The state requires each school to designate a Child Abuse Coordinator and Co-Coordinator. For Memphis-Shelby County Schools, each Principal will serve as the Coordinator and will identify one Professional School Counselor to serve as the Co-Coordinator. The Coordinators' names must be reported to the Department of Children's Services for each school annually. Please complete the link below by Friday, December 1st. If you have any questions regarding this law or any DCS-related issue, please contact Dr. Rhonda Hill, hillre@scsk12.org or Dr. Angela Hargrave, hargraveal@scsk12.org.

Link: School Child Abuse Coordinator and Co-Coordinator Form 2023-24

Attention: Elementary and Middle School Leaders

THANK YOU for completing the Ready Read Materials Delivery survey confirming receipt of your student copies of the Ready Read materials. Elementary and Middle/K-8 School principals (or designees) who have not completed the survey, please do so by Tuesday, November 7th. For those who need additional Ready Reading student workbooks, please also use the survey link to communicate the request. In this way, the Curriculum & Instruction ELA Team will be able to ensure each ES/MS/K-8 school receives the necessary materials for instruction.

Ready Read survey: https://forms.office.com/r/NgmMZMdKf1
 

Completed surveys are due by Tuesday, November 7th.

Questions? Email ci_ela_team@scsk12.org.

Greetings Principals, 

As we prepare for the possibility of inclement weather, we wanted to provide you with a copy of the Emergency Closure of Schools Procedures.

As we prepare for the approaching 2nd semester, it is crucial that we equip our new school leaders and behavior support staff early with the appropriate training and skills that will allow them to maintain and cultivate positive learning environments. Many legislative and district changes have occurred that we must train on district-wide, and we know from past trends that, student behaviors tend to get more interesting during the second semester. Just as in years past, we are providing multiple training opportunities during the month of November.

New Staff (0-3 years)...

• Principals
• Assistant Principals & Vice-Principals 
• Behavior Specialists & ISS monitors
• Counselors (optional, per principal) 

should participate in ONE of the training opportunities and register by clicking on the link provided Discipline Training – New Staff in PLZ. Participants may select the training date that is most convenient for them. Participants will engage in courageous conversations about real life challenges/scenarios and will be guided using the state law, policy, and district expectations. Experienced staff are not required... but certainly welcome to attend.

At this time, training is being offered to traditional MSCS schools only. Additional training opportunities will be provided for MSCS charters at a later date. 

Please don’t hesitate to contact Dr. JB Blocker directly if you have any questions.

When entering discipline incidents in Incident Management as well as printing the Official Suspension Notification, please use these steps.

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.

• 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.

• 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)

According to the 12-month hourly work schedule, Specialized Education Assistants (SEAs) are scheduled to work three days (Monday-Wednesday), November 20-22, 2023, during the week of Thanksgiving Break unless days off have been requested and approved by school administration. 

SEAs are expected to report to their school sites each day, and engage in either of the following:

1. complete professional learning assignments as outlined by the Early Literacy Department OR
2. complete tasks assigned by the school administrator
    

Please carefully read the following information.

• If SEAs plan to be off during the Thanksgiving Break, they should follow the request for vacation policies as outlined by their school's administrative handbook.
• If an SEA takes vacation, the SEA is not required to complete professional learning assignments on the days approved for vacation.
• If an SEA is not taking vacation days and the SEA's school administrator has tasks for the SEA to complete, the SEA does not have to complete the Early Literacy professional learning assignments. In this case, it is the school's responsibility to capture and report the SEA's hours worked.
• If the school administrator does not provide tasks for the SEA to complete during the three days of Thanksgiving Break, the SEA must complete the professional learning assignments for each day worked.

Please see assignments here:  SEA Thanksgiving Break Work Expectations - 10312023.pdf 

Each day's Bridge to Practice link will be available specifically on that day from 8:00 AM - 4:00 PM.  SEAs will not be able to complete tasks late or before their due date. Late assignments and emailed assignments will NOT be accepted.

Any questions regarding tasks or assignments, please call or email the Early Literacy Office at 901.416.4801.

For computer or technical issues, please contact IT at 901.416.2700.

Do you know an individual who deserves recognition for their exceptional leadership, dedication, and commitment to both the school and community and district? Now’s the time to nominate them for Principal or Supervisor of the Year. Contact Director Charles Newborn at newborncm@scsk12.org for any questions. 

Please note the dates for December's Principals' meeting and January 2024 Leadership Development Week: 

• Tuesday, December 12, 2023: Principals' Meeting
• Monday, January 8, 2024: Leadership Development Week - PLC Coaches
• Tuesday, January 9, 2024: Leadership Leadership Development Week - Principals
• Tuesday, January 9, 2024: Leadership Leadership Development Week - DLAs (Evening Session)
• Wednesday, January 10, 2024: Leadership Development Week - Vice/Assistant Principals 
• Thursday, January 11, 2024: Leadership Development Week - Professional School Counselors 
• Thursday, January 11, 2024: Leadership Development Week - DLAs (Evening Session)

(Managed by the TDOE) - Click HERE for guidance on becoming TEAM Certified. 

*Be sure to select TRAINING FOR ADMINISTRATORS' certification!

Please forward a copy of the completed TEAM Certificate to eps@scsk12.org.

Informal Observations

The 23-24 Instructional Practice Classroom Walkthrough Tools are available here.  You can use this link (bit.ly/2324Walkthrough) to submit your walkthrough tool which will feed data to the Power BI on the Instructional Practice Dashboard.  Please download a PDF copy of your entry for your records.

Formal Observations

One Informal Observation must be completed in PLZ prior to completing the Formal TEM Observation. The step sheet on how to upload to PLZ the PDF from what you submitted in the Microsoft Form is linked here. 

If you have questions regarding the 23-24 Classroom Walkthrough Tools, the submission link for the walkthrough tool, or the PLZ step sheet please email professionallearning@scsk12.org.  For TEM questions, please contact eps@scsk12.org.

Per the TDOE, Educator Level of Overall Effectiveness (LOE) scores for 2022-23 are live in the TNCompass platform. 

Information regarding the calculations for 2022-23 teacher evaluations may be found here

For an educator to receive an LOE score, all required component scores (depending on the evaluation type) must be present in TNCompass.  Components include Observation, Achievement, Growth, Professionalism, and/or Student Perception Survey)  Note: Educators identified as partial year exemption (PYE) will not receive an LOE score.    

For questions regarding missing component scores or other evaluation-related questions, please submit a PLZ HelpDesk ticket so that the EPS can research the issue (link also available in PLZ under "PLZ Help").  

New Releases:

• Student Assessments now has a Student Report! This will allow you to select a specific student and see all of their relevant data in one location. See this user guide for more information!
   
• Mastery Connect Report now has an Aggregated Tables button which takes you to a page with MC Performance Levels and Standards Performance Levels by Grade, School, and Zone! 
   
• ASVAB data has been updated in the Ready Graduates Dashboard! Score data has been updated and will show scores up until 10/19/2023.
   
• 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.

-----------------------------

Coming Soon:

• Accountability Dashboard: Enrollment and Discipline

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Training and Support Resources:  
 

• Virtual Office Hours is taking a break this week (11/21 and 11/23) for Thanksgiving, but we will be back next week.
   
• Next week (11/28 and 11/30), we will discuss this recently published Student Report in Student Assessment. 
   
• 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.

Need immunizations, sports, annual physicals, or not feeling well? For an appointment, please call 842-2379 or you may text “SCS901” to 91999. Please note for all text, it will take 24-48 hours to a return your phone call to set up and appointment. Clinics are closed Thursday and Friday in observance of Thanksgiving holiday. For more information, please call Health Promotions at 416-6432.

Memphis Shelby County Schools offers free health screenings for Pre-K, K, 2nd, 4th, 6th, 8th, and 9th grades. Screenings consist of vision, hearing, blood pressure, height, weight, and scoliosis. We understand space is limited with your schools. Help us with securing a quite room to perform effective hearing screenings. Please ensure “Opt-Out” forms have gone home before your scheduled screening date. We are also encouraging you to send text messaging, robo calls, and include on your school’s website calendar. Support us in spreading the word to parents/guardians for this needed service. See calendar for your school dates of middle, high, and charter schools. For more information, please call Health Promotions at 416-6432. Check out our screening video to see what to expect in ENG: https://youtu.be/A4wbLuXB4wI  and SPA: https://youtu.be/Hgsfj9AL-vI

https://scsk12-my.sharepoint.com/:b:/g/personal/edwardst1_scsk12_org/EVZ_OJu_jXhOvfWcgJc3mxcBx4bsifDpfLkvbyYt-GmT7Q?e=BSBeU6

Please be reminded of the procedures regarding canceling or rescheduling athletic contests facing potential critical issues. Critical issues are health, safety, hazardous weather, academic eligibility, or other extreme circumstances that may cause irregularity in standard operating procedures.  

This procedure can be found in the AOSS Manual Procedures and Protocol for Schools titled Athletics-Contest/Game Cancellation, Reschedule, and/or Relocation.  

In Summary, when planning to cancel or reschedule a contest due to a critical issue, the following procedure should be followed:  

1. The Principal will report the potentially critical issue to the Athletics Office immediately.  
2. The Athletics Office will present the issue to the Office of Student Support.  
3. A consulting committee will be formed, including but not limited to affected School Principals, School Operations, Safety and Security, Transportation, Facilities, Construction and Maintenance, Risk Management, and Communications.  
4. School Operations will report the consulting committee's findings to Academic Operation & School Support and the Superintendent and/or his Designee for final review.  
5. School Operations will confirm what appropriate adaptive response to the critical issue will be authorized.  

The Student Support/Athletics department will make the final decision for canceling and/or rescheduling athletic events based on information provided by the consulting committee upon final review of the Superintendent and/or his Designee.  

SCS Communication will notify the public via the appropriate electronic and media outlets. The Student Support/Athletics Departments shall communicate the decision to the involved schools as early as possible.  

If and when possible, we prefer not to have to cancel a contest because of the impact it has on the total school experience of our students, as well as the message it may send regarding the confidence, we have in our district to provide a safe, secure environment for students and staff. However, safety is always our top priority. 

If you have any questions or concerns regarding this process, don't hesitate to contact Ms. Weaver at weaveri@scsk12.org, Mr. Jackson at jacksonrd@scsk12.org, or Dr. Richmond at richmondrf@scsk12.org. 

Best regards, 

RFR 

Greetings, School Leaders! 

For the Spring semester, the FACE Department has partnered with the Shelby County Election Commission on Voter Education, Registration, Mobilization & Reform to bring opportunities for voter registration and education to our students and their families this year. We will be hosting voter registration drives for our students at each high school at your request.  

We are excited to invite you to review the google form below to select a date and time for a Voter Registration Drive at your school.

Form for Principals/Counselors:

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSccnYkJm-5lGhaRBAC-AadHY9Ws_nJbeZ05XzHl69DPqPv7AQ/viewform?usp=sf_link
 

Please complete by Monday, December 11th. This opportunity is being offered for any student who is 17 years old and older. If you have any questions or need assistance, please contact Kyndall Lewis at lewisk6@scsk12.org .