Employee - Tuscaloosa County School System

Learning, Growing, Achieving
T u s c a l o o s a
C o u n t y
S c h o o l
S y s t e m
Volume 1, Issue 2
March,
March,2013
2013
Employee
Newsletter
Search for a New Leader in Progress
Inside this issue:
Inside Story
2
In This Department...
3-5
District News
6-8
School Spotlight
9-12
Buhl Elementary
9
Flatwoods Elementary
10
Northside Middle
11
Sipsey Valley High
12
Closing Notes
13
Safety Tip:
Learn the school's
emergency procedures. Emergency procedures and phone
numbers are usually
included in safe school
plans and posted in
classrooms. Taking a
few extra minutes to
familiarize yourself and
students with emergency information can provide the confidence
needed to act quickly in
emergency situations.
The Tuscaloosa County Board of Education has re-opened its search for the
next leader of the Tuscaloosa County School System. Desirable traits include
an experienced leader with strong interpersonal and instructional leadership
skills. The ideal candidate will be a team builder who can collaboratively develop a system vision that excites, unites and motivates students, the community and employees. The Alabama Association of School Boards (AASB) will be
managing the search process.
Search Timeline
Application Deadline
Finalists Delivered to the Board
Interviews
Superintendent Begins
March 18, 2013
April 2, 2013
April 8-12, 2013
July 1, 2013
System employees and the public are welcome and encouraged to attend interviews. This next leader will be the system’s 30th Superintendent of Education.
Some of the previous Superintendents and their years of service are listed below.
Dr. Kermit A. Johnson
Dr. Woodrow W. Elliott
Dr. Charles Sprayberry
Dr. Carlton Smith
Dr. Neil Hyche
Dr. Joyce N. Sellers
Dr. Frank P. Costanzo
Mr. Dan Butler (Interim)
September 1949 – August 1959
August 1959 – August 1968
August 1968 – June 1984
July 1984 – January 1986
May 1986 – January 1994
February 1994 – December 2003
January 2004 – February 2012
Mach 1, 2012 - present
Page 2
Inside Story
TCSS Board
Members
Mr. Gary Bonner
District 4 (2014)
Rev. Schmitt Moore
District (2018)
Mr. James Barnett
District 2 (2014)
Mr. Gary Mims
District 3 (2018)
Mr. Mark Nelson
District 5 (2016)
Mr. Joe Boteler
District 6 (2016)
Mr. Bill Copeland
District 7 (2018)
The Common Core and Alabama
In November 2010, Alabama joined a number of other states in adopting the Common Core State Standards
(CCSS) in mathematics and English/language arts. The
Common Core State Standards Initiative is a state-led
effort coordinated by the National Governors’ Association and the Council of Chief State School Officers. The
standards provide a consistent framework that is rigorous and evidence-based to prepare students for college
and the workforce.
The College and Career Ready Standards (CCRS)
are a combination of the CCSS and standards added by
the state of Alabama. According to Dr. Tommy Bice,
“Incorporating the Common Core Standards into our already highly regarded content standards brings a new
level of rigor and perceptual understanding of teaching
and learning.” These standards represent comprehensive reform of the K-12 curriculum that includes major
instructional shifts.
Implemented in the Tuscaloosa County School System this year, the Mathematics CCRS include several
instructional shifts calling for a greater focus in mathematical practices, rather than coverage of content, and
coherent progressions from grade to grade. The standards require a deeper conceptual understanding of the
content, procedural fluency, and application of concepts
supported through rigorous instruction.
The English/Language Arts CCRS will be implemented in the fall of 2013 and contain three major shifts:
1) content-rich nonfiction text, 2) reading, writing, and
speaking grounded in evidence from text, both literary
and informational, and 3) regular practice with complex
text and its academic language.
Dr. Bice offered these absolutes as guidelines for
implementation of the CCRS: teach to the standards
through a locally aligned curriculum, supported by resources and professional development, monitored
through formative assessments, and with the goal that
every student graduates from high school.
Page 3
In This Department...
Christina Womack
[email protected]
Leah Jones
[email protected]
Charlotte Alvarez
[email protected]
Learning English in the TCSS
The Tuscaloosa County School System first established an ESL (English as a
Second Language) program in 1996. In 1996, the program consisted of fortyfive students on eight campuses and one ESL Specialist (Christina Womack).
Over the years the number of students in the program has grown at a rapid rate.
The program currently serves 464 students on thirty-four campuses. Of those
students, 341 receive weekly services and 123 are monitored on a monthly basis. The ESL program staff now includes three ESL Specialists (Christina
Womack, Leah Jones, and Charlotte Alvarez) and multiple Title III tutors and
translators. Services provided by the ESL program include, but are not limited
to:










This chart represents the growth of
TCSS students who
have a language
other than English
spoken in the
home. All of these
students are evaluated by the ESL
Program; however,
not all qualify for
services.
assisting in enrolling new students who have a home language survey indicating another language is spoken in the home
screening students for eligibility for the ESL program
assisting with kindergarten registration
annual testing of all English Learners (ELs)
providing training and consultations for employees
providing consultation during PST meetings
providing translators (when available) to enhance school-home communication
providing tutoring for eligible students
maintaining a resource library for teachers and tutors
providing other assistance as needed.
Growth rate of students who have another
language spoken in the home
900
800
Number of Students
English as a
Second Language (ESL)
700
600
500
400
300
200
100
0
1996-1997
2001-2002
2006-2007
Academic Year
2008-2009
2012-2013
Page 4
In This Department...
Attendance
& Discipline
Greg Hurst
[email protected]
A Department that is Committed, Goal
Oriented, and Job Specific
Student Support Services is committed to providing assistance to all students and
their families in an effort to remove all academic barriers to learning. Our goal is to
assist students, parents, school administrators and other school personnel in Tuscaloosa County in ensuring that each student has the opportunity to learn, grow, and
achieve. Our job is to create a safe and supportive environment, where students are
able to reach their full potential. We strive to make certain that students are served in
a way that enhances not only personal development but also is conductive to promoting a safe and orderly school environment. The administrative personnel in Student
Services are able to assist with the following issues:
Admission Requirements
School Safety Concerns
Residency Requirements/
Proof of Residency
McKinney-Vento/Homeless/
Unaccompanied Youth
Home School Information
Custody Petitions
Early Warning Truancy Prevention
Program
Code of Alabama Educational
Laws
Student Records
Student Handbook
Student Accident Reports
School Zone Information
Pre- Kindergarten Registration Information
Attendance Issues/Concerns
Discipline Issues/Concerns
IMPACT
Transfers
School Safety Concerns
Section 504 Compliance
Accounting
Danny Higdon
[email protected]
Retirement Information
There are several options available for employees that wish to
increase their income when they retire. One of those options
is RSA 1 with the Retirement Systems of Alabama. For more
information on RSA 1 please call 1-877-517-0020 or visit their
website at http://www.rsa-al.gov/RSA-1/rsa-1.html.
Page 5
In This Department...
Technology
Safeguarding Your Computer
Tom Perrymon
[email protected]
“An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.” – Benjamin Franklin
Truer words have never been spoken, especially when it comes to maintaining computers. There are a number of things that can be damaging to your
computer, such as dust, heat, and failure to run updates, all of which can be
prevented with simple maintenance. But what usually does the most damage to
most computers is malware. Conversely, this is also one of the easiest problems
to prevent.
Malware refers to software that is specifically designed to damage or disrupt a computer, and it comes in many forms. The most common forms are viruses, Trojans, and worms, and they can enter your computer in a number of
ways.
Viruses can enter computers or IT systems in a number of ways, causing
effects that range from simply annoying to highly-destructive and irreparable.
A computer virus attaches itself to a program or file enabling it to spread from
one computer to another, leaving infections as it travels. A Trojan (sometimes
called a Trojan Horse), while not the same as a virus, is equally common and
can be just as damaging. Trojans enter computers appearing to be harmless
programs, install themselves, and then carry out actions that affect user confidentiality. A Worm is similar to a virus, but it differs in that all it does is make
copies of itself (or part of itself). It eventually uses up all of your memory and
freezes your computer. To prevent the spread of malware, all one needs to do is
follow a few simple rules.
First, be wary of questionable emails, as opening an infected e-mail attachment is the most common way to get a virus. Such emails might sound threatening in nature, by telling you “an attempt has been made to access your bank
account” and you should enter your account information and password immediately for your protection. Any email that asks you for any personal information, no matter how official looking, should be deleted immediately and that
company contacted. Even emails with links in them from people you know can
be suspect, especially when they only use your email address and do not refer
to you by name.
Second, use at least one reputable malware prevention program. Two or
more is better, because no single program catches all malware. The TCSS uses
Sophos, which runs continuously on all system computers. TCSS technicians
also frequently use Ad-aware and Malwarebytes, which have free, downloadable versions available.
Finally, keep your computer updated, and shut it down at least twice a
week. All TCSS computers run Windows, which has many safeguards in place
to prevent malware from attacking the machine. But as computers get older,
they don’t always run those updates automatically. If you see a little yellow
shield appear on the taskbar on your computer, click it to allow it to run the
needed updates. Also, some updates only start working after the computer has
been turned off, so shutting it down on a regular basis can be healthy.
First, be wary of questionable emails, as
opening an infected email attachment is the
most common way to
get a virus.
Page 6
District News
Outstanding Tuscaloosa County School Teachers Are
Recognized
It is always exciting for us, as a system, to recognize our many outstanding teachers. Each year, schools
nominate teachers to represent them in the Jacksonville State University Teacher Hall of Fame and Alabama
Teacher of the Year Award competitions.
Jacksonville State University Teacher Hall of Fame
In 1969, Jacksonville State University initiated a Teacher Hall of Fame to honor and to recognize the
classroom teachers of the public schools in the State of Alabama. Teachers must maintain exemplary standards of behavior and ethics, exhibit leadership, be enthusiastic about teaching, demonstrate competency in
subject matter, work well with colleagues and administrators, and constantly seek to encourage, inspire, and
motivate students toward greater accomplishment. Since 1969, the Tuscaloosa County Schools have had six
teachers inducted into the Teacher Hall of Fame: Ms. Jessie Freeman (1969-70), Ms. Sallie Cook (197576), Ms. Laurie Bauer (1991-92), Ms. Earnestine Giles (2003-04), Ms. Sheila Hocutt-Remington (200708), and Ms. Amber Barnes (2009-10).
This year’s school nominees are as follows: Ms. Cynthia G. Ballard, Holt Elementary; Ms. Ashley
Michelle Bounds, Huntington Place Elementary; Ms. Denise Bradberry, Hillcrest Middle; Dr. Douglas
Channell, Tuscaloosa County High; Ms. Ashley Davidson, Matthews Elementary; Ms. Susan Davis,
Vance Elementary; Ms. Jody Evans, Hillcrest High; Ms. Tyera Ford, Echols Middle; Ms. Parketta Gardner, Sipsey Valley High; Ms. Sara Harpole, Cottondale Elementary; Ms. Dana Heaton, Northport Elementary; Ms. Ann Horst, Taylorville Primary; Ms. Brandy Keeton, Brookwood Middle; Ms. Tiffany
Lovelady, Westwood Elementary; Ms. Amanda Lyons, Myrtlewood Elementary; Ms. Ginger Martz, Collins-Riverside Middle; Ms. Townley Camellia Nalls, Lake View Elementary; Ms. Brittney Oden, Englewood Elementary; Ms. Brenda Pate, Walker Elementary; Ms. Lynsey Skelton, Crestmont Elementary;
Ms. Shannon Stubbs, Faucett-Vestavia Elementary; Ms. Katherine Turner, Maxwell Elementary; Ms.
Beth Walker, Sipsey Valley High; Dr. Leslie Welker, Duncanville Middle; Ms. Kimberly West,
Brookwood Elementary; and Ms. Patricia White, Buhl Elementary.
Ten semi-finalists were selected by the awards committee for interviews: Lynsey Skelton, Shannon
Stubbs, Katherine Turner, Dana Heaton, Dr. Leslie Welker, Denise Bradberry, Parketta Gardner,
Jacksonville State University Teacher Hall of Fame School
nominees, 2012-2013.
Jacksonville State University Teacher Hall of Fame TCSS
district nominees, 2012-2013.
District News
Page 7
Jody Evans, Beth Walker, and Dr. Douglas Channell.
Three of those semi-finalists have been chosen as system winners and will be in competition with other
teachers around the state for induction into the Jacksonville State University Teacher Hall of Fame. Elementary
system winner: Lynsey Skelton; Middle School system winner: Denise Bradberry; High School system winner: Jody Evans.
Alabama Teacher of the Year
The Alabama Teacher of the Year Program seeks annually to honor and recognize excellence in the teaching profession by identifying outstanding Alabama classroom teachers at local, district, and state levels. It honors and rewards outstanding K-12 educators for the quality of their teaching, their professional leadership, their
engagement with families and the community, and their potential for even greater contribution to the healthy
development of children.
This year’s school nominees are as follows: Ms. LaDonna Beck, Holt High; Ms. Deborah Carden, Westwood Elementary; Ms. Laurie Copeland, Faucett-Vestavia Elementary; Ms. Ashley Davidson, Matthews Elementary; Ms. Jody Evans, Hillcrest High; Ms. Sara Harpole, Cottondale Elementary; Ms. Jana Mixon Henry, Taylorville Primary; Ms. Leigh Ellen Herring, Brookwood Elementary; Ms. Shannon Hill, Maxwell Elementary; Ms. Angela Brown Holcomb, Northport Elementary; Ms. Sandra Ivy, Myrtlewood Elementary;
Ms. Jennifer McGuire, Vance Elementary; Ms. Althenia Morrow-Tate, Sipsey Valley Middle; Mr. Kyle
Preston Oden, Englewood Elementary; Mr. Dylan Parten, Brookwood High; Ms. Brenda Pate, Walker Elementary; Ms. Lynsey Skelton, Crestmont Elementary; Dr. Leslie Welker, Hillcrest Middle; Ms. Darlene
Tucker, Duncanville Middle; Ms. Megan Waters, Holt Elementary; Ms. Lydia Wheelus, Northside Middle;
Ms. Sedeidras Williams, Flatwoods Elementary; Ms. Charity Wright, Echols Middle; Ms. Patricia Wyatt,
Davis-Emerson Middle; and Ms. Diana Yessick, Sipsey Valley High School.
Nine semi-finalists were selected by the awards committee for interviews: Leigh Ellen Herring, Sara
Harpole, Lynsey Skelton, Laurie Copeland, Deborah Carden, Cathy Denise Rutledge, Darlene Tucker,
Dr. Leslie Welker, and Althenia Morrow-Tate.
Two of those semi-finalists have been chosen as system winners and will be in competition with other
teachers from around the state for Alabama Teacher of the Year. Elementary System winner: Leigh Ellen Herring; and Secondary System winner: Althenia Morrow-Tate.
Alabama Teacher of the Year school nominees, 2012-2013.
Alabama Teacher of the Year TCSS district nominees, 20122013.
Page 8
District News
State and National Recognitions
Several of our teachers have received state and national recognitions this year.
Renee Evans, Kathy Colburn, and Dana Heaton of Northport Elementary, as
well as Catherine Collins of Collins-Riverside Middle, earned National Board
Certification. Jamie Cox, of Cottondale Elementary, was named Outstanding Elementary Teacher of the Year by the Alabama State Association for Health, Physical Education, Recreation and Dance. Dr. Leslie Welker, Duncanville Middle
School, was awarded the 2012 Scroll of Excellence by the Women Band Directors
International for making outstanding contributions to music education and consistently producing bands of superior performance level. Kathy Colburn, Northport
Elementary, has been named the 2012-2013 Alabama Math, Science, and Technology Initiatives (AMSTI) Outstanding Math Teacher. This honor is reserved for
teachers that have been identified by AMSTI staff as providing their students with
quality instruction and serving as an advocate for math.
Congratulations to these outstanding educators! We are so proud that they are
part of the Tuscaloosa County School System.
Left: National Board
Certification recipients.
Right: Kathy Colburn,
AMSTI Outstanding
Math Teacher 20122013.
Welcome Mrs. Becky Brown, Principal, Brookwood
Middle School
Mrs. Becky Brown
Meeting in regular session on
Monday, February 11, 2013, the Tuscaloosa County Board of Education
named Mrs. Becky Brown as the new
principal of Brookwood Middle
School. Mrs. Brown has been in education for 22 years and has worked in
the elementary, middle, and high
school settings. After teaching for 13
years at Tuscaloosa County High and
Brookwood High Schools, she has
earned administrative experience as
an assistant principal at Northridge
High School, and as principal at both
University Place Middle School and
Woodland Forrest Elementary. Mrs.
Brown has a Bachelor of Science degree in secondary education and a
master’s degree in administration and
educational leadership from the University of Alabama.
Mrs. Brown has a strong background and record of experience in
curriculum and instruction. She believes that high expectations for all
are important and that her knowledge
and 14 years of experience in working
in the Brookwood community will be
a strong asset. Mrs. Brown says that
obtaining the principal’s position at
Brookwood Middle School is like
coming home. Mrs. Brown succeeds
Mr. Mark Franks who was promoted
to the principal’s position at Tuscaloosa County High School as of January 3, 2013.
Elementary Spotlight
Page 9
Buhl Elementary
In the early 1900’s the town of Buhl was thriv- uing this process in the upcoming year. We are aling as the second largest town in the area with the so involved in many hours of professional devellumber company and railroad systems as the major opment involving strategic teaching and underindustries of the community. During this time, in standing the new common core standards.
1910, land was gained by the Tuscaloosa County
Our Adopt-A-School Partners are Tuscaloosa
Board of Education to build Buhl School which Music Club and The Radiology Clinic. We are
would include grades first through twelfth. Mem- honored to be continuing partners with Tuscaloosa
bers of the Buhl community are proud to be a part Music Club who adopted us the first year of the
of the rich heritage and history of Buhl Elementary Adopt-A-School program in 1989. In 2002, we
School.
were excited to begin another partnership with The
Many changes have occurred to the school Radiology Clinic. Both partners play instrumental
since its beginning in 1910. In the early 1920s, roles in our school and support our faculty, staff,
Buhl School was a two story structure housing and students throughout the school year.
grades first through twelfth. In 1941 under the
The faculty at Buhl strives daily to provide stupresidency of Franklin D. Roosevelt, The Work dents with the same opportunities afforded more
Project Administration replaced that structure with affluent populations. We focus much of our effort
another wooden structure. In 1967, Buhl School on providing a wealth of opportunities for our stubecame Buhl Elementary School for grades first dents to use technology. We are equipped with a
through sixth. This wooden structure remained as computer lab, a mobile net book lab, I-pads, classthe office, lunch, and library areas of the school room computers, and other various methods. Stuwith new wings for classrooms built in the 1960’s dents also are provided opportunities to join our
and in 2003. In the summer of 2012, the Tusca- Buhl Elementary Choir and the Handbell Choir.
loosa County Board of Education oversaw the con- Both groups perform at PTO meetings and particistruction of a new building and the original wood- pate in field trips in the community. Today, our
en structure was demolished and replaced with our student council along with our entire student body
new gymnasium.
is focused on raising money for cancer research.
Although we are very proud to be a part of the To date, we have raised almost $300.00 by having
history of Buhl Elementary, our vision for the fu- a wear pink day, hats off to cancer day, and selling
ture is exciting. Educating our students to be the candy grams. By the end of April, our goal is to
leaders of tomorrow is our goal. This year we are raise $500.00 for cancer research.
incorporating Steven Covey’s Leader In
Me process. Our students are applying, interviewing, and taking responsibility for
positions as leaders in the school. They are
developing habits to become effective
members of a community. We are very
proud of the atmosphere this process is promoting at Buhl.
The faculty and staff at Buhl Elementary believe to grow as professionals we
must continue to learn professionally. We
are participating in the Instructional PartThe front of Buhl Elementary’s new school building.
ners partnership and look forward to contin-
Page 10
Elementary Spotlight
Flatwoods Elementary
Flatwoods Elementary School is home to 384
students in grades Pre-K through five. We are extremely proud of our diversity with 30% of our student body being Caucasian, 37% African American, 31% Hispanic, 1% Asian, and 1% mixed. Our
school is comprised of 39 faculty/staff members
who all work to see that our students succeed in
every area, and we are proud to report that Flatwoods Elementary Students made adequate yearly
progress meeting 13 out of our 13 goals in
2011/2012. Flatwoods is currently involved with
three processes that we would care to briefly expound on: career week, parent involvement, and
our STARS program.
Career Week
During the week of February 18th- 22nd, many
parents and guest speakers will visit classrooms as
part of our career week. Presenters will visit a
classroom (pre-k through 2nd grade) and discuss
their career with the students. These guest presenters will provide kid-friendly information about
their job along with hands-on demonstrations that
engage students in learning.
Career week culminates on Friday, February
22nd. Flatwoods Elementary will host a Career Fair
from 1:00 p.m. until 2:30 p.m. in our school cafeteria. Over twenty different booths will be erected,
and students from grades three through five will be
allowed to participate. This is the third year that
Flatwoods Elementary School parents and volunteers from the community have participated
in Career Day. Every
year, our students look
forward to having their
parents get involved
with their school.
PIT Crew
Rosetta Wilson is
the coordinator for our
“Parent Involvement
Team” and is employed through Tusca-
loosa’s One Place.
Our PIT crew meets
monthly, and they
strive to collaborate
with the Flatwoods
PTO. Many workshops
such as “Online Safety” and “Saving Money” are available to our
parents. During our
most recent PTO meeting, Carrie Summers
with the Northport Police Department, met and discussed with parents
the importance of internet safety. Kristy Jackson
also recently conducted a coupon class for our parents wanting to save money on groceries and other
monthly expenditures.
The most active parent leaders average about
100 volunteer hours each school year. Most parents involved in PIT Crew average 10-15 volunteer
hours per year and Crew members encourage all
parents to give at least two hours of their time each
semester. The students and staff of Flatwoods Elementary School are fortunate to have this multiple
collaboration with our parents, Tuscaloosa’s One
Place, and our community workers. We here at
Flatwoods fully support our PIT Crew’s slogan:
“When Parents participate-Children Succeed.”
STARS Program
47 students in grades two through five participate in STARS, Flatwoods’ afterschool tutoring
program. Again, Flatwoods partners with Tuscaloosa’s One Place to provide our students with the
opportunity to receive help with homework and
concepts taught in the classroom during afterschool
hours. This program has been extremely successful for our students, and we have seen an increase
in student grades as well as homework completion.
STARS is offered Tuesday through Thursday and
transportation home from school is provided. Samantha Rayburn is the STARS coordinator for
Flatwoods Elementary School.
Secondary Spotlight
Page 11
Northside Middle
Reading
Discipline
It has been a swift 10 years that have passed
since we opened our doors as the “new” Northside
Middle School in August of 2003. We are a small
school with student population of around 350 but
are lucky to be in a cluster of one school per level
and have a strong sense of community. Normal
school days have six periods but twice every nine
weeks we have an additional period for advisory
class. Our building has had three renovations, one
before we officially opened, one involving a library fire restoration and the last to upgrade our
bathrooms, cafeteria, bleachers and hallways.
Technology has improved greatly from our beginning; 12 computers for student use, a computer lab
for class use and a mobile Mac lab.
Northside Rams are proud to be able to field
successful teams in volleyball, football, basketball,
softball, baseball, track and our newest sport archery. We are proud to sponsor an outstanding
cheerleading squad, band, choir, math team, Scholar’s Bowl team and participate in the TCSS Middle
School Battle of the Books. Leadership opportunities are available through Student Council and our
Ambassadors programs.
Perhaps the most impressive change over these
years has been to create a reading culture for our
school. In January of 2011, Mr. Bobby Beasley and
Mr. Marlon Murray decided to implement a strategy of silent free reading for the first ten minutes of
EVERY class for the entire day one day a week.
The idea was presented to faculty as a way to address and improve our reading scores across the
board. Drop Everything And Read, D.E.A.R. as it
was called, became an instant success with both
students and faculty participating on Wednesdays.
As a result, library circulations went up, and AR
usage and test scores increased.
After the first year, returning students in the
fall quickly asked, “Are we going to get to read on
Wednesday’s again?” We did read even while we
were without a fully functioning library, helped by
generous donations from our students and community, using an honor system book cart, books in
teacher’s classrooms and more frequent visits from
Tuscaloosa Public Library’s Bookmobile. Administrators, faculty and staff read serving as role models while providing opportunities for conversations
about books and reading for pleasure began to be
viewed in a different more positive light.
Over the past two years we have seen a steady
increase in our reading test scores and using our
STAR program have seen more students at or
above benchmark scores and smaller percentages
of students who are in need of urgent intervention.
At the end of the year ARMT and SAT Reading
scores did show marked improvement.
Perhaps the most interesting and unexpected
benefit from our D.E.A.R. program has been the
virtual elimination of discipline visits to the office
on Wednesdays. Assistant Principal Murray has
noted that what few referrals come in on D.E.A.R.
days are almost always something that was started
on Tuesday. It is certainly easy to tell something is
different if you visit our school on Wednesdays,
especially early in the class period where all is quiet and no one wants to be disturbed while reading!
NSMS students reading silently on the gym floor on a D.E.A.R.
day.
Page 12
Secondary Spotlight
Sipsey Valley High
Sipsey Valley High School is in the 3rd year of
operation, opening in the fall of 2010. In our first
year we had a graduation class of only 34, which
increased to 54 in year two, and we have a projection of 90 this year. Last year our seniors were
awarded $636,976.00 in scholarships. We expect
to exceed that amount this year.
We are still seeing many “firsts” in our short
time of existence. This year we have seen a few of
these “firsts.” Our football team made the playoffs
for the first time, recording six victories. Our
boy’s basketball team won a school record 24
games this year making it to the state sub-region
game. In volleyball, the lady bears advanced to the
regionals in Montgomery for the first time in
school history. We are looking forward to our
spring sports and expect many good things from
them.
Besides athletics, we encourage the students to
get involved in some of the many clubs and organizations we offer, which also includes our fine arts
programs.
We have several band members that have been
selected to represent Sipsey Valley in the UA
Honor Band. These students are Destini Williams,
Tanner Morris and Katie Perry.
al Credit Union presented Brittany with a $50.00
VISA gift card and an engraved plaque. All weekly winners were required to write a 500 word or
fewer essay titled, “How Can a Credit Union
Member Benefit College Students?” Three scholarship winners will be selected from the essays of
weekly winners. The scholarship is valued at
$5000.00. Scholarship winners will be announced
at a banquet in May.
Another senior, Morgan Parson, has been selected as a Tuscaloosa Area Star Senior by Charter
Media.
She was nominated by the guidance
counselor. They based their selection on her resume, academics, character and involvement in the
community. She will receive a certificate and a
$100 savings deposit from Tuscaloosa Teacher’s
Credit Union and will be considered for the Senior
Award to be announced in May. She will be seen
on the Comcast and Charter networks in the next
few weeks.
Still under construction, our football stadium
will be ready for use next fall with Sipsey Valley
finally playing a true home game, which we haven’t for the first three years. It is an exciting time
not only for our school, but also our community.
A ninth grade student, Mason Riley, has been
selected to participate in the high school SSA All
State Choir from March 7 – 9 at Samford University as part of the Alabama All State Festival.
We are proud to announce that senior, Brittany
Marple, was chosen as a winner in the “First Class
Student of the Week” contest sponsored by America’s First Federal Credit Union and ABC 33/40.
Students nominated must have maintained a 3.5
GPA while participating in sports, band, volunteer
projects or other activities. America’s First Feder-
SVHS 2012-2013 boys basketball team.
Closing Notes
TUSCALOOSA
COUNTY SCHOOL
SYSTEM
A RICH HERITAGE
SINCE 1871...
2314 9th St.
Tuscaloosa, AL
35401
Our Beliefs



Phone: 205-758-0411
Fax: 205-758-4711
E-mail: [email protected]

District web
site:
www.tcss.net
Web Tip!


Learning must take place at home, in school,
and in the community.
All individuals should be treated with respect
and dignity.
Professional learning communities promote
high expectations that lead to improved performance.
Learning environments thrive on collaborative and cooperative relationships.
Teaching all students to learn through a rigorous, relevant curriculum is essential.
Stakeholder involvement enhances student
achievement.
Home, Sweet (Almost) Home!
The work continues to prepare the old Federal Building to be occupied by the
Do you do Edmodo?
Tuscaloosa County School System, and excitement is mounting among central
Edmodo is a social
networking tool for office personnel as they anticipate moving into their new workplace. It won’t be
educators (like Falong now.
cebook for teachers). Form groups
for your students,
parents, or teachers
in your school, and
join other groups
across the country
to get great, new
ideas. There is even
an Edmodo app for
your smartphone.
Instructions for
joining the TCSS domain are on the
TCSS intranet. JOIN
EDMODO TODAY!