Labor Day Reminder
Greater Clark County Schools will be closed on Monday, September 4th in observance of Labor Day.
Facilities Tactic Team Update
Greater Clark County Schools is pleased to report the initial Facilities Tactic Team meeting held on Tuesday, August 29th was a great success. The Facilities Tactic Team has been charged with making a recommendation to the Board of School Trustees for a site of a new downtown Jeffersonville elementary school. A diverse group of community members, property and business owners, and educators gathered to share their voice and begin their work. The team accomplished drafting an objective statement for the process and also established the criteria that will be used to evaluate four potential sites for the new school – the current Maple Elementary property, the current Spring Hill Elementary property, the current Service Center property, and property located at Meigs/Court Avenue. The team will meet in September, October, November and December to finalize their site selection and prepare their recommendation for a January 2018 Board of School Trustees presentation.
New Washington Receives Readers' Choice Awards
Written By: Maranda Miller, Senior at New Washington Middle/High School
New Washington Middle/High School is known by other schools for being a smaller school. We did become a little better known last year when our boy’s basketball team made it to Semi-State. Our very own Mr. Bill Jones was awarded with the ExCel Award from WHAS this past school year as well. Each of these is an honor to the student body, staff and faculty, as well as our community. Now, this 2017-2018 school year, we shall add another award to the list. Clark County’s News and Tribune has an annual award in August called The Readers’ Choice Award. Readers of the News and Tribune vote for what they would like to be known as the best or most outstanding. From there they are able to call in or go online and vote. Whoever has the most votes is the winner. Anyone who reads the News and Tribune is able to vote. There are no strict rules or anything of the sort. This time the award is for Outstanding School and Outstanding Educator. To New Washington's surprise, we have been awarded with both! Our own principal, Mrs. Carla Hobson, is being recognized as Clark County’s Outstanding Educator. Mrs. Hobson knew she was chosen, but wasn’t aware of how her staff and faculty planned to celebrate on Wednesday, August 30th. The entire school was brought into the gym, which was set up for an assembly. Our cheerleaders and pep band performed and helped with a small pep rally. Mr. Emily, Mr. Jones, and Dr. Melin all gave speeches congratulating the school and Mrs. Hobson on the awards. All announced how much of an honor it was for us to be known as Clark County’s most outstanding school. Mrs. Hobson gave a speech on how she wasn’t aware of what her faculty and staff were preparing. She was honored and proud to be a part of the community, as is everyone else who is a part of the New Washington schools. Some of our staff and faculty may say, “We are a private school in a public setting.” Our staff and faculty know the student body as individuals not as numbers, just as though we were a private school. To be known for these awards is an amazing honor for the entire community. We are even more proud to be known as Mustangs and will continue to keep striving for excellence.
River Valley Middle School Selected for Indiana Career Explorer Pilot Program
In partnership with the Indiana Department of Workforce Development (DWD), the Indiana Department of Education (IDOE) announced that River Valley Middle School will be one of sixteen middle schools participating in the Indiana Career Explorer (ICE) Pilot Program. The ICE Pilot Program will evaluate and enhance critical college and career readiness through in-classroom instruction in the eighth grade to help students explore in-demand jobs, assess current skills, explore possible career pathways, and develop an education and training plan to achieve future goals – utilizing an engaging online application.
“The earlier we work with students and prepare them for life beyond high school, the more successful they will be upon graduation,” said Dr. Jennifer McCormick, Indiana Superintendent of Public Instruction. “The Indiana Career Explorer program is a great way to introduce students to thinking about their future, and I am thankful for the collaboration provided by the Department of Workforce Development to help make this possible. I am also grateful to the participating schools whose students will benefit greatly from their commitment to this important program.”
“Indiana Career Explorer is centered on the student’s experience and for students and their families, with the critical support of educators, to begin thinking about careers they will want to pursue,” said DWD Commissioner Steve Braun. “We are very excited about this pilot program, the role Indiana Career Explorer will play in the pilot, and what we in turn will learn from the participating schools as we know it will take career exploration to the next level in Indiana. Our commitment to building and strengthening the workforce in Indiana starts with a solid K-12 educational foundation, and our partnership with DOE on this initiative and other programs is vital to preparing Hoosiers to be successful in the marketplace.”
Created by the 2017 Indiana General Assembly, Senate Enrolled Act 198 allows for the implementation of a pilot program whereby selected schools shall include in the school’s curriculum a course for all students in grade 8 that includes instruction in and use of the ICE program and curriculum. The courses will commence in the spring semester at River Valley Middle School.
