Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

"Christmas gift suggestions: 

To your enemy, forgiveness. 

To an opponent, tolerance. 

To a friend, your heart. 

To a customer, service. 

To all, charity. 

To every child, a good example.

                          To yourself, respect."                          

  — Oren Arnold

Final Push

Love is what's in the room with you at Christmas if you stop opening presents and listen.

— Author unknown, attributed to a 7-year-old named Bobby

We've made it—the week before Christmas!  The final push for getting our work turned in is on.  Encourage your students to use tutoring this week.  Encourage them to study.  Finals will be Thursday for 1^st, 3^rd, 5^th, and 7^th periods and Friday for 2^nd, 4^th, and 6^th periods.

We hope you and your family have a wonderful Christmas!  Get some rest.  Read a good book.  Help your student set some goals (i.e. be better today than you were yesterday) for 2015. 

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

Things Are Ramping Up

With two weeks to go before break, one might think we would be slowing down.  Just the opposite is happening. 

Tonight (Monday) come out to our annual Scott County HS Winter Choral Concert at 7 pm. Approximately 300 kids performing in the choirs will help get you into the Holiday Spirit!! Tickets ($7.00) are available at the Singletary Center box office.

The world languages students will provide a concert to the elementary kids and to the public.  Check with lucas.gravitt@scott.kyschools.us for more information.

ECS presentations are going on this week.  Contact regina.mingua@scott.kyschools.us for a schedule.

Our girls and boys basketball teams have started their season.  Contact joe.covington@scott.kyschools.us for a schedule.

Be sure to watch our website and morning announcements for more activities.

In addition to all our extra-curricular, we are trying to finish the semester strong.  We sent home progress reports Friday.  Help us to help your student finish strong!  I love this illustration.

 We are in the “what really happens” stage.  I know it’s hard for your student to see the success which will come.  Keep encouraging.  We will too!  Together we build success.

Welcome to December!

The older I get the faster the year flies.  We have three weeks left in the semester (barring any more snow days).  That means lots and lots of teaching and learning happening.  This is the time when projects, papers, and exams are due.  Keep encouraging your student!  There will be lots of distractions, such preparing for Christmas, snow, etc., but it is so important to stay focus on academics.  Don’t forget tutoring is available.  We want to see EVERY student passing by the end of the year!

ENGLISH
Keller	Friday	3:45-4:45	Rm 525
Krist	Wednesday	7:45-8:35	Rm 583
Murphy	Thursday	7:45-8:35	Rm 563
SOCIAL STUDIES
Cantrell	Tuesday	4:00-5:00	Rm 523
Wilson	Wednesday	7:30-8:35	Rm 587
MATH
Himes	Monday	3:45-4:45	Rm 527
Pennington	Tuesday	3:45-4:45	Rm 527
Hughes	Wednesday	7:30-8:30	Rm 527
Doom	Thursday	3:45-4:45	Rm 527
SCIENCE
Baird	Tuesday	4:00-5:30	Rm 520
Brewer	Thursday	4:00-5:00	Rm 588
FRENCH
Beckett	Tuesday	3:50-4:50	Rm 245
BIO MED
Nickell	Thursday	3:45-4:45	Rm 586
HEALTH
Cannada	Tuesday	7:30-8:30	Rm 524

Happy Thanksgiving!

We are thankful for you and your kids.  We wish you a wonderful time of great food, time with family, and some rest (reading a good book too).  Have a wonderful Thanksgiving!

Community Thanksgiving Dinner--Wednesday 5:30 PM @ Southern Elementary Cafeteria.

Community Thanksgiving Lunch--Thursday 11 AM-1 PM @ Gano Baptist Church.

The Fruit of the Sport

In KY we look forward to basketball season.  Although at Scott County, every sport season proves to be exciting.  Just want to give a shout out to our football team for a remarkable year!

This poem came across my desk this week.  As a parent, it made me pause and think about what my kids learn from me.  What do I say/not say?  How do I act/not act?  As a parent, I am my kids’ first and forever teacher.

Hope you enjoy it.

The Fruit of the Sport

In my life, I have learned so much from playing and watching sports.  Now, I am passing that baton to my daughters.  I am beginning to realize, though, that there is a great opportunity for them to learn from me, and from my support or involvement in their athletic experiences.  My impact on their development is much greater than the coach or the lessons they may or may not learn on the playing field.

What sport CAN teach our children: 

·       Perseverance

·       Determination

·       Discipline

·       Leadership

·       Teamwork

·       Flexibility

·       Self-Control

·       Humility

What parents watching sports OFTEN teach and what I am guilty of teaching:

·       Bias

·       Impatience

·       Anger

·       Frustration

·       Judgment

·       Conditional Love

I may say, “You need to work on….”

But my daughters hear, “you are not good enough.”

What I want to teach my children as I watch them play sports:

·       LOVE, unconditional, love. 

·       I should have JOY in all circumstances.  The opportunity to participate is the blessing.

·       Be at PEACE and remember, “It’s just a game.”

·       As long as there is effort, there is growth.  I need to be PATIENT during the growing seasons.

·       It is important to show KINDNESS to others….players, parents, coaches, referees, and opponents.

·       I can demonstrate GOODNESS and grace by submitting to the authority of the coaches and referees.  They are not perfect.  I should expect and accept their mistakes.

·       FAITHFULNESS is loving, even when it is difficult to love.  This can be a challenge, especially when I believe my children are wrong or have been wronged.

·       My daughters are watching and listening to me, more than I am watching and listening to them.  My life must always reflect GENTLENESS in word and deed.

·       And lastly, SELF-CONTROL.  This can be a life long struggle for us all.  I need to seek forgiveness when I fail, but continue to strive for the better way.

By Toni Rose

It’s that time of year!

The time has changed; the temperatures are dropping; thus signaling winter is on its way.  This time of year has us experiencing more sickness in the school.  What can you do to help keep your student healthy?

Physicians recommend some simple steps to help us all stay healthy.

1.   Wash your hands.  It is so simple to do to keep germs at bay.  Every classroom, bathroom, and cafeteria has a hand sanitizer dispenser.  Remind your kids to wash and sanitize throughout the day.

2.     "Use a new toothbrush after you've had a cold, the flu, a mouth infection, or sore throat," says dentist Jeff Golub-Evans, D.D.S., director of the New York Center for Cosmetic Dentistry in New York City. "Germs can hide in the toothbrush and lead to reinfection."

3.     Get outside when the sun is shining.  Winter is the time where 6% of Americans suffer from SAD (seasonal affective disorder).  Ten-fifteen minutes of sunshine can help lift their moods during the winter.

4.     Exercise.  Stay active even when they don’t fill like it.

5.     Drink plenty of water.  It helps to keep our minds and bodies hydrated. 

6.   Get at least 8 hours of sleep a night.

7.     Consider getting a flu shot. 

After taking all these precautions, if your student ends up sick, keep them home.  Please don’t share.  Contact their teachers via e-mail or the front office for any make-up work. 

Help us keep Scott County 9^th Grade School a safe place from illness.

Struggle to Succeed

Before success comes struggle.  Have we stopped to think about that?  Have we shared with our kids that truth?  Struggle not only comes before success in the dictionary, but in life.  I was reminded of this when I read Keith Griesser’s Facebook post.

            “Tonight is a tough night. About 80 kids tried out for the RSMS boys basketball teams. For about 50 young men, they were "cut" for the first time in their life.
Yes it is part of life. Yes, it is important to learn to overcome disappointment.... But it's still tough.

I hope those who made the team don't ever take it for granted.
And I hope that those who didn't make the team go play league ball, work on their skills, and improve enough to beat somebody out next year.

Michael Jordan was cut his freshman year of high school. He won 6 NBA Championships.

Coach McIntyre told me that he was cut from his middle school team. He ended up starting on the 1998 Scott Co High State Championship Team”.

A friend replied, “My freshman year in high school football, I was put on the B team, cut in baseball, and basketball. God had a plan for me that could only have been written by him. The motivation of my setbacks drove me to prove to everyone that I was someone different. Football and life has worked out for me, and I attribute it to someone telling me no”.

Another friend replied, I saw a young man try out and not make it at Rsms previously. I've been with the program now 7 years... I saw him come out after working SO hard in the gym since last year this time and he made everyone take notice! He did amazing! He made the team! We are going to see him and many from this Rsms squad coming up for a long time!  It made my year to see this 8th grader make the team and CRY! He earned it and it meant the world to him. Never give up is what we always tell the boys!!”

One thing on my bucket list is to run a 5K.  I have walked/shuffled a couple of races, but have never run the whole race.  I would rather eat chocolate chip cookies than run.  Running, ok exercise in general, is a struggle for me.  One day though, I will finish that race.  Oh what a personal success that will be!  Life is NOT about getting our way all the time or expecting something different to happen without making changes.  It is about being told NO sometimes.  It is about setting a goal and doing what is needed to succeed.  It’s about the STRUGGLE.  Let’s teach our kids how to turn a struggle into success.

When is failure an option?

I love what John Maxwell says, “If you want children to keep their feet on the ground, put some responsibilities on their shoulders.”

Have you found parenting teenagers similar to parenting “the terrible twos”?  Good News.  You will survive it!   We talk about the 9^th grade year being one of transition.  It is not only for your student but for you. 

“Mom, can I ride with ____________ to the game?”

“How is school?”  “Fine.”

“I want to stay at __________________’s house.”  “Will __________’s parents be home?” 

“MOM…”

Sound familiar?  When do you let go and when do you tighten the reins?  Each student is different.  This is the time students should be taking on more responsibility.  It’s perfectly ok for them for them to have chores at home.  It’s perfectly ok for them to be doing their own laundry.  They will quickly learn about separating whites and colors after the first pink underwear shows up.

We are in the middle of our 2^nd 9 weeks of school.  Some of our kids have struggled in a class.  This is a great opportunity to coach them on being successful.

1.    Coach them to talk with their teachers/counselor/administrators about their grade or anything they don’t agree with.

2.    Coach them to ask for help.

3.    Coach them it’s ok not to get it everything right the first time.

4.    Coach them to do something different.

5.    Coach them to keep trying.

Failure is an option only when we learn from it and do differently next time.  If we want grounded adults, we have to teach them to be responsible teenagers (without killing them first J). 

TUTORING SCHEDULE 2014-2015

For any additional days/times, please contact your student’s teacher.  All our staff will be happy to help.

ENGLISH
Keller	Friday	3:45-4:45	Rm 525
Krist	Wednesday	7:45-8:35	Rm 583
Murphy	Thursday	7:45-8:35	Rm 563
SOCIAL STUDIES
Cantrell	Tuesday	4:00-5:00	Rm 523
Wilson	Wednesday	7:30-8:35	Rm 587
MATH
Himes	Monday	3:45-4:45	Rm 527
Pennington	Tuesday	3:45-4:45	Rm 527
Hughes	Wednesday	7:30-8:30	Rm 527
Doom	Thursday	3:45-4:45	Rm 527
SCIENCE
Baird	Tuesday	4:00-5:30	Rm 520
Brewer	Thursday	4:00-5:00	Rm 588
FRENCH
Beckett	Tuesday	3:50-4:50	Rm 245
BIO MED
Nickell	Thursday	3:45-4:45	Rm 586
HEALTH
Cannada	Tuesday	7:30-8:30	Rm 524

THRIVE

Thrive—to grow, develop, flourish or prosper.  These are the things we want to see from our students.  The first nine weeks is under our belt.  Your student may have done well or they may have discovered they need to study a little more.  Regardless we want them to continue to develop into responsible young adults.  What might this look like?

THE NINE DO MORES

Do more than exist; live.
Do more than touch: feel.
Do more than look: observe.
Do more than read: absorb.
Do more than hear; listen.
Do more than listen; understand.
Do more than think; ponder.
Do more than plan; act.

Do more than talk; say something.​

“We know we were made for so much more than ordinary lives.  It’s time for us to more than just survive.  We were made to thrive”.  –Casting Crowns

Scott County High School Class of 2018—it’s time to THRIVE!

What is your greatest possession?

What is your greatest possession?  It’s your kids, right?  As parents we work to provide for our kids; we want the best for our kids; we send our prized possession (our kids) to school so they have the best opportunity this world offers. 

The 2013-2014 KPREP test scores became public right before fall break.  Once again, Scott County High School is a Proficient Progressing school.  Our overall assessment score rose from 71.6 to 73.2.  We continue to do great things.

A friend of mine who lives in another district took his daughter to the doctor in Georgetown.  He overheard negative comments about our school.  He interjected into the conversation by sharing how fortunate the students of Scott County are.  “Do you realize what you have here in your schools?” he questioned.  “My community would give our eye teeth to have just half of what you do.”

We’re not perfect.  No school is.  However, how many schools have the opportunity to offer piano at school?  How many schools have an ECS where students are gaining real world experience?  How many schools offer the number of AP courses we do?

The staff at SC9S is one of the best.  Take time to encourage them.  Believe it or not, they have a tough job.

I love this quote by Baruti Kafele.  “By adding an attitude of nothing less than excellence to our practice every day, then we increase the probability exponentially that excellence will in fact occur.”

As educators we want the best for your kids.  We practice excellence.  We know we are charged with teaching your students to be the prized possessions you created them to be.

Fall Break

Grab a good book and have a wonderful week!

Club Day

We have just had our first successful club day for the year.  Students have the opportunity to meet at least once a month for clubs.  If your student missed this month, he/she can still sign up for October.  We offer 41 clubs!  WOW! 

Clubs are a great opportunity to get to know other students, participate in community service projects, and learn leadership skills.  Take a look at most college applications.  Colleges want to know what clubs and extra -curricular activities students participate in.  They are looking for well-rounded individuals.

Research shows the more students are involved at school; the more successful they are in college.    Jacquelynne Eccles, from the University of Michigan, states,

“Involvement in prosocial activities was linked to positive educational trajectories and low rates of involvement in risky behaviors. In contrast, participation in team sports was linked to positive educational trajectories and to high rates of involvement in one risky behavior, drinking alcohol”.

 http://jar.sagepub.com/content/14/1/10.short

If your student missed signing up for clubs in September, he/she can do so before the October club day.  They will need to see the club sponsor.

Bottom line—Get involved whether its clubs, sports, church activities, community service, etc.  Get involved!

September--High Attendance Month

Although we focus on attendance throughout the year, the state has designated the month of September as high attendance month.  We all know the importance of being in school and being on time.  We have heard of the negative educational impact missing school has.  However, I didn’t realize to what degree until I read excerpts from the following article.

As the debate rages about the best way to fix America's public schools -- from heated rhetoric on the role of standardized testing to wonkier discussions about the intricacies of curricula -- a new report is arguing that reformers have overlooked a game-changing solution: addressing absenteeism.

While it may seem obvious that students who miss more school would not perform as well as other students, a new report released Tuesday shows just how much of a difference attendance can make. According to the report, written by nonprofit advocacy group Attendance Works, about 1 in 5 American students -- between 5 million and 7.5 million of them -- misses a month of school per year. The report suggests that missing three or more days of school per month can set a student back from one to two full years of learning behind his or her peers.

"All our investment in instruction and Common Core and curriculum development will be lost unless kids are in school to benefit from it," said Hedy Chang, the group's director and co-author of the report.

The new study used survey data from the 2013 National Assessment for Education Progress, a standardized test administered by the federal government, to compare students' absence rates with their performance. Students who took NAEP were asked whether they missed no days, one to two, three to four, five to 10, or more than 10 days of school over the last month.

Predictably, the students who missed the most school -- particularly those absent for three or more days in the last month, the report's definition of poor attendance -- had the lowest test scores. "This is true at every age, in every subject, in every racial and ethnic group and in every state and city examined," according to the report. "While students from low-income families are more likely to be chronically absent, the ill effects of missing too much school hold true for all socio-economic groups."

In fourth-grade reading, students who missed three or more days per month scored an average of 12 points lower on the NAEP than their peers with perfect attendance, a number that Ginsburg calculates represents more than a full year of schooling. Eighth-graders who reported missing three or more days of school scored, on average, a full 18 points lower on the test than their peers, which represents almost two full years of learning, according to the report.

In fourth grade, students with disabilities and high absenteeism saw an even steeper decline in scores: Those absent for three or more days scored 16 points lower than those with perfect attendance. In fourth-grade reading, the difference was 36 points between students with disabilities who had perfect attendance and those who missed 10 or more days in a school year. According to the report, that difference represents three and a half years of learning lost. (The difference in reading scores among similar cohorts of students without disabilities was 24 points.)

Students with disabilities also posted more absences then other students. A national average of 26 percent of fourth-graders with disabilities reported missing three or more days of school in the previous month, as compared to 19 percent of fourth-grade students without. "If you're going to narrow the performance gap, what you'd like to do is offer [students with disabilities] extra assistance," said Ginsburg. "You might expect these kids to get more time, and if you measure time in terms of number of days in school, they're not getting it -- they're getting the reverse."

While school absenteeism can often be a symptom of underlying issues such as poverty or a disruptive family life, Chang said that some students who increasingly miss school do so because absenteeism can be self-reinforcing. After missing several classes, Chang said, and as students learn less and their performance suffers, they can become discouraged and miss more days through causes such as truancy. Catching these students early and engaging them, she said, can help address the problem.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/09/02/school-bsence_n_5739084.html?utm_hp_ref=email_share

Scott County 9^th Grade School’s attendance for the month of August is 95.79.  Currently, as of 9/14/14, our attendance rate is 94.88.  

How many students do we have?

That question is often asked how many 9^th graders are there in Scott County?  Well….that is not an easy question to answer.

We have 691 students enrolled, but having said that, we don’t actually have 691 students in our building.

1^st period we send 173 students to ECS or the high school for electives.

2^nd period we have 245 students at ECS or the high school for electives.

3^rd period we have 167 students at ECS or the high school for electives.

There is a 25 minute period where we have all students under our roof.  The morning ECS students have returned and are in their 4^th hour class.  The afternoon ECS students are in our café eating lunch and preparing to load the buses to ECS.

4^th period we have 156 students at ECS or the high school for electives.

5^th period we have 202 students at ECS or the high school for electives.

6^th period we have 259 students at ECS or the high school for electives.

7^th period we have 241 students at ECS or the high school for electives.

So….to answer the question how many students do we have in our building, let’s look at the following chart:

Period	1st	2nd	3rd	4th	5th	6th	7th
# of students	518	446	524	484	489	432	450

Keep in mind we have students who transfer in and transfer out throughout the year.  We don’t look at students as numbers.  Instead we see future engineers, doctors, law enforcement officers, etc.  We see potential.  Thank you for sending us a great class this year.  We are off to a great start!  So the next time someone asks the question, the answer is 691 well sort of….

If you have questions or comments, please contact Jonda.tippins@scott.kyschools.us.

MAP Testing

Over the last couple of weeks your students have been taking the MAP test.  MAP stands for Measures of Academic Progress.   The MAP scores aid us in “informing instruction using valid, reliable, and real-time data.  In addition it measures the growth of every student over time regardless of on, above, or below grade level performance.  Finally, it compares and predicts student achievement and growth over time through use of normative data” (https://www.nwea.org/assessments/map/).

We use the MAP scores to help us schedule students into a study skills class.  This class works with students who are more than 3-4 grade levels behind in reading or math.  We also use the MAP scores to help students in goal setting.  We expect ALL students to make academic gains over the course of the year.  The fall scores will serve as a baseline score.  We will test again in the winter and finally in the spring.  MAP will serve as one measurement for growth from fall to spring.  Finally, MAP provides us a way to see where the student is struggling.  For example, a student may be doing well on informational text yet struggling with vocabulary.  The teacher may provide more intentional focus on vocabulary for that student.

If you have any questions or would like more information, feel free to contact us at jonda.tippins@scott.kyschools.us

This is the week!

      We are so excited to support the Finley 5K.  To learn more about Finley’s story go to www.finley105.org.

      As adults we know the importance of giving back and being part of something bigger than ourselves.  Although we each have our own charities we support, the Finley 5K brings us all together for one event. 

      Teenagers are often labelled egocentric or self-centered.  One of our goals at the 9^th grade is to help our students see the value in supporting something/someone besides themselves.  In fact, college applications require it (more on that in a later post).  The Finley 5K is a great and easy way to do that.  Many of you have already registered.  We can’t wait to see you there.  If you haven’t, feel free to come out anyway.  Stand along the route and cheer.  Be sure to introduce yourselves to the Ellisons. 

      We would love nothing more than to see something eliminated in this generation (i.e. cancer, AIDS, diabetes, etc.).  Why not SIDS?  Wouldn’t it be great if one of our biomedical students eliminated it?

      Help us teach your kids the joy of giving back.

      Join us Saturday, August 30^th 6:00PM (come a little early if you like) beginning on Memorial Drive of Georgetown College.  

                                              Benefiting the Finley Foundation 501c3

August 30, 2014 6:00 pm

Race begins at downtown Georgetown starting at Memorial Drive.

Registration is available online at active.com

Pre-registration is open until Aug. 12^th

Must pre-register to be guaranteed a T-shirt

Adults $25, Kids 17 and under $15.

Registration after Aug. 12th is $35 for adults and $25 for kids 12 and under.

Donations can also be made on active.com.  Just select “DONATION” on Finley 5k Run/Walk for SIDS Awareness

Finley5k@yahoo.com

Facebook/Finley 5k Run/Walk or Twitter- #FinleyforSids

Finley105.org