superintendent « WordPress.com Tag Feed

Excellent Poetry From LEHS

Dr. Frank Morgan — Mon, 29 Apr 2013 19:03:43 +0000

Some excellent poetry from the students and staff at Lugoff-Elgin High School in recognition of National Poetry Month…

http://lhs.kcsdschools.com/www/kcsdschools_lhs/site/hosting/Poetry%20Magazine.pdf

Greens Improvement

mynormas — Mon, 29 Apr 2013 01:03:00 +0000

This is green 18 at Kinrara Golf Club. It usually doesn’t look like this. Most golfers in the

'Most Inspirational Teacher' Awards

Shirley — Sun, 28 Apr 2013 22:03:58 +0000

Parker Ericson, Brooke Ericson and Chelsea Kaiser, who nominated their former teacher, pose for a picture with Dr. Chris King, superintendent of the Boulder Valley School District, Wayne Boss, first counselor in the Boulder Colorado Stake presidency and Arthurenia Hawkins of Broomfield Heights Middle School, after Hawkins received the stake’s “Most Inspirational Teacher” award on Feb. 24, 2010, at The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, 701 W. South Boulder Road, Louisville, Colo.

Story: http://aslightshines.wordpress.com/2013/04/03/most-inspirational-teacher-awards-night/

The Boulder Colorado Stake of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints honored 11 Boulder Valley School District teachers with “Most Inspirational Teacher” awards on Feb. 24, 2010, at 701 W. South Boulder Road, Louisville, Colo.

'Most Inspirational Teacher' Awards

Shirley — Sun, 28 Apr 2013 22:00:44 +0000

Moriah Hippen poses for a picture with Dr. Chris King, superintendent of the Boulder Valley School District, Wayne Boss, first counselor in the Boulder Colorado Stake presidency, and her nominated teacher, Carla Flanhofer of Peak to Peak, after Flanhofer received the stake’s “Most Inspirational Teacher” award on Feb. 24, 2010, at The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, 701 W. South Boulder Road, Louisville, Colo.

Story: http://aslightshines.wordpress.com/2013/04/03/most-inspirational-teacher-awards-night/

'Most Inspirational Teacher' Awards

Shirley — Sun, 28 Apr 2013 21:57:57 +0000

KyLee Ferrera poses for a picture with Dr. Chris King, superintendent of the Boulder Valley School District, Wayne Boss, first counselor in the Boulder Colorado Stake presidency, and her nominated teacher, Jay Weerman of Monarch High, after Weerman received the stake’s “Most Inspirational Teacher” award on Feb. 24, 2010, at The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, 701 W. South Boulder Road, Louisville, Colo.

Story: http://aslightshines.wordpress.com/2013/04/03/most-inspirational-teacher-awards-night/

'Most Inspirational Teacher' Awards

Shirley — Sun, 28 Apr 2013 21:50:45 +0000

Jessica Diamond, who nominated her former teacher, poses for a picture with Dr. Chris King, superintendent of the Boulder Valley School District, Wayne Boss, first counselor in the Boulder Colorado Stake presidency, and Jim Davidson of Broomfield High, after Davidson received the stake’s “Most Inspirational Teacher” award on Feb. 24, 2010, at The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, 701 W. South Boulder Road, Louisville, Colo.

Story: http://aslightshines.wordpress.com/2013/04/03/most-inspirational-teacher-awards-night/

'Most Inspirational Teacher' Awards

Shirley — Sun, 28 Apr 2013 21:44:37 +0000

Trevor Luke and Tanner Luke, who nominated their former teacher, pose for a picture with Dr. Chris King, superintendent of the Boulder Valley School District, Wayne Boss, first counselor in the Boulder Colorado Stake presidency, and Pam Unrau of Douglas Elementary, after Unrau received the stake’s “Most Inspirational Teacher” award on Feb. 24, 2010, at The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, 701 W. South Boulder Road, Louisville, Colo.

Story: http://aslightshines.wordpress.com/2013/04/03/most-inspirational-teacher-awards-night/

'Most Inspirational Teacher' Awards

Shirley — Sun, 28 Apr 2013 21:41:09 +0000

Kate Diamond poses for a picture with Dr. Chris King, superintendent of the Boulder Valley School District, Wayne Boss, first counselor in the Boulder Colorado Stake presidency, and her nominated teacher, Belinda Harp-Schrag of Broomfield Heights Middle School, after Harp-Schrag received the stake’s “Most Inspirational Teacher” award on Feb. 24, 2010, at The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, 701 W. South Boulder Road, Louisville, Colo.

Story: http://aslightshines.wordpress.com/2013/04/03/most-inspirational-teacher-awards-night/

'Most Inspirational Teacher' Awards

Shirley — Sun, 28 Apr 2013 20:29:23 +0000

Lauren Toone and Alisha Flanagan, who nominated their former teacher, pose for a picture with Dr. Chris King, superintendent of the Boulder Valley School District, Wayne Boss, first counselor in the Boulder Colorado Stake presidency, and Andrea Staufer of Broomfield High, after Staufer received the stake’s “Most Inspirational Teacher” award on Feb. 24, 2010, at The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, 701 W. South Boulder Road, Louisville, Colo.

Story: http://aslightshines.wordpress.com/2013/04/03/most-inspirational-teacher-awards-night/

'Most Inspirational Teacher' Awards

Shirley — Sun, 28 Apr 2013 20:14:26 +0000

Lauren Toone looks on as Alisha Flanagan reads her tribute to their former teacher, Andrea Staufer of Broomfield High. Both students nominated the same teacher for the Boulder Colorado Stake’s “Most Inspirational Teacher” award Staufer received on Feb. 24, 2010, at The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, 701 W. South Boulder Road, Louisville, Colo.

Story: http://aslightshines.wordpress.com/2013/04/03/most-inspirational-teacher-awards-night/

'Most Inspirational Teacher' Awards

Shirley — Sun, 28 Apr 2013 19:56:32 +0000

Spencer Ferrel and Meganne Ferrel pose for a picture with Dr. Chris King, superintendent of the Boulder Valley School District, Wayne Boss, first counselor in the Boulder Colorado Stake presidency, and Mark Haxton of Aspen Creek, the brother and sister’s former teacher, after Haxton received the stake’s “Most Inspirational Teacher” award on Feb. 24, 2010, at The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, 701 W. South Boulder Road, Louisville, Colo.

Story: http://aslightshines.wordpress.com/2013/04/03/most-inspirational-teacher-awards-night/

'Most Inspirational Teacher' Awards

Shirley — Sun, 28 Apr 2013 19:45:39 +0000

Boulder Valley School board members, Virginia Belval and Jim Reed, Chris King, BVSD superintendent, and Wayne Boss, first counselor in the Boulder Colorado Stake presidency, enjoy a moment at the stake’s “Most Inspirational Teacher” awards night on Feb. 24, 2010, at The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, 701 W. South Boulder Road, Louisville, Colo.

Story: http://aslightshines.wordpress.com/2013/04/03/most-inspirational-teacher-awards-night/

'Most Inspirational Teacher' Awards

Shirley — Sun, 28 Apr 2013 19:42:01 +0000

Boulder Valley School board members, Virginia Belval and Jim Reed, pose for a picture with Chris King, BVSD superintendent, and Wayne Boss, first counselor in the Boulder Colorado Stake presidency, at the stake’s “Most Inspirational Teacher” awards night on Feb. 24, 2010, at The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, 701 W. South Boulder Road, Louisville, Colo.

Story: http://aslightshines.wordpress.com/2013/04/03/most-inspirational-teacher-awards-night/

'Most Inspirational Teacher' Awards

Shirley — Sun, 28 Apr 2013 19:15:55 +0000

Wayne Boss, first counselor in the Boulder Colorado Stake presidency, smiles at the stake’s “Most Inspirational Teacher” awards night on Feb. 24, 2010, at The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, 701 W. South Boulder Road, Louisville, Colo.

Story: http://aslightshines.wordpress.com/2013/04/03/most-inspirational-teacher-awards-night/

'Most Inspirational Teacher' Awards

Shirley — Sun, 28 Apr 2013 19:09:29 +0000

Boulder Valley School District Superintendent Chris King smiles at the Boulder Colorado Stake’s “Most Inspirational Teacher” awards night on Feb. 24, 2010, at The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, 701 W. South Boulder Road, Louisville, Colo.

Story: http://aslightshines.wordpress.com/2013/04/03/most-inspirational-teacher-awards-night/

Thanks To The Camden Rotary Club

Dr. Frank Morgan — Sun, 28 Apr 2013 14:16:50 +0000

Many thanks to the Camden Rotary Club for its generous contribution to the Aquaponics greenhouse at Camden High School. Our District is truly blessed by the support of so many community organizations. This support has helped us to sustain many programs during difficult economic times.

Legislative Update - April 26, 2013

Dr. Frank Morgan — Sun, 28 Apr 2013 14:13:03 +0000

The Senate Finance Committee will start their budget deliberations on Tuesday, April 30^th. Next week will be extremely busy as both chambers will be trying to clear their respective calendars to beat the May 1^st crossover deadline. Bills received after May 1^st can be received, read and referred to the appropriate committee but are not eligible to be taken up until the next regular session unless the bill receives a two-thirds vote to be placed on the calendar.

H.3453 (Teacher contracts) The joint resolution extends the deadline for issuing contracts to May 15^th and allows districts to uniformly negotiate the salaries of retired teachers who are not participants in the TERI program. The resolution also requires that a teacher being recommended for formal evaluation the following year be notified on or before the date the school issues the written contract. Both the House and Senate adopted the conference report that moved the date to May 5^th and allows districts to uniformly negotiate the salaries of retired teachers who are not participants in the TERI program. As soon as it is ratified, it will go to Governor Haley, who will have five days minus Sunday, for her signature. Even though the date extension will not help districts at this point, the salary negotiation piece will still be beneficial. The negotiation part is also a budget proviso that has been adopted by the Senate K-12 Finance Subcommittee.

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

On Tuesday, April 23^rd, the House Full Education and Public Works Committee met and reviewed two bills. The following two bills received a favorable report and are now on the House floor:

H.3919 (Exit Exam) The bill requires all students, beginning in 2013-2014, to take the exit exam to graduate from high school; however, the student’s score may not be uses as a criterion for graduation and a student must not be required to achieve any minimum score to graduate. The bill also creates a High School Assessment Study Committee to:

Consider whether the High School Assessment Program (HSAP) test should remain the State’s accountability assessment or to replace it with a difference assessment;
Suggest an alternative assessment if the committee determines that the HSAP should be replaced; and
Review cost associated with a change of assessments.

The composition of the committee was amended by striking the appointments by SCASA and the School Boards Association.

H.3893 (Standards and Assessments) The bill requires that any new education standards and assessments adopted by the State Board of Education for use as an accountability measure must:

Be developed and adopted upon the advice and consent of the Education Oversight Committee; and
Not be implemented until approved by a Joint Resolution of the General Assembly.

The House K-12 Subcommittee met on Wednesday, April 24th, and reviewed the following bills:

H.3383 (Attendance in a Public School District) The bill eliminates the provision allowing a child to qualify if he owns real estate in the district having an assessed value of three hundred dollars or more. The bill was amended to grandfather students who currently own property in the district and received a favorable report as amended.

H.3365 (Mental health counseling) The bill requires each public school in SC to employ a licensed school psychologist on a full-time basis. The bill was amended with a strike and insert that establishes a School Safety Task Force that will meet and report their recommendations to the General Assembly no later than December 31, 2013. The bill was adopted as amended.

On Thursday, April 26^th, the House K-16 Building Need and Utilization Study Committee held an organizational meeting. This committee is chaired by Rep. White and consists of Rep. Kenny Bingham, Rep. Chip Limehouse, Rep. Roland Smith, Rep. Gilda Cobb-Hunter and Rep. Jackie Hayes. The committee will study current building regulations in K-12 and Higher Ed as well as the prospect of state school bonds. The committee may meet the week of May 13^th.

Status of Bills in the House:

H.3853 (Alternative Education Campus) The bill allows a charter school sponsor to create an Alternative Education Campus and also dissolves the current Charter School Advisory Committee. A committee amendment changed the period for closing an underperforming school from two to three years. The bill received third reading and will now go to the Senate.

S.10 ( Sell or lease of school property) The joint resolution allows school districts to sell or lease district property for the current school year without the approval of county council. The bill has been enrolled for ratification.

H.3752 (Expanded Virtual Learning Act) The bill changes the name of the program to the SC Virtual Education Program in order to eliminate confusion between it and the Virtual Charter School Program. It also eliminates the cap of 12 credit hours that can be achieved through the program. The bill is in Senate Education.

H.3725 (Safe Access to Vital Epinephrine Act) The bill allows a school to maintain a stock supply of epinephrine auto-injectors and to authorize school nurses and other designated school personnel to:

(1) provide an epinephrine auto‑injector to a student to self‑administer the epinephrine auto‑injector in accordance with a prescription specific to the student that is on file with the school;

(2) administer an epinephrine auto‑injector to a student in accordance with a prescription specific to the student on file with the school;

(3) administer an epinephrine auto‑injector to a student or other individual on school premises whom the school nurse or other designated school personnel believes in good faith is experiencing anaphylaxis, in accordance with a standing protocol of a physician, an advanced practice registered nurse licensed to prescribe medication pursuant to Section 40‑33‑34, or a physician assistant licensed to prescribe medication pursuant to Sections 40‑47‑955 through 40‑47‑965, regardless of whether the student or other individual has a prescription for an epinephrine auto‑injector.

The bill also instructs DHEC in consultation with the Department of Education to develop and make available guidelines for management of students with life-threatening food allergies.

The bill received third reading and will now go to the Senate.

SENATE

On Thursday, April 25^th, the Senate K-12 Subcommittee met and adopted new provisos. Two of provisos are being sent to the full Finance Committee without a recommendation. Please note that in proviso 1A.SCSP, located below, the department may use up to $3,500,000 of the local assessment funds to fund the proviso.

1.49. (SDE: Prohibit Advertising on School Buses) The Department of Education and local school districts are prohibited from selling space for or the placement of advertisements on the outside or inside of state-owned school buses.

1.61. (SDE: Student Health and Fitness) Funds appropriated for Student Health and Fitness shall be allocated to school districts to increase the number of physical education teachers to the extent possible and to provide licensed nurses for elementary public schools. Twenty seven percent of the funds shall be allocated to the districts based on average daily membership of grades K-5 from the preceding year for physical education teachers. The remaining funds will be made available through a grant program for school nurses and shall be distributed to the school districts on a per school basis. Schools that provide instruction in grades K-5 are eligible to apply for the school nurse grant program.

1.sn. (SDE: Salary Negotiation) For Fiscal Year 2013-14, school districts uniformly may negotiate salaries below the school district salary schedule for the 2013-14 school year for retired teachers who are not participants in the teacher and employee retention incentive program.

1.dim. (SDE: Digital Instructional Materials) Utilizing the funds appropriated for digital instructional materials, the Department of Education shall determine a per pupil amount using the prior year’s 135 ADM. These funds shall be made available to all school districts using the following procedure:

(1) The Department of Education shall create a digital instructional materials list composed of those items which have been requested by districts and that have received Board approval;

(2) Districts may request that the State Board of Education review digital instructional materials for inclusion on the list when the material has been reviewed by the district, received approval by the local board of trustees for use in its district and been found to reflect the substance and level of performance outlined in the state adopted grade specific educational standards, contain current content information, and are cost effective;

(3) Within 30 days of receiving the request, the State Board of Education must approve or disapprove the district’s request. Those materials receiving approval shall be placed on the department’s approved digital instructional materials list. Once items are placed on the approved list, all districts may choose items from that list; and

(4) On a form provided by the department, a district may request an allocation by denoting the number of students, grade level, and subject for which the digital materials will be used. Districts may only request digital materials in one subject area and may not receive textbooks for the students using digital materials in that subject area.

District requests must be submitted to the State Board of Education for consideration not later than August 15 of the current fiscal year. Any funds appropriated for digital instructional materials which have not been encumbered by January 15, shall be distributed to school districts which have not previously received an allocation These districts shall receive a per pupil allocation which must be used for technology infrastructure needed to prepare the district for using digital instructional materials. These funds shall not be subject to flexibility.

1.sba. (SDE: School District Activity Bus Advertisements) School Districts may sell commercial advertising space on the outside or inside of district owned activity buses. Revenue generated from the sale of commercial advertising space shall be retained by the school district.

1.dpp. (SDE-EIA: Defined Program Personnel Requirements) Administrative positions requiring State Board of Education teacher or administrator certification, may be filled either by an individual receiving a W-2 from the hiring school district, or in the case of a charter school authorized under title 59, Chapter 49, an individual employed by an entity under contract with the school district may fill such a position. However, if such a position in a charter school is filled by an individual that does not receive a W-2 from the hiring school district, the total compensation for the individual shall not exceed the total compensation of the highest paid individual in a similarposition at a school district of the same or lesser size of the charter school in the state of South Carolina. If such total compensation does exceed that amount, the school’s EFA and/or EIA allocation shall be reduced by the amount which such compensation exceeds that amount specified in the previous sentence. Compliance with this requirement will be made part of the single audit process of local public school districts as monitored by the State Department of Education.

The following two provisos will move forward to the full Finance Committee without recommendation:

1.ewr. (SDE: Early Warning Referral and Monitoring System) For Fiscal Year 2013-14 the Department of Education, utilizing funds appropriated to or authorized for the department, is directed to enter into an agreement, not to exceed $360,000, with Beanstalk Innovation to pilot in up to five school districts (to serve between 40,000 and 60,0000 students) an early warning, identification, referral and monitoring technology for students showing signs of academic, behavioral or emotional risk. An interim report on the results of the pilot project, including the number of students referred to and accessing academic, mental health and other services shall be submitted to the Chairman of the Senate Finance Committee, the Chairman of the Senate Education Committee, the Chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee, and the Chairman of the House Education and Public Works Committee, by March 1, 2014.

1A.scsp. (SDE-EIA: South Carolina Success Program) From the funds in specific appropriations Assessment/Testing, the Department of Education shall issue a request for proposal to provide a statewide South Carolina Success Program, a program to be available to all public school districts and open-enrollment charters in the State of South Carolina. The department may use up to $3,500,000 of the local assessment funds for this program. This program shall provide academic support to students and teachers to help ensure on grade level achievement in reading by making available for grades PreK-8 an online-delivered, interactive reading assessment and research-based intervention program for use both at school and at home. This online program must automatically place students into an individualized on-line curriculum and instruction, provide teachers and administrators with immediate reporting, provide recommendations for interventions and teacher lessons, and provide small group instruction lessons. The program must provide computer adaptive assessments at least eight times per year, and teachers, principals, and districts must have immediate on-line reporting to identify those students who are not reading on grade-level and those that are at risk of failing the state reading assessment pursuant to Section 59-18-310 of the 1976 Code, as amended. The program must make available to parents reporting and resources regarding student participation via a home portal. To ensure effective implementation of the program in conjunction with the beginning of the academic school year, the Department of Education shall issue a request for proposal to carry out the requirements of this provision no later than July 5, 2013. Implementation of the program must begin no later than August 15, 2013.

On Wednesday, April 24^th, the Senate K-12 Education Subcommittee met to review two bills.

H. 3229 (Student Athletes) H.3229 The bill sets up the following additional guidelines for the SC High School League:

Provides a range of sanctions that may be applied to a student, coach, team or program;
Guarantees that individuals and private or charter institutions are afforded the same rights and privileges that are enjoyed by all other members of the association;
Sets up a third-body appellate panel;
Provides for an emergency appeals procedure; and
Requires that within one year after the effective date, the compositions of the executive committee must be geographically representative of the state.

The bill received a favorable report as amended with the following language in section 59-5-170:

(2) (a) Guarantees that individuals and private or charter institutions schools are afforded the same rights and privileges that are enjoyed by all other members of the association, body, or entity. Individuals and Private or charter institutions schools may not be expelled or denied membership in the association, body, or entity or restricted in their ability to participate in interscholastic athletics including, but not limited to, state playoffs or championships based solely on their status as a home‑schooled individual, private school, or charter school. The association, body or entity shall set reasonable standards for private or charter school admission. A private or charter school denied membership must be provided, in writing within five business days, the reason or reasons for rejection of its application for membership.

(b) Guarantees that a South Carolina home school athletic team that is a member of a home school athletic association may not be denied access to preseason and or regular season interscholastic athletics, including but not limited to jamborees and invitational tournaments, based solely on its status as a home school athletic team.

Also, in (3)(c) it clarifies the definition of guardian as follows:

Parents, legal guardians, principals, and coaches must be able to appeal a ruling of the association, body, or entity to the panel.

S. 516 (Read to Succeed) The bill would create the South Carolina Read to Succeed Office in order to take a comprehensive, systematic approach to student reading performance. It also requires the Department of Education to create a State Reading Proficiency Plan by 2014, which would be accompanied by reading plans created by each of the individual school districts. Districts must identify reading insufficiencies in students prior to the third grade and offer intensive in-class intervention and summer reading camps for such students, which must be conducted by reading interventionists who possess an add-on reading endorsement. In order to earn this endorsement, teachers may be required to take up five courses; administrators would be required to take two courses. Higher education institutions offering a master’s in education program with a focus on literacy would be required to offer such research-based courses, and teachers and administrators would have up to seven years to complete this requirement. Beginning in the 2015-2016 school-year, students may be held back in the third grade if they do not demonstrate proper reading ability, unless exempted for good cause. Training and support would be provided to districts by the Read to Succeed Office. A fiscal impact summary for the bill is pending. After an much debate, the bill received a favorable report and will now go to the full Senate Education Committee.

Bills on the Senate floor:

H.3091 (Charitable Funds) The bill will exempt parent-teacher associations, local chambers of commerce, and school-related organizations and booster clubs from the provisions of the Charitable Funds Act, which requires those organizations to pay a $50 charge for registration with the Secretary of State. Maintain the fine for violating the Act at $200. Sen. Bryant (Anderson) has an amendment that adds Scholarship Granting Organizations (SGOs) to this section. However, because of an objection to the Bryant amendment, the bill has been put on the contested calendar. The Secretary of State has granted an extension of the waiver deadline until June 15^th. The extension was granted based on a request from Rep. Harry Ott and Rep. Phil Owens.

S.53 (Superintendent of Education) The joint resolution proposes a constitutional change by deleting the Superintendent of Education from the list of state officers required to be elected. If in the next general election, the amendment was adopted, the governor would then appoint the state superintendent upon the advice and consent of the Senate. After much debate, the bill as amended, failed by 16-27 vote because a two-thirds vote was required for passage. Senator Larry Martin moved to reconsider the vote and the motion to reconsider the vote was adopted. No further action this week.

S.521 (State Superintendent of Education) The bill allows the Governor, with the advice and consent of the Senate, to appoint the State Superintendent of Education to a four year term. The bill received a favorable report as amended and was sent to the Senate floor. The Senate took the bill up and it was given second reading with all amendments being carried over to third reading. The qualifications are outlined in the bill. The superintendent must have either:

(1) an earned graduate degree from an accredited college or university in education, public policy, or a related discipline, and must possess extensive experience in:

(a) the field of education, including but not limited to, service as a classroom teacher, principal, other school administrator, school district administrator, or higher education administrator, school district superintendent, or any combination thereof; or

(b) the formation of education policy, including but not limited to, service as a member of a school board or other entity that evaluates, develops, or approves educational policies; or

(2) ten years of experience as a practicing attorney. No further action this week.

S.313 (School district choice program and open enrollment program) S.1267(School District Choice Program and Open Enrollment Program) The bill establishes a school district choice program and open enrollment pilot program within the public school system with full implementation by 2015-2016. School districts who have a school choice plan in place that provide students and parents with choice options within the district are exempt once a plan detailing the school choice plan is submitted to the SDE. Sen. Kevin Bryant offered an amendment that mandates “each school district shall provide the means for a child who is primarily educated outside of the public school system to enroll on a course by course basis in a public school course in which the child would otherwise be eligible for enrollment if the child were enrolled in a public school.” Two senators had placed objections on the bill which was holding it up on the contested calendar. However, when they removed their names at the request of the South Carolina Education Association, the bill moved to the Senate floor for debate. Sen. Hayes recommitted the bill back to the subcommittee for further debate which will include Sen. Bryant’s amendment.

Studying Ghosts: Tales from around Sydney, Hyde Park Barracks.

The Professor in the Hawaiian shirt — Sun, 28 Apr 2013 01:13:37 +0000

So one of the things I really want to do is some in the field style investigations of Ghost stories and thankfully I live in Sydney, NSW which seem to have more than their fair share of ghost tales all over the place. Of coruse most of these are down near the rocks or in the rocks proper which when you read up on the history of that place it isn’t surprising that there are lot of restless spirits or at least alot of stories of restless spirits. Which as we saw in some of my previous blogs can often be the same thing.

Now if there is one things that the research so far into paranormal research has taught is that you have to do you background research. So the first place I thought I would have a go at is Hyde Park Barracks.

A quick rundown of the background and history

Source: Hyde park Barracks museum information pack, 2013.

I think you can get a copy of this online now too, although most of the information can also be found on http://www.hht.net.au/museums/hyde_park_barracks_museum):

1. Built in 1819 as a dorm for convicts

2. After 1848 the main area was dedicated to housing newly arrived female immigrants

3. Up to the 1970s became a government departments

4. These days is now a museum about itself

5. Approx. 50,000 men and boys were there between 1849 and 1919

Quite the history- a building that housed the worst criminals, the most desperate individuals, shackled to an infernal place designed to torment and destroy humanity soul…but enough about when it was housing Govnerment departments, it was probably pretty nasty for the convicts and the immigrants as well.

Throughout the ages there has been numerous sightings of ghosts and these include

THE LADY IN WHITE

“There are numerous ghost sightings in the barracks, as befits a former prison that once housed more than 800 convicts. One ghost, believed to be the spirit of a superintendent, likes to abuse – using extremely foul language, according to one witness – those who pass by his former office door at night (author note: we will come back to this below). A more pleasant apparition is the white-robed female seen floating across the theatrette or, on another occasion, watching from under a fig tree in the forecourt. She was described as “misty”.”

source: http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2004/01/06/1073268015027.html, downloaded 27/04/2013

Of course the scientist in me has to point out that there does seem to be a lack of reference to who described this woman as misty..or where they got this information at all. This is actually a bit of a running theme with many of the reports and did kind of stick out like a sore thumb as something missing from the records of the paranormal activity in this place.

THE RUDE SUPERINTENDENT

The book- Great Australian Ghost tales by Richard Davis published by Harper Collins Publishers in conjunction with the ABC (overall, not a bad read by the by) in chapter 20 also talks about the Hyde Park Barracks in particular to add more to the story of the superintendent. In this book the eyewitness (Who isnt named) states that late one night she saw a large built man with a overhanging belly who appeared in old fashion clothes including white shirt, red bandanna, tight black pants, heavy boots and a maroon jacket. According to the report this apparition demanded a worker “keep him company” and threatened to beat her if she didn’t. obviously, not taken by this Casanova she fled but could hear him shouting abuse at her when she fled.

Now this book also claims a group known as the Centre for Metaphysical studies did some research into the Hyde Park Barracks and were also confronted by this rude ghost…I couldn’t find much out, or anything about this group either but would love to know more about their research.

So, that is the first site- A Government building, now a museum that is reported to have at least two ghosts.

I think the first step is to track down some of these eyewitnesses and see if they can confirm that this is what they saw.

Never fear my fellow lovers of all things freaky- the Professor in the Hawaiian shirt is on the case and will not rest until he has tracked down some answers…or until something good comes on Television or something.

So what do you think? Have you heard anything about Hyde park barracks? Seen a ghost there yourself? or want to share any leads you might have?

I would love to hear from you.

Teacher Appreciation Night

Shirley — Sat, 27 Apr 2013 22:55:55 +0000

Jasmine Childs gives her tribute of her teacher, Nathan Hobbs, while he looks on at the Boulder Colorado Stake’s Teacher Appreciation Night on April 8, 2009.

The Boulder Colorado Stake of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints honored six teachers of the Boulder Valley School District on April 8, 2009. Dr. Chris King, superintendent of the Boulder Valley School District, was the special guest speaker.

Story: http://aslightshines.wordpress.com/2013/04/03/teacher-appreciation-night/

Teacher Appreciation Night

Shirley — Sat, 27 Apr 2013 22:53:49 +0000

Trent Carnahan smiles with his teacher, Jasmine Masse, Dr. Chris King, superintendent of the Boulder Valley School District, and Boulder Colorado Stake President Michael G. Williams at the Boulder Stake’s Teacher Appreciation Night on April 8, 2009.

Story: http://aslightshines.wordpress.com/2013/04/03/teacher-appreciation-night/

Teacher Appreciation Night

Shirley — Sat, 27 Apr 2013 21:07:12 +0000

Amy Gibson smiles with her teacher, Michael Kleinkopf, Dr. Chris King, superintendent of the Boulder Valley School District, and Boulder Colorado Stake President Michael G. Williams at the Boulder Stake’s Teacher Appreciation Night on April 8, 2009.

Story: http://aslightshines.wordpress.com/2013/04/03/teacher-appreciation-night/

Superintendent Wrap-Up

jmspicer — Sat, 27 Apr 2013 20:35:30 +0000

As I sit here in this darkened high school auditorium in Utah waiting for my daughters’ next dance number to come up, I figured it was a good time to wrap up my thoughts on our recent superintendent search,

First, though, a disclaimer: it’s Saturday. The trustees aren’t meeting until Wednesday to approve a contract. I’m not saying who our choice was, no matter how much begging and pleading I hear.

Our search process was pretty straightforward and clean. We posted the job opening in January, reviewed the top applicants in March, conducted interviews in April, and will hire our next superintendent in May. Essentially it’s been five-and-a-half months from our first notice of retirement to this point in time.

We advertised the public forums and utilized our local media to do so. Our board appointed one of our members to take each candidate on a tour of the district, and let them go into classrooms in various schools. We invited staff to a forum specifically for them, and the community to a separate public forum. We invited our administrative leadership team and our general counsel to have lunch with each candidate, and we met as a board to personally interview each of our finalists. We asked staff and community members independent of our board to run the forums, and we stayed out of the way to let the process run its course.

I don’t think anyone can realistically say that we didn’t utilize our resources enough, or give people a chance to ask questions, or take enough time to make a good decision. We did all those things, and more.

By the time we formally hire our next superintendent of schools, most of our trustees will each have spent upwards of thirty to forty hours each in meetings, interviews, planning sessions, public hearings, and other activities that comprised the search process. As chairman, I can honestly say that I spent another forty on top of that. That’s over three hundred total hours expended by an unpaid, elected board at the expense of family and personal time, not to mention jobs and other commitments. God bless our wives and kids and employers for their tolerance and patience for the time I’ve asked our board to spend on behalf of the district.

So, why would we do it?

The answer to that question is embodied in our mission statement: "We will provide a quality education for every student."

That’s not BS or political-speak. That’s what the trustees who serve along with me live and believe, every day. We do it because we care about the community we live in, and we have kids and grandkids of our own in the system. We see things we don’t like, and we want to fix them. We hear about kids being unprepared for college, and we want to better-prepare them. We hear about morale issues and teachers feeling overwhelmed and under appreciated, and we want to make those people know we hear them loud and clear. We want to hear more success stories from former students who have gone on to great things, and from students who have become solid contributing citizens because of their education in our district. We even hope to see former students eventually take our spots on this board.

I will note that, after reviewing the hundreds of feedback forms we received from our stakeholders in the public education system, there were more than a few comments that were openly hostile, sarcastic, or just downright offensive. I have to assume that the employees and community members that submitted those messages felt better after having done so. I also have to assume that, while trying to brush them off, my fellow trustees were as bothered by them as I was. It’s difficult to be positive when there are a vocal minority around you whose only goal in life appears to be complaining the loudest.

Clearly there is a disconnect between what we think we’re doing to improve our education system, and what a certain percentage of our employees and constituents believe we’re doing. Whose fault is that? I don’t think anyone in our can say they’re not responsible in part. We have too many uninvolved parents, uninspired teachers, burnt-out administrators, and unmotivated students. We also are a board that hasn’t historically done a great job of dynamically leading a complex taxpayer-funded organization.

Changes are coming, and for the better. Stay tuned for the board’s new Strategic Plan, which is scheduled to be unveiled prior to our June board meeting. We’ll be talking about the process we followed to identify the board’s most urgent priorities, and how we plan to address them. We’ll probably note the change in leadership that’s soon to come, and how we expect to see our strategic priorities executed across the district. That plan will be formally adopted during the June regular meeting, and will immediately become the guiding document for this district.

Expect a sea-change in how this district operates, almost overnight. Few opportunities like this ever arise in an organization as large as ours, and you can be sure that we’re going to capitalize on them. What a great chance to refocus and re-dedicate ourselves to the business we’re in: educating children!

And that’s not to say what our outgoing superintendent and his staff have done is wrong; it isn’t. We’re all proud of what our leadership team has accomplished in the past decade, and we know that the initiatives and programs that are in place now as a result of their efforts have set the table for the next iteration of district leadership.

Great things are in store for our little school district in southwest Wyoming, where the winters are long, summer is entirely too short, and our culture is that of personal responsibility and conservation and doing more with less. I hope our teachers and students are ready to step up and keep up with the board, because we’re expecting to take a huge leap forward in a very short period of time.

Lead, follow, or get out of the way.

Prince George's Schools Interim Superintendent Stepping Down

Dan Morrison — Fri, 26 Apr 2013 14:54:35 +0000

UPPER MARLBORO, Md. (CBSDC/AP) — The interim superintendent of Prince George’s County schools is stepping down following the county executive’s school system takeover.

The county Board of Education says Alvin Crawley submitted his resignation Thursday. It is effective June 3.

The General Assembly approved legislation this month that allows County Executive Rushern Baker to appoint the schools superintendent. Crawley had already withdrawn his name from consideration for the permanent job.

Under the legislation, a three-person panel including the state superintendent will interview candidates for superintendent and submit three finalists to Baker. The county executive will then decide which person to hire.

County school board members say in a joint statement that they understand Crawley’s decision to resign, given the circumstances.

The county’s previous superintendent, William Hite, left to lead Philadelphia schools.

Follow WNEW on Twitter.

(TM and Copyright 2013 CBS Radio Inc. and its relevant subsidiaries. CBS RADIO and EYE Logo TM and Copyright 2013 CBS Broadcasting Inc. Used under license. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)

Prince George's Interim Superintendent Resigns

sjohnson2 — Fri, 26 Apr 2013 14:14:03 +0000

UPPER MARLBORO, Md. (AP) — The interim superintendent of Prince George’s County schools is stepping down following the county executive’s school system takeover.

The county Board of Education says Alvin Crawley submitted his resignation Thursday. It is effective June 3.

County school board members say in a joint statement that they understand Crawley’s decision to resign, given the circumstances.

The county’s previous superintendent, William Hite, left to lead Philadelphia schools.

Junior Leadership Graduation

Dr. Frank Morgan — Fri, 26 Apr 2013 11:24:49 +0000

The Junior Leadership graduation ceremony is always a special occasion. This program, which is sponsored by the Kershaw County Chamber, is a year-long leadership development experience for students from each of our high schools and Camden Military Academy. It’s always fun for me to watch this group grow and come together over the course of the year. We were honored to have Columbia Mayor Steve Benjamin as the keynote speaker. I was also totally impressed with the student speakers! Special congratulations to Dree Dubose of Camden High, who received the Robert J. Sheheen Outstanding Junior Leadership Student Award. A big night!