New Albany Schools celebrate Level 5 ratings

With all of its schools performing at Level 5, the New Albany School District has something to celebrate. Read all about the district’s achievement, as well as how many students made perfect scores on last spring’s Mississippi Curriculum Test and Subject Area Tests, here. Congratulations!

Little ripples make big waves

Citizens for Tupelo Public Schools is doing it again! Members of the group know that “little ripples make big waves,” so they’re once again hosting the Making Waves event for city preschoolers to showcase Tupelo’s seven K-3 schools. The name of the event, to be Thursday, Oct. 4 from 9:30-11 a.m. at Fairpark, pays homage to the Tupelo High School Golden Waves. Read all about it in today’s Daily Journal. I’ll be sure to post photos next week.

News from Rankin Elementary

Tammi Coggins, family school coordinator at Tupelo’s Rankin Elementary, provided this list of events at the K-3 school:

Sept. 27 - (field trip) The third-graders will be “Touring Tupelo.” This is a cumulative activity for our unit on community. We will visit such places as the automobile museum, Elvis’s birthplace, Oren Dunn Museum, and Ballard Park. The students are excited to see all of the places that highlight why our community is such a wonderful place to live. As students have studied about how communities are different, they have realized that what makes our community significant is Tupelo is a town rich in history and innovative in new ideas.

Sept. 28 - At 9:30 a.m., first-graders will have a presentation/event for the Tupelo-Lee Humane Society. Students have explored ways to be helpful in our community. We found out the humane society had a need for puppy food. We have collected bags of puppy food and will present them Friday when the representative comes to talk to us about the role of the humane society in our community and teach us about being responsible pet owners (pet care).

Sept. 28 - Koalaty Kid Celebration and school wide performance - September Koalaty Kids will be recognized as they walk across the stage and receive their certificate and award. In addition, “Kids for America,” a patriotic musical salute, will be our special mini-program at this month’s celebration. The entire student body, grades K-3, will present some of America’s best-loved patriotic songs featuring the Second Grade CLUBS of Drama, Band, and, and our Flag Corps. This is a culminating event celebrating the anniversary of the United States Constitution and our unit of study about our freedoms and liberties in the United States. This event will begin at 1:45 in the Activity Building. Please join us for this exciting occasion!

Week of Oct. 1 - It’s a Book Fair Blizzard ~ It’s our Annual Book Fair. Bundle up and join us for our this exciting event . There will be books for all the readers in your family! Come shop our blizzard of books and then warm up at home for a family reading night. Hours for book viewing and purchasing: Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday 7:30- 4:30, Thursday 7:30-3:30, Friday 7:30 -2:00 We will also host a (free) “Donut Days” breakfast on October 2 and 3 in Koala Park - sponsored by our fabulous PTO. Everyone is invited!

Oct. 4 - “Making Waves” preschool rally at 9:30. Rankin will be represented in full color! Rankin will make a big “splash” at the fun Preschool Rally! Come one, come all! The day begins in downtown Tupelo. The community will enjoy many TPSD/THS Homecoming festivities on Thursday, Oct. 4. The annual THS Homecoming parade, Pep Rally and Preschool “Making Waves” fun event will be part of this exciting agenda! GOOOOO Wave!

Oct. 5 - (field trip) First-graders will attend the “Let’s Pretend Hospital” at the Lee County Agri-center. It is “an opportunity for Tupelo and Lee County first-graders to learn from healthcare professionals in a simulated hospital setting” and is sponsored by the Health Care Foundation of North Mississippi and Brevard Health Care Endowment.

Oct. 10 - (field trip) The second-grade classes have been involved in a study about RELATIONSHIPS. We have discussed how building strong, genuine relationships makes our classrooms, schools, and communities better places to live, work, and play. As a culminating event to the unit, the students will travel to Camp Yocona - they will continue to build relationships with classmates and schoolmates as they participate in several “cooperation courses” at the camp. The students will spend time working together and encouraging one another. We are very thankful to David Sorrell, Rankin parent who has volunteered to organize and head the activities for this trip.

Oct. 11 - Rankin Elementary School’s third grade play will be held Thursday, Oct. 11 at 1:30 p.m. in the Rankin Activities Building. The students will present an original musical about our community of Tupelo. The program is based on our first interdisciplinary thematic unit entitled Community. Our children are working so hard and you will be so impressed with their talents. It is going to be fabulous!

Oct. 15 - PTO Open House/BBQ Supper 5-7 p.m. Everyone is invited! More info coming…

Shannon Primary’s great zoo adventure

Thanks to Principal Don Christian, I got to tag along with six classes of kindergartners from Shannon Primary School last week on a field trip to the Memphis Zoo. The zoo adventure was part of the schoolwide “Wild About Books” reading program. Every student in grades K-2 got the opportunity to visit the zoo, as did staff. Read all about it in the Sept. 27 edition of the Daily Journal, and check out the photos I took right here.

Where do Lt. Gov. and Legislative candidates stand on education?

Dear Ginny,

We learned last year just how important it is to have true public-education supporters representing us in the Mississippi House and Senate and in the Lieutenant Governor’s office. With the November election approaching, this is the perfect time to contact candidates to learn where they stand and to influence their thinking on issues that are important to you.

There are two great tools to help you do just that. In the coming weeks, The Coalition for Children and Public Education will be hosting nonpartisan candidate forums in three cities across Mississippi: Clinton, Philadelphia and Holly Springs. Republican and Democratic candidates for Lieutenant Governor and local House and Senate seats have been asked to participate - to voice their positions and answer constituents’ questions about education issues. Please prepare your questions, spread the word and plan to attend these important events. Get more information.

Those of you who don’t live in an area hosting a candidate forum should not let that stop you from questioning candidates about important education issues. Just use the candidate reference page on our website to get the contact information you need. Find contact information for Lt. Governor and House and Senate Candidates here. Don’t know your House or Senate district number? We can help you with that, too! Just click Find My Legislators to find your incumbent legislators and the districts they represent.

One of the most important things we can do for our children is to become informed about candidates before we cast our votes. Don’t be afraid to press candidates for firm answers about issues important to you - that is our right and our duty as citizens of our state. Besides, our children are counting on us!

Warmest regards,

Nancy

CREATE’s Teachers of Distinction

Congratulations to the 13 educators recognized Monday, Sept. 24 by the CREATE Foundation as Teachers of Distinction. Three assistant teachers and 10 teachers won, from a field of eight assistants and 54 teachers. Read my story in today’s Daily Journal here, with thanks to C. Todd Sherman for the photo. It’s important to note that just being nominated is an honor, and a list of the nominees follows (winners are noted with an asterisk):

Assistant teachers
Church Street Elementary – Trae Wyatt
Lawhon Elementary – Sandra Monts*
Lawndale Elementary – Barbara Buchanan*
Milam Elementary – Crystal Grimes*
Parkway Elementary – Margaret Smith
Rankin Elementary – Darlene Buse
Thomas Street Elementary – Helen Hancock
Tupelo High – Geno Jones
Teachers
Carver Elementary – Evanglina Joy Stanford, Ian Shumpert, Amy Chiles
Church Street Elementary – Kim Fandel*, Amy McCain, Anita Williams, Betty Allen, Sally Gillentine
Joyner Elementary – Deanna Rutledge*, Lisa Collins, Sherry Willis, Traci Wardlaw
Lawhon Elementary – Connie Buse, Tracy Lyle, Brenda Whitworth, Kay Griffin
Lawndale Elementary – Karen Logan, Melissa Harris, Kenneth Griswold*, Cathy Butler, Andrea Harrell, Diane Hink
Milam Elementary – Stephanie Wayne, Patsy West, Christi Wall, Nikeshia Leatherwood, Gloria Williams
Parkway Elementary – Teresa A. Dill-Johnson*, Bridgett Hawkins, Clint Newsom, Leigh Smith
Pierce Street Elementary – Christy Jordan, Jeri Carter, Leslie Van Buskirk*
Rankin Elementary – Chequitta Ivy*, Emily Carodine, Heather Braddock-Peeples, Brenna Alberson, Dana Wood
Thomas St. Elementary – Paige Repult*, Sherry Rial, Angela Bates, Brenda Gilbert
Tupelo High – Monica Rowe, Judy Beard, Angie Davis, Bea Ford*, Susan Hester, Carroll Hughes*
Tupelo Middle – Sam McRae, Brian Foster, Talina Knight*, Adam Kirk, Brock English

Belinda McKinion’s Earthwatch adventure

Belinda McKinion, assistant principal of Saltillo Elementary School, recently participated in a whale migration study in British Columbia, Canada, that was sponsored by the Earthwatch Institute. Read the Daily Journal story I wrote about McKinion’s experience here. Six photos from her adventure are at www.leecountyschools.us/022 (click on the Earthwatch link).

New way to support The Parents’ Campaign

I received this from Nancy Loome, executive director of The Parents’ Campaign:

Dear Ginny,

These are exciting times! The Parents’ Campaign is growing in all kinds of ways. Our membership continues to increase and is nearing the 30,000 members mark, legislators are expressing their support for our efforts in impressive numbers, and our network members are coming up with new ways to enhance our efforts at the local level.

A number of The Parents’ Campaign members have asked if there are additional ways they can support our efforts. Of course, the most important way you can help is to stay abreast of the issues that affect our schools, to hold our state’s leaders accountable for their votes on those issues, and to become involved in school improvement efforts in your local district.

Some of you have indicated that you would like to support The Parents’ Campaign with a monetary donation. In response we have added a secure link on our website that will allow you to donate online. Please note that donations to The Parents’ Campaign are not tax deductible. Because we attempt to influence education legislation, we incorporated as a 501(c)(4) organization. This qualifies us as a nonprofit group and allows us to make unlimited attempts to influence legislation. This tax status also makes us ineligible for foundation grants, so we depend upon the generosity of individual Mississippians to fund the work of The Parents’ Campaign.

There is no fee to become a member of The Parents’ Campaign. We remain committed to providing our services at no cost to our members. We will, however, greatly benefit from any amount you would like to contribute. If you would like to donate online, you can do so by clicking on Donate Online. If you would like to donate by check, you can mail your check, payable to The Parents’ Campaign, to 800 North President Street, Suite B; Jackson, MS 39202. The Parents’ Campaign reserves the right to refuse donations from groups or individuals who present a conflict of interest.

As we gear up for a new legislative session, please help us spread the word about the good work we are doing. Encourage those in your community to join The Parents’ Campaign and help us create bright futures for all Mississippi children.

Many thanks,

Nancy

Wild about books at Shannon Primary

Last year, Shannon Primary School lassoed Master School Certification in its western-themed Reading Renaissance program. The K-2 school hopes to again achieve the certification this year with a schoolwide theme called “Wild About Books.” And what could get students - and teachers - more wild about books than a field trip to the Memphis Zoo? First- and second-graders already have made the trip, and on Friday, Sept. 21, I’ll be tagging along with two busloads of kindergartners! I’ll have a story early next week in the Daily Journal, but be sure to also check Inside the Backpack for pictures from our fantastic voyage. (Special thanks to Principal Don Christian for the invitation.)

Church Street Elementary goes green

Inspired by Tupelo’s curbside recycling program, Church Street Elementary is doing its part to help the environment. Read my Daily Journal story about the school’s efforts to go green and be sure to check out Deste Lee’s fantastic photos from the school’s Sept. 14 celebration in this slide show. (P.S. That’s Church Street dad Glenn Thomas dressed as Recycle Man. The Recycle Queens are teachers Emily Meadows, Aimee Hawkins and Robin Maynard.)