The TSSAA (Tennessee Secondary School Athletic Association) will be introducing a one-time transfer rule for the next school year that allows high school and middle school student-athletes a single transfer to another school without losing eligibility, but only if the transfer is not for athletic reasons. 

This rule is designed to address the needs of students experiencing significant academic, social-emotional, environmental, or mental health challenges. There are exceptions, including cases where a coaching link exists between the new school and the former school within the past 12 months, or if the student is under disciplinary suspension at their former school.  The school the student is transferring from must verify that the move is not due to athletic or disciplinary reasons. 

Currently, the TSSAA is working on additional messaging and FAQs for schools to support this bylaw change.  The TSSAA's one-time transfer rule has been the subject of legislative debate, with lawmakers initially considering codifying the rule into state law, but the process has been paused until 2026. 

India Weaver, Athletics Director

weaveri@scsk12.org

We’re excited to share a new mobile-friendly application designed to help families easily discover the extracurricular activities offered at our schools. This tool is part of our effort to make information more accessible while highlighting the many ways students can get involved beyond the classroom.

We’ve included the current list of extracurricular offerings for your school, and we ask that you please review this information to ensure it is accurate and up to date at www.scsk12.org/afterschoolmemphis.

If any edits are needed — including a preference to list an email contact instead of a phone number — please reply to this email http://www.scsk12.org/afterschoolmemphis/ with your updates by July 3rd.

Thank you for being a valuable part of this districtwide solution for families. Your support helps promote the amazing programs happening at your school and encourages more students to engage and grow through extracurricular involvement.

India Weaver, Director-Athletics

weaveri@scsk12.org

Safety isn't limited to the time spent at athletic contests; it extends to when our staff, students, and fans leave the venue. We encourage you to communicate and promote these essential safety tips: 

MSCS Event Procedures 

• Staff, students, and families should be reminded of MSCS event security procedures and clear bag policies. 
• Post signage around your venue entrances and notify attendees to alleviate confusion at ticket gates.  
• To the extent possible, ask your players to avoid bringing backpacks to the games. 
• Refresher Video: MSCS Event Security Procedures Video 

Parking Lot Safety Tips 

• Park in Well-Lit Areas: Advise staff, students, and fans to park their vehicles in well-lit areas. Visibility is a powerful deterrent to unwanted incidents. 
• Valuables Out of Sight: Remind everyone to stow valuables out of sight. Leaving items in plain view may attract theft. 
• Lock Your Vehicles: Ensure that vehicles are securely locked. This simple step can prevent break-ins. 
• Travel in Groups: Encourage carpooling or walking in groups, especially at night. There's safety in numbers. 
• Report Signs of Trouble: If anyone sees trouble or suspicious activity, urge them to report it to the proper authorities immediately. Also, report any light outages to the appropriate personnel.

Safety is a collective responsibility, and by promoting these measures, we can help keep our school community safe even after the final whistle has blown.  We continue to be appreciative of your commitment to the safety and well-being of our school community. 

A school support organization directly paying a supplement, bonus, or buying gifts for coaching staff most likely violates one or more of the following:
 
Tennessee Secondary School Athletic Association (TSSAA) Bylaws: “Coaches must be paid entirely from funds approved by either the board of education, governing board of the school, Director of Schools, or the principal of the school.” (Article I, Section 9, C.; page 11).
 
The Comptroller’s Procedures Manual: Model Financial Policy for School Support Organizations: “Payments for salary supplements must not be made directly to the coaches, assistant coaches, or other employees (e.g. teachers, principals) of the Board of Education.  Salary supplements for Board employees must be paid through the Board of Education.  The SSO must make donations to the Board for this purpose rather than paying Board employees directly.” (see FAQ, 26; page 38).
 
The Comptroller’s Procedures Manual: Model Financial Policy for School Support Organizations: “All SSO funds must be used in support of the SSO’s goals and objectives as related to supporting a school district, school, school club, or school academic, arts, athletic, or social activity.” (see Requirements, 6; page 6).
 
In many cases, this type of action will also violate your local board policy 5.110, which requires all salaries and supplements to be paid by the board if revenue is derived from sources other than state and local funding.
 
Two recent investigative reports from the Comptroller are linked below. Each deal with this type of situation.
 
Comptroller’s Investigative Report: Farragut Dugout Club, September 13, 2024
Comptroller’s Investigative Report: Northview Athletic Sideline Club, July 23, 2024

TSBA provides legal education and information as a general service.  Please take note of this information and keep it in mind as you move forward.

Please contact Director India Weaver at weaveri@scsk12.org if you have additional questions. 

Tenn. Code Ann. § 49-2-136 became effective in 2021 and requires schools to notify the TSSAA of an enrolled student’s placement in foster care if the student expresses interest in participating in interscholastic athletics.  Failure to do so may result in the student-athlete being ineligible.  

The TSSAA Portal is a primary point of interaction between member schools and the TSSAA state office.  Schools should submit all potential student-athletes via the portal for TSSAA/TMSAA sanctioned sports. Foster care students are submitted in the same fashion.  

For special hardship cases, TSSAA has the authority to set aside the effect of any eligibility rule upon student-athletes per specific circumstances outlined in the TSSAA Constitution and Bylaws. If you have any additional questions, please contact the TSSAA regarding submission procedures. 

Secondary Education Based Athletics plays a transformative role in student development, enhancing both academic and personal success. Involvement in sports has been shown to positively impact school attendance, ACT scores, and GPA, as students in athletics are often more engaged and motivated to achieve academic standards to maintain eligibility.

To fully understand and amplify these positive outcomes, it’s essential to track and review these academic metrics alongside athletic participation. Consistent data analysis allows schools to pinpoint areas for improvement, tailor support, and ultimately ensure that athletics continues to contribute meaningfully to each student’s growth.

PowerSchool for Academic Eligibility Tracking for all student-athletes in middle and high schools in Fall sports should have been completed on August 29th.  Once student-athletes are entered into Power School by sport, the School Athletic Director (and the MSCIAA) can view information for each athlete such as age, GPA, transfers, attendance etc…along with the ability to double-check TSSAA eligibility. This data empowers schools to adapt and improve programming, ensuring students benefit fully.

Additionally, secondary athletics serves as a cornerstone in student development, helping to build academic commitment, personal resilience, and a sense of belonging. Engaging in athletics motivates students to prioritize daily attendance, as consistent participation in both academics and sports is essential to their eligibility and performance. This daily presence in school not only strengthens learning habits but also fosters accountability, both critical for academic success. 

In short, secondary athletics is integral to a school’s mission, fostering not only academic achievements but also life skills like teamwork, perseverance, and leadership. Athletics complements the educational journey, preparing students to be well-rounded individuals today and for life beyond the classroom.

Athletic Practice Within School Hours Require Board Approval

(SBE) 0520-01-02-.08 Interscholastic Athletics:

3) All athletic practice within the regular hours of any school day must be approved on an

annual basis by the local board of education; such action must be reflected in the minutes of the local board of education. All approved athletic practice during the regular hours of any school day shall conform to the same rules, regulations, and seasons as corresponding

athletic practice outside the school day.

(4) A local board of education shall not authorize high school credits in physical education for participation in interscholastic athletic practice during regular school hours.

Tennessee Law to Remove Barriers of Student-Athletes of Military Families 

TCA 49-12-301, Art. I (C):

The purpose of this compact is to remove barriers to educational success imposed on children of military families because of frequent moves and deployment of their parents by: C. (c) facilitating the qualification and eligibility for . . . participation in extracurricular, academic, athletic, and social activities.

Schools should notify the TSSAA of an enrolled student’s interest in participating in interscholastic athletics. Failure to do so may result in the student-athlete being ineligible.  

The TSSAA Portal is a primary point of interaction between member schools and the TSSAA state office.  Schools should submit all potential student-athletes via the portal for TSSAA/TMSAA sanctioned sports. Students of military families are submitted in the same fashion.  

For special hardship cases, TSSAA has the authority to set aside the effect of any eligibility rule upon student-athletes per specific circumstances outlined in the TSSAA Constitution and Bylaws. If you have any additional questions, please contact the TSSAA regarding submission procedures. 

As we approach the spring sports season, it is essential for schools to begin preparations now (if you have not already started) to ensure a smooth and successful start. Proactive planning during the winter months not only minimizes delays but also establishes a strong foundation for student-athletes, coaches, and support staff.

3 Key Areas of Focus to get you started:

• Plan for Equipment, Uniforms, and Supplies: Place orders for equipment, uniforms, and supplies early to avoid unexpected delays to ensure everything is ready by the start of the season.
• Streamline Student Participation: Distribute required paperwork, including physical forms and eligibility documents, to interested students early to ensure students and parents are aware of deadlines for completing necessary requirements before the first practice or tryouts (which are considered practices under eligibility guidelines).
• Coach Readiness: Coaches should begin completing all required certifications, training, and background checks.

Furthermore, Coaches play a crucial role in the success of your athletic program. To ensure that your athletic programs are well supported and effective, it is important to review the following:

Key Coaching Considerations:

• Certified Teacher Advantage: Choosing a faculty certified teacher as a coach is often optimal because they already understand the school's educational environment and standards. They are more likely to emphasize academics, have strong relationships with students, and integrate coaching with the broader educational experience. 
• Coaching Stipends: Only MSCS employees (with active paylines) can be paid a stipend from District Funds.  If you choose to hire Non-Faculty Coaches to assist with your school programs, please contact the MSCS Office of Compliance to verify the proper procedure for utilizing your school's funds for payment.
• District Paid Coaching Stipend Positions: Make sure you are informed regarding the number of paid stipend positions per sport to avoid confusion. Please note Coaches of the following sports: baseball, girls’ softball and track and field should not be Head Coach or Assistant Coach of another sport in the same season. 

Spring Sports Middle School Stipend Positions

Spring Sports High School Stipend Positions 

By prioritizing these actions, schools can enhance the student-athlete experience and set the stage for a successful spring sports season. Preparation now ensures teams are ready to excel when the season begins.  If you have any questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to contact the Athletics Office. We are always here to support you and are dedicated to ensuring the success of our athletic programs. 

We are excited to announce that we have initiated a project to upgrade the equipment at track stadiums throughout the district. This investment has been made to ensure that your athletes have access to safe and modern equipment to enhance their training and preparation for competitions.

In order to maintain the quality and functionality of this new equipment, we kindly ask for your cooperation. It is important that after each use, the equipment is properly covered and secured. Please refrain from removing any padding, screws, knobs, strings, ties, or any other components that are essential to the equipment's operation. These seemingly small items play a crucial role in ensuring the equipment's effectiveness.

Your leadership and guidance are instrumental in fostering a culture of responsibility and respect among your students. By demonstrating proper behavior and expectations, you can encourage your athletes to follow suit.  We ask:

• Please support us in ensuring that all track equipment is properly stored and maintained after school.
• Please take pride in leaving the equipment and facility in better condition than you found it.
• If you notice any unauthorized use of the equipment or facilities, please report it immediately so we can protect these valuable resources.
• Please take responsibility for cleaning up after yourselves and your students when using the stadiums. Leaving the area tidy and free of trash not only shows respect for the facilities but also sets a positive example for others.
• Please be cordial and respectful towards other MSCIAA teams practicing with you by sharing equipment when needed.

Thank you for your cooperation in ensuring the upkeep and proper use of our upgraded equipment. Always check the equipment prior to use. If you notice any additional issues with the equipment, please notify us. Together, we can create a safe and conducive environment for all. We appreciate your commitment to excellence and for helping us maintain the integrity of our athletic facilities.

As regular season contests begin, please be reminded: 

• Staff, students, and families should be reminded of MSCS event security procedures and clear bag policies
  • Post signage around your venue entrances and notify attendees to alleviate confusion at ticket gates.  
  • To the extent possible, ask your players to avoid bringing backpacks to the games.
  • Refresher Video: MSCS Event Security Procedures Video

• Volunteer coaches should have completed the background check process with FACE.
• Unauthorized people should not be allowed in team areas i.e. sidelines, benches, locker rooms etc.… 
• Children that are not participating are not allowed on sidelines and benches.
• Behavioral expectations should be announced to all players and visitors prior to any athletic event. 
• All MSCS Employees should be reminded to observe the MSCS Employee Standards of Conduct at events via Employee Handbook.
• Each participating school must have an administrator or designee present at every athletic contest and identify themselves to any officials directing the game.  
• An administrator or designee should accompany visiting teams upon arrival and departure from the facility. 
• The host school is responsible for the safe passage of game officials upon arrival and departure from the facility. 

Safety isn't limited to the time spent at athletic contests; it extends to when our staff, students and fans leave the venue. We encourage you to communicate and promote these important safety tips:

• Park in Well-Lit Areas: Advise staff, students, and fans to park their vehicles in well-lit areas. Visibility is a powerful deterrent to unwanted incidents.
• Valuables Out of Sight: Remind everyone to stow valuables out of sight. Leaving items in plain view may attract theft.
• Lock Your Vehicles: Ensure that vehicles are securely locked. This simple step can prevent break-ins.
• Travel in Groups: Encourage carpooling or walking in groups, especially at night. There's safety in numbers.
• Report Signs of Trouble: If anyone sees trouble or suspicious activity, urge them to report it to the proper authorities immediately.

Safety is a collective responsibility, and by promoting these measures, we can help keep our school community safe even after the final whistle has blown. Thank you for your commitment to safety and the well-being of our school community.

By focusing on these considerations, you can ensure the selection of an Athletic Director and Coaches who will not only drive athletic success but also contribute to the overall educational mission of the school. 

 Athletic Director

1. Leadership and Communication Skills:

The Athletic Director (AD) should have strong leadership abilities and excellent communication skills. They must effectively manage teams, coordinate with various stakeholders, and clearly articulate the school’s athletic vision.

2. Experience in Athletic Administration:

Prior experience in athletic administration is recommended. This includes budgeting, fundraising, scheduling, compliance with regulations, and the ability to navigate complex situations such as athlete eligibility and event management.

3. Commitment to Student-Athlete Development:

The AD should prioritize the holistic development of student-athletes, focusing not only on athletic performance but also on academics, character, and life skills.

4. Understanding of School Culture:

An AD should be familiar with and supportive of the school's culture and values. They must align the athletic program with the school’s educational mission and community standards.

5. Organizational Skills:

The role requires exceptional organizational skills to manage multiple sports, teams, and schedules while ensuring compliance with state and district regulations.

6. Conflict Resolution Abilities:

The ability to handle conflicts, whether between coaches, athletes, or parents, is essential. An effective AD should be a fair and decisive mediator.

Coaches

1. Alignment with Educational Values:

 A coach should embody the school's educational values and goals. They must focus on the overall development of students, including character building, teamwork, and respect for others.

2. Coaching Experience and Success:

While experience in coaching is important, additional emphasis should also be placed on success in fostering both athletic skills and positive character traits in students.

3. Certified Teacher Advantage:

Choosing a faculty certified teacher as a coach is often optimal because they already understand the school's educational environment and standards. They are more likely to emphasize academics, have strong relationships with students, and integrate coaching with the broader educational experience.  The concepts of teaching and coaching are very similar. Student management, performance standards, assessments, outcomes and readiness levels are routinely managed in the learning environment.

4. Commitment to Student-Athlete Academics:

Coaches should understand the importance of academics and be committed to supporting student-athletes in balancing their sports and studies.

5. Ability to Build Positive Relationships:

The coach should be able to establish trust and rapport with students, parents, and colleagues. They should be approachable, supportive, and a positive role model.

6. Long-Term Program Development:

The ideal coach has a vision for the program’s long-term success, including developing student-athletes not only competitively but also promoting high standards of academic competence, character and citizenship to ensure continuity and stability within your teams.

We wanted to share some best practices to help you select the most qualified athletic director and coaching candidates. Athletics plays a pivotal role in the lives of our students and the community, so it's essential to have individuals in these roles who can inspire and encourage our student-athletes to excel both on and off the field. We want leaders who are committed to developing well-rounded student-athletes—model students who understand the importance of prioritizing their education and embracing leadership roles within the school and community.

References

National Interscholastic Athletic Administrators Association (NIAAA) Guide to Interscholastic Athletic Programs Management

National Federation of State High School Associations (NFHS) Coaching Essentials and Coaching Principles Courses

We also seek staff who can read, interpret, and adhere to district policies, state laws, and mandates. Ensuring that our athletic directors and coaches meet these expectations along with compensation guidelines and have completed all required training is essential.

In addition, we aim for competitive teams that embody good sportsmanship, perseverance, and school pride. This enthusiasm and dedication should be evident in any candidate you consider for a coaching or athletic director position. If you have any young or less experienced ADs or coaches who would benefit from mentorship in areas such as coaching strategies, strength and conditioning, fundraising, or practice organization, please reach out to us. We are committed to becoming the premier district in producing quality student-athletes, competitive athletic programs, and will continue to strive for excellence in providing the necessary resources to support you and your programs.

If you have any questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to contact Ms. Weaver or me. We are always here to support you and are dedicated to ensuring the success of our athletic programs.  (RFR)

All Fall PowerSchool entries should be completed by August 26.  

Please inform your Athletic Directors to pay close attention to the following details when entering rosters to avoid the tedious process of correcting mistakes. If you have any questions or need help, reach out to Reed Willis or Amy Thornton before entering rosters. 

Points of Emphasis

• Be sure to select the correct sport when entering rosters.
• If you do not select a sport, your rosters will not show up in the right location.
• Enter correct start and end dates from the information sheet linked below.  Fall Start Date is August 1, 2024.
• Do not leave the end date blank. End date for all sports for the 24-25 school year should be July 30, 2025.
• When entering rosters be sure to select "Deselect All" before entering your roster.
• If you do not, the entire list of students will be added to the roster, and YOU will need to delete each entry one by one.

As we navigate through another exciting season of athletics, I wanted to take a moment to emphasize the crucial role administrators and coaches play in modeling good behavior and sportsmanship for our student athletes. I want to take a moment to remind you of behavior expectations and the purpose of education-based athletics. We have already seen a number of occurrences of poor sportsmanship from both players and coaches in the spring season.

In the realm of education-based athletics, the values we impart to our students extend far beyond the scoreboard. It is imperative that we demonstrate integrity, respect, and sportsmanship in every aspect of competition. Our actions serve as powerful examples for our athletes, shaping not only their performance on the field but also their character off it. Sportsmanship is the cornerstone of healthy competition. It fosters camaraderie, respect for opponents, and graciousness in victory and defeat. When our coaches and student-athletes exhibit good sportsmanship, they contribute positively to the overall culture of our schools and communities.

However, the absence of these principles can have detrimental effects. When sportsmanship is compromised, it tarnishes the reputation of our schools, undermines the integrity of our athletic programs and results in penalties that diminish the support available for our students. Moreover, it perpetuates a culture of hostility and division within our community, detracting from the true essence of education-based athletics. We understand that emotions can run high in the heat of competition If you have concerns about the officiating at a game, it is important to address them calmly through the proper channels after the game. Coaches and others should communicate with the school's Athletic Director to file a complaint or express a concern. The athletic director can then contact the assignor or the MSCIAA to ensure that the issue is handled appropriately. Nevertheless, it is our responsibility to instill in our students a deep-seated respect for the game and the officials who oversee it.

Student-Athletes, coaches, administrators and spectators should help to create a positive and sportsmanlike environment regardless of what is happening in the contest. We all should also refrain from derogatory actions and/or negative remarks during athletic contests. There should be a mutual respect demonstrated among coaches, student-athletes, spectators, and officials.  We must be intentional about teaching and modeling acceptable conduct. We have been entrusted with a profound influence over the development of our student athletes. Together, let us demonstrate to our students the true essence of competition and the profound impact of exemplary behavior both on and off the field.

*Common outcomes for participants:

• Learning sportsmanship to win humbly and graciously and to lose with dignity.

• Modeling integrity through playing by the rules.

• Using teamwork in order to contribute to a greater goal in which the athlete places the team’s success or recognition before that of an individual.

• Reaching out to assist teammates, which translates into helping others around them in life and contributing to the community.

• Developing perseverance and the ability to bounce back from defeats.

• Incorporating goal-setting learned through athletics into their approach to life.

• Developing a solid work ethic that emphasizes preparation and effort.

Thank you for your unwavering commitment to our student-athletes and our athletic programs. Your dedication to fostering a culture of excellence does not go unnoticed, and I am confident that together, we will continue to uphold the highest standards of sportsmanship.

*Ref: https://www.nfhs.org/articles/defining-education-based-activity-programs/

As we navigate through another exciting season of athletics, I wanted to take a moment to emphasize the crucial role administrators and coaches play in modeling good behavior and sportsmanship for our student athletes. I want to take a moment to remind you of behavior expectations and the purpose of education-based athletics. We have already seen a number of occurrences of poor sportsmanship from both players and coaches in the spring season.

In the realm of education-based athletics, the values we impart to our students extend far beyond the scoreboard. It is imperative that we demonstrate integrity, respect, and sportsmanship in every aspect of competition. Our actions serve as powerful examples for our athletes, shaping not only their performance on the field but also their character off it. Sportsmanship is the cornerstone of healthy competition. It fosters camaraderie, respect for opponents, and graciousness in victory and defeat. When our coaches and student-athletes exhibit good sportsmanship, they contribute positively to the overall culture of our schools and communities.

However, the absence of these principles can have detrimental effects. When sportsmanship is compromised, it tarnishes the reputation of our schools, undermines the integrity of our athletic programs and results in penalties that diminish the support available for our students. Moreover, it perpetuates a culture of hostility and division within our community, detracting from the true essence of education-based athletics. We understand that emotions can run high in the heat of competition If you have concerns about the officiating at a game, it is important to address them calmly through the proper channels after the game. Coaches and others should communicate with the school's Athletic Director to file a complaint or express a concern. The athletic director can then contact the assignor or the MSCIAA to ensure that the issue is handled appropriately. Nevertheless, it is our responsibility to instill in our students a deep-seated respect for the game and the officials who oversee it.

Student-Athletes, coaches, administrators and spectators should help to create a positive and sportsmanlike environment regardless of what is happening in the contest. We all should also refrain from derogatory actions and/or negative remarks during athletic contests. There should be a mutual respect demonstrated among coaches, student-athletes, spectators, and officials.  We must be intentional about teaching and modeling acceptable conduct. We have been entrusted with a profound influence over the development of our student athletes. Together, let us demonstrate to our students the true essence of competition and the profound impact of exemplary behavior both on and off the field.

*Common outcomes for participants:

• Learning sportsmanship to win humbly and graciously and to lose with dignity.

• Modeling integrity through playing by the rules.

• Using teamwork in order to contribute to a greater goal in which the athlete places the team’s success   or recognition before that of an individual.

• Reaching out to assist teammates, which translates into helping others around them in life and   contributing to the community.

• Developing perseverance and the ability to bounce back from defeats.

• Incorporating goal-setting learned through athletics into their approach to life.

• Developing a solid work ethic that emphasizes preparation and effort.

Thank you for your unwavering commitment to our student-athletes and our athletic programs. Your dedication to fostering a culture of excellence does not go unnoticed, and I am confident that together, we will continue to uphold the highest standards of sportsmanship.

*Ref: httpshttps://www.nfhs.org/articles/defining-education-based-activity-programs/

As we navigate through another exciting season of athletics, I wanted to take a moment to emphasize the crucial role administrators and coaches play in modeling good behavior and sportsmanship for our student athletes. I want to take a moment to remind you of behavior expectations and the purpose of education-based athletics. We have already seen a number of occurrences of poor sportsmanship from both players and coaches in the spring season.

In the realm of education-based athletics, the values we impart to our students extend far beyond the scoreboard. It is imperative that we demonstrate integrity, respect, and sportsmanship in every aspect of competition. Our actions serve as powerful examples for our athletes, shaping not only their performance on the field but also their character off it. Sportsmanship is the cornerstone of healthy competition. It fosters camaraderie, respect for opponents, and graciousness in victory and defeat. When our coaches and student-athletes exhibit good sportsmanship, they contribute positively to the overall culture of our schools and communities.

However, the absence of these principles can have detrimental effects. When sportsmanship is compromised, it tarnishes the reputation of our schools, undermines the integrity of our athletic programs and results in penalties that diminish the support available for our students. Moreover, it perpetuates a culture of hostility and division within our community, detracting from the true essence of education-based athletics. We understand that emotions can run high in the heat of competition If you have concerns about the officiating at a game, it is important to address them calmly through the proper channels after the game. Coaches and others should communicate with the school's Athletic Director to file a complaint or express a concern. The athletic director can then contact the assignor or the MSCIAA to ensure that the issue is handled appropriately. Nevertheless, it is our responsibility to instill in our students a deep-seated respect for the game and the officials who oversee it.

Student-Athletes, coaches, administrators and spectators should help to create a positive and sportsmanlike environment regardless of what is happening in the contest. We all should also refrain from derogatory actions and/or negative remarks during athletic contests. There should be a mutual respect demonstrated among coaches, student-athletes, spectators, and officials.  We must be intentional about teaching and modeling acceptable conduct. We have been entrusted with a profound influence over the development of our student athletes. Together, let us demonstrate to our students the true essence of competition and the profound impact of exemplary behavior both on and off the field.

*Common outcomes for participants:

• Learning sportsmanship to win humbly and graciously and to lose with dignity.

• Modeling integrity through playing by the rules.

• Using teamwork in order to contribute to a greater goal in which the athlete places the team’s success or recognition before that of an individual.

• Reaching out to assist teammates, which translates into helping others around them in life and contributing to the community.

• Developing perseverance and the ability to bounce back from defeats.

• Incorporating goal-setting learned through athletics into their approach to life.

• Developing a solid work ethic that emphasizes preparation and effort.

Thank you for your unwavering commitment to our student-athletes and our athletic programs. Your dedication to fostering a culture of excellence does not go unnoticed, and I am confident that together, we will continue to uphold the highest standards of sportsmanship.

*Ref: https://www.nfhs.org/articles/defining-education-based-activity-programs/

Secondary Colleagues,

Happy New Year! I hope this email finds you well. Below are a few helpful tips that will allow us to "reset" for the second semester and our basketball contest/events.

Administrators, Coaches, and Officials Interaction 

NFHS Coaches' Code of Ethics states: "The coach shall respect and support contest officials. The coach shall not indulge in conduct which would incite players or spectators against the officials. Public criticism of officials or players is unethical." Principals are expected to remind all coaches of their responsibilities as role models for good sportsmanship, especially in their interaction with the officials during the game and immediately after the contest. It is inappropriate for coaches to confront an official after a game and to publicly criticize the game officials in the media.  

When interacting with officials at a contest, always maintain respect. Refrain from using offensive language or gestures and avoid disputing calls aggressively. Remember, sportsmanship sets the tone for a positive and enjoyable experience for everyone involved. A school can show hospitality and respect to officials by providing a welcoming environment. This includes offering a designated area for officials, providing refreshments, ensuring clear communication about facilities and available parking, and asking for Security to escort all officials to their cars after contests. Additionally, acknowledging officials before and after the game, expressing appreciation for their role, and handling concerns through appropriate channels demonstrate a commitment to sportsmanship and a positive atmosphere. 

Payment of Officials 

A lack of hospitality by schools or failure to receive payment in a timely fashion can exacerbate frustration among officials. The officials for your contest should contact the school by noon. Through this process, they communicate relevant information about the games and provide vendor numbers and other pertinent information. Most often, officials call to speak with the Financial Secretary, if he/she is not readily available, it has often been reported that there is not an alternative person in place to receive the information to avoid the payment to officials being delayed. Schools may also utilize the Arbiter System -an online website used to assign officials to contest. It contains the most accurate, up-to-date information regarding referee assignments for your contests. 

Officiating Concerns  

If you have concerns regarding the overall quality of officiating at your contest, address them calmly through proper channels after the game. Coaches and others should work through the school's Athletic Director to lodge a complaint or express a concern. The Athletic Director should contact the Assigner or the MSCIAA first so the matter can be referred to the designated person to handle issues of this nature.  

Fans and Spectators 

And lastly, please remind your fans to treat the game officials with respect. Some new officials are trying to understand the rules and how to apply them while working on effective game management. We need these officials to replace retirees and to cover the games of our growing sports programs. Let them know how dire retention is because of the official shortage. Our community needs education-based athletics and officials so our students can always play the sports they love. 

Parking Lot Safety Tips 

Safety isn't limited to the time spent at athletic contests; it extends to when our staff, students, and fans leave the venue. We encourage you to communicate and promote these essential safety tips: 

• Park in Well-Lit Areas: Advise staff, students, and fans to park their vehicles in well-lit areas. Visibility is a powerful deterrent to unwanted incidents. 
• Valuables Out of Sight: Remind everyone to stow valuables out of sight. Leaving items in plain view may attract theft. 
• Lock Your Vehicles: Ensure that vehicles are securely locked. This simple step can prevent break-ins. 
• Travel in Groups: Encourage carpooling or walking in groups, especially at night. There's safety in numbers. 
• Report Signs of Trouble: If anyone sees trouble or suspicious activity, urge them to immediately report it to the proper authorities. 
• Please let your building engineer know if your parking lot lights aren't working so that a work order can be entered into Schooldude. 

Safety is a collective responsibility, and by promoting these measures, we can help keep our school community safe even after the final whistle has blown.  

MSCS Event Procedures 

As basketball season resumes, please be reminded:  

• Staff, students, and families should be reminded of MSCS event security procedures and clear bag policies. 
• Post signage around your venue entrances and notify attendees to alleviate confusion at ticket gates.  
• To the extent possible, ask your players to avoid bringing backpacks to the games. 
• Refresher Video: MSCS Event Security Procedures Video 

Lastly, we appreciate your support and partnership. Ms. Weaver and I are always here to assist, and we look forward to continuing to provide quality athletic experiences for our students and communities. We continue to be appreciative of your commitment to the safety and well-being of our school community. 

Please contact Ms. India Weaver at weaveri@scsk12.org or Dr. Roderick Richmond at richmondrf@scsk12.org if you have any questions.

Best regards,  

RFR/IW

A lack of hospitality by schools or failure to receive payment in a timely fashion can exacerbate frustration among officials. The officials for your contest should contact the school by noon. Through this process, they communicate relevant information about the games and provide vendor numbers and other pertinent information. Most often, officials call to speak with the Financial Secretary, if he/she is not readily available, it has often been reported that there is not an alternative person in place to receive the information to avoid the payment to officials being delayed. Schools may also utilize the Arbiter System -an online website used to assign officials to contest. It contains the most accurate, up-to-date information regarding referee assignments for your contests. 

Let's celebrate the achievements of your student-athletes on National Signing Day!  We invite you to share their success stories in both academics and sports. To do so, kindly provide Communications (mediaRelations@scsk12.org) with a photo and caption that includes the following essential details: the student's first and last name, their current school, classification, chosen sport, position, and the college they have selected.

Furthermore, we would greatly appreciate it if you could inform Student Support, Athletics and Communications of any special signing day events taking place at your schools. Your collaboration will undoubtedly contribute to making this day even more memorable and impactful for our students.

Let us come together to honor and applaud the extraordinary accomplishments of our students on National Signing Day!

National Letter of Intent Signing Dates

Prospective Student-Athletes Signing 2023-24 and Enrolling 2024-25

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 

The district will be winterizing stadium restrooms at the following 13 schools listed below. We will be providing each school with portable restrooms during this time. All stadium restroom door locks will be changed out during this process.

Timeline: December 15 thru March 1

List of Schools:

Charles Finnie - finniecc@scsk12.org

• Cordova HS
• Oakhaven HS
• Melrose HS
• Bolton HS
• Whitehaven HS
• JP Freeman

Norman Johnson - johnsonn9@scsk12.org

• BTW HS
• Raleigh Egypt HS
• Germantown HS
• Southwind HS
• Kirby HS
• Halle Stadium
• Crump Stadium

If you have any questions or concerns, please contact Charles Finnie or Norman Johnson.

Cheerleading in schools serves as a spirited support for athletic teams, fostering a sense of community and school pride. Positive cheers create a supportive atmosphere, promoting sportsmanship and unity. It has been brought to the attention of Student Support that schools may be participating in what has been termed "dis-cheering". Cheer teams should be committed to promoting a safe and positive environment for participants at events. Discouraging negative cheers helps maintain a respectful environment, preventing harm or disrespect towards opponents and maintaining a positive image for the school.

Please review the following guidelines with your Winter Cheer Coaches/Sponsors.

Guidelines for the Cheerleaders: 

1. Cheerleaders’ functions are to make a positive contribution to good spectator reaction at an athletic contest and to create better relations between opposing supporters. 

2. Cheers should be positive, not aimed at antagonizing an opponent. Care should be taken in making certain that words used in a cheer are not suggestive and do not have a connotation that would inflame the audience.  

3. Cheerleaders should be alert to potentially disruptive crowd influences and take immediate steps to promote positive cheering from the crowd.  

4. Cheerleaders are expected to lead the group in a round of applause for an injured player leaving the game.  

5. When booing occurs, the cheerleaders should attempt to stop it. It is important that any booing is waved off immediately. If the booing becomes louder, the cheerleaders should help to divert the crowd’s attention by starting a popular yell routine. Immediate action is the key to control booing. 

6. Cheerleaders who display negative conduct and attitudes should be disciplined appropriately.  

7. Cheerleaders should promote a spirit of friendliness between schools. 

8. Cheerleaders should be ever conscious that they are official student representatives of their school and so conduct themselves to bring credit to it. 

We appreciate the atmosphere and support cheer teams provide for athletic contests. Let's keep up the great work!

As regular season winter contests begin, please be reminded: 

• Staff, students, and families should be reminded of MSCS event security procedures and clear bag policies.
• Post signage around your venue entrances and notify attendees to alleviate confusion at ticket gates.  
• To the extent possible, ask your players to avoid bringing backpacks to the games.
• Refresher Video: MSCS Event Security Procedures Video

• Volunteer coaches should have completed the background check process with FACE.
• Unauthorized people should not be allowed in team areas i.e. sidelines, benches, locker rooms etc.… 
• Children that are not participating are not allowed on sidelines and benches.
• Behavioral expectations should be announced to all players and visitors prior to any athletic event. 
• All MSCS Employees should be reminded to observe the MSCS Employee Standards of Conduct at events via Employee Handbook.
•  Each participating school must have an administrator or designee present at every athletic contest and identify themselves to any officials directing the game.  
• An administrator or designee should accompany visiting teams upon arrival and departure from the facility. 
• The host school is responsible for the safe passage of game officials upon arrival and departure from the facility. 

Safety isn't limited to the time spent at athletic contests; it extends to when our staff, students and fans leave the venue. We encourage you to communicate and promote these important safety tips:

• Park in Well-Lit Areas: Advise staff, students, and fans to park their vehicles in well-lit areas. Visibility is a powerful deterrent to unwanted incidents.
• Valuables Out of Sight: Remind everyone to stow valuables out of sight. Leaving items in plain view may attract theft.
• Lock Your Vehicles: Ensure that vehicles are securely locked. This simple step can prevent break-ins.
• Travel in Groups: Encourage carpooling or walking in groups, especially at night. There's safety in numbers.
• Report Signs of Trouble: If anyone sees trouble or suspicious activity, urge them to report it to the proper authorities immediately.

Safety is a collective responsibility, and by promoting these measures, we can help keep our school community safe even after the final whistle has blown. Thank you for your commitment to safety and the well-being of our school community.

Cheerleading in schools serves as a spirited support for athletic teams, fostering a sense of community and school pride. Positive cheers create a supportive atmosphere, promoting sportsmanship and unity. It has been brought to the attention of Student Support that schools may be participating in what has been termed "dis-cheering".  Cheer teams should be committed to promoting a safe and positive environment for participants at events.  Discouraging negative cheers helps maintain a respectful environment, preventing harm or disrespect towards opponents and maintaining a positive image for the school.

Please review the following guidelines with your Winter Cheer Coaches/Sponsors.

Guidelines for the Cheerleaders: 

 1.Cheerleaders’ functions are to make a positive contribution to good spectator reaction at an athletic contest and to create better relations between opposing supporters. 

 2. Cheers should be positive, not aimed at antagonizing an opponent. Care should be taken in making certain that words used in a cheer are not suggestive and do not have a connotation which would inflame the audience.  

3. Cheerleaders should be alert to potentially disruptive crowd influences and take immediate steps to promote positive cheering from the crowd.  

4. Cheerleaders are expected to lead the group in a round of applause for an injured player leaving the game.  

5. When booing occurs, the cheerleaders should attempt to stop it. It is important that any booing is waved off immediately. If the booing becomes louder, the cheerleaders should help to divert the crowd’s attention by starting a popular yell routine. Immediate action is the key to control booing. 

 6. Cheerleaders who display negative conduct and attitudes should be disciplined appropriately.  

7. Cheerleaders should promote a spirit of friendliness between schools. 

8. Cheerleaders should be ever conscious that they are official student representatives of their school and so conduct themselves to bring credit to it. 

We appreciate the atmosphere and support cheer teams provide for athletic contests.  Let's keep up the great work!

Tenn. Code Ann. § 49-2-136 became effective in 2021 and requires schools to notify the TSSAA of an enrolled student’s placement in foster care if the student expresses interest in participating in interscholastic athletics.  Failure to do so may result in the student-athlete being ineligible.  

The TSSAA Portal is a primary point of interaction between member schools and the TSSAA state office. Schools should submit all potential student-athletes via the portal for TSSAA/TMSAA-sanctioned sports. Foster care students are submitted in the same fashion.  

For special hardship cases, the TSSAA has the authority to set aside the effect of any eligibility rule upon student-athletes per specific circumstances outlined in the TSSAA Constitution and Bylaws. If you have any additional questions, please contact the TSSAA regarding submission procedures. 

Please contact the Athletic Department if you have questions or concerns.

Safety isn't limited to the time spent at athletic contests; it extends to when our staff, students and fans leave the venue. We encourage you to communicate and promote these important safety tips:

• Park in Well-Lit Areas: Advise staff, students, and fans to park their vehicles in well-lit areas. Visibility is a powerful deterrent to unwanted incidents.
• Valuables Out of Sight: Remind everyone to stow valuables out of sight. Leaving items in plain view may attract theft.
• Lock Your Vehicles: Ensure that vehicles are securely locked. This simple step can prevent break-ins.
• Travel in Groups: Encourage carpooling or walking in groups, especially at night. There's safety in numbers.
• Report Signs of Trouble: If anyone sees trouble or suspicious activity, urge them to report it to the proper authorities immediately.

Safety is a collective responsibility, and by promoting these measures, we can help keep our school community safe even after the final whistle has blown. Thank you for your commitment to safety and the well-being of our school community.

Tenn. Code Ann. § 49-2-136 became effective in 2021 and requires schools to notify the TSSAA of an enrolled student’s placement in foster care if the student expresses interest in participating in interscholastic athletics.  Failure to do so may result in the student-athlete being ineligible.  

The TSSAA Portal is a primary point of interaction between member schools and the TSSAA state office.  Schools should submit all potential student-athletes via the portal for TSSAA/TMSAA sanctioned sports. Foster care students are submitted in the same fashion.  

For special hardship cases, TSSAA has the authority to set aside the effect of any eligibility rule upon student-athletes per specific circumstances outlined in the TSSAA Constitution and Bylaws. If you have any additional questions, please contact the TSSAA regarding submission procedures. 

The Shelby County Health Department will be externally offering services to families. Please see attached flyers in English and Spanish you can share. The Shelby County Health Department’s 814 Jefferson Ave. headquarters will be open on the 2nd and 4th Saturdays of each month from 9am to 1pm and will provide immunizations, shot records, birth certificates, and WIC (Women, Infants and Children) services. 

https://scsk12.sharepoint.com/:i:/s/HealthPromotions-StudentServices/EdBOUAGxq3dMsBOccmJqrCkBit9FvrXG08UidRfl4inCDw?e=6rGGUQ

https://scsk12.sharepoint.com/:i:/s/HealthPromotions-StudentServices/Ec5c8pMIYtdBlAld2-HC1soBVJS316iTHWd5WzkVmI7Hng?e=KKSqxb

• Students can self-carry inhalers if the health care provider and the parent sign the plan
• Coaches should always be made aware of students with asthma as well as students who are self-carrying inhalers.
• Students with severe allergies who require the use of an epi-pen are to have a plan completed each year by a healthcare provider.
• Anyone who volunteers to administer the epi-pen is to be trained on how to use it and document this.
• Anyone who agrees to administer any medication is to be trained annually
• Each plan is to be renewed each school year

If you have any questions, please contact the Department of Exceptional Children & Health Services for additional assistance.

 Resources

• Severe Allergy and Asthma Infographic
• Severe Allergy and Anaphylaxis Plan
• Asthma Action Plan

Schedule management requires careful planning and preparation throughout the season.   Maintaining good practices and creating well-structured lines of communication ensures all stakeholders are on the same page and mitigates against potential conflicts.

Following the guidelines below can promote a more collaborative and focused environment leading to a more successful athletic season for your teams.

1. Check Online- Make sure the games you have on your schedule match what’s on the MSCIAA website (sciaa.org). Check your schedule online regularly in the event of changes.
2. Confirm Officials- Check Arbiter (if you have access) to ensure there are officials scheduled. The home team should get a call by 12 on the day of the game. If no official has called- contact the assigning agent.
3. Contact Opponent- Reach out to your opponent a few days before the game and on game day to confirm. This avoids forfeits, fines, and forgetting.
4. Call the Office- If there are still issues after you’ve done the first three, then contact your sport’s coordinator at the MSCIAA office for assistance. Also, be sure to include MSCIAA on all communication regarding cancellations, reschedules, postponements, or forfeits.

As Student Support Services and the Athletics Department continue to prioritize safe athletic participation, the following checklist has been created to support schools. Please share this checklist with your Athletic Directors and Coaches as an additional guiding resource to be completed prior to try-outs, practices, and competitions.

Student-athlete requirements:

• Current Physicals (medical clearance for athletic participation) dated April 15th or later signed by an approved medical provider.
• Complete medical/contact information for emergencies at practices/games
• Parent’s signed Athlete's Health Record which includes Informed Consent & Assumption of Risk and COVID-19 Informed Consent & Risk Acknowledgement Statement for consent for sport(s) participation.
• Concussion and head injury information reviewed by athletes and parents with signed documentation.
• Sudden Cardiac Arrest Prevention Act/ EKG acknowledgement reviewed by athletes and parents with signed documentation.

Coach requirements:

• Current CPR and First Aid Certification
• NFHS Covid-19 for Coaches & Administrators completion (yearly)
• TN law required Concussion & Sudden Cardiac Arrest completion (yearly)
• SCS Safe Schools Athletic Coaches Covid Training (yearly)
• TN law -NFHS Heat Illness Prevention Course completion (yearly)
• TN law -EAP w/allergy and anaphylaxis emergency response plan completion (yearly)
• First aid kit, injury ice, emergency information and water available at each practice and competition
• Injury reporting via MSCS Student Accident system
• Parental notification of any injuries and provide them with the secondary insurance claim form.

All non-faculty/volunteer or classified employees must also take (1 time):

• NFHS Fundamentals of Coaching
• NFHS First Aid, Health, & Safety for Coaches

Coaches must also complete MSCIAA continuing education courses as required. All Coaches must be submitted to the TSSAA/TMSAA.

A 10-step guide to help manage fan behavior at athletic contests with a focus on safety and security.

Consistent implementation and a focus on positive engagement can go a long way in creating a safe and enjoyable environment for everyone attending the athletic contests.

1. Pre-Event Communication: Send out clear guidelines for expected behavior to fans, emphasizing respect, sportsmanship, and safety. This can be done through emails, social media posts, and announcements.
2. Visible Signage: Place visible signage throughout the venue, outlining behavior expectations, codes of conduct, sportsmanship, safety policies and consequences for violations.
3. Security Personnel: Work with security to inform them about key points in the venue to monitor crowd behavior to promptly address any issues. Alert them of high-attendance events that they may need to coordinate with local law enforcement agencies to ensure their presence or assistance, if needed.
4. Ticket Sales and Entry: Ensure proper ticketing procedures are in place to control the crowd size. Staff at entry points should greet fans and remind them of the conduct guidelines.  Adhere to bag check policy and procedures.
5. Concessions Management: Monitor concessions areas to prevent overindulgence. Consider closing concessions 30 to 45 minutes prior to the end of the contest to reduce congestion upon leaving the venue.
6. Internal Communications: Establish clear communication channels among staff, security, and event organizers to quickly address any disruptions or incidents. Establish a range of communication channels to ensure effective information flow, including walkie-talkies, two-way radios, phone lines, text messaging, and intercom systems.
7. Crowd Control Measures: Implement barriers, ropes, or lines to direct the flow of fans and prevent overcrowding in specific areas. This can help minimize the chances of confrontations.
8. Administration and Event Staff: Identify potential issues and intervene early. Place staff in strategic locations around the venue. Their friendly presence can help defuse tense situations before they escalate. Educate event staff on how to proactively identify and address issues, assist attendees, and provide directions.
9. Public Address Announcements: Use the public address system to remind fans about behavior expectations and any safety updates throughout the event.
10. Incident Response Protocol: Develop a comprehensive incident response protocol, including guidelines for handling disruptive behavior, ejections, including evacuation procedures and potential emergencies.

After each event, conduct a thorough assessment with staff, security, and/or event partners to identify areas for improvement and implement necessary changes for future events. By implementing these steps, you are well on your way to creating a comprehensive plan that addresses various aspects of fan behavior management, safety, and security at athletic contests.

Colleagues, I hope this message finds you well as we commence week six of the football season. Your continued support is greatly valued, and we are once again seeking your assistance. Attached, you will find a "Robo Call" that we kindly request you, along with an influential football player or team captain, to continue to share on a weekly basis. This will help reinforce our expectations during football games, particularly at your home games. Additionally, we encourage you to post and encourage your students to share the Victories and Good Vibes video on your social media platforms. https://youtu.be/3BDPZxkXozQ?si=vx-nM9d4DeVGJkL-

While attending the football games, we appreciate your ongoing assistance in ensuring that both your students and fans adhere fully to all policies and protocols, both within and outside the stadiums. Our primary focus is on everyone following the clear bag protocol, refraining from bringing any weapons into the stadiums, and being comfortably seated within the stands, thus minimizing congregating in other areas. Adhering to these guidelines enables security and law enforcement to promptly address and de-escalate any potential issues that may arise. Furthermore, during games, if you observe prolonged standing or loitering, we kindly request that you notify security and relay the information to the PA announcer. This will assist in making announcements encouraging fans to take their seats, move away from fence lines, or disperse from specific congregating spots that could potentially lead to unnecessary tensions.

Your unwavering dedication to our students and communities is truly admirable and deeply appreciated. Please do not hesitate to reach out to Major Jackson (jacksoncw1@scsk12.org), Ms. Weaver (weaveri@scsk12.org), or myself with any concerns or feedback. Our collaborative efforts continue to strengthen our commitment to employing every available strategy to address the challenges our community faces.

https://scsk12-my.sharepoint.com/:b:/g/personal/edwardst1_scsk12_org/ETdjadj7p3pBmGvB_Z_B9PYBoc7CK_lhDoTJ7A2fxr_AwA?e=DTJjUF

With heartfelt gratitude for your ongoing efforts,

Dr. Richmond

richmondrf@scsk12.org

If you have registered but not enrolled Pre-K or KK students in need of immunizations or 7th graders in need of TDAP booster for compliance, MSCS and SCHD will host another immunization pop up clinic on Saturday-September 30, 2023 from 10am-2pm located at the TLA. Please come while supplies last. Please contact Karmeisha Johnson at johnsonkm1@scsk12.org if you have questions regarding this event. If you have immunization questions, please contact Willie Williams at williamswc@scsk12.org. See flyer for additional details.  

https://scsk12.sharepoint.com/:i:/s/HealthPromotions-StudentServices/ERzU_39yriNLuWCiYFFRWb8BAfDLtxaA4rgaQNB0PV_zfA?e=bBEoHS

https://scsk12.sharepoint.com/:i:/s/HealthPromotions-StudentServices/Ed0O8JPGSeBMmtNX3wk6hU0BCtT-DcqdzAMndD_Eh_lqng?e=JU1QQ5

We are excited to announce a significant change in our approach to supporting our student-athletes and their schools. Beginning immediately, the school district will assume the responsibility of paying for athletic insurance on behalf of our schools. This decision reflects our unwavering commitment to the well-being of our students and our dedication to reducing financial barriers and obstacles for both schools and families.

We firmly believe that providing athletic insurance is a fundamental part of ensuring the safety and health of our student-athletes. By covering these insurance costs, the District aims to alleviate the financial burden on schools and families, allowing them to focus their resources on providing the best possible educational and athletic experiences for our students.

For schools that have already paid for their first athletic insurance installment, we are pleased to inform you that we will be issuing refunds directly to your accounts. Our team is working with Finance diligently to process these refunds as quickly as possible, and you can expect to see the credited amounts in your accounts in the coming weeks.

This decision represents MSCS ongoing commitment to fostering a supportive and inclusive environment for all student-athletes. We appreciate your dedication to the well-being and success of our students, and we are confident that this change will have a positive impact on our schools and communities.

Thank you for your continued partnership in nurturing our student-athletes' growth and potential.

Academic eligibility tracking, in all sports,  for all student-athletes in middle and high schools should be complete.  Fall sport entries were due August 30th, winter sport entries were due November 28th and spring sport submissions were due March 21st.

Athletic Directors have been contacted to provide additional support and assistance for any incomplete submissions.  

Once student-athletes are entered into PowerSchool by sport, the Athletic Director and the MSCIAA can view information for each student-athlete such as age, grade, GPA, transcript and transfers, attendance, conduct, and parental contact information along with the ability to verify athletic eligibility. 

If you have any additional questions regarding PowerSchool completion, please contact the Athletic Office at 901-416-9941 or email weaveri@scsk12.org.

Competition at District Stadiums take precedence over practices. Please clear the stadium 60 minutes prior to game time.  Clearing the stadium includes all student-athletes, coaches, team followers etc. 

During practices, we are asking for your support to provide a positive atmosphere at the stadiums.  Please make sure your coaches are actively monitoring student-athletes to avoid potential conflicts with other school teams. When coaches and students are asked to clear the stadium due to competition, please reiterate that positive and respectful engagement with others is expected.

To support your school’s athletic staff practice planning, please review the  stadium usage file .  It includes all the competitions happening in the stadiums from day-to-day. This information is subject to change due to reschedules, so please view often to determine the length of time the stadium is available.

If you have any additional questions, please contact the Athletic Office at weaveri@scsk12.org or 901-416-9941.

Thank you for your cooperation!

Please make sure to update basketball scores after every contest. Unfortunately, the MSCIAA does not have the personnel to ensure scores are recorded daily. Coaches should begin to receive missing score notifications via our new website. Please work to ensure submissions are accurate, championship seeding is based off this information.

Please View the Missing Scores here. Click on the desired level and then find your school. For example, click on “Basketball Varsity Girls” and then click on desired High School.

Directions on How to Enter Scores. If you do not have a login, please contact the coordinator of that sport.

You can always find scores/standing by visiting ‘SCIAA.org’ then go to ‘Scores/Standings.’

As we move into the Winter Sports Season, Student Support and the Athletics Dept. would like to provide you with resources from the National Federation of State High School Associations (NFHS) that can be used to proactively address bad behavior at your school’s athletic events.

• NFHS Bench Bad Behavior ToolKit: Toolkit (benchbadbehavior.com)
• It includes printable flyers, program ads, social media posts and more!
• NFHS Parent Seat Video: https://nfhslearn.com/library/videos/478
• This video reminds parents how important they are to your student's experience and offer strategies for dealing with the stress of sitting in the Parent Seat.

Bad behavior continues to be a serious problem at athletic events—making it difficult to maintain a positive education-based athletic experience. Please use these resources to assist in communicating ways to set good examples within your school communities.

Please contact India Weaver at weaveri@scsk12.org if you have additional questions.

All Fall PowerSchool entries should have been completed by August 30th.  Winter Sports Power School entries are due by November 28th.

Please inform your Athletic Directors to pay close attention to the following details when entering rosters to avoid the tedious process of correcting mistakes. If you have any questions or need help, reach out to Reed Willis or Amy Thornton before entering rosters. 

• Be sure to select the correct sport when entering rosters.
  • If you do not select a sport, your rosters will not show up in the right location.
• Enter the correct start and end dates from the information sheet linked below. 
  • Do not leave the end date blank. The end date for all sports for the 22-23 school year should be July 30, 2023.
• When entering rosters be sure to select "Deselect All" before entering your roster.
  • If you do not, the entire list of students will be added to the roster and YOU will need to delete each entry one by one.

Please contact the Athletic Department if you have questions or concerns at weaveri@scsk12.org.

I want to thank all of you for participating in the Jamboree last week and this weekend. Your dedication to the district and our students does not go unnoticed. I also wanted to thank all of you for fielding disciplined well-prepared teams. Continue to instill discipline and good sportsmanship with your players as we work diligently to support our student-athletes with the opportunity to participate in athletics. We are indeed in this together! 

As you know, we want to eliminate the possibility of fans bringing weapons or banned substances into the games. Therefore, we will continue implementing the new searches and permitted bag procedures. I have attached the announcement to this email for you to share with your players and parents. 

Permitted bag procedures flyer: Event Security Procedures - Updated August 12.pdf

In addition, to the extent possible, we would like you to ask your players to avoid bringing backpacks to the games. We know that extenuating circumstances may make it necessary for them to bring a backpack (i.e., traveling out of town, medical reasons: inhaler, limited locker room space, etc.). We understand and will work with you and your team. However, if possible, we want to mitigate any situations that may compromise the safety of our students. We also want to reduce opportunities for theft while student-athletes are participating in their games. 

I also want to caution you about bringing students to events and allowing them to leave alone or with someone else. Students participating in school-sponsored events should travel together to and from the event to the extent possible.  

Please review Policy #6051 Interscholastic Athletics, which states that athletics are a privilege, not a right. We expect and require proper conduct and character from all of our student-athletes. We also expect the coaches and adults to serve as models for good sportsmanship. Please share the policy with your staff.  

Also, be reminded of the following:  

• Each participating school must have an administrator or designee present at every athletic contest, regardless of where it is played. The individuals must also identify themselves to any officials directing the game.  
• Administrative meetings must be held before the start of each athletic contest. The meetings shall consist of administrators and coaches from participating schools, game officials, MSCS officers, and/or local law enforcement. 
• Behavioral expectations should be announced over the public address system to all players and visitors prior to any athletic event. 
• An administrator or designee should accompany visiting teams upon arrival and departure from the facility. 
• The host school is responsible for the safe passage of game officials upon arrival and departure from the facility. 

Meanwhile, if and when you may need to cancel or postpone a game, please make sure to go through the proper channels with your Athletic Director, Principal, and MSCIAA Office. 

Again, I want to thank you, and I would be grateful if you could continue to stress safety, COVID protocols and procedures, and the spirit of teamwork with your teams. 

Please contact India Weaver at weaveri@scsk12.org or Dr. Roderick Richmond at richmondrf@scsk12.org if you have any questions or concerns.

MSCS will continue the protocol instituted last Fall at District Stadiums. Please remind your fans, parents etc… about the clear bag/small clutch procedures. Post signage around your venue entrances and notify attendees to alleviate confusion at ticket gates.   

Refresher Video: MSCS Event Security Procedures Video

Please contact India Weaver at weaveri@scsk12.org if you have any questions or concerns.

The TSSAA has received a few questions about the ability of high school student-athletes to monetize their name, image, and likeness (NIL).  Based on Article II Section 18 of the TSSAA Bylaws, student-athletes in Tennessee risk losing their eligibility if they receive compensation based on their athletic abilities or accomplishments. Please take this opportunity to discuss this with your student-athletes in the event that they are approached about being paid for their NIL. The TSSAA will further discuss NIL at the TSSAA Administrators Meetings in September.  

Please contact India Weaver at weaveri@scsk12.org if you have questions or concerns.

A new state law requires coaches to complete the NFHSLearn Heat Illness Prevention Course and the TSSAA mandates that all activity must be modified starting at 95 degrees heat index and is prohibited above 104 degrees heat index.  The school athletic staff is responsible for ensuring the heat index is monitored at the location of activities and that the TSSAA heat policy is being followed to keep students safe.  In summary, practices must be modified appropriately,  rapid cooling measures must be made available and ample water breaks must be provided. Please visit the TSSAA website for more sport specific based information on heat illness prevention and other health & safety policies.

Please contact India Weaver at weaveri@scsk12.org if you have questions or concerns.

MSCS will continue the protocol instituted last Fall at District Stadiums. Please remind your fans, parents, etc..… about the clear bag/small clutch procedures. Post signage around your venue entrances and notify attendees to alleviate confusion at ticket gates.   

• Refresher Video: MSCS Event Security Procedures Video

Please contact India Weaver at weaveri@scsk12.org if you have questions or concerns.

The TSSAA has received a few questions about the ability of high school student-athletes to monetize their name, image, and likeness (NIL). Based on Article II Section 18 of the TSSAA Bylaws, student-athletes in Tennessee risk losing their eligibility if they receive compensation based on their athletic abilities or accomplishments. Please take this opportunity to discuss this with your student-athletes if they are approached about being paid for their NIL. The TSSAA will further discuss NIL at the TSSAA Administrators Meetings in September.  

Please contact India Weaver at weaveri@scsk12.org if you have questions or concerns.

Please inform your Athletic Directors to pay close attention to the following details when entering rosters to avoid the tedious process of correcting mistakes. If you have any questions or need help, reach out to Reed Willis at willisrh@scsk12.org or Amy Thornton before entering rosters. 

• Be sure to select the correct sport when entering rosters.
• If you do not select a sport, your rosters will not show up in the right location.
• Enter correct start and end dates from the information sheet linked below. 
• Do not leave the end date blank. End date for all sports for the 22-23 school year should be July 30, 2023.
• When entering rosters be sure to select "Deselect All" before entering your roster.
• If you do not, the entire list of students will be added to the roster and YOU will need to delete each entry one by one.

Important Dates and Deadlines

• Fall rosters for schools with returning athletic directors are due in PowerSchool by August 30. 
• Any returning athletic directors who need help or do not meet the August 30th deadline must also attend the work session on September 1 at 4pm.
• All new athletic directors should attend the work session at MSCIAA on September 1 at 4pm.
• Do not attempt to enter rosters before the work session.
• Bring a laptop and your rosters to the work session. 

Per compensation, to be eligible for a stipend payout, an employee must meet the following criteria. If an employee fails to meet all stated criteria, earnings may be stopped and/or recovered:

• Must be a District employee
• Must be in an active or approved pay status
• Cannot separate from the District before payout date (even if the employee was present for the entire season)
• *Payment request must be for the sport for which he/she participated

*Please reference the Fraud Awareness, Staff Ethics, Conflict of Interest presentation by Leon Pattman and MSCS Policy 2018

As Student Support Services and the Athletics Department continue to prioritize safe athletic participation, the following checklist has been created to support schools. Please share this checklist with your Athletic Directors and Coaches as an additional guiding resource to be completed before tryouts, practices, and competitions.

Please contact India Weaver at weaveri@scsk12.org if you have additional questions.

• Current Physicals (medical clearance for athletic participation) dated April 15 or later
• Complete medical/contact information for emergencies at practices/games
• Parent's signed Athlete's Health Record includes Informed Consent & Assumption of Risk and COVID-19 Informed Consent & Risk Acknowledgement Statement for consent for sport(s) participation.
• Concussion and head injury information reviewed by athletes and parents with signed documentation
• Sudden Cardiac Arrest Prevention Act reviewed by athletes and parents with signed                               documentation

***COMING SOON***TN law -EKG acknowledgement reviewed by parents with signed                               documentation

Contact India Weaver at weaveri@scsk12.org if you have additional questions.

• CPR and First Aid Certification
• NFHS Covid-19 for Coaches & Administrators completion (yearly)
• TN law required Concussion & Sudden Cardiac Arrest completion (annually)
• SCS Safe Schools Athletic Coaches Covid Training (yearly)
• ***NEW*** TN law -NFHS Heat Illness Prevention Course completion (yearly)
• ***NEW***TN law -EAP w/ allergy and anaphylaxis emergency response plan completion (yearly)
• First aid kit, injury ice, emergency information, and water are available at each practice and competition
• Injury reporting via the MSCS Student Accident system
• Parental notification of any injuries and provide them with the secondary insurance claim form

Please contact India Weaver at weaveri@scsk12.org if you have additional questions.

Coaches must also complete MSCIAA continuing education courses as required. All Coaches must be submitted to the TSSAA/TMSAA.

• NFHS Fundamentals of Coaching
• NFHS First Aid, Health, & Safety for Coaches

Please contact India Weaver at weaveri@scsk12.org if you have additional questions.
 

A new state law requires coaches to complete the NFHSLearn Heat Illness Prevention Course. The TSSAA mandates that all activity must be modified starting at 95 degrees heat index and is prohibited above 104 degrees heat index. The school athletic staff is responsible for ensuring the heat index is monitored at the location of activities and that the TSSAA heat policy is being followed to keep students safe. 

In summary, practices must be modified appropriately, rapid cooling measures must be made available, and ample water breaks must be provided. Please visit the TSSAA website for more sport-specific based information on heat illness prevention and other health & safety policies.

Please contact India Weaver at weaveri@scsk12.org if you have questions or concerns.

As regular season contests begin this week, please be reminded: 

All Contests

• Staff, students, and families should be reminded of MSCS event security procedures.
• Behavioral expectations should be announced to all players and visitors prior to any athletic event. 
• All MSCS Employees should be reminded to observe the MSCS Employee Standards of Conduct at events via Employee Handbook.
• To the extent possible, ask your players to avoid bringing backpacks to the games.
• Each participating school must have an administrator or designee present at every athletic contest and identify themselves to any officials directing the game.  
• An administrator or designee should accompany visiting teams upon arrival and departure from the facility. 
• The host school is responsible for the safe passage of game officials upon arrival and departure from the facility. 
• Volunteer coaches should have completed the background check process with FACE.
• Unauthorized people should not be allowed in team areas i.e. sidelines, benches, locker rooms etc.…
• Children that are not participating are not allowed on sidelines and benches.

High School Football Additions

• Administrators should support security with identifying unauthorized people on their sidelines.
• Only volunteer coaches with current identification will be allowed to enter with team and have access to team areas.
• All coaches and students with your team should be dressed in identifying team attire, for example,  injured players, managers, volunteers etc.
• Schools have been given tickets to either pre-sale or use as complimentary passes.
• Band Parents escorting band members and concession stand workers should either have SCS badges or tickets to enter the stadium.

Please contact India Weaver at weaveri@scsk12.org or Dr. Roderick Richmond at richmondrf@scsk12.org if you have additional questions.

Upcoming July Athletic Meetings

• July 13 New Athletic Director Orientation 1:00p via Microsoft Teams -contact Reed Willis
• July 20 & 21 Soccer Coaches Clinic presented by 901 Girls with Goals 5p at Melrose Stadium
• July 21 High School and Middle School Football Coaches Meeting 10a at SCIAA Office

Please contact Reed Willis at willisrh@scsk12.org or India Weaver at weaveri@scsk12.org if you have additional questions or concerns.

MSCS is changing our online ticket provider. We plan on using Hometown Ticketing this year for Regular Season Varsity Football. Physical tickets will still be available. 

If you have any questions, please contact India Weaver at weaveri@scsk12.org.

Tenn. Code Ann. § 49-2-136 became effective in 2021 and requires schools to notify the TSSAA of an enrolled student’s placement in foster care if the student expresses interest in participating in interscholastic athletics. Failure to do so may result in the student-athlete being ineligible.  

The TSSAA Portal is a primary point of interaction between member schools and the TSSAA state office. Schools should submit all potential student-athletes via the portal for TSSAA/TMSAA sanctioned sports. Foster care students are submitted in the same fashion.  

For special hardship cases, TSSAA has the authority to set aside the effect of any eligibility rule upon student-athletes per specific circumstances outlined in the TSSAA Constitution and Bylaws. If you have any additional questions, please contact the TSSAA regarding submission procedures. 

Please contact India Weaver at weaveri@scsk12.org or Dr. Roderick Richmond at richmondrf@scsk12.org if you have questions or concerns.

Please be reminded that SCS Board Policy states that each school must have an administrator or designee at every athletic contest. This game administrator should be someone other than the coach(es) of the home team. 

We want to avoid any incidences that would negatively reflect on your school or the District. A great way to proactively prevent unsportsmanlike conduct is to make sure that we discuss and model appropriate behavior and sportsmanship with our student-athletes, coaches, and fans. Please remind staff attending athletic contests as spectators that they still represent their school and should assist Game Administrators by providing positive examples of appropriate behavior.

The behavior and lack of sportsmanship displayed at contests by a few individuals have the potential to snowball. Furthermore, the official cannot be expected to control the crowd. School representatives from both teams should be present to aid in crowd control. Please remember always to practice and teach sportsmanship consistent with the values of education-based athletics. 

The Athletics Office is in the process of updating schedules. If your school has additional questions or concerns about the 2022 football schedule, please reach out to India Weaver at weaveri@scsk12.org.

Please make sure to update basketball scores after every contest. Unfortunately, the SCIAA does not have the personnel to ensure scores are recorded daily. Coaches should begin to receive missing score notifications via our new website. Please work to ensure submissions are accurate, championship seeding is based on this information.

Please View Missing Scores here. Click on the desired level and then find your school. For example, click on “Basketball Varsity Girls” and then click on desired High School.

Directions on How to Enter Scores. If you do not have a login, please contact the coordinator of that sport.

You can always find scores/standing by visiting ‘SCIAA.org’  then going to ‘Scores/Standings.’

Please contact India Weaver at weaveri@scsk12.org or Dr. Roderick Richmond at richmondrf@scsk12.org if you have questions or concerns.

Important Dates to Remember 

• InformTN window opened June 1, 2025. 
• ATSI/CSI/TSI school improvement plans are due to the District on or before August 1, 2025. 
• School improvement plans for schools without a federal designation are due to the District on or before September 1, 2025. 

Accessing School Improvement Plans in InformTN 

Please ensure you are able to successfully log into the InformTN platform to access your school's School Improvement Plan (SIP). As we move forward with revising, reviewing, and implementing these plans, it's important that all school leaders have timely access to the platform. 

If you experience any login issues or need assistance navigating InformTN, please reach out to Chrystal Burton (burtoncp@scsk12.org) as soon as possible so we can provide support. 

How to Log into the InformTN Platform 

1. Go to the InformTN Login Page 
   Visit: https://edplan.tn.gov/account/login/?next=/ 
2. Click on "Sign in with TDOE Single Sign-on" 
   This will redirect you to the Tennessee Department of Education login portal. 
3. Enter Your SSO Email 
   Use your official email address that ends with: @tneducation.net 
4. Enter Your Password 
   1. Type in your SSO password. 
   2. If you've forgotten your password, click “Forgot my password” and follow the on-screen instructions to reset it. 

Accepting School Improvement Plan Assurances 

As the approver of your school’s School Improvement Plan (SIP), please make sure you accept the Assurances located on the “Reflect to Plan” page in InformTN before submitting the plan.  By accepting these Assurances, you are confirming your commitment to uphold the standards, requirements, and responsibilities outlined within the plan. 

Thank you for your attention to this important step in the approval process. 

As you prepare to closeout your TAG 4.0 and ATSI 23 grants, please adhere to the following dates and protocols to ensure compliance and a timely liquidation of your remaining federal funds. 

Purchase Orders

• If you have received your items in the building, be sure to receive them in APECS. 
• If you have not received PO items, reach out to the vendor(s) to determine the status of the order(s) and when your items will be shipped to your location. 
• The goal is to have all items received in your building and in APECS no later than Thursday, July 24th. 

Contracts

• Any contractual services with vendors (professional development sessions, installations, etc) must be concluded by Friday, August 8th.

If you have any questions, please contact Dr. Tosha Cleaves, Academics and Finance Manager, at 416-4275 or allenty@scsk12.org, for support and assistance.

Federal Programs advisors will host work sessions on the following days and times during the summer months to support school planning teams with the development of their plan.  Click on the link below to view the support schedule.

SY26 SIP Support Sessions Calendar.pdf

Federal Programs advisors will host work sessions on the following days and times during the summer months to support school planning teams with the development of their plan.  Click on the link below to view the schedule of support.

SY26 SIP Support Sessions Calendar.pdf

The deadline to upload the End-of-Year Closeout Form and all required documentation to Title1Crate was May 30, 2025.  If you have not yet submitted these materials, please do so as soon as possible.

Required Documentation:

• 2025-26 Family Engagement Plan and supporting documentation
• 2025-26 School-Parent Compact and supporting documentation
• Summer Equipment Checkout (include location of stored equipment)
• School-Level Monitoring Form (completed and signed)
• Summer 2025 Extended Learning Documentation (if applicable)

Thank you for your prompt attention to this important task!

This is a friendly reminder to complete all Title I travel expense reports in APECS no later than June 25, 2025. 

Please note that delays in submitting expense reports will result in delays in reimbursement due to year-end closeout. 

2025-26 School Planning in InformTN has been postponed and will not open for school planning until June 1, 2025.  Additional information regarding training and work sessions will be forthcoming.

As the end of the school year quickly approaches, it’s time to begin preparing for the Title I closeout process. Please ensure that the End-of-Year Closeout Form and all required documentation are uploaded to Title1Crate by May 30, 2025.

Required Documentation:

• 2025–2026 Family Engagement Plan and supporting documentation
• 2025–2026 School-Parent Compact and supporting documentation
• Summer Equipment Checkout (include location of stored equipment)
• School-Level Monitoring Form (completed and signed)
• Summer 2025 Extended Learning Documentation (if applicable)

Thank you for your attention to this important deadline!

PLC Coaches and school-level planning teams for Title I and non-Title I schools will engage in learning and/or receive a refresher on the requirements and updates for completing the Explore Data, Analyze Needs & Root Cause Analysis, Reflect to Plan, and Develop Plan sections of the school improvement plan. Sign up via the link below for one of the two offerings.

Wednesday, May 28, 2025, 9:00 AM - 11:00 AM

Wednesday, May 28, 2025, 1:00 PM - 3:00 PM

Location: TBA

Attendees will need their InformTN single sign-on (SSO) account login and charged device. Title I schools contact your Federal Programs Advisor if you do not have this information prior to your training session; Non-Title I schools contact Chrystal Burton - burtoncp@scsk12.org.

Registration link:  School Improvement Plan (SIP) Training

PLC Coaches and school-level planning teams for Title I and non-Title I schools will engage in learning and/or receive a refresher on the requirements and updates for completing the Explore Data, Analyze Needs & Root Cause Analysis, Reflect to Plan, and Develop Plan sections of the school improvement plan. Sign up via the link below for one of the two offerings. Registration will close Tuesday, May 27, 2025 at 10:00 a.m.

Wednesday, May 28, 2025, 9:00 AM - 11:00 AM

Wednesday, May 28, 2025, 1:00 PM - 3:00 PM

Location: Multiple Locations - If you have registered using the link below you will receive an email from a Title I Advisor indicating where you should report to for training. 

Attendees will need a charged device and their Single Sign-on (SSO) account login to access the InformTN portal.  If you do not have your SSO information and you work in a Title I school, please contact your Federal Programs advisor for assistance.  If you do not have your SSO information and you work in a non-Title I school, please contact Chrystal Burton (burtoncp@scsk12.org).

Registration link:  School Improvement Plan (SIP) Training

Important Dates to Remember:

InformTN window opens June 1, 2025.

ATSI/CSI/TSI school improvement plans are due to the District on or before August 1, 2025.

ATSI/CSI/TSI school improvement plans are due to the State on or before September 1, 2025.

School improvement plans for schools without a federal designation are due to the District on or before September 1, 2025.

PLC Coaches and school-level planning teams for Title I and non-Title I schools will engage in learning and/or receiving a refresher on the requirements and updates for completing the Explore Data, Analyze Needs & Root Cause Analysis, Reflect to Plan, and Develop Plan sections of the school improvement plan. Sign up via the link below for one of the two offerings.

Wednesday, May 28, 2025, 9:00 AM - 11:00 AM

Wednesday, May 28, 2025, 1:00 PM - 3:00 PM

Location: TBA

Attendees will need their InformTN single sign-on (SSO) account login and charged device. Title I schools contact your Federal Programs Advisor if you do not have this information prior to your training session; Non-Title I schools contact Chrystal Burton - burtoncp@scsk12.org.

Registration link:  School Improvement Plan (SIP) Training

Quarterly Advisor Meetings

Title I advisor meetings are held quarterly in a 2-hour block to provide the PLC Coaches with viable schoolwide implementation strategies and the use of Title I funds in a collaborative small group setting. This quarter agenda topics include:

• School-level Monitoring
• Title I Budget Justifications-APECS
• Title1Crate Documentation Uploads
• Semi-Annual Certifications

Title I advisors will share dates and PLZ session numbers via the Federal Programs Newsletter by the end of next week. 

Budget Analysis Meetings

Title I budget analysis meetings are held each month, via Teams, to review and monitor Title I spending. This time is dedicated to provide feedback and next steps to ensure each school utilizes their allocation for the current year.

The Federal Programs team will continue to provide open lab work sessions (virtual and in-person) to support the development of your School Improvement Plan (SIP)*. Your Title I Advisor has provided your PLC Coach or school-level representative with dates, locations and times for the month of August. 

If, individualized targeted support is needed for Comprehensive Support and Improvement (CSI), Targeted Support and Improvement (TSI) and Additional Targeted Support and Improvement (ATSI) designated schools, please sign up for one of the following dates using the link below.

August 12 and 13

August 19 and 22

August 26 and 27

https://www.signupgenius.com/go/60B0849ADA62CA3FB6-50617072-sipwork

*All plans must be submitted to the Local Education Agency (LEA) no later than August 30th, due to September 1st falling on a Sunday. 

The Federal Programs' Annual Summer Institute for PLCCs and Instructional Facilitators is scheduled for June 6 - 8, 2023 at Kate Bond Middle School.  Please click here for additional information.

PLCCs and Instructional Facilitators, 

Please join us for The Annual Federal Programs' Summer Institute scheduled for June 6th - 8th.

Click here for additional details.

Please click the link below to view the flyer. 

Flyer_FPGC Summer Institute 2023.pdf

Federal Programs is hosting a training session for Financial Secretaries entitled Using Federal Funds to Maximize School Spending.  The virtual session will be held on Wednesday, November 2, 2022, from 10:00 am – 12:00 pm. 

Please use Meeting ID: 267 350 223 553 and Passcode: mJ9z8Q to access the training via Teams.

A critical piece in determining graduation rate is ensuring graduate rosters are submitted to EIS. With the exception of Summer School graduates, the rosters must be complete and accurate by June 26, 2025. 

Procedures on completing and submitting EIS Grad data for the 2024-2025 school year are available on SharePoint. Please share the memo with the Senior Counselors & Graduation Coordinators. Final graduate rosters, including Summer School, must be submitted to the SDE by August 14, 2025.

Instructions on how to distribute cumulative folders to the 2024-2025 graduates can be found on SharePoint. The title of the document is Distributing Cumulative Folders to Graduates. DO NOT distribute cumulative folders to students who are not graduating or students who will receive a Special Education, Occupational or Alternate Academic diploma. Special education students, who are aging out, can receive their cumulative folders.

The 2024-2025 End of Year Procedures documents are available on SharePoint.

Q4 (Semester 2) Report Card Checklist and Instructions: Quarter 4 Report Card period ends Friday, May 23, 2025 and the Checklist document is available on SharePoint. 

The deadline to complete your school's 25-26 master schedule is May 9. Schedules are not complete until all students are scheduled with students without conflicts to be at least 92% as indicated on the PowerScheduler home page for the 2025-2026 Build Scenario.

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.

The Q3 Report Card period ended Friday, March 3, 2025. Q3 report cards are to be mailed home in addition to being handed out. Report cards will be distributed Wednesday, March 26, 2025. Parents will be able to view the report cards in the portal on Wednesday, March 26, 2025, after 3:00 pm. The Q3 Report Card Checklist and Instructions is available on SharePoint. This document outlines the teacher, principal/principal designee and district office (SIS) responsibilities for finalizing Q3 grades and report cards, as well as, the instructions on how to save, print and mail report cards.

The Q3 Progress Report period ends on Wednesday, February 6, 2025. Beginning with the 2024-2025 school year, 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 Q3 Progress Report Checklist and Instructions is available on SharePoint. This document outlines the teacher and school office staff’s responsibilities for verifying and distributing Q3 Progress Reports.

Below are the instructions on how to mail progress reports.

For grades 1 through 12, a single PDF of all progress reports for each school should be uploaded by school staff to the following link: Q3 Progress Reports 2024-2025.

• The PDF should be named “24-25 Q3PR SCHOOL NAME” with “SCHOOL NAME” replaced with your school’s name. For example, 24-25 Q3PR Woodstock Middle.
• The PDF must have only two pages per student, one page showing the progress report and another showing the mailing address. School staff is responsible for reviewing the PDF and ensuring no progress reports are more than those two pages.
• The District Print Shop will then print and fold grades 1-12 progress reports and send them to the District Mail Room to be metered and mailed.
• The checked and finalized progress reports for grades 1 through 12 should be placed at the above link by 3 PM on Wednesday, February 6, 2025.

For Kindergarten report cards, which are usually multiple pages, school staff will need to fold the progress reports, insert them in standard mailing envelopes, seal the envelopes, and place a mailing label on each envelope (refer to pgs. 21-23 of the Q3 Progress Report Checklist and Instructions). Please be sure the envelope also has the return address of the school (refer to pgs. 21-23 of the Q3 Progress Report Checklist and Instructions). These envelopes should then be delivered to the Mail Room where they will be metered and mailed.

The checked and finalized progress reports for Kindergarten should be delivered to the Mail Room by 3 PM on Wednesday, February 6, 2025.

The second quarter ended December 20, 2024. Q2 report cards are to be mailed home in addition to being handed out. Report cards will be distributed Wednesday, January 15, 2025. Parents will be able to view the report cards in the portal on January 15 after 3:00 pm. The Q2 (Semester 1) Report Card Checklist (Teachers and School Administrators) 2024-2025 is available on SharePoint. This document outlines the teacher, principal/principal designee and district office (SIS) responsibilities for finalizing Q2 grades and report cards. It also includes instructions on how to generate, print and mail report cards.

PowerSchool has a process for adding the extra points electronically to the quarter grades for Advanced Courses (i.e. honors, dual credit, dual enrollment, capstone industry certification aligned, Advanced Placement, and International Baccalaureate) such that teachers do not have to do this manually. The Q2 (Semester 1) Report Card Checklist explains this process.

If you have questions and/or need additional assistance, please contact your school's assigned SIS Data Specialist.

The Q2 Progress Report period ends on Wednesday, November 13, 2024. Beginning with the 2024-2025 school year, 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 Q2 Progress Report Checklist and Instructions is available on SharePoint. This document outlines the teacher and school office staff’s responsibilities for verifying and distributing Q2 Progress Reports.

Below are the instructions on how to mail progress reports.

For grades 1 through 12, a single PDF of all progress reports for each school should be uploaded by school staff to the following link: Q2 Progress Reports 2024-2025.

• The PDF should be named “24-25 Q2PR SCHOOL NAME” with “SCHOOL NAME” replaced with your school’s name. For example, 24-25 Q2PR Woodstock Middle.
• The PDF must have only two pages per student, one page showing the progress report and another showing the mailing address. School staff is responsible for reviewing the PDF and ensuring no progress reports are more than those two pages.
• The District Print Shop will then print and fold grades 1-12 progress reports and send them to the District Mail Room to be metered and mailed.
• The checked and finalized progress reports for grades 1 through 12 should be placed at the above link by 3 PM on Wednesday, November 13, 2024.

For Kindergarten report cards, which are usually multiple pages, school staff will need to fold the progress reports, insert them in standard mailing envelopes, seal the envelopes, and place a mailing label on each envelope (refer to pgs. 21-23 of the Q2 Progress Report Checklist and Instructions). Please be sure the envelope also has the return address of the school (refer to pgs. 21-23 of the Q2 Progress Report Checklist and Instructions). These envelopes should then be delivered to the Mail Room where they will be metered and mailed.

• The checked and finalized progress reports for Kindergarten should be delivered to the Mail Room by 3 PM on November 13, 2024.

If you have questions and/or need additional assistance, please contact your school's assigned SIS Data Specialist.

The first quarter ended Oct. 4. Q1 report cards are to be mailed home in addition to being handed out. Report cards will be distributed Oct. 23. Parents will be able to view the report cards in the portal on Oct. 23 after 3:00 pm. To access the document, click here: Q1 Report Card Checklist (Teachers and School Administrators) 2024-2025. This document outlines the teacher, principal/principal designee and district office (SIS) responsibilities for finalizing Q1 grades and report cards.

PowerSchool has a process for adding the extra points electronically to the quarter grades for Advanced Courses (i.e. honors, dual credit, dual enrollment, capstone industry certification aligned, Advanced Placement, and International Baccalaureate) such that teachers do not have to do this manually. The Q1 Report Card Checklist explains this process.

If you have questions and/or need additional assistance, please contact your school's assigned SIS Data Specialist.

A critical piece in determining graduation rate is ensuring graduate rosters are submitted to EIS. With the exception of Summer School graduates, the rosters must be complete and accurate by June 5, 2024. Procedures on completing and submitting EIS Grad data for the 2023-2024 school year are available on SharePoint. Please share the memo with the Senior Counselors & Graduation Coordinators. Final graduate rosters, including Summer School, must be submitted to the SDE by August 2, 2024.

Instructions on how to distribute cumulative folders to the 2023-2024 graduates can be found on SharePoint. The title of the document is Distributing Cumulative Folders to Graduates. DO NOT distribute cumulative folders to students who are not graduating or students who will receive a Special Education, Occupational or Alternate Academic diploma. Special education students, who are aging out, can receive their cumulative folders.

Quarter 4 Report Card period ends Friday, May 24, 2024 and the Checklist document is available on SharePoint.

The 23-24 End of Year Procedures documents are available on SharePoint.

The new feature will be turned on for district and school personnel on Monday, March 18, 2024. Documentation (Exploring PowerSchool’s New User Interface YouTube video and PS SIS Page Name and Location Crosswalk spreadsheet) can be found here. Please review this information before March 18, 2024.

The third quarter ended Friday, March 8, 2024. Q3 report cards will be distributed to students, as well as, parents will be able to view the report cards in the portal after 3:00 p.m. on Wednesday, March 27, 2024. The Q3 Report Card Checklist is available on SharePoint. This document outlines the teacher, principal/principal designee, and district office (SIM) responsibilities for finalizing Q3 grades and report cards.

The third quarter ended Friday, March 8, 2024. Q3 report cards will be distributed to students, as well as, parents will be able to view the report cards in the portal after 3:00 p.m. on Wednesday, March 27, 2024. The Q3 Report Card Checklist is available on SharePoint. This document outlines the teacher, principal/principal designee, and district office (SIM) responsibilities for finalizing Q3 grades and report cards.

Document can be found here.

• Quarter 2 Report Card period ended Wednesday, December 20, 2023 and the Q2 (Semester 1) Report Card Checklist (Teachers and Administrators)2023-24 document is available on SharePoint. Q2 Report Cards will be distributed to students, as well as, parents will be able to view the report cards in the portal after 3:00 p.m. on Wednesday, January 17, 2024. 
• Q2 (S1) Report Card Step Guide for Middle & High School Teachers of Advanced Courses 2023-24 is available on SharePoint.

Greetings Principals,

Each month, the Student Information Management (SIM) team will need to have dedicated time with your staff who are responsible for PowerSchool data. These sessions are mandatory given the need to ensure the district is receiving proper funding under TISA and that data related to accountability (e.g. assessment provisioning) are accurate. On most occasions, it will be the clerical person assigned to PowerSchool tasks at your school who will be involved. At times, we may need someone else to attend, like the person who handles student schedules.

Soon, SIM will begin sending invitations to your staff and will CC you. You do not need attend if you are listed in the CC/Optional line, but this will allow you to be notified such that you can prepare for the absence of the person who will be spending the day in these data clean up sessions. The sessions will be in person at the Coe building.

Thank you for your support of this important work!

The first quarter ends Friday, October 6. Q1 report cards will be distributed to students, as well as, parents will be able to view the report cards in the portal after 3:00 p.m. on Wednesday, October 25. The Q1 Report Card Checklist for School Administrators and Teachers is available on SharePoint. This document outlines the teacher, principal/principal designee and district office (SIM) responsibilities for finalizing Q1 grades and report cards. 

NOTE: PowerSchool has a process for adding the extra points electronically to the quarter grades for Advanced Courses (i.e. honors, dual credit, dual enrollment, capstone industry certification aligned, Advanced Placement, and International Baccalaureate) such that teachers do not have to do this manually. The Q1 Report Card Checklist explains this process.

The Q1 Progress Report Period ends on Wednesday, September 6. Parents will be advised to check current grades via the PowerSchool parent portal on that date, so it is important that teachers have all assignments and grades current in PowerTeacher Pro. Parents have access to this information at any time, so assignments and grades should always be kept up to date. For hard copy Progress Reports, schools should issue those by Wednesday, September 6.

A critical piece in determining graduation rate is ensuring graduate rosters are submitted to EIS. With the exception of Summer School graduates, the rosters must be complete and accurate by June 15, 2023. Procedures on completing and submitting EIS Grad data for the 2022-2023 school year are available on SharePoint.

Please share the memo with the Senior Counselors & Graduation Coordinators. Final graduate rosters, including Summer School, must be submitted to the SDE by August 4, 2023.

Instructions on how to distribute cumulative folders to the 2022-2023 graduates can be found on SharePoint. The title of the document is Distributing Cumulative Folders to Graduates.

DO NOT distribute cumulative folders to students who are not graduating or students who will receive a Special Education, Occupational or Alternate Academic diploma.

Special education students, who are aging out, can receive their cumulative folders.

Quarter 4 Report Card period ends Friday, May 26, 2023 and the Checklist document is available on SharePoint.

PowerTeacher Pro instructions for TCAP Scores (Grades 6-8) and EOC Exams are available on SharePoint.

The 22-23 End of Year Procedures documents are available on SharePoint.

The third quarter ended Friday, March 10, 2023. Q3 report cards will be distributed to students, as well as, parents will be able to view the report cards in the portal after 3:00 p.m. on Wednesday, March 29, 2023. The Q3 Report Card Checklist is available on SharePoint. This document outlines the teacher, principal/principal designee, and district office (SIM) responsibilities for finalizing Q3 grades and report cards.

NOTE: PowerSchool has a process for adding the extra points electronically to the quarter grades for Advanced Courses (i.e. honors, dual credit, dual enrollment, capstone industry certification aligned, Advanced Placement, and International Baccalaureate) such that teachers do not have to do this manually. Once the extra points are processed by the SIM department, teachers will have to recalculate final grades in their gradebooks. The Q3 Report Card Checklist explains this process.

Quarter 2 Report Card period ends Friday, December 16, 2022 and the Checklist document is available on SharePoint. Q2 Report Cards will be distributed to students, as well as, parents will be able to view the report cards in the portal after 3:00 p.m. on Wednesday, January 18, 2023.

Although the district’s grading scale has changed, the criteria for exemption from semester exams have not. 

As a reminder, the language from the Administrative Rules and Regulations of MSCS Board Policy 5015 Grading System for Grades 6-12 is as follows: “A student having a 90 or higher average for the two terms/quarters in a specific course and having three (3) or fewer excused absences in that same course will be exempted from the semester exam if the student desires. The minimum number of excused absences allowed under this provision may be adjusted by the principal in extenuating circumstances (e.g., long-term illness or hospitalization). 

When a student is exempted from the examination, the semester average will be the average of the two term/quarter grades and any state-mandated exam as outlined above. ANY UNEXCUSED ABSENCE IN THE COURSE WILL DISQUALIFY THE STUDENT FROM ALL EXEMPTIONS. EXEMPTIONS APPLY ONLY TO TEACHER-MADE SEMESTER EXAMINATIONS. 

Twelfth (12th) grade students are eligible for exam exemption during both semesters. All other students in high school courses who meet the above requirements may be exempted for only the second-semester exam.”

To provide an enhanced and more secure service for tracking the movement of student records, MSCS Records Office will transition to the electronic transfer of student cumulative files using Scribbles (K-12 ScribTransfer). Training has concluded, and on October 3, schools will begin utilizing the Scribbles K-12 ScribTransfer to process student records requests. 

Student records requests from in-district and out-of-district schools will no longer be accepted via faxes, emails, or mail. 

Please contact the Records Office at 901-416-5830 or scsrecordsdepartment@scsk12.org if there are additional questions or concerns.

The first quarter ended Friday, October 7. Q1 report cards will be distributed to students, as well as, parents will be able to view the report cards in the portal after 3:00 p.m. on Wednesday, October 26. The Q1 Report Card Checklist is available on SharePoint. This document outlines the teacher, principal/principal designee, and district office (SIM) responsibilities for finalizing Q1 grades and report cards. 

Please Note: PowerSchool has a process for adding the extra points electronically to the quarter grades for Advanced Courses (i.e. honors, dual credit, dual enrollment, capstone industry certification aligned, Advanced Placement, and International Baccalaureate) such that teachers do not have to do this manually. The Q1 Report Card Checklist explains this process.

K-2 Specialized Education Assistants must be assigned to the classes in which they assist in PowerSchool. The document outlining steps to add K-2 Specialized Education Assistants to class sections in PowerSchool is available on SharePoint. 

• Important Dates:
  • Friday, September 23 – Deadline to add the K-2 Specialized Education Assistants to the school’s staff list using the Staff & Teacher Request spreadsheet
  • Friday, September 30 – Deadline to add the K-2 Specialized Education Assistant to class sections (Teachers/Staff – Additional)

The school assignments list is available on SharePoint.

A critical piece in determining the graduation rate is ensuring graduate rosters are submitted to EIS. With the exception of Summer School graduates, the rosters must be complete and accurate by June 15.

Final graduate rosters, which include Summer School graduates, must be submitted to the SDE by August 5.

Procedures for completing and submitting EIS Grad data for the 2021-2022 school year are available on SharePoint. Please share the memo with the Senior Counselors & Graduation Coordinators.

Instructions on how to distribute cumulative folders to the 2021-2022 graduates can be found on SharePoint. The title of the document is Distributing Cumulative Folders to Graduates. 

DO NOT distribute cumulative folders to students who are not graduating or students who will receive a Special Education, Occupational or Alternate Academic diploma.

Special education students, who are aging out, can receive their cumulative folders.

The 21-22 End of Year Procedures documents are available on SharePoint.

Quarter 4 Report Card period ends Friday, May 27 and the Checklist document is available on SharePoint. 

Quarter 3 Report Card period ends Friday, March 11 and the Checklist document is available on SharePoint. 

To identify students in your School whose parents have opted out of their child wearing a mask, run the Enterprise Report, MSCS – School Masking Opt-Out in PowerSchool. Instructions to run the report are as follows.

1. Log into PowerSchool.
2. From your Start page, under Reports in the left-hand menu, select Enterprise Reports.
3. From the Reports page, scroll down to Other and find the MSCS – School Masking Opt-Out report and select the report.
4. Once the report opens, open the filter, School = ‘Select School,’ by clicking on the words, Select School. The Filter box should open.
5. In the Filter box, click on the blue box with the down arrow to the right of “Select School” and scroll up or down to find the name of your School.
6. Select your School by clicking on your School’s name and then click on the Apply button in the bottom right of the Filter box.
7. A list of your students should appear.
8. To print this list out, select the blue Action button at the report's top.
9. At the bottom of the Action box, select Download, and the Download box will open.
10. Select either CSV or PDF. CSV will create an Excel spreadsheet. PDF will allow you to print it out or save it as a PDF.

High schools that may be considering offering a new course that does not already have a state code need to inquire about the state’s special course application. Please contact William (Bill) White at whitewe@scsk12.org by Wednesday, January 26 for more information.

Between January 4 and February 8, high schools may need to enroll students who have already completed their first semester in another district. The following steps should be followed for students who earned first semester grades and credits outside SCS prior to Winter Break:

• Students will receive first semester grades and credits earned in the school district where they were previously enrolled. These grades and credits will need to be entered in PowerSchool Historical as they appear on the official transcript received from the previous school district.


• Students should be scheduled for appropriate classes in which they would normally be scheduled. Students will audit scheduled courses, meaning they will earn grades for assignments/quizzes/tests completed between January 4 and February 8; however, those grades will not count towards any Q2/S1 grades. 


• Help teachers understand that since those grades will not count towards any Q2/S1 grading, the students will not receive a report card from SCS in February.

Tennessee public school districts are required to report to EIS when students are present and learning virtually. This is done by creating a daily attendance record using the D code (Distance Learning) for those students in PowerSchool. Please review the Automatic Attendance Procedure (D Code) memo for additional information.

Wednesday, December 18 was the end of the progress report period for Quarter 2. Progress Reports were scheduled to be distributed on Wednesday, January 13, but given our online environment, parents will be directed to the PowerSchool parent portal where they can see their students’ grades at any time. Districtwide communication will be shared reminding parents to view their children’s grades via the portal.

If parents cannot access the portal after having received assistance from your staff or are insistent a hard copy is needed, you may still print Progress Reports and provide a process for which these parents may pick them up. For parents who do not need a printout, you could consider emailing a pdf of the Progress Report to the parent.

Please ensure your teachers are keeping grades current in their PowerTeacher Pro grade books and that they have caught up on grading prior to January 13, such that parents have access to the information regarding their children’s progress that would normally be provided on Progress Reports.

High schools that may be considering offering a new course which does not already have a state code need to inquire about the state’s special course application. Please contact William (Bill) White at whitewe@scsk12.org by Wednesday, January 13 for more information.

Dear Education Champion,

Leaders Education Foundation, a non-profit 501(c)3 organization, is hosting EmpowerEd: An Evening with Dr. John Delony presented by West Tennessee Healthcare at the Carl Perkins Civic Center in Jackson, TN on Thursday, August 14, 2025. This signature event will feature an inspiring presentation by Dr. John Delony, renowned Ramsey Personality, bestselling author, and mental health expert. The evening will culminate with a special award ceremony honoring five exceptional individuals who have demonstrated extraordinary dedication to education in West Tennessee. The awards include the:

Empowering Schools Award- celebrates exceptional principals, administrators or board members who demonstrate visionary leadership and foster student achievement

Impacting Communities Award- honors the dedication and selflessness of volunteers who generously give their time to support their community's educational needs

Inspiring Students Awards- celebrates outstanding educators who make a profound impact in their classrooms and at the school or collegiate level. Awards in this category will be given to a:

K-12 Educator

Collegiate Level Educator (community college, TCAT, university)

Educational Support Professional 

The deadline to nominate a deserving individual is Friday, April 4th, 2025. Finalists will be announced May 1, 2025 and the awards will be presented at the event on August 14, 2025. A monetary gift is included with each award.

To nominate an educator for the EmpowerEd Educator Awards, click the photo below or visit leadersgives.org/nominate. If you have any questions, please contact me at 731.664.1784 ext. 1209.

 

Kind regards,  

 

Shea Brown, CUDE | Director of Community Impact 

Leaders Education Foundation | LeadersGives.org 

731.664.1784 x1209 | office  

 

 

Tennessee Code Annotated § 49-1-232(2) provides teachers holding a current teaching license with the opportunity to complete the Computer Science Endorsement Pathway (CSEP), a no-cost route to earn an endorsement qualifying them to teach approved computer science courses.

The pathway is intended to help licensed teachers earn an add-on endorsement in Computer Science to ensure each school has a properly endorsed teaching staff. Registration can be completed by individual teachers, principals, or district leaders. Priority enrollment will be given to teachers filling gaps in district needs.

The course will run from August 11 – November 30, 2025. The CSEP registration form is now available for submissions and will close on August 3, 2025, at 11:59 p.m. CT. Registrants will be notified of either their acceptance to the cohort or their placement on the wait list during the week of August 4. Registrants placed on the wait list will be admitted to the course after August 25, as space permits. If you are unable to register for the Fall cohort, keep in mind that there will be Fall and Spring cohorts for the foreseeable future.

Please only submit one form per teacher. For additional questions or concerns, please reach out to Liza.Ambrose@tn.gov.

Thank you,

Dr. Monica C. Smith
CCTE Middle Grades Manager – Division of College, Career and Technical Education

https://stateoftennessee.formstack.com/forms/csep_teacher_registration_form_fall_2025?mc_cid=9989399d87&mc_eid=66e19556f2

Specialized Education Assistants

Greetings, Leaders!

If you have new SEAs, please have them reach out to Heba Sammour at sammourh@scsk12.org to ensure they are added to the contact list.

Please take a moment to review the most recent communication sent to SEAs regarding their summer work. Please allow SEAs to keep their devices over the summer for the purpose of completing asynchronous assignments.

***********************************************************************************

SEAs,

Beginning Tuesday, July 1, SEAs will return to their home school buildings to engage in asynchronous professional learning assignments. If you are aware that your school building will be closed on certain days, please reach out to Heba Sammour to provide an alternative location for you to complete your assignments.

Throughout Weeks 1-4, SEAs will need to submit a form every Friday, confirming whether you have completed an Office of Literacy task (asynchronous assignment) or contributed to your school building by assisting with preparations for the new school year, supporting Bridge Camp (July 21-25), or any other tasks designated by your principal. You can find the form you’ll need to fill out on Thursday or Friday here. https://forms.office.com/r/V39nZz5aLF (Will open on July 1 at 8 am).

Assignments and forms will be available to accept responses daily from 8 am and closing at 5pm. **Please remember that you must log in with your school district email account to access assignments. **

Week 1: July 1-3 (July 4th- District Closed) SEA July Work

Week 2: July 7-11 SEA July Work

Week 3: July 14-18 SEA July Work

Week 4: July 21-25 SEA July Work

Week 5: First week back for teachers--SEAs continue school building support (Do not complete the form.)

If your school administrator designates you to support with school-based tasks for certain days, you will not be required to complete the asynchronous task for that particular day.

If you do complete school building tasks, school leaders will be responsible for submitting your time to the financial secretaries. Our office will only be responsible for reporting time for the completion of asynchronous assignments. 

The 3rd Grade Appeal window is now open. A parent or legal guardian of an eligible student who achieved the performance level of “Approaching” on the ELA portion of the 3rd grade TCAP test may submit an appeal.

• The parent or guardian may give consent to a school representative to fill out the appeal on the eligible student’s behalf. Schools must keep records of parents or guardians who give consent.
  • Appeal Consent Form
  • Ground 1 Appeal Form
  • Appeals Link
• Appeals window is open May 28th - June 27th.

Ground 1 Appeal:

• The student received a score between the 40th-49th percentile on the spring administration of the TN-URS (aimswebPlus);

• The principal agrees to develop an academic remediation plan for the student;

o Requires signature from principal.

• The student’s principal and ELA teacher provide a unanimous recommendation for promotion to 4th grade; and

     o Requires signature from ELA teacher and principal.

• The school agrees to provide high-dosage, low-ratio tutoring services to the student for the entirety of fourth grade.

o Requires signature from principal.

Ground 2 Appeal:

• A catastrophic situation occurred within 60 calendar days leading up to the TCAP test that impacted the 3rd grade student’s ability to perform on the test.

If you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to Stephanie McClain at mcclainsl@scsk12.org.

Thank you

Greetings, Leaders!

Please take a moment to review the SEA summer schedule outlined below. Please allow SEAs to keep their devices over the summer for the purpose of completing asynchronous assignments.

SEA Summer Schedule:

• June 2 -June 30: Summer Learning Academy—SEAs work at their SLA site
• July 1-3: Complete asynchronous assignments/virtual sessions and/or building support
• July 4: Independence Day (District closed)
• July 7 - July 11: Complete asynchronous assignments/ virtual sessions and/or building support
• July 14 - July 18: Complete asynchronous assignments/ virtual sessions and/or building support
• July 21 - July 25: Complete asynchronous assignments/ virtual sessions and/or building support

All SEAs will be required to submit a weekly form every Friday during the month of July, indicating their daily support. You can access the SEA form here.

Additionally, if you have new SEAs who are hired this summer, please have them reach out to Heba Sammour at sammourh@scsk12.org to ensure they are added to the contact list.

Spring professional learning course offerings are now available here.

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

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

Retention Prevention/Retention Meetings: In accordance with state and federal policies (Section I, Part G, Guidelines to Satisfy Legal Requirements of Lau v. Nichols), MLs cannot be retained solely due to English language proficiency. Please review the guidelines for retention prevention with your content and ESL teacher(s). Any ML who is at risk of retention or course failure must have a documented meeting held with guardians, school administration, at least one content teacher, and an ESL Teacher/Specialist. Meeting documentation is required for all MLs being considered for retention regardless of interventions such as tutoring, summer school, etc. In addition to meeting documentation, teachers who assigned failing grades were to provide 3 pieces of documentation to demonstrate evidence of linguistic scaffolds and accommodations per the student’s Individual Learning Plan (ILP). Please see link below to access documents and contact your advisor with questions. 

Retention Meeting Documents 

ELPA21 Summative Scores: Scores will be available electronically in the TIDE platform beginning May 23rd. BTCs have access to view and download score reports. A copy of each ML student's score report is required to be placed in the student's ESL folder. Resources for educators and families are linked below. 

ELPA21 Score Reports - Quick Guide for Educators 

Parent Guides to Student Score Reports 

Professional Development Opportunity: MTSU ELL Collaborative for Administrators, Sept 19, 2025. Registration will open on July 24th at noon. TASL approval pending.  

The College, Career and Technical Education Division is hosting a variety of camps this summer. Please share the attached flyers with parents and students. Registration can be completed using the QR code on each flyer.

Principals, please see the 5/19 MTSS Lead Weekly Updates.

Greetings, Leaders!

Please take a moment to review the Specialized Education Assistant’s summer schedule outlined below. Additionally, please allow SEAs to keep their devices over the summer for the purpose of completing asynchronous assignments.

SEA Summer Schedule:

• May 27-29: Professional Development Days—SEAs will report to their school building and will complete SLA training asynchronously
• May 30- SEAs will report to their SLA site
• June 19: Juneteenth (District closed)
• June 2 -June 30: Summer Learning Academy—SEAs work at their SLA site
• July 1-3: Complete asynchronous assignments/virtual sessions
• July 4: Independence Day (District closed)
• July 7 - July 11: Complete asynchronous assignments/ virtual sessions
• July 14 - July 18: Complete asynchronous assignments/ virtual sessions
• July 21 - July 25: Complete asynchronous assignments/ virtual sessions
• July 28-August 1: SEAs report to their home school

Beginning August 2025, students and teachers in grades 6-12 should expect updates to the look and functionality of the iReady platform.  You will be able to learn more about iReady Pro features beginning with this flyer.  Additional information will be shared beginning summer 2025.

Greetings Teachers and Leaders!

The most up-to-date Instructional Focus Documents have been uploaded to C&I’s SharePoint Instructional Focus Documents folder located within the Additional Supporting Documents folder. The Instructional Focus Document for each grade/course has been revised by TDOE with the exception of Grade 8 and Algebra 1. Please access the latest grade-level document for complete standards guidance.

Curriculum and Instruction Mathematics

MathCurriculum&Instruction@scsk12.org

• DLM/KITE reports will be emailed to principals each Friday starting February 14, 2025, sharing the students percentage of the assessment completion.
•  Virtual Open Lab for Alternate Assessment will be held 2 times a day Monday, Wednesday and Friday until May 16, 2025.  Start Date: Monday, February 10, 2025.
• Principals, please encourage your teachers to start the assessment as soon as possible.

May District Learning Day (DLD) is a school-based professional learning day for teachers. It involves a variety of school-based training sessions, workshops, and collaborative activities aimed at enhancing teaching skills, improving educational practices, and aligning with district priorities. These days are designed to provide educators with the tools and knowledge they need to effectively support student learning and development. 

May 28, 2025 – ½ Admin Day ½ PD Day

May 29, 2025 – Full PD Day

Outcome: By the end of the District Learning Day, teachers will have gained valuable insights and practical strategies to reflect on their past year's experiences, celebrate their achievements, and prepare for the upcoming school year.  

Action Required: School leaders are to submit agendas outlining their day including professional learning opportunities teachers will engage in for the day using the link provided below. School leaders should submit this form by Friday, May 16, 2025.

Link: School-Based Agenda Submission

Contact: PerformanceLeadership@scsk12.org

Nominate for 2025 Principal & Supervisor of the Year

It's time to celebrate the exceptional leaders within MSCS! Nominations are officially open for the 2025 Principal of the Year and Supervisor of the Year Awards.

This is your chance to nominate a principal or supervisor who has made a real difference in the lives of our students, supported our families, and positively contributed to our community. Let's recognize their hard work and dedication!

You can find all the information you need to nominate a superb educational leader through the links below:

Principal of the Year Nominations

Supervisor of the Year Nominations

Best regards,

Performance and Leadership Development 

In celebration of March Literacy Month, the Math Family Fluency Activities are now available.  This suite of resources provides simple and practical guidance on math fluency activities available for caretakers of students in grades PreK-2nd grade. Each collection of resources is aligned to an anchor text available from Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library and contains text-based related math activities, extension activities, and caretaker supports. For each grade level, there is a video explaining the standard-specific math activities, a printable version of the math activities, and a video resource of the anchor text being read aloud. Please share the suite of resources with PreK-2 families that can be downloaded from the Family Math Fluency Resources Hub in Best for All Central.  

Thank you for your continued support of our New Teachers across the district. As we near this last quarter, we are truly seeing the instructional growth in our first-year teachers! See the important deadlines and due dates below:

April New Teacher Mentor Meeting - None

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

Friday, March 28, 2025

Second Semester Co-observation of Exemplary Teacher 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

Thank you!

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

The 7th graders will once again engage in the Algebra I Placement Assessment, May 6th - 19th.  The assessment will occur via a Microsoft Form that will be shared with each school Tuesday morning, May 6.  An overview meeting will be held Monday, May 5th, for those Principals, Building Test Coordinators, or Counselors unfamiliar with the process.  The informational letter and meeting materials are available in the following OneDrive folder:  Algebra I in 8th Grade.

Contact Curriculum & Instruction Math Manager, Antronette Brown (416-5250), with any questions.

Principals, please find the 5/5/25 MTSS Lead Weekly Updates.

The 7th graders will once again engage in the Algebra I Placement Assessment, May 6th - 19th.  The assessment will occur via a Microsoft Form that will be shared with each school Tuesday morning, May 6.  An overview meeting will be held Monday, May 5th, for those Principals, Building Test Coordinators, or Counselors unfamiliar with the process.  The informational letter and meeting materials are available in the following OneDrive folder:  Algebra I in 8th Grade.

Contact Curriculum & Instruction Math Manager, Antronette Brown (416-5250), with any questions.

Please find the MTSS Lead Updates for 4/28/25.

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. 

1. Upcoming Support Sessions & End of Year Celebration:
   • Leveraging Data for a Successful Year: Strategic Planning for Future Growth
   • Date: Thursday, May 1, 2025
   • Time:
     • 3:15pm-4:15pm (High School, CCTE ILT Members Only)-Auditorium
     • 3:30pm-4:30pm (Middle School ILT Members Only)-Multipurpose Room
     • 4:30pm-5:30pm (Elementary School, K-8 School ILT Members Only)-Auditorium
   • Location: Teaching & Learning Academy Auditorium/Multipurpose Room located at 2485 Union Avenue, Memphis TN, 38112
2. Save the Dates: ALL ILT Documentation May 2, 2025

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.)

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.
• 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

It's time to celebrate the exceptional leaders within MSCS! Nominations are officially open for the 2025 Principal of the Year and Supervisor of the Year Awards.

This is your chance to nominate a principal or supervisor who has made a real difference in the lives of our students, supported our families, and positively contributed to our community. Let's recognize their hard work and dedication!

You can find all the information you need to nominate a superb educational leader through the links below:

Principal of the Year Nominations

Supervisor of the Year Nominations

Best regards,

Performance and Leadership Development 

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 their schools. 

Upcoming Support Sessions:

1. Implementing High-Impact Strategies
   • Date: Thursday, May 1, 2025
   • Time:
     • 3:15pm-4:15pm (High School, CCTE ILT Members Only)-Auditorium
     • 3:30pm-4:30pm (Middle School ILT Members Only)-Multipurpose Room
     • 4:30pm-5:30pm (Elementary School, K-8 School ILT Members Only)-Auditorium
   • Location: Teaching & Learning Academy Auditorium/Multipurpose Room located at 2485 Union Avenue, Memphis TN, 38112
2. Save the Dates: ALL ILT Documentation May 2, 2025

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.)

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.
• 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

As we wrap up this school year, we wanted to extend virtual office hours to those of you who may have additional questions about document submissions. See the date and link below:

3:00 - 3:30 p.m. Wednesday, April 23, 2025: Office Hours Link April 23, 2025

Lastly, our May 6, 2025, meeting was scheduled to be virtual. This meeting will be moved to in-person to allow us to close out the year in a celebratory way! Your efforts deserve to be recognized, and we want to use this time to do so! 

If you are able to attend, please RSVP using this link as we aim to get an accurate head count:

NTM End of Year Celebration

Thank you again for all that you do to support schools and students. We look forward to seeing you soon!

The District is excited to announce the Memphis-Shelby County Schools Voices of Tomorrow Oratorical Ambassador Competition for students across MSCS! This competition offers students the opportunity to develop their public speaking skills, build their confidence, and share their perspectives on important topics. Winners will have the honor of serving as MSCS Student Ambassadors, elevating student voices throughout the District while continuing to grow their oratorical skills in future public speaking events. 

Purpose of the Competition: 
The oratorical competition aims to help students enhance their public speaking abilities, encouraging them to express their thoughts on significant topics. The winners will be trained as MSCS Student Ambassadors to advocate for student voice and participate in district-level speaking opportunities. 

Eligibility: 

Open to elementary (grades 3-5), middle (grades 6-8), and high school (grades 9-11), students throughout the district. 

Participants will compete individually. 

Competition Topics: 

Participants will choose one topic from the list below to craft their speech: 

The Importance of Kindness in School 

A Lesson Learned from a Failure 

Speech Guidelines: 

Length: Speeches must be between 3 to 5 minutes. 

Content: Well-structured speeches with a clear introduction, body, and conclusion. 

Originality: All speeches must be the participant's original work. Plagiarism will result in disqualification. 

Style: Use of rhetorical devices, storytelling, and personal anecdotes is encouraged to engage the audience. 

Judging Criteria: 

Content: Relevance, depth of research, and originality. 

Structure: Logical flow of ideas with a clear introduction, body, and conclusion. 

Delivery: Clarity, confidence, body language, and eye contact. 

Engagement: Ability to captivate the audience and maintain attention. 

Originality: Creative and unique approach to the topic. 

How to Participate: 

Participants who complete the interest form will receive an email on April 21, 2025, to submit their student videos. 

Students will submit a recorded video of your oration by May 5, 2025. 

Judges will review all submissions and select finalists to present in person during the week of May 12th 

In-Person Competition: 

Finalists will compete in-person, and the top three winners per grade band will be awarded. 

Date, Time, and Location: Details will be provided to finalists. 

Awards: 

All participants will receive a certificate. 

The top three orators per grade band will receive cash prizes. 

Additional Information: 

Participants should arrive 30 minutes early to check in and prepare. 

Visual aids are allowed but must be approved in advance. 

For any questions, please contact officeofliteracy@scsk12.org  

We encourage you to share this exciting opportunity with your staff and students and support them in preparing their speeches. This is a great chance for students to showcase their talent and represent their peers as Student Ambassadors! 

Please find the MTSS Lead Weekly Updates for 4/14/25.

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.

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: Thursday, April 17, 2025, (Make-Up Session) Implementing High Impact Instructional Strategies
• Time: 4:30pm-5:30pm (All ILT Grade-bands)- 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 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.)
• 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.
• 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

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

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.

Please find the MTSS Lead Weekly Updates for the week of April 7, 2025.

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

Save the date for the annual MSCS LEADERSHIP INSTITUTE: JUNE 10, 2025 – June 12, 2025 at Southwind High School

The Memphis-Shelby County Schools’ 2025 Leadership Institute stands as a flagship professional learning and networking event meticulously crafted to empower both emerging and seasoned school leaders. The primary objective is to equip participants with indispensable tools, fostering continuous improvement in key areas of educational leadership. 

Planning to attend the 2025 MSCS Leadership Institute? Complete the intent to attend by April 8,2025 by clicking here.

For any inquiries, feel free to reach out via email at mscsleadershipinstitute@scsk12.org. Join us in shaping the future of education through collaboration and shared leadership!

Are you looking for curriculum opportunities to engage with practice items that align to standardized testing?  

Well, look no further.  Your ELA curriculum, Wonders, provides such a resource.  It is called the Tennessee Benchmark Assessment.  This resource (found in the Supporting Documents Folder under Assessments on the C&I SharePoint and linked here, is designed to measure how well children acquire the reading and language arts knowledge and skills assessed on standardized test like TCAP. The design of the Tennessee Benchmark Assessment includes:

• A and B styled questions
• Multiple Choice Questions
• Writing prompts connected to texts
• Both fiction and nonfiction passages
• Answer keys that include rationales

Questions? Email OfficeofLiteracy@scsk12.org

Link: https://scsk12.sharepoint.com/:f:/s/2024-25CurriculumResources/Eu_SeFSRP_ZCnhSvH75E6UwBmgCnVtNDRL8RhMhbDJ9x7w?e=2gx7Vb

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.

Teacher TEM Training Flyer

Looking to enhance your planning and instructional delivery? Join us for a virtual session Thursday, April 3, 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!

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: Thursday, April 3, 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 Council of the Great City Schools is accepting applications for the 2025 CGCS-Bernard Harris Scholarship Program. Four scholarships for two males and two females --- $5,000 each --- will be awarded to two African American and two Hispanic students on behalf of the former NASA astronaut, physician and businessman, Dr. Bernard Harris. Applicants must be currently completing their senior year of high school in a member district of the Council of the Great City Schools and be accepted for full-time enrollment at a four-year college or university in the next academic year and pursuing a degree in Science, Technology, Engineering or Mathematics (STEM).

DEADLINE TO APPLY IS MARCH 31, 2025

Do you know a 2025 school graduate who could benefit from the CGCS-Bernard Harris Scholarship? Help spread the word by sharing the following flyer! https://bit.ly/CGCSScholarshipApp25

Curriculum and Instruction Mathematics Manager

Antronette C. Brown

brownac@scsk12.org

Curriculum and Instruction Science Manager

Terilyn McChriston

mcchristontj@scsk12.org

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

Library Services strives to ensure that all school libraries meet the requirements of the Age-Appropriate Materials Act of 2022 and MSCS Policy 5021: Library Services and Collections. In order to comply, each school has to complete a yearly library inventory. We are asking all school principals that do not currently have a librarian to assign a staff member to complete the library inventory. Please complete this survey to submit the name of the selected staff member that will complete inventory by COB, Friday, March 28, 2025. The staff members selected must attend one of the PD sessions listed below. 

Library Services offers a professional development course titled: Inventory in Atriuum for Schools without a Librarian. This PD will help participants understand how to prepare and successfully conduct the inventory process. The course information is listed below.  

#47516 Inventory in Atriuum for Schools Without a Librarian

Thank you in advance for your support and have a great day!    

Survey Link: https://forms.office.com/r/3jtgBKprz7

Every school year (every Spring) is an opportunity for schools to make improvements on Bullying Prevention (BP) efforts. The Education Services team has compiled a few resources and strategies to add to your toolbox. Please review Board Policy 6046 and the BP Resources to continue your support of students, staff, and families. 

Please forward all bullying inquiries to mscsstudentdiscipline@scsk12.org

March Leadership Development Week Agendas (Linked): 

As we prepare for Leadership Development Week (LDW) we wanted to remind you of key dates and information. LDW will occur March 24-28, 2025, with the following groups attending on the dates below:

• Monday, March 24, 2025: PLC Coaches &​ Instructional Facilitators - Suggested Attire: Shades of Green
• Tuesday, March 25, 2025: Principals & Vice-Principals - Suggested Attire: Shades of Purple
• Wednesday, March 26, 2025: Assistant Principals & Deans of Students - Suggested Attire: White
• Thursday, March 27, 2025: Professional School Counselors - Suggested Attire: Shades of Red
• Friday, March 28, 2025: Central Office Staff [IN-PERSON] - Suggested Attire: Shades of Blue

As always, remind your staff of their designated day to attend Leadership Development Week so that we can inform them of current best practices and pertinent information occurring throughout our District.

For more information, contact performanceleadershipdevelopment@scsk12.org

New Teacher Mentors

Thank you for your continued support of our New Teachers across the district. As we near this last quarter, we are truly seeing the instructional growth in our first-year teachers! See the important deadlines and due dates below:

April New Teacher Mentor Meeting - None

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

Friday, March 28, 2025

Second Semester Co-observation of Exemplary Teacher 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

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. TCAP/EOC in the Context of the Curriculum ILT Support Session 
   • Date: Thursday, April 3, 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

Please find this week's MTSS Lead Weekly  Updates.

Third Grade students will complete the Pearson aimswebPlus Benchmark assessment March 31-April 4.  Students must have Oral Reading Fluency, Vocabulary, and Comprehension subtests to have a composite score.  MTSS Leads have been added to a Microsoft Teams Support Hub where they can engage in Live Support throughout the week. Please reference the 3rd Grade aimswePlus FAQ or email Emily Vuoso (vuosoeb@scsk12.org) with questions.

• The ELPA21 Summative Assessment window is open now through March 28. All current ELs and Ws are required to participate in testing. Every Friday, the Office of Multilingual Learners sends an email to all BTCs with pertinent information and FAQs. Please save that email and reference it as needed.
• The March Monthly Meeting will be held virtually on March 19 at 8:15a, 2:30p, and 3:30p for all ESL Teachers. Please ensure that your ESL teachers attend one of these meetings.
• Quarter 3 Retention Prevention Documentation is due in ELLevation by March 26. Three (3) work samples per student with evidence of scaffolds per the ILP are required to be submitted by each teacher who assigns a failing grade to a Multilingual Learner (ML/ EL). Monitored classes for Retention Prevention are K-5 ELA, Math, & ESL, 6-8 ELA, Math, Science, Social Studies, & ESL, 9-12 all credit-bearing courses.

Greetings Leaders,

The deadline for submitting your school's Teacher of the Year (TOY) candidate has been extended. Please ensure your nominations are completed by the new deadline, Friday, March 21, 2025.

We kindly request that you follow the four steps outlined below.

• Step 1: Identify teachers within your school who meet the Teacher of the Year criteria.
• Step 2: Outline a documented process that allows your staff to vote on the nominees. You can choose to do it electronically or in person.
• Step 3: Scan the QR code or enter the URL to complete the form.
• Step 4: Submit one teacher's name to the form by 5:00 p.m. on Friday, March 21, 2025.

LINK: https://forms.office.com/r/QUwQQLG3fB

Additionally, please note that your school will not be represented at the MSCS District-Wide Teacher Recognition event this year if your form is not submitted by the March 21st deadline.

Please reach out to performanceandleadership@scsk12.org if have any questions or need additional information. 

Greetings 9-12 Teachers and Leaders!

Graphing Calculator Sessions for the 2024-2025 school year are available! Please access the attached flyer for more information.

Curriculum and Instruction Mathematics

MathCurriculum&Instruction@scsk12.org

Greetings 9-12 Teachers and Leaders!

Graphing Calculator Sessions for the 2024-2025 school year are available! Please access the attached flyer for more information.

Curriculum and Instruction Mathematics

MathCurriculum&Instruction@scsk12.org

24-25 Graphing Calculator Sessions for 12.2.2024 Submission.pdf

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. TCAP/EOC in the Context of the Curriculum ILT Support Session (Make-Up Session)

• Date: Thursday, March 20, 2025
• Time: 4:30pm-5:30pm (All ILT Gradebands)- TLA Room 110
• 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)

• April 3, 2025
• 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.

Here 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

Special thank you to our school leaders and New Teacher Mentors as they continue to show their commitment to lead the way for our New Teachers. Your support is vital as New Teachers continue to learn and grow in the profession. The In-Person New Teacher Mentor meeting originally scheduled for Tuesday, March 4, 2025, at 4:30 p.m. has been rescheduled to Tuesday, March 18, 2025, at 4:30 p.m.

Thank you for your patience and understanding. If you need additional support or have any questions, please do not hesitate to reach out to Dr. Latisha Kimbrough at brownlc@scsk12.org.

Teaching & Learning Advisory

February Edition 2

New Highlights:  Math March Sessions, Teacher and Student Surveys, and State Literacy Professional Learning

https://secure.smore.com/n/jvstx

Save the Date​: March 2025 Leadership Development Week

• Monday, March 24, 2025: PLC Coaches &​ Instructional Facilitators
• Tuesday, March 25, 2025: Principals & Vice-Principals
• Wednesday, March 26, 2025: Assistant Principals & Deans of Students
• Thursday, March 27, 2025: Professional School Counselors
• Friday, March 28, 2025: Central Office Staff

For more information, contact performanceleadershipdevelopment@scsk12.org

Thank you for your submissions of additional New Teacher Mentors. We are excited about adding the new group of mentors to assist our first-year teachers! 

SAVE THE DATE: New Teacher Mentor Monthly Meeting will take place Tuesday, March 4, 2025, at 4:30 p.m. at the Teaching and Learning Academy Auditorium. Your attendance at this mandatory meeting is crucial to ensure we are building our toolbox to support new teachers! 

Approaching deadlines: March 5, 2025 - Monthly Collaborative Assessment Log Due and March 28, 2025, Spring Co-observation of exemplary teacher due.

Are you a teacher or know a teacher interested in revamping the way you approach reading? The Memphis Literacy Institute is offering limited full scholarships to K-5 ELA/ESL teachers! Please access the flyer below for more information.  The deadline to apply is February 28, 2025.

MSCS 2025 Reading Specialist Flyer.pdf

Greetings, Colleagues.

As we prepare for Leadership Development Week (LDW) we wanted to remind you of key dates and information. LDW will occur February 24-28, 2025, with the following groups attending on the dates below:

Monday, February 24, 2025-PLC Coaches and Instructional Facilitators

Suggested Attire: Shades of Red, Pink, or Purple

Tuesday, February 25, 2025-Principals and Vice-Principals

Suggested Attire: Shades of Black

Wednesday, February 26, 2025-Assistant Principals and Dean of Students (AM/PM Sessions)

Suggested Attire: Shades of Green

Thursday, February 27, 2025-Professional Counselors will NOT Meet on this day.

Friday, February 28, 2025-Central Office Staff (Virtual Session)

Suggested Attire: Shades of Yellow

Additionally, we will celebrate PLC Coaches/Instructional Facilitators Day on Monday, February 24, 2025, with a “Love Is in the Air” theme (Participants are encouraged to wear Red, Pink, or Purple on this day. Please ensure that your school’s PLC Coach and/or Instructional Facilitator is present at this meeting as we recognize their service to academic achievement. 

As always, remind your staff of their designated day to attend Leadership Development Week so that we can inform them of current best practices and pertinent information throughout our District.

Please review the MTSS Lead Weekly Updates for the week of 2/24/25.

Principals,

Please complete and share with school staff who support RTI2A the 2024-25 RTI2A Feedback Survey so that adjustments can be considered based on feedback.  If there are questions, contact Emily Vuoso.

Attention Elementary Leaders, 1st -3rd Grade Teachers, and Librarians!!!

MSCS is very excited to announce our continued partnership with the Governor's Early Literacy Foundation (GELF) K-3 Home Library Program.  This is a FREE book delivery program for students and schools! Please note that over the summer, grade specific mini libraries along with correlating activity cards will be shipped to our current K-2 students' homes.  Elementary schools will receive copies of the high-quality texts in the month of May to distribute to next year's 1st, 2nd, and 3rd grade teachers.  Additionally, school librarians should receive copies of all grade level books. Please note that parents, teachers, librarians and schools do not have to do anything to be included in this initiative.  However, communications regarding opting out are forthcoming for parents who wish to opt out and not receive the mini libraries this summer. To learn more about the K-3 Home Library Program, check out the one-pager linked here that includes a list of the titles that will be delivered for each grade level.

https://scsk12.sharepoint.com/:b:/s/MSCSOfficeofLiteracy/Ef9z9bgdzJxMuMxmsZ0mtesBaD8FAALTHBpWNA61PacwYw?e=dpZreo

Questions? Email OfficeofLiteracy@scsk12.org

To support schools and teachers around addressing and or reteaching standards that need additional support based on recent iReady, network CFA, and or short cycle assessment data, an ELA Standards Toolkit has been curated.  This toolkit provides schools with ease of access to a variety of standards resources. These resources include support for deepening teachers’ understanding of the expectations of the standards, support for identifying where the standards live in the ELA curriculum and provide standards specific assessment and reteach practice items.  Click here to access the toolkit..

https://scsk12.sharepoint.com/:f:/s/2024-25CurriculumResources/EpFH_Wt2sztIi0wDq6nPnx4BO0MToJageSsvN20C5xBJPA?e=uagiHf

Curriculum & Instruction is excited to share the latest edition of the Teaching & Learning Advisory.  It's packed with important updates regarding testing preparations, instructional reminders, and upcoming professional learning opportunities.  Be sure to check it out and share it with teachers!

https://secure.smore.com/n/fm76v

February District Learning Day (Guidebook Linked): February 2025 District Learning Day follows a school-based format, featuring sessions encompassing a whole group address, school-based professional learning, instructional planning, and deliberate practice. Teachers whose departments elect to meet with them may attend their professional learning sessions in lieu of school-based learning for a full day or a half day.

February 2025 DLD Guidebook.pdf *View only. Please check back for updates through Tuesday, February 11, 2025. 

ACTION REQUIRED: To ensure proper credit, register for District Learning Day in PLZ by February 12, 2025.

FULL DAY​

College, Career and Technical Education – In-person​ (PLZ Course #47683)

Curriculum & Instruction World Languages – In-person​ (PLZ Course #47684)

Curriculum & Instruction Social Studies – In-person​ (PLZ Course #47685)

Fine Arts – Orff Music – In-person​ (PLZ Course #47686)

Pre-K/Division of Early Childhood - Virtual​ (PLZ Course #47687)

Proximity Teachers – In-person​ (PLZ Course #47689)

Secondary Music/Dance – In-person​ (PLZ Course #47690)

Visual Arts and Theatre – In-person (PLZ Course #47691)

HALF DAY​

Behavior Specialists - Virtual (AM) (PLZ Course #47692)

Counseling Services – In-person​ (AM) (PLZ Course #47693)

Curriculum & Instruction Mathematics – Virtual ​(PM) (PLZ Course #47694)

Curriculum & Instruction Science – Virtual​ (PM) (PLZ Course #47695)

(K-2) Office of Literacy – Virtual​ (PM) (PLZ Course #47696)

(3-5) Office of Literacy – Virtual​ (PM) (PLZ Course #47697)

(6-8) Office of Literacy – Virtual​ (PM) (PLZ Course #47698)

(9-12) Office of Literacy – Virtual​ (PM) (PLZ Course #47699)

Family and Community Engagement – Virtual​ (PM) (PLZ Course #47700)

Office of Multilingual Learners – Virtual​ (PM) (PLZ Course #47701)

Optional Schools and Advanced Academics – Virtual (PM) (PLZ Course #47702)

TBD ​​*Department of Exceptional Education will meet with teachers. Times are currently being determined by the Department.

DEE - CLUE (PLZ Course #47730) 

DEE - Occupational & Physical Therapists (PLZ Course #47731) 

DEE - Speech Language Pathologists (PLZ Course #47732) 

DEE - Preschool (PLZ Course #47733) 

DEE - Visually Impaired (PLZ Course #47734) 

DEE - Hearing Impaired (PLZ Course #47735) 

DEE - IR, STEP, DT Homebound (PLZ Course #47736)

DEE - AFS, BIC, FS Homebound (PLZ Course #47737) 

In the event you still need additional support, please do not hesitate to reach out to performanceandleadership@scsk12.org

All staff

Check out the 2nd Edition of the January Teaching & Learning Advisory.  This edition highlights beneficial reteaching resources and professional learning opportunities.  Please ensure your teachers are aware of these upcoming opportunities.

https://secure.smore.com/n/nzb6vx

February 2025 District Learning Day follows a school-based format, featuring sessions encompassing a whole group address, school-based professional learning, instructional planning, and deliberate practice. Teachers whose departments elect to meet with them may attend their professional learning sessions in lieu of school-based learning. ​

• Teachers will earn 6 hours of PDP credit for their participation.​
• Teachers will meet with their departments either virtually or off-site. Detailed session formats will be provided in the February 2025 District Learning Day Guidebook, which will be included in the February 7th edition of Leader Board.​
• Principals are required to submit their agendas using the designated Microsoft Form by the close of business on February 14, 2025.

Principals - Upload Your DLD Professional Learning Agendas by 02/14/2025: Principals, don’t forget to submit your DLD School-Based Professional Learning agendas by 02/14/2025 using the designated Microsoft Form.

For questions, contact performanceleadershipdevelopment@scsk12.org. 

Save the Date​: February 2025 Leadership Development Week

• Monday, February 24, 2025: PLC Coaches &​ Instructional Facilitators
• Tuesday, February 25, 2025: Principals & Vice-Principals
• Wednesday, February 26, 2025: Assistant Principals & Deans of Students
• Thursday, February 27, 2025: Professional School Counselors
• Friday, February 28, 2025: Central Office Staff

For more information, contact performanceleadershipdevelopment@scsk12.org

February 2025 District Learning Day follows a school-based format, featuring sessions encompassing a whole group address, school-based professional learning, instructional planning, and deliberate practice. Teachers whose departments elect to meet with them may attend their professional learning sessions in lieu of school-based learning for a full day or a half day.

February 2025 DLD Guidebook.pdf *View only. Please check back for updates through Tuesday, February 11, 2025.

February District Learning Day Schedules

MSCS Departments (Full Day)
8:00am – 8:30am – Arrival/ Check-in at DLD location sites/schools
9:00am – 11:00am – Professional Learning Content Sessions (MSCS Departments/Schools)
11:00am – 12:30pm – Lunch (travel time included)
12:30pm – 2:45pm – Professional Learning Content Sessions (MSCS Departments/Schools)
2:45pm – 3:00pm – Closing & Next Steps
 

MSCS Departments (Half Day) - Behavior Specialist ONLY

8:00am – 9:00am – Arrival/ Check-in at DLD location sites/schools

9:00am – 12:00pm – Behavior Specialists Professional Learning

12:00pm – 1:00pm – Lunch
1:00pm – 2:45pm – Collaborative Planning and Deliberate Practice or MSCS Department Professional Learning
2:45pm – 3:00pm – Closing & Next Steps

MSCS Departments (Half Day) - Professional School Counselors ONLY
8:00am – 8:30am – Arrival/ Check-in at DLD location sites/schools

8:30am – 12:00pm – Professional School Counselors Sessions/Lunch/Dismissal to Schools

*Additional details for the remainder of the day forthcoming. See Guidebook for live updates.

MSCS Departments (Half Day) - Participants begin at school location from 8:00am – 11:30am – School Choice Professional Learning
11:30am – 1:00pm – Lunch & Travel Time
1:00pm – 2:45pm – Collaborative Planning and Deliberate Practice or MSCS Department Professional Learning
2:45pm – 3:00pm – Closing & Next Steps
 

ACTION REQUIRED: To ensure proper credit, register for District Learning Day in PLZ by February 12, 2025.

FULL DAY​

• College, Career and Technical Education – In-person​ (PLZ Course #47683)
• Curriculum & Instruction World Languages – In-person​ (PLZ Course #47684)
• Curriculum & Instruction Social Studies – In-person​ (PLZ Course #47685)
• Fine Arts – Orff Music – In-person​ (PLZ Course #47686)
• Pre-K/Division of Early Childhood - Virtual​ (PLZ Course #47687)
• Proximity Teachers – In-person​ (PLZ Course #47689)
• Secondary Music/Dance – In-person​ (PLZ Course #47690)
• Visual Arts and Theatre – In-person (PLZ Course #47691)

HALF DAY​

• Behavior Specialists - Virtual (AM) (PLZ Course #47692)
• Counseling Services – In-person​ (AM) (PLZ Course #47693)
• Curriculum & Instruction Mathematics – Virtual ​(PM) (PLZ Course #47694)
• Curriculum & Instruction Science – Virtual​ (PM) (PLZ Course #47695)
• (K-2) Office of Literacy – Virtual​ (PM) (PLZ Course #47696)
• (3-5) Office of Literacy – Virtual​ (PM) (PLZ Course #47697)
• (6-8) Office of Literacy – Virtual​ (PM) (PLZ Course #47698)
• (9-12) Office of Literacy – Virtual​ (PM) (PLZ Course #47699)
• Family and Community Engagement – Virtual​ (PM) (PLZ Course #47700)
• Office of Multilingual Learners – Virtual​ (PM) (PLZ Course #47701)
• Optional Schools and Advanced Academics – Virtual (PM) (PLZ Course #47702)

In the event you still need additional support, please do not hesitate to reach out to Dr. Geneva Gordon at gordong@scsk12.org.

Principals - Upload Your DLD Professional Learning Agendas by 02/14/2025: Principals, don’t forget to submit your DLD School-Based Professional Learning agendas by 02/14/2025 using the designated Microsoft Form.

For questions, contact performanceleadershipdevelopment@scsk12.org. 

Please find the MTSS Leads Weekly Updates for the week of February 10th.

Please access the 2025 iReady MOY Data Dig Resources to replicate this with your schools. If there are questions, please contact Emily Vuoso (vuosoeb@scsk12.org).  If you need to request support for iReady, please email Trisha McCarter (tmccarter@cainc.com).

Please find the MTSS Lead Weekly Updates for the week of February 3, 2025.

Bring Free Girls Who Code Clubs to Your School or Organization!

Girls Who Code offers free Clubs for 3rd-12th graders, providing everything your staff needs to create and grow inclusive computer science learning spaces. When your team signs up to start a Club, they’ll receive comprehensive resources to help launch and lead the program successfully.

Clubs that enroll three or more members qualify for additional benefits, including access to a Clubs Fund of up to $300 for supplies and snacks via an Amazon Wish List.

Key Benefits of Girls Who Code Clubs:

Open to 3rd-12th graders (boys are welcome too!).
Safe, inclusive spaces that foster creativity and develop valuable coding skills.
There are no fees or hidden costs—just an opportunity to inspire the next generation of tech leaders.
Start a Club today and empower your learners to explore the exciting world of coding!

Apply Today!

See the Clubs Flyer for more information about our Clubs program for 3-12th graders. 
See the Summer Programs Flyer for more information about our summer program for 9-12th graders. Our Summer program application opened today. Any high school girl or nonbinary student can apply. If you have any students in our school district apply, they will get priority consideration since we will be partners.

If you have any questions, please contact Dr. Monica Smith at smithmc@scsk12.org

Application Link: https://clubs-hq.girlswhocode.com/login?showTab=signup&redirect=/gwc-club-application

Girls Who Code Flyer:

https://girlswhocode.com/assets/downloads/craft-prod/downloads/GWC-Clubs-Flyer.pdf

Summer Camp Flyer:

https://girlswhocode.com/assets/downloads/craft-prod/downloads/2025-SP_Flyer_vFinal-Domestic.pdf

Bring Free Girls Who Code Clubs to Your School or Organization!

Girls Who Code offers free Clubs for 3rd-12th graders, providing everything your staff needs to create and grow inclusive computer science learning spaces. When your team signs up to start a Club, they’ll receive comprehensive resources to help launch and lead the program successfully.

Clubs that enroll three or more members qualify for additional benefits, including access to a Clubs Fund of up to $300 for supplies and snacks via an Amazon Wish List.

Key Benefits of Girls Who Code Clubs:

Open to 3rd-12th graders (boys are welcome too!).
Safe, inclusive spaces that foster creativity and develop valuable coding skills.
There are no fees or hidden costs—just an opportunity to inspire the next generation of tech leaders.
Start a Club today and empower your learners to explore the exciting world of coding!

Apply Today!

See the Clubs Flyer for more information about our Clubs program for 3-12th graders. 
See the Summer Programs Flyer for more information about our summer program for 9-12th graders. Our Summer program application opened today. Any high school girl or nonbinary student can apply. If you have any students in our school district apply, they will get priority consideration since we will be partners.

If you have any questions, please contact Dr. Monica Smith at smithmc@scsk12.org

Application Link: https://clubs-hq.girlswhocode.com/login?showTab=signup&redirect=/gwc-club-application

Girls Who Code Flyer:

https://girlswhocode.com/assets/downloads/craft-prod/downloads/GWC-Clubs-Flyer.pdf

Summer Camp Flyer:

https://girlswhocode.com/assets/downloads/craft-prod/downloads/2025-SP_Flyer_vFinal-Domestic.pdf

Please find the January 27 MTSS Lead Weekly Updates.

Schools will provide Home Literacy Reports, following administration of the universal reading screener, to K-3 students scoring below the 15th percentile and are recommended for 16th-40th percentile.  These reports provide reading proficiency guidance, reading activities to use at home, and information on specific reading interventions and supports being provided as outlined in TCA 49-1-905(d).   Please be sure that the iReady Diagnostic Reports are sent home to parents along with this letter to inform parents of their student's scores.

Please review this week's MTSS Lead Weekly Updates.

The Winter Universal Screener Closes January 31, 2025 at 4:30 p.m.  All components of the Winter Universal Screener must be completed by this time to remain in compliance with state guidelines.  This includes manual score entry.  Please contact Emily Vuoso, vuosoeb@scsk12.org if there are any questions. 

Principals, please check in with your MTSS Leads to see how your school is progressing towards completion.

Greetings Geometry and Algebra 2 Teachers!

Recordings from recent vendor-led virtual Geometry and Algebra 2 sessions are available for viewing at the links below. For Geometry, use the passcode Jm6UUNL? to view the recording.

Curriculum and Instruction Mathematics

MathCurriculum&Instruction@scsk12.org

Big Ideas Geometry

https://scsk12.sharepoint.com/:v:/s/CIMathLinks/EZUvN-d0vnZDu8o_l9eDoM4BkbekSxNgZZoFnFMIRGvdLA?e=o7fGJP

Reveal Algebra 2

https://scsk12.sharepoint.com/:v:/s/CIMathLinks/ETZZyV23S-xImlh5ossD2UYBdbfLMkfyPjOn7oZXfq5MTw?e=PhVyy9

Audience: K-12 Science teachers

If you are a K-12 science teacher or a science administrator and would like your students to participate in the National competition Toshiba/ExploraVision deadline is fast approaching. It’s January 31, 2025. 

Everyone who enters has an opportunity to win: 

Students

• First Prize (4 teams): U.S. EE Savings Bond worth $10,000* at maturity for each student
• Second Prize (4 teams): U.S. EE Savings Bond worth $5,000* at maturity for each student
• National Finalists (8 teams): A trip to Washington, DC in June for ExploraVision Awards Week for each national winning student and one parent/legal guardian. Every winner receives a certificate.
• Regional Winners (24 teams): A Chromebook for each student and an awards ceremony for each regional winning team at its school where the team will receive a winner’s banner, certificate and other gifts
• Honorable Mention (~500 teams): A unique prize and certificate for each student
• All Participants: A certificate of participation and gift for every student whose team submits a complete project

*U.S. EE Savings Bonds issue price is half their face value. First- and second-place Canadian winners receive Canada Savings Bonds purchased for the equivalent issue price in Canadian dollars. Canada bonds face value may vary based on current exchange rate (for $5,000 U.S. and $2,500 U.S.) at time of purchase.

Coaches

• National Finalists: A trip to Washington, DC in June for ExploraVision Awards Week for the coach of each national winning team and a one-year NSTA membership to coaches of the national winning teams.
• Regional Winners: A Chromebook for the coach of each regional winning team.
• All Participants: A certificate of participation and a gift for each coach and mentor of every team that submits a complete project.

Schools

• Regional Winners: Schools receive a banner.
• National Winners: Schools receive a plaque.

Teachers

• As a special teacher prize, the top 32 teachers who submit over 32 eligible online entries will receive a technology/science-related gift.
• Any teacher who invites another K-12 educator to submit a project will receive a technology / science-related gift. (please visit the registration page for more information. Toshiba Exploravision Deadline.png)

Please review the MTSS Lead Weekly Updates for the week of 1/13/25.

Please see the 1/6/2025 MTSS Lead Weekly Updates.

The bi-weekly Teaching & Learning Advisory provides a snapshot of relevant academic updates, supports, and strategies.  Please review and share with your teachers.

https://secure.smore.com/n/7j18z

The registration link is now open if you need to enroll additional teachers in the Computer Science Endorsement Pathway (CSEP) Cohort for the Spring of 2025.

CSEP Registration Information:
Spring course registration will close when registration reaches 600 enrollees or on January 5, 2025, at 11:59 p.m. CST, whichever occurs first. If you cannot register for the Spring cohort, keep in mind there will be Fall and Spring cohorts in the foreseeable future. Remember, enrollment into the Spring Cohort is prioritized based on a school’s need and available space in the course. Please email Monica Smith at smithmc@scsk12.org if you have any questions or concerns.

Here is the registration link to sign up for the spring cohort of CSEP for 2025. https://stateoftennessee.formstack.com/forms/csep_teacher_registration_form_spring_2025

Please find this week's MTSS Lead Weekly Updates.

Please see the 12/9 MTSS Lead Weekly Updates.

iReady Family/Home Connection is available.  Students and families can access iReady at home via Clever.  This allows the student and family to see progress.  Students can access personalized instruction and games outside of school hours, but other features are not available. iReady will be available over Winter Break!

On December 2nd, i-Ready Pro’s Essential Lessons in core numeracy became available to students in Grades 6+. This year, if applicable, these lessons will automatically appear in a student’s My Path based on their most recent Diagnostic placement. This includes students in grades 7+ who placed at the K–5 level in the Number and Operations (NO) domain or Grade 6 students who placed at Grades K–4 in NO. 

The all-new Math Essential Lessons: 

-Are created specifically to reinforce and strengthen the core numeracy skills we know students need to be successful with grade-level content.  

-Include 32 total lessons, providing students with targeted intervention in whole numbers and rational numbers.  

-Are aligned strategically to help students make connections across different grades and topics and are written for older learners who have seen the content before but need review.   

-When these lessons become available, teachers and leaders will see enhanced Personalized Instruction reporting-- including a new grade-level drop down and new tab views to better customize their experience. For navigation details, access a quick tour of similar changes to Reading reports. 

To ensure students and teachers are prepared for the new Essential Lessons in core numeracy, consider the following tips and tools: 

Share the i-Ready Pro Essential Lessons in core numeracy communication template with school teachers and staff working with students in Grades 6+. 

Get familiar with i-Ready Pro with this 15-minute Welcome to i-Ready Pro course. 

Visit i-ReadyCentral.com/Pro  for all guidance and resources. 

Access the FAQ: i-Ready Pro for details about placement, organization, and monitoring or Essential Lessons in Core Numeracy. 

The November Teaching & Learning Advisory is now available.  https://secure.smore.com/n/a79zj

Upcoming professional learning opportunities are highlighted as well as student engagement strategies and research.  Take a moment to review and share with your staff.

Please review the MTSS Lead Weekly Updates for the week of 11/18.

Please see the MTSS Lead Weekly Updates for the week of 11/12.  Of important note, the active tickets with PCG and Pearson are causing the data quality alert in PowerBi as noted by the exclamation mark in the top right corner of the screen.  It is best to review data directly from the source student by student at this time.

• Please review the most recent version of the TDOE ESL Manual. It contains a wealth of information regarding instruction, compliance, and resources for Multilingual Learners.

TDOE ESL Manual_October 2024 Update.

• If you have not already hosted your ESL Family Night, please do so prior to the end of Semester 1.
• In order to receive TISA funding, all students identified as Multilingual Learners (Ls), students receiving Indirect ESL services (Ws), and Transitional Year 1 (T1), and Year 2 (T2) students are required to have a compliant ILP in TN Pulse.
• Individual Learning Plan (ILP) Quarterly Monitoring Forms must be completed in ELLevation by November 13.
• Please ensure that your ESL teacher(s) has access to PowerSchool SIS and is assigned to their Multilingual Learners(MLs) in the system. All MLs must be scheduled for their required ESL service in PowerSchool using the appropriate course code.
• The Office of Multilingual Learners' virtual District Learning Day for ESL teachers will take place from 8:00 a - 3:00 p on November 5. Links and the agenda will be shared directly with teachers. Teachers can register in PLZ with course code #47373.

Students in grades K-8 took the iReady Reading and Math Diagnostic Assessments in August along with select students in grades 9-12 who are enrolled in Tier 2 or 3 intervention courses along with some students with IEPs.  Once students take the Diagnostic Assessments, the iReady platform develops a Personalized Instruction path for students.  School Admin, MTSS Leads, and classroom teachers can actively monitor how students are doing with their personalized instruction path as it relates to minutes per week and lesson pass rates.  Check it out on your iReady dashboard!  

If you need assistance with understanding personalized instruction within iReady you can search “personalized instruction” from iReady Central found in the Help tab.  If you would like to schedule training for your school, please reach out to our Curriculum Associates PD Team Elaine Price, eprice@cainc.com or Lorene Essex, lessex@cainc.com .  

Tennessee Tiered Supports Center is excited to announce two free, open-access Community of Practice series in November and December. One or both of these events might fit into your upcoming fall or winter in-service agendas. They will be virtual via Zoom and last approximately 1.5 hours. West, Middle, and East regions are eligible to register for these events. Please share with anyone who may be interested in attending!

Below are the topics of each Community of Practice series, information about the sessions being offered, and registration links. Please note that each person attending must register individually.

Please find the MTSS Lead Weekly Updates for the week of November 4, 2024.

Please share the November MTSS Professional Learning Opportunities.  Some learning opportunities are role, specific so the intended audience is included under the title.

The Department of Exceptional Education is having our Exceptional Education Institute - "Exceptional Education: A Path to Success".  There are opportunities for exceptional educators to present, network, and speak with vendors. Join us! 

Saturday, November 9, 2024

9:00 a.m. - 2:00 p.m.

Colonial Middle School 

Register in PLZ. The course code is 47356. 

A stipend will be provided for MSCS Exceptional Education Staff. 

Contact Ms. Erika Williams (williamsem@scsk12.org) or call 416-6025 for questions or additional details.

https://scsk12-my.sharepoint.com/shared?id=%2Fsites%2FDECHSLeaderboardContent%2FShared%20Documents%2FExceptional%20Education%20A%20Path%20to%20Success&listurl=https%3A%2F%2Fscsk12%2Esharepoint%2Ecom%2Fsites%2FDECHSLeaderboardContent%2FShared%20Documents&viewid=160789ea%2D3c18%2D42e3%2D99ac%2D51cdf110a0a7

The BOOK IT! Campaign officially kicked off on Oct. 1.  We are eager to highlight participating students and teachers, on a monthly basis.  Principals, or a designee, please complete the form linked below to let us know which teachers in your building are participating.  

A District leader will follow up to notify you when your school and staff will be highlighted.  https://forms.office.com/r/4tNpJuDwru

Teachers can continue to sign-up students at bookitprogram.com, throughout the campaign. The campaign runs from October 2024 through March 2025.  Let’s make reading deliciously fun!

Please reach out to Dr. Amy Maples, maplesa@scsk12.org, with any questions.