This Week
August 23, 2019
Florence 1 Schools Teachers of the Year Named
Teachers of the Year have been named, and Florence 1 Schools is in the process of selecting a Florence 1 Schools Teacher of the Year for 2019-20. Each school teacher of the year has completed an application packet. Currently, a selection panel is reviewing the application packets, and the four teachers whose applications receive the highest ratings will be named the Florence 1 Schools Honor Roll Teachers. Honor Roll teachers will be recognized at a September Board of Trustees meeting. The selection panel will conduct interviews with the Honor Roll Teachers and visit their classrooms during the week of September 9-13. On September 16, the panel will submit the name of the Honor Roll Teacher who received the highest ratings to Dr. Richard O'Malley, who will publicly announce the name of the 2019-20 Florence 1 Schools Teacher of the Year.
Jeff Murrie
Mary Ellen Baker
Danielle O'Neal
Connie Nettles
Julie Shealy
Troy Biddy
Kim Reynolds
Susan Bigham
Melanie Padgett
Valerie Church
Shatoya Mouzon
Lisa Slone
Katharine Bobbitt
Jacqueline Farmer
Hayley Taylor
Vikki Cross
Dawn Gray
Ross Hill
Lowandra Sims
Nichole Scipio
Diane Duncan
26 Wilson High School Students are IB Diploma Recipients
The students received recognition at an August meeting of the Florence 1 Schools Board of Trustees. Graduates are wearing T-shirts which represent the college or university they plan to attend this fall.
Front row, left to right: Simran Singh, John Odasco, Annie Kate Watson, Briya Shah, and Gracie Hinson;
Second row, left to right: Mary Huang, Hanna Ward, Alice Lee, Lily Andrews, Cairns Desai, and Parker Denton;
Third left to right: Diego Hernandez-Ramirez, Alex Reid, Davis Ivey, Reed Bausmith, James Wesley Hannah , and Justin Hedges.
Not pictured are: Samai Bhojwani, Nicholas Jacobs, Katelyn Franck, James Belt, Isabel Townsend, Emily Bonds, Dulce Dubose, Cameron Byrd and Bethany Williams.
School Board Connection Highlights August Meetings
Action Items
August 8 - The Florence 1 Schools Board of Trustees approved the listing of facility needs and the costs associated with improvements at school facilities totaling $8,120,000. The listing is based on a facility study recently conducted by MB Kahn in cooperation with administrators in Florence 1 Schools.
The board also approved the district’s Title 1 Plan for the 2019-20.
After executive session, the board announced that it would resume its pay-as-you-go plan beginning with the construction of a new Southside Middle. Construction of the new Southside Middle should begin in the next six to eight months.
In addition to approving the restarting of the pay-as-you-go plan, the board also approved the purchasing of approximately 1.9 acres of land adjacent to the Alfred E. Rush Academy and the old library building on Irby Street. Future plans are to have the employees at the school administration building move to the old library making room for staff members who are housed at Poynor. This shift will allow renovations to begin at the Poynor Building and McClenaghan. The board recently approved renovation plans to allow the Poynor Building to become a magnet school for the arts. The old McClenaghan High School building will house the adult education program.
August 15 - New Center Serves Four-Year-Olds - Director of School Readiness Dr. Floyd Creech provided information about the new RN Beck Child Development Center. The new RN Beck Early Learning Center contains a square footage of 42,000 feet. It will provide an updated learning space for pre-kindergarten, four-year old students. The facility includes 16 new classrooms, a large multipurpose room, as well as a new playground area located within the interior perimeter of the building.
This new center layout will provide a protected playground area that directly connects to the large multipurpose room that has the ability to be subdivided to serve a dual function as a community room. Other features of the new facility include a sensory classroom, a full kitchen, dining area and as well as administration facilities. Each classroom houses approximately 900 square feet of learning space with large exterior windows, a dedicated children’s restroom area, storage room and teacher office area. (RN Beck Child Development Center, photo above)
Program Receives "A" Rating
Heckmann Returns
Upcoming Anti-Bullying Summit
The South Carolina Office of Student Intervention Services is hosting a statewide anti-bullying summit, “Bullying…NOT In Our School!” on Friday, September 13 at the Columbia Metropolitan Convention Center from 9:00 a.m. - 2:30 p.m. Each school can bring one team comprised of five students in grades 4-12.
During the anti-bullying summit, students will learn the importance of taking a stand against bullying and teams will develop an action plan to reduce bullying in their schools.
Each school's team is also encouraged to participate in the Anti-Bullying Summit Poster Contest. First, second, and third place winners for each school level (elementary, middle, and high) and an overall contest winner will be announced during the summit. Each winning team will receive a plaque, and the poster from the overall winner will be framed and displayed at the South Carolina Department of Education and on the South Carolina Department of Education's website during National Bullying Prevention Month in October.
McLeod Health and Florence 1 Schools Partner to Offer School-Based Telehealth Program
The School Based Telehealth Program offers a new option for non-emergency medical care at these schools through McLeod TeleHealth visits with Lisa Wallace, a McLeod Nurse Practitioner. McLeod has provided each of the four schools with Telehealth equipment including a computer, monitor, camera and other devices such as a remote stethoscope and otoscope.
How the Program Works
- When the school nurse believes a student should have a Telehealth visit, she will send Lisa Wallace information on the student's condition and their age, weight and vitals.
-A McLeod TeleHealth appointment will be scheduled, and the parent will receive an e-mail link to connect to the visit.
- Wallace will talk with the student about how they are feeling and get input from the parent on the child's medical history.
- The school nurse will then facilitate the exam using the peripheral aids so that Wallace can listen to the heart and lungs, check the ears, nose and throat, evaluate a rash or ask the school nurse to swab for flu.
- Before the visit ends, Wallace will ask the parent if they have any questions or concerns. If a prescription is necessary, she will send it to the family's regular pharmacy.
Photo above: Matt Reich, Senior Vice President & CIO of McLeod Health, makes remarks at this week's School-Based Telehealth Program announcement.
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