Superintendent Chronicle

South Elementary sent out a tweet on Monday stating South was the “Best School Ever.” I got a chuckle out of it because it doesn’t matter what I or anyone else thinks. If the Mustangs say they're the best, I say good for them. Let’s all continue to be proud of our district and the extraordinary work of our teachers. This is what #Winning is all about. JMCSS faculty and staff will receive masks this week reminding them of the culture we have and seek to grow. Let’s continue to have a #Winning mindset.

The Toyota USA Foundation announced today the recipients of their virtual learning grants. The Jackson-Madison County School System is one of the 31 school districts nationwide to receive one of these grants. Your JMCSS executive team has been hard at work since July 1 to secure this grant and several others. When we say #Winning we mean it! Please see link below from Toyota USA to view their press release.

https://pressroom.toyota.com/toyota-usa-foundation-to-address-digital-divide/

I serve on several boards and participate in numerous meetings on a weekly basis. One of the most impactful boards I have the honor of serving on is the Tennessee Organization of School Superintendents. I represent the southwest region as a board member. Tennessee Commissioner of Education Dr. Penny Schwinn joined the TOSS board and Executive Superintendent Council on Thursday for an emergency meeting to discuss learning loss and applicable data points that determine decreases in proficiency among learners. This conversation, and others, are critical to the long-range response school districts in our state will need to develop in order to overcome the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. I am grateful to my TOSS peers for their role in assisting districts in this important area.

Normalcy is the most common goal for communities and individuals who have been touched by trauma. The most successful stories, however, are from those communities that use adversity as an opportunity to do things better than before. That’s why I am taking this time to engage our faith-based community and provide an organized system of support for families in our district. My team and I met with Larry Murphy, the Executive Director of the Madison-Chester & Crockett Baptist Associations. Also on last week Mr. Ray Washington, our Chief Operations Officer, met with a number of local church representatives to discuss faith-based partnerships that will provide academic support services for our virtual students. Remember, schools, traditionally, were an extension of the church. As our local churches continue to voice a desire to help families in our district, we will continue to facilitate initiatives for families to receive that help. #StayTuned

I am a firm believer in customer service. A key item of customer service is choice. Families who are currently learning though the Virtual Classroom or In-Person instruction have the option of choosing a different learning option for the 2nd quarter. Our Assessment and Accountability department sent out a survey to parents on Monday with a survey link (I know because I received the link, too!) I completed the link to select my son’s choice. Be sure to do the same for your child if you have a Virtual Classroom learner or a child participating in In-Person instruction. We had over 1,200 responses in the first 10 minutes of the survey window!

Dr. Catlett, our Deputy Superintendent of Operations, Business, and Finance, spent last Tuesday morning making sure our support staff members know we see their successes and appreciate their efforts. Our Care Team delivered treats to celebrate the cafeteria staff at West Bemis, Alexander, Lincoln, Isaac Lane, Andrew Jackson, and Denmark. These schools were celebrated for their outstanding scores on the Tennessee Department of Health Food Service Inspection. And when I say OUTSTANDING, I mean PERFECT! Each of these schools scored a perfect 100 on their inspections. Did I tell you we were #WINNING ? We will spotlight six more school cafeteria teams next week.

Finally, I want to give a shoutout to our communications team. Greg Hammond, our Chief of Staff, is getting in the groove of his new role while producing engaging videos and announcements for our stakeholders. Be sure to catch our new weekly video recap - For the District - every Friday afternoon. Internally, and behind the camera, Rhonda Heard, our Chief of Family and Community Engagement, has taken on the task of addressing questions and concerns from parents that are sent to my office. Rhonda is also a primary district contact for non-profit and civic neighbors who want to connect with JMCSS. Meanwhile Holly Leisey provides support for internal and external communications, in addition to overseeing our district website and all-call system in her role as Technology Coordinator. All of this is done in the interest of providing the best school system possible for our students and families. There’s no “I” in team, but there are plenty of “I's” in #Winning That’s what this team does everyday.

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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