Martinsville Bulletin, Inc.
P. O. Box 3711
204 Broad Street
Martinsville, Virginia 24115
276-638-8801
Toll Free: 800-234-6575
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Sunday, July 4, 2010
By PAUL COLLINS - Bulletin Staff Writer
The Henry County School Board on Thursday recognized Fieldale-Collinsville Middle School, which was honored recently in Washington, D.C., at the National Forum’s Schools to Watch conference.
According to the forum’s website, 90 exemplary middle-grade schools were selected in 2010 as Schools to Watch as part of a 19-state recognition and school improvement program developed by the National Forum to Accelerate Middle-Grades Reform.
Fieldale-Collinsville was one of five schools in Virginia to be named Schools to Watch.
In addition to receiving the award, the five Fieldale-Collinsville representatives also made a presentation at the conference.
Attending the conference from FCMS were Moriah Dollarhite, principal; Ben Boone, an assistant principal; Charles Byrd, eighth-grade science teacher; Katrina Perry, seventh-grade social studies teacher; and Robin Walmsley, special education teacher, Dollarhite said.
In other business Thursday, the school board:
• Approved a contract in which the Community Policy Management Team and Henry County Schools will provide a program for certain special education students whose behavior significantly interferes with the school day, a school board document states.
The Community Policy Management Team will pay administrative costs, which include administrative salaries and benefits, insurance, operation fees, rent and utilities. The school system will provide two teachers and two paraprofessionals to service up to 12 students, the document stated.
“Due to the severity of these students’ behaviors and the potential risk to the safety of others, the program will not be housed at a school site,” the document added.
The cost to the school system is $105,893.
• Awarded a $36,000 contract for behavior specialist services for 2010-2011 to Piedmont Community Services. “Severely emotionally disturbed students require intensive services to achieve success. The behavior specialist provides counseling for the students and serves as a resource for the teacher and family in developing and implementing behavior plans,” a board document states.
• Approved a contract with MARC Workshop Inc. for the 2010-11 school year, at a cost of $12,000 which will be reimbursed through a federal grant. The county schools have worked with the MARC Workshop to help severely mentally handicapped students move into post-secondary placements and adjust to a work environment. The school division participated in this agreement for the 2009-2010 school year, a board document stated.
The school division also will be responsible for transportation of students to and from MARC Workshop under the contract, the school board document states.
• Voted to renew a parental notification and emergency communication program, Instant Alert, from the Honeywell Co. at a cost of $20,187.50.
• Voted to buy the academic portal for all teachers from SchoolWires Inc. at a cost of $18,562.50. According to board documents, the school division uses an academic portal for creating and managing teachers’ websites. The portal allows teachers to publish homework assignments, daily schedules, classroom events and manage content. Parents, students and the community can access teacher websites through the portal, the document stated.
• Approved school board policy revisions to comply with new and existing laws and regulations. Some policies were revised for editorial reasons or to correct technical errors, a board document states.
• Approved Judy Ison as the faculty representative on the Bassett High School Athletic Review Panel and Kerry Ratliff and David Scott as alternates; approved Brian Cuthbertson as the faculty representative on the Magna Vista High School Athletic Review Panel and Justin Littrell and Don Bredamus as alternates; and approved Amy Scott as the superintendent’s appointee to the High School Athletic Review Panel.
• Authorized DeWitt House, assistant superintendent-instruction, to sign documents in the superintendent’s absence.
• Passed a resolution recognizing Martinsville Bulletin Editor Ginny Wray, Managing Editor Amanda Buck and reporter Debbie Hall to the Media Honor Roll sponsored by the Virginia School Boards Association.
“The Virginia School Boards Association has established a Media Honor Roll as a way to recognize fair and balanced reporting about our schools. Criteria for honorees include: (1) make the effort to get to know the superintendent, board chairman, division’s mission and goals; (2) report school news in a manner that is fair, accurate and balanced; (3) give a high-profile position to good news about schools; (4) visit the schools; and (5) maintain a policy of no surprise by sharing information with school representatives,” a board document states. |
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