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Back To School Editorial
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By now, you have seen the big yellow buses on the road,
signifying that it is school time once again.
For educators, these are exciting times. We have spent the
past few months preparing for the students of our district to return
for another fantastic year. As most of you know, Alexandria Elementary
and AJ Jolly Elementary have closed their doors forever. While
we must continue looking ahead to the future of our district, their
history will live on forever.
In early spring, we began shuffling furniture and offices
from building to building aligning our internal structures. What
was Alexandria Elementary is now the Alexandria Educational Center
that houses vital programs and departments for our schools.
We hit a glitch in the construction of our newest school,
Campbell Ridge Elementary. This forced us to delay the start of
school for children attending Campbell Ridge to Monday, August
22nd. It is unfortunate that we had to delay school for that portion
of our community, although this is not uncommon when districts
are growing and building structures to accommodate all the needs
of the district.
While our official enrollment numbers will not be tabulated
until early October, preliminary reports indicate student
population is up. We continue to grow and evolve to match
Campbell County’s
growing needs. Growth in the county will ultimately affect
our student population. We are planning ahead.
This is a new year with a new look. I hope you have seen
our new logo and our slogan: Our Community. Our Schools. Our Commitment.
A lot of input and thought was put into this summation for our
district. We feel that this statement best describes our vision
for the all of the various people and groups that form Campbell
County Schools. We are all a team working together for one common
goal. No matter what your role in the community, you are a part
of our team.
Open houses are a great way to get to know your child’s
teacher and become familiar with their school. I encourage
you to take
advantage of every opportunity to get involved.
To be successful, we will need to continue our efforts to
develop and maintain student interest and enthusiasm for challenging
subjects and concepts. Our teachers and staff train diligently
in best practices and differentiation to make this happen in our
classrooms everyday.
We are very proud of our staff for their hard work and many
accomplishments. They are a devoted, caring and professional team
of administrators, teachers and support staff that serve students
in the Campbell County School District.
Take a moment to get to know us. Visit our new website
at www.campbellcounty schools.org. We look forward to a
bright future
for Campbell County Schools with you in it. Let’s all have
a successful school year.
Anthony Strong is the Superintendent of Campbell County
Schools. You can reach him at astrong@campbell.k12.ky.us.
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Principal Points. August 24, 2005.
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In the age of high stakes testing, Kentucky schools are faced
with the challenge of meeting state expectations and reaching
proficiency by 2014. Through comprehensive school improvement
planning involving all stakeholders, schools must carefully walk
a tightrope of balancing educational programming (which meets
the educational needs of all students in compliance with state
and federal mandates) while maintaining the reality that all kids
are unique and require a variety of experiences to meet their
individual needs.
At Campbell County Middle School, we are offering a carefully
balanced program that is designed to meet the needs of the
individual student and the demands of state and federal accountability.
Thanks
to “The No Excuses Task Force” (A school district
committee of teachers parents and administrators who reject
mediocrity and embrace the means to improve learning for all
children); the
efforts of the Campbell County Middle School staff and School-Based
Decision Making Council; and the commitment from the Campbell
County Board of Education, Campbell County Middle School has
implemented a number of strategies / services to improve student
achievement.
The first of these student achievement strategies is the “double
blocking” of time in assessed subject areas and team teaching.
For example, language arts is currently assessed in the both
the sixth and seventh grades. In order to give concentrated
instruction in this area, we have divided students in these grade
levels to four separate learning families and require them to have language
arts everyday for a full eighty-five minute block. It is believed
that this increased focus in this area (and other assessed
classes) will translate into increased student learning.
Another enhancement at CCMS is the implementation of FastForWord.
This scientific researched-based reading program is designed to
help improve skills for those students who struggle with reading
through a systematic retraining of brain processing. Thanks to
the Campbell County Board of Education who has provided the funding
of this program throughout the district, over two hundred students
will reap the benefits of this program.
The incorporation of encore and exploratory classes is yet
another addition to Campbell County Middle School for the 2005-2006
school year. School days are divided into purple and gold days.
Purple days are the opportunity for students to receive core
content instruction every day for nine weeks each in the areas
of health/physical
education, vocational studies, art, and general music/dance.
Gold days are designated for exploratory classes that students
and parents choose to meet their individual needs. Gold day classes
include such classes as band, chorus, ceramics, digital photography/movie
making, dance/yoga & palates, and many more in an attempt
to reach out to students to tap into their individual interests
and needs.
At CCMS, we have adopted the unofficial slogan, “You got
to believe!” We believe that these changes at CCMS will
translate to student achievement and a better educational experience
for all stakeholders.
Dave Sandlin is the Principal at Campbell County Middle School. He can be reached at dsandlin@campbell.k12.ky.us.
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Campbell County Moves “ForWord” with Focus on Literacy
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R-e-a-d. For most of us, this is a simple word to read, but for many of our students reading is a struggle. Recently, parents of Campbell County Schools’ students received letters stating that our district is not meeting our reading goals for all students. To ensure that all students do learn to read successfully, Campbell County has launched several initiatives, including Fast ForWord, Voyager Passport, and Reading Apprenticeship.
Fast ForWord, a computer-based program available in all of our schools, develops the critical thinking, listening, and reading skills that are necessary for success in the classroom, the workplace and in everyday life. The program is based on over 30 years of brain, reading, and language research. According to Richard Collier, literacy lab teacher at Campbell County High School, “we are using the program to help students who have not had the kind of positive experiences with reading that other students have had.” Students work in the Fast ForWord program 45-90 minutes per day for 4-12 weeks. Results show that students involved in Fast ForWord make significant gains in reading.
In addition, Campbell County elementary schools provide the Voyager Passport program for students reading below grade level. The lessons are based on the latest scientific knowledge about effective reading instruction and are carefully designed to effectively and efficiently address each of the strategies and skills necessary for struggling readers. Interesting stories and engaging activities are used by teachers to encourage excitement about reading.
Students in fourth through 12th grade receive Reading Apprenticeship instruction. Reading Apprenticeship is an approach to reading instruction that helps young people
develop the knowledge, strategies, and dispositions they need to become more powerful
readers. It draws on adolescents’ unique and often underestimated strengths
as learners. Reading Apprenticeship helps students become better readers through numerous strategies, such as engaging students in more reading and helping them develop a repertoire of problem-solving strategies for overcoming obstacles.
To make these programs work, Campbell County has added nine new reading teachers and assistants to work with students. Students are identified for the Fast ForWord and Voyager Passport programs through testing and teacher referrals. In addition, community literacy events, such as Hay Read (scheduled of October 25) and Read Across the County (in March) promote excitement about reading. Our Books for Babies program continues this year, providing books and reading ideas to parents of newborns. The Campbell County Reading Care-A-Van visited neighborhoods throughout our district last summer, giving away books and literacy resources. The Care-A-Van will also visit our communities during fall break. All of these programs are designed to make sure every student is able to read at or above grade level. By focusing on literacy, Campbell County Schools will continue to move forward.
Karen Cheser is the Director of Curriculum for Campbell County Schools. You can reach her at kcheser@campbell.k12.ky.us.
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