SLP Superintendent's Newsletter
Week of August 26, 2019
UPCOMING EVENTS
SUPERINTENDENT PATRICK JENKINS
Message for the Week
The first two weeks of school have been awesome. I hope you have had an opportunity to visit our schools and Head Start programs. Great things are happening! This week will a busy week for everyone and below I have listed my schedule as well as a list of important activities.
Have you ever gotten lost and had to ask for directions? If so, you are not alone. It happens to the best of us. Even with GPS we can still get off track and lose our bearings. Last week, I was reminded that although I may have been on my planned course, I was lost. My GPS kept telling me to turn around, reroute. The scenery was familiar, the road was known, and I had driven this route for years. How could I be going in the wrong direction? Last Friday, I had a conference with a parent that made me realize that I had temporarily lost my way; lost track of my purpose. I am sure I am the only one this has happened to...right?! The great thing about education and life is that we get to reroute! It's never too late. My purpose... I am glad you asked. To help every child Become What They Believe. Everything is not about achievement (A,B,C,D, or F). We must celebrate each other and our children. Share the amazing things that happen Every Day in our schools!
Thank you for knowing your purpose but if you have gotten lost, REROUTE today.
Thought for the week...
Beginning today, treat everyone you meet as if they were going to be dead by midnight. extend to them all the care, kindness and understanding you can muster, and do it with no thought of any reward. your life will never be the same again. - Og Mandino
The Captain of the Gate
DIRECTOR OF CURRICULUM - ANGELA CASSIMERE
Aspiring Leaders Academy
Beginning September 11, 2019!
The St. Landry Parish School Board's Aspiring Leaders Academy is designed to offer educational leaders who have obtained Educational Leadership certification as well as those who are working towards certification the opportunity to participate in research-based professional development to acquire the critical knowledge and skills to be instructional leaders and improve student achievement in their schools.
Patterned on the components of NISL's Executive Development Program (EDP), the academy seeks to prepare aspiring leaders to serve as strategic thinkers, instructional leaders, and creators of a just, fair, and caring community in which all students meet high standards.
Please share the attached flyer with instructional staff members at your school.
The application can be found at the following link: Deadline for applications: September 3, 2019
https://forms.gle/BKbxvE7HzQxdsmRV7
Please do not hesitate to reach out if you have any questions.
REMINDER: Louisiana Youth Summit on Opioid Awareness Registration
REMINDER: Fall 2019 Teacher and School Leadership Surveys
● teachers are approaching the planning, delivery, and adaptation of their curriculum; and
● principals and leadership teams are supporting teachers.
School systems are encouraged to share the surveys with teachers and school leadership teams through their staff newsletters, at upcoming professional development events, and through any other school system communications. The survey will take approximately 10-15 minutes to complete and will close on August 23. Respondents are asked to share their school system name so that the Department can provide school system leaders with the information collected from their staff.
REMINDER: U.S. Senate Youth Scholarship Opportunity
The Department and the William Randolph Hearst Foundation are pleased to announce the launch of the 2020 United States Senate Youth Program. Two outstanding students from Louisiana will be selected to spend a week in Washington, D.C. in March of 2020 and will each receive a $10,000 scholarship from the Hearst Foundation. The Department requests your assistance with selecting these students. Please distribute to juniors or seniors who hold elected or appointed offices in school or community groups listed in the national program brochure and the logistics memo which includes the application and selection procedures. Please ensure that students understand the rules and regulations governing this competition. For test security reasons, the test secure essay topics will only be released to school systems and will not be available on the Department’s website. High school personnel should contact marian.johnson@la.gov as soon as a student request is made for the essay topics. The names of the students selected and their application portfolios must be received at the email address below no later than October 1. Finalists will be notified by October 21.
THERESE ELLENDER - SUPERVISOR OF STEAM
NEW: 2019 Career Futures Expo
The 2019 Career Futures Expo will be October 23rd at Northwest High School. The registration deadline is October 15th and we would love to have your confirmation of attendance to reserve your booth! There is NO COST to you to participate and breakfast will be provided by Cengage as well as a hearty lunch by various businesses.
The Career Expo is designed to allow 10th graders an opportunity to explore career options prior to determining a pathway at the end of the school year. This year 10th graders from St. Landry and Evangeline Parish Schools will be in attendance as well as St. Edmunds and Opelousas Catholic. We have an estimate of 1,500 students attending.
I look forward to receiving your registration, attached.
New: Release of 2018-2019 CLEP Results
New: Quest for Success Teacher Training
New: NCCER Craft Instructor Webinar
● Webinar Date and Time: August 28 at 10:00 a.m.
● Webinar Link: https://ldoe.zoom.us/j/211861830
● Meeting ID#: 211 861 830
● Webinar Date and Time: August 28 at 2:00 p.m.
● Webinar Link: https://ldoe.zoom.us/j/752025935
● Meeting ID#: 752 025 935
New: NCCER Updates for School System and School Leadership
● Webinar Date and Time: August 21 at 10:00 a.m.
● Webinar Link: https://ldoe.zoom.us/j/960720956
● Meeting ID#: 960 720 956
● Webinar Date and Time: August 21 at 2:00 p.m.
● Webinar Link: https://ldoe.zoom.us/j/686093410
● Meeting ID#: 686 093 410
JEROME ROBINSON - SUPERVISOR OF CHILD WELFARE AND ATTENDANCE/ATHLETICS
SUSPENSIONS/EXPULSIONS
Principals/Administrators,
This letter serves as a reminder in reference to the suspension/expulsion process.
When a recommendation for expulsion is made by an administrator, Mr. Jenkins and I will review the documents to determine if an adequate amount of behavioral interventions were used to redirect defiant behaviors. If the student is a special needs student, i.e. – 1508 or 504 then you must contact Ms. Tonya Eaglin at Pupil Appraisal for review/approval.
Some examples of behavior interventions are:
1. Parent conference
2. Evidence of parental contact via email, telephone, letter
3. Counseling
4. Remedial work
5. Short term suspensions
6. Recess detention
7. Saturday clinics
8. In-school suspension
The disciplinary progression plan will include an opportunity for a long term suspensions, whichwill/may attending the St. Landry Parish CAPS Program or the Eunice Jr. High Alternative Program for a period of 10 or more days. With favorable behavior, the student will return to the base school with probationary status. Continued defiance will warrant a return to the Alternative Program for the (remainder of school year). A second hearing must be conducted before the student enters into the site for a second time.
Rules that govern expulsion periods for drugs, weapons, and serious bodily harm will remain the same as stated in Louisiana Law RS17:416.
When a student has not committed a major offense (drugs, weapons, serious bodily harm), a recommendation for expulsion may not be approved. Instead, the student may receive a long term suspension.
Please continue to be mindful of the following: Schools that will receive an “URGENT INTERVENTION REQUIRED” label in School Finder will be required to submit a School Behavior Intervention Action Plan to the State Department.
Urgent Intervention Status occurs when:
Your school has an out-of-school suspension rate that doubles the national average for three consecutive years
· PK-4th OSS rate exceeds 5.2% for three years, and/or
· 5th- 12th rate exceeds 20.2% for three years
Finally, we need to continue to give our best effort in reducing suspensions and expulsions in order to give our students an opportunity to learn and grow in a positive school environment.
Note: Please share this information with your administrative team.
Thank you for what you do.
IN-SCHOOL SUSPENSION SUCCESS GUIDELINES
(ISS) In-School Suspension Centers
Good morning Administrators,
Attached are the following items:
° In- School Suspension Agreement Form- Must be completed at the base school and emailed or faxed to the In-School Suspension Centers
° In- School Suspension Guidelines- Will be strictly enforced at the Centers
(see attachment)
° Listing of the In-School Suspension Centers and the schools they service
(see attachment)
Note: Principals, please assign an administrative team member to help facilitate this process for your school.
The only site that is not up and running is Sunset. The agreement form will be updated as soon as we fill that slot.
Urgent message for all Principals/Athletic Directors/Coaches
Please be advised to use “extreme caution” when practicing/conditioning your student-athletes. Also, be cautious as to the activities you have the athletes undertaking (due to heat exhaustion) and make sure they are hydrated throughout that process. I strongly recommend that you utilize your indoor facilities as much as possible during the extremely hot days to come.
Note: Designate someone on your staff to keep up with the weather forecast daily (Including thunder & lightning).
Principals, if you don’t have athletics at your school please share this information with all duty teachers as well your Health & Physical Education Instructors.
As always, we really appreciate the jobs that you do.
SUPERVISOR OF INSTRUCTION, SCHOOL CHOICE, & SCHOOL IMPROVEMENT- TRINA PRESTON
Reminder: Available Assessment Resources
● 2019-2020 Assessment Guides
● 2019 Teacher Leader Summit presentations and materials
● Updated Mathematics Equation Builder Guides
● LEAP Connect Constructed-Response Sample Items
GLORIA MALBROUGH - PERSONNEL RECRUITMENT COORDINATOR
Compass Window Closing
As you work toward completing your finial evaluations in CIS, please submit the names of those teachers that I will need to enter an incomplete evaluation status. I will need to know the reason for the incomplete as well. Note that teachers who are on sick leave or retired mid-year cannot be deleted from the roster, but entered as incomplete. Please send those as soon as possible, since I have to meet the deadline of September 6 along with you.
COMPASS window closing September 6, 2019.
2018-2019 Teacher Evaluation of Dates and Resources
Earlier this month (August 9), 2018-2019 value-added model (VAM) data was uploaded into the Compass Information System (CIS). School systems may now submit final evaluation ratings for VAM teachers in CIS.
The deadline for submitting all 2018-2019 evaluation ratings for VAM teachers into CIS, including performance evaluations and Student Learning Targets (SLTs), is September 6.
In the event that you cannot complete as of yesterday, COMPASS TECHS were working on glitches with rolling information over. Just keep trying periodically. Thank you!
NEW: COMPASS
UPON COMPLETING THE COMPASS EVALUATION TRAINING THAT WAS PROVIDED AT THE PRINCIPAL’S RETREAT, PLEASE NOTE THAT THE FOLLOWING HAS TO BE DONE.
The completion of this survey
will count as your attendance in this
training.
Please make sure to complete at the end of
session.
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1-M47JEt
nxcS2fHagjwmSlDWS2l3yP58cD-6QhNCL8Ec
/edit
ONCE YOU HAVE COMPLETED THE SURVEY FORWARD YOUR CERTIFICATE TO ME, ALONG WITH YOUR APS CERTIFICATE. I WILL BE ASSIGNING EVALUATORS ONCE THE SYSTEM ROLL’S OVER.
INSTRUCTIONAL TECHNOLOGY FACILITATOR/WEBMASTER TRICIA FONTENOT
Principals' E-Binder
https://www.slp.k12.la.us/apps/pages/index.jsp?uREC_ID=371733&type=d&pREC_ID=1651247
Login Credentials:
Username: slpsb
Password: principals
*Send me an email if there is something specific that you would like included in the e-binder.
BYRON WIMBERLEY - SUPERVISOR OF TECHNOLOGY
NEW: JCAMPUS REPORTING ABSENCES
On the first day of school, if a student is absent, they should be marked absent for this day and everyday forward that they are not in attendance. If a student is marked absent for 10 consecutive days (8-21-2019) from the start of school, these students should be exited from your school with a leave code of 18 (no show) and a date of 8/8/2019. This will result in a drop out for your school. Please make sure you are doing everything possible to locate these students that have not shown up on your campus.
Beginning with the first absence, you will need to begin the process of locating the student to avoid having this being reported as a drop out. After the 5th absence on any student in your school, Mr Jenkins will need a report of all students and any notes of contact that has been made. A template will be sent to you this afternoon.
Due to the new JCampus system and the JCALL that goes out to parents when a student is absent, this may help in locating students. If a parent constantly gets a call about the absence, they may contact you to let you know.
Note: Make sure all documentation is in place to support the no show. This means all contact made and notifications sent to parent. As well as the actual drop notification in the student’s file.
Submitting Content for Administrative Reminders
Email: TOF9686@SLP.K12.LA.US
Website: www.slp.k12.la.us
Location: 1013 E. Creswell Lane, Opelousas, LA 70571
Phone: 337.948.3657