Florence One Schools Receive National Awards for Family and ...

EDUCATION NEWSPam Little-McDanielFlorence School District OneDirector of Public Information319 South Dargan Street Contact: plittlemcdaniel@fsd1.orgFlorence, SC 29506 For Release: August 23, 2012Florence One Schools Receive National Awardsfor Family and Community InvolvementFlorence, South Carolina —Two Florence One schools won a 2012 Partnership School Award from theNational Network of Partnership Schools (NNPS) at Johns Hopkins University. Both Timrod Elementaryand Delmae Elementary were honored for making excellent progress in strengthening and sustaining acomprehensive program of school, family, and community partnerships.Both schools, Timrod and Delmae, members of NNPS, provided detailed descriptions of specificstrategies that are helping to increase family and community involvement and that support schoolimprovement goals for student success. Essential elements include teamwork, leadership, goal-linkedplans for action, implementation, evaluation, and network connections.“These schools are demonstrating that research-based approaches can be used to make every school awelcoming place and to improve student attendance, behavior, achievement, and high schoolgraduation rates,” said Dr. Joyce L. Epstein, Director of NNPS.“Delmae Elementary School’s successful partnership programs center around the school’scommitment to community involvement and building relationships,” said Delmae Elementary PrincipalRoy Ann Jolley.“No Family Left Behind: Healthersize Night, one goal-oriented practice outlined in the grant, allowedfaculty and staff to take a workshop to the neighborhood of a segment of the school family that isnormally difficult to reach,” she said.According to Jolley, the workshop provided resources to families to help improve overall health andwell-being and brought in many community wellness partners from around the Pee Dee. She alsooutlined another practice in the grant: SoSMaRT Night (Social Studies, Science, and Math Along withReading and Technology), an annual workshop for the school where families are provided standardsbased resources and activities from across the curriculum that can be recreated at home usingmaterials common to the household. “Delmae designs all programs and workshops so that familieswho are unable to attend receive packets, manuals, and DVD’s to remain informed. In addition, manyworkshops throughout the year are offered at multiple times to appeal to working parents and busyfamilies,” she added.At Timrod Elementary, two projects highlighted as Promising Practices by NNPS during the last twoyears have been the Red Tie Club and DIY (Dads Involved in Youth) Day. “The 2012 DIY Day has focusedand continues to focus on the school's math goals, leading students (4K- 6th grade) and their dads orother male family members through a do-it-yourself day that includes various enriching math activities

and stations, while designing, building, and painting birdhouses and feeders,” said Dawn Walker,teacher and adviser.Walker said The Red Tie Club was started two years ago and continues each year, for 5th and 6th gradeboys at Timrod. The Red Tie Club focuses on the school's behavior goal in the NNPS action plan, asstudents, teachers, parents, and community members work together to improve overall studentbehavior. She indicated that students work toward goals, earning a red tie and hosting a family dinner,which has been in large part provided by local restaurant Olive Garden. “The program is branching outthis year to include 5th and 6th grade girls as the Timrod Pearls,” she added.Delmae Elementary’s Action Team for Partnerships includes Roy Ann Jolley (Principal), Ginger Baggette(Curriculum Coach), Veronica Flowers, Paula Werner, and Paula Krell (teachers); Lisa Young (teacherand APT representative), Julia McElveen (cafeteria staff), Leslie McCall (Behavioral Health), TammyStokes, Mary Neal Fowler (parent, APT/SIC representative), Barry Townsend (parent, SIC, communitymember and business partner), and Warren Snell (parent, community member and business partner).Timrod's Action Team for Partnerships includes Martin Smith (interim principal); Michelle McBride(curriculum coordinator); Elizabeth Jackson (instructional coach); Cynthia Sneed (media centerspecialist); Jeanie Brunson (school secretary); Tammy Hinson (school attendance clerk); Dawn Walker(teacher); Annette Denmark (teacher assistant); and Barry O'Brien (Francis Marion Universityprofessor); as well as parent/community members, Larry Adams , Toby Bellamy, and Melissa Jarrell.Both Timrod and Delmae will continue to strengthen their programs of school, family, and communitypartnerships in the new school year to help all students succeed at high levels. For more information,contact Ginger Baggett at Delmae Elementary and Dawn Walker at Timrod Elementary. Read aboutNNPS at www.partnershipschools.org.###