Inside Schools
A quick news break for employees
Recent KCSD Honors
Baron DeKalb Elementary, Doby's Mill Elementary and Lugoff Elementary each received $500 from the Fitness Zone's Jingle Bell Run to be used for fitness education activities.
Eight teachers received Spring Classroom Enrichment Grants from the Camden Junior Welfare League: Carla Cothern, Camden High: Project Biology Hands-on; Alison Lopez, Camden Middle: Project TI-30 Calculators; Isaac Pitts, Camden Middle: Project Soundtrack: World Tour; Ashley Middleton, Camden Middle: Project The Hidden Curriculum…Social Skills; Amanda Hicks, Lugoff Elementary: Project Building Independent Readers to be Leaders; Susan Morris, Lugoff Elementary: Project Elementary Gymnastics; Kayla Shoemake, Lugoff-Elgin High: Project STEM Enrichment Through Games; and Chuck Baker, Lugoff Elgin Middle: Project Understanding My World.
Reading is fun at Bethune Elementary
Reading is so much fun especially when you get to share it with a "Reading Buddy!" Bethune Elementary kindergarten student Damani Brown uses technology as he shares a story with his buddy.
NCH Key Club helps out
North Central High Key Club members raised money to sponsor a family during the holidays through a bake sale, selling candy grams, and collecting donations.
High schools raise hurricane relief funds
Lugoff-Elgin High senior Evan Graves and members of all three KCSD high schools' student councils organized a Powder Puff tournament to raise money for hurricane relief. He shared the results of their efforts at the school's Holiday Hopes program.
Golden Apple Award honorees for November and December
The Kershaw County Teacher Forum’s Golden Apple program honors employees who are doing outstanding jobs.
Golden Apple Award honorees for November and December 2017:
ATEC: Jason Alaimo and David Weaver
Baron DeKalb Elementary: Freddie Brown and Frances Stover / Justice Littlejohn and Sheryl Threatt
Bethune Elementary: Jakki Bonner / Derhonda Ross
Blaney Elementary: Kayla Ross and Melissa Emmons
Camden Elementary: Tristany Horton and Lisa Luce / Cat Holiday and Regina McDonald
Camden High: Angela Brennen and Dean Lamonato / Amy Speaks and Catherine Robinson
Camden Middle: Libby Davis and Leon Corbett
Continuous Learning Center: Greta VanDeCarr / John Monferdini
Doby’s Mill Elementary: Debbie Blackwell and Kristina Smith Woods / Angela McCall and Susan Yelenic
Jackson: Brooke McLeod and Kyleigh Shirley
Lugoff Elementary: Amy Altman and Kathryn Horton / Susan Morris and Edward Shirey
Lugoff-Elgin High: Will Richardson and Janet Glover
Lugoff-Elgin Middle: Tammy Small and Sara Ponds / Traci Quinlan and Chris Meserve
Midway Elementary: Selena Jones and Mary Williams / Sherri Johnson and Donna Freeman
Mt. Pisgah Elementary: Sue Adams and Amber Pitts / Kim Zimmerman and Jana Vincent
North Central High: Cheyanna Elliott and Mandy Oliver
North Central Middle: Donna Gaskins and Lynnette Conto
Pine Tree Hill Elementary: Kimberly Gainey and Jennifer Glover / Lindsey Pierce and Becky Stokes
Stover Middle: Kim Stokes and Cherisha Floyd / James Baker and Elizabeth Starling
Wateree Elementary: Carol Bowling and Jane Kerwin / Keith Porter and Rebekah Miller
Brooke McLeod (Jackson) and Will Richardson (Lugoff-Elgin High) were the winners of the district drawing to receive $20 gift certificates from Hall's Restaurant.
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.
How was the decision made to start school at the regular time on Jan. 5 when the temperature was colder than it was the two previous days? We opened late on Wednesday, January 3 because there was a concern about bus dependability after the long break even though we started all the buses on Tuesday. After Wednesday, we felt comfortable about the buses. We would have gone on time on Thursday except that we were dealing with snow and ice in some of the outlying areas. With both issues resolved, it was determined that we could go on time Friday, January 5. As it turned out, our buses ran on time and we didn't have any situations where students were at bus stops longer than normal because of a late bus. We did receive a great deal of feedback from parents about missing work or leaving young children alone because of the delayed start. When all the factors were reviewed, it was determined that we could get students to school safely and without disruption Friday. Interestingly, no other district in the region delayed Friday, even Lancaster or the rural areas of Lexington and Calhoun. Chesterfield, Lee, Orangeburg, Bamberg, and Sumter were closed that day because of lingering snow, which thankfully was not a problem here. Going forward, we will try to craft clearer communication about these issues involved in the decision.
What criteria is used to decide when it is too cold for students to wait for buses or to have a two hour delay? Each weather day decision is unique and is based on a number of factors but staff and student safety is our highest priority when making the decision. School district staff members work closely with emergency preparedness officials as well as ride the roads themselves to gather the latest information. Equipment that can determine the road temperatures is used in this process. KCSD bus drivers also arrive early to start buses up to be sure that they are able to operate normally in extremely cold temperatures. (See answer to question above for additional information.)
If my reason for not coming to work on Thursday, January 4th was that the roads were not navigable, then why do I have to use a sick leave day? We were told to code the leave as 8 (emergency leave). Emergency leave is deducted from the staff member's sick leave. No employee will be penalized for having to miss work on this day due to inclement weather concerns. We will be working to find another way to code this information so that employees will not be docked.
Why can we not use the Early Dismissal Day to make up the day we missed for inclement weather? The Early Dismissal Day already counts as one of the 180 required days.
Why did ELA teachers have Professional Development when all other teachers got a work day on January 15th right before grades are due? SC Ready test results revealed that our students did not score well in answering questions related to Text Dependent Analysis. The opportunity arose to have a consultant from the S.C. Department of Education come lead a daylong session for ELA teachers on developing effective teaching strategies to address this pressing need of our students. Your principal made the decision to have persons attend the training in order to take advantage of this opportunity, and we received positive feedback from this professional development session.
We are a green school and there is a stand still on recycling. We want to recycle. The number of vendors who are accepting recycled items has decreased. Vocational Rehabilitation works with some of our schools, and we will see if they have the capacity to expand their services.
When will teachers be given new laptops? The ones we are currently using are on their last leg. We will be gathering information this spring to refresh K-8 teacher devices.
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.kcsdschools.net
Location: 2029 W Dekalb St, Camden, SC
Phone: (803) 432-8416
Facebook: facebook.com/KershawCountySchoolDistrict
Twitter: @kcsdschools