Northwestern High School Football Playoff Schedule #myrhsdstory

Click here for a printable schedule.

South Pointe Football Playoff Bracket #spway

Click here to get a printable copy of the playoff schedule.

Rock Hill School District 2015 High School Football Schedule #myrhsdstory

Click here for a printable copy.

Last Chance for Education and Business Workforce Development Summit #rockhill

Click here to register for this free event

For more information: lrobbins@scpathways.org 981-7702S

Table Discussion:

1. Low-skilled, routine jobs in our community will continue to be eliminated due to technology advances and an increased emphasis by industry on high-skilled jobs. How can we make technical careers, including those in manufacturing, more interesting and attractive to students/parents?
2. Business and industry often says students coming out of high school are not prepared for the workforce. Exactly how are they are not prepared? What are your specific expectations as far as skill sets and thinking capacities for our graduates to have?
3. Academic remediation, for example: reading levels, math skills, comprehension and retention of relevant information, writing and communication, are problem areas for many youth and adults seeking post-secondary education opportunities. How does the need for postsecondary remediation impact higher skill attainment? How do you suggest we improve these levels?
4. Refer to "Profile of the SC Graduate" on your table. How can education and business partner to help our students gain these skills? Are there innovative ideas we should employ?

Businesses:   Please let us know what your business will do (be specific) to impact our future workforce. 

Science Bowl Games on Comporium Cable Channel 114 #rhsd3

Below is the schedule for the next Science Bowl games, April 26 - May 2, on Cable 114, the Education Access Channel. Please share with your students and parents.

Game 9 – Sunset Park vs. The Children’s School

Sunday, April 26^th – 6:00pm

Monday, April 27^th – 7:00pm

Wednesday, April 29^th – 4:30pm

Game 10 – Independence vs. Mt. Holly

Sunday, April 26^th – 6:28pm

Monday, April 27^th – 7:28pm

Wednesday, April 29^th –  4:58pm

Game 11 – Ebinport vs. Rosewood

Sunday, April 26^th – 6:58pm

Monday, April 27^th – 7:28pm

Wednesday, April 29^th – 5:28pm

Game 12 – Mt, Gallant vs. Old Pointe

Sunday, April 26^th – 7:29pm

Monday, April 27^th – 8:30pm

Wednesday, April 29^th – 6:00pm

Workforce Development Summit Set For April 30, 2015 at Baxter Hood Center #rhsd3 #rockhill

Click here to register for this free event

For more information: lrobbins@scpathways.org 981-7702S

Jeannie Durham, Rock Hill's SC State Teacher of the Year Finalist

Rock Hill Elementary Schools in Science Bowl #rhsd3

Below is the broadcast schedule on Comporium Cable 114 for the Science Bowl games the week of April 19^th-25^th  2015. 

Game 5 – York Road vs. Rosewood

Sunday, April 19^th – 6:00pm

Tuesday, April 21^th – 7:00pm

Thursday April 23^rd – 7:00pm

Game 6 – Old Pointe vs. India Hook

Sunday, April 19^th – 6:31pm

Tuesday, April 21^th – 7:31pm

Thursday April 23^rd – 7:31 pm

Game 7 – Oakdale vs. Finley Road

Sunday, April 19^th – 7:01pm

Tuesday, April 21^th – 8:02pm

Thursday April 23^rd – 8:02pm

Game 8 – Finley Road vs. Mt Gallant

Sunday, April 19^th – 7:34pm

Tuesday, April 21^{t h}–8:35pm

Thursday April 23^rd –8:35pm

Rock Hill Schools Bond Referendum Kick-Off This Thursday! #rhsd3 #rockhill

The Rock Hill School Bond Referendum Campaign Kick-Off will be held at Fountain Park (downtown), at 10 am on Thursday, April 9, 2015. Rain site will be the Art Center.

Click here to go to the campaign web site. There is a link to sign up to receive campaign notices. 

You can see a calendar for future events online.

Click here to see a calendar of referendum presentations. If your school is having a School Improvement Committee meeting, try to attend to learn more about the referendum and to show support for the referendum.

Be sure to mark Tuesday, May 5, 2015 on your calendar and encourage everyone to go vote. 

Rock Hill Bond Vote on May 5, 2015. #rhsd3 #rhschoolboard

Oakdale Principal Profiled in U.S. Department of Education Newsletter #rhsd3

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DENISE KHAALID Celebrating African American Educators Editor's note: The following is part of a series reporting on excellent African American educators. Educators were selected by the White House Initiative on Educational Excellence for African Americans.  Denise Khaalid is the Principal at Oakdale Elementary School, a STEM Magnet School in Rock Hill, South Carolina. In 2012, she won the National Assistant Principal of the Year Award. What is the one thing you most celebrate about your students? One of my favorite quotes is “Your attitude, not your aptitude, will determine your altitude” by Zig Ziglar. I do my best to celebrate my students’ positive thinking. Many of my students experience challenging situations every day. I try to share stories of other people’s resilience, so they know that anything is possible for them.  In what ways do you encourage parents, family members, and other caring adults to support the learning and development of African American students?  We encourage parental involvement and have a number of activities that allow families and community members to support our students. Last year we began our Watch DOGS Program, which encourages fathers and father figures to volunteer at our school. The experience means a great deal to the children when their fathers spend the day at school, and other students also connect with these dads and look forward to the visits.  The other program is Parenting Partners. I have discovered that parents really do want to help their children, but many are not sure how. This fall we will have our first graduating class of parents who have participated in the Parenting Partners’ eight-week workshop series to help them with positive parenting. The parents in this cohort have learned together, shared experiences, and created a support group for one another. They have learned some valuable strategies that will help them better support all of the children. I am very excited about the power of this workshop series. We now have a cohort that can serve as leaders in our school, and we will have another cohort in the spring.

No Fear Encore! April 10 and 11 #rockhill

Rock Hill Principal 4A Principal of the Year #rohi #gorockhillbearcats

Congratulations to Rock Hill High School Principal, Ozzie Ahl, on being named today as the 4A Principal of the Year by the

S. C. Assn. of Athletic Administrators. Ozzie was selected for his outstanding support of athletics at the school, region, and state levels.

Rock Hill Middle School Entrepreneur Competition #rhsd3

Final Pitch Session For Knowledge Park Entrepreneur Competition Tomorrow Evening Free and open to the public event help in Whitton Auditorium (Carroll Hall) on Winthrop's campus. The middle school pitch session begins at 4:30pm. There are 5 middle school teams competing. On campus parking regulations are waived for the evening.

#RHSD3 Teacher a Finalist for State Teacher of the Year

Congratulations to Jeannie Durham, Rock Hill Schools Teacher of the Year, who was named this morning as one of five finalists for the South Carolina Teacher of the Year during a surprise visit by State Superintendent Molly Spearman and Rock Hill Superintendent Kelly Pew. This is the second consecutive year that a Rawlinson Road teacher has been named as a state finalist and the sixth year in the past seven years that a district teacher has been named a finalist. (Two teachers became the State Teacher of the Year.)

Jeannie is an 8^th grade science teacher who’s in her 15^th year of teaching. She’s been at Rawlinson Road for the past eight years. In her nomination for the state, Principal Jean Dickson stated: “It takes a special person to teach middle-school-age students, and yet Jeannie does it with such grace, style and finesse that she makes it look easy. Her students leave her classroom not only having learned the science curriculum but also knowing that she genuinely cares for and loves them.”

The State Teacher of the Year will be announced at a banquet in Columbia on April 22.

Dupree Hart 2014 Student-Athlete of the Year Finalist #rhsd3

#RockHill s Senator Wes Hayes to Hold Town Hall Meeting #rhsd3

Rock Hill Senator Wes Hayes will hold a town hall meeting on Monday, February 16, 2015 at 7:00 p.m. at Glennon Community Center, 1508 Molokai Drive, Tega Cay, SC 29708.

Below are some issues you may have an interest in:

Highway Funding

• How much comes in from the gas tax each year? About $450 million.
• How much revenue is generated per penny of tax? The motor fuel tax generates about $30 million per year, per penny.
• How much does South Carolina tax each gallon of fuel? It is 16.8 cents, which is 47th in the nation.
• How does South Carolina compare to other states around the Southeast?

o Georgia: 28.5 cents
o North Carolina: 37.8 cents
o Florida: 35.5 cents
o Virginia: 19.9 cents
o Tennessee: 21.4 cents

• How has inflation impacted the gas tax? If the tax had been adjusted for inflation since 1989, it would be 30 cents per gallon.
• How much goes to highway funds from the car tax? Approximately $41 million per year. Act 98 (2013) redirected 50% of the General Fund portion of the sales tax on motor vehicles to the State Non-Federal Aid Highway Fund. (Used exclusively for highway, road, and bridge maintenance, construction, and repair)
• What is the sales tax on vehicles? It is 5%, with a cap of $300. This means that once the cost of the car reaches $6,000, the purchaser will pay no additional sales tax.
• Do we use General Fund revenue to pay for roads? If so, how much? In Fiscal Year 2012-13, the state appropriated only $57,270 to the SCDOT. Because of Act 98 (passed in 2013), $50 million is now appropriated annually to SCDOT. The DOT then transfers the $50 million in quarterly payments to the State Infrastructure Bank to be used to finance bridge replacement, rehabilitation projects, and expansion and improvements to existing interstates.
• Does revenue from the motor fuel tax go into the General Fund? No--these funds are kept separate from the General Fund. 
• Overall, how much is the state spending of its own money per year on roads? SCDOT uses the motor fuel revenue it collects (FY 2013-14: $453,920,812). Federal-Aid Eligible projects typically have an 80/20 match.
• How much do we get from the federal government for roads each year, on average?

o FY2010-11 (Actual) $676,112,642;
o FY2011-12 (Actual) $845,540,985;
o FY2012-13 (Actual) $615,764,553;
o FY2013-14 (Estimate) $640,000,000.

• This amount varies depending on the mix of projects that are done and whether they are eligible for the federal match.

**For detailed analysis of several funding options that have been discussed, please see
“Transportation Funding Issues 11-18-14” at: http://www.rfa.sc.gov/econ/presentations

K-12 Education
Based on the seventeen bills that deal with K-12 education that were prefiled in
December, the Senate will be looking at a wide range of topics this year, including
school calendars, further expansion of K-4, school transportation, special education
diplomas, and school district geographic boundaries.
Some of the other key K-12 initiatives and issues anticipated this session include:

• Collaborating with the new Superintendent of Education, Molly Spearman, and new House Education and Public Works leadership.
• Addressing the K-12 school funding (Abbeville) lawsuit.
• Continuing the momentum for comprehensive, systemic approaches for improving student performance and outcomes (as was done with Read to Succeed in 2014).
• Monitoring progress of the cyclical review of Math and ELA standards, mandated by Act 200 of 2014. Last year we replaced the Common Core with state standards.
• Addressing recommendations from three special committees that began meeting after the end of the 2014 session:

1. The Select Committee on Teachers, which I chaired, met five times and heard from a number of educators. It concluded with recommendations to address and improve teacher employment and dismissal, as well as the teacher pipeline and teacher pay. The S.C. Revenue and Fiscal Affairs Office presentation on South Carolina teacher pay is available online at http://www.rfa.sc.gov/econ/presentations. Select “South Carolina and Southeastern Average Teacher Salary 10-14-14.”
2. The School Safety Task Force: I was honored to serve as Vice Chair of this committee, which met six times during the summer and fall. Its final report, along with a number of other documents that the committee received, is posted on the SC State House website. Of special note, NAMI was a very important partner and resource, and the committee was very grateful for the support of Joel Wier (Buddy) and Bill Lindsey.
3. The First Steps Study Committee, which is in the process of reviewing this initiative, is looking at the governance and structure of First Steps. The Committee expects to make its recommendations by mid-March.

Information was taken from: http://weshayes.com/HayesSpring2015Newsletter.pdf

Saluda Trail Middle School Day of Excellence #rhsh3

$100 Million Needed For Rock Hill Schools #rhschoolboard

The Rock Hill School Board Work Session this Monday will be long. You can find the information package for  employee climate, board communications, capital needs, and a first draft for next year's school calendar by clicking here. (http://www.rock-hill.k12.sc.us/districtinformation/boardoftrustees/boardmeetinginformationpacket.aspx?file_id=4171)   To find the recommendation to go to 1 to 1 computing at the high school level click here. (http://www.rock-hill.k12.sc.us/districtinformation/boardoftrustees/boardmeetinginformationpacket.aspx?file_id=4173)

Meeting agenda

Results from the November employee school climate report are also available in the meeting information package.

Prefiled SC Education Legislation #rhschoolboard

From Dr. Frank Morgan's Blog:

Prefiled Education Legislation

Posted on January 5, 2015 by Dr. Frank Morgan

The 2015 Session of the South Carolina General Assembly begins next week.  Following is a summary of prefiled education legislation that will be considered:

S.45 – Would provide more flexibility for school district on the number of school days, subject to approval by the State Board of Education.

S.46 – Would permit local school boards to pay lump-sum bonuses to teachers for excellent performance. Bonuses would be capped at 20% of base salary and not be included in retirement benefit calculations.

S.49/S.50 – Would expand funding for 4K programs to more districts.

S.69 – Would permit the Governor to appoint the State Superintendent and establish qualifications for the office.

S.82 – Would require schools to have one hour of instruction on Veteran’s Day about the history and meaning of the holiday.

S.94 – Would prohibit school districts from issuing general obligation bonds for general operating expenses.

S.138 – Would provide legal immunity for a school employee or volunteer who intervenes on behalf of a student who is being bullied or harassed.

S.147 – Would require that a Special Education student who completes an IEP program to be awarded a diploma versus a certificate of attendance.

S.164/H3265 – Would require high school students to receive instruction in CPR.

S.224 – Would prohibit more than one school district within a county.

S.239 – Would require teachers and administrators to be paid at the Southeastern average.

H.3023 – Would require schools to provide instruction on the Second Amendment in December of each year.

H.3030 – Would require that an electrocardiogram test be part of the required athletic physical examination.

H.3075 – Would decrease the residence to school distance for required school bus transportation.

H.3094 – Would permit school employees to bring a civil action against a student who commits a criminal offense against the employee on school property.

H.3110 – Proposed an amendment to the SC Constitution that would add language requiring the General Assembly to provide a “high quality education for all children in the state.”

H.3205 – Would extend the deadline one year for the state to develop its own college and career ready standards.

H.3209/H.3240 – Would provide additional funding for K-12 from the lottery.

H.3221 – Would require Veteran’s Day to be a school holiday.

H.3222 – Would require the Department of Education to develop a model dating violence policy for districts to use to develop their own policy and also require the Department of Education to provide resources for training staff in this area.

H.3245 – Would create a “Public School Flexibility and Study Committee” that would study educational innovations that are promoting parity in educational opportunities.