This Publication Is Designed to Share the Actions from the November 14, 2011 Board Meeting
Board Brief
This publication is designed to share the actions from the November 14, 2011 Board Meeting.
November 15, 2011
REGULAR SCHOOL BOARD MEETING
South Carolina Bank & Trust (SCBT) Teacher of the Month for October – The following teachers were recognized at the board meeting for their selection as SCBT Teacher of the Month for October:
- Lauren Ratcliff – Hardeeville Elementary School
- Bridgette Boyle – Hardeeville Middle/High School
- Danielle Holmes – Ridgeland Elementary School
- Jane Ryans – Ridgeland Middle School
- Lawanda Dixon – Ridgeland High School
Each teacher was given a monetary incentive for this recognition. Dr. Washington added that Jane Ryans from Ridgeland Middle School was also one of Palmetto Electric’s Bright Ideas winners for the fifth year.
Farm to School Project Gardeners from Hardeeville Middle/High School – Lynn Taylor’s special needs class from Hardeeville Middle/High School was recognized for their participation in the Farm to School Grant Program. An article was published in the October 12th issue of the Hardeeville Today that highlighted these students and their participation in the program. Each student was given a certificate and gift card from the District. Dr. Washington thanked Ms. Taylor and her team for the work that they are doing with these students.
Top 5A Senior Basketball Player in South Carolina – April Jenkins, a senior at Ridgeland High School, was recognized for being selected by the South Carolina Basketball Coaches Association as one of the Top 5A Senior Players in South Carolina in Class A Basketball. She was also inducted into the South Carolina Hall of Fame.
2011 S. C. Annual Report Cards – Joyce Gerald, Director of Title I, shared a short synopsis on the District and school report cards for 2011. Mrs. Gerald stated that the Superintendent is proud to announce that the Jasper County School District’s report card improvement rating has increased to “Excellent”. She shared the absolute and growth rating for all of the schools. To review the schools’ individual report cards you can view these on the State Department of Education’s Website.
S. C. GEAR-UP Presentation – Dr. Washington shared that the Jasper County School District was fortunate to be the recipient of a six-year GEAR UP Grant. Dr. Sjanna Coriarty, Research and Evaluation Manager for South Carolina GEAR UP at the S. C. Commission on Higher Education, made a presentation to the Board. Of the three hundred applications that were submitted only sixty-six of those were awarded and Jasper County School District was awarded this grant. GEAR UP stands for Gaining Early Awareness and Readiness for Undergraduate Programs. The “mission” is to increase the number of low-income students who are prepared to enter and succeed in postsecondary education. The grant will start with seventh graders and follow this cohort group through graduation and also into their first year of college. Jasper County School District will receive $155,604 each year or $933,624 for the six-year grant period. The grant will pay for graduation coaches, tutors, mentors, professional development, credit recovery, summer school, college visits, materials, supplies, computer technology and career development facilitator certification. Two Graduation Coaches have already been hired by the District to work with the students at both middle schools.
The Technical College of the Lowcountry will be working closely with the District through the grant to promote student awareness of going to college. Information was also shared by Sherry Prioleau, Assistant Director of Business Relations at the South Carolina Chamber of Commerce, on the High Performance Partnerships, Business Week, and the Fort James Scholarship Program.
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Board Brief - November 15, 2011 Page Two
iCivics Presentation – Dr. Sjanna Coriarty spoke on behalf of Dr. Jane Brailsford who is the Professional Development Liaison for iCivics and who was unable to be present at this meeting. Dr. Coriarty shared that iCivics is new in South Carolina and was spearheaded by retired Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O’Connor because she felt that there was a huge deficit in this country for civics education. It is a web-based education project designed to reinvigorate civic teaching and learning that features free lesson plans, web quests, discussion forums and games. It meets the state standards and all of the resources are free. Dr. Brailsford just retired from Lexington I and will be the Professional Development Liaison for the project and all of her services are free.
Dr. Washington stated that she was excited about iCivics. She has invited U. S. Circuit Court Judge Richard Gergel to come to Ridgeland High School to speak to juniors and seniors from both campuses on Monday, November 21st. This will be the first speaker to come talk about Civics.
Superintendent’s Report – Dr. Vashti K. Washington, Superintendent, reported on the 2011 State Report Card in which four of the five schools demonstrated improvements, resulting in an overall improvement rating of “Excellent”. She spoke of several student performances that took place in the past few weeks: (1) Ajene Hilliard, a student at the South Carolina Governor’s School performed with the concert choir for the Hardeeville and Bluffton communities, (2) students in the Gifted and Talented Program performed at the National Rural Education Association’s Annual Conference on Hilton Head and (3) the middle school chorus for Hardeeville and Ridgeland performed for the Sun City Veterans Association. Two of our teachers, Rebekka Candillo and Christina Walker, are committed to creating a “school of performing arts” for the middle schools. Mrs. Candillo wrote a grant through “Donors Choose” that resulted in the middle school receiving a brand new keyboard and the middle school chorus received a $500 donation from Wal-Mart. The District celebrated its first “Principal for a Day” where business leaders shadowed the principals. A testimonial breakfast was held on November 10th for the participants. Dr. Washington reported that on December 5th at the Magnolia Hall in Sun City, the school district will hold its first Evening of Excellence in Academics and Performing Arts where students will be recognized for exemplary achievement in academics and the arts.
Election of Board Officers – According to Policy BD (Organization of the School Board), officers will be elected annually at the Board’s organizational meeting on the second Monday in November. The Election of Officers was held and nominations were voted on. All officers remain the same as noted: Kathleen Snooks/Board Chair; Berty Riley/Board Vice-Chair; Alina Hamilton-Clark/Board Chaplain; and Priscilla Fraser/Board Secretary.
Charter School Lease – The Board approved the lease with The Royal Live Oaks Academy of the Arts & Sciences Charter School to use the West Hardeeville School site for a ten-year term and ten-year renewal, and authorized the Superintendent and Board Officers to execute the lease.
Submitted by: Dr. Vashti K. Washington, Superintendent