our representatives. For more information, please go to http://www.buyingsc@blogspot.com. Tom has taken their money, as have most other legislators you know. It is hard to not believe that this type of money is not influencing their vote.

I know many of you are tired of hearing me preach about this issue, but I urge you to learn more. This type of bill will have a direct effect on our public schools. School choice is not bad.  Greenville County has an abundance of choices for education. We have some wonderful public, private, magnet and charter schools. But this bill is not about the children or about education.   Once our legislators fully fund our public school system, then it may be logical to fund other options. But, now is not the time.

This bill goes to the Senate next. Please talk to your senators, ask all of  the candidates before the June primary their specific view on this issue. VOTE in the primary. Pass this email to everyone you know and please, please, visit the links below. This has become an important issue to me because when I volunteer at Mountain View Elementary School or Greenville Middle School, I see the many wonderful things happening in education but I also see empty science labs and no front office help. I see copy rations and teachers funding their own supplies. Our state is so much better than this. We need to stop thinking politics and party lines. Someone needs to stand up for what is right. We need to care for our children, not let people from out of state decide how to do that.

http://www.thestate.com/2012/03/29/2212145/sc-house-passes-school-choice.htmlArticle about the bill that passed

http://www.buyingsc.blogspot.com/ interesting information on Howard Rich including donations to candidates.

http://www.kochbrothersexposed.com/education about the Koch brothers.

Thanks for reading this and please pass along. The word needs to get out. Joy Grayson

Looking Stupid to Learn?

Click here for a link to the video.

Parents Have 5 Times More Impact Than Teachers

From Education News:

UK Study: Parents, Not Teachers, Key to Education

A new study finds that pupil attainment and ability is affected five times more by parental influence than by teachers.

A study by the Royal Economic Society, to be presented this week, finds that parental effect on test results is five times that of teachers’ influence. This comes in the wake of warnings by Sir Michael Wilshaw last week that teachers were unable to properly do their own jobs because parents were expecting them to cover their own parenting skill shortfalls and to become surrogate family for the students.

Sir Michael Wilshaw said that schools had to step in to provide moral guidance because many children “grow up without the family, cultural and community values they need to thrive”.

The latest findings will respark the debate over the degree to which schools can make improvements to pupils results without support from the familial unit at home.

The study in question was led by Dr Arnaud Chevalier and analyzed data from schools in Denmark between 2002 and 2010.

“Half of the variation in test scores is attributable to shared family factors, while schools only account for 10 per cent,” it was claimed. The remaining variation was down to pupils themselves.

Researchers said the effect of families on test scores remained the same irrespective of household income.
It also revealed that the influence of parents mattered most in maths and science exams.

The problems identified suggest that a lack of home support extends beyond parents providing reading material and help understanding homework. Children are influenced by everything around them, the way their parents act, what their parents say and do, and increasingly as they spend more time ‘with’ celebrity figures how these role models act.

Mr Lightman said: “Children are faced with a lot of different role models these days, not all of which are the most positive.
“They will see examples on television or celebrity culture of people not speaking in the right way and not interacting in the way we would expect them to.

Home environments these days are often more focused around dinners in front of television, and parents too tired to enter debates with their children, beyond simply telling them to do chores or homework. It’s not hard to imagine the detrimental effect this has on children’s studies when compared with a home life centered around family dinners and discussion, where the children are encouraged to read and explore intellectual ideas.

SC House Bill 4894

The South Carolina House just passed out a bill that would give tax deductions to parents who opt out of public schools. Opponents and proponents suggest this is the first step in implementing a voucher system in SC. I have not posted on this before for several reasons. First, many of our local legislators have made up their mind on this issue. This will put money into their pockets because they either have children in private school or are accepting out of state money for their campaigns. Second, school boards are charged with providing for all children, what we would want for our own - and we will continue to do that, regardless.

I've heard all kinds of arguments that parents need and want "choice". Let's not debate this, and for arguments sake, say it is true. Will this bill provide choice for all parents in SC? It certainly will for parents above a certain economic level who have access to private schools. With the poverty level of South Carolina's students about 55%, I'd say there will be a lot of families that will not have a choice. Is this good for SC? Was segregation good for SC?  If we are going to provide choice in education, what about police and fire protection? Should my tax dollars go for a road/building somewhere in the state that I will never use? What if I don't have children in school, should my tax dollars be used for schools? Let's define the purpose for government in the first place!

Public education proponents should make this an education issue - one for all children - and those who voted for the bill should explain how they are going to provide the same education choice for all children.

Walter Brown has written a summary of the events yesterday (below). Representative Doug Brannon, mentioned in his summary, is from Landrum. Those of you from the upstate may remember his parent's restaurant near the state line, Brannon's. Doug proposed many thoughtful amendments that would have required accountability - all were first shouted down and then voted down.

Thanks to all who contacted members of the County Delegation concerning Bill 4894 (Tax Deduction). This, as was pointed out on the floor of the House today, is the first step in implementing a full voucher system for private schools. It was also pointed out that it will eventual lead to elitist schools versus public schools by Representative Brown (no kin) of Fairfield County. Representative Brown also reminded them that their votes had been sold to Howard Rich out of New York. There were many amendments offered by Representative Doug Brannon and others to place accountability on private schools in line with those imposed on public education. I am not sure how he maintained his composure as one amendment after the other was tabled. In fact he was asked at one time to withdraw his further amendments since they would be tabled which he refused to do. As the various members spoke against the bill it sounded like there was a party going on in the House as the Speaker continually asked for order so the speaker could be heard. It was very apparent that the supporters of the bill had no intention of changing their minds and ignored first one speaker after the next. The final vote on the second reading of the bill for passage was 65 to 49.

John King was not in attendance today and is the only member of our delegation not to vote for passage. With the exception of a couple of amendments that were tabled our delegation voted to table all others. Their votes speak clearly on their support of funding private education. They may speak of school choice as being behind their votes but I personally see that as an excuse not a reason or representative of the wishes of their constituents.

Walter Brown

Rock Hill School District News for Wednesday, March 28, 2012

From Elaine T. Baker, Director of Information Services, Rock Hill Schools

Upcoming Performances

●Mount Holly Elementary - Fourth and fifth grade students will perform the timeless story of Willy Wonka, the world famous candy man and his quest for an heir, at 7:00 p.m. Thursday, March 29, and on Friday, March 30, in the auditorium at Castle Heights Middle School. The performance will be directed by Kim Sloan, and the price of admission will be $5.

●Ebinport Elementary - Grades 1-5 will perform a spring musical, "A Small Part of a Big World," at 7:00 p.m. on Thursday, April 12, in the South Pointe High School Auditorium. Directed by Lucille Harper, the show will feature songs and dances from all of the continents that students have been studying. Admission will be free.

 

Northwestern High School Blood Drive

The Friends of Rachel Club at Northwestern will host a community blood drive from 8:00-2:00 p.m. on Tuesday, April 10, in the school auditorium. Donations will take about 45 minutes, and donors will receive a free t-shirt, sub and soda. To sign up in advance, e-mail Marlie Southern at msouthern@rhmail.org.

 

High School Choruses Place High in State Competition

Congratulations to our high school choruses that competed in the State Choral Festivals this past weekend:

South Pointe, directed by Beverly Laney, placed 2nd in the state in performance and 3rd in sight reading (3A Festival).

Northwestern, directed by Eugene Bumgardner, placed 2nd in the state in performance (4A Festival).

Rock Hill High, directed by Jonathan Hall, placed 3rd in the state in performance and 4th in sight reading (4A Festival).

 

Congratulations to . . .

●Lisa Tompkins, Pam Poag, Jennifer Molnar, Carolyn Lesslie and Paula Hough, advisors for the Rock Hill High FBLA team, which had all 12 of its team members place in the FBLA State Leadership Conference last weekend in Charleston. Four students, which placed first or second, are now qualified to advance to national competition this summer in San Antonio.

●York Road Elementary's Gifted and Talented student Destination Imagination (DI) teams which won the  championship in the regional DI challenge competition in Hendersonville, N.C., on March 24. This is the second consecutive year that York Road has been the  winner. Hats off to  teacher Charlene Crocker.

●Dr. Jeff Venables, a science teacher at Northwestern High School was  named the new Secretary on the Board of Directors for the Palmetto State Teachers Assn.

●Northwestern's Chamber Orchestra, directed by Marsha Gross, earned a superior rating from all judges at the S. C. Orchestra Concert Festival.

●South Pointe's Orchestra, directed by Heather Turner, earned a superior rating at the S.C. Orchestra Concert Festival.

 

 

 

 

Rock Hill School Board Business Meeting Notes

The Rock Hill School board held their March Business meeting on Monday, March 26, 2012 at the school district office. These are my notes:
The following action items were taken with a 7-0 vote:

• Approved the consent agenda consisting of previous month's minutes, personnel recommendations and approval of contracts for next year, facilities request for several churches to use school facilities, new textbook adoption, activity bus rental, and two overnight field study requests.
• Approved Policy DC for 2nd and final reading.
• Approved Policy KBC for 2nd and final reading
• Approved Policy ADF for 1st reading.
• Approved a Policy trial for using personal electronic devices until the end of the year. The district wants to try monitoring/blocking software.
• Approved the administrations recommendation to not offer a contract to an employee (after discussion in executive session).

The board approved the following action items with a 6-1 vote:

• Approved a trip for the Rock Hill High School marching band to Hawaii with Brown against. Brown votes against all trips outside the continental US due to safety concerns.
• Approved a recommendation for the Associate Superintendent for planning to enter into an agreement for the sale of a piece of undeveloped property on Anderson Road for $900,000, subject to approval by the county council with Douglas against. Douglas did not feel comfortable with some of the conditions of sale.

The board recognized:

•  Staff who have been selected by their supervisor as "Distinguished Climbers" for March.
• The 21 schools that achieved either Palmetto Gold or Silver Awards
• The 5th (Mason Carter from Lesslie Elementary School ) and 8th (Laura Breitkreutz from Dutchman Creek Middle School ) grade District Superintendent Writing Award Program winners. The topic this year was about cell phones in school.
• Applied Technology students Henry Tran, Daniel Spangler, and Joshua Ashworth for placing first in a recent HOSA (Health Occupations Students of America) event.
• Denise Khaalid on being named the National Assistant Principal of the Year.

The board heard reports on:

• Changes to custodial services.
• Collaborative efforts with other local governments. Click here to see the report on the Rock Hill School District's collaboration efforts.
• Rock Hill High School Orchestra student, Adam Sullivan played a cello solo.

The board agreed to a meeting on April 11 to begin discussions on communicating the value of a public education.

Below is a comedy video by a Sunset Park 5th grader. It is on youtube which is currently blocked in the district.

Click here for a link to the video.
Below is a video clip presented at a recent educator conference which dealt with the issue of social media in education.
  Click here for a link to the video.

Youtube in Classroom?

The topic of Youtube came up during the Rock Hill School Board's last discussion on personal technology devices in schools. It came up because the school system blocks access to youtube. Over the course of three years they (district administrators) have used the following reasons for blocking: bandwidth limits, teachers don't want it, content. When youtube came out with an education channel they said the Cisco blocking software had a problem and bandwidth.  I am sure there is an element of truth in all those reasons.

I am also sure education leaders will utilize any tool that will help educate the 21st century learner. Where there's a will, there's a way. The test of a leader is someone who can lead people where they think they don't want to go (and like it).

Click here to go to the Edudemic blog site and read about why teachers should be using youtube in their classroom.

An Editorial on School Report Cards

The South Carolina Superintendent of Education, Mick Zais, had a column in the State Newspaper this weekend. I don't always agree with everything he says,  but I do believe, as the state's Education Superintendent, his rank gives him the right, and responsibility, to communicate his vision. There is no doubt he has confidence in what he writes about below, and he has reportedly told the local school district superintendents he didn't need their help. Never-the-less, I'm reminded of a conversation I was part of recently. A citizen was complaining to a judge about all the meth labs in their county, as evidence of the number of arrests the local sheriff has, and was making. The judge said he was pretty sure the county didn't have more meth labs than anywhere else, but because he knew all the sheriffs, he was  sure the local sheriff was doing a better job of shutting down meth operations.

So, what does this have to do with the comments from Dr. Zais below? It is true parents want easy to understand reports on how their children are doing, and it is true they want to know how their school stacks up to other schools. As the case with the number of meth lab arrests - what you are measuring might not be telling you what you want to know. With schools, it is not as clear cut as some would have you believe.

From The State Newspaper:
Zais: Modernize school, educator accountability
By MICK ZAIS - Guest Columnist

The core mission of any school focuses on student learning, and report cards provide parents with information in an easily understood format about their child’s learning. While parents hope for A’s, they expect report cards to accurately and clearly reflect actual performance.

Policymakers are no different than parents; the vast majority of them have, or have had, children in public schools. Like other parents, we want to know what skills our children have mastered, where they need improvement and what expectations exist for future performance. The time has come to take the same approach we use in reporting our children’s progress and apply it to schools and districts: report cards with letter grades.

The current system of grading schools mandated by the federal No Child Left Behind Act often misleads parents, confuses the public and demoralizes the hardworking professionals in our schools. A school that meets 30 of 31 performance objectives earns a failing label from the feds. That sounds like an A to me.
Prior to No Child Left Behind, South Carolina already required school report cards. The federal system just layered on another requirement, leaving us with imperfect, dual systems of federal and state accountability. South Carolina now has the opportunity to modernize and unify these two systems.

The U.S. Department of Education recently began to offer the flexibility I have supported from Day One. On Feb. 28, we submitted our state’s proposal for a waiver from certain provisions of the federal law.
First, we worked to make the state’s new evaluation plan easier to understand. It builds upon the strengths of the existing state system by using multiple measures, such as student performance in the four core subjects (math, science, social studies and English), high school graduation rates and student improvement. The plan also increases transparency by reporting the performance of various student subgroups. Both of the old systems lacked a clear description of school performance. Using letter grades (A through F) will make school performance easy for students, parents and the public to understand as opposed to the ambiguous terms of “Met” and “Not Met,” or “Good” and “At Risk.”

Nine states already use or have begun transitioning to letter grades for schools. We plan to recognize the success of high-performing schools and those closing achievement gaps. At the other end of the spectrum, we will identify and take appropriate steps to address problems at low-performing schools and those with growing achievement gaps.

The most important information about teachers isn’t the degrees they have or their years of seniority. Their effectiveness in the classroom matters much, much more.

The effectiveness of teachers and principals traditionally has been measured by test scores at a fixed point in time. This flawed approach assigns too much responsibility to the teacher and principal for what students bring to the classroom at the beginning of the year, and not enough responsibility for what students learn during the year. Our new system of evaluating teacher and principal effectiveness will include measures of growth during the year. This method adjusts for the substantial differences among students at the beginning of the year.

Fifty-nine schools already measure educator effectiveness using the S.C. Teacher Advancement Program. Similarly, a new statewide system will accurately, fairly and reliably measure educator effectiveness. Teachers and principals will know how much they have contributed to student learning and where they need to improve. In turn, students will benefit from more effective instruction in the classroom and more effective leadership in their schools.

When parents know how well their children do, they can more effectively help them. When teachers and principals know how well they perform, they can more efficiently improve classroom instruction.

Student learning is at the heart of accountability and educator evaluation. Our new evaluation system puts students first. It has the potential to transform education in South Carolina.

Dr. Zais is the state superintendent of education. Contact him at SCSuptEd@ed.sc.gov

Read more here: http://www.thestate.com/2012/03/25/2205290/zais-modernize-school-educator.html#storylink=cpy

Educators Learning New Tricks

Click here for a link to the video.

Teaching and Learning

Dr. Tae — Building A New Culture Of Teaching And Learning from Dr. Tae on Vimeo.
Click here for a link to the video.

Northwestern High School's New Band Director Announced

The Rock Hill School District Administration is recommending Mark Yost to be the new Northwestern High School Band Director starting in the 2012-13 school year. Mr. Yost will be replacing the retiring, and legendary, Larry Wells. Mr. Yost, in additional to being an assistant with the marching band, has been director of the award winning Northwestern High School Jazz program. The recommendation is expected to be approved during Monday's Rock Hill School Board meeting. The agenda is below:

Meeting of the Board of Trustees
Monday, March 26, 2012
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.   Special Business
  A. Recognition of Distinguished Climbers
  B. Recognition of Palmetto Gold & Silver Winners
  C. Recognition of District Superintendent Writing Award Program Winners
  D. Recognition of HOSA Team
  E. Recognition of Denise Khaalid
III. Citizen Participation
IV.   Consent Action Agenda
   A. Approval of Minutes
     1.  February 27, 2012 business meeting
     2.  March 12, 2012 work session
   B. Approval of Personnel Recommendations
   C.  Approval of Contract Recommendations for 2012-2013
   D.  Approval of Use of Facilities Requests
   E.  Approval of Overnight Field Study Requests (3)
   F.  Approval of Textbook Adoption
   G.  Approval of Use of Vehicle Request
V.   Communications – Legislative Update
VI. Report of the Superintendent
  A. Announcements
  B.   Showcase Student Work – Rock Hill High School
  C.   Custodial Services Improvements
  D    Collaborative Efforts with Other Local Governments
VII. Review of Work Session
VIII.  Action Agenda
  A. Approval of Policy DC – 2nd Reading
  B. Approval of Policy KBC – 2nd Reading
  C. Approval of Policy ADF – 1st Reading
  D. Approval of Policy JICJ – 1st Reading
IX. Executive Session – Personnel Matter
X. Other Business
XI. Adjournment  

Born To Learn

Click here for a link to the video.

Seinfeld Explains Blooms Taxonomy

Click here to see some funny Seinfeld clips used to explain Blooms Taxonmy.

Rock Hill Schools News For Wednesday, March 21, 2012

From Elaine T. Baker, Director of Information Services, Rock Hill Schools:

An Evening of Laughter

The Rock Hill School District All-District Honors Theatre Production will take place March 22-25 in the auditorium at South Pointe High School. The Miser, written by French playwright and actor, Molière, is generally classified as a comedy of manners. Directed by James Chrismon, drama teacher at South Pointe, the play will be performed in the traditional French style and delight all audiences. Showtimes will be 7:30 p.m. Thursday-Saturday and 3:00 p.m. on Sunday. Tickets will be $5 for students and $10 for adults. The doors will open 30 minutes prior to each performance.

 

Community Drop-in for Denise Khaalid

The Rock Hill School District and the South Pointe High School administration will co-host a community drop-in for Denise Khaalid on Thursday afternoon, May 3, from 4:00-5:30 in the media center at South Pointe. Denise was named on March 10 as the National High School Asst. Principal of the Year.

 

Talented Photographer

Rick Johnson, a math teacher at South Pointe High Schoo was recently named the 2011-12 Best Amateur Photo Winner by Mecklenburg Hounds, Inc., Charlotte's Fox Hunting Club. Check out Rick's beautiful photo at http://www.mecklenburghoundsinc.com/.

 

Child Abuse Awareness/Prevention Month

April is Child Abuse Awareness/Prevention Month. To bring attention to this important topic, the City of Rock Hill will host a community kickoff at 3:00 p.m. Friday, March 30, in the City Hall Amphitheater. The Northwestern High School Air Force Junior ROTC Color Guard, under the direction of CMSGT Johnny Neal, will present the colors; and Judge David Guyton will provide remarks.

 

Congratulations to . . .

• Dutchman Creek Middle School's 8th Grade Orchestra which participated in the S.C. Orchestra Contest Festival on March 15 and received a Superior Rating from each judge. Orchestra director, Emily Thompson, is proud of her students who have earned Superior Ratings each year since the school opened four years ago.
• Students at Lesslie Elementary School who recently raised $1,797 for the American Heart Assn. through the "Jump Rope for Heart" initiative. Hats off to P.E. teacher and organizer, Trey McDaniel.