Greetings, Principals:

Every school needs a proactive strategy to respond to a loss that may affect students and staff. Please review the Death of a Student or Staff Member and Memorial Protocol in the AOSS Manual for a detailed step-by-step guide.  

If you encounter any concerns, do not hesitate to contact the Office of School Operations for assistance. Director Kevin Malone can be reached at malonefk@scsk12.org and is readily available to offer any support you may need. 

Elementary Principals,

We are excited about the continuation of the Fifth Grade Enrichment initiative during the Academic Period this school year. The goal of this initiative is to provide accelerated learning opportunities and instruction for students who are at the 50% or higher on the i-Ready end-of-year reading diagnostic assessment from last year, the current i-Ready reading diagnostic assessment, or scored Met or Exceeded on last year's ELA TCAP test. We want to build capacity for our accelerated students in elementary for future placement in Honors level and Advanced Academic courses in middle and high school in accordance with the District's academic acceleration policy.

Thank you for providing feedback on last year’s program. Based on suggestions provided by principals for improved implementation, the following options have been established to provide schools with greater autonomy this year: 

Option 1: Utilize the district-provided enrichment materials (recommended). 

Project materials for all four quarters are now available in the following folder: Fifth Grade Enrichment Materials 

Option 2: Utilize i-Ready reading lessons to provide students with enrichment. When students complete the diagnostic, they will be placed in a personalized My Path based on their scores on the reading domain of the diagnostic. As students complete reading lessons, they will continue to progress through these lessons at an increasing level. Once a student completes a subsequent Diagnostic, i-Ready will use the new data to determine whether the student’s domain-specific lesson path needs to be adjusted for reading. Teachers can also assign students reading lessons based on content where they would like to stretch students through resources such as Teacher Toolbox and Tools for Instruction that are found in the Can Do’s and Next Steps on the Student Diagnostic Results report. If this option is chosen for your site, assigned staff for program implementation will receive training on i-Ready usage for accelerated students.

Option 3: Utilize your own school-based enrichment materials. 

• Materials must be approved by the Division of Optional Schools and Advanced Academics, if this option is chosen. 

Please complete the following monitoring form by August 25th to document your school's implementation plan for the 23-24 school year: https://tinyurl.com/5GEmonitoringform. 

Additional details for the Fifth Grade Enrichment initiative are clarified in the Frequently Asked Questions. Please contact Dr. Katrina Taylor in Optional Schools and Advanced Academics if you have questions or need implementation support.  

We are nearing the end of first semester in supporting our students' social and emotional learning needs with the Rethink curriculum. 

There have been some changes to the Rethink November and December Scope and Sequence. Check it out to be sure you are in the know. 

Please be sure to pay close attention to the date for data collection each month: 

• Data for November Compliance Month will be collected EOD Monday, Nov. 20.
• Data for December Compliance Month will be collected EOD Friday, Dec. 15.

• Schools may submit General Choice Transfer (GCT) rescind requests for students who are non-compliant with grades, attendance, and behaviors. Rescission will not be processed until the end of the current semester.
• Please notify parents before submitting a rescind request and wait for confirmation of approval before submitting a centralized withdrawal or notifying parents of a rescind to home school.
• Note: All special education (SPED) and displaced students must be vetted according to IEP standards and McKinney Vento Law.
• Please submit all rescind requests through the following link: S.E.E.D. Request Rescind GCT
• Please contact Doris Rice at 416-6007 with any questions.

 *** All rescind dates are aligned with MSCS grading periods.

• School administrators must ensure teachers record attendance daily and input grades in Power Teacher Pro. Do Not use paper forms.
• School office staff should process and reconcile daily attendance codes submitted by teachers. Failure to complete this task will impact funding (TISA).
• Each school should have an attendance administrator who can assist and verify the accuracy of attendance data.   
• Please contact Millie Avery at 416-6007 with any questions. 

• Please note that the district’s Centralized Withdrawal Form will be closed when school is not in session. The upcoming dates are as follow: 
  • Friday, Nov. (Veterans Day)
  • Nov. 20 -24 (Thanksgiving)
• Please contact Justin Doss at 416-6007 with any questions.

• Attendance training will be offered on multiple dates. Assigned staff who support attendance can visit PLZ to register.  Participants will review district and state-mandated guidelines surrounding attendance, and learn the tools needed to successfully carry out day-to-day attendance responsibilities.  Please Bring Your Laptop.

*Course #: 32108 (Elementary and K-8)

*Course #: 32114 (Middle and High)

• This course is designed for staff who enroll students, approve registration, and process student withdrawals at the school level (Administrators, GOS, Financial Secretaries, Enrollment staff, and Clerical Assistants). Participants will learn how to navigate PowerSchool SIS via a training database, navigate the online platform, and view real-time data.

*Course #: 34911 (Elementary, Middle, and High)

Greetings, Principals: 

Any approved donations or grants must meet the qualifications stated in Sections 8.1-8.2 Donations/Grants Approval Process and Chart in the AOSS Manual. Please take a moment to familiarize yourself with these sections because they outline the steps donation/grant recipients should follow when accepting a donation/grant. Once you receive notice of a donation/grant award for your school, it becomes your responsibility to ensure that all the steps outlined in the AOSS Manual are followed accurately.

Donations/Grants Categories

• Donations/grants from $1 to $499.99 may be accepted upon approval by the principal. 
• Donations/grants between $500 and $14,999.99 may be accepted upon approval of Academic Operations and School Support Compliance. 
• Donations/grants of $15,000.00 and higher may be accepted upon approval from the Board of Education.

Exceptional Children and Health Services is currently continuing recruitment of additional board-hired speech therapists and contracted vendors.  In this effort, the Department is partnering with Human Resources and Procurement to assist with the required processes to add more contract companies to the ones currently serving MSCS.  Support is given to  principals who reach out to find resolutions to specific concerns. Currently in-person therapists and highly qualified teletherapists have been assigned to our schools.  It is very important that in schools where a teletherapist is assigned, students are supported in accessing these services as frequently as recommended on the IEP. 

Next Steps:  During each student's Annual IEP Meeting, compensatory services options are being shared with our parents.  Those options include: attendance at monthly Saturday therapy sessions at Colonial Hearing, Speech, and Vision Center; after-school and weekend teletherapy sessions, limited after-school therapy supplied by therapists who finish their daily assignments and then travel to other school locations to offer speech therapy sessions, adding sessions monthly to the ones recommended on the IEP, and offering therapy during Extended School Year, as a recommendation on the IEP.  

DECHS staff to contact:  

Dr. Doris Wheat, Manager of Colonial Hearing Speech and Vision Center

Kyna Wollery, Lead Speech Language Pathologist

DECHS Managers assigned to each school

Director Rebecca Fik

Director Tiffany Luckett

Executive Director Deborah Harris

As a reminder, all elementary schools must have a 5th grade enrichment section in their daily schedule for the identified students. Elementary sites were given the following options for program implementation: 1) utilize district-provided enrichment projects, 2) utilize school-based enrichment materials with approval by Advanced Academics, or 3) utilize i-Ready reading lessons. If you have questions or need assistance, please contact Dr. Katrina Taylor.

Let's give a hearty applause to our exceptional leaders who are dedicated to reaching our Digital Citizenship goal of 95%! We're making great progress, but we're not stopping there. The perfect score of 100% is well within our grasp if we continue our outstanding efforts. Our next checkpoint is scheduled for Nov. 17, so let's continue to excel!

If you have any inquiries about completing the course, please feel free to reach out to Dr. Robert Davis, II at davisr6@scsk12.org. We're here to provide assistance in any way possible.

Join us for the MSCS Building Bridges Saturday Camp! The learning series comprises of  both in-person and virtual sessions.

In-person sessions are scheduled for Dec. 9 and March 2, 2024. 

Virtual sessions will be held on Nov. 18, Jan. 6, 2024, and Feb. 3, 2024.

To make the most of this opportunity, participants are required to commit to attending all sessions. Upon successful completion, attendees will receive valuable free resources. Don't miss out—registration remains open until Nov. 15.

This fantastic program is available to all 2nd, 3rd, and 4th-grade teachers. Register conveniently using the QR code provided on the flyer. If you have any questions or need more information, please feel free to reach out to Lytania Black at blackly@scsk12.org.

The Rodeo for Kidz Sake (RFKS), the school-centered show in the Bill Pickett Invitational Rodeo, is scheduled for Friday, April 12, 2024, from 10:30 a.m. - 12:30 p.m., at the Agricenter.

This decades-long tradition has entertained Memphis-based students and their families. Teachers are invited to reserve space to bring classes for a field trip just before TCAP testing. 

Organizers are asking principals to save the date. More information will be available, including how to reserve ticket sales, in the coming days.

*BPIR is offering free tickets to teachers and discounted tickets for students.

Tick-tock, it is TISA Clean-up time! ⏰

Please join us for our upcoming attendance clean-up session to ensure that our student data is accurate for district and state reporting purposes. These sessions are crucial for identifying and correcting attendance errors, as well as reflecting changes in enrollment and scheduling.

Mark your calendars for:

• East High School (library): Monday, Nov. 13, 8:00am to 2:00pm
• Craigmont High School:  Nov. 13th-15th, 8:00am to 2:00pm
• Attendance clericals are required to attend one session to ensure the integrity of our student data and reporting to the state.

           #TISATime #AttendanceCleanUp #AccurateData

*** Please make sure your attendance clerk brings the following items:

• Charged laptop
• Sign-in/out forms
• Parent notes

• As the Thanksgiving and winter holidays approach, please remind families of the importance of regular school attendance. Absences tend to increase during the days leading up to and following a holiday, but every day a student is absent is a lost opportunity for learning. Regular school attendance is essential for student success. 
• To remind families of the importance of regular school attendance, you may want to:
  • Send a letter home to students or post a reminder on the school website.
  • Thank families for their partnership and emphasize the importance of their support in ensuring that students attend school every day.
  • Highlight the many opportunities that students gain from attending school, such as academic enrichment, social and emotional development, and preparation for college and careers.
• To maintain student engagement and enthusiasm, consider planning a fun activity for the day before break begins and for the day school resumes.

Thank you for your commitment to student success. By working together, we can help all students reach their full potential.

New Releases:

• Student Grades performance has been optimized! We’ve been working on improving performance for all the reports within Student Grades dashboard. Load time for visuals should be improved.
   
• Tutoring Dashboard is now updated and available! You can use it for 4th grade tracking and attendance/discipline tracking for all grades.
  • See the user guide for more information!
     
• RTI-A now has updated SOAR Cycle 1 data in the SOAR Report!
   
• RTI-A Characteristics of Dyslexia now has updated business rules aligned with the DIG and state compliance.
  • See the user guide for more information about the report!
     
• Q1 Report Card Grades are available in Student Grades!
  • See the user guides for more information!
     
• Student Enrollment now has a Student Report page allowing you to drill down and see data for a specific student!
  • See the user guide for more information!

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Coming Soon:

• SD360: Student Reports: Assessments 
• Accountability Dashboard: Enrollment and Discipline – Tentatively December 15th

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Training and Support Resources:  

Virtual Office Hours sessions this week (11/14 and 11/16) we will have an Open Forum Q&A session. So, please bring any questions you have, and we will be there to help.

Next week (11/21 and 11/23), we’re taking a break for Thanksgiving, but will be back the following week.

Sign up today! For more information on Virtual Office Hours, check out this flyer! 

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Check out our new page of all updated features and recent releases on our DAIM Support Page!

You can reach out to us at DAIMSUPPORT@scsk12.org if you need support.  

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Power BI Access:

Principals can give school staff members access through the PowerBI Access App. For more information about how to use the app, see this user guide! 
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Be a Power BI Power User!

Be on the lookout for our new campaign highlighting MSCS staff members who use Power BI the most.

Our Power Users will win the chance to be featured in a short video and on our Hall of Fame site.

Do you need coats and other winter clothing for your students? If so, please complete the survey linked below to provide information about your students’ needs by Friday, November 10. 

Each school is asked to designate one person to serve as the coordinator for this effort. That person will be responsible for providing size information for up to 10 students and picking items up on the day of distribution in December. Requests will be filled based on availability, and an MSCS FACE team member will contact the coordinator to confirm a pick-up time for each school.

Link to Submit Coat Requests: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/OWH23

Do you need coats and other winter clothing for your students? If so, please complete the survey linked below to provide information about your students’ needs by Friday, November 10. 

Each school is asked to designate one person to serve as the coordinator for this effort. That person will be responsible for providing size information for up to 10 students and picking items up on the day of distribution in December. Requests will be filled based on availability, and an MSCS FACE team member will contact the coordinator to confirm a pick-up time for each school.

Link to Submit Coat Requests: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/OWH23

As we sunset the 5 Star Service Award, we are excited to announce the launch of "Leading from the Frontline." This recognition highlights school-based and District office front-line staff for their commitment to provide excellent customer service to parents and families. 

Each month, we will recognize outstanding staff members who are making a positive impact at MSCS schools and District Offices. These individuals may be nominated by any constituent (i.e., parents/guardians, students, community partners, supervisors, administrators, teachers).
 

You should have already received two posters (one English version and one Spanish version) that should be displayed in the main office or hallway leading into the main office along with postcards for your front office desk, which can be shared with those who visit your school. We want to continue to acknowledge those hard-working professionals who genuinely serve, guide, and deliver exceptional experiences to our students, families, and community.