Greetings Principals,

The AOSS Manual contains important information regarding the Student Wellness Policy and USDA Regulation. According to the Manual, the Purpose of the Nutrition and Wellness Policy is to support healthy eating and physical activity that promotes student wellness.  

Please review this information and share it with your teams and school communities.

Through the “Tenn Under 10” initiative, the Governor’s Early Literacy Foundation (GELF) is selecting 10 Tennessee 3rd graders to serve as GELF’s literacy ambassadors and receive a post-secondary education scholarship, based on their ability to overcome obstacles along their literacy journey from “learning to read” to “reading to learn.”

The application is open through January 30, 2023. To learn more details about the qualifications and how it works, click here.

Mandatory training will be held for all new behavior support staff on November 15-16 at Central Office Grays Creek. The following staff must attend:

• New Assistant Principals, Vice Principal and Principals (0-2 years)

Other Behavior Support Staff hired after July 1, 2022

• New ISS, Campus and Hall Monitors
• New Behavior Support Specialist (school hired and district hired)

Participants should sign-up for one of the available Progressive Discipline: New Behavior Support Staff Training courses in PLZ. Emails will be sent to all new identified staff.

Routes to Restorative Wellness Center:

Principals, we would like to thank you for your patience as the SEED Department has navigated through the logistics of developing our Wellness Center disciplinary referral protocols. Please reference the following links when seeking non-exclusionary options and responding to student misbehaviors.

Early Return Process.pdf

Restorative Routes to Wellness.pdf

Referral to Wellness Center Discipline Form. NOV3 FINALdocx.pdf

Kindergarten Expulsions:

As a reminder, school administrators should never levy expulsions for kindergarten students prior to consulting the SEED Department’s KID Team. Kindergarteners are not allowed to attend the alternative school setting and will fail if they are expelled. For guidance on dealing with Kindergartner misbehaviors, please email the KID Team at kidteam@scsk12.org. Additional KID Team info can be found by clicking the following links:

Revised KID Team Information Session_8-2022.pptx

KID Team Booklet copy

Notification of Appeals:

Please be sure that NO student is expelled without having entered the suspension into the Incident Management section of PowerSchool. All students and parents should receive the Official Letter of Suspension, generated from PowerSchool, in hand when receiving suspensions/expulsions. Schools should not recreate their own Official Letters of Suspension. Parents should be notified of their right to appeal expulsions immediately.

For additional clarity regarding disciplinary processes, please email Dr. JB Blocker, District Manager of Equity, Discipline & Intervention at BLOCKERJ@scsk12.org.

School Leaders, we look forward to you joining us November 14 - 17 for November Leadership Development Week. Please wear shades of blue throughout the week for World Diabetes Awareness Month and World Kindness Day.

Participants (PLC Coaches/Instructional Facilitators, ILT, DLA, Professional School Counselors) should register in PLZ using the course codes below. Please bring a fully charged laptop to all in-person sessions. 

Click HERE to access November LDW Agendas.
 

PLC Coaches & Instructional Facilitators

• 11/14 8:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m., TLA Auditorium
• PLZ Course Code: 32159

ILT Teacher Content Leaders

• 11/14 4:00 p.m. - 6:00 p.m., Virtual
• Access ILT TEACHER CONTENT LEADERS Meeting Link
• PLZ Course Code: 32160

Principals

• 11/15 8:00 a.m. - 3:00 p.m., TLA Auditorium
• TASL Credit will be applied following the meeting.

K-2 Specialized Education Assistants

• Kindergarten: 11/15 1:00 p.m. - 3:00 p.m., Virtual
  • Click here to join the meeting
  • PLZ Course Code: 31857
• 1st Grade: 11/16 1:00 p.m. - 3:00 p.m., Virtual
  • Click here to join the meeting
  • PLZ Course Code: 31859
• 2nd Grade: 11/17 1:00 p.m. - 3:00 p.m., Virtual
  • Click here to join the meeting
  • PLZ Course Code: 31860

Digital Learning Ambassadors

• 11/15 4:00 p.m. - 6:00 p.m. OR 11/17 4:00 p.m. - 6:00 p.m., TLA Multipurpose Room
• PLZ Course Code: 32161

Vice Principals & Assistant Principals

• 11/16 8:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m. OR 12:30 p.m. - 4:30 p.m., TLA Auditorium
• TASL Credit will be applied following the meeting.

Professional School Counselors

• 11/17 8:00 a.m. - 10:30 a.m., TLA Auditorium
• PLZ Course Code: 32400

Please see the monthly newsletter from the Blended Learning and Educational Technology team for November! 

In the newsletter, you will find a message from the director, top tech teachers for the month of October utilizing Nearpod, digital updates for leaders, teachers, staff, professional development opportunities, and more. Links to documents and training for digital learning ambassadors can also be found. 

Please reach out to the team if you have any questions!

This is a reminder that we are approaching the submission date for the Fall 2022 ILT Teacher Content Lead Time Logs due December 1, 2022.  You can access ILT resources here.  If you have questions, please email Emily Vuoso, vuosoeb@scsk12.org.

Follow these tips for easy processing:

• Time logs should include a minimum of 22 hours of ILT support outside of the contractual work day and be signed by the principal.
• Excel sheet with completed employee id number, employee name, hours worked, and principal signature.
• Principals should submit all completed Fall 2022 ILT documents via email to SCSILTstipends@scsk12.org by December 1, 2022.

Next week is the final week of our iReady Professional Learning Sessions for Teacher Assistants. 

Please share with any teacher assistants who you believe will benefit from participating.  Details for the sessions along with links to join are found here.

The location for the 2023 Optional Schools Fair has been confirmed! Our annual event will be held on Sunday, January 8, 2023, at the Holiday Inn Ballroom (University of Memphis location) from 1 – 4 p.m. More information will be forthcoming, but please mark this date on your calendar! 

Please contact Linda Sklar or Jennifer Boland if you have questions.

Please take a moment to complete the following survey regarding the implementation of clubs/organizations in your school.  

Please submit the form by no later than Friday, November ​18, 2022.  Thank you!

https://forms.office.com/r/QiH0XyvwNr

Parents/Guardians of students with a damaged or lost device will have an opportunity to complete the ECF Self-Certification Waiver, exchange a damaged device for a replacement, and satisfy any fees for device accessories. Parents/Guardians must present a government-issued ID and be listed as the custodial parent/guardian in PowerSchool to complete the ECF Waiver. 

Flyers have been sent directly to the Digital Device Ambassadors and directly to parents of students without an operable device. 

Schools should also share this information with students and parents via robocalls, flyers, text messages, school websites, etc.

• Tuesday, November 15th I G.W. Carver College & Career Academy I 10:00 am - 6:00 pm
• Wednesday, November 16th I Southwind High School I 10:00 am - 6:00 pm
• Thursday, November 17th I Virtual Education & Logistics Center I 10:00 am - 6:00 pm
  
   

As a result of supply chain shortages, there will be delays in the delivery of devices for students in grades K-8. 

Device distribution for these students will resume once screen protectors and protective cases have been replenished for Microsoft Surface Go devices. 

Although we are unable to distribute devices to students in grades K-8, we will continue to distribute devices to eligible students in grades 9-12. We appreciate your patience and understanding.  

The Virtual Schools and Online Learning Department has developed a dashboard to help high school leaders identify school-level Q1 failures, as well as the virtual interventions in which those students are currently enrolled.  The "VSOL Failure Supports" dashboard can be accessed in PowerBI or by using this (LINK). 

Please contact Director Rochelle Griffin at griffinrj@scsk12.org if you have any questions or suggestions.  We value your feedback.

Memphis-Shelby County Schools will host a Job and Career Fair for families Thursday, November 17 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the McFarland Community Center (4955 Cottonwood Rd, Memphis, TN 38118). 

The purpose of this fair is to provide our parents/guardians with opportunities to chart their career paths with companies that can invest in their futures. 

We know that during these challenging economic times, many of our local residents are job-seeking, interested in career changes, and exploring opportunities to gain additional educational experience and career certifications. 

The 5th Annual School Choice Showcase has been rescheduled and will now be held Saturday, January 28, 2023, from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m from Hickory Ridge Town Center. We will follow the previous year's set-up, which includes a vendor/expo-style table space for each school.  

Over the coming weeks, you will receive information from our team about the set-up for the event, opportunities for student performances, and new event features for school principals. For now, we want to gather information from you and/or your school’s PRO about your school’s marketing materials. Please complete the information on the survey linked below.  

School Choice Showcase Marketing Materials Survey 2022 

In the meantime, here are a few notes to help you get started with planning.  

Tabling and Booth Information: 

You’ll need four (4) people max at your table for the duration of the event. Suggested people include: an administrator, a student, a teacher (or teacher type), and a parent. Create a shift schedule to ensure constant coverage.  

You will have a 10 ft. space with a 6 ft. table and 2 chairs. Electrical outlets will not be provided. Table décor is encouraged, but helium balloons are not allowed. 

Printed Materials 

Each school is responsible for developing and printing any marketing materials needed for the event. All flyers, brochures, or marketing materials MUST be printed in color. Please work with your School PRO on determining which materials you will be taking to the event and ensuring you bring at least 300 copies ready for distribution. 

You will be receiving regular updates and more details over the next few weeks. If you have any questions, please let me know.  

Following the District's commitment to provide increased awareness of the District’s Commitment to Literacy, we are hosting the 901 Literacy Commitment Institute for families and other key stakeholders in our community. Please join us Saturday, December 3 from 10 a.m. - 2 p.m. at Colonial Middle School. 

This institute will feature sessions such as What to Know about the Third Grade Commitment, Key Grade Level Transitions (e.g., Kindergarten, 3rd, 6th, and 9th grades), Navigating through High School, Preparing the Ready Graduate and more from MSCS Departments, and our keynote speaker is Dr. Donyall Dickey of Educational Epiphany. This conference-style learning event is designed to support families in gaining access to curricular resources and to support learning at home. Through these sessions, families will have the opportunity to learn together and share information and resources about the District and our Community. 

Please mark your calendars and share with families. We look forward to seeing you there!

Attendees may sign up here: https://mscsliteracycommitment.eventbrite.com/