Welcome Back! Week in Review Jan. 2-6

Welcome back!  This week was full of excitement in Fayette County.  As I recap some of the highlights, please view our website for more news and in depth coverage of this week’s top stories.

I started my week by visiting one of our elementary schools.  While there, I had a wonderful conversation with our school leader about our moral imperative: accelerate the academic success of our students reaching towards proficiency.  We discussed the opportunities at the school to remove the barriers for our children who are learning English as a second language.

On Tuesday, the board held a special called meeting to review the latest draft of the strategic plan.  The board provided feedback and based upon their input our consultants were able to identify next steps.

This week, we also held our first district leadership team meeting of 2017!  Kudos to our school leaders Demott and Medford for sharing key indicators of school success and critical thinking strategies as part of the plenary session.

There was excitement in the air at the press conference for Frederick Douglass High School (FDHS).  Although I decided to allow our students to select the name of the mascot, by all accounts the Keeneland green and orange  colors were a huge hit with our community.  Kudos to principal Diaz and Mr. Landis, FDHS new football coach.

I was able to update our community during my talk at the Lexington Forum about the superintendent’s entry plan, Blueprint for Student Success: Achieving Educational Excellence and Equity for All.  Kudos to those who attended this wonderful event.  Of course, I was asked about my opinion regarding charter schools.

This week we also experienced our first snowstorm of the school year.  I know at least one student who was happy that we closed school on Friday giving her a three day weekend.  To conclude my week, I attended our FCASA gathering after work to fellowship with my school leaders and colleagues.  We had a great time.  Way to go FCASA!

On Saturday, I met my fraternity brothers for breakfast.  Our goal is to do more to make a difference in a child’s life.  Presently, we support the BMW program and the Kappa League at Leestown Middle School.  With that said, we know there’s more work to do.

I also attended the showing of Hidden Figures, a must see film for educators.  While at the movies standing in the concession line, I met a FCPS parent.  We talked about how his child is doing and the importance of the partnership between home and school.  The parent shared that his child’s teachers are great and they regularly inform him about his child’s progress.

Please find pictures from this past week’s events below: