As we continue through the winter, we wanted to provide you with a copy of the Emergency Closing of Schools Procedure.

The new Teacher Disciplinary Act became effective on January 1 (TCA 49-6-2803). This Tennessee Code Annotated revision allows teachers to request classroom removals for students who exhibit extreme disruptive behaviors to the learning environment, as in times past; however, in addition to requests for removals, teachers can now appeal to the school principal and district to review a principal’s decision to refuse the removal. A mandatory presentation has been developed and submitted into the Safe Schools training que for appropriate staff. 

Please ensure that your staff participates in this mandatory training, once it is sent out district-wide. This training video will explain the expectations for teachers, administrators, and district leaders when implementing and reviewing classroom removals and appeals. Appeals will be required to be reviewed first by the executive principal and can possibly be appealed beyond the principal to the Office of Student Equity, Enrollment & Discipline. District-level appeals can be submitted by accessing Teacher Appeal: Classroom Removals

If you have questions regarding the Teacher Discipline Act, contact Dr. Blocker, the Manager of Equity, Discipline & Attendance at BLOCKERJ@scsk12.org. 

Review the MANDATORY Discipline Training on Threats & Fights  (i.e., Counselors, administrators, teachers, etc.). The previously posted link was damaged and has been restored for your review.

Although we strongly encourage and require to readmit conferences for students returning from out-of-school suspensions, please remember that students cannot be held out of school beyond the suspension’s end date. If parents are not able to meet for re-admit conferences during your designated time slots due to work or other unavoidable circumstances, students should still be allowed to return to the instructional environment and an alternate meeting time should be scheduled for the re-admit conference. 

If parents arrive for late check-ins with multiple school hours remaining in the day, they should not be turned away. Turning students away from the instructional environment will detrimentally affect your school’s chronic absenteeism and academic achievement rates. The state law allows students to return to the school building during school hours. If you need additional clarity about equitable attendance and discipline practices, please contact SEED support at 901-416-6007.

The Civics Test for all students who will be graduating in May 2022 is live on Mastery Connect. The designated civics lead at each school has received instructions for how to administer the test for the year, and many schools have begun their process.

Beginning January 10, the Office of Assessment and Accountability will be sending a monthly update e-mail to high school principals and civics leads for each building indicating the number of students that have been listed in PowerSchool as passing the test for the year. This e-mail will also give a list of students who still need to pass the test for graduation.

• As a reminder, not all students take US Government first semester, and we understand that those students will need time in the early part of the second semester to gain the content knowledge for passage of the test. Please consult the attached procedures for more information about suggested testing windows.

Please reach out to Brian Davis at davisbc@scsk12.org with any questions about administering the Civics Test. Civics Exam Procedures 2021-2022.docx

The Winter Diagnostic Window is open and will run through January 14.

SCS District i-Ready Sessions - Jan 2022 - LB.docx

At this point, all schools should have received Ready Read student materials. If your school needs additional Ready Read student materials, please communicate your grade level-specific needs to the ELA Department of Curriculum and Instruction via ci_ela_team@scsk12.org.

As we start a new semester, the attendance codes that should be used for students who have tested positive or need to quarantine as a close contact are listed below. Alternative assignments should be provided to students who are coded CVD.

CVD - (Present Value)

• Use this code when a student has tested positive for COVID or has been exposed to COVID but is able to participate in the Distance Learning process set forth by SCS during their quarantined period.

CVHB - (Present Value)

• Use this code when a student is so sick with COVID that the parent is approved for homebound services through SEED or DEC.

CVA - (ABSENT Value)

• Use this code when a student is positive with COVID and is too sick to participate in the Distance Learning process set forth by SCS. This code has an absent value for the day.

Please contact the SEED Office at 901-416-6007 with any questions or concerns. 

ALL students are required to complete online registration.  

• Online Registration will launch Monday, January 10 for all new and returning students in Shelby County Schools.
• General Choice Transfer will begin Tuesday, January 25 at 10 a.m.  
• Online Registration link will be accessible on all student digital devices for parents to easily update their child’s information. 
• Students who do not register will not be considered enrolled. (Please ensure all parents complete the Online Registration to be fully enrolled into SCS).  
• Yearly updates to demographic data, opt-in/out, and health information are required for all students.

The newly released Re-Teach Calendars are now available in the C&I SharePoint folder. These Re-Teach Calendars are currently available for Math, Science, and ELA. Social Studies will be coming soon. Each content area had a different number of Do Now questions added to the folder initially, but we will continue to add them on a regular basis to ensure your teachers are well prepared.  

Guidelines for incorporating the re-teach items into your Do Now: 

1. Monday’s are designated for reading the selected text (ELA only)
2. Maximum time frame for the re-teach Do Now is 7 minutes.
3. Maximum number of items to use per day is two (2) from the bank of questions for each standard.
4. Each standard should be re-taught for the three (3) instructional days listed.

Following this delivery schedule will ensure that we are re-teaching/reassessing the first semester standards while simultaneously teaching second semester standards. Thank you for ensuring that your teachers are aware of the expectations for use and are implementing them as prescribed. We will provide professional development around this resource and review this information during Leadership Development Week. For your convenience, a step sheet outlining how to locate this and many other C&I resources is attached. As always, please do not hesitate to reach out if you have questions or need support. We are here for you!

Curriculum & Instruction step sheet

Professional Learning and Support is pleased to offer CADRE courses via Canvas on the Direct Teaching Model and Instructional Practices. Please see this flyer for full details. Courses will be available on January 10.

January Leader Learning options can be found on this flyer. Please join us!

PSAT 8/9 Coordinators should access PSAT 8/9 scores to utilize results for planning purposes. 

Once scores are accessed, use the AP Potential Report to determine each student's AP Potential: 

Please contact James Smith via email or at 901-416-3471 if you have questions or need assistance.

Optional Administrators and Coordinators, optional renewals need to be entered in PowerSchool before you start receiving your online applications. Send the required documentation to Jennifer Boland. Please contact her via email or phone at 416-5338 or 416-5337 if you have questions.
 

Dual Enrollment Spring registration is underway. Dual Enrollment Spring class start dates are below.

The TSAC Dual Enrollment Grant spring deadline is February 1. Students who successfully completed the TSAC DE grant in the fall will not need to submit a new application.

For more information, contact Senior Dual Enrollment Advisor, Armella Smith via email or phone at  (901) 416-5465.

Professional Learning and Support is excited to expand our Spring 2022 offerings for your teacher assistants on the resources and supports that are available through i-Ready and Illuminate FastBridge. See full details in this flyer. 

Please reach out to Professional Learning and Support at professionallearning@scsk12.org if you have any questions.

The Optional Schools Application Processing Training has been rescheduled for the following date and times:

• Returning Application Processors: January 13 (9 – 10:30 a.m.)
• New Application Processors: January 13(10:30 a.m. – 12 p.m.)
• Location: Ridgeway Middle School

During this session, participants will learn the procedures for processing New and Renewal Optional Applications in the PowerSchool database; understand how to enter Optional Applications/Renewals in PowerSchool for new students and returning students; and flag students in PowerSchool as Optional, update addresses, run report cards for applicants, as well as process dispositions for renewals and new applications.

Please contact Linda Sklar if you have questions.

January offers an opportunity for students to give back to the community through acts of kindness, giving, and serving. If your school is interested in engaging students in Community Service or Service-Learning activities during this month, we would like to offer a few suggestions you might find useful.  For your convenience, a list of ideas and activities has been provided.

Keeping in line with activities you may already have planned, SCS will promote a District-Wide Days of Service campaign to commemorate the legacy of service as shown by Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., during the week of January 17-21. Your school's participation in this campaign is voluntary, and you will be given the opportunity to determine the type of activities in which students will engage: Service-Learning or Community Service.   

• Service-Learning is characterized by a reciprocal model that benefits the recipient (community), the students, and academic learning (schools). This model gives students the opportunity and guidance to conduct action research, identify root causes of issues, and provide meaningful service that leaves a lasting impact on the community.
• Community Service is characterized by a (one-way) giving or doing model where a student provides meaningful service to a community. This model supports the moral, personal, and social development of students via service during one-time, scheduled activities. 

If your school plans to participate, please complete this form by 12 noon on January 12. Remember, participation in the Days of Service campaign is strictly optional.   

As ongoing developments related to COVID-19 action steps are revised, we are committed to keeping you informed of any important updates. 

To assist with our awareness efforts regarding revisions to District guidance, we have provided the 2021-2022 COVID-19 Reporting Action Steps revised on January 3, 2022, here. 

This is a reminder from FACE that you can now log into the Adopt-A-School portal at https://adopter.scsk12.org/. Please use your district username and password to access the portal. After logging into the portal, please update/modify your school's adopters. 

Note: The portal can only be accessed behind the district firewall and only principals have access to the system at this time. If you would like to assign a designee for access, please contact our office at scsface@scsk12.org. Be sure to include the person’s name and email address who you would like to serve as the designee for your school.

There is still time to participate in the Memphis Grizzlies Read to Achieve Program (RTA) challenge open to elementary school students grades 3-5 only.

The RTA is in its 21st year and is an excellent way to encourage students to read and develop a love for reading. The Grizzlies, along with the support of sponsors International Paper and KPMG, are excited to provide this program for students throughout the Mid-South. 

• Students must read a minimum of six books in six weeks *Books should be at or above the reading level of each student and must align with the book theme of the week.
• The challenge will run from January 18 through February 25.

Register your school here.

For 2022 commencement ceremonies, academic regalia must be worn by all administrators and teachers who participate in the processional or sit on the stage. Schools will cover the cost of their regalia and the district will continue to rent regalia for Central Office Leaders who agree to attend your ceremony. Thanks for your support.