You might think the Fayetteville School District becomes quiet after the last bell rings on the last day of the school year.
While our classrooms might not be occupied by students during summer months, the chairs are filled with teachers and administrators seeking to continuously improve instructional methods and learn new strategies to embed technology into the classroom.
In addition to implementing K-12 Common Core State Standards, our teachers and principals are preparing for the Teacher Excellence and Support System, the new teacher evaluation system for Arkansas also known as TESS. TESS was passed by the Arkansas General Assembly in 2011 and has been piloted in districts around the state in the 2011-12 and 2012-13 school years.
Our teachers and administrators are working hard this summer. All teachers, principals and assistant principals will attend one of the 11 two-day training sessions scheduled in June and July.
Additional topics are covered during several other professional development sessions during the summer to help our certified staff members obtain the required 60 hours of professional development each school year.
The result of all of these summer sessions is a rigorously trained and enthusiastic staff, which leads to engaged classrooms where students are active learners. The Fayetteville School District is fortunate to have a long-standing culture of excellence and, what I believe to be the finest group of professional educators focused on student achievement that leads to college and career readiness.
Fayetteville High School is also a very busy place this summer.
Work on the transformation of FHS continues on schedule and on budget. It is also on pace to be a LEED Silver-certified building, making it the third LEED-certified school in the district, along with Butterfield Trail and Happy Hollow.
Phase I, which faces Martin Luther King Boulevard and includes the FHS Commons, the Performing Arts Center and Bulldog Arena, opened in August. The first three sections of Phase II will open Aug. 19 when students return.
This new state-of-the-art 52 classroom facility features flexible classroom spaces, art rooms, small learning community classrooms, family and consumer science labs, a lecture hall, engineering labs and agricultural education spaces. The new Matthew William Moore Memorial Library will open in August 2014 along with the second section of Phase II.
The final section will open in August 2015 when the entire transformation is complete, including the “green street” through the middle of campus. Our staff members in maintenance, instructional technology, client services and custodial services are working tirelessly to prepare for opening day.
We appreciate the wonderful gift of a new high school this community has provided for the students and staff, and it will proudly and ably serve our high school students for decades to come.
While students are enjoying the fun-filled days of summer, dedicated teachers, administrators, and support staff are preparing daily for the return of our students for another exceptional year in an exceptional place, the Fayetteville Public Schools.
VICKI THOMAS HAS BEEN SUPERINTENDENT OF FAYETTEVILLE PUBLIC SCHOOLS SINCE 2009.