Inside Schools
A quick news break for employees
Recent KCSD Honors
Pine Tree Hill Elementary principal Melissa Royalty was named the 2016 KCSD Principal of the Year.
Estelle Benson, principal of Bethune Elementary and Mt. Pisgah Elementary, completed the SC Transformational Leadership Academy and received the Transformational Leadership endorsement on her certificate from the State Department of Education. Only 34 school administrators have this endorsement.
Jennifer Gibson, library assistant at North Central Middle and North Central High, was honored as Media Paraprofessional of the Year by the SC Association of School Librarians. The Media Paraprofessional Award recognizes the exemplary performance of a paraprofessional who directly supports the media profession either at the building or district level.
Adult Education teacher Glady Smoak received the Linda Belue Region 2 Part Time Teacher of the Year Award for 2014 - 2015. Ms. Smoak has been a WorkKeys instructor for 10 years.
Baron DeKalb Elementary teachers Emily Baccomo and Robin Sowell and librarian Abby Spitzer had their DonorsChoose grants funded through the marketing firm Red Ventures.
I'll Blow Your House Down
Aurora Johnson, a kindergarten student at Wateree Elementary, gets the help of her teacher, Sharon Heins, as they test her structure against the big, bad wolf!
The Kissing Hand
School board member Kim Durant reads her favorite book, The Kissing Hand, to students at Mt. Pisgah Elementary.
Smiling Faces
First Grade students at Lugoff Elementary celebrated Black History Month by researching African American inventors. Displaying their projects are Mya Jones, LeeAndra Rickwood, Kemori Quick and Chloe Letchworth.
Golden Apple Award honorees for February
The Kershaw County Teacher Forum’s Golden Apple program honors employees who are doing outstanding jobs.
Golden Apple Award honorees for February 2016:
ATEC: Kim Morgan & Gordon Morris
Baron DeKalb Elementary: Frederica Brown & Mildred Fletcher
Bethune Elementary: Judy McFarland & Jana Vincent
Blaney Elementary: Glenna Brown-Kaiser & Sandra Haga
Camden Elementary: Brandy Bragg & Sarah Porter
Camden High: Derek Belton & Catherine
Camden Middle: Janie Murphy & Paula Munn
Continuous Learning Center: Charlene Trapp
Doby’s Mill Elementary: Carla Lowder & Nikki Bradley
Jackson: Marilyn Perry & Jennifer Infinger
Lugoff Elementary: Pam Britton & Pam Hollmon
Lugoff-Elgin High: Donna Noel & Theresa McManus
Lugoff-Elgin Middle: Shanna Gilmer & Elaine Dorsey
Midway Elementary: Austin McCaskill & Jessica Bittner
Mt. Pisgah Elementary: Amanda Williams & Martha Mason
North Central High: Nicole Gainey & Joseph Owens
North Central Middle: Terri Bowers & Brandin Burn
Pine Tree Hill Elementary: Angie Lawson & Delores Nelson
Stover Middle: Jamie Yasko, Kathleen Staffaroni, Amy Graves, Belinda Hill & Kayla Brockhoff
Wateree Elementary: Amanda Johnson & Carolyn Clippard
Jennifer Infinger (Jackson Elementary) and Elaine Dorsey (Lugoff-Elgin Middle) were the winners of the district drawing to receive $20 gift certificates from Everyday Gourmet.
Teacher of the Year Gala
Thursday, Apr 21, 2016, 07:00 PM
Camden High School Auditorium
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.
When our Wi-Fi/internet goes down, our phone system and the intercom system goes down as well. This seems like a safety issue. If there was an intruder or other emergency at the school, how are teachers to be notified? Is there any way for our phones/intercoms to work without being tied into the Wi-Fi? We currently have plans to upgrade the phone system. As part of the upgrade we will work to make sure that the system is designed to address continuity of phone and intercom service.
Why do students who have low failing grades receive a 60 on their report cards? Will there be a review of minor/major grades? Dr. Morgan believes strongly that minimum failing grades help to keep students motivated who might otherwise give up because they have no mathematical opportunity to pass a class. There is no current effort to review the current minor/major assignment of grades.
Given the approval of the 2016-2017 calendar, it has been suggested that the half-day on December 19th be used for a holiday program. Is the 19th the only designated date for such programs to occur? Is the District satisfied in postponing their winter vacation to Monday (Dec. 19th), which would have normally began on a Friday (Dec. 16)? Schools can plan their holiday programs as best meets the needs of their schedules. The calendar committee would have rather not had to have a ½ day on December 19, but with a state mandate to have Election Day (November 8) off, it became difficult to find an ideal solution. A bill has been introduced in the General Assembly to move the mandated start date back one week for the 2016-17 school year; if this bill becomes a law, the district will revisit its 2016-17 calendar for possible changes.
With the reauthorization of ESEA and Molly Spearman's revised timeline for implementation of teacher evaluation are we doing SLO's the same way next school year? What can we expect next school year? What can we be doing now and over the summer to prepare? The reauthorization (ESSA) gives more flexibility to the SCDE in determining how educators will be evaluated. Although they are in the process of revising the current evaluation system, Superintendent Spearman will continue to have educators complete SLO's. If the SC BOE approves the revisions, then SLO's will be completed as an artifact and not as a stand alone measure.
Is the district going to continue to bill Medicaid via Health Office? How much revenue has this generated for the nursing program? How will these funds be utilized? Yes, we will continue billing under what was formerly Title IV of the Nursing Act. The district has the opportunity to receive funding for nursing services provided; there is presently no stipulation for how such funds can be utilized. During the 2014-15 school year, the school district generated over $10,000 that was applied toward the salary for a nurse. So far this school year, we have billed over $44,000 for a nursing salary. The ultimate goal is for this billing to help offset the entire cost of nursing salaries and to create a self-sufficient nursing program as other school districts are doing.
What is the protocol for middle school students who are not picked up in the car rider area in a timely manner? Is there a specific, supervised area at each school? Are they sent to the after-school program and charged a fee? At each middle school, students who are not picked up at a certain time (generally 20 minutes after dismissal), are allowed to go to the office to call home. This is done under the supervision of an adult. Administrators talk with parents of students who have this issue on repeated occasions and may share information about the Safety Net program offered through Be Great Academy.
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