School starts Wednesday, August 1, and several of our schools are helping families prepare by holding open houses, orientations, meet & greets, and other events.



Below is a listing of some of these events in no particular order. If we're missing some, send us an email to let us know. We'll add it!

• JFK Middle Ice Cream Social - Sunday, July 29, 4:00-5:30 p.m.


• Hume-Fogg Freshman Orientation - Monday July 23 through Wednesday, July 25, 8:00 a.m. - 3:30 p.m. with a half-day on Thursday, July 26


• Hillsboro "Burro Beginnings" Freshman Orientation - Thursday, July 26 at 8:00 a.m.


• Overton Freshman Orientation - Monday, July 30 from 5:00-7:00 p.m.


• Meet & Greet for Cane Ridge Elementary Principal Donna Wilburn - Monday, July 23 at 6:30 p.m., Cane Ridge High School


• Meet & Greet for Antioch High School Principal Adrienne Battle-Koger - Tuesday, July 24 at 5:00 p.m.


• Pearl-Cohn Entertainment Magnet Freshman Firebird Orientation - Monday, July 30 at 6:00 p.m.
  
  
  
  • Pearl-Cohn Academies of Entertainment Management and Communication orientation - Tuesday, July 31 at 6:00 p.m.
  
  
  
  


• West End IB World Middle School Parent & Student Orientation Nights
  
  
  
  • 5th & 6th Grades - Wednesday, July 25, 5:30-7:30 p.m.
  
  
  • 7th & 8th Grades - Thursday, July 26, 5:30-7:30 p.m.
  
  
  • School-wide Open House - Wednesday, August 1, 6:00-7:30 p.m.
  
  
  
  


• Bellevue Middle School Orientation - Tuesday, July 24, 5:30-6:30 p.m. at the Church of Christ on Jackson Street
  
  
  
  • 5th Grade Orientation - Sunday, July 29, 1:00-3:00 p.m. at Bellevue Middle School
  
  
  • Schedule Pick-up - Wednesday, July 25 & Thursday, July 26 from 9:00 a.m. - 3:00p.m. at Bellevue Middle School
    
    
    
    
    
  
  
  
  


• Mt. View Elementary Preview Night - July 31, 6:00-7:00 p.m. (Teacher assignments may be announced this night.)


• Eakin Elementary School Kindergarten Popsicle Party - Monday, July 30, 4:30-6:00 p.m.


• John Early Museum Magnet Middle New Student Orientation - Tuesday, July 31, 9:00 a.m.-12:30 p.m.
  
  
  
  • Buses to run 2012-13 times and stops for transportation to John Early orientation
  
  
  
  


• Robert Churchwell Museum Magnet Elementary Family Orientation
  
  
  
  • K-2 - Monday, July 30, 9:00 a.m. OR 5:30 p.m.
  
  
  • 3-4 - Tuesday, July 31, 9:00 a.m. OR 5:30 p.m.
  
  
  • Call 419-0509 by July 27 if you need transportation
  
  
  
  


• Bailey STEM Magnet Middle Parent & Scholar Welcome Night - Thursday, August 23 at 6:00 p.m.


• Granbery Elementary
  
  
  
  • Kindergarten Parent Meeting - Monday, July 30 at 6:00 p.m.
  
  
  • Open House for Grades 1 & 2 - Thursday, August 2, 5:30-6:30 p.m. - Parents Only
  
  
  • Open House for Grades 3 & 4 - Thursday, August 2, 6:45-7:45 p.m. - Parents Only
  
  
  
  


• Hillwood High School Freshman Orientation - July 30, 6:00-7:30 p.m.


• Jere Baxter Middle School Open House - Tuesday, July 31, 5:00-7:00 p.m.


• Buena Vista Enhanced Option Elementary School Parent Orientation - Thursday, July 26 at 5:30 p.m.


• Croft Middle Design Center Orientation and Open House - Tuesday, July 31 at 5:00 p.m.


• Gra-Mar Middle School Student Orientation & Relationship Building - Thursday, August 2, 8:00 a.m. until 3:30 p.m.


• Sylvan Park Elementary Welcome to Kindergarten Party - Tuesday, July 31 at 5:30 p.m.


• The Cohn School Open House - Thursday, August 23 at 6:00 p.m.

They're a piece of every child's imagination, and several of our Metro students learned to build and control them this summer at Robocamp 2012. But no need to fear: these robots are built for peace.



Bailey STEM Magnet Middle School held RoboCamp July 9-13. Teachers from Bailey, Litton Middle School and Stratford STEM High School led rising 5th-7th graders through the process of building a robotic arm to use in a competition at the end of the week. The students also learned to solder on a circuit board for an electronic siren. A trip to the Nissan factory in Smyrna provided students the opportunity to see robots in action. The students stopped at Home Depot on the way back to school for an “Inventor’s Tour” of the Home Depot in East Nashville where they explored alternative uses for different materials in the store. The competition on Friday put the students’ robotic arms to the test as they competed as teams and individuals.



Thanks to all the educators who made this free summer camp possible and to all the campers who had an amazing time building robots!

Several Metro students have been working on math class work during the summer, even winning awards!



Thirteen Metro Schools participated in the Metro Nashville Summer Math-a-lon and earned Apangea Math Points for their school.



Apangea Math provides one-student-to-one-teacher differentiated math instruction through a unique integration of proprietary tutoring technology and live, online certified teachers. As a web-based solution, Apangea Math can be accessed from any computer with an internet connection – ensuring students can learn math anytime, anywhere.



Here are the Metro Summer Math-a-lon schools and scores:

• Margaret Allen MS – 11,507 Apangea Math School Points


• East Literature Magnet – 10,608 Apangea Math School Points


• John F. Kennedy MS – 4,322 Apangea Math School Points


• John T. Moore MS – 4,547 Apangea Math School Points


• Madison MS – 2,408 Apangea Math School Points


• Gra-Mar MS – 1,124 Apangea Math School Points


• Thurgood Marshall MS – 736 Apangea Math School Points


• Rose Park MS – 237 Apangea Math School Points


• Wright MS – 95 Apangea Math School Points


• Haynes MS - 42 Apangea Math School Points


• Bellevue MS - 25 Apangea Math School Points


• Apollo MS - 46 Apangea Math School Points


• DuPont Tyler MS - 18 Apangea Math School Points

• A Soldier’s Child Foundation


• Big Brothers Big Sisters


• United Way


• Wounded Warrior Project


• The Boys and Girls Club


• Make-A-Wish Foundation


• Special Olympics


• Habitat for Humanity

The Middle Tennessee Reading Association is the local council affiliate of the Tennessee Reading Association. Several Metro School teachers hold positions with the association.

• Angel Viera, literacy coach at J.E. Moss Elementary, has been named the 2012-2013 President-Elect of the Tennessee Reading Association.


• Melanie Collins, teacher at Bordeaux Enhanced Option Elementary, assumed the office of Vice President of the Tennessee Reading Association for the 2012-2013 school term. Collins will become President-Elect during the 2013-2014 school year. She is also serving as Middle Tennessee Reading Association treasurer.


• Sandra Smith-Hitt, teacher at Robert Churchwell Elementary, will serve as the 2012-2013 Treasurer of the Tennessee Reading Association.


• Anita Armstrong, literacy coach at Cole Elementary, is serving Tennessee Reading Association as the 2012-2013 Recording Secretary.


• Holly Perez, teacher at Donelson Middle School, is the president of Middle Tennessee Reading Association for 2012-2013.


• Jana Crosby is the new state coordinator for the Tennessee Reading Association charged with overseeing and planning many activities for our association.


• Eileen Steeples of Robert Churchwell is serving as membership chair for Middle Tennessee Reading Association.

From 1933 until 1986, Nashville area high schools went head-to-head in major sports as part of the Nashville Interscholastic Sports League. To remember those glory days, alumni of Nashville high school sports will gather for a reunion this Wednesday.



Come take part - bring sports memorabilia from your school, reconnect with old team mates, and relive the past glories of Nashville scholastic sports.



Sports radio superstar George Plaster will even broadcast his show live from the reunion!

Wednesday, July 25

2:00 p.m. until "as long as folks keep coming"

Freeland Work Truck Superstore

504 Collins Park Drive in the Antioch/Hickory Hollow area

Seven Metro Nashville Public Schools’ Academies of Nashville programs have received national accreditation, including five that earned the highest designation as “model” academies by the National Career Academy Coalition. Hillwood High School, with a “Triple Crown “ of three model Academies, is Nashville’s first high school to receive the model designation for all academies in the school.



“When we launched the Academies of Nashville, we had high expectations for the program and for the effect on students’ academic performance,” said Jesse Register, director of schools. “We have seen an improvement in graduation rate, student engagement and school climate and now national experts in preparing students for college and career have named several academies as models for the nation.”



The National Career Academy Coalition will honor the five “model” academies at the National Career Academy Conference to be held in Nashville November 8-10, 2012. Each model academy will receive a $1000 check, listing on the national website, and a banner to display in the school.



The model academies to be honored are:

• Hillwood High School Model Academies **Triple Crown**
  
  Dr. Steve Chauncy, Executive Principal
  
  
  
  • The Academy of Art, Design and Communications
  
  
  • The Academy of Business and Hospitality
  
  
  • The Academy of Health Sciences
  
  
  
  


• McGavock High School Model Academies
  
  Robbin Wall, Executive Principal
  
  
  
  • The Gaylord Entertainment Academy of Hospitality/The U.S. Community Credit Union Academy of Business and Finance
  
  
  • The CMT Academy of Digital Design & Communication
  
  
  
  

• Glencliff High School Certified Academy
  
  Clint Wilson, Executive Principal
  
  
  
  • The Academy of Medical Science and Research
  
  
  
  


• Antioch High School Certified Academy
  
  Dr. Adrienne Battle-Koger, Executive Principal
  
  
  
  • The Tennessee Credit Union Academy of Business and Finance
  
  
  
  

The PENCIL Foundation is gearing up for the August 1 start of school! LP PENCIL Box will open for teacher shopping starting July 31st, and everyone is busy collecting supplies to make sure every Metro teacher can stock their classrooms for FREE this school year!



Want to help out?



There are several ways to it. Hold a supply drive at your business. Donate gently used office supplies. Or you can even donate at several supply drives taking place this month!



Here are some BIG supply drives taking place now:

• Metro Government Supply Drive: Mayor Karl Dean launched a Metro-wide supply drive, which started July 9 and ends July 20. Metro departments that raise the most supplies will be recognized by Mayor Dean at a ceremony on July 30. Members of the public are encouraged to participate by donating school supplies at drop-off sites at any Nashville library, fire hall, police station and community center or at the MTA Music City Central transit station and the Nashville Farmers’ Market. We are looking forward to seeing all the Metro departments on Friday as they bring their donations! Read the press release.


• Kroger: Visit any Davidson County Kroger through August 5th and drop off supplies in their donation bins. You can visit their school supply section OR purchase a $6.00 supply kit to make it easy! Our friends at Kroger are even sending 30 volunteers to help sort and count supplies. Thanks again to Kroger for many years of support!


• McDonald's: Throughout the month of July, Davidson County McDonald's locations will also have supply drive bins. Your donation will also get you a free small McCafe drink! Many thanks to McDonald's for helping out again this year!


• Make a Cash Donation Online: The LP Pencil Box website has a simple donation form for you to use.

Four of the district's IB experts traveled to the International Baccalaureate (IB) World Conference not just to learn, but to teach others.



Dr. Terry Shrader, principal at Hillsboro High School; Emily Munn, IB Coach; Stephanie Knight, IB Coordinator at Hillsboro; and Dr. Sharon Chaney, the MNPS Director of Advanced Academics, gave a presentation detailing how the district was able to seamlessly integrate the International Baccalaureate program with the Academies of Nashville model that has transformed our high schools in the district.



Hillsboro has the Academy of International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme, which has a 100% graduation rate and 97% post-secondary enrollment rate.



We are so proud to have these four represent the district and this program at an international conference!

Long-time educator Dr. Betsy Ruhl Potts has been tapped as principal of Old Center Elementary School in Goodlettsville. Potts will succeed former principal Rob Hancock who has accepted a position in the district’s Human Resources department.



Potts, who most recently served as assistant principal at Amqui Elementary, has worked in education for more than 20 years. She began her career teaching first grade at Goodpasture Elementary and later became principal of the school. She joined Metro Schools in 2006 and taught first and third grades at Goodlettsville Elementary School. There, she was selected Teacher of the Year and was a finalist for the district’s Elementary School Teacher of the Year.



She has also served as assistant principal representative to the Metropolitan Nashville Principal Association board and participated in the Education Leadership Learning Exchange between Vanderbilt’s Peabody College and South China Normal University in Guangzhou, China and in the Principal Leadership Academy of Nashville.



She has a bachelor’s degree in elementary education from David Lipscomb University, a master’s degree in administration and supervision from Trevecca Nazarene University and a doctorate, also in administration and supervision, from Tennessee State University.

There's a big change happening this summer in the district's Technology Services, and it's getting some national press.



The Metro Schools Technology & Information Services (TIS) team is moving to provide email accounts to all employees and students using Microsoft's Office 365 platform. This means transitioning away from the Metro government email system that was used in the past, a move that will reduce the district’s cost for email services while also addressing storage, security and information sharing needs. Employees will keep their current email addresses and existing emails will transfer to the new platform.



Office 365 for education is a new platform just made available this summer. Metro Schools is one of the first institutions to take it on, which garnered us a mention in a blog post last month.



From GettingSmart.com:

Eighty thousand students will switch from Google to the Microsoft solution while 9,500 faculty and staff will be moving to the cloud from on-premises solutions, saving the district $400,000 annually in IT services costs. ... “It’s important we have a consistent toolset across the district so people can work together effectively. With Office 365 everything from the features and functions in the applications to the way the toolbars look exactly the same no matter where or how it’s being accessed, helps improve both teacher and student productivity,” said John Williams, executive director, Technology and Information Services, Metropolitan Nashville Public Schools. “This consistency, combined with the collaboration capabilities of Office 365, will be essential in supporting the blended learning environment we’re striving for across our district.” Read the full article on GettingSmart.com

This transition will allow a seamless method for communication and collaboration throughout the district. Additionally, the district will be poised to meet the increasing demand for mobility, conferencing, social media, file-sharing and file storage.



Thanks, TIS for all you do to serve Metro Schools employees and students!

Metropolitan Nashville Public Schools taps Glencliff High School assistant principals Dr. Adrienne Battle-Koger and Sonia Stewart as the district’s two new high school principals.



Dr. Battle-Koger has accepted the position as principal at Antioch High School. Formerly academic principal at Glencliff High School, she also served as the high school’s Academy of Medical Science and Research principal, where she led the charge toward achieving national certification for the academy. Dr. Battle-Koger also facilitated and implemented instructional programs that increased school-wide Reading/English for each grade level. Prior to coming to Glencliff High, she served as principal and assistant principal at East Academy and taught at Dalewood Middle School. Dr. Battle-Koger is an alumna of Metro Schools, graduating from John Overton High School. She has a bachelor’s degree from Missouri State University, and master’s and doctorate degree, from Tennessee State University. She will replace former principal Brian Mast, who resigned to take a job in higher education.



Stewart has been appointed principal of Pearl-Cohn Entertainment Magnet High School. Stewart recently served as Glencliff High School’s Freshmen Academy principal with responsibility for providing instructional leadership, supporting Small Learning Community team meetings, and managing effective student intervention plans. As academy principal, Stewart increased ninth grade promotion, developed student leadership teams, improved parental involvement through academy showcases and student recognition. Prior to coming to Glencliff High, she was a teacher for Antioch High School, Brentwood Academy High School and Washington Prep High School in Los Angeles, Ca. Stewart received her bachelor’s degree from Biola University and master’s degree from Trevecca Nazarene University. Stewart will be replacing Dr. Milton Threadcraft, who retired this summer.

See a list of all principal changes for 2012-13.