• MARY BURCH, our district health coordinator and R.N. has received a wonderful well-deserved recognition. The UC College of Nursing has selected her as a recipient of the Nursing Nightingale Award. She and 5 others were chosen from about 250 nurses that were nominated. She will be presented with her the award and $1000 at the award dinner on April 28th. Please congratulate her!


• Thank you to everyone who was able to complete the TELL Survey. Our district had a 91.16% participation rate! Thanks to Sherri Schmitz, Vicki Baker, Joan Bryson, Asha Coltrane, Regina Danks, and Regina Pelfrey for facillitating the process.


• Please refer to the email sent to all teachers on 3/31/11 regarding the TELL Survey Prize Drawings that will be held in the district.


• The last day for students will be May 27th. Employees will still work on May 31 and closing day will be June 1. A detailed hand out was sent out to all employees yesterday. You may also obtain a hard copy from your school principal. Parents will be notified in multiple ways providing them with advance notice of this calendar change.


• The state core content testing window will be April 18-29. The ITBS state testing window for students in grades 3-7 will be May 2-6.


• Enjoy a well-deserved Spring Break next week to those of you off during that time. Thanks for all you are doing each and every day for our students.

News and Information

• Bryan Sweasy, or Chief Information Officer has been sending out weekly links to stories highlighting schools and events in the Erlanger-Elsmere School District. Please take a moment to read over the stories to find out what's happening around the district.



• January 3-February 11 is the state assessment window for all ACCESS testing for students who are English Language Learners. These assessments are a part of state and federal accountability and should be taken very seriously by all teachers. Please schedule around the set ACCESS testing schedule at your school. All principals were given a copy of each school's schedule on December 8th.



• The district MAP testing window will be January 10-28. Please work with all students at all grade levels on personal goal setting. Those schools seeing the most increases are those who are setting individual goals with their students and differentiating instruction to meet individual student needs.



• We are still accepting entries for the district logo contest. The winner will receive a $100 savings bond. The contest is open to all students enrolled in the Erlanger-Elsmere School District.



• The Family Resource Centers and the Youth Service Centers assisted record numbers of families for the holidays this year. Thank you to the coordinators and the school personnel who assisted them in all that was provided.


• All schools in the district participated in giving during the holiday season. Many held canned food drives and some schools partnered allowing older students to work with younger students.



• The Erlanger-Elsmere School District was listed in the state Commissioner of Education's presentation to all Kentucky Superintendents as a best practice district moving forward with our work with the content standards.The entire PPT presentation may be found at http://www.education.ky.gov/KDE/Administrative+Resources/Commissioner+of+Education/Commissioner+Hollidays+Presentations/20101206+Leadership+that+Kentucky+Children+Deserve.htm

Accolades and Information

• The state assessment data has been released. The district saw increases in students scoring proficient and distinguished in reading at the elementary, middle school and high school levels. In math there were increases in the percentage of students scoring proficient and distinguished at the elementary and middle school levels. The high school also had increases in ACT scores. We will continue to disaggregate and drill down data to pinpoint specific student needs and adjust our instruction to meet those needs. While there is much to celebrate, we must maintain our focus on continuous improvement and use the momentum we have established to increase student learning for all students at all levels.
• The Lloyd High School Band won their division at the band competition at Conner this past Saturday.
• The first round of MAP testing is complete and all teachers have the real-time data for individualized instruction for students.
• On Demand Writing (12th grade), Plan Testing (10th grade), and Explore Testing (8th grade) windows are now completed. All of these assessments are a part of state testing and accountability.
• Lloyd High School is forming a soccer club. 18 girls have expressed interest. Ms. Wesling will be the club leader.
• Lloyd High School is forming a dance team. Presently, 15 students have expressed an interest.
• Tichenor Middle School 7th grade students will be visiting Northern Kentucky University on September 28th and September 29th.
• The Tichenor Trojans Middle School Football Team are Division Champs. They are doing well in their very first season.
• All of the elementary schools are collaborating to providea cross country program to 3rd, 4th, & 5th grade students. The first two meets were at Arnett and Howell. Many parents showed up in support of their children. This has been a wonderful, exciting program for the students involved.
• The 2010-11 school year is off to a great start. Thanks to everyone for helping to provide wonderful experiences for our students.

The First Day of School

Tomorrow will be an important day for our students. Things will be hectic as everyone learns new procedures and new faces. It is important that all parents and students entering our schools start that first day positively. I know each and every employee will be patient, welcoming, and helpful to all who enter our doors. Remember that students and parents are often nervous that first day-especially if the students are transitioning to a new school. The welcoming attitude, respect, and kindness displayed on that first day will help to set the tone for the school year. "Kind words can be short and easy to speak, but their echoes are truly endless."
-Mother Teresa