On Monday, October 15, the Asheboro City Board of Education met for their regularly-scheduled meeting. Chairman Kyle Lamb called the meeting to order at 7:30 p.m. Following the Pledge of Allegiance, led by Guy B. Teachey Elementary School student’s Cole Trogdon and Morgan Green, the board approved the meeting agenda.
During Special Recognitions, the
Asheboro City Board of Education recognized the Parent Teacher Organization
(PTO) from Guy B. Teachey Elementary School as the October Community Partner
Spotlight. The Teachey PTO is an active group of parents and families of students
committed to creating and sustaining positive relationships between parents,
students, teachers, and the greater Asheboro community. This group has been
instrumental in fund-raising efforts at Teachey through a variety of different
events and initiatives.
Accepting the award on behalf of the PTO were past president, Ms. Dina
Tutterow, and current president, Ms. Karla Rush.
Also recognized during the Special
Recognitions, was the R.I.S.E. Intervention Program at Guy B. Teachey
Elementary School. Ms. Ann Evans, Teachey Elementary School principal, shared information
about various literacy strategies derived from Dr. Jan Richardson’s The Next Step in Guided Reading, that
have been implemented at Teachey. The model is designed for small-group
instruction and provides additional face-to-face time for students in grades 1-4. Studies have shown students using RISE interventions, grew as much as 5.5 months in their reading development at the end of the eight-week program. Over the summer, Teachey reading specialists read Dr. Richardson’s book and participated in professional development to gain a deeper understanding of each component of the RISE intervention. Teachey has started implementation this school year and they anticipate seeing positive results of the intervention on mid-year assessments.
Following special recognitions, the Asheboro City Board of Education approved the Consent Agenda and then moved on to Information, Reports, and Recommendations. Dr. Aaron Woody, Superintendent of Curriculum and Instruction presented information regarding teacher turnover from March 2017 to February 2018. Asheboro City Schools had a turnover rate of 15.9 percent, with approximately 52 of the district’s 327 teachers leaving the classroom. “To help address teacher turnover, our Human Resources is looking at ways to not only recruit high-quality teachers, but how to retain these individuals as well. One way we are accomplishing this is by offering reimbursement for teacher licensure exams, which can run anywhere from $100 - $500 depending on their licensure area,” said Dr. Woody. “Teachers must pass their exams to be eligible for reimbursement,” he added.
North and South Asheboro middle school counselors, Ms. Angie Berrier and Ms. Leslie Smith-Moore, and Dr. Sean McWherter discussed the Middle School Kindness Challenge. The Middle School Kindness Challenge is a nation-wide initiative to promote kindness in and among our schools. “The Middle School Kindness Challenge is a unique collaboration among leading education organizations, distinguished teachers, and acclaimed researchers. It provides access to research-based tools and resources, free of charge, to those who want to incorporate kindness into the school day and make kindness a practical, commonplace skill,” said Ms. Berrier. At North Asheboro Middle School, kindness lessons are being incorporated into core instruction. The school will also take part in creating a set of wings that will be made up of feathers in which students write random acts of kindness they have done. Ms. Berrier provided feathers to each of the board members and invited them to participate in the Kindness Challenge.
In
Action Items, the Asheboro City Board of Education approved Continuous
Improvement Plans for each elementary school. Common themes among all the
Continuous Improvement Plans included identifying and creating focused
instruction on student needs, strengthening family engagement and
communication, and continued support of teachers as they collaborate around
student achievement.
Reports were provided on the district’s upcoming events and Points of Pride. Upcoming special events include: The Asheboro High School BAND-O-RAMA on Tuesday, October 23; the Asheboro High School groundbreaking ceremony on Friday, November 2; the Communities in Schools Reality Store at Asheboro High School on Thursday, November 8; and the November Board of Education meeting on Thursday, November 8 at 7:30 p.m.
Dr. Worrell concluded the meeting by providing information to the board about the 2018-2019 Strategic Plan goals and other updates as follows:
- Seventeen
teachers completed the Introduction to AIG (Academically/Intellectually Gifted)
professional development through Canvas in preparing to teach our AIG
students and add on AIG licensure.
- We
continue to expand the use of North Carolina Check-In assessments for interim
progress monitoring.
- Our leadership teams are working on “next steps” for strengthening our delivery of differentiated instruction.
- Our Exceptional Education Department (EC) is gathering data and will provide additional coaching and support with identifying EC students who are three or more grade levels behind and ensure appropriate Individualized Education Plan (IEP) goals and service delivery are being considered.
- We
continue to share the accomplishments of our students and staff along with
upcoming events on WKXR and WZOO radio monthly.
- A groundbreaking ceremony for the
upcoming Asheboro High School addition and
renovation project will be held on Friday, November 2nd, at 4 p.m.
The meeting adjourned at 8:55 p.m.
About
Asheboro City Schools
Asheboro City Schools is a medium-sized school district in North Carolina, serving approximately 5,000 students at eight schools and one five-star Early Childhood Development Center. The district’s mission is to graduate responsible citizens who are prepared to succeed in higher education or the career of their choice. For more information, visit the district’s website at http://www.asheboro.k12.nc.us/.
###