Message from Superintendent Dr . Lynn Moody
As I say this time every year – where has the summer gone !
It amazes me how quickly our summer break moves into the opening of a brand new school year . Reflecting on the astonishing accomplishments since the beginning of summer to the first day of school , it makes me proud to be part of the hardest working and best group of school employees that drive forward with a commitment of passion for helping our children .
Summer Enrichment for Students
Throughout the summer , our students participated in a variety of camps and challenges that engaged them in areas of reading ; STEM ; inventions ; TV / Radio ; outdoor adventures ; space adventures ; career areas of culinary , masonry , health science , agriculture , engineering audio / video ; and art .
There are not enough words to express the heartfelt desire of our school nutrition staff to be sure that our children are fed over the summer . Last year we added distributing books to children along with nutritious meals to continue to nourish both their minds and bodies .
Professional Development for Staff
There really is no such thing as a summer break when referencing public education – especially in the Rowan-Salisbury Schools . We continue to take advantage of these fly-by weeks to continue teaching , learning , researching and analyzing how we can up our game in providing the next level of growing opportunities for our children . Between all the reflective retreats and conferences both with individual schools and together as a district , there have been loads of possibilities for staff to receive updates and to learn more through brainstorming new programs , creating new plans and launching new initiatives to drive educating our students to be successful . Teachers , principals and administrators have rallied around working together to provide in-house learning experiences with many volunteering their time to do so .
to delve deeper into strategies for the Responsive Classroom program , which was implemented last year in our schools . Responsive Classrooms utilize research-based approaches to K-8 teaching that focus on the strong link between academic success and social / emotional learning . “ The Power of Our Words ” sets the tone and a defining characteristic of a Responsive Classroom .
Community Schools : Our district is moving forward in creating community schools in each of our 6 areas – North Rowan , East Rowan , South Rowan , West Rowan , Salisbury and Southeast areas . The principals in each area are forming teams and working together to sponsor events throughout the year that will showcase student work to the local businesses , parents , elected officials and citizens . The development of the community school ’ s concept is designed to form a unified approach to personalizing the education for each child from elementary school to middle school and into high school .
New West Rowan Elementary School : Great things happen when our school board , county commissioners and staff come together for our children . The new west area elementary school is slated to open next school year under the leadership of Kris Wolfe . Mrs . Wolfe is working as the principal for both Cleveland and Woodleaf elementary schools in preparation for the consolidated new school during the 2018-2019 school year .
This list just barely touches the many areas of teaching and learning that we are embarking upon as we approach our first day of school for the 2017-2018 school year .
Our schools belong to all of us , and I look forward to all of us joining together and making this the best school year ever !
Dr . Lynn Moody Superintendent Rowan-Salisbury Schools
Looking Ahead
We will continue to focus on literacy and the personal learning development of each child . This combination gives the strong foundation for our students to graduate from high school ready to enter a college or career choice . Here are a few of the new ways we will accomplish this focus :
RSS iBook : A professional development tool that we created to help teachers see and learn about what makes a classroom successful . The book is interactive including videos of teachers teaching teachers . A new chapter will be released each month . The first chapter was unveiled at our Back to School Teacher Conference on August 22 .
Restart : We are excited , ready and looking forward to providing the Restart to 13 of our RSS schools beginning with the 2018-2019 school year . Restart is a state program that allows us to continue to excel with our innovative practices , with the added flexibility to offer even more to these schools , students and staff . This upcoming year will be the planning year for RSS Restart .
Advanced Manufacturing : Salisbury High received a $ 700,000 Golden Leaf Grant to implement a curriculum that includes training in engineering , mechatronics and metal fabrication for high school students . This program aligns to existing introductory programs available to middle school students and is offered to all high school students that attend Salisbury High .
Responsive Classroom Techniques : Rowan-Salisbury educators continued
2 • Sept / Oct 2017 • Parent Teacher Magazine