By Grady Sue Saxon/Special to The Leeds News
Where did the summer go? School starts Monday, so it is time to resume this article. You can help me include the information you want by calling me at 699-2440 or mailing questions to me, care of City of Leeds BOE, P.O. Box 1083, Leeds. I write it because, as the Board of Education president, I want to report to you the activities of the school system and the Board; however, I choose the content and write it from my personal perspective.
For specifics, meeting minutes are available at the central office. The BOE meets the second Tuesday of each mont at 6 p.m. at the Leeds Civic Center.
Everyone is invited to attend.
Welcome John J. Moore, New Superintendent
As most of you know by now, John J. Moore is our new superintendent. His first day was July 20. He has not been with us a whole month yet but, I can tell you that he has been very, very busy! He does have a small advantage in that as a native of Leeds, he is already familiar with many of the issues facing our community and school.
Mr. Moore is proud to be at least the fifth generation of his family to trace his roots to the foundation of Leeds. He is a descendent of its first mayor.
He attended both Leeds Elementary and Leeds Middle school. He graduated from the Jefferson County International Baccalaureate High School.
Mr. Moore earned both the bachelor of science and master’s degrees from Auburn University. He earned his Education Specialist Certification from UAB. While at Auburn, he was an Adjunct Professor of Spanish.
He taught Gifted/Spanish at Clay-Chalkville Middle school from 1996-2001, served as assistant principal at Leeds High from 2001 to 2003, assistant principal at Shades Valley High School/JCIB from 2003-2004, and principal at Springville Elementary School from 2004-2006.
From 2006 until July 2009 he was the assistant superintendent of Education for St. Clair County.
We welcome Mr. Moore back home, as superintendent of the City of Leeds School System. We look forward to many successful years under his leadership.
Teacher Orientation and Teacher Institute
New teacher orientation was Monday, August 3 and Teacher Institute was Wednesday, August 5. Today and tomorrow, the teachers are working in their classrooms without the students. They are preparing to welcome your children to a new and exciting year of learning.
Students’ First Day - Monday, August 10
Parents: It is very, very important that you have your children in school on Monday. They should be on time, rested and ready to begin their new year.
As an adult, if you were taking a class, you would not stay away the first day or two, wrongly thinking you will not miss anything because they are just getting organized and reviewing.
You know that a review is an important part of laying the foundation. You know that by reviewing, teachers learn what their students know in order to identify where any gaps are that must be filled in before moving on to new information. You would want to be present to hear every word so you would get off to a good start.
Well, it is the same for children. If they miss the foundation, it is very hard to catch up and keep up. And, it is not right for teachers or other students in the classes to have to go back and re-teach to bring individual children up-to-date because they skipped the first day or week of school. Let’s start out the year teaching our children to be responsible. Make sure they are present, on time and prepared every day, except under very special circumstances such as sickness.
There is a lot of research showing that children who have frequent absences are the ones most likely not to graduate from high school. This is especially true if those absences begin in the early years and continue as a pattern. Once children fall behind in class, they may become discouraged and not try as hard as they would if they had been there every day.
Student Handbook and Student Code of Conduct
Every family will receive a Student Handbook and Student Code of Conduct. There are some forms in them that must be completed, signed and returned to the school, immediately.
It is the parent’s responsibility to read every word of these booklets and to go over them with their children. Both booklets are filled with valuable information that will prevent future misunderstandings.
Both parents and students need to know what is acceptable behavior, what is not acceptable behavior and the consequences that will result due to misbehavior. If you have questions, ask your child’s teacher, the office personnel or the principal.
Take Care of our New Buildings and Renovated Buildings
We all know that good teachers can teach in any surroundings; however, having new buildings with state-of-the-art technology is a big plus for everyone.
How proud we are that Leeds had the vision to form its own system, appoint a dedicated School Board that has gathered outstanding personnel to work with and lead our children to become the best that they can be.
The city sold bonds, which will have to be repaid, to finance these beautiful, modern buildings for our students, faculty, support staff and community. Show your appreciation by taking good care of the buildings, furnishings and equipment. Parents, please, please talk with your children before Monday. Talk to them about pride – pride in themselves and what they can accomplish if they work hard and pride in our new facilities. Explain to them how important it is to respect every other student and to respect school property. Tell them they must take care of it by not marking on the walls, etc.
Tell them that trash goes into a trash can, not on the floor. Instruct them that if they drop something, pick it up.
If every student does his/her share to keep the buildings clean and neat, they will stay beautiful for many, many years.
Important Contact
Information
For new school families, here is some contact information that may be helpful. The City of Leeds School web site is www.leedsk12.org, telephone number is 699-5437; mailing address is P.O. Box 1083, Leeds, AL 35094; and physical address is 8121 Parkway Drive, downtown Leeds. The first person you are likely to see when you go into the central office, is Mrs. Mary West. If she can’t answer your questions, she will direct you to the person who can.
Closing Reminder
Yeah, team! Here we go, starting another year working together for the benefit of our children. We want them all to reach their potential. Together, we will succeed.
