Superintendent Chronicle

I took off my superintendent's hat briefly on Tuesday to simply be a dad for a moment. I picked up my son's distance learning packet. My wife and I decided to forgo devices to give our son a very hands-on approach to distance learning. Some might call it old school. We had selected "in-person" instruction before the provisional shift to distance learning for all JMCSS students. While I am your superintendent, I am also a JMCSS parent navigating this new normal. I'm sure my fellow parents understand. We will get through this together.

The Superintendent’s Road Show was an absolute success! The executive team’s intent was to come and celebrate schools while showing our appreciation to the staff. Well...the tables turned quickly. Wow! Each of our schools showed so much appreciation and enthusiasm for our visits. We are very humbled by the gifts, meals, and experiences. One behalf of the executive team, I would like to extend our gratitude to our wonderful principals, teachers, and staff members. We are grateful for their support and we are counting on them to help this district do great things.

Monday, for the first time in nearly five months, students returned to our school buildings for learning. Although the rise in COVID-19 necessitated the shift to virtual instruction, the first days of school are always special – for students, for teachers, and for the community. I am humbled by the service our teachers continue to provide this school district. I am also thankful for the support families have shown our schools as we journey through this pandemic. The partnership between schools and families has always been important. It’s certainly critical this school year. We have made and will continue to make allowances for a number of students to receive learning in-person during this challenging time. Elementary school students in the Pre-K through 3rd grade level who have been identified as needing foundational or remedial assistance will be allowed to receive instruction in our buildings on a limited basis. Again, we are doing everything within our power to realize academic gains for this school district. Although we’ll have some hiccups, please know that we are doing everything on our end to address them as quickly as possible.

As we roll out our devices over the next few weeks, we have decided it would be a great opportunity to begin planning our 1:1 student device initiative. Several years ago, when Early College High was discussed, there were talks about implementing a 1:1 initiative. With our new virtual options that we are providing families, we felt that it would be a great opportunity to begin this process. We will keep you informed along the way as we plan this initiative.

Finally, allow this former school teacher to get a little sentimental. I think this happens to all educators at the beginning and the end of the school year. The promise and optimism a new school year provides should never overshadow the blessings and experiences we’ve experienced up to this point. If I have not done so already, I’d like to take a moment to show my appreciation to the school board members who are transitioning away from the board this fall. Wayne Arnold, Carol Carter Estes-McCright, Kevin Alexander, and Jim Campbell have all played a special part in getting this district and this administration off on firm footing this year. I thank you for your service on behalf of families in Jackson-Madison County. I look forward to working with our new board members next month to continue to the work of making Jackson and Madison County a better place for the young people we have been tasked to help.

Take a look at our FAQ page updates concerning questions related to the Re-Entry Phase of our New Normal Initiative https://jmcss.org/domain/1476

Email: news@jmcss.org
Website: www.jmcss.org
Location: 310 North Parkway, Jackson, TN, USA
Phone: 731-664-2500
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/JacksonMadisonCountySchools/
Twitter: @JMCSchools

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