NAES AND NAHS TO HAVE NEW ADMINISTRATORS
The New Albany School Board has approved several personnel changes in the school district. Lance Evans was named Principal of New Albany High School and Jamey Wright was named Principal of New Albany Elementary School. The board approved Talina Knight to serve as a Principal Intern in the district.
Lance Evans replaces Jay Foster as Principal of NAHS. Foster recently resigned his position to become Principal of South Panola High School in Batesville. Evans has been in the district since 2006. He first served at NAHS as assistant principal for the 2006-2007 school year and has served as Principal at NAES since 2007. Prior to coming to New Albany, he served as Elementary School Principal and High School Athletic Director at Tremont School in Itawamba County. Evans began his career in education at Oxford High School where he taught social studies and coached football and powerlifting. He received his Bachelor of Science in Social Studies Education from Mississippi State University and a Master of Education in Educational Leadership from the University of Mississippi.
NAES Assistant Principal Jamey Wright, will replace Evans as Principal of New Albany Elementary School. Wright has served NAES as Assistant Principal for the past year. Before serving in an administrative capacity, Wright was an elementary school teacher at West Union Attendance Center and NAES. Wright is a graduate of Blue Mountain College with a Bachelor of Science in Elementary Education and holds a Masters Degree in Educational Leadership from the University of Mississippi.
Talina Knight will serve as Principal Intern at NAES for the first semester and NAHS for the second semester. Knight holds a Bachelor of Science in English Education from Mississippi State University, is a National Board Certified Teacher, and is currently a part of the University of Mississippi’s Principal Corps. She has taught language arts at Tupelo Middle School for the past fourteen years. Knight has also served as a statewide educational consultant for the Mississippi’s Department of Transportation’s RIDES (Roadways Into Developing Elementary Students) program.
“We are pleased to be able to fill these positions with these outstanding educators and administrators,” said Charles Garrett, Superintendent of New Albany Schools. “We are confident that the administrative changes we have made will allow our school district to continue leading the way for excellence in education.”
REGISTRATION INFORMATION FOR NEW STUDENTS TO NASD
Students who will be a new student to the New Albany School District for the 2010-2011 school year are encouraged to complete registration prior to the first day of school.
Students should pick up a registration packet at their respective school site and return the following documents to that school:
· Completed Registration Packet
· Withdrawal Form and transcript from previous school
· Copy of Social Security Card
· Copy of Birth Certificate
· Mississippi Immunization Form (Form 121)
· Two Proofs of Residency
One proof of residency must be a current light bill and the other may be utility bill, water bill, trash bill, rental agreement/payment receipt, mortgage document, driver’s license, or proof of insurance. All proofs must have current dates, include the student’s current physical address, and have the legal parent/guardian’s name listed.
All registration information must be complete and returned to the school office before a student can receive a schedule or teacher assignment.
For further information, please contact NAES at 534-1840; NAMS at 534-1820; or NAHS at 534-1805.
N.A. Students: Required Summer Reading Assignment Due August 11
Students in grades 3-12 in the New Albany School District have summer reading requirements that are due on the second day of school. Assignments were explained and reading packets were issued to students before school dismissed for the summer.
Letters have been mailed to parents of New Albany Middle School and New Albany High School students explaining the summer reading program and requirements. A list of reading requirements and assignments have been posted on the school district’s website since May.
Books should be available at the local public library and area bookstores. In addition, books that are selections for students at New Albany Middle School can be purchased at the school.
Summer reading assignments are available on the school’s website at www.newalbanyschools.us or may be picked up at your child’s school. For more information, call New Albany Elementary School at 534-1840, New Albany Middle School at 534-1820, or New Albany High School at 534-1805.
Families Enjoy Fitness Fun Night at NAES
Pictured above: Madeline Blackburn and Katie Evans enjoy eating dinner together at Family Fitness Fun Night at NAES.
More than two hundred people attended “Family Fitness Together: Helping Ourselves and Helping Others” which was held at New Albany Elementary School (NAES) on Thursday, May 20. The purpose of the Family Fitness Night was to promote health awareness, fitness ideas, proper nutrition, family togetherness, and community involvement.
The Family Fitness Night included a health fair, family fitness activities, a chicken strip dinner, and a silent auction. The health fair was sponsored by Baptist Memorial Hospital-Union County, Baptist HealthPlex, Mississippi State University Extension Service, Anytime Fitness, and Mississippi Department of Health.
Height, weight, BMI, bone density screenings, blood pressure checks, and nutrition education was provided to participants at no cost. Lab work for cholesterol profile and blood sugar was provided at a minimal cost.
Fitness activities were held in the Physical Education Building to showcase equipment and supplies that were purchased with funds from the John D. Bower School Health Network and Carol M. White Physical Education Grants. Students and their families enjoyed using the Dance Dance Revolution, playing ping-pong, playing basketball, and using jump ropes and hoola hoops.
To promote family togetherness, meals were available for purchasing in the school cafeteria and families were encouraged to eat together. The dinner included chicken strips, cheesy potatoes, broccoli salad, fruit cup, and wheat roll. In addition, themed baskets were available for bidding in a silent auction. More than $2,000.00 was raised from the chicken dinner fundraiser and the silent auction. All proceeds will go to the American Cancer Society’s Relay for Life.
“Our schools have been fortunate to receive the John D. Bower School Health Network Grant and the Carol M. White Physical Education Grant,” said Tammie Reeder, School Health Coordinator. “These two grants have been great assets to our school district in the areas of health and fitness.”
Reeder added that the grants promote family togetherness and community involvement. “We understand that if our children are going to have healthy lifestyle habits it is important to get families involved in helping the schools promote the importance of proper nutrition and physical activity.”
“Family and community involvement are extremely important in the success of our schools,” said Lecia Stubblefield, Director of Curriculum & Federal Programs. “That is why we continue to provide various ways for families and communities to be involved in promoting academic success, good health, and physical fitness.”
“Family Night was a perfect outing for my family of five,” said Eydie Pullman, whose three children attend NAES. “We ate a yummy, healthy dinner and played family friendly games. Who knew we could have so much fun at our local elementary school?” Pullman added that her family enjoyed dining, exercising, and spending quality time together while raising funds for a very worthy cause.
Pictured below: Alison Laney plays ball with daughters Abby (left) and Emma (right) during Family Fitness Night at NAES.
Pictured below: Tarver Reeder, a Junior at New Albany High School, teaches elementary students how to play Dance Dance Revolution.
School and Families Working Together for Student Success
Healthy Habits Help Children Be Prepared for MCT2 Assessments
Mississippi classroom teachers and their students have been working hard all year to prepare for the upcoming Mississippi Curriculum Test Second Edition (MCT2). During the test days in May, both schools and families can help students do well with some simple healthy
habits.
“We know that good nutrition, regular physical activity and plenty of sleep provide the foundation for student success in the classroom,” says Shane McNeill, Director, Office of Healthy Schools Mississippi Department of Education. In order to provide the healthiest possible environments for teaching and learning, our schools have been implementing important enhancements in school meals and physical education (PE) programs. Mississippi schools are becoming national leaders in nutrient-rich meals, healthy vending options, fitness assessments and innovative PE programs.”
Healthy home environments are equally important for student performance. During MCT2 testing, families play a vital role in helping children to be fit, healthy and ready to succeed. According to education experts, four simple habits can help students do their best at school,
especially during standardized assessments.
1. Every student needs a good night’s sleep in order to concentrate and learn at school. While sleep needs vary from child to child, experts agree that a minimum of 9 to 10 hours is best for most kids. Even though teenagers like to stay up late, their need for sleep is just as important as younger children.
2. As parents know, breakfast provides an all-important kick-start for the day. A nutrient-rich morning meal is the best way to fuel child’s brain for both learning and testing. Students can eat breakfast at home or at school. In either case, both carbohydrates for energy (whole grain
cereal, toast or fruit, like bananas) and some protein (yogurt, a cheese stick, eggs or lean meat) are important.
3. Fluids are also critical for brain function. Students need plenty of fluids to stay well-hydrated and on-task at school. Water and low-fat or non-fat milk are the best fluid choices for growing bodies. Children need three 8-oz. glasses of milk and three to five 8-oz. glasses of water.
4. Physical activity is not only good for physical health; it’s also good for academic performance and stress reduction as well. While students participate in physical activities at school, some after-school movement is also important, especially during MCT2 assessments. Any fun
activity fun is great. Families can take a neighborhood walk or bike ride - or shoot some hoops on a local court.
“Student success is a partnership between schools, families and the community,” Dr. Tom Burnham, State Superintendent of Education said. “We know that health is academic and that students do best when smart habits are reinforced at home and throughout the community.”
NAES Receives State Approval for HealthierUS School Challenge Award
NAES students Alex Criswell, Dylan Stout, Da'Shya McGee, and Caden Johson enjoy their lunch in the NAES Cafeteria. These students are in Mrs. Sandra Sumner's 3rd grade classroom.
The New Albany School District’s Office of Child Nutrition received notification this month that New Albany Elementary School has fulfilled state guidelines in being approved for the HealthierUS School Challenge’s Silver Award. The award is sponsored by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) and recognizes schools that are promoting good nutrition.
According to Margaret Floyd, Director of Child Nutrition of the New Albany Schools, the application process will need approval from USDA in Atlanta and Maryland before NAES receives the HUSSC Silver Award recognizing their achievements in this awards program.
Applying for an award through the HealthierUS School Challenge is a required component of the John D. Bower, M.D., School Health Network Grant. NAES is currently in Year 2 of implementing a three-year grant that focuses on Coordinated School Health.
“I had known about this award for several years and was interested in applying,” Floyd said. “This Bower component gave me the push needed to pursue the award and a support system to help complete the process.”
The process has been very lengthy beginning with training in Philadelphia, Mississippi last April for Floyd and NAES Cafeteria Manager Bonnie Raines. Floyd and Raines had to develop menus for approval and submit recipes, product information, nutrition content labels, and cafeteria production records.
One of the criteria for the award required the school to have a minimum average daily student lunch participation of 70%. Floyd said that NAES averages approximately 850 students eating lunch in the cafeteria daily which is 77% of the student population at NAES. Other criteria for the award included providing nutrition and physical education information that adheres to the Health and Physical Education State Curriculum Frameworks.
“Through this in-depth application process, we realized that we were already doing the majority of the requirements for the award,” Floyd said. “Two of the major changes we made this year were adding more whole grains and dark green, leafy vegetables to the menus.”
“We are very fortunate to have an efficient Child Nutrition Department in our school system, said Tammie Reeder, School Health Coordinator. “I have seen first hand that so many of the goals and requirements set forth by both the Bower Grant and the Silver Award are already in place in our cafeterias.”
New Albany Teachers Complete SPARK Training
Pictured above: Workshop participants complete a walking activity as part of their SPARK PE Training.
Nine physical education teachers and assistant teachers from the New Albany School District (NASD) completed SPARK Physical Education Training on February 25 at New Albany Elementary School (NAES).
The NASD chose SPARK as the curriculum for its K-8 physical education classes at NAES and New Albany Middle School. The curriculum, equipment, and training are funded with grant monies through the district’s SHAPE Up! Carol M. White Physical Education Program Grant.
According to SPARK Project Director Kelly Bruning, SPARK is a research-based organization developed by San Diego State University and has been honored as an Exemplary Program by the U.S. Department of Education. Over 45 publications have documented positive SPARK effects such as academic achievement, increased moderate to vigorous activity levels, improved activity levels away from school, enjoyment of PE classes, and improved teacher instruction.
“One of the main goals our school district is that our physical and health education programs will lead to healthy, active lifestyles for our students and their families,” said Lecia Stubblefield, SHAPE Up! Project Director. “We are excited about implementing the SPARK curriculum into our physical education classes in grades K-8 this spring.”
“We chose SPARK for our physical education program because it is directly aligned to both the state and national physical education standards,” said Tammie Reeder, School Health Coordinator and Project Director for the J. D. Bower School Health Network Grant. “We felt SPARK would provide more structure for our outdoor activity time and during our physical education classes.”
“We had lots of fun and learned a lot,” said Kaye Parks, an assistant teacher who serves as a recess monitor during activity time. “The training was helpful because we learned activities that we can incorporate on the playground and during physical education classes.”
Those completing the training were: Rolandus Cox, Joe Dan Roberts, Don Reed, Robbins Rogers, Jeanette Johnson, Kaye Parks, Tommy Spight, Hattie McKenzie, and Gail Victory.
Pictured below: Rolandus Cox and Jeanette Johnson are partners during a SPARK PE lesson. Workshop attendees participated in several SPARK lessons during the training session.
Pictured below: SPARK Trainer Faith Grinder teaches a playground game to a 3rd Grade student during SPARK Training. Grinder used student demonstrations as part of the training.
Students Using Interactive Boards at NAES
Pictured above: Kelon Hall, a 4th grade student in Tammy Kirkland's class, uses the Mimio board to review a Shurley English lesson on nouns.
Students at New Albany Elementary School (NAES) are being reached in a new way thanks to interactive Mimio boards that were purchased with funds from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (AARA) of 2009.
Thirty-five classrooms at NAES are equipped with Mimio boards. A standard white board and a classroom computer is converted into an interactive teaching tool by adding a LCD multi-media projector and a Mimio bar. AARA funds were used to purchase needed projectors and Mimio bars for many of these classrooms.
“We are fortunate to have Mimio boards in all of our classrooms in 2-5th grades and many of our kindergarten and first grade teachers have them as well,” said Lance Evans, NAES Principal. Evans hopes to have the teaching tool in all classrooms as funds become available.
“I've had a Mimio board for a year, and I use it all the time,” said Tammy Kirkland, a fourth grade teacher. “We use it for PowerPoint presentations, vocabulary review, visiting Internet sites, and even playing jeopardy subject area games as a review.”
Stephanie Simmons, a first grade teacher, uses the board daily in her classroom for calendar math, phonics, and Shurley English. “We view videos that are related to our social studies and science lessons,” Simmons said. “The mimio is also used as a reinforcement of skills in game formats that really keeps the children focused.”
All of the teachers who have a Mimio board in their classroom attended a three-hour small group training session earlier in the semester. “The training session taught us how to utilize the Mimio software,” Kirkland said. “Since then, I've been able to create ‘interactive’ lessons based on the needs of individual students in my class.”
“The boards are wonderful hands-on technology teaching tools that makes instruction more interactive,” Evans said. “Our teachers have used the boards in so many creative ways including virtual field trips and interactive PowerPoints.
“It is an amazing tool that has changed the way I teach and how my students learn,” Kirkland said.
Pictured below: Liam Neely uses the Mimio board to review for an upcoming Math test. Liam is a student in Stephanie Simmons' first grade class.
Third Grade Students Participate in Body Walk
Pictured above: HOSA Club member Latisha Kimmons talks about the importance of proper dental care to a group of NAES third grade students.
Learning healthy lifestyles. That was the primary focus of Body Walk, a traveling exhibit that third grade students from New Albany Elementary School and Union County Schools enjoyed on Friday, January 22. These students had a firsthand look at how to make healthy choices and remain healthy throughout their lives.
Body Walk is an innovative way to learn about the importance of good nutrition and physical fitness. Students had the opportunity to explore the human body with The OrganWise Guys as their guides.
The tour began when students, in small groups, walked through a giant ear into the brain. Inside the huge brain dome, students experienced “brain waves” and learned about brain function. After they left the brain, the students were given a bookmark designating them as a food, such as a carrot, hamburger or piece of cheese. The “foods” stepped into the exhibit’s larger-than-life mouth, were “swallowed” through the esophagus tunnel and moved into the stomach dome. From the stomach, the students traveled through the small intestine where they were “absorbed” into the blood. Then they followed the path of the nutrients to the heart, lung, bone, muscle and skin stations.
Students left the body through a cut in the skin and proceeded through The OrganWise Guy’s Pathway for Life. The final station recapped key health concepts from each of the nine previous stations. Throughout the exhibit, students learned how to apply healthy life style changes. At each of the Body Walk’s ten stations, a volunteer presenter engaged the students in a five-minute activity focused on healthy choices. Allied Health II Students and HOSA (Health Occupations Students of America) Club members from the School of Career & Technical Education served as volunteer presenters.
According to Nutrition & Food Safety Agent, Judith Ward, “The traveling Body Walk exhibit is operated by Mississippi State University Extension Service and Body Walk provides a unique and exciting opportunity for Mississippi elementary students to learn about their bodies and the importance of making healthy choices.” According to Ward, the exhibit was developed to address increasing national concerns about the lack of physical activity and the declining nutritional status of young children.
Federal Grant Provides Funding for Behavior & Sensory Lab
Above: Bailey King, a special education teacher at NAES, conducts a "Handwriting Without Tears" lesson with a kindergarten student in the Behavior and Sensory Lab.
New Albany Elementary School has a new Behavior and Sensory Lab thanks to funding from the SHAPE Up! - Carol M. White Physical Education Program Grant. The materials and equipment located in this lab will specifically benefit students with special needs but will be available to all students and teachers.
Special education teachers will combine their current teaching styles with the Behavior and Sensory Lab program to provide a hands-on environment which will integrate use of the senses to learn academic objectives, social skills, and play/leisure skills as well as provide an outlet for behavior modification. The lab will also enable students to participate in activities that improve fine and gross motor skills while mastering academic objectives.
“Children with sensory processing or sensory integration disorders typically have difficulty with impulse control and ability to calm themselves,” said Kelly Coltharp, Director of Special Services. “This may manifest itself in delays in speech, language, motor, or academic achievement.”
“The purpose of the lab is to help level the playing field for our children with disabilities and help them achieve the coping skills they need in an environment which is over stimulating at times so that they may participate more efficiently in the classroom with their peers,” Coltharp added.
“The lab will be an asset to students who need a different outlet to reach their full potential both academically and socially,” said Bailey King, a special education teacher, who helped to develop and coordinate the lab. “The lab will also provide a sensory outlet in which they can calm and reorient themselves to a level in which they can be productive both academically and socially.”
Currently the lab has equipment such as balance beams, wall elements, and moon shoes to encourage gross motor skills; a paint area to assist with academic objectives and fine motor skills; mirrors and bubble equipment for speech therapy exercises; and a bubble tube for calming exercises.
“Our students are already excited about the lab,” said King. “We have students who ask to go to the lab because they feel it is a safe place for them to take tests and do their classwork.” King added that it is a great place to take students who need one-on-one teacher-student instruction or for students who are deserving of a reward.
“The administration and faculty of the New Albany Schools are always seeking to meet the needs of all learners,” said Lecia Stubblefield, SHAPE Up! Project Director. “We feel that providing a Behavior and Sensory Lab will provide students with special needs a creative, unique experience and enable them to better master the goals and objectives outlined in their individualized education plans.”
Below: One of Bailey King's students touches the bubble lamp in the Behavior and Sensory Lab during a recent lesson. King was using the bubble lamp to reinforce communication skills.
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- naschoolupdates: In order to pick up a schedule: bring 2 proofs of residency to update files & be prepared to pay any unpaid fees from last school year. July 29, 2010
- naschoolupdates: Class schedules for Sophomores/Freshmen can be picked up today (7/29) from 8:30-3:30 @ NAHS. Schedule changes will be made at this time July 29, 2010
- naschoolupdates: The 2010-2011 School Supply List for NAMS is now available online at www.namiddleschool.com July 28, 2010
- naschoolupdates: In order to pick up a schedule: bring 2 proofs of residency to update files & be prepared to pay any unpaid fees from last school year. July 28, 2010
- naschoolupdates: Class schedules for Seniors/Juniors can be picked up today (7/28/10) from 8:30-3:30 @ NAHS. Schedule changes will be made at this time. July 28, 2010
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