Board Briefs, Volume 36, Issue 19

Board
Volume 36, Issue 19
JPS SCHOOL BOARD:
Ms. Beneta Burt
President
Dr. Richard Lind
Vice President
Mr. Jed H. Oppenheim
Secretary
Dr. Otha Burton, Jr.
Member
Ms. Camille Stutts Simms
Member
Mr. Kodi Hobbs
Member
Mr. Rickey Jones
Member
Dr. Cedrick Gray
Superintendent
Ms. JoAnne Shepherd
JPS Counsel
Ms. Dorian Turner
Board Counsel
Ms. Vikki Mumford
Secretary to the Board
Briefs
JACKSON PUBLIC SCHOOLS
April 19, 2016
CALL TO ORDER
Board President Beneta Burt called to order the April 19, 2016, regular meeting
of the Jackson Public Schools Board of Trustees.
PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE
The Pledge of Allegiance was led by Jayda Graham, a
fifth grade honor at Walton Elementary School. Jayda
has been a first place winner in the District Reading
Fair for three consecutive years. She has also won first
place in the school-level science fair and third place in
the District MLK Oratorical contest for her age group.
Jayda is secretary of the National Elementary Honor
Society and a member of the Walton Wildcats Cheerleaders. Her career goals are to attend a prestigious
college and become an entrepreneur. Jayda aspires to
create a cosmetic line and out-sell Beyoncé’s Grammy
-winning songs. She is a member of TrueLight M. B. Church, pastored by Rev.
Marcus E. Cheeks, where she serves as a youth choir member, praise dancer, and
a member of the junior usher board. She is also a member of Girl Scout Troop
#5026 of TrueLight.
PRAYER OF INVOCATION
The Invocation was given by Rev. Mark Young. Rev.
Young is a native of Yazoo City and Jackson, Mississippi. He received his primary education in the Yazoo
City schools and his secondary education from Jackson Public Schools. He is a 1999 graduate of Rust College and holds two master’s degrees. He is a doctoral
candidate at Jackson State University where he works
as an outreach coordinator in the Environmental Science program. Rev. Young is employed with the City
of Jackson and the Mississippi Crime Laboratory and
teaches social science classes at Tougaloo College
while also serving as assistant pastor of North Jackson Baptist Church. Rev.
Young is the proud father of three children.
Board Secretary Jed Oppenheim presented certificates of appreciation to Jayda
Graham and Rev. Mark Young.
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JPS BOARD MEETINGS:
TEACHER OF THE QUARTER AWARD WINNERS
The Board of Trustees generally
holds two regular meetings per
month.
Three JPS teachers received Teacher of the Quarter Awards presented by the
Downtown Rotary Club of Jackson during the organization’s weekly luncheon
held on April 18. Teacher of the Quarter honorees are JPS teachers who demonstrate excellence in their profession and go the extra mile to serve scholars and
the community. The teachers recognized for the current quarter were Sadie Harris
of Provine High School, Diane Stapleton of Chastain Middle School, and Konessia Taylor of Dawson Elementary School.
Next month’s Board meetings will
be held on May 3 and 17, 2016,
at 5:30 p.m. in the Board Meeting
Room located at 621 South State
Street.
JPS Supt. Dr.
Cedrick Gray recognizes JPS Teachers of the Quarter
for the current
quarter. The Rotary
Club presented certificates and other
gifts to these teachers during an earlier recognition
event.
The Jackson Public Schools Board
of Trustees welcomes public
comments
regarding
policy
revisions.
CONTACT THE BOARD:
Jackson Public Schools
School Board Office
662 S. President Street
Jackson, MS 39201
Email:
[email protected]
JPS Website:
www.jackson.k12.ms.us
REGIONAL AND STATE READING FAIR WINNERS
Dr. Vicki Davidson, Director of Advanced Academics, announced that four students who were District Reading Fair winners had advanced to the Regional and
State fairs. These students were Austin Dean of Casey Elementary, Brianna Collins of Cardozo Middle, and Arielle Brumfield and Arianna Brumfield of Power
APAC Elementary. Arianna and Arielle won first place in their division at the
State competition held April 19.
WATCH MEETINGS ON JPS ITV:
Channel 19 Program Schedule
Dr. Cedrick Gray
congratulates elementary and middle
school scholars who
excelled at the
school and District
reading fairs and
advanced to regional and state competitions.
JPS ITV on YouTube
CONNECT WITH JPS ONLINE!
Facebook.com/JacksonPublicSchools
Twitter.com/DrCedrickGray
FRESHMAN
ACADEMY ESSAY CONTEST WINNERS
As a follow-up activity to the Career Exploration Fair, JPS high school freshman
were asked to share their experiences through a student essay contest. Each
school selected a contest winner. Each of the school winners was judged by District personnel to determine the overall winner.
Board Briefs, April 19, 2016
JACKSON PUBLIC SCHOOLS
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ANNOUNCEMENTS
FRESHMAN ACADEMY ESSAY CONTEST WINNERS
(Continued)
Essay winners with
High Schools CAO
Dr. Fredrick Murray, from left, and
Marquita Lavine.
Overall winner Patrick Johnson of
Provine shared
from his essay that
the Career Exploration Fair is key to
his future success.
JPS RETIREMENT CELEBRATION
We will honor our retirees at a
reception on May 4 at 4 p.m. at
Kirksey Middle School.
JPS COMMUNITY CHATS
JPS Community Chats about state
tests:
Forest Hill – Wednesday, May 4
Jim Hill – Monday, May 9
Murrah – Tuesday, May 10
Lanier – Wednesday, May 11
SALUTE TO SCHOLARS
36th Annual Salute to Scholars
honoring the top ten seniors at
each high school will be held May
5 at 6 p.m. at Murrah High
School.
PRE-K & KINDERGARTEN ONLINE
REGISTRATION
Online registration for new pre-K
and kindergarten students is
ongoing through May 24.
HIGH SCHOOL GRADUATION
ACTIVITIES
JPS high schools will hold
commencement activities for
graduating seniors on May 23 &
24. Order DVDs starting June 6.
Get details about these events
and more on our website at
www.jackson.k12.ms.us.
The overall winner, runners-up and other school winners were presented by
Academies Director Marquita Lavine as follows:
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Kiandra McCarthy, Forest Hill
Queen Sipp, Callaway
Daniel Wynn, Lanier
Kristianna Kinsey, Jim Hill, 3rd Place Overall
Kaitlyn Fowler, Murrah, 2nd Place Overall
Patrick Johnson, Provine, 1st Place Overall
MIDDLE SCHOOL ACADEMIES INITIATIVES ANNOUNCED
Middle Schools Chief Academic Officer Chinelo Evans announced new initiatives coming to three JPS middle schools.
The Hardy Career Exploration Academy will expose students
to career curriculum topics such as engineering, digital media,
animation, video gaming simulation, and coding. The initiative
features a partnership with the Career Development Center,
EJES Engineering, and school adopters.
The Rowan Academy of Achievement will help scholars to
catch up and graduate on time with their peers. Students over
age for their grade level will receive core instruction and be
eligible to complete grades 6-9 in two calendar years and promotion to 10th grade upon successful completion.
The Powell Academy of Military Science will allow students to
access to the JROTC program and join other Middle School
Cadet Corps around the nation.
The goals of these initiatives are to increase average daily attendance, attract and retain high-quality staff, improve student
achievement, and increase graduation rates.
Board Briefs, April 19, 2016
JACKSON PUBLIC SCHOOLS
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2015–2016
DISTRICT CALENDAR
May 23 & 24, 2016
Graduation Ceremonies
May 25, 2016
Last Day for Students
May 27, 2016
Last Day for Teachers
May 30, 2016
Memorial Day
2016–2017 DISTRICT CALENDAR APPROVED
The JPS School Board approved the District Calendar for the 2016-2017 school
year. The first day of school for teachers is August 4, 2016, and the first day for
students is August 9. District-wide closures for next year include:
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July 4-8, 2016–Independence Day
September 5, 2016–Labor Day
October 10, 2016–Fall Break
November 21-26, 2016–Thanksgiving Break
December 23, 2016-January 5, 2017–Winter Break
January 16, 2017–Martin Luther King, Jr. Holiday
March 13-17, 2017–Spring Break
April 14 & 17, 2017–Easter Break
May 29, 2017–Memorial Day
For the complete calendar, visit www.jackson.k12.ms.us/DistrictCalendar.
JPS SCHOOL BOARD APPROVES COMMUNITY DONATIONS
The Jackson Public Schools Board of Trustees approved the administration’s request to accept the following donations:
JACKSON PUBLIC SCHOOLS

Middle School Challenge Bowl—$10 gift card to BRAVO, Broad Street
and Sal and Mookies from Mangia Bene Restaurant Management Group, Inc.
to be used as a student prize.
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Spann Elementary School—from Bellwether Church:
WILDLY IMPORTANT GOALS
1. Increase Academic
Performance and
Achievement
2. Increase Average Daily
Attendance for Students,
Teachers, and Staff
3. Attract and Retain High
Quality Teachers,
Administrators and Staff
Board Briefs, April 19, 2016
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HP personal computer valued at $230
Brother laser printer valued at $100
Dell computer valued at $185
Canon PIXMA printer valued at $3,552
Two refurbished Apple iPads valued at $179.99
JACKSON PUBLIC SCHOOLS
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