The Winter Elevate PERTS Survey runs from February 28-March 10 and allows students to share the extent to which they are having affirming learning experiences. The survey will be conducted in all Algebra I and English I classrooms and will be administered by teachers. Teachers can view the training here. The survey will take approximately five minutes. All 9th grade students enrolled in Algebra I and English I should take the survey in both classes. Email CI@scsk12.org if you have questions.

Help teachers use their data to provide Just-in-time support to their students: Once teachers have a good understanding of the content and their students, they will want to determine how and when you will provide “just-in-time” support in the context of new grade-level learning.  With so many resources in the teacher toolbox, it can be hard to know what resources are best to use.  I-Ready has an amazing tool which allows you to select the resources based on whether you are looking for instruction /assessment support, differentiation support, or teacher support.  Below are the links to a resource selector tool for both Reading and Math which can be shared with teachers.   

Reading and Writing Resource Selector Tool

Math Resource Selector Tool

Advanced Placement Summer Institute (APSI) Scholarship Opportunities are available in the following link: https://apcentral.collegeboard.org/professional-learning/summer-institutes/summer-institute-scholarship. Please share with pertinent staff. Contact James Smith if you have questions.

Save the date for the annual MSCS LEADERSHIP SYMPOSIUM: JUNE 5-9, 2023 @Renasant Convention Center 

The MSCS Leadership Symposium is a premier professional learning and networking event designed for emerging and experienced school leaders to learn from expert keynote speakers and leaders in education, network with other school leaders across the Mid-South, and spark ideas to transform K-12 learning environments. 

This year, MSCS Leaders will be LEARNING, LEADING, AND TRENDING UP! Sign up to receive notifications about conference updates, registration, lodging, and more on the MSCS Leadership Symposium Website www.scsk12.org/ls.

For inquiries, reach out via email at symposium@scsk12.org. 

Memphis-Shelby County Schools Professional Learning & Support Department is pleased to announce its CALL FOR PROPOSALS for the 2023 MSCS Leadership Symposium, which will be held June 5-9 at the Renasant Convention Center in Downtown Memphis, TN. This year’s conference theme is Leading, Learning, and Trending Up with the following conference learning strands: Culture & Climate and Instructional Leadership. 

Proposal submissions should urge and encourage leaders to think critically and creatively to: 

• Review their current practices and set goals that will increase student growth and achievement
• Foster new collaborations that will build strong academic and social culture and climates
• Manage schools that will function in operational excellence and fiscal prudence

Submissions will be accepted through 11:59 pm, March 20  at https://bit.ly/2023SymposiumProposals. To access the full Call for Proposals, visit www.scsk12.org/ls. 

For inquiries, reach out via email at symposium@scsk12.org. 

2023 MSCS Leadership Symposium Sponsorship Registration now open through March 17, 2023. Sponsors have the opportunity to engage and network with the best school leaders in the nation. Visit www.scsk12.org/ls to register today! Spaces are limited! 

This year, MSCS Leaders will be LEARNING, LEADING, AND TRENDING UP! Sign up to receive notifications about conference updates, registration, lodging, and more on the MSCS Leadership Symposium Website www.scsk12.org/ls .

For inquiries, reach out via email at symposium@scsk12.org. 

TEM Observation Completion: 60% of Total TEM Observations should be completed by March 3.  For questions and/or additional support, please contact your EPS Advisor.

TEM Observation Completion:  60% of Total TEM Observations should be completed by March 3rd.  For questions and/or additional support, please contact your EPS Advisor.

Hey, Elementary Leaders and Teachers! MSCS is again taking part in the Governor’s Early Literacy Foundation (GELF) K-3 Home Library Program, a FREE book delivery program! Each rising 1st, 2nd, and 3rd grade student, which means current Kindergarten, 1st, and 2nd graders, will receive SIX high-quality books this summer at no cost to the District. 

The book deliveries are expected to begin in June. As a bonus, schools will receive copies of the texts in the month of June for them to distribute to their 1st, 2nd, and 3rd grade Teachers! So, 1st and 2nd grade teachers, you will be able to incorporate new book titles into your classroom libraries next school year! As an added bonus this year, Librarians in each elementary school will also receive a set of the high-quality books.

Schools and parents do not have to take any action to participate in this book delivery program. We are very excited to have this great partnership with GELF. Check out the FAQ here. 

Questions? Email ci_ela_team@scsk12.org

Attention: HS Leaders and Teachers –  A Special Opportunity for High School Students 

Memphis River Parks Partnership is again sponsoring the Tom Lee Poetry and Spoken Word Contest. This second annual contest is for all students in 9th to 12th grades. Three winners will receive cash prizes - $300 for 1st place, $200 for 2nd place, and $100 for 3rd place. Teachers of the winning students will receive gift cards in the same amount as their students. 

While the Prize always has special meaning for Black History Month in celebrating Tom Lee, that is especially noteworthy this year after the dramatic canopy in Tom Lee Park was recently renamed in memory of Tyre Nichols and honoring his parent’s example of love and leadership.  

Special posters and flyers about the Prize will be delivered to each school’s ELA department head during the week of February 20, and they show the rules and details about the contest. In addition, this year, Memphis River Parks have developed a detailed curriculum to help the study of Tom Lee’s example. Deadline for entries is March 31. Winners and their teachers will be honored at a special ceremony on or near Tom Lee Day (May 8).  

Questions? Email ci_ela_team@scsk12.org

It’s time to celebrate the 4th Annual SEL Day. MSCS will promote SEL Week as Feb. 27-March 3. In our District, we want you to know that You Make the Difference! Let’s have a phenomenal week as you continue to uplift hearts and connect minds in our community. Click to view SEL Week ToolKit.

School Leaders, we look forward to you joining us March 6-8 for March 2023 Leadership Development Week. Please wear purple, green, and white in recognition of Women's History Month.

Please pay attention to rescheduled dates for some audiences, which are highlighted in yellow.
 

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

Click HERE to access March LDW Agendas.
 

Vice Principals & Assistant Principals

• Monday, March 6, 2023 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.

ILT Teacher Content Leaders

• Monday, March 6, 2023 4:00 p.m. - 6:00 p.m., Virtual
• Access ILT TEACHER CONTENT LEADERS Meeting Link
• PLZ Course Code: 32160

PLC Coaches & Instructional Facilitators

• Tuesday, March 7, 2023 8:00 a.m. - 4:30 p.m., TLA Auditorium
• PLZ Course Code: 32159

K-2 Specialized Education Assistants
Kindergarten: 3/7 1:00 p.m. - 3:00 p.m., Virtual

• Click here to join the meeting
• PLZ Course Code: 31857

1st Grade: 3/8 1:00 p.m. - 3:00 p.m., Virtual

• Click here to join the meeting
• PLZ Course Code: 31859

2nd Grade: 3/9 1:00 p.m. - 3:00 p.m., Virtual

• Click here to join the meeting
• PLZ Course Code: 31860

Digital Learning Ambassadors

• 3/7 4:00 p.m. - 6:00 p.m. OR 3/9 4:00 p.m. - 6:00 p.m., TLA Multipurpose Room
• PLZ Course Code: 32161

Principals

• Wednesday, March 8, 2023 8:00 a.m. - 3:30 p.m., TLA Auditorium
• TASL Credit will be applied following the meeting.

*Professional School Counselors will not meet during March LDW.

Part II of the required AP Coordinators’ Workshop on Exam Security and Program Integrity will be held on March 2, from 9 – 11 a.m. at 3030 Jackson Ave. (east conference room). Please share this information with your AP coordinators. If you have questions, contact James Smith.

Now that the Optional Schools application process is well underway, it is time to complete your Optional Schools Strategic Plan (OSSP) Progress Report. The OSSP Progress Report allows you to reflect on the goals you established for your optional program, highlight accomplishments made toward those goals, and identify challenges that may require intervention or additional support. Being mindful of lofty enrollment aspirations, we must continue to employ aggressive recruitment and marketing strategies during the upcoming months. 

Your school's OSSP Progress Report template will be sent to you next week. Be sure to review your initial OSSP, and complete the progress report by Friday, March 10. A copy of your responses will be sent to you to ensure you have a copy for your records.   

 ​

Please contact Katrina Taylor if you have questions, need technical assistance with the form, or if you would like to talk through the progress report. Thanks for your continued partnership in this work.    

All purchases that need to be made to facilitate programmatic activities (marketing, recruitment, etc.) for your optional program should be made as soon as possible. The deadline for optional schools to spend their optional budget allotments is Friday, March 24.

Please contact Linda Sklar if you have questions or need funds moved to a different spending category to facilitate your purchasing. Also, please continue processing new and renewal optional applications. Renewal applications should be entered in PowerSchool by Tuesday, March 28. Thanks for your continued partnership.

Are you interested in becoming a high-quality MSCS Principal? The Aspiring Leader Fellowship Program, Track 2 Principal Pipeline provides intense support, practical application opportunities, and tailored coaching to fellows in preparation for a rigorous principal selection process. Join us for an info session on 2/27, 3/2, or 3/6 to learn more about program benefits. Applications will be accepted Feb. 23 - March 23. 
 

Access application materials here: ALFP: Principal 2023-24 Marketing Materials

Visit https://bit.ly/2023ALFPTRACK2APP to apply TODAY!

For more information, contact Dr. Angela Nichols, nicholsam@scsk12.org.

CCTE Important Dates to Remember

Past Due
Fall Equipment Inventory Submission

February 28th
Industry Credentials /Certifications
• Basic Life Support (BLS)
• Hair Braider Registration
• OSHA 30 Construction
• OSHA 30 General Industry
• ServSafe Food Handler

March 3rd
Formative Assessment
Testing window for Pre-Test, Assessment #1, #2 and #3 has been extended.

March 23rd
Personal Finance - Dave Ramsey Training Session (Select Teachers)
 

March 24th
SSQI Documents Submission
• Indicator 1.4 – Spring Advisory Meeting
• Indicator 3.3 – Professional Development Log (PLZ Transcript)
• Indicator 5.1 – Student Industry Certification, WBL, Internship
• Indicator 5.2 – CTSO Student Participation

Greetings Principals, 

In the event that a facility emergency occurs at your school (e.g., air, heat, gas leaks, electrical outage), please contact the individuals in the AOSS Manual.  For your convenience, we have enclosed a copy of the AOSS protocol regarding Facility Emergencies that you can share with your team. 

The Myra C. Stiles Scholarship Award was created to honor the legacy of a longtime member of the DWSC, Ms. Myra C. Stiles. She was the DWSC Treasurer for over 20 years, which distinguished her as the longest serving officer in DWSC history. 

The Myra C. Stiles Scholarship Award is now open for high school female seniors! And the goal is to give $500 scholarship awards to four (4) students! Please feel free to distribute the flyer shown below. This year, the scholarship application can be completed online only by accessing the following link:   https://forms.gle/n2aMofS9VXbEL6vq7. 

If there is any issue with the scholarship link or if you have any questions about the scholarship application process or rules, please contact Lynnette Hall-Lewis, Esq., Chair of the Scholarship Committee, at DWSC.901@gmail.com. 

Pearson provided a TestNav error report from the week we conducted the first district online practice test in January, and it can be found on SharePoint here. This information has been shared with the MSCS IT department, but Building Testing Coordinators may want to view this information also. 

This information is in a restricted SharePoint folder so only a limited number of people at each school, usually the BTC and principal, have access to the folder. However, the file can be downloaded and shared with others as needed.

The MSCS Compass is a new one-stop shop for all your PowerBI reports, including the new and improved Student Profile, which is now called Student Data 360. Watch our introduction and navigation video here - Intro to MSCS Compass  
   

What’s in PowerBI? Check out all of the reports we have available, here.  

NEW Releases and Features:  

Check out our release plan, available here!  

Reports that are now available:  

• Advanced Course Scheduling - Use this dashboard as part of the Master Scheduling process and easily identify students for enrollment in honors, AP, IB, DE, and DC courses.
  • Check out the overview video here! And the user guides here!
  • See the refresh schedule here!
     
• Student Surveys – Insight and District Quick Report – Use this dashboard to easily pull Insight School Climate Survey data at the Domain and Prompt level. And to see the change in ratings over time.
  
  • Check out the user guides here!
  • See the refresh schedule here!

Coming Soon!  

• RTI-A – Student Progress - (New report)  
• Student Surveys - Panorama
• OAG Compliance report in Student Grades  
• Mastery Connect data will be available in Student Assessment by February 28th 

System Optimizations: Student Data 360 reports have been optimized to load at a much faster rate. These include:  

• Student Attendance – Current Load Time: 00.05.42 seconds  
• Student Assessment – Current Load Time: 00.05.89 seconds  
• Student Discipline – Current Load Time: 00.07.68 seconds  
• Student Enrollment – Current Load Time: 00.06.47 seconds  
• Student Grades – Current Load Time: 00.07.39 seconds  
• Student Snapshot – Current Load Time: 00.03.63 seconds  
• Student Surveys – Current Load Time: 00.04.40 seconds  

We are working on optimizing performance on as many reports as possible and your feedback is crucial. Please reach out if you experience any issues so that we can identify major pain points. Email us at DAIMSUPPORT@scsk12.org  

 
Trainings: Virtual Office Hours 

• This week (2/28 and 3/2), we are rescheduling our previously planned sessions and will now have additional sessions on the new Advanced Course Scheduling Dashboard. Check out the overview video here! And the user guides here! So if you were not able to attend previously, now is your chance.
• Next week (3/7 and 3/9) – we will have an Open Floor Q&A session. Bring your questions! 
• VOH is held every week on Tuesday and Thursday at 3:30 PM  
• The format alternates every other week between an Open Floor Q&A session and an overview of a new and/or relevant report.  
• Recordings of any tutorials go out to everyone on the calendar invite and will be available on our Support Page.  
• Sign up at this link today!  

Under Construction:  Does something in a dashboard look wrong? Check our Data Quality Updates.  

ATTENTION Counselors:  We need your help! Please go in and check your intervention plans in BrightBytes and remove the “Protected” access flag. This is very important and impacts the ability to see accurate RTI-B compliance and Progressive Discipline information in PowerBI.  

For more information on how to remove the Protected flag, look here.  

Power BI Access: Principals can give school staff members access through the PowerBI Access App. If you see someone in the Access App that should be removed from your school, contact DAIM Support (DAIMSUPPORT@scsk12.org) and we can assist.  

Support Resources:  Check out the DAIM Support SharePoint site, complete with additional video tutorials, walkthrough guides, and more!  

REMINDER: 60% of Total Observations should be completed by March 3rd.