Weather or not

Some days the decision not to hold school comes easy. When the amount of snow and ice made it apparent that the roads would be too dangerous to travel with our buses, I can call off school knowing I made the right decision for the safety of our students. Other days, the decision doesn’t come as easily, but  each time the decision is made, I am trying to do what is best for our students. February is always a dicey month, weather wise, and it can ultimately determine if we attend school into the summer months. This one is proving no different. We’ve been fortunate so far but if we miss another day, it will require us to attend classes during spring break. Up to the first three days of the break will be taken as make-up days if we miss more class time due to the weather. While I hope the weather holds out and we don’t have to lose a portion of our break, I will still err on the side of caution when it comes to deciding whether or not it is safe for our students to travel to school.

Time to make-up

We will make up the first of our missed days on Monday, February 18. the day was originally scheduled as a professional development day for staff. The Board of Education decided last year when it passed the district calendar to use the day as a make-up day if we missed school due to weather before the winter break.

Testing, testing

The results of our most recent Predictive Assessment Series (PAS) tests are in and show great gains across the district. These tests were taken at mid-year and are a strong indicator on how well we will do on the CATS test this spring. I’m proud to say, we are seeing progress in almost every category. The test shows results for fourth and fifth grade math, reading, science; middle school language arts, math and science; high school math and reading; and special education math and reading. The results are a sure sign that the increased effort we put into our curriculum is working.

In the few areas that show a decline in scores or slower growth than we’d like, we have already started focus groups to determine what else can be done to help all of our students excel. It is essential that we continue to look for ways to improve to help all of our students find success.

Top notch performers

Our successes haven’t been limited to the classroom. Many of our teams, both athletic and academic, have excelled in recent weeks. We’ve had regional or state winners in elementary robotics, middle and high school wrestling, high school swimming and diving, middle and high school academic and future problem solving, and the middle school MathCounts program. It is truly amazing the amount of talent our students have and how well they represent our schools.

Budget talks

Much press has been given to the sate’s budget shortfall and how it may affect education. We do still expect less money from the state than last year, but we are working diligently to find ways to create a budget for next year that will not hurt student learning. Because of the state’s ongoing budget discussion, the Kentucky Department of Education has extended our deadline for determining the number of teachers who will be assigned to each school. The extra time gives us the opportunity to research various options in staffing and how they could affect student progress.  We now have until May 1 to make those allocations.

Calendar

The calendar is full of events including athletic events, school dances, plays and more. Make sure mark your calendar with  all of the dates important to you. If you know of other events that should be added to the calendar, please contact us.

Decision Makers

The next meeting of the Board of Education is March 10 at Cline Elementary at 7 p.m. All Board of Education meetings are open to the public. A complete listing of the meetings is available at www.campbellcountyschools.org/main/district/boemtgschedule.php.