I had several questions lately regarding our snow and subsequent make-up days. The decision to call off school or to delay its start is one that is not made easily. A team of district employees have worked together each morning we’ve had inclement weather to determine what is the best for the safety of our students. If inclement weather is expected, we keep a constant eye on weather maps and forecasts for our area. Those mornings when we’ve gotten snow or ice, our team of transportation, facility and maintenance crews start reviewing the roads at about 3 a.m. We make sure to drive the various types of roads in the county, reporting the results as we go. We also consult with the teams working for the surrounding districts. If it is believed that the conditions will improve enough for our buses to travel safely, we will call a delay. If not, we will cancel school for the day in the best interest of our students.

Please remember that our decisions are based solely on what we think is safest for the students. While you may not have snow or ice on your roads, others areas of the county may still have slick or icy conditions.

Hard to make-up
Today marks our 8th snow day. As stated in the Board-approved calendar, this means we will hold classes on March 17-19 which were previously scheduled as the first three days of spring break. The remainder of our snow days, as well as any more we may miss, will be made up at the end of the school year. Currently, our last day of school for students is May 23. The decision to make up days during spring break was made in an effort to give us as much instructional time as possible prior to state testing.

Moving forward with interventions
Of course, the greatest reward for taking extra steps to reach all of our students is watching those students excel and find success in the classroom. But being recognized for a job well done is a pretty good reward too. This year we adopted the motto of “Whatever It Takes” and we’ve strived to find ways to reach all of our students. One program which has found much success has been the Fast ForWord reading intervention program. Our schools have embraced this program and used it to reach out to those students who struggle with reading.
I want to congratulate all of our schools for being named as Fast ForWord Fast Track or Gold Caps schools. This award is only given to those using the Fast ForWord reading intervention program who: Maintain average participation composite score of 70% or greater; Achieve average completion rates of 70% or better for students that start Fast ForWord products in the prior 60-90 days; and have a minimum number of students = 36 for site licenses or 3 students per workstation license.
This is a great distinction for our schools and those involved with implementing the program.

Still seeing Freds
For every accomplishment we make at CCS, there are numerous staff people to thank. So many of our staff put more into their positions than they are required to give. We call those people our Freds, based on the book “The Fred Factor” by Mark Sanborn. The most recent Fred awards were given to three very deserving members of our staff who consistently do more than they have to so others can benefit. Our newest recipients of the award are Jim Lynch, a counselor at CCHS (pictured); Ryan Vanlandingham, a member of the facilities team; and Vicki Grow, a para-educator at Grant's Lick Elementary. Each received high praised from their nominators as well as other staff in their buildings.
Do you know a Fred? If so, fill out the nomination form at www.campbellcountyschools.org.

Calendar
The calendar is full of events including athletic events, school dances, and plays. 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.