Dear Principals,

We hope that you have had a productive week. As we continue to strive for excellence in our educational practices, we are pleased to inform you about the upcoming Instructional Leadership Team (ILT) support sessions organized by Performance & Leadership Development. These sessions are designed to provide ILT members with the necessary tools and strategies to enhance instructional leadership within your schools. 

Upcoming Support Sessions:

1. Implementing High Impact Strategies
   • Date: (Date change) Thursday, April 10, 2025, Implementing High Impact Instructional Strategies 
   • Time:
     • 3:15pm-4:15pm (High School, CCTE ILT Grade bands only)- TLA Auditorium
     • 3:30pm-4:30pm (Middle School ILT Grade bands only)- TLA Multipurpose
     • 4:30pm-5:30pm (Elementary & K-8 ILT Grade bands only)- TLA Auditorium
   • Location: Teaching & Learning Academy Auditorium/Multipurpose Room located at 2485 Union Avenue, Memphis TN, 38112
2. Save the Dates for Future ILT Support Sessions (In-person meetings)
   • May 1, 2025

Documentation Deadlines:

To ensure we are all aligned and prepared for Spring 2025 ILT Stipend Submission, please be reminded of the following documentation deadlines:

• Spring 2025 Teacher Log dates should reflect: January 6-May 2, 2025
  • *The ILT Support Session, Data Driven Instruction Cycle that occurred on December 5, 2024, can be included as (1) hour on the ILT Content Teacher Log for the Spring 2025 semester.
• Spring 2025 ILT Teacher Logs and ILT Stipend Excel Sheet: Due by May 2, 2025 
  • (Any schools submitting documents after this deadline will waive their semester stipends.)
• ILT Semester Hours: ILT Content Lead Teachers must complete and submit to their respective principal by the deadline at least (22) hours per semester conducted and logged outside of the allotted (contractual) school day to be eligible for the semester stipend.
• Mandatory Attendance: ILT Content Lead Teachers must attend all Instructional Leadership Team meetings and all District-level Content Support Session meetings to be eligible for the semester stipend.

Below is a link to our ILT Principal Resource Folder for your reference:

Principal Resources 2024-25

Your timely submission of these documents and attention to due dates is crucial for the success of our collaborative efforts. Should you have any questions or need further assistance, please do not hesitate to contact us at iltstipends@scsk12.org.

Thank you for your continued dedication and hard work. We look forward to supporting you and your ILT teams by working together to achieve our district’s priority goals.

Best regards,

Performance & Leadership Development Team

The Contracts Refresher Virtual Training on Contract Advantage is now available for key roles, including all contract requesters, and will take place on Wednesday, April 9th, and Thursday, April 10. The Link to Teams Meetings will be provided when participants register in PLZ. 

PLZ Course Number: 47653

         Wednesday, April 09                                                    Thursday, April 10

9:00 am - 10:00 am Section 86609                                     9:00 am - 10:00 pm Section 86611             

2:00 pm - 3:00 pm Section 86610                                       2:00 pm - 3:00 pm Section 86612

2025 Contracts Refresher Trainer.pdf (2)

Additionally, you can access The Contracts Refresher session via Canvas https://scsk12.instructure.com/courses/15457

We are excited about this testing season and wish each of you and your new teachers the best of luck! As we approach our year end close-out, please see the important deadlines and due dates below:
 

April New Teacher Mentor Meeting - None

May 6, 2025, New Teacher Mentor Meeting - *Virtual*

*Past Due* Wednesday, April 2, 2025

CAL submitted to CAL Forms Link

Wednesday, April 25, 2025

Final Informal Observation Submitted

Wednesday, May 7, 2025

Final CAL Submitted to CAL Forms Link

Friday, May 9, 2025

*Final Deadline for all submissions

Dear Principals,

Ensure that your respective PLC Coach or Instructional Facilitator are entering their weekly data via the PLC Tool each Thursday by 5:00pm. The PLC Tool allows our district to capture the number of teachers supported, identify areas of refinement, and trends in instruction. PLC Coaches and Instructional Facilitators may access the link below. If you or your team should need support, contact Ron Clark at clarkr@scsk12.org.

PLC Tool Link: https://org25f1fe79.crm.dynamics.com/main.aspx?appid=3e48c7b3-3977-ed11-81ab-00224809cc5f&pagetype=entitylist&etn=kmstest_facilitatorsupportlog&viewid=ce92ab5f-d7a9-45c2-ba19-4aeaaa5e6dbe&viewType=1039

Please find the March 31, 2025 MTSS Lead Updates.

Leaders, the SEAs have completed their 6-session series, and we are eager to understand how they are transforming in their roles to better support our students. To evaluate the effectiveness of the training, the SEAs completed exit tickets and surveys. However, we would also like to gather feedback from the teachers and school leaders who work closely with them for a more comprehensive perspective.

Please take a moment to complete the Leader Survey below and share the Teacher Survey with teachers who collaborate with SEAs.

Leader Survey: https://bit.ly/4cbVDM8

Teacher Survey: https://bit.ly/41XfDxc

Additionally, you can find a summary of the SEA training and their next steps below:

SEA Training Summary: https://bit.ly/4hI8uqs

Summer Learning Academy: If your school building is hosting SLA this summer, your SEAs will remain in the school building for SLA support. SEAs from other schools will be assigned to your school for additional support. If your school is not hosting SLA this summer, your SEAs will be assigned to a nearby feeder school to support SLA. If you have any questions regarding SEAs, please contact Heba Sammour at SAMMOURH@SCSK12.ORG.

School Library Month and School Librarian Day are special observances dedicated to celebrating and recognizing the importance of school libraries and the work of school librarians. Both observances encourage stakeholders to acknowledge the invaluable role school libraries and librarians play in nurturing young minds and facilitating learning.

School Librarian Day is celebrated on April 4th and is dedicated to honoring the contributions of school librarians who play a critical role in the educational system. This day is a time to appreciate and recognize the hard work that librarians do to foster a love of reading, support literacy development, and create a welcoming environment for students to explore information and ideas.

School Library Month is an initiative of the American Association of School Librarians (AASL), aimed at celebrating school libraries, promoting the vital role they play in education, and raising awareness about the importance of school libraries and librarians in student learning and development. Throughout April, schools and communities often host activities, events, and initiatives that highlight the value of libraries in schools, from supporting literacy to providing resources for students and teachers.

Subject: Senior Fee Payment Request Submission Guidelines for Homeless Students
 

To ensure senior fees for homeless students are paid in a timely manner, please submit a letter to Dr. Ball-Johnson by April 11 (extended deadline), including the following information:

1. The student’s full name
2. A breakdown of the required fees associated with graduation
3. The student’s attendance status
4. The student’s FAFSA status

The letter should be written on the school's letterhead and sent as an attachment to an email addressed to Dr. Ball-Johnson at ballkf@scsk12.org. Please include "Senior Fees" in the subject line of the email.

Calling all educators! The 2025 Beautify Your School Contest is back and accepting applications through May 1! All schools and grades Pre-K-12 are invited to participate.

Sponsored by Memphis City Beautiful, WREG News Channel 3 and Landers Ford Collierville, Beautify Your School is a cleanup and beautification competition that challenges schools to improve their surroundings and engage their students in environmental programs. Showcase your gardens, outdoor classrooms, sustainability efforts, and more!

Cash prizes and trophies are awarded to winning schools, and five representatives from the first-place schools of each category are featured on WREG’s Live at 9!

Learn more or download the entry form to get started: https://memphiscitybeautiful.org/beautify-your-school/.

Memphis Redbirds will be hosting Education Days during the month of May featuring expert-led, hands-on discovery activities for students. School teams may utilize Discovering Memphis funding for this opportunity ($10/student). As a reminder, food purchases are not allowable through this funding.  

-Weather Day: Thursday, May 1 a 11:05a.m. Enjoy pregame, on field experiments led by the local weather team

-STEM Day: Wednesday, May 14 at 12:05p.m. Explore different careers in STEM by talking to experts in their respective fields

-Optometry Day: Thursday, May 15 at 11:05a.m. Learn about eye safety with a pregame presentation from doctors at Southern College of Optometry

For more information: https://www.milb.com/memphis/tickets/education-days 

School leaders will receive a package of Social Emotional Learning (SEL) resources from The Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning (CASEL). Please share these resources with team members who will benefit from them most. 

From CASEL: “SEL advances educational equity and excellence through authentic school-family-community partnerships to establish learning environments and experiences that feature trusting and collaborative relationships, rigorous and meaningful curriculum and instruction, and ongoing evaluation. The five broad, interrelated areas of competence are: self-awareness, self-management, social awareness, relationship skills, and responsible decision-making.”

Social Emotional Learning Resources

CASEL Guide to Schoolwide SEL (download)

The CASEL 5 Poster Collection

CASEL DRC: Essentials (download)

Each year the Tennessee School Boards Association recognizes students from across the state who have distinguished themselves in academics, community and service activities, and leadership roles and activities.

Superintendents, school board members, or district directors are encouraged to help acknowledge the achievements of Tennessee’s students. High School leaders are asked to identify one student for the nomination.  Nominees must be juniors in Tennessee public schools at the time of the application deadline. To nominate a student, please complete the MSCS form linked below. 

Students will later be submitted for nomination to TSBA. Once submitted, TSBA staff will contact the student nominee to let them know they have been nominated and provide them with the instructions on how to complete the application process.

Awards will be given in each of the nine districts at the TSBA Fall District Meetings. The nine district winners will be asked to write a 1,000 word essay on a selected TSBA topic to be considered for the statewide overall winner. To determine a statewide winner, the nine (9) district winners will be interviewed by a committee appointed by the TSBA President. The statewide winner will be recognized at the TSBA Awards Ceremony of the Annual Convention in November and awarded a $2,000 scholarship.

Link to form (requires MSCS sign-in): https://forms.office.com/r/ZVXnRTLyEq

MSCS Deadline: April 17, 2025

The yearly TCAP testing window is approaching. Starting April 14th, all MSCS students will take the Tennessee Comprehensive Assessment Program (TCAP) test.

To maintain proper test security, it is ideal test security protocol to have a second adult (proctor) in each testing room, such as a second teacher or a volunteer proctor who assists the test administrator. While volunteer proctors cannot handle test materials, they can help monitor the room during testing. Each school will have its own testing schedule, so please coordinate accordingly.

 To ensure we are following all security protocols, it is important that all volunteer proctors are screened appropriately. Please have your volunteer proctors follow these steps:

Visit: https://scsk12.org/face/level2

Click on the link in Step 2 and watch the 6-minute orientation video

Click the APPLICATION tab to begin the online volunteer application

Select the school building that you will report to.

Under Volunteer Function, select Test Monitor/Proctor (Level 2)

Once approved, the volunteer will receive an automated email notification. 

The Digital Citizenship dashboard is available. You can find it in the MSCS Compass under Digital Learning. Seethe user guide for more information.

C.O.M.E. to Win data for the 7th 20-day period will be available for non-charter schools on 4/3 and for all schools on 4/14. See the C.O.M.E. to Win Report User Guide here.

Q3 Report Card Grade data is available in Student Grades. You can also find grades data in Student Snapshot, Teacher Profile, High School Progress, Ready Graduates, and Advanced Course Scheduling. You can find user guides for all Student Grades reports here. 

Updated grades data is also available in the Summer School Eligibility Report that can be used to track eligibility for Summer School and OAG Summer School. You can find that user guide here.

We’re making updates to the Ready Graduates Dashboard and we need your feedback! If you use the Ready Graduates dashboard, please fill out this survey.

Curious about where Ready Graduates data comes from? See this one-pager! It includes the data source location and the point of contact for any issues.

RTI2-A Early Warning System (EWS) 2024-2025 data is available in the RTI2-A dashboard to support the High School Spring State Mandated Diagnostic screener. For more information, see the user guide.
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Upcoming Training Sessions:

Virtual Office Hours, this week (4/8 and 4/10) will be on the Digital Citizenship Dashboard.

Next week (4/15 and 4/17), we will have Open Office Hours. So, bring your questions!

For more information on Virtual Office Hours, check out this flyer! Sessions are on Tuesdays and Thursdays at 3:30 PM on Microsoft Teams.

Check out our Training Calendar for all upcoming District Trainings.

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Monthly Newsletter: 

Check your inbox! On the first Wednesday of every month, the DAIM team sends out a monthly newsletter to all Power BI users. In it, you will find more information on upcoming trainings, new releases, and how-to guides. 

To see this month’s edition (and all archived editions), visit our support page. 
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Check out our page of new/updated features and releases on our DAIM Support Page! 

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

Principals can give school staff members access through the MSCS Compass Access App. For more information about how to use the app, see this user guide

Principals: We have received several requests recently to add people to our Building Testing Coordinator and Testing Technology Coordinator email list. To make sure we are communicating with the correct people at your school as the TCAP window approaches, please check our current BTC/TTC email list on SharePoint here.

If you need to add someone to our list please complete the survey found here. The survey will allow you to add up to two more people to the list. There is a notes section if you want to alert us about someone who needs to be removed. 

If the correct contacts are listed for your school, no action is needed.

The Q4 Progress Report period ends on Wednesday, April 16, 2025. Progress Reports will be distributed to students and mailed to ensure parents are aware of their child’s progress. Parents will continue to be able to view the grades in the Parent Portal. The Q4 Progress Report Checklist and Instructions for Administrators & Teachers is available on SharePoint. This document outlines the teacher and school office staff’s responsibilities for verifying and distributing Q4 Progress Reports.

Professionalism represents 5% of the overall TEM rating for both tested and non-tested teachers and must be completed and finalized by both the educator and the administrator to receive an LOE score.  Professionalism containers are live, and educators may begin inputting narratives, uploading artifacts, and completing self-scores.  

The suggested deadline for teacher completion is Friday, April 18, 2025.  For questions and/or concerns about instructional evaluations, please contact EPS by phone at (901) 416-2475 or via email at eps@scsk12.org. 

Portfolio Reminders:

Non-Tested Grades and Subject Teachers: Please be sure to log into your TN Portfolium Account to select your collections and standards for SY2024-25.  As a reminder, the NTGS Educators listed below will submit TEAM Student Growth Portfolios for SY24-25:

• Fine Arts
• Physical Education (Elementary)
• Pre-K
• World Languages (French & Spanish)(6-12)

 Portfolio educators are strongly encouraged to submit their Point A and B Submissions before the 5 p.m., May 5, 2025, deadline. 

 *Please note: Per the State, a portfolio will be assigned an Incomplete (I) and the teacher’s LOE (Level of Overall Effectiveness) score will NOT generate for the school year if any of the four collections are not completed by the deadline.

Questions/Support

If any NGTS educator is having issues accessing the platform, needs their State SSO, or has had job/role changes that do not require submission of a portfolio, please contact the District Portfolio Lead, Ayodele Hall, at hallam@scsk12.org.

Rescheduled: Teacher TEM Training

Looking to enhance your planning and instructional delivery? Join us for our *rescheduled* virtual session Tuesday, April 8, 2025, as we take a deep dive into Teach 1: Objective Driven Lesson and Teach 2: Explain Content. See the flyer here for more details and registration!

Enrollment Season

Parents can now log into the PowerSchool Parent portal and complete new and returning student registration for the 25-26SY.  Please ensure your parents are informed and register as soon as possible.  Remember Greatness Grows Here so let's plant the seeds by getting them registered! Please visit the MSCS Registration site for additional details!

Professional Development Opportunities 

Stay in the know on the most recent attendance and registration best practices! Click here to view upcoming professional development opportunities. 

Recording Attendance During TCAP and EOC

As TCAP and EOC testing approaches, please remember that daily attendance must still be recorded. School administrators should ensure there is a clear procedure in place to capture attendance for all students each day throughout the testing window. 

End-of-Year Attendance Tasks

As we prepare for end-of-year attendance responsibilities, please be reminded of the documents required for records retention: 

• Sign-in and sign-out sheets
• Absentee Report

These records must be clearly labeled, properly stored and retained for a minimum of five (5) years. 

Note: If Raptor is used for student sign-in, the relevant data should be printed and included in your records.