September - Fairfield County School District

Vol u m e 3 , Is su e 2
Dr. J.R. Green, Superintendent
Fairfield County School District
The C nnector
Publication Date: 9/16/2014
Superintendent J.R. Green Elected
Chair of Olde English Consortium
Superintendent J.R. Green has been voted Chairman of the Olde
English Consortium for the 2014-2015 school year. The Olde English
Consortium (OEC) is a 501-C-3, non-profit, collaborative seeking to
promote excellence in education through collaboration. Founded in
1976, the OEC’s members include the Cherokee, Chester, Chesterfield,
Clover, Fairfield, Fort Mill, Lancaster, Rock Hill, and York school
districts, as well as two regional higher education partners – Winthrop
University and the University of South Carolina Lancaster. A goal of the
OEC is to bring all educational stakeholders together to improve
education throughout the region. The focus of the consortium is on professional development
and student achievement - sharing resources among districts (and higher education partners) in
order to improve the quality of teaching & learning in public school classrooms.
In May, 2014, the nine school district superintendents and two college deans in the north
central region of South Carolina unanimously elected Superintendent Green as its chairman. In
this role, Dr. Green will seek to identify areas for possible collaboration and focus resources to
meet targeted needs. The OEC seeks to do things more efficiently as a collaborative – across
school district lines – than districts can do on their own. The OEC desires to maximize the
efficiency of federal, state, & local tax dollars by pooling district resources – across district/
college lines - to increase outcome efficiency & collaborative buying power.
On Thursday, September 11, 2014, new OEC Chair J.R. Green opened his first OEC meeting
of the year in Chester with guests Barry Bolen (Chair, State Board of Education) and Dr. Sheila
Quinn (Chair, State Instructional Leaders). Dr. Green began the meeting with a collaborative
focus on this year’s four new state requirements – Common Core Standards, New State Test,
Read-to-Succeed, and a new Teacher Evaluation System. Superintendents learned how nine
districts could work together to achieve the requirements of these new initiatives. Green’s plans
for the OEC in 2014-2015 include promoting Student Academic Competition statewide;
developing graduate cohorts of future teacher leaders; and providing professional development
for specialty-area educators (often small numbers in each district).
Delayed Start of School
The first of four delayed start days in the Fairfield County School
District will be October 2, 2014. On delayed start days, all
students will report to school two hours late, while teachers
report at the normal time for professional development. “Many
districts around the state have adopted a similar calendar to address teachers’ needs for
collaborative and professional development,” Dr. Claudia Edwards, Deputy Superintendent of
Academics for the district said. “Our leadership team looked at the data from last year and
identified key areas of professional development designed to improve their improvement
effectiveness in the classroom.”
While the district buses will operate on a two-hour delay, each school will provide supervision
for students that need to be dropped off at the normal time. Parents are asked to contact the
school ahead of time for early arrivals to ensure adequate space and supervision. Breakfast will
be served once all students have arrived at school. Other scheduled delayed start days are
December 4th, February 26th, and April 30th.
Fifteen Fairfield Middle School 7th graders will participate in the 2014-2015 Duke
University Talent Identification Program (TIP) based on their scores on the Palmetto
Assessment of State Standards (PASS) and/or Measures of Academic Progress (MAP)
assessment. These students will be taking the ACT college entrance exam in February
2015. This experience will allow students greater insight into their abilities and also provides
them with valuable benefits and resources. Students who earn high scores on the ACT will be sent invitations to recognition
ceremonies in their states. The top scoring students also will be invited to a Grand Recognition Ceremony at Duke University in
early spring. Participants also will receive information throughout their middle and high school years about appropriate programs
in which TIP students may wish to participate. Congratulations and best wishes to our scholars: Faith Able, Eric Amponsah,
Daniel Childers, Quavez Daniel, Breyonna Edmunds, Jabrenta Hicklin, Sheldon Johnson, Harrison Kennedy, Sayi Kumar, Dhavni
Patel, Nya Prejean, Kavona Rice, Hannah Rutland, Tierra Thomas, Asia Williams.
SCAAS Conference 2014
South Carolina Association of Attendance Supervisors
“Issues Facing Today’s Youth” was the theme for the 37th
annual SCAAS conference held on September 3-5, 2014 in
Myrtle Beach. The conference included presentations on Teen
Dating Violence, Working with LGBT Youth, Internet Safety,
Sexting, and Cyber Bullying, Truancy Initiatives and Alternatives, Youth & Gangs, Current Drug Trends; Keeping Kids Safe
and Attendance & Truancy Updates from the State Department
of Education’s Office of Student Intervention Services.
Each year SCAAS presents a
scholarship award to a South
Carolina high school senior
who have graduated with 12
years of perfect attendance.
The scholarship is named for
Thelma Hallman, one of the
first attendance supervisors in
the state. This year’s Thelma
Hallman Perfect Attendance
award was awarded to Allison
Burrell, a 2014 graduate of
Aiken Senior High School, by
Current SCAAS President Gabriel Barrett of
scholarship
committee
Lancaster, President-Elect Belva Bush, and
chairperson,
Belva Bush of
Past President Ken Arnold of Greenville.
Fairfield County.
Also during this year’s conference, Ms. Bush was elected as
president of SCAAS. SCAAS promotes the education,
regular school attendance, and social welfare of children in
South Carolina. President-elect Bush will preside at all meetings
of the organization and is responsible for reviewing annual
reports of officers and committee chairpersons. It is the duty of
the president to appoint the committee chairpersons and
authorize the expenditures in collaboration with the treasurer.
As president, Ms. Bush will represent SCAAS at all meetings
where representation from attendance supervisors is necessary.
Fairfield County School District will undergo district
accreditation in December 2014. In an effort to
improve system practices, Fairfield County School
District is conducting a Parent Survey. The survey
will close on October 25th. We value your opinion
and ask parents to complete a survey by using the link
below:
http://www.advanc-ed.org/survey/public/6858858
Please be assured your responses to this survey will
be anonymous.
The Bow Tie Club
is a comprehensive
group mentoring
program for middle
and high school age
male students with
a desire to navigate
the journey from
adulthood to
manhood.
Male adult mentors
are needed to assist
with the increased
student participation
for 2014-2015.
For additional
information, contact
the Office of the
Superintendent,
(803) 635-4607.
Life After High School
In a recent shift, preparation for life after high
school has transitioned from the “Go to college
if you want a good job”, message to more of a
discussion about career plans and job interests.
The Fairfield County School District teachers
and staff have held many discussions about how
do we define Graduating Griffins. However,
beyond the graduation, are our Griffins ready
Chris Dinkins, Director
Fairfield Career and
for the rigors of college or the expectations of
Technology Center
the workforce?
Implementing rigorous courses at all grade levels in Fairfield
County Schools helps to ensure, among other things,
Graduating Griffins are ready to pursue multiple career paths
after high school graduation. New academically challenging
courses and programs prepare students to respond excellently
on standardized tests and college admissions exams. In the same
school year students complete Advanced Placement (AP) and
dual credit academic courses, student’s complete career &
technology education (CATE) courses to earn Masonry, Health
Science, Cosmetology or Electricity completer certificates.
A high school student will change his mind about post-high
school plans many times. As interests change through increased
exposure, a high school freshman may identify a number of
potential career paths before her senior year. In all that
Graduating Griffins are, the mission of the Fairfield Career &
Technology Center is to prepare them to achieve excellence in a
global society – in college, through military service or in
immediate pursuit of career interests. To have one scholarship
or job offer before graduation is great; to have multiple
scholarship offers AND multiple job offers is excellent!
Faculty, staff, and students at McCrorey Liston School of
Technology (MLST) agree that grandparents are a family’s
greatest treasure and should be honored on their special day.
Taking the time to remember a grandparent requires so very
little effort, and yet means so much to them.
The MLST theme for the 2014 annual Grits for Grandparents
Program was “Grandparents are Like Stars.” The gym was
transformed into a beautiful dining and performance area with
blue & gold decorations and mini gift bags of assorted
chocolates. After a fulfilling breakfast, students honored the
125 grandparents by reading essays, performing skits, singing
songs, and performing a marching cadence. The celebration
ended with an array of door prizes. “The expressions on the
grandparents’ faces was the best reward our eagle family
needed to continue our soar to aiming high, flying high, and
achieving high,” MLST Principal Dr. Chandra Bell said.
Fairfield Career & Technology Center
Opening August 2015 at FCHS & FMS
COMING SOON: Fairfield County School District will
collaborate with Google to provide a Leadership Symposium
for superintendents and administrators from across the state.
“We look forward to sharing best practices from our 1:1 and
B.Y.O.D. initiatives, while sharing our experiences with the
implementation of Chromebooks and Google Apps,” Dr.
Claudia Edwards, Deputy Superintendent of Academics said.
Girls In P.E.A.R.L.S. At FES
(Prepared, Educated, and Respectful Lady Stingrays)
Girls In P.E.A.R.L.S is a group of 4th-6th grade female students at Fairfield Elementary founded on the basic principles of
sisterhood, scholarship, and service. Students will focus on “10 Pearls of Wisdom” during their monthly meetings and their
quarterly “P.E.A.R.L.S Power Hour” luncheon with community members.
Alumni Spotlight
A Winnsboro native and 2010 Fairfield
Central High School graduate, is
serving in the U.S. Navy as part of a
hand-picked crew charged with
bringing the Navy’s newest aircraft
carrier into service. Petty Officer Third
Class Jerronda Smith, who enlisted a
year and a half ago, is a logistics specialist aboard Pre-Commissioning Unit
Gerald R. Ford (CVN 78), the first ship
in its class and the successor to the
Navy’s Nimitz-class aircraft carriers that have been in operation
for the last half century. Smith, the first in her immediate family
to join the military, and the rest of the 1000-Sailor crew are
slowly bringing the ship to life, a crew that will eventually grow
to more than 4,500 when the ship is at sea. When complete, the
aircraft carrier, powered by two nuclear reactors, will measure
more than three football fields long at 1,092 feet in length and
will weigh more than 100,000 tons. It will be capable of sailing
at nearly 35 mph and will carry more than 75 Navy aircraft.
“Petty Officer Smith plays a vital role in preparing our Nation’s
newest and most technologically advanced warship for sea,”
Ford’s Commanding Officer, Capt. John F. Meier said. “We
have the opportunity to build this command with the ideals of
our namesake and we are creating the command climate and a
culture of excellence that we have always wanted. This crew is
setting that standard, a standard that will last for the 50-plus
year life of the ship.”
Smith said it is an exciting time to be in the Navy, helping to
build a crew and a ship from scratch, something she never expected to be doing just a couple years ago. She also said she is
proud of the work she is doing to help commission and man the
Navy’s newest aircraft carrier. As a 22-year-old with numerous
responsibilities, Smith said she is learning about herself as a
leader, sailor and a person. “The Navy has made me more
task-oriented.”
Fairfield
Schools
The district recognizes Aundria Danitra Brown, an alumni of
Fairfield Central High School. Aundria was an enthusiastic
performer in her FCSD arts
classes from elementary through
high school, participating in
Artworks during 2002-2004 and
choral groups at FMS and FCHS.
She was featured as the Scarecrow
in the FCHS production of The
Wiz before auditioning for the South Carolina Governor’s
School for the Arts and Humanities residential theatre
program. She attended the prestigious school during her 11th
and 12th grade years. “After graduation, I auditioned for the
top arts school in the country. I received a scholarship to
The University of NC School of the Arts, where I spent
countless hours in the studio, rehearsals, studying, and
adapting. There is no world without art. There is no time to
underestimate its power,” Aundria said.
Aundria is currently living in New York and recently signed
with The Krasny Office, a theatrical agency. “I owe so much
of who I am today to the FCSD, especially Ms. Julianne Neal
and Dr. Mason. Without them and their unwavering belief
in the art, I would not have pursued my dream, Aundria
stated. ”
Empowering Students to Shape Their Future
FCHS College Application Day
Fairfield Central High School
recently held College Application
Day. Seniors completed more than
200 applications to schools across the
state. “We will continue to have
events through November to expose
our students to college and career
opportunities in STEM and other
popular career fields,” Guidance
Counselor April Finley said.
Throughout the month of October,
high schools across the state will host
College Application Day events to
assist students with the college
application process. The goal is to
expand statewide college access and awareness and to provide a
forum for all South Carolina seniors to complete and file college
applications.
County
WATCH D.O.G.S.
Fairfield Elementary School has joined
more than 4,049 schools in 46 states to
implement the WATCH D.O.G.S.
program –a school based father involvement program that
works to support education and safety
,
WATCH D.O.G.S. (Dads Of Great Students) is an
innovative father involvement, educational initiative of the
National Center For Fathering. The primary goals of the
WATCH D.O.G.S. program are:
*to provide positive male role models for the students,
demonstrating by their presence that education is important.
*to provide extra sets of eyes and ears to enhance school security and reduce bullying.
Board Meeting Calendar and District Calendar are located on the Web! www.fairfield.k12.sc.us
P.O. Box 622, Winnsboro, South Carolina - (803) 635-4607
Fax: (803) 635-6578

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