PRINCIPALS MEETING FEBRUARY 27, 2008 Present were: Ann Abel Scott Allen Debbie Anderson Larry Bauer Patrick Buchanan Ted Casler Bo Catron Melissa Caudill Andy Cox Ann Cunningham Beverley Fifer Tom Graves Tamrya Hagy Jeff Hawkins Dixie Hunter Francine Ivery Brian Johnson Fred Keller Jimmy King Sherry King Kathy Laster Alan Lee Janet Lester Jason Lester Connie Mann Lisa McCoy Amy Merrihue Belinda Mullins Foney Mullins Jeff Noe Keith Perrigan Connie Phillips Randy Poole Sharon Rainey Nancy Ramsden, Guest Leigh Romans Marie Stanley Tammy Sullivan Chad Wallace Tom Williams Barry Yost Beth Yost, Guest Dr. Lee welcomed the group. He introduced Ms. Beth Yost from Care Connections. Care Connections: Ms. Yost said that she is an Educational Consultant for Care Connections. Their offices are located in the Community Services building in Bristol, Virginia. Ms. Kathy Robinson is the Director. They have fifteen employees, which includes four nurses and four consultants. They have been around for approximately forty years. 289,000 children in Virginia have special health care needs, and 15,000 of them live in Southwest Virginia. They serve children from birth to age twentyone whose special health care is expected to last for at least one year, and they work to get families connected with services they need to treat these kids. The Center is considered one of six centers with excellence because of their partnership with local healthcare providers. They focus on the needs of the region, and, at present, autism is the most frequent area of need. They make referrals for respite care, mental health, financial assistance, etc. A multidisciplinary team works with children. When children are brought in to the clinics or health departments, a team of professionals (doctors, nutritionists, parent coordinator, etc.) is there to see them.
There is a Care Connection for every region. Families can choose the area they want their services provided. There are a lot of parent outreach opportunities and workshops offered. Ms. Yost introduced Ms. Nancy Ramsden who spoke about financial assistance. Ms. Ramsden said that there is a limited amount of funds received annually, which are provided by a grant. They are available for children who are uninsured or underinsured. They must be a resident of Virginia, be under the age of twenty-one and be at or below 200% of the poverty level. This year they received $170,000 for the region, and $41,000 has been used to date. At the end of the year remaining funds must be returned. She encouraged the principals to let them know of any children needing assistance. Families can either call or stop by to apply for services. The Care Connections office operates clinics on neurology, orthopedic, cardiac, genetics, cystic fibrosis, etc. Most clinical teams come from the University of Virginia; however, some local doctors participate. Those clinics are offered in Washington, Tazewell, Wise and Wythe Counties. Care Connections offers training and lectures. They have a lending library with training materials, and correspondence is also provided to the Special Ed Department for distribution. Dr. Lee said that Care Connections is an asset and helps a lot of kids. He thanked Ms. Yost and Ms. Ramsden for coming. Comment by Superintendent: Dr. Lee welcomed the assistant principals in attendance and told them that any time school is not in session on a Principals Meeting day, he would like for them to be present. Conference Feedback: Dr. Lee asked principals to talk about recent conference they have attended. Mr. Catron, Mr. Noe, Mr. Hawkins and Mr. King attended a conference in San Antonio, Texas. Mr. Catron said it was a wonderful conference. Daniel Pink was one of the speakers. One session was with the superintendent and an associate from the City of Atlanta, and they said they had recently gotten six new metal detectors and eleven resource officers. A Memphis school division was getting fifteen metal detectors and twenty-three resource officers due to three recent fatal shootings. People from other school systems were amazed with the advanced technology and resources in Washington County. Our pupil-teacher ratio 2
is also much better, and few of the people they spoke with could say their school boards were committed to a low pupil-teacher ratio, as is ours. Mr. King said it was the largest conference he had ever attended. There were approximately 5,000 principals there. A principal from Atlanta said he had three years to bring his school up to standard or he would be placed back in the classroom. In comparison, Washington County has a wealth of support from different groups, and it made him realize how fortunate we are. Mr. Noe said he got some beneficial information about a Freshman Academy, which he is interesting in starting at the high school level. Mr. Hawkins was amazed at the lack of resources other schools have. It made him thankful for what we have here in Washington County. Mr. Catron commented that another speaker he heard expressed his disappointment that schools are not teaching civic values and citizenship. Washington County is doing a good job teaching civic education and responsibilities. Mr. Lester said that he and Dr. Graves would be traveling to Herndon, Virginia to do a presentation about video conferencing, which we use in our high schools. We are the first school system to use this specific technology. Mr. Casler talked about a recent trip he and Ms. Merrihue took to James Madison University and Eastern Mennonite College for career fairs. This is an effort to let people know about Washington County Schools and get fresh perspectives. They encountered several top notch candidates, specifically music and special ed teachers. The Eastern Mennonite College has a good special ed program. The candidates were interviewed. Ninety-two schools were represented, and several of the schools were making offers on the spot. Ms. Mullins said that she, Dr. Lester and Ms. Phillips sat in on an audio conference. One of the participants in the conference indicated that they did not have administrative support in their school system. Ms. Mullins Dr. Lester and Ms. Phillips feel privileged to have administrative support in our school system. Ms. Merrihue commented that in a night class she is teaching she heard some teachers say they were unable to access a computer program without administrative authorization. She complimented our Technology Department for making sure students and teachers have the ability to access the programs they need. Ms. Cunningham commented that she has interacted with many people in this school system, and she has always been thankful for the support she has received. We can make things happen for teachers and kids because of that support. Dr. Lee said that he recently attended a conference in Tampa and heard Daniel Pink speak for the second time. Some comments made by Mr. Pink were: The purpose of our schools is not to deliver workers to the industry. We need to prepare kids for their future, not our past. The left side of the brain is still important, but the right side matters most. In our economy, novelty is successful, but in our schools we still do routine. We 3
customize our economy. In our schools we are into standardization, and that may be out of alignment for success for our future. Look at different ways to measure success. Tear down the walls in education that separate kids by age and academic disciplines. The most valuable prefix in education today is multi. We need to infuse art education throughout the curriculum. Get real about STEM (Science, Technology & Math). Monitor science classes to be sure they are not just learning terms but also applying knowledge. Allow people to make excellent mistakes. The cost of status quo is higher than the cost of change. Kids need to be part of the resource in the classroom. Certificate Presentation: Dr. Lee presented the following schools with the Competence to Excellence Award certificates from the Board of Education. Patrick Henry High School John S. Battle High School Holston High School Abingdon Elementary School Abingdon High School Rhea Valley Elementary School High Point Elementary School Greendale Elementary School Washington County Public Schools also received the award. Dr. Abel noted that Watauga Elementary and Valley Institute Elementary Schools recently received the Governor s Educational Excellence Award. She and Ms. Fifer traveled to Richmond for a reception, and they got a chance to speak with the Governor. 2008-2009 School Calendar: Ms. Mullins passed out a copy of the proposed school calendar for 2008-2009. The calendar has been distributed for comments, and on February 19, the Calendar Committee got back together to review feedback from the schools. Many negative comments were received with some saying school would begin too early, there are not enough breaks in one part of the school year and too many in another. The calendar was revised and sent out again for comment on February 22. It will go before the School Board on March 3 for consideration. The first day of school has been moved, which will make for a later end of school. There will be a professional development day on November 3 prior to Election Day. Good Friday and Monday after Easter are scheduled days off. February 16 and April 13 can be taken as make up for snow days if needed. 4
Workbook Orders: Ms. Mullins said she would be helping with workbook orders. A memo will be sent to the secondary and middle level principals. Teachers needs to decide which workbook they want so the orders can be turned in before the end of school. Public Surplus: Mr. Bauer said that his department will now being doing publicsurplus.com. They will also evaluate surplus items to see if they can be used in the school district before placing on the public surplus list. Forms should be sent to Betty Sweet, and he asked that they provide as much information as possible and to take multiple pictures that are clear. Computer surplus needs to be sent to Jason Lester. Autographed Footballs: Dr. Graves reminded every school to pick up an autographed football as a reward for their participation in the United Way. Policies: The following recently approved policy revisions/adoptions were reviewed with the group: File DFEA, Activity Passes (Mr. Gary Catron) File IKC, Grade Point Average, Valedictorian/Salutatorian (Mr. Gary Catron) File JFCD, Weapons in School (Mr. Gary Catron) File GCBE, Staff Holidays (Dr. Tom Graves) File JHCG, Head Lice Protocol (Dr. Janet Lester) File KK, School Visitors (Dr. Alan T. Lee) Out-of-District Students: Dr. Lee informed them that recently we have had a couple of out-of-district students that are no longer allowed to attend school in Washington County. The parents are asked to sign a statement when their child is permitted to attend our schools saying they agree the child will abide by certain rules, and if there is a problem, their privilege to attend our schools will be revoked. 5
Special Ed Update: Ms. Phillips, Ms. Mullins and Dr. Lester recently participated in an audio conference with people from across the United States concerning inclusion in pre-schools. Alternative testing is going well. Tornado Drill: Dr. Lee stressed the importance of the Tornado Drill scheduled in March. He encouraged the principals to make a big deal about it and make sure kids know what they are supposed to do in the event of a tornado. Mr. Williams brought up the issue of the potential threat to children on a school bus in the event of a tornado. He will do some research and pass it on to principals about what to do should children be on a bus when a tornado strikes. Dr. Lee asked Mr. Williams to research and to also contact other school divisions to see what they are doing. 6