Engage Every Child. Every Day. Department Head News and Updates

May 26, 2017

Important Dates Superintendent’s Office Dr. Kirk Kelly May 29 Memorial Day

Campus Support Dr. Lee McDade Superintendent’s Office Chief Academic Officer Dr. Kirk Kelly Jill Levine LVMHS Junior Earns 32 on ACT Curriculum and Instruction Lucas Wright, a junior at Lookout Valley Middle/High School, scored a 32 Dr. Justin Robertson composite score on his ACT.

Asst. Supt. of School He is a member of the Band of Gold, a judge for Youth in Government, and a Operations member of the varsity Tennis team. Zac Brown He aspires to attend Vanderbilt for his undergraduate work. Elementary Operations Director Lucas is also planning on attending law school to earn his JD degree and Karen Hollis practice law.

Elementary Operations Director Neelie Parker

iZone Operations Director Sheryl Randolph

Secondary Operations

Director Dr. Robert Sharpe

Secondary Operations Director Leandrea Ware

Innovation Keri Randolph

Finance Christie Jordan

Human Resources Stacy Stewart

Middle Valley Elementary Wins Read20 Scotty Probasco Award

Middle Valley Elementary School was presented a $10,000 check Monday morning for winning the Scotty Probasco Read 20 award.

This is the fourth straight year a Middle Valley elementary school won this award, as Ganns Middle Valley won the award for the past three years. Although this marked the first school year for the brand new Middle Valley Elementary, Principal Allyson DeYoung credits her staff with continuing the culture of reading that began at Ganns.

This year, 91% of the students at Middle Valley Elementary School participated in reading one million words, that was the highest percentage of any elementary school in Hamilton County.

Middle Valley Elementary will use the $10,000 awarded by Read20 for the school's library. Congratulations MVE readers!

Hardy Elementary Field Day 2017

Volunteers from Rock Point Church helped make Hardy Elementary School’s Field Day a huge success!

Calvin Donaldson, Tennessee Aquarium and Lula Lake- Oh My!

Calvin Donaldson Environmental Science Academy 5th grade students conducted a Stream Study at Lula Lake this week. A few representatives from the Tennessee Aquarium were also on hand to help. And since they were all in such a beautiful place on a beautiful day, they played some field games, too.

STEM School Chattanooga Recognized at MakerMinded Competition

STEM Scholl Chattanooga is one of six schools in Tennessee being recognized for outstanding participation in advanced manufacturing and STEM learning and preparedness as part of the MakerMinded competition, including STEM School Chattanooga.

The Lightweight Innovations for Tomorrow national manufacturing institute, the Tennessee STEM Innovation Network and Tennessee Tech University iCube announced the winning schools of the 2016-2017 MakerMinded Tennessee Competition.

Here are the winners:

• STEM School Chattanooga – Hamilton County Department of Ed • Heritage High School – Blount County Schools • Cookeville High School – Putnam County School District • White Station Middle School – Shelby County Schools • Rose Park Middle School – Metro Nashville Public Schools • Maxine Smith STEAM Academy – Shelby County Schools

MakerMinded is a new online STEM learning and competition platform designed to impassion students about advanced manufacturing and provide them with transformational STEM learning experiences that set them on track towards 21st century manufacturing careers.

More than 1,600 students and 149 schools competed for points by completing a diverse range of STEM and advanced manufacturing activities over the course of the school year. CCA Wins Two National Awards

Chattanooga High School for Creative Arts (CCA) has been named a 2017 National School of Excellence by Magnet Schools of America (MSA). MSA is the national association of magnet and theme-based schools. In addition, CCA has been designated a 2017-2019 Exemplary School by Arts Schools Network (ASN), the nation’s largest professional membership organization of specialized arts schools. CCA is the only 2017 Magnet School of Excellence in the state of Tennessee, and is recognized for its distinction in the school’s magnet theme (fine arts) along with its proven record of academic excellence. According to MSA, Magnet School of Merit Awards recognize member schools that demonstrate a high commitment to academic standards, curriculum innovation, desegregation/diversity efforts, specialized teaching staffs, and parent and community involvement.

MSA Executive Director, Todd Mann states, “The announcement of our national merit awards is an extraordinary time for the magnet school community. This is a way for our association to recognize the most accomplished magnet schools in the country. These schools are making a lasting, positive impact on the lives of children. They are preparing them for the challenges of the future by providing them with unique learning experiences that give them the critical skills needed to be workforce and college ready.” According to Arts Schools Network (ASN), an exemplary school category was created to highlight an arts school’s commitment to excellence. An exemplary school designation is, “presented to an ASN member school in recognition of outstanding efforts to evaluate strategically its purpose, operations, plans, and educational programs.” ASN is a non-profit professional organization dedicated to excellence and leadership in arts education. Its mission is to provide leaders in arts schools with quality resources, support, and networking opportunities.

According to CCA Principal Debbie Smith, “CCA is a haven where arts and academics share center stage. CCA nurtures both the artist and the scholar through its all-encompassing approach to individual responsibility, respect for the arts, and critical thinking.” Mrs. Smith stated CCA’s 600 students in grades 6 through 12 receive both pre-professional training in the arts and rigorous college-preparatory academics. Once admitted, students receive intensive training in their arts majors and experience a rigorous curriculum in fine arts and academic courses. CCA produces more than seventy public performances and exhibits on campus each year. Students interested in CCA audition in one arts major: acting, communications, dance, instrumental music, musical theatre, technical theatre, visual arts, or vocal music. CCA is the only secondary fine arts magnet school in Hamilton County.

Howard School Book Club Fundraiser

Two Howard School English teachers need your help to get every student engaged in reading. They are founding a community book club at Howard that will meet quarterly during the upcoming school year.

Each quarter, the students will read a new, highly-engaging young adult book and then host a book club for community members who have read the same book. Their first title is All American Boys by Jason Reynolds and Brendan Kiely.

They received a grant from the Sankofa Fund in Chattanooga that will enable us to purchase half as many books as we need for our students.

They intend to raise the rest of the money through a fundraiser at Barnes and Noble. The event will take place in stores June 2-4 (and online June 2-9). Howard will receive 15% of the purchase made by anyone who mentions "Howard Book Club" at the Chattanooga Barnes & Noble or uses the code 12159059 at another store or online. New Administrative Appointments Announced

Hamilton County Department of Education Interim Superintendent Dr. Kirk Kelly announced three new principal and two central office appointments this week. “Strong school leadership is essential to student success. Great school leaders are the key to ensuring there is an excellent teacher in every classroom. We are confident that these principals will provide outstanding leadership in their new placements,” said Dr. Kelly.

Chief Academic Officer Jill Levine added, “Our new principal selection process helped us to find the best possible leaders for three schools, and our central office team is ready to work alongside these leaders and support them as they create positive change for students and teachers.”

Principals:

Clifton Hills Elementary – Lindsay Starnes: Lindsay Starnes began her teaching career in Hamilton County at Clifton Hills Elementary School in 2004. She moved to Calvin Donaldson Environmental Science Academy in 2007 as an instructional coach and has been the assistant principal there for four years. During her tenure in Hamilton County, she has participated in Leadership Fellows, Principal Leadership Academy, and is currently a fellow in the Governor's Academy for School Leaders.

Calvin Donaldson Environmental Science Academy – Dr. Megan Bray: Megan S. Bray is excited to be named the new principal of Calvin Donaldson Environmental Science Academy. She brings 24 years of experience in education, serving as the assistant principal at Red Bank Elementary for the past five years. She looks forward to becoming a part of the Calvin Donaldson community.

Thrasher Elementary – Jeff Paulson: Jeff Paulson has worked at Thrasher Elementary School for the past sixteen years. During this time, he was a teacher, a literacy coach, and assistant principal. He had the honor of being chosen for Leadership Fellows and the Principal Leadership Academy. He is thrilled and honored to serve HCDE as the principal at Thrasher Elementary.

Central Office:

Erin Harrell – Coordinator of Field Experience and Teacher Recruitment: Erin joins our HR team this summer as an experienced professional recruiter. She has previously worked to bring the best candidates on board at John Brown University and for the Project Inspire Teacher Residency program. We are confident she will continue this strong work for HCDE.

John Maynard – Director of College and Career Readiness: John has been with Hamilton County since 1993, he most recently supervised secondary school counselors and has been instrumental in the success of the Mechatronics Akademie at Volkswagen. In his new role, John will continue to expand options for students in Hamilton County through more partnerships like the VW Akademie and through college readiness initiatives.

Art 120 Art Cars Visit Barger Academy Hixson High School Students Join Southeast Conservation Corps

Three Hixson High School students have been offered paid summer internships with the Southeast Youth Conservation Corps this summer.

The Southeast Conservation Corps, formerly known as the Southeast Youth Corps, operates conservation service programs throughout the Southeast that focus on empowering them to cultivate compassion, responsibility and grit through community service, hard work and environmental stewardship.

The Youth Conservation Crews offer students age 16 – 18 an opportunity to gain employment experience, job- training skills, personal development, environmental education and recreation experience during the summer months.

Hixson High School students Madison Roberts (entering 12th grade), Alex Busby (entering 11th grade), and Tyler Wahlers (entering 12th grade) will receive assignments at the Chickamauga National Military Park, Cherokee National Forest.

The students will then produce a presentation of their experiences when they return to school in the fall. Way to go HHS!

Ooltewah Middle School 8th Grade Promotion Ceremony

Ooltewah Middle School faculty and staff celebrated the eighth grade promotion ceremony Tuesday morning.

In addition to Ooltewah Middle School staff, Ooltewah High School Principal Robin Copp and HCDE Interim Superintendent Dr. Kirk Kelly were in attendance.

After the welcome, Pledge of Allegiance, and some musical performances, students were honored for athletics, academics, attendance, Honor and Star Roll awards, citizenship, and patriotism. Congratulations to the rising high school freshman! HCDE Bus Driver Goes Above and Beyond (Letter written by Loftis Middle School Assistant Principal Dr. Jessie Schmid)

Dear Mr. Eaves,

I wanted to take a moment to share with you how one of our county bus drivers went the extra mile for one of our students today. Ms. Amanda Jones is the owner/driver of Bus 22. She was previously a Durham driver prior to purchasing her own bus this summer and has had Loftis as part of her route for a while now. She is also a parent to one of our 7th grade students.

Today was our 8th grade promotion ceremony at Loftis. One of Ms. Jones' students, 8th grader Leah B., was all dressed up for the event. Ms. Jones learned on the way to school that Leah would not have anyone there for her promotion as her dad had to work. She felt Leah could not be the only kid there without someone rooting her on as she closed her middle school career. After her second route, Ms. Jones rushed home, changed, and made it back to Loftis in time to celebrate Leah. Her moment of kindness meant so much to this student.

Ms. Jones should be commended for her actions and making this young woman's day. We are fortunate she is one of bus drivers and cares about her students.

Art 120 Art Cars Visit Bess T. Shepherd Elementary

New Gardening Day Camp for Rising 3rd and 4th Graders

Attention all parents of rising 3rd and 4th graders: There is an affordable new summer day camp for your child!

What: Gardening Camp for Kids taught by UT Master Gardener Volunteers and The County Agent. Where: UT-Hamilton County Agricultural Center- 6183 Adamson Circle, Chattanooga, TN (Next to the Tag office just off Bonny Oaks Drive.) When: 5 days - July 17-21st 9am-1pm each day. Who: Rising 3rd and 4th graders (12 students max) Cost: $20 – This includes a garden journal, folder with lots of handouts, lunch each day, snacks, water, and supplies.

This week long gardening/science camp is designed for the young student with high interest in vegetables, flowers, trees, insects, gardening and nature. There will be indoor and outside activities each day.

Please click on ‘Related Documents’ in online article for additional details and how to register.

Loftis Middle School Students Raise $4,166 for Make-A-Wish to Honor Former Student

Loftis Middle School students along with teachers and staff paid tribute to a former member of their school family Thursday.

Jonathan Charre lost his valiant fight against Ewing sarcoma cancer in February of 2015.

During his battle with the disease, the Loftis staff started the Jonathan Charre Links of Love campaign.

Students donated $1 for a link in a chain to help his family during this time of adversity.

Since then, the school has continued the tradition honoring the 14-year-old through the Links of Love Campaign, each year they donate collected funds to the Make-A-Wish Foundation that helped Jonathan and his family during their difficult time.

Loftis Middle School Principal Brent Eller says the foundation helped Jonathan realize a long-time family dream by sending Jonathan, his parents and one his brothers to Cancun, Mexico where his father reunited with his relatives after many years away from his homeland. Principal Eller added, “That is so typical of Jonathan, always thinking of others.”

Eighth grade Math and Algebra 1 Teacher Deanna Rice is extremely proud of how the students have taken the fundraising to heart. “I am so humbled to see how this school community cares,” she said. “We now raise funds for the Make-A-Wish Foundation that had a helping hand in Jonathan's journey, and the students continue to amaze me with their generosity.”

This year, the school collected more than $4,000 in donations for Links of Love. Jonathan’s mother Heather Charre and the rest of his family remain very active in the campaign.

Principal Eller is not surprised by the generous spirit of his students. “The mission of Loftis Middle School is to challenge our students to become independent thinkers, respectful individuals, and responsible citizens,” he said. “What better way to encourage responsibility and respect than to do something completely selfless for others?”

Principal Eller says the donation has been earmarked to help a fellow Loftis Middle School student who is currently battling brain tumors.

Jonathan’s family continues to be advocates to help end Ewing sarcoma, the second most common bone cancer in children and young adults.

Tyner Tiny Home Travels to Knoxville for Destination Imagination Global Finals

Tyner Academy’s Tiny Home project hit the road this week for the Destination Imagination global finals in Knoxville. Engineering/Renewable Energy and Sustainable Technology teach Jerry Webb joined TVA engineer Charley Spencer for the trip. The Tiny Home is part of TVA’s display at the event.

Thousands of students from Tennessee, the U.S. and all over the world are at the event dubbed the world’s largest celebration of creativity.

Mr. Webb even got the chance to speak with Knox County Mayor Tim Burchett about the Tiny Home project. Mayor Burchett was impressed that HCDE is doing things like building energy efficient tiny homes in schools and giving our students the ability to learn how to do this.

Destination Imagination says the event is to inspire and equip students to become the next generation of innovators and leaders. Learn more here.

The Red Bank Way

Hundreds of teachers from Red Bank High School, Middle School, and Elementary gathered Thursday afternoon to get a jump start on next year. The goal of the summer kickoff celebration was to begin implantation of the “Red Bank Way.” That is a collaborative effort between the Elementary, Middle and High Schools to ensure every student and every family has access to the tools to provide the best possible education.

Since the meeting began at 1 p.m., some Red Bank Elementary School teachers decided to grab some lunch after the half-day ended, so they headed to McAllister’s Deli on Signal Mountain Road.

Once the crew found out they were all teachers, McAllister’s comped their meals to say thank you. The manager on duty explained to me that he wished he could do more to say thank you, because he has a 3- and 7-year old.

Thank you McAllister’s Deli for loving our teachers as much as we do! HCDE Celebrates its Retirees

The Hamilton County Department of Education celebrated its 22 retirees Thursday afternoon. Three of the employees have been with HCDE for more than 40 years.

Stay tuned for a more in depth look at these amazing retirees in a future HCDE Board newsletter. We wish them all well and thank them for their time and talents at HCDE.

A Thank You from Dr. Kelly

Red Bank GIS Mapping Making Headlines Across the Country

Red Bank High School Science Department Head Leah Keith-Houle recently celebrated STEM education at its finest during the Free and Open Source GIS Mapping Conference (FOSS4G) in Knoxville.

Ms. Keith-Houle was the only teacher- and only female- of the 11 presenters at the community-building conference. Her presentation was on the mapping her Red Bank High School students have been working on for the past two years in Bradley County.

OpenStreetMap in Bradley County TN has been an ongoing project with the assistance of TeachOSM.

The maps have been created for the Churches and Cemeteries of Bradley County.

Ms. Keith-Houle said the mapping will also continue in this area for the Eastern Tribe of the Cherokee Nation and the Hiwassee Historical Museum for 16 sites of Fort Cass in the Northern portions of Bradley and McMinn Counties, to map the locations of the Fort holding cells and Blythe Ferry.

This is where 18,000 Cherokees were removed from their ancestral land in the 1838 in the Trail of Tears from Bradley County.

OpenStreetMap in Bradley County TN is a work in progress with partners from the Eastern tribe of the Cherokee Nation, Cleveland Chamber of Commerce, the 5-point Museum and Hiwassee Historical Museum, Google Maps trails and Red Bank.

The goal is to create an interactive map with eventually and 360* video to show sites of removal. Check out the FOSS4G Tennessee Meeting Wikipedia page.

Atlanta Braves Offer Ticket Discounts to HCDE Students and Families

The Atlanta Braves would like to congratulate Hamilton County School District on a successful school year. They are extending a special invitation to Hamilton County School District families to visit SunTrust Park throughout the summer. Join them for an exciting game of Braves baseball as well as experience many of unique aspects of SunTrust Park including the Battery Atlanta, Hope and Will’s Sandlot, zip lining, rock wall climbing and much, much more. Visit www.braves.com/family and www.braves.com/kidsweek to see more about these exciting offers.

This marks the first season for the Braves in the brand new SunTrust Park in the Cumberland neighborhood of Cobb County, Ga. The entire Atlanta Braves family wishes us a very happy, safe and enjoyable summer!

Exceptional Education Artwork in Central Office

The Exceptional Education Department has started an art expo this school year to showcase our exceptional artists. The student’s art work will be displayed quarterly at the Central Office. Exceptional Education staff members simply send a request along with art paper and our students do the rest.

The first three quarters have been dedicated to the self-contained classrooms at various grade levels although throughout the expo they will exhibit work from all classes.

The theme of the current art work is Vacation and was submitted by Middle School self-contained classes. Drop by to check out the artwork!

Reading Fun at Ooltewah Elementary

HCDE in the News this Week: http://nooga.com/176138/new-principals-central-office-leaders-appointments/

http://www.wrcbtv.com/story/35487000/middle-valley-elem-school-wins-10k-read-20-award

http://newschannel9.com/news/local/loftis-middle-students-and-staff-honor-late-school-family-member

http://wdef.com/2017/05/22/soddy-daisy-cheerleaders/

http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/local/story/2017/may/23/three-hamilton-county-schools-will-have-new- principals-fall/429706/