December 2015

Integral to our Division mission is our goal of increasing, enhancing and expanding communication and community engagement. The inaugural edition of the IMPACT newsletter represents a proactive communication and community outreach regarding progress of the school division in meeting the goals of the division strategic plan, highlights and accomplishments of students, staff and schools, and reminders of upcoming events and opportunities for parents/community to attend and participate. This newsletter will focus on the “Impact” we are having on student learning, as well as plans to further realize greater levels of “Impact” in the future.

I truly hope you will find the contents of the newsletter informative, relevant and meaningful. Even more, I trust that this communication will further deepen your understanding of and appreciation for the vision

and direction of our school division. It continues to be a sincere honor and privilege to serve as superintendent of Spotsylvania County Public Schools. Thank you for your partnership, feedback and support!

Enjoy the holiday season! Dr. S. Scott Baker

Lee Hill Elementary School second grader shares technology lesson with Dr. Baker.

www.spotsylvania.k12.va.us

Impact Today…Vision for Tomorrow

Superintendent’s Message In This Issue

Whether you are a business, parent, or community member, we are looking for Partners in Education. For more information, visit the Division’s website www.spotsylvania.k12.va.us, Communitytab and click on Partners in Education on the drop down menu.

2 Dental Students Offer Dental Check-ups

3 Spotsylvania County Public Schools Receives Full Accreditation Distinction SCPS Finance Department Continues to be Top-Notch

4 Division Recognitions Dream with STREAM

5 John J. Wright Educational and Cultural Museum Celebrates 5 Year Anniversary

6 SCPS Awarded Grants for Professional Learning & School Security

7 SCPS Plans for the Future Division Profile

8 Calendar of Events Knowing Our Neighbors

Become a Partner In Education

Free SAT Prep The Khan Academy has partnered with the CollegeBoard to become the Official SAT Practice program. The Khan Academy offers the following resources FREE.

• Full-length practice tests • Study & test-taking tips • Diagnostic quizzes

The students from Lori Stanley’s Dental II course at the Spotsylvania Career and Technical Center visited six Head Start classes during the month of October. At each visit the Dental II students offered dental check-ups. For several of the 4 year old Head Start students, this was the first dental experience. Ms. Stanley discussed good oral hygiene tips with the HeadStart students and discussed what the “check-up” would entail. In pairs, the Dental students counted each preschooler’s teeth to offer them a glimpse of what it will be like to visit a dentist. Each Head Start student received a goodie bag with a new toothbrush, toothpaste, and flossers to encourage good dental care.

Dr. Kathleen Smith, Director of AdvancED for the state of Virginia, presents SCPS with its certificate of accreditation.

On March 29 to April 1, 2015, the AdvancED accreditation agency conducted an external review of Spotsylvania County Public Schools (SCPS). This review was part of the Division’s application for its five year systems re-accreditation. The six components of the re-accreditation protocol are: 1) Executive Summary; 2) Assurances; 3) Self-Assessment;

4) Student Performance Diagnostic; 5) Stakeholder Feedback Diagnostic; and 6) Improvement Plan Stakeholder Involvement. To become accredited, a school division has to satisfy the performance requirements of five standards and thirty five indicators.

The external review team was comprised of six AdvancED experts

SCTC Dental Students offer Dental Check-ups to Head Start Classes

from across the United States, who evaluated the division very thoroughly in the respective areas during their on-site visit.

On July 17, 2015, the Division was informed that it had been awarded full accreditation by the North Central Association Commission on Accreditation and School Improvement (NCA CASI), the Northwest Accreditation Commission (NWAC) and the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Council on Accreditation and School Improvement (SACS CASI). These are the regional accrediting agencies that span the AdancED global network.

Systems accreditation means that the school division is accredited as a whole and that all 30 schools have individually met all of the requirements. From a regional perspective, SCPS is specifically accredited by SACS CASI. The time span of the accreditation is July 1, 2015 through June 30, 2020.

32TOGETHER - WE PREPARE OUR STUDENTS FOR THEIR FUTURE

SCPS Finance Department Continues to be Top-Notch For the sixth year in a row, the Government Finance Officers Association (GFOA) has awarded the Distinguished Budget Presentation Award to Spotsylvania County Public Schools for the fiscal year beginning July 1, 2014. This award represents the validation of the school division’s efforts to implement best practices in School Budgeting. The Best Practices include a budget development process that reflects student achievement goals are the guiding force for budget decisions.

SCPS Receives Full Accreditation Distinction

www.spotsylvania.k12.va.us

For more information log onto

www.khanacademy.org

A special visitor, the Tooth Fairy, helps students learn brushing

and flossing skills.

Left to Right: Dawn Shelley, School Board Chair, LaShahn Gaines, CFO, Bridgette Smith-Hurd, Doreen Flint, Marcia Stevens, Barbie Stombock, Leah Underwood, Dr. Scott Baker, Superintendent

STREAM @ 3L is a STREAM (Science, Technology, Reading, Engineering, Art, and Math) project between Riverview Elementary, Thornburg Middle, and Massaponax High Schools involving 45 elementary, 18 middle, and 12 high school students. The project was created as a response to the ongoing need of encouraging students to take an interest in science-related subjects. STREAM activities

Dream with STREAM

4 5

John J. Wright Educational And Cultural Museum Celebrates 5-Year Anniversary

In September the John J. Wright Educational and Cultural Center Museum celebrated its 5th Anniversary with a special ceremony recognizing the Young Blaze and Torch Award recipients and a reception at the museum.

The Young Blaze recipients Justin Hodges, Ezra Sims, Jay Bland, and Mathew Small and the 2015 Torch Award recipients Dr. Raymond Bell, Jr., Cleopatra Coleman, and William Blaine were recogized for their support to the community and of the museum. THE MUSEUM IS OPEN SAT 10AM - 3PM

ADMISSION IS FREE

The celebration also featured the grand opening of the Soles of Our Legacies exhibit, which shares American history from the 1920’s to present through the use of shoes, photos, signage, miniatures, and QR Code panels.

In addition, the Museum is hosting a Soles of Our Legacies Shoe Drive. For more information about the exhibit and donation drive, visit their website at http://jjwmuseum.org or call (540) 582-7583, ext. 5545.

offer participants a unique opportunity to create excitement and interest in science. The hands-on learning projects included crime scene investigation, analyzing DNA, aquaponics, designing filtration systems, a Lego bridge design contest, and constructing marble racers. As a result of their innovative approach to learning, the STREAM team was invited to participate in the STEM 16 Summit last spring.

For the past several years, SCPS has hosted the Stuff the Bus and Rock Out Knock Out Homelessness events. We received tremendous support from our community at both the August and October events. Donated items were distributed to students who are economically disadvantaged and in some cases homeless.

School social worker Michelle Swisher was able to distribute backpacks and supplies to students living in hotels prior to the start of school. “It’s amazing how much of a difference this makes to our students on the first day of school knowing that they have everything they need,” shared Mrs. Swisher. “Our community is fantastic. We couldn’t do it without their support.”

Many thanks to everyone who contributed to this year’s events. A special thank you to our event sponsors - Partners in Education, Parrish Learning Zone, Spotsylvania Towne Centre, I-kik Taekwando Academy, and Southpoint Wal-Mart. Donations are always welcome and may be dropped off at the Treasure House located in the trailer behind Massaponax High School near the stadium parking lot.

Many thanks to our Community for Supporting the SCPS Treasure House

Students from RES, TMS, and MHS work together to complete hands-on learning experiments.

SCPS’ COMMITMENT TO STUDENT ACHIEVEMENT RESULTS IN HIGHER ACCREDITATION RATINGS All Schools Are State Accredited The Division’s most recent round of assessments reflect:

• Last year, 10 of SCPS were designated as accredited with warning. This year, 9 of those schools made full accreditation and 1 is designated as partially accredited: improving school-pass rate.

• SCPS improved mathematics scores by 7% and improved writing and reading scores by 4%.

• SCPS exceeds the state average for both mathematics and writing.

• 29/ 29 of SCPS are state accredited.

• 27/29 of SCPS are fully accredited.

• 27/29 of SCPS met or exceeded accreditation benchmarks in reading.

• 29/29 of SCPS met or exceeded accreditation benchmarks in math.

• 16/17 of SCPS elementary schools met or exceeded accreditation benchmarks in reading.

• 11/12 of SCPS secondary schools met or exceeded accreditation benchmarks in reading.

• 17/17 of SCPS elementary schools met or exceeded accreditation benchmarks in math.

• 12/12 of SCPS secondary schools met or exceeded accreditation benchmarks in math.

• All high schools exceeded the Graduation and Completion Index (GCI) benchmark in 2014-15.

• On-time graduation rate increased to 90.24% and dropout rate lowered to 4.66%, which is below the state average of 5%.

Parents who would like a more comprehensive understanding of their child’s education and achievement are encouraged to contact their child’s school.

SCPS Awarded Grants for Professional Learning and School Security

VDOE Mathematics & Science Partnership Program Mini-Grant

The Virginia Department of Education’s (VDOE) Mathematics and Science Partnership Mini-Grant Program required applying school divisions to partner with an Institution of High Learning in order to develop a meaningful professional learning opportunity for teachers that would result in improved student learning in the areas of mathematics and/or science.

SCPS will use the grant award to create vertically aligned learning between math teachers at Smith Station Elementary School and Freedom Middle School. The participating teachers will participate in both workshops and a Special Topics in Math course taught by University of Mary Washington (UMW) professors. George Meadows, UMW Professor of Education, is confident that, “this project will serve as the basis for a number of future collaborative efforts. We’ve worked with the Spotsylvania Schools for a number of years and now we have the chance to take this partnership in some exciting new directions.”

The goal of the program is to strengthen instruction in the area of mathematics to improve student learning. Teachers will use hands-on learning projects to actively engage the students in the mathematics instruction.

Dr. Jan Streich, Director of Growth and Innovation for Spotsylvania County Public Schools, believes that “this unique professional learning partnership will offer both the SCPS K-12 educators and the UMW math and education departments opportunities to learn together and deliver approaches to teaching that support engaging and exciting learning opportunities for our students.”

School Security Equipment Grant The Commonwealth has awarded $51,754 from the School Security Equipment Grant to enhance the safety of six of the SCPS elementary schools. The School Security and Equipment Grant program was established by the 2013 General Assembly in the aftermath of the 2012 school shooting in Connecticut. Governor Terry McAuliffe has championed the grants as, “representing a crucial investment in safeguarding

Virginia’s young people and the educators, administrators and support staff dedicated to preparing them for the future.” The grant awards give priority to schools that are in the most need of modern security equipment but are the least able to afford the upgrades.

The SCPS schools benefitting from the grant funding are Battlefield Elementary, Lee Hill Elementary, Livingston Elementary, Robert E. Lee Elementary, Salem Elementary, and Spotswood Elementary. The funding will be used to purchase additional surveillance cameras at each school site.

Director of School Safety John Lynn states, “the surveillance cameras are an important element in our comprehensive school safety plan and in our Division goals to maximize safety and security in the educational environment for all.”

SCPS Plans for the Future

In the Summer, the School Board approved Moseley Architects to conduct a comprehensive division-wide study of the Division’s facility capacities as well as future student growth.

The study was initiated to provide a foundation for future planning and to ensure that the planning is in alignment with the Division’s Strategic Plan and Capital Improvement Plan. The goal of the plan of action encompasses more than looking at student enrollment numbers and building capacities. It takes into consideration how the Division is using facilities and the best ways to meet the needs and enhance educational experiences for our students.

Following the initial data gathering and analysis phase of the study, phase two is planned to inform and gather parent and community feedback.

The first phase of the plan is underway and a status report will be presented to the School Board at the December 14 School Board meeting. Once the first two phases are completed a timeline, actions, and strategies can be developed regarding student program opportunities, capital improvement projects, and future student growth. Throughout the year, study updates will be provided at school board meetings and shared with our community.

DIVISION PROFILE

Enrollment & Class Size • Student Enrollment (pre-K through 12)

23,678 • Grades K-2 Average Class Size: 20.9 • Grades 3-5 Average Class Size: 21.9 • Grades 6-8 Average Class Size*: 25.8 • Grades 9-12 Average Class Size*: 22.3

*based on core classes

School Facilities & Technology • 17 Elementary Schools (pre-K through 5) • 7 Middle Schools (6-8) • 5 High Schools (9-12) • 1 Alternative Learning Center • 1 Career Technical Center • Interactive White Board in All Classrooms • All Buildings Wi-Fi Accessible

Staff • Teachers: 1,753 • 98.6% of teachers are “highly qualified”

according to No Child Left Behind regulations • 51% of teaching staff holds advanced

degrees • Average years of experience: 13 • Administrative and support staff: 1,229 • 71% of staff reside in Spotsylvania County • 49 National Board Certified Teachers

Other Facts • FY 2014-2015 Budgeted Per Pupil

Expense $10,166 • Number of School Meals Served Daily

16,900 • Number of Miles Buses Travel Daily

28,774

TOGETHER - WE PREPARE OUR STUDENTS FOR THEIR FUTURE www.spotsylvania.k12.va.us 6 7

8020 River Stone Drive, Fredericksburg, VA 22407 P 540.834.2500 F 540.834.2550 www.spotsylvania.k12.va.us

Calendar of Events

December 21-31 School Closed – Winter Break

January 1 School Closed – Winter Break

4 Elementary Report Card Parent Forum at RELeeES

6 Elementary Report Card Parent Forum at CoES

9 Division Spelling Bee (Inclement Weather date – Jan 23)

18 School Closed – Holiday

26-28 Early Release – High Schools ONLY

29 Early Release – All Schools End of 2nd 9-weeks Grading Period

February 1 School Closed – Teacher Planning

and Development Day

9-11 Parent/Teacher Conference Nights

12 Early Release – All Schools

15 School Closed – Holiday

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On Wednesday, October 7, 2015, 70 students and 6 teachers from 3 of the 5 high schools attended the 2nd annual Fredericksburg Regional Chamber of Commerce’s FredTech STEM 16 Tech Tour. Seven local businesses and organizations participated in the Tech Tour this year: FredXChange/ Foundry, Germanna Community College, Luckstone, Rappahannock Electric Cooperative, SimVentions, Solid Waste Management, and the University of Mary Washington (MakerSpace and Chemistry labs).

The Tech Tour began at Germanna Community College with students working in small groups on a design challenge in which they had to create a structure using only provided materials (Dixie cups, paper, ruler, and masking tape) to create the tallest structure possible that could hold a tennis ball for at least 10 seconds. The students and teachers were then divided into seven tour groups, with each group visiting three of the participating businesses and organizations. The tours provided students with an opportunity to see how Science,

KNOWING OUR NEIGHBORS

Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) play an integral role in the daily operations of the organizations. Each tour stop included a facility tour or hands-on demonstration and a chance for the students to interact with staff and ask questions about potential careers.

When asked why they wanted to attend the Tech Tour, Junior Yari Diaz stated she “aspires to learn more about science for a future career.” While Sophomore Ben Broyles wanted the chance to be “up close and personal with technology and to learn more about the businesses within our community.” At the end of the day, all students and teachers agreed that the Tech Tour was definitely worthwhile and that the participating businesses and organizations offered a well-rounded view of STEM-related careers in the Fredericksburg area.

Local Businesses offer Students a chance to learn about Career Paths

Students learn about solar panels from Rappahannock Electric Cooperative Representatives.