Community and Parents of Davidson Elementary School From the 2013 Bond Vote Results Davidson Elementary Conversion to K-8 Welcome Community and Parents of Davidson Elementary School March 12, 2018

Every teacher at Davidson Elementary School is highly qualified Staff Certifications Every teacher at Davidson Elementary School is highly qualified and holds a K-6 certification in Elementary Education. Many hold higher levels of accomplishments including: Master’s in Reading Education or similar degrees Master’s in School Administration National Board Certified Teachers Certificates of Higher Levels of Learning from Charlotte Institute of Teaching Current or Past Leaders in specialized professional development Connect Teachers (Art, Music, P.E., Media) are Licensed K-12 Teachers trust Teachers – 27 staff kids will be attending the Davidson K-8

Current Administrators: Dana R. Jarrett, Principal Bachelor of Arts Major in Elementary Education, K-6 Master of School Administration, K-12 Curriculum Instructional Specialist, K-12 Erica L. Nelson Bachelor of Science – Integrated Mathematics, 6-12 Master in Middle/Secondary Education

Day in the Middle School Life 4 blocks of core subjects – ELA, Math, Science, Social Studies ELA & Math to include honors or advanced classes Science & Social Studies – heterogeneous Homeroom period Electives period – to be determined Lunch and Physical Activity

Time Frame to be established: What Electives – Through a student survey, possible electives will be researched and determined Interest of Students – Main Factor to narrow the electives down to highest interest levels of the students Staffing – Determined by CMS and funding/requirements from the state – staff is hired to meet in the middle – funding vs. electives for our students.

Parent Meetings for rising middle school students Spring 2019 – Time to move forward for our new 6th grade students Timeline will be established for scheduling and staffing Informational meetings for parents to answer questions and offer details on the upcoming 6th grade year, 2019-2020 Guidance Counselor Role to be vital in the scheduling and guidance of our pioneers into 6th grade

Building Design is now posted at various locations around the school for staff, parents and visitors to view at leisure

High School Readiness Ms High School Readiness Ms. Alisson Graves, Presenter Guidance Counselor Hough High School Parent at Davidson Elementary

What can I do now to prepare my child? Know what your child enjoys, their passions, and support them, cultivate those passions Expose them Variety of colleges/universities Problems in their local community Give them age appropriate responsibilities

What should I avoid? Comparing what your neighbors and friends children are doing or the classes they are taking...the “culs-de-sac conversations” Pushing your child to take high school classes in middle school (Math and Foreign Language) Our Math teachers recommend that only students that consistently are level 5s (90% or higher) on their Math EOGs take Math I in middle school Trends we are noticing at Hough We can get you to AP Calculus by your senior year even if you wait to take Math I as a freshman

The Race to Nowhere & The Mental Health Crisis We are seeing students crumble under the stress and pressure to keep up with a rigorous course load Lack of sleep Lack of coping skills Grades slipping and tanking the transcript Increase in diagnosed mental illnesses (Depression, Generalized Anxiety, Eating Disorder, Self Mutilation)

Electives Like with Bailey and other middle schools, the principal will survey the students to see what electives would preferable We will have Career TEchnology Education (CTE) electives that will prepare students for the CTE electives that Hough offers Dual Roles: ELA teachers can also be yearbook and/or newspaper advisors Our size should not limit elective options

Advantages Smaller class sizes Study skills (Begin those habits now) Time management Organization Go into curriculum more in depth The ability to discuss with elementary teachers what worked and didn’t work with a student Vertical teaming with Hough teachers Built in Mentors Established Relationships

Class Levels Davidson, like other middle schools, will still offer varying levels of curriculum delivery in Math and Language Arts EC Inclusion Standard Advanced/Honors Level

Transition to a Larger School Yes, there will more students in each of their classes at Hough Yes, there will more students moving in the hallways at Hough Bailey has students divided among teams. Each of those teams are about 100 or so students per team. We will have one or two teams on just a smaller scale.

Homework for Parents