Faculty, Teachers & Students prepare for Back to School
By Kelly Bledsoe
kellybledsoe@triad.rr.com
The smell of new planners, pencils, and composition books
is in the air — it’s almost time to start a new school year!
To make the most of the upcoming school year,
it’s best for teachers, parents, and students to plan ahead. Taking the time to plan for the first day of school means
fewer headaches for teachers, fewer morning battles with sleepy students for parents, and a positive attitude for students
who are ready and eager to learn.
Teachers and faculty at our South Davidson schools have been preparing all summer
for the start of the 2019-2020 school year and they are anxious for their students to return.
Each of our four schools
have planned orientations and meet the teacher nights to help make the transition into the new school year run smoothly. As
usual there have been some staff changes as well as certain procedural changes, but the anticipation of another exciting school
remains the same.
At Silver Valley Elementary School, Principal, Dr. Christy Slate, is anxious for the school year to
begin. The school’s theme is “Together we GROW.” Meet the Teacher is set for August 22nd. Kindergarten is
from 3pm-5pm and First-Fifth Grades is 4pm-6pm (both floating).
Joining this Silver Valley staff is Debbie Hege serving
as the Assistant Principal. Katie Burton joins the team as counselor. Tammy Shelton rejoins the staff at SVE and Millie Inscoe
is returning as well as the art teacher. Jennifer Potter is a new teacher and Leslie Shaffer joins the team as AIG Specialist.
Some new procedures at Silver Valley: Instead of reporting to the gym in the morning they will implement “Soft Starts”
- when the doors open at 7:30 students will be directed to their classrooms to have some time to enjoy (board games, Legos,
reading, book clubs, draw, etc.) This will give students a good start to the day. The school will continue to have “free
universal breakfast” for everyone in the classroom.
Silver Valley will also implement the 100% Club - Monthly
reward for students who have NO tardies, NO early dismissals, and NO absences that month - EXTRA RECESS!
Denton
Elementary Principal, Dr. Kelsey Greer, welcomes Dr. Dara Hedgecock as Assistant Principal. Also joining the DES family are
Sarah Horne - Administrative Intern, Logan Berg - 4th Grade Teacher, Christy Clark - Kindergarten Teacher, Whitney Cox - Second
Grade Teacher, Chad Ellington - PE Teacher, Natalie Jobe - Music Teacher, Holly Fine - Media Specialist, Ashley Bingham -
Teacher Assistant, Courtney Gregg - Teacher Assistant, Katlyn Walker - Teacher Assistant and Jessica Schuele - Art Teacher.
DES “Back to School Night” which includes Open House and Meet the Teacher is set for Thursday, August
22. There are two sessions (NOT floating) 4:30-5:30 or 6:00-7:00. Families will meet the new Assistant Principal, meet their
teacher, pay school fees, get bus information, sign up for Free & Reduced Lunch, receive curriculum information for the
upcoming school year. Each session will begin at the time noted and be a combination of Meet the Teacher, curriculum night,
and Annual Title I Public meeting usually held in September. Parents are also welcome to bring and drop off their school supplies
on this night.
At South Davidson Middle School, Principal Crystal Sexton is very excited to start the school year
off with the following new hires. Dianne Steed- 6th Grade Science/ Social Studies, Ashley Fisher- 6th Grade Language Arts/
Social Studies, Laura Lefler- EC Teacher, Valerie Martin- EC Teacher, Russell Gentry- Part Time Teacher Assistant, Lisa Smith-
CIS Coordinator (SDMS/ CDMS), Jessica Perrell- School Nurse (DES/ SV/ SDMS/ SDHS), Tracey Everhart - Assistant Principal (SDMS/
SDHS). Ms. Sexton and her team of dedicated teachers are eager to continue the progress they have made in the past years,
and Ms. Sexton is very excited for her students to return.
Sixth grade orientation is set for Thursday, August
22 at 6:30pm. There will be a program for sixth grade students and their parents to provide information for a smooth transition
into middle school. Seventh and eighth grade students will be able to pick up their schedules anytime between 4-6pm on August
22. School supply lists are posted on the school website as well as the SDMS Facebook page.
South Davidson High
School welcomes Kevin Hudson as the new Principal. Mr. Hudson comes to us from Central Davidson High School where he was an
Assistant Principal. Tracey Everhart is the new Assistant Principal. Other new hires include Math/Cross Country Coach-Robert
Root, Science/Assistant Football Coach -Daniel Shuskey, Guidance Counselor-Dana Erdos, Head Football Coach-Tim Hill, Assistant
Football Coaches - Dale Allred, John Shelton, and Levi Bruff.
Freshman orientation is set for Wednesday, August
21 from 5:30-6:30pm. To Apply for Free and Reduced Meals visit the website www.lunchapplication.com and in a few simple steps
complete and submit your free and reduced form.
Parents are always encouraged to stay involved in their students academic
success by volunteering, attending open houses and other events, and by visiting the school’s Facebook and school websites
and teacher portals.
Local School Supply Lists Now Available For One-Click Shopping on TeacherLists
Parents from local schools have a new tool in their back-to-school bag of tricks this year as all of their school’s
supply lists are now posted on TeacherLists.com.
With just one or two clicks, parents can find their child’s
exact supply list and then click right over to pre-filled shopping carts on Target, Walmart, Office Depot, Amazon, or Staples
to purchase their list and have it shipped right to their home. Target, Walmart, Office Depot and Staples also offer in store
pick-up. Super easy, super convenient.
The site already includes lists for:
Charles England Elementary, Lexington
Davis Townsend Elementary, Lexington
Southwest Elementary School, Lexington
Southwood Elementary, Lexington
Yadkin Valley Regional Career Academy, Lexington
“For decades, the supply list process has been a frustration
for parents,” points out TeacherLists CEO, Charles Field. “Where to find the lists? When are they available?
Forgetting the list on the counter at home. Hunting the aisles for the specific items their teacher has requested. All of
those issues are solved with TeacherLists.”
More than 50,000 schools now have lists posted on TeacherLists. Lists
for more than 1 million classrooms are live on the site and include required and requested items as well as specific notes
and clarifications from teachers and school staff.
Complete details and all the lists are available at www.teacherlists.com/parents.
