Employee of the Week: 

Please join in recognizing Mrs. Debbie Hubbard, Administrative Assistant/Bookkeeper for Chatham Elementary School, on her selection as Employee of the Week for Pittsylvania County Schools.  Please click on the following link to find out what employees do to make this A Great Place to Learn and Work! http://www.pcs.k12.va.us/staff/employee-of-week/

 

A Tribute to a Colleague:

On Saturday, August 13, 2016, the Army Junior Reserve Officer Training Corps (JROTC), from Chatham High School (CHS), Dan River High School (DRHS), Gretna High School (GHS) and Tunstall High School (THS) honored the life of Captain (Retired) Roderick James Henderson at Chatham High School.  Captain Henderson served as the JROTC Officer at Chatham High School from 2005 until 2016.  He passed away on August 4, 2016.  Mr. Randy Foster, Principal of Chatham High School, and Mr. Ronnie Emerson, Warrant Officer (Retired) of the JROTC at Dan River High School, remembered and honored Captain Henderson.  Both spoke of his dedication and concern for his students, as well as his work ethic and strength.  Countless students and parents of students spoke of what he meant to them.  Their stories of how he impacted their lives are a legacy that he leaves.  Each spoke of how he encouraged (many said coerced) and taught them and because of this, they became self-confident and strong.   JROTC Cadets ceremonially folded the flag, fired a three-round volley, played taps, and presented the flag to his family.  

 

Compensation Study Update:

The employee orientation and outreach sessions during the week of August 29, 2016, have been extended to September 1, 2016, to ensure that bus drivers have an opportunity to attend.  Please be reminded that all employees are invited and highly encouraged to attend one of the orientation sessions.  The revised schedule is as follows:

 

• Monday, August 29, 2016, at 3:30 PM - Gretna High School and Tunstall High School Auditoriums
• Monday, August 29, 2016, at 6:00 PM - School Board Office Boardroom
• Tuesday, August 30, 2016, at 3:30 PM - Chatham High School Auditorium
• Wednesday, August 31, 2016, at 3:30 PM - Dan River High School Auditorium
• Thursday, September 1, 2016, at 10:00 AM - School Board Office Boardroom

Employees who cannot attend a session are encouraged to watch the video of the session on our website.  Employees will be randomly selected to attend focus groups to provide feedback on current compensation and classification practices.  These employees will be individually notified.

 

I would like to report that Amaia Jones placed 4th in the National SkillsUSA Competition Job Skill Demo A instead of 5th place as she was recognized in the Weekly Wrap-Up last week.

 

State 2015-2016 Standards of Learning Results 

Dr. Steve Staples, Virginia State Superintendent for Public Instruction, announced the results of the 2015-2016 Standards of Learning (SOL) tests on Tuesday, August 16, 2016.  His report indicated improvements in math, reading and science scores across the State.  Eighty percent of students achieved proficient or advanced scores in reading, and the same percentage passed tests in mathematics, compared with 79 percent in both subjects in 2014-2015.  Eighty-three percent passed grade-level or end-of-course SOL tests in science, compared with 82 percent previously.

 

Dr. Staples said, “A one-point improvement in mathematics means that approximately 11,500 more students met or exceeded the benchmark for proficiency for their grade or course.  In reading, a one-point increase equals approximately 8,000 students, and in science, more than 6,000.  The success of these students – many of whom have struggled in the past – reflects great credit on our teachers, especially given Virginia’s rigorous standards and challenging online assessments.”

 

His report also indicates larger gains made by third graders, fifth graders and high school students on specific grade- and course-level tests, as follows:

• 77 percent of third graders earned proficient or advanced scores in mathematics, a three-point gain compared with achievement during 2014-2015;
• 82 percent of fifth-graders achieved proficient or advanced scores in reading, a two-point gain over 2014-2015; and
• 89 percent of high school students taking the Algebra II test achieved proficient or advanced scores, also a two-point gain.

He noted that 915, 904, and 939 of the 1,822 public schools in Virginia improved in mathematics, reading, and science, respectively. 

The State, Division and school averages for the tested areas are provided in the tables below.  

 

ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS   2015-2016 Standards of Learning Pass Rates
	VA State Ave.	PCS Division Avg.	BES	CES	GES	HES	KES	MAES	SES	SMES	TSES	UHES
Gr. 3 English: Reading	76	84	79	100	75	95	82	90	75	88	87	96
Gr. 3 Mathematics	77	83	74	100	73	81	82	90	85	82	88	89
Gr. 4 English: Reading	77	84	63	92	87	81	77	96	87	86	87	89
Gr. 4 Mathematics	83	88	81	92	95	85	89	100	95	87	82	91
Gr. 4 VA Studies	87	91	80	94	92	91	88	100	92	97	90	100
Gr. 5 English: Reading	81	82	78	85	86	85	69	68	92	90	83	94
Gr. 5 Mathematics	79	86	71	88	94	93	76	74	93	94	83	100
Gr. 5 Science	81	89	85	98	92	89	83	66	99	96	85	100

 

MIDDLE SCHOOLS   2015-2016 Standards of Learning Pass Rates
	VA State Ave.	PCS Division Avg.	CMS	DRMS	GMS	TMS
Gr. 6 English: Reading	77	78	83	76	78	78
Gr. 6 Mathematics	82	85	87	87	79	88
Gr. 7 English: Reading	82	85	90	80	82	89
Gr. 7 Mathematics	72	45	48	35	25	65
Gr. 7 Civics & Econ	87	86	81	79	88	97
Gr. 8 English: Reading	75	75	75	75	69	82
Gr. 8 English: Writing	71	65	65	67	53	72
Gr. 8 Mathematics	73	76	86	78	57	84
*Algebra I	83	89	90	97	92	90
Gr. 8 Science	79	82	84	82	82	82

 

HIGH SCHOOLS   2015-2016 Standards of Learning Pass Rates
	VA State Ave.	PCS Division Avg.	CHS	DRHS	GHS	THS
English: Reading	89	90	93	92	83	91
English: Writing	83	87	89	86	86	88
*Algebra I	83	89	90	89	85	86
Algebra II	89	97	99	97	88	99
Geometry	80	93	89	95	95	98
Biology	84	86	86	93	78	88
Chemistry	88	93	96	99	82	93
Earth Science	84	87	90	82	84	93
VA& US History	86	91	91	95	82	93
World History I	84	85	84	97	73	88
World History II	86	89	93	92	73	96

 

The STEM Academy held a Cyber Saturday event on August 13, 2016, for 65 gifted students in grades 6 through 9.  Students flew drones, built robots, made batteries and flashlights, programmed with NXT, and worked with TI-84 Calculators.  The following staff members and volunteers assisted with this activity:

• Staff-Ms. Deborah Powell (Principal), Ms. Tommie Evans, Ms. Jill Collins, Mr. Jacob Taylor, Mr. Phillip Stamps, Mr. Charlie Hudson, and Mr. Lawrence DeShazor

• AmeriCorps Volunteers-Ms. Audia Harris, Ms. Jessica Beebe, Mr. Don Cox, and Ms. Katie Scott

• School Volunteers-Ms. Carol Cox and Ms. Rhonda Jefferson

Eighth grade gifted students from the four middle schools visited the STEM Academy on August 17 and August 18, 2016.  A Keokee grant funded this opportunity for students to complete hands-on engineering activities with model rockets and model race cars.  The grant will provide additional opportunities for these students to participate in the engineering design process during the 2016-2017 school year.  The next opportunity is scheduled on September 21 and September 22, 2016.     

 

Your patience on Monday and Wednesday afternoons this week was greatly appreciated.    On both afternoons, all air conditioning units at designated schools were set at nighttime set points beginning at 2:15 p.m. until 4:00 p.m.  This energy management program allows school divisions to reduce spending.  Because this was a one-time event, we will not have to repeat this process during the school year unless there is a very high demand on power companies between now and the end of September.

 

Mark Your Calendars:

• Accounts Payable Cut-off Due to Mrs. K. Wade - August 23, 2016, by 12:00 noon

• Volunteer Fingerprinting - August 24, 2016, @ School Board Office, 11:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.

• Volunteer Fingerprinting - August 25, 2016, @ Tunstall High School, 3:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m.

Please send media requests to: http://www.pcs.k12.va.us/media/.  This may be (1) to request media presence on site to cover an upcoming event or (2) to request media coverage (without media on site) of an upcoming event or (3) to report news from a past event.  Thank you for identifying the great things happening in the schools!