Mission Statement

The mission of McDowell County Schools is to provide quality education in a safe and supportive environment where we respect students' individual and cultural differences, develop their talents in partnership with family and community, and ensure that they possess the life skills necessary for personal successes and civic responsibility.

Michelle Baker-principal at Eastfield Global Magnet School and 

Rod Slagle-principal at Marion Elementary School.  

We are happy to welcome both of them. 

Once again, I want to reassure the students, staff, and families of the West Junior family that I have made provisions for a smooth transition in administration at the school.  During the last five weeks, I have been proud of the job that Mrs. Martha Smith has done as the Interim Principal at West.  Now, I am also proud to announce to you that the Board of Education unanimously approved my recommendation for the new principal at West beginning July 1, 2013:  Dr. Donna Gardner.

 

Dr. Gardner is a 26-year veteran educator who has served very successfully the last three years as the principal of Marion Elementary School.  Prior to that position, she served as the Director of Federal Programs for McDowell County Schools as well as a teacher in the system for 16 years.    Dr. Gardner is especially enthused to join the West Junior family and looks forward to leading the school as we continue to move forward in preparation for the transition and beyond.  Please join me in welcoming her to West Junior.  

 

Sincerely,

Dr. Martín

Superintendent

Who:  7th grade students and their families

When:  May 28, 6:00 - 7:00 pm

Where:  Eastfield Global Magnet School

Yes, college can be affordable!  Come learn about different funding sources and what students can do NOW to be competitive for college scholarships later.

*Childcare and snacks provided*

The following students worked on the Quilt Designs for Relay for Life:

Christopher Randle & Laura Higgins LEAD the Quilt Design Team.

Quilt Team Members Include:

• Evelyn Lowery

• Alexis Mace

• Sierra Morrow

• Samantha Reece

• Rachel Tate

• Alexandria Yates 

Christopher Randle is in both Print Advertising & Design and Apparel Design 2 classes.  He worked as a liaison between the classes and lead groups on how the design could be best utilized between the iMac design programs and quilting methods. He was able to demonstrate different methods used in each class. 

The attachments below show the beautiful quilts and their designers as well as some of the students whose designs were chosen for the quilts. 

If you know of or see these students, please take a minute to congratulate them, all, on a job well done. :)  

HOW DO I GET Tickets for a Chance to win a Quilt???? 

SEE Kendall Waugh for tickets 

or call for more information:

828-652-7920 

$1.00 each or 6 tickets for $5.00! 

Kendall Waugh, so graciously, asked Karen Hawkins and me to combine classes to create T-Shirt Designs, Posters, Program Covers, and Quilts for this year's Relay for Life campaign. 

The following winners are from McDowell High School's Graphic Communications classes.

These students have worked multiple hours, days, and in some cases weeks, individually and in teams, to complete their finished designs/products. 

If you see them, give them a friendly high-five for a job well done.

Casey Heldman - (Intro Graphic Communications Class)

Riley Robinson - (Intro Graphic Communications Class)

Jose Ramos -  (Level 1 - Graphic Communications Class)

Harley Freshour - (Level 1 - Graphic Communications Class)

Chelsea DeBoard - (Level 1 - Graphic Communications Class)

Cristian Aguirre -(Level 1 - Graphic Communications Class)

An External Review Team representing the SACS CASI North Carolina State Office (SACS-CASI-NC), a division of AdvancED, visited McDowell County Schools on 03/10/2013 - 03/13/2013.

During the visit, members of the External Review Team interviewed 33 administrators, 84 teachers, 24 support staff, 47 parents and business partners, 54 students, and 7 Board of Education members for a total of 249 stakeholders. In addition to meeting with district personnel and stakeholders, the team visited 6 schools within the school district. During the school visits, team members interviewed school stakeholders, observed classrooms, and reviewed relevant school artifacts. The team also reviewed documents, student performance data, and other artifacts provided by the district. Specifically, the team  examined the district's systems and processes in relation to the five AdvancED standards.

Through its examination of the school district's adherence to the standards, the External Review Team prepared a comprehensive report which will be provided at a later date.

This is a highlight of the their findings:

Powerful Practices included:

•Cohesive and trusting relationships, Board Member to Board Member, and the Governing Board and District Leadership 

•Strong District senior leadership 

• Shared culture and commitment to student  learning

• Extensive and long-standing community partnerships
• Involvement of stakeholders at every level in the planning and preparation for the transition to a Middle School model.

Required Actions:

1. Create, implement, revise and monitor a District strategic plan that aligns to the 5 goal statements currently in use. Include strategic, measurable goals directly aligned to student achievement- closing the gap among different sub-groups, specific, measurable, verifiable action plans with benchmark targets, identified persons who are responsible for plan outcomes, and a detailed evaluative process to measure program effectiveness.

2. Construct a systematic, systemic, intentional continuous process for district improvement whereby all system, school, department, and individual improvement plans as well as instructional, personnel, and fiscal decisions are aligned to the Strategic Plan.

3. Evaluate all personnel and program effectiveness system---wide using verifiable data connected to individual and collective specific, measurable goals. Use these data for decision---making across the system.

McDowell County Schools will begin to review and discuss the findings from this report with all stakeholders. The district will ensure that plans are in place to embed and  sustain the strengths noted in the commendations section to maximize their impact on the school district.

Additionally, the district will develop action plans to address the required actions made by the team and include methods for monitoring progress toward the required actions. Two years following the Quality Assurance Review, the district will submit the Accreditation Progress Report detailing progress made toward addressing the required actions. The report will be reviewed at the state and national level to ensure that  significant progress is being made toward the required actions. Lack of progress can result in a change in accreditation status.

The district will continue to meet the AdvancED accreditation standards, submit required reports, engage in continuous improvement, and document results.

“We are glad to have had the opportunity for AdvancEd to take an in-depth look at our practices and systems in place to support teaching and learning. Moving forward, we will use the report and the specifics within to guide and strengthen the school district's efforts to improve student performance and district effectiveness”, stated Superintendent Dr. Martín.

UNC Asheville faculty will begin intensive work this summer with teams of teachers from Asheville City and McDowell County Schools to help the schools implement new state standards, provide more intellectually rigorous instruction, and support teaching of “big ideas.”

The project, “Teaching Enduring Understanding: Literacy Across the Curriculum,” will be undertaken in partnership with the National Paideia Center, and is funded by a $280,456 U.S. Department of Education grant awarded as part the University of North Carolina system’s NC Quest program. Meg Moss, UNC Asheville Education Department chair and assistant professor of mathematics education, is project director. 

The project gets under way this summer when teachers from Asheville Middle School and the two McDowell County junior high schools begin working with UNC Asheville faculty to produce a minimum of 12 model units of study reflecting the new Common Core State Standards in language arts and math, and the NC Essential Standards in science and social studies.  Faculty from many different UNC Asheville departments and experts from the National Paideia Center will provide support and training to the middle school teachers, who in turn will help train their colleagues.

“The project should give teachers a greater understanding of the new Common Core State Standards, increase expertise in the content areas, and provide training in Paideia methodology for discussion of big ideas,” said Asheville Middle School Literacy Coach Melissa Hedt. “We hope to develop a collaborative network of teachers within the middle schools with links to UNC Asheville faculty. Together we’ll plan specific lessons and activities with targeted reading, writing, speaking and listening skills.”

Hedt and Brook Mabry, McDowell County Schools instructional coach, will coordinate their schools’ participation in the project. The schools will choose their teams of teachers later this spring. 

After working with UNC Asheville faculty to develop the lessons and units, teachers will use them in their classrooms during the 2013-14 school year, with support and advice from the university faculty members. The success of the lessons will be evaluated during the summer of 2014 by an external evaluator. All planning materials for the teaching units will also be posted online for use by middle schools throughout North Carolina and across the country.

Project participants from UNC Asheville will include: Meg Moss, Education Department chair and assistant professor of mathematics education; Reid Chapman, lecturer in education and coordinator for grades 6-12 social studies licensure; Merritt Moseley, chair and professor of literature and language; Dot Sulock, lecturer in mathematics; Judy Beck, lecturer in physics and science education. 

From the National Paideia Center, Terry Roberts, director, and Laura Billings, associate director, will participate. The external evaluator will be David Strahan, Botner Distinguished Professor of Middle Grades Education at Western Carolina University.