Inside Schools
A quick news break for employees
Recent KCSD Honors
KCSD has received a $60,000 grant for our DJJ Job Readiness for Teens program, a part of the Safe Schools/Healthy Students initiative. KCSD is one of eight sites to be awarded. The funds will be used to provide 200 hours of instruction and community service to local youth.
KCSD and several schools have received arts grants including a district SC Arts Commission Arts in Basic Curriculum grant and an Upton Foundation grant for a strings program. In addition, Camden Elementary, Camden Middle and Doby's Mill Elementary received Distinguished Arts Programs grants for three years. Wateree Elementary, Bethune Elementary and Lugoff Elementary received Arts in Education grants from the State Department's Arts in Education program.
Bullpups with Big Hearts
Pine Tree Hill Elementary celebrated its 100th day of school on Friday, January 31st. In celebration of this day, students collected 457 cans of food for Food for the Soul and $330 worth of pennies to donate to the Walter Crowe Animal Shelter. Students also created cards for the Springdale Nursing Home and Karesh Wing.
How cute are these faces?
Wateree Elementary kindergarten students in Mrs. Baker's class enjoyed dressing up for fairy tale day.
We love to read!
North Central Middle's Page Turners Book Club (for Boys Only) meets every Thursday afternoon in the school's library. Along with reading together, the boys enjoy an after school snack, hands on activities related to the book and weekly door prizes. Members receive official membership cards and club bracelets.
Golden Apple Award honorees for January 2014:
The Kershaw County Teacher Forum’s Golden Apple program honors employees who are doing outstanding jobs.
Golden Apple Award honorees for January 2014:
ATEC: Kathy Vidal & Chet Horton
Baron DeKalb Elementary: Freddie Brown & Janie Briggs
Bethune Elementary: Julie Pigg
Blaney Elementary: Jessica Fry & Susan Carmichael
Camden Elementary: Donna Driggers & Brittany Knapko
Camden High: Connell Anthony & Brant Freeman
Camden Middle: Crystal Page & Allison Stephens
Doby’s Mill Elementary: Mary Anne Catoe & Christa Jeter
Jackson: Kristen Clay
Lugoff Elementary: Debbie Garner & Joyce Tucker
Lugoff-Elgin High: Cris Reichers & Zoe Dommel
Lugoff-Elgin Middle: Julie Stockman & Tony Wages
Midway Elementary: Teri Odom & Donna Freeman
Mt. Pisgah Elementary: Linda Stephens & Martha Mason
North Central High: Maureen Albright & Darlene Ham
North Central Middle: Erika Peake & Nikki Ingram
Pine Tree Hill Elementary: Charisse Dixon & Melissa McCaskill
Stover Middle: Michael Rush & Lynley Jones
Wateree Elementary: Renee Robinson & Cindi Gordon
Christa Jeter, (Doby’s Mill Elementary) and Freddie Brown, (Baron DeKalb Elementary) were the winners of the district drawing to receive $20 gift certificates from Fatz Café.
Q and A with Dr. Morgan and Staff
Questions for this column are questions of general interest submitted each month in Superintendent's Cabinet meetings.
Is there any possibility that state testing will be delayed after the loss of instructional days due to the winter storms? According to a recent memo from the South Carolina Department of Education (SCDE), they have examined school district calendars and, noting the wide variation in holidays and end-of-year closings across the state, the Department has determined that making any change in state test dates to accommodate some districts could have a negative impact on other districts. There will not be any changes to the scheduled test dates.
Is it possible to put together a district wide late-start schedule that puts all the high schools, ATEC, and CCTC on the same page and avoids simply skipping an entire block? This is difficult to achieve because of the travel time needed for students who must report to their high schools first and then ride the school bus to ATEC. CCTC classes taught on our high school campuses follow the same start time as other high school classes when there is a delay; KCSD does not have any authority over CCTC start times taught at the CCTC campus.
Will the 3rd nine weeks grading period end later than scheduled on the calendar because of days missed due to weather? KCSD schools missed five days due to recent winter storms. March 7, which was previously a professional development day, will now be a regular school day. In addition, we are waiting to hear about any legislation from the General Assembly that might allow local school boards to forgive days missed due to inclement weather. After that information is received and a decision made about additional make up days, the school calendar will be adjusted.
As teachers we are having to complete increasingly complicated technological tasks on increasingly dilapidated laptops. Those of us whose laptops die are given refurbished laptops that run more slowly than anything that we have used in the past 6 years. Is any thing being done to address this? All middle school teachers are slated to receive new laptops as funding becomes available. Elementary and high school teachers received new devices recently; high school teachers received ElitePads so that any laptops they are still using will only be supported on an available basis.
On the news, it said that there is a push to move SC teacher pay up because we are "behind the national average." Do you know if/when that will happen? The first draft of the state budget approved by the House Ways and Means Committee does not include a salary increase for teachers; just a step increase. This is the first step in the budget process; the final version will need approval from the House and Senate.
What is the status of the value added proposal for teacher pay? Two different pilot projects are being conducted now and results will be reported to the SCDE this spring. According to No Child Left Behind, SCDE will have to recommend a system by the spring of 2015.
Is it possible for persons who are in charge of testing to receive a stipend? The school board can consider this as an addition for the 2014-15 school budget.
Kershaw County School District
Nestled in the heart of the Palmetto State, KCSD is home to over 10,300 students and more than 1,200 employees.
Email: maryanne.byrd@kcsdschools.net
Website: www.kershaw.k12.sc.us
Location: 2029 W Dekalb St, Camden, SC
Phone: (803) 432-8416
Facebook: facebook.com/KershawCountySchoolDistrict
Twitter: @kcsdschools