Stop Bullying

As previously stated, October is a very busy month for Team Selma.  In addition to recognizing and appreciating principals and custodians, it is also the National Bullying Prevention Month.  Bullying is real, and it is a serious problem for educators nationwide.  Selma City Schools is no exception.

In an age where social media allows everyone access to, well, just about everyone, our schools grapple with how to keep up with technology.  Technology has provided new outlets for school bullies to strike.  From the Internet and instant messaging to apps that appeared to be designed for the purpose of intimidating. Threats or harassment from bullies is no longer limited to school playgrounds and hallways. Our scholars can be “cyberbullied” through e-mails, text messages, blogs, vlogs, social-networking Web sites and a variety of other digital means of communication.

So what are schools to do?  As a leader, I want to ensure that every scholar within my charge feels safe in every class, every day.  I want to be able to ensure parents that our schools are safe.  Social media creates a challenge, as schools cannot control what our scholars do when they are not in school.  So what do we do?

Did you know that the state of Alabama recently passed an anti-bullying law?  State lawmakers tackled the issue during the 2018 regular legislative session by passing HB366, also known as the Jamari Terrell Williams Student Bullying Prevention Act. The bill, which was authored by Rep. John Knight (D-Montgomery) was named in memory of a fifth-grader in Montgomery who took his own life last year after being bullied.

The act amends the Code of Alabama to include language that specifically mentions “cyberbullying,” or using an electronic means to bully or harass and acknowledges that bullying and intimidation can occur “on or off school property, online, or electronically.”

With this new legislation and as part of National Bullying Prevention Month, I want to announce that Team Selma is forming an Anti-bullying Task Force.  The primary goal of this group will be to thoroughly review HB366 so that we can not only ensure compliance but also go above and beyond to protect our children.  Within our Framework for Excellence strategic plan, this work will fit squarely as part of our Social Emotional Learning Framework.

Over the next two weeks, I will dig a little deeper into our work of addressing bullying.  Next week, I will focus on the bully.  Why do students bully others?  What do parents do when their child is the bully?  The following week, I will focus on the bystander.  How can our scholars be advocates for their friends? 

This is a complex issue that I look forward to addressing.  Student safety is a priority and we must stop bullying.

For more information, email me at avis.williams@selmacityschools.org.

Thank A Principal

October will be a busy and exciting month for Team Selma.  One thing that I am extremely elated about is that October is a month to celebrate our amazing school leaders.  National Principals Month is our opportunity to say “thank you” to principals everywhere and to share with the community all the great things that our principals do.  Having served as a principal at all levels, I know first hand how dedicated and committed our team is and how hard they must work for their schools to excel.

The key to student success is a great school, and the key to a great school is a great principal.  Research supports that school leaders account for as much as 25% of a school’s academic success.  Principals are nurturers and leaders. 

Principals open the schools each day and ensure that our scholars have hot meals, clean facilities and high-quality teaching and learning.  Arne Duncan said, “There are no good schools without good principals.  It doesn’t exist.  Where there are good principals, great teachers come, and they stay, they work hard, and they grow.”   For these and many other reasons, I salute our principals. 

Thank you, principals, for caring with your whole heart for hundreds of children who you did not birth.  Thank you, principals, for being the lead learners in your schools and ensuring that our scholars have a wide variety of opportunities for growth.  Thank you, principals, for connecting with your school community and being a valued member of Team Selma.  Finally, I thank you principals for your selflessness and understanding what it means to keep students first!

If you Tweet, use #ThankAPrincipal to share stories and pictures that honor a principal.  There will be a number of Twitter chats using this hashtag on October 3^rd.  Join the celebration!

In addition to thanking our principals this month, we are also recognizing our hard-working custodians.  Today is National School Custodians Day.  Clean and safe learning environments are important and contribute to the overall culture of our schools and district.  I thank our school custodians for their unwavering efforts.  By far, not an easy job!

At our board meeting on October 3, we will recognize both of these amazing groups of professionals.  Team Selma is blessed to have members who embody excellence and who continue to strive to provide our scholars their very best.  If you know a principal or a school custodian, please join me in honoring them.  Not just this month but routinely for the important work that they do.

Every Day Counts

School has been in session for just over three weeks now and some of our scholars have already missed more than a day or two.  Every day of school counts and there is research to support the importance of students attending school regularly and on time.  It is every parent or care giver’s responsibility to ensure that this is the case.  Poor school attendance can have a long-term impact.

Nationwide, 8 million students miss enough days of school a year to endanger their success academically.  Chronic absenteeism refers to students who miss 10% or more of the school year.  For Selma City, that amounts to 18 days and it doesn’t matter whether the days are excused or unexcused.  We are seriously concerned about our scholars well before 18 missed school days because we recognize that missed days mean missed instruction.  Missed instructions impedes progression towards grade-level readiness and overall success.  This is especially true for reading.

September is National School Attendance Month.  School attendance should be addressed as soon as it is recognized as a problem.  A recent study found that students who missed fewer than 2 days in September typically missed no more than 2 days each month during the school year.  These students missed an average of 10 days.  In contrast, students who missed between 2 and 4 days in September were absent up to 25 days during the year or 2 to 3 days each month.

Why does it matter?  There is a direct correlation between early absences and reading difficulties.  One in 10 kindergarten and first grade students nationally miss close to a month of school.  Some of our young scholars miss more than that.  Students who are chronically absent in these early grades are far less likely to become proficient readers by the end of third grade.

Pre-K students do not get a pass on this.  When students are chronically absent in pre-k, they start kindergarten less prepared.  For example, not having a good grasp on letter recognition interferes with a kindergartner’s ability to begin mastering other early literacy skills like phonological awareness (being able to hear and recognize sounds in words).  This is an important skill as it helps children sound out words when they begin to read.  Not mastering this skill is a reason that many children have difficulty reading beyond kindergarten.

The message is clear. We need our scholars in school daily and on time.  Over the next couple of weeks, I will share more research and information about how Selma City Schools is engaging families and the community around student attendance.  Every day counts!

                                                                  

For more information please reach out to me at avis.williams@selmacityschools.org.

Aiming for Excellence

Earlier this month the Selma City Schools began the implementation of our new five-year strategic plan, A Framework for Excellence.  With four areas of focus, excellence is the cornerstone of this robust plan designed to move our city schools forward.  Aiming for excellence is not just a random idea.  It is what’s needed to give our scholars the best opportunity for a successful future.

Teaching and learning look a lot different now than even just a few years ago.  To achieve excellence, our teachers and leaders must be intentionally focused on meeting the needs of all students.  In our classrooms, teachers are supported by an instructional coach as well as by their school administrators.  This support includes clear expectations for creating learning plans for each student.  This is new for many Team Selma educators and we will learn together what it means to personalize learning pathways for each student.  This is the level of excellence that’s needed in our schools and we are committed to ensuring it.

Being an educator today is definitely a challenge.  As a leader, I fully recognize that although we have work to do, we also have excellence happening every day in our schools and offices.  To this end, last year we created the Aim for Excellence Award.  Everybody wants to feel valued and appreciated for the work they do.  Our teachers and staff are no exception and they certainly deserve it.  Our Aim for Excellence Award is a simple card that includes a handwritten note from the giver.  Given on the spot when excellence is observed, it was very well received by the recipients.  Many commented about being surprised and were appreciative of the fact that their work was noticed.  A word of thanks goes a long way.

We are ready to begin awarding and celebrating our teachers and staff this year.  Along with the card, each person also receives a special gift from one of our local sponsors.  From Queen City and Allez Oup to Albritton Flowers, KFC and Papa Johns, our local community really stepped up.  As we begin a new school year, we again ask for support from our community. 

Whether you partnered with us last year or not, I invite you to join Team Selma as we celebrate excellence amongst our ranks.  Our community engagement specialist, Courtney Washington is excited to work with each business, club, church or individual interested in being part of this movement.  We are serious about our work and we recognize that in order to ensure successful outcomes for all of our students, excellence is the only option!

For more information please reach out to me at avis.williams@selmacityschools.org.

Welcome Back!

On behalf of the Selma City Schools Board of Education, I want to extend a joyful WELCOME BACK to all the children of Selma and Dallas County.  The last few weeks of summer always seem to fly by and here we are, beginning the first week of another school year.  Let’s make this our best school year ever!  As superintendent, I will support our teachers and staff to ensure that it is an excellent year.  Parents and families, please do the same for our scholars.

There are a number of ways that parents and families can partner with schools so that our children can achieve greater success.  Here are just a few.

·       Meet and get to know the teachers and staff.  Forming a positive relationship early in the year will go a long way.  Teachers need you.  Find out when the PTO open house is being held and make plans to attend and to continue to support school events throughout the year.

·       Stay aware of how your child is performing in school.  Don’t wait until report card time to be alarmed.  It is important that we act early when students need help.  Let’s not risk having him/her fall behind.  Schedule an appointment with the teacher if you have any concerns.

·       Encourage your child to read every day!  Limit screen time (TV, cell phone, video games, and social media) and read instead.  Reading for even 20 minutes a day can increase vocabulary and improve students’ grades in other subject areas. All Selma schools have libraries and students also have access to MyOn, which has hundreds of ebooks. 

·       Be a positive role model.  You are your child’s first teacher and they will learn more from you than any lesson at a school.  Show support with a positive attitude.  This will let your child see that you value their education and will go a long way towards them striving to succeed.

As parents and families, you know your child better than anyone.  Working together with our schools is a must.  We believe that our partnership with parents and families is imperative.  For that reason, we are creating the Selma City Schools Parent University.  Planning will begin this fall and we would love to have your input.  Our goal is to strengthen the home, school connection.  We want to provide support and resources to families so that they can better support their children.  Our children deserve our best and we must work together.  If you are a Selma City School family, please look to see more information about our Parent University in the coming months.

Welcome back to Selma City Schools and I hope everyone has an amazing week and a fantastic school year!

For more information please reach out to me at avis.williams@selmacityschools.org.

Happy School Year!

One of the most exciting days for parents, children and teachers is just a few days away!  Yes, it’s almost the first day of school.  My excitement is immense as Team Selma looks forward to welcoming over 3,000 scholars back to school for the 2018-19 year.  This week will be a busy one as we continue to prepare to give our babies the best that we have to offer.  Excellence is the only option.

With this in mind, our teachers, leaders and staff are dedicating countless hours to ensure that classrooms are ideal environments for learning.  As part of this, about 50 of our team members participated in Capturing Kids Hearts (CKH) last week.  Our goal in implementing CKH is simple.  We want to provide a safe, nurturing learning environment for each one of our scholars.  We want our schools to be places where students can be themselves and find themselves.  CKH is all about building relationships and creating a learning community in every classroom.  This starts with having a caring teacher in every classroom.  Our students deserve this.

So what else are we doing to achieve excellence?  We have new principals at five of our schools.  Selma native, Stoney Pritchett assumes the helm of Selma High. Chimeria Evans and Pam Rackley are changing roles to lead Sophia P. Kingston and Meadowview Elementary Schools respectively.  Veteran administrator, Concetta Burton is our new principal of R.B. Hudson and Team Selma welcomes Dr. Margaret Jones to lead the Busy Bees of Edgewood. 

Along with new principals we also look forward to welcoming our new teachers.  Among our new team members are several from the corps of Teach for America.  This amazing organization trains and supports teachers in communities nationwide and even abroad.  Teach for America’s core values revolve around an appreciation for diversity and equity.  I look forward to sharing more about these leaders and other members of Team Selma.

As part of our back-to-school weekend, we hope to see you at our Aim for Excellence 5K or 1-mile Fun run.  The event will take place on Saturday at Bloch Park.  Registration and packet pick-up begin at 6:45 and the 5K starts at 7:30.  For more information, check out our website or our social media sites.

Finally, this week is our Media Week.  We are taking time to tell our own story.  Tune into your local talk radio shows and our social media sites to learn more about the implementation of our strategic plan and district priorities for the new school year.  I will also share exciting information about our revised non-resident student policy.  Yes, even if you do not live in Selma you can apply to enroll your children in one of our schools.  Selma City Schools is on the move and we look forward to you being a part of it.  Happy School Year!

For more information please reach out to me at avis.williams@selmacityschools.org.

The Value of Core Values

Recently, the Selma City Schools Board of Education approved a robust five-year strategic plan titled The Framework for Excellence.  This plan will serve as our roadmap for improving the city schools.  While there is much work to be done, we remain optimistic and ready to dive into this important work.  Each week, I will give updates, share challenges and celebrations as we embark on this exciting journey to rebrand our district and provide an optimal education for our students.

Approved as part of the strategic plan,  our new Core Values are Students First, Excellence, Teamwork, Joy and Integrity.  Core Values are the guiding principles that dictate the behavior and expectations within our organization.  In other words, these values will define how we do school each day.  Let’s dig a little deeper into the meaning of each.

Students First means that we make decision fully aware of how they impact our students.  In doing so, we will also include students in the process of making decisions.  An example of this is our new STEAM Academy to open at R.B. Hudson Middle School.  STEAM is science, technology, engineering, arts and math.  As we plan the curriculum and activities for this innovative program, we will ask our students what they want and get a clear understanding of their interests and needs.

Through Excellence, we work diligently and hold ourselves accountable for exemplary outcomes.  Our students deserve this in every classroom, every school, every day.  Excellence has to be intentional.  I will often ask members of Team Selma, what does Excellence look like in their work.  I end my emails with a simple charge, Be Excellent.

Our greatest asset is our collective vision and our ability to work collaboratively.  Teamwork is a must.  This includes not only with our school district but also our parents, higher education partners, faith-based and non-profits and all members of the larger community.  We are stronger together.

Although all of these values work together, Joy is a personal favorite.  We enjoy our work and celebrate successes along the way.  Earlier this year we began our Aim for Excellence Awards.  It’s a simple way to catch our team performing at a level of Excellence and then celebrating them to bring a little Joy to their day.

Finally, we must always work with Integrity.  As public servants, we are also role models for our students.  We must perform our work honestly and with strong ethical principles.

Implementing our new strategic plan to include these Core Values will drive our district to a new level of success.  It’s an exciting time to be apart of Team Selma.  Please reach out to me if you want to be a part of the process as we begin the implementation of our Framework for Excellence.

avis.williams@selmacityschools.com