JCS Staff Newsletter
July 20, 2022
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Welcome Back from Superintendent
Dear Johnson City Schools Employees:
With the opening of a new school year just around the corner, I want to extend a warm greeting to everyone. If you are new to Johnson City Schools, welcome! We are glad to have you as part of our school family. If you are a returning employee, please accept this letter as a sincere welcome back to our outstanding school system. We are excited this year to transition to two middle schools as well as keep our 5th graders at their respective elementary schools. These moves were crucial responses to the continued growth our city is experiencing.
Our district-wide technology academy will be held on July 27 at Science Hill High School. This event is an exciting opportunity for teachers to learn and grow together by sharing technology tools and techniques they use in our district. The new teacher orientation is scheduled for July 28 and July 29 at the Johnson City Schools Central Office, 100 East Maple Street, beginning promptly at 8:00 a.m. each day. All new teachers to the system are expected to attend the complete program.
Our system-wide in-service is on the morning of Tuesday, August 2. Our guest speaker this year is JJ Birden. The agenda for the system-wide in-service program is included as an attachment. All employees (certified and classified) should report to the East Tennessee State University Mary B. Martin Center for the Arts, 1328 W State of Franklin Rd, by 8:30 a.m. We are deeply appreciative of the university for allowing us to use this beautiful facility. Please park in the parking garage directly across State of Franklin or in the parking garage attached to the Millennium Center. You may bring a drink with you into the auditorium this year.
Monday, August 1, and Thursday, August 4 are administrative days. Unless otherwise notified by your school administration, each day begins at 8 a.m. and ends at 3:30 p.m. It is our hope that these days provide you with the opportunity to have your classrooms ready to welcome students back for a full day on Wednesday, August 3 and continue preparations on August 4.
Also, thank you to the Johnson City Schools Board of Education as they approved a five-percent raise in addition to the two-percent adjustment passed for classified employees in steps 1-5 of the pay scale. These actions help Johnson City Schools maintain our position as one of the top ten school systems in the state for average teacher pay and demonstrate support for all system employees. This investment reflects the belief that we employ the best staff of any district in the state.
I look forward to joining everyone at our in-service on August 2 as well as visiting classrooms throughout the year. I hope last year helps us realize how precious our times are together and with our students. I am available by phone, email, or by appointment if you have issues or concerns. I appreciate your encouragement and support. I know you will continue to exhibit the utmost professionalism and devotion to the children of Johnson City Schools.
Steve Barnett, Ed. D.
Thank you, Educators - From your Mayors
To all Washington County educators on behalf of your local governments:
As you prepare for the upcoming school year, please know that your dedication to provide the best possible level of service to our youth does not go unnoticed. It is not taken for granted, disregarded or belittled. It is appreciated. It is meaningful. It is valued. YOU are valued.
Generations of children have been prepared not only for for professional success but to make significant contributions to the world because of your efforts. These come both in the classroom and in afterschool activities where our youth learn, grow, compete, bond and thrive. They are taught from books as well as from the heart because you care.
Thank you for your willingness to share your time, passion and intellect with our children, and congratulations on the many achievements you've made throughout the years to lead our schools to top rankings in the state of Tennessee and the nation.
Sincerely,
Johnson City Mayor Joe Wise
Washington County Mayor Joe Grandy
Jonesborough Mayor Chuck Vest
Upcoming Dates
Make sure you checkout our different professional development opportunities over the summer.
July 27 - Tech Academy at Science Hill (More information below)
August 2 - Opening Ceremony at Mary B. Martin Center, 8:30 am
August 3 - First Day for students
August 4 - Election Day (no school)
Click here to view Printable Calendars for 2022-2023 & 2023-2024
JCS ESSER Funds
Johnson City Schools' Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief Fund documents are available for review through this link. At the bottom of the page, there is a link to a Google form where we ask for feedback from all of our stakeholders. Every six months we will use this feedback for our ESSER 3.0 Public Plan-Federal Relief Spending Addendum. Please feel free to review these documents and provide us with feedback.
Information From Finance & Insurance
OMNI & TSACG Compliance Services
Checkout this 2nd Quarter Newsletter: Retirement Savings: Staying the Course
Instructional Technology
Summer 2022 Technology Academy
Our annual Technology Academy will be held on July 27 in-person at Science Hill High School. This year’s theme will be “Restore Your Connection”. You will find the course in your Single Sign-On Portal (SSO) under the “Professional Development” button. You don’t want to miss this big day of professional learning that will be in-person for the first time since Summer 2019! Here's our food truck lineup!
- Whiskey Kitchen: A food truck from the TN Hills Distillery with good southern food.
- Maybe Today: A breakfast focused food truck to bring you brunch on the go.
- Bristol Berry Bowls: A food truck based on the successful Berry Bowls store in Bristol.
- Uptown Cheesesteak: A food truck with many cheesy- sandwich options.
- Coffee truck: This is tentatively scheduled for your morning arrival.
ATTENTION: Not all classroom apps will be ready day 1
The following applications are now rostered directly from PowerSchool and may or may not be available immediately at the elementary level and, in some instances, all schools:
- Canvas
- Canva
- Reflex Math
- Nearpod (we will be moving to rostering soon)
- IXL
- Study Island (grades 6-8 science and social studies only)
- Accelerated Reader
- BrainPop/BrainPop Jr. /BrainPop Science
- Textbooks with a digital component
- Illuminate and Mastery Connect
- Vocabulary.Com
- Whoo’s Reading
Please encourage have patience and flexibility as we get started with the year and reactivate our syncing and work out the bugs we always have at the beginning of a new year. Thank you for understanding!
Information from Human Resources
Johnson City Schools is hiring custodians, Educare assistants, and instructional assistants. Current job postings can be viewed at www.jcschools.org/jobs. Johnson City Transit is in need of bus drivers. Please visit this page for more information about open Bus Driver positions.
TLC Snapshot ~ Welcome Back!
We are so excited for another great school year at JCS! We are ready to kick off the school year with exciting, summer training opportunities and required annual compliance courses. These are now open for registration in the Learning Stream PD system! There is only one compliance course per building, and all JCS staff must complete the modules by August 31, 2022. All new hires will complete compliance training during your scheduled New Hire Orientation session. This half-day training is for all new hires to the district who did not work for Johnson City Schools last school year. All new staff members receive assistance with initial paperwork, set up network accounts, and complete required annual compliance training.
Our summer training schedule can be found below, and registration is in the Learning Stream. Click on the professional development icon in the SSO Portal to register. Please remember to register for all trainings you attend this school year to receive your PDP certificates. If you need further information about your PD account, please refer to the documents below.
Training instructors may submit fall in-person or virtual sessions now to prepare for our new school year of training. Please submit all PDP awarded sessions to me for registration using the JCS New Training Request Form on our web page. TLC is available for reservation Tuesdays & Thursdays from 4-6 p.m. for 2-hour, district-wide sessions. We are accepting district-wide sessions in all content areas and pay instructors $20 per presentation hour.
Die-cut orders resume in August, but you are welcome to come by in July to work in the Creation Station and checkout our classroom resources. We are open Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. - 5 p.m. We look forward to serving you!
Tracey Coffey ~ TLC Manager
Evelyn Tripodi ~ TLC Assistant
~ Summer 2022 District-Wide Professional Learning Opportunities ~
Summer 2022 Library Media In-Service
Monday, July 25th at Fairmont Elementary School
8:30 a.m. - 3:30 p.m.
Open to library media specialists
by Dr. David Timbs
JCS Summer Literacy Fair
Monday, July 25th at Mountain View Elementary School
8:00 a.m. - 3:30 p.m.
Open to Pre-K - 5th grade teachers
by JCS Literacy Coaches, JCS Teachers, & Literacy Consultants
Pre-K - 5 Math & Science Curriculum Training
Tuesday, July 26th at Mountain View Elementary School
8:00 a.m. - 3:30 p.m.
Open to Pre-K - 5th grade teachers
by JCS District Math and Science Coaches
2020 WIDA Standards Training and Integrating TN Academic Standards
Tuesday, July 26th at Central Office / The Learning Center
8:00 a.m. - 3:00 p.m.
A registration code is required for ESL teachers.
by Misty Shively, ESL Coach
Art Teacher Collaboration
Tuesday, July 26th at North Side Elementary School
8:00 a.m. - 3:00 p.m.
A registration code is required for art teachers.
by Westley Harris, North Side Art Teacher
2022 Summer Technology Academy
Wednesday, July 27th at Science Hill High School
8:30 a.m. - 3:30 p.m. District-wide event
by Tisha Richmond (Keynote Speaker), Dr. David Timbs, Technology Teacher Leaders, & Vendor Partners
Food trucks will be available!
New Teacher Orientation Days 1 & 2
Thursday, July 28th & Friday, July 29th
Central Office Board Room, 100 E. Maple St.
8:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m.
These are required training days for new teachers.
by District Administrators and Support Staff
Physical Education and Health Summer Training
Thursday, July 28th at Liberty Bell Middle School
8:00 a.m. - 3:00 p.m.
District-wide event
by David Nutter, LBMS PE Teacher, Heather Piergies, CSH & ERT
JCS Music Teacher In-Service
Friday, July 29th at Fairmont Elementary School
8:30 a.m. - 3:30 p.m.
Open to all elementary and middle school music teachers
by Cindy Odom-Higgins, Fairmont Music Teacher
New Year, New Bloomz Class
The 2022-2023 School year is here! It's best practice to include the name of the year with your class to ensure it is easier to archive. If you haven't archived your class yet, see the video below.
- If you need to archive your class here is a video and detailed instructions - link.
REMINDER
Your classes will NOT be rostered, so it will be vital that you share your classroom code. If a parent is a part of your classroom, then they will also be a member of your school account and the district account.
- Here is information on how to find your class code, Bloomz also creates a PDF for you to easily distribute to your parents.
Bloomz Feedback or Help?
Bloomz On-Demand Training for Teachers
Beginning Parents on Bloomz | More InformationThere was no board meeting in July
Next BOE Meeting
The next Johnson City Board of Education meeting will be held on Monday, August 1 starting at 6 p.m. inside the Board Room at Central Office (100 E. Maple Street). Board meetings can be viewed on the Johnson City Schools' YouTube channel.
In the News
Johnson City Schools aligns grading scale with State Board of Education
The Johnson City Board of Education voted to change the Johnson City Schools’ grading system (Policy 4.600) for grades 3-12 to align with recent legislation passed by the Tennessee Legislature. The new grading scale will be as follows for all students in grades 3-12.
- A: 90 to 100
- B: 80 to 89
- C: 70 to 79
- D: 60 to 69
- F: 0 to 59
Read more -
http://www.jcschools.org/news/409
Indian Trail adds Wallingford and Walker as new assistant principals
Indian Trial will have two new faces on its administrative team to start the 2022-2023 school year, as Sara Wallingford and Kelsey Walker will join principal James Jacobs and assistant principal Chris Feathers. Indian Trail will now have three assistant principals as it transitions to a 6-8 middle school.
“We are excited to have Sara and Kelsey join the Indian Trail team,” Jacobs said. “Adding these two talented educators and leaders, along with the team we already have in place, will provide Indian Trail with a well-balanced team that has varying experiences across the board.”
Read more - www.jcschools.org/News/430
Science Hill to welcome Class of 2026 to campus
Read more - www.jcschools.org/News/427
Inaugural Bluegrass Camp a success with hopes of expanding opportunities
There are plenty of opportunities for students in Johnson City Schools, but a recent summer camp may be the first look at a budding program. More than a dozen Johnson City Schools students spent a week at the inaugural Bluegrass Camp hosted at Indian Trail Middle School.
Read more - www.jcschools.org/News/423
Allecia Frizzell named North Side Elementary Principal
Johnson City Schools is pleased to announce that Allecia Frizzell has been named the new principal of North Side Elementary. Frizzell replaces long-time principal Sharon Pickering, who will join the Johnson City Schools’ Central Office staff.
Read more - www.jcschools.org/News/411
Share your Good News!
Johnson City Schools loves celebrating the accomplishments of our students, staff, and community. If you know of any events, awards, programs, or other compelling stories involving the Johnson City Schools' community, please fill out this form or reach out to Collin Brooks at BrooksB@jcschools.org
JC Schools Staff Newsletter
We will distribute this newsletter on the Wednesday following the monthly Board of Education meeting. This newsletter will have information from District Departments and other helpful tips. If you have suggestions for content in this newsletter, please send them to Collin Brooks at BrooksB@jcschools.org.
C: 423-218-8682 | O: 423-434-5233