LCSD Excellence November 2019 Edition LCSD Excellence November 2019

LCSD Excellence!
A Publication of Lauderdale County Schools
Volume VII Issue IV
November 2019
A Season of Thanksgiving
The frigid temperatures have quickly overtaken the pleasant,
short-lived Mississippi days of fall. Although the cold came to us quickly, we can still
look forward to the great food and fellowship that comes with the Thanksgiving holidays.
The last few weeks have been both busy and productive. Our district
began enrolling students in our recapture program, and our students dominated in
community outreach. The action steps we are taking to meet the goals of our
Strategic Plan are nothing short of innovative.
First, Lauderdale County School District has partnered with Grade Results to begin
phase one of an innovative educational opportunity for students who have
withdrawn from school. T his academic program, Success4All, is the first of its
kind in our community. Currently, we are recapturing students who withdrew
Dr. John-Mark Cain, Superintendent
out of high school and are not prepared for the demands of the future. As indicated in our Strategic Plan, LCSD will
improve our graduation rate and offer various means by which all students can earn a diploma. I am proud to say we
have recaptured approximately 200 students and look forward to seeing those students experience success by
earning a high school diploma.
I am also proud of the generous efforts made by our students and staff to organize canned food drives at each
school. Every opportunity we can give our students to help others provides an avenue of service that textbooks and
testing cannot offer. Many of our schools collected record numbers of canned goods;
therefore, numerous underprivileged members of our community will be able to enjoy a good meal this
holiday season.  Thank you for making citizenship, character, and emotional well-being a part of the
educational experience for our students. These types of lessons provide hope for our area.
Furthermore, I urge you to cultivate healthy relationships with your students and your work family.  The
holiday season focuses on time spent with family;however, we must not forget some of our students
experience anxiety at the thought of a holiday break. Some of our students do not have family traditions, monetary
luxuries, basic supplies, or the safe home environments many of us enjoy. I encourage you to send a book home
with the students, or create a fun, take-home activity to keep them connected over the break.  Remember to
assure them you will be ready to see them soon to hear about the book or see the activity they completed. I
encourage you to continue to connect with each other, extend your professional learning network, and
challenge yourself to never take one day as an educator for granted.  A student has approximately 7 million
“school” minutes of school. Let’s make sure we give them 7 million minutes of dedication and endless
opportunities. I wish each of you and your family a blessed Thanksgiving.
Respectfully,
Dr. John-Mark Cain
I f you are receiving this through Peachjar, please visit www.lauderdale.k12.ms.us to view the LCSD Excellence newletter in its entirety.