CCBOE News Reports and Updates

New Assistant Principal for HHS !
posted 9-13-2010

Interim Director of School Dianne Williams has announced that Richard Allan Keller has been named the Assistant Principal at Harpeth High School. He will join the faculty on Monday, September 20, 2010, to fill the vacancy created when Allen Collins was named the school’s principal.
Mr. Keller received his Bachelor’s degree from Trevecca Nazarene University and his Master’s degree from Florida Atlantic University. He was beginning his fifth year at Treasure Coast High School in Port St. Lucie, Florida.
Mr. Keller and wife Michelle “Mickey” have one son, Jackson, a third grader. He enjoys spending time with his family and outdoor activities, although there will be no scuba diving in Cheatham County.
Williams said sources call Mr. Keller a dedicated educational leader – demonstrating skills of leadership, management, and organization. Also, saying he is conscientious and proactive in all aspects of education – consistently addressing students, parents, and colleagues in a supportive and professional demeanor.
Ms. Williams, Dr. Timothy Webb, and Principal Collins interviewed Mr. Keller.
Ms. Williams revealed that Mr. Keller displays commitment to the education of the students and concern for professional development and growth. She believes Mr. Keller’s personal dedication and experience will be valuable assets as an administrator at Harpeth High School.

Title I/Media and Coordinated School Health Supervisors announced !
posted 7-26-2010

Interim Director of Schools Dianne C. Williams has announced the following appointments: Sharon R. Kinnard as Supervisor of Title I/Media & Materials and Shelley White Mayo as School Health Coordinator.

Ms. Kinnard is transferring from the Maury County School System with nineteen years experience in education. She received her Bachelor’s degree from Freed-Hardeman University and her Master’s in Administration and Supervision from Tennessee State University. Ms. Kinnard’s husband Mike will be an English teacher at Cheatham County Central High School. They have three grown children (Melissa, Jennifer, and Michael), two grandchildren, and expecting a third grandchild. She loves to paint and they enjoy riding motorcycles.

Ms. Mayo is a Sycamore High School graduate and received her Bachelor’s in Social Work from Austin Peay State University. Ms. Mayo and husband Jordon live in the Cedar Hill community. Her hobbies are cooking, swimming, and home decorating.

Ms. Williams asked that everyone congratulate, welcome, and support Ms. Kinnard and Ms. Mayo in their challenging new rolls at the Board of Education office. These ladies will be valuable assets to a team that is committed to excellence and dedicated to education.

Interim Director of Schools Dianne Williams has announced that Jenny Fitzgerald Simpkins has been named the CTE/Secondary Supervisor.

Ms. Simpkins graduated from Cheatham County Central High School in 1979. She received her Bachelor of Science from Austin Peay State University and her Master’s of Administration and Supervision from Trevecca Nazarene College in 1994.

Ms. Simpkins taught at Sycamore Middle School for fourteen years. She served as assistant principal at Cheatham County Central High School for four years, principal of Harpeth High School for seven years, and has completed a year as the Supervisor of Title I/Media & Materials.

Ms. Simpkins and husband Jimmy, a teacher at Sycamore Middle School, live on a farm in northwest Cheatham County along the Harpeth River. She enjoys reading, jewelry making, and their nine grandchildren.

Ms. Williams asked that everyone congratulate, welcome, and support Jenny Simpkins in her new role as CTE/Secondary Supervisor. Ms. Williams describes Ms. Simpkins as having the resources, leadership, communication skills, and excellent rapport with students, parents, and peers. She exhibits a driving force to excellence in education that will make her a valuable asset for the Cheatham County Board of Education.

New Principals for HHS and CMS plus new AP for SMS !
posted 7-1-2010

Interim Director of Schools Dianne C. Williams has announced the following positions: Harold Allen Collins as Principal at Harpeth High School, Beth Batson as Principal at Cheatham Middle School, and Robyn Elliott Miller as Assistant Principal at Sycamore Middle School.

Mr. Collins joined the Harpeth staff in 1985. He has served as teacher, coach, athletic director, and named the assistant principal in 1999. Mr. Collins received his Bachelor’s from MTSU and has Master’s from Trevecca Nazarene University. He and wife Brenda have two children.

Ms. Batson received her Bachelor’s from MTSU, Master and Ed.D. from Trevecca Nazarene University. She taught in the Cheatham County School System for thirteen years, two years in Williamson County, and has been the Assistant Principal at Bellevue Middle School for the past two years. Ms. Batson, husband Steve, and son Cameron live in the Pleasant View community.

Ms. Miller received her Bachelor’s from APSU and her Master’s from Trevecca Nazarene University. She joined the Sycamore faculty in 1995 and served as their curriculum assistant principal. Ms. Miller and husband Keith (Assistant Principal at Cheatham Middle School) live in the Cedar Hill community with their three children.

Ms. Williams and Dr. Tim Webb conducted the interviews. Ms. Williams stated their professionalism, experience, personal dedication and commitment to the education of the students will be valuable assets to the Cheatham County School System.

Cheatham County Board of Education is hereby giving notice to all Parents, Teachers, and Employees that each school in the district has been inspected for the presence of asbestos containing materials. A management plan for each school building, as required by the Asbestos Hazard Emergency Response Act (AHERA), was developed and a copy submitted to the Tennessee Department of Education.

I am very excited to have the opportunity to assume the role of Director of Cheatham County Schools in January 2011. Working together as a community, we can make Cheatham County Schools among the best in Tennessee and the country.
To do this, we must work together to maintain a laser focus on student performance and academic outcomes. With this in mind, we have identified the five (5) Academic Performance Goals that will drive leadership and management decisions within the school system during the upcoming months and years. These five Goals are listed below.

Academic Performance Goals:

1. Every child will be reading on grade level by the end of 3rd grade and will maintain grade level reading literacy through grade 12.

2. Every middle grades student will be on trajectory to meet the ACT benchmarks in Math, Language Arts, Science, and Social Studies as evidenced by TCAP predictive analytics annually and ACT Explore results at the end of grade 8.

3. Every student will have an electronic individualized learning plan and an early warning system upon enrollment and throughout his/her tenure in the school system.

4. Every student will graduate on time College and/or Career Ready.

5. Every child will have great teachers and great leaders every year of his/her tenure in the school system.

In support of these goals, we have identified a number of strategies that we will implement to achieve each goal. Further, a set of supporting strategies that will directly and indirectly make goal accomplishment possible has been developed. Along with the traditional annual school and system report card information required by state and federal regulation, we will be regularly reporting to you our school and system progress along these five Academic Performance Goals and the supporting strategies.
Thank you for the opportunity to serve the citizens of Cheatham County. The children of Cheatham County, our single most important, deserve and demand that we achieve our goals.

Sincerely,
Tim Webb

As many in the community are aware, Kingston Springs Elementary School received severe damage during the recent flooding. The Cheatham County Board of Education has announced that monetary donations and supply donations would be accepted at the following locations. If you wish to make a monetary donation please mail checks to:
Cheatham County Board of Education
102 Elizabeth St.
Ashland City, TN 37015
The checks need to be made payable to Kingston Springs Elementary School and please indicate on the memo line where the donation should be applied (i.e. library, music room, teacher supplies, etc.).
Donations of supplies can be mailed or brought to the following location:
Kingston Springs Elementary Donation Room 23
c/o Harpeth Middle School
170 Harpeth View Trail
Kingston Springs, TN 37082
The faculty and staff would like to thank everyone in communities near and far for their outpouring of love and support during this time. If you have a question concerning supply needs please e-mail Sue Hasse at sue.hasse@cheatham.k12.tn.us or call the office at Harpeth High School: 952-2811.

As you are all aware, our county has suffered catastrophic damage from the recent floods. Not only did all of our schools have some kind of water related problems, but we have many of our roads not passable, we have many students, parents and employees who are displaced and many of which have lost everything.

Most of our schools had minor damage but we did have excessive damage at Pegram Elementary School and Kingston Spring Elementary School. Work has begun on the restoration of both of these schools. Pegram Elementary School should be completed by the middle of next week. Time is the issue here where it has to have the appropriate time to dry out thoroughly before some of the work can be completed. Kingston Springs has experienced a devastating amount of damage from the floods. Work has begun on this school and it will not be completed before the end of this school year but should be completed during the summer months.

It was my hopes and desires to have all of our schools reopen as soon as possible. We had already had in place several plans on where to place Kingston Springs Elementary School students when we were able to reopen. It then became apparent we would also be looking at where to place the students at Pegram Elementary School also since they would most likely not be able to use that school until the week of May 24th. We are presently using Harpeth Middle School as an Emergency Shelter as well as a Red Cross Center for counties south of the Cumberland River. FEMA has sent in a work crew to begin working on the repair of the roads in our county and we are housing them at Harpeth High School.

We have also had many road issues in the central cluster and some areas in the north cluster. There have been many students, parents and employees have also suffered damage to their homes or have lost everything. We have Sycamore High School as an Emergency Shelter and Red Cross is also there at this time.

Our bus shop and maintenance shop have suffered damage and today is the first day we were able to get into these areas to assess damage. We have lost 3 buses at this time as well as some other county vehicles.

Fortunately we have completed our TCAP testing in grades 3 – 8 but we still need to complete our End of Course, Gateway, and AP course testing in the high schools. The End of Course tests were scheduled for the first week May. In re-scheduling the End of Course exams for the high schools, I have been working with the State Department of Education. The challenge we have is that I could not begin scheduling these tests for our high schools until we have all of our high schools back in session. Our window for getting all of these assessments is narrowing especially since we have to also get these tests scanned.

I have given much thought to my decision on how to proceed for the remainder of the year. I have considered all of the information and guidance from the State Department of Education, working with the County Road Supervisor, Sheriff’s Department, Emergency Management and with the company restoring our schools. Our Transportation Supervisor, Tom Wilson, has made sure to check all of our existing buses for safety as well as check the routes. Our maintenance supervisor, Don Dority, has had his maintenance department working diligently to address the issues in our schools. I also had to consider that our students and parents need compassion and support at this time rather than mandates of compulsory attendance and high stake assessments.

The decision was made and approved by the State Department of Education to waive the end of the school year for the following schools:
Pegram Elementary School - Kingston Springs Elementary School - Harpeth Middle School - Harpeth High School

We have our daycares open and available for any students and are located at Harpeth Middle School as well as Pegram Elementary School. Our students who need to take the Gateway exam which is a few students will be coming in for study session and then taking the online Gateway exam. AP course exams will be administered and we will be taking them on the make-up day. This information will be posted and announced. I will be meeting with the schools as we determine how to proceed with the end of the year/semester grades. I assure you we will be putting the student first as we make these decisions. Credit Recovery will resume and there will be a schedule of opportunities during the day as well as in the late afternoon for students to get credit recovery completed.

The administrators, teachers and all employees will be reporting to work beginning tomorrow. Many of the teachers will be filling in for teachers who are displaced in our other schools which we plan to reopen on Wednesday, May 12th. They will also take this opportunity to do planning with their peers from their feeder schools. Kingston Springs Elementary School faculty will be reporting to Harpeth High School. The principals will be sending out specific information and they are planning a day when students can come back to the school to see their friends and their teachers before summer break officially begins.

Our plans at this time are to resume school in the north and central clusters on Wednesday, May 12th. We realize that we have many students and parents that are displaced and some have gone to live with family/friends in other counties and even other states. These will be excused for the remainder of the year but they must contact the school or the Board of Education to give us this information. I assure you we will be working together with our families and do not want to put any more hardship on them at this time.

High School End of Course Assessment at CCCHS and SHS will be:
Thursday, May 13th Algebra I and Algebra II Field Test
Friday, May 14th English II
Monday May 17th Biology I
Tuesday, May 18th Make up testing
Wednesday, May 19th English I
Thursday, May 20th US History

I know that many people may not totally understand my decision but I do hope that they will have the faith and trust in me as Interim Director of Schools to make the best decision based on the safety and academic concerns for our county school system. I have taken all information into consideration and have given much thought into how we move forward for the remainder of the school year. I want to thank everyone for their support, their endless hours of volunteering for others and their compassion shown at this time.
I am reminded of these words from world-famous actress Audrey Hepburn who spent a lifetime helping those in need:
. . . You have two hands: one for helping yourself, the other for helping others.
Disasters serve to remind us that we have hands for helping and that indeed our world is filled with helping hands. It is the brave and caring actions of people helping people that make our communities and our nation strong.

School board members make policy, approve contracts with employees, choose curriculum, adopt budgets, and select a director of schools to administer the district. These are just a few of the tasks the board members do each day to serve this school district. They do all these tasks with the emphasis on what’s best for the children they serve.
Being an effective school board member is no easy task, particularly in today’s climate of change and challenge. School board members need to be knowledgeable about many complex educational and social issues, and carry out initiatives and directives from both federal and state governments. To face these demands of governing our public schools, they give countless hours of personal time.
Through dedicated, responsible endeavors, school board members serve the public interest in public education – and serve the needs of our kids. They ensure that decisions about public schools are made as close to the needs of our community as possible. Their public service is an excellent example for young and old alike of the tradition of volunteerism that is a hallmark of American society.
We invite you to honor the contributions and dedication of our school board members. – those locally elected citizens who make decisions that affect, influence and direct the education of our youth in Cheatham County.
Let’s say “thank you” to these individuals who serve on the Cheatham County School Board of Education. School boards are making a difference for our students!

School NEWS

East Cheatham Elementary…
was designated by the State of Tennessee as a “high priority” school based on the achievement scores in reading. Under the federal No Child Left Behind the school district was required to offer ECES parents the opportunity to transfer to another school in the system.

Parents were given the choice of transferring to West Cheatham Elementary or Ashland City Elementary with transportation provided by the school district.

If you have questions please contact Jenny Simpkins at the Board of Education.
615-792-5664
jsimpkins@cheatham.k12.tn.us

H1N1 FLU UPDATE

Cheatham County Schools are working closely with the Tennessee Health Department to gather the most current information regarding the H1N1 flu. Cheatham County Schools will follow CDC guidelines and the Tennessee Department of Health’s plans for combating the virus, including decisions on school closures. According to the most recent reports, the CDC recommends schools should only shut down if the virus is widespread.

Meanwhile, health officials continue to stress the importance of hand-washing and covering your mouth when you sneeze and cough to prevent the spread of the H1N1 virus. “Good health habits like washing hands, covering coughs and sneezes, and staying home when sick help protect everyone from the flu,” says Tennessee Commissioner of Health Susan Cooper. “In addition, seasonal flu vaccine is recommended for all students every year. It is expected that a vaccine against the new strain of flu will also be available later this fall.”
Below is a list of CDC recommended school responses for the 2009-2010 school year:

Earlier this year, Senator Bill Frist launched the Tennessee State Collaborative on Reforming Education (SCORE) to help jumpstart long-term educational reform in Tennessee and ensure that every able child in our state graduates high school prepared for college or a career. Click Here for Executive Summary.

This report links to SCORE’s interim report entitled “The State of Education in Tennessee.” The report’s goal is to provide a summary of the K-12 education system in our state and to highlight its relative strengths and weaknesses and is the most comprehensive publication on the state of education in Tennessee in recent memory.

This report will be the first of two that SCORE releases this year. In late October, SCORE will release a second report with recommendations on how we can all work together to improve our state’s education system. The goal of this second report will be to help build consensus about how we can move our state’s education system forward.

I appreciate your taking the time to read this report and hope you will provide us with feedback and comments. Please do not hesitate to contact me at 615-476-9681 or by email at alene4@comcast.net. As SCORE continues our work in the coming months, I hope to see all of you.

The Tech Department has designed a BLOG to better communicate and keep everyone updated on the modifications and enhancements being made going into the new school year. Visit the Technology section of the website and click on the "BLOG" link found in the left hand column.

Cheatham County schools are concerned about the health of your child. With the recent reports about swine flu outbreaks, we want to do all we can to be sure we keep our students as healthy as possible. While our system does have policies in place in case of emergencies, our goal is prevention. Extra precautions our system has taken include increased room sanitation by custodial staff, staff awareness, and education for students on hand washing.

The CDC recommends 3 things you can remind your child to do as precautions to help prevent the spread of flu:
Cover their nose and mouth with a tissue when they cough or sneeze—have them throw the tissue away after they use it.
Wash their hands often with soap and water, especially after they cough or sneeze. If water is not near, use an alcohol-based hand cleaner.
Remind them to not to touch their eyes, nose, or mouth

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A public forum will be held with the two final candidates for Director of Cheatham County Schools. The date and time of the public forum will be announced in the near future. All stakeholders will have an opportunity to submit questions to be asked of the candidates. If you have a question you may submit it to Dianne Proffitt, Chairman of the Board, at proffittd@cheatham.k12.tn.us or send your question to the Cheatham County Board of Education at 102 Elizabeth Street, Ashland City, TN 37015. Questions will be accepted until noon on November 6, 2009.

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How’s our attendance this school year?

This chart shows the attendance rate for the first 40 days of school for the 2007-08 school year and the 2008-09 school year. The state benchmark for attendance is 93%. Principals have been sent a list of all students who currently have less than a 93% attendance rate. These administrators have been encouraged to contact and work with parents to ensure each of these student’s attendance improves.
(updated 04-15-09)

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Teachers & Parents - Your Input Please !

The 2009 Teacher Leadership Team is conducting research and needs your help. They need input from both parents and teachers. Click your respective link below and share your opinions on these short surveys. Thank you!

“Ozzie” from the Nashville Sounds came on February 24th to KSE to promote their Accelerated Reading Program.

Congratulations to Mrs. Jenny Lockerman, third grade teacher, who was selected the Nissan Teacher of the Week for April 27, 2009! Mrs. Lockerman will receive $100 from Nissan and the Alliance for Public Education, as will ACES. The River, 107.5, broadcast her name as the winner on Monday morning. Thanks to Jennifer Trotter for the nomination and to Mrs. Lockerman for her superb teaching.

Click on the picture at left and get the latest update report from the Director f Schools
(updated 05-13-09)

Introducing In-House Suspension Center !

The Cheatham County School System will be adding a new discipline procedure beginning Jan. 5, 2009. An In-House Suspension Center located at the Cheatham County Board of Education Annex in Ashland City has been established as an additional option for student discipline.

Students may be assigned a short-term placement of a minimum of three days at the center if they accumulate discipline infraction points. Point values have been assigned according to the infractions. A list of the infractions and the point values can be found by clicking here. All middle and high schools in the county will be following this system.

While at the In-House Suspension Center, students will be expected to follow the rules and guidelines of the center. The students will return to their home school upon earning their required amount of behavior points. Behavior points are earned each day for following the rules and guidelines of the center. If the student does not reach the required number of points while at the center, then further disciplinary action may occur.

This center was established after the school system’s administrators saw the need for additional discipline alternatives for students who repeatedly acquire discipline violations. Many planning sessions were held with administration and the Board of Education to plan for proper implementation of the center. Administration will continuously review the success of the center and review discipline data to determine the positive impact it is having for our students. It is our goal to continue to improve student success in all areas.
For further questions, please contact your individual schools.

***Individual discipline consequences shall be adjusted by the administration based on individual circumstances.

On Earth Day, April 22, the students at Ashland City Elementary worked on a school beautification project by planting flowers. Many students brought plants for the front garden. We appreciate Tony Young, Ashland City Parks and Recreation, for his help. We also thank Wal-Mart for their donation of soil, plants and mulch.

Photo 1: Suzanne Hunt class with helpers
Photo 2: From Norma Chatman's Kindergarten room: Sophia, Abby, and Summer
Photo 3: From Brenda Wagner's Kindergarten room: Moises and Kristen
Photo 4: From Donna Worley's Kindergarten room: Emma and Amanda

Many thanks to Congressman Jim Cooper, State Senator Tim Barnes, and 5th District Commissioner David Davidson, for their donations of new flags to Ashland City Elementary. We would also like to thank the Boy Scouts, who performed a Flag Retirement Ceremony with our students, faculty, and staff in attendance on March 19.

The students at Pegram Elementary School have been very busy the last few weeks. Each 3rd grade student has put their writing skills to work. They have been creating and illustrating their own books for the Celebrate Literacy Award Program (Tennessee Reading Association, Mid-Cumberland Reading Council). Without any help from adults, students had to write and illustrate the book. The students have done an amazing job! Each student will receive a certificate and some creative student may even win a medal at the end of the school year. Pictured are Madison and Jessica from Pegram Elementary working in their books.