I Love Literacy

 

Did you know that reading is a great way to reduce stress?  It’s true.  Through reading, your brain can focus on non-stressors and take a literary journey to an entirely different realm.  Reading stimulates the brain which enhances creativity.  It’s like exercise for your brain.  There are many benefits to reading and Team Selma is embracing them and sharing through our Love Literacy campaign that started on Valentine’s Day.

 

Literacy is the foundation for all learning and developing early literacy skills gives our scholars a greater opportunity to be successful in school.  It can make or break the future of our children.  Our students begin school learning to read and progress to reading to learn through mastering early literacy skills. 

 

Early literacy development begins during the first three years of a child’s life.  Yes, even before Pre-K, our young scholars are attaining skills that will help promote greater learning.  In order for our scholars to master math and science, they must be able to read and understand the content.  Team Selma’s teachers, reading coaches and leaders know this and continually focus on creating engaging learning opportunities across all grade- levels and subject areas.

 

Reading is not just for students though.  What are you currently reading?  Do you exercise your brain daily?  Reading daily can improve your vocabulary and even your memory.  We can all benefit from that!  Technology has made us lazy, even when it comes to reading.  Reading daily can counter this by improving concentration and focus. 

 

One benefit that I love about reading is that it gives me tranquility.  Diving into a good book is relaxing.  The on-going pandemic and the many stressors of work and life make reading a wonderful refuge.  It’s a lot cheaper than taking a vacation and it can be done with little or no planning.  Give it a try and join Team Selma as we celebrate and show our Love for Literacy!

 

As always, I want to address our current situation as it relates to the pandemic. We are working harder than ever to keep our schools open and fortunately the Covid-19 positivity rates are still dropping.  Our scholars need to be in school and we will continue to monitor the data as decisions are being made.  Vaccinations are encouraged and there are many opportunities to get that shot in the arm.  That is our best mitigating factor to decrease positivity rates and also reduce the severity of symptoms.

 

Please check out our social media and website for Covid-19 testing and vaccination clinics. We will also continue to update our reporting dashboard to keep you informed.  Stay tuned for additional routine updates and please reach out if you have suggestions or needs.  For now, I encourage you to continue to engage in our “Doing Our Part Everyday” campaign.  Let’s slow the spread of Covid-19.  Stay safe and be DOPE.

 

In other news, if you are interested in working as a substitute teacher, security officer or bus driver, we may have a job for you.  Our human resources team will be glad to share more details about these positions and other vacancies.  We are excited to say that our team members are paid well above the average salary of surrounding school districts.  Come be a part of Team Selma!

 

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

Celebrating Career and Technical Education

 The ultimate goal of K-12 education is to ensure that scholars graduate from high school college and career ready.  As I see it, every graduate needs a career and college is but one way to achieve this goal.  Many students are successful through career and technical education (CTE) which may or may not include going to college.

 

Career and technical education used to be known as “trade school”.  In a prior era, it was a place where students who were likely not deemed as “college material” could learn a trade that would make them employable. This is no longer the case.

 

I cringe when I hear educators say that “college isn’t for everyone”.  Sure it is!  Even as that is the case, not every graduate wants to or needs to go to college to achieve their career goals.  All scholars should be prepared and knowledgeable of their options.  

 

Some may choose college and others may work towards a credential or certification through CTE.  Fields of study range from medical and engineering to welding and construction.  Career and technical education is designed to serve as a conduit for these and many other career pathways.  Through CTE, we are preparing our graduates for high-wage, high demand careers.

 

Team Selma scholars have access to dozens of opportunities that prepare them for life after high school.  During the month of February, we join the rest of the nation in celebrating and recognizing the impact that CTE has on our young people.  This year CTE Awareness Month is sponsored by the National Association of Home Builders. Be sure to tune into our social media sites to learn more about the advancements that we have made in CTE.  This is not trade school but rather a wide variety of work-based experiences and classes that give our scholars a plethora of options to have the career of their dreams.

 

As always, I want to address our current situation as it relates to the pandemic. We are working harder than ever to keep our schools open and fortunately the Covid-19 positivity rates are dropping.  Our scholars need to be in school and we will continue to monitor the data as decisions are being made.  Vaccinations are encouraged and there are many opportunities to get that shot in the arm.  That is our best mitigating factor to decrease positivity rates and reduce the severity of symptoms.

 

Please check out our social media and website for Covid-19 testing and vaccination clinics. We will also continue to update our reporting dashboard to keep you informed.  Stay tuned for additional routine updates and please reach out if you have suggestions or needs.  For now, I encourage you to continue to engage in our “Doing Our Part Everyday” campaign.  Let’s slow the spread of Covid-19.  Stay safe and be DOPE.

 

In other news, if you are interested in working as a substitute teacher, security officer or bus driver, we may have a job for you.  Our human resources team will be glad to share more details about these positions and other vacancies.  We are excited to say that our team members are paid well above the average salary of surrounding school districts.  Come be a part of Team Selma!

 

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