Cumberland County School System is gearing up for this school year’s cold and flu season. We would like to provide action steps recommended by the Center for Disease Control (CDC) to help protect your child and family during the 2009-2010 cold and flu season.

What is the flu?

The flu (influenza) is an infection of the nose, throat, and lungs caused by influenza viruses. Flu viruses cause illness, hospital stays, and deaths in the United States each year. There are many different flu viruses and sometimes a new flu virus emerges to make people sick.

What is novel H1N1 flu?

Novel H1N1 flu is a new and very different influenza virus that is spreading word wide among people. This new virus was called “swine flu” at first because it has pieces of flu viruses found in pigs in the past. However, Novel H1N1 virus has not been detected in U.S. pigs.

How can you and your family limit the risk of becoming sick?

1. Practice good hand hygiene by washing your hands often with soap and water, especially after coughing or sneezing. If soap and water are not available, alcohol-based hand cleaners are also effective.
2. Cover your mouth and nose with a tissue when you cough or sneeze. If you don’t have a tissue, cough or sneeze into your elbow or shoulder, not into your hands. Throw the tissue away.
3. Stay home if you or your child is sick for at least 24 hours after there is no longer a fever or signs of a fever (without the use of fever-reducing medicine). Keeping sick students at home means that they keep their viruses to themselves rather than sharing them with others.

Follow these steps to prepare for the flu during the 2009-2010 school year:
· Check with your physician for advice concerning flu vaccine for yourself and your family.
· Plan for child care at home if your child gets sick or their school is dismissed.
· Plan to monitor the health of the sick child and any other children in the household by checking for fever and other symptoms of flu.
· Identify if you have children who are at higher risk of serious disease from the flu and talking to your healthcare provider about a plan to protect them during the flu season. Children at high risk of serious disease from the flu include children under 5 years of age and those children with chronic medical conditions, such as asthma and diabetes.
· Identify a separate room in the house for the care of sick family members. Keep surfaces clean. Bathroom, kitchen counters, toys for children, etc. should be wiped down with a household disinfectant according to directions on the product label
· Collect games, books, DVD’s and other items to keep your family entertained if schools are dismissed or your child is sick and must stay home.
· Update emergency contact lists.

Flu-like symptoms :
According to the CDC web site, (http://www.cdc.gov/) flu-like symptoms may include: fever, cough, sore throat, body aches, headache, nausea and vomiting or diarrhea, chills and fatigue.

People at higher risk of serious complications from flu may include:
· Children younger than 5 years old,
· Pregnant women,
· People of any age with chronic medical conditions (such as asthma, diabetes, or heart disease), and
· People whose immune systems are not strong (such as chemotherapy patients or those infected with HIV).

For children, emergency warning signs that need medical attention may include:
· Fast breathing or trouble breathing
· Bluish or gray skin color
· Not drinking enough fluids
· Severe or persistent vomiting
· Not waking up or not interacting
· Being so irritable that the child does not want to be held
· Flu-like symptoms improve but then return with fever and worse cough

For adults, emergency warning signs that need medical attention may include:
· Difficulty breathing or shortness of breath
· Pain or pressure in the chest or abdomen
· Sudden dizziness
· Confusion
· Severe or persistent vomiting
· Flu-like symptoms improve but then return with fever and worse cough

How long can a sick person spread the flu to others?
If you are sick with flu-like illness, CDC recommends that you stay home for at least 24 yours after your fever is gone except to get medical care or for other necessities. (Your fever should be gone without the use of fever-reducing medicine.) Keep away from others as much as possible. This is to keep from making others sick.

Please remember that your physician is your best medical resource if you have any questions or concerns.

Cumberland County Schools recognizes the need to balance the risks of illness among students and staff with the benefits of keeping students in school and will work closely with our county and state public health officials and the State Department of Education to de­cide how and when to dismiss students. Any decision to dismiss Cumberland County schools will be determined by the Director of Schools with the input from the County, State public health officials and the Local and State Department of Education. The decision will consider:
· the number and severity of cases in an outbreak (looking at national, regional, and local data),
· the risks of flu spread and benefits of dismissal,
· the problems that school dismissal can cause for families and communities, and
· different types of dismissal (selective, reactive, and preemptive).

The length of time school should be dismissed will vary depending on how severe the flu is and how many people are sick. When the decision is made to dismiss students, CDC currently recommends doing so for 5-7 calendar days. Near the end of this period, officials should reassess the severity and impact of the flu, the benefits of keeping students home, and the consequences of doing so. Based on this reassessment, officials can decide whether to extend the school dismissal for additional time or to reopen schools. However, if a flu outbreak is determined to be severe, the current CDC recommendation states that a longer time period may be necessary.

There are three types of school dismissals:
Selective dismissal is used when all or most students in the school are at higher risk for complications once infected with flu.
Reactive dismissal is used when many students and staff are sick and are not at­tending school, or many students and staff are arriving at school sick and are being sent home.
Preemptive dismissal is used early during a flu response in a community to decrease the spread of the flu before many students and staffs get sick. This is based on information about the spread of severe flu in the region. This dismissal is most effective at decreasing flu spread and burden on the healthcare system when done early in relation to the amount of flu activity in the area.

No matter what type of school dismissal is chosen, the Center for Disease Control (CDC) recommends that all school-related mass gatherings should be canceled or postponed in order to decrease the spread of flu among students, their families and staff. This includes sporting events, school dances, performances, ral­lies, commencement ceremonies, and other events that bring large groups of people into close contact with one another.

Cumberland County Schools are taking extra precautions to provide a healthy learning environment for our students and staff. Coordinated School Health, school administration and nursing personnel are working closely with the Local and State Department of Health to stay informed on measures to minimize the spreading of germs. Our custodial staff is taking extra care in sanitizing our school facilities as part of their regular duties.

All of us working together will help minimize the spread of influenza.

For more information, visit http://www.cdc.gov/ or http://www.flu.gov/ or call 1-800CDC-INFO.

Tornado Season

The Cumberland County Schools System has a plan in place for the safety of all children and staff in the event of a tornado watch and/or tornado warning. We are in constant contact with the local Weather Service and the County Emergency Management Agency that tracks the storms.

The Cumberland County School System’s plan is designed to minimize the danger posed to any individual on a school campus. Individual personnel have specific roles for which they are responsible. It is important to point out that part of the TAKE COVER procedure is to secure the building. The entrance doors are locked to prevent the doors from being pulled open from the high winds, thus causing additional threat to the ones inside. Your assistance is needed in our effort to make sure our full attention is directed towards securing the safety of our children and staff.

Please follow the procedures listed below if you hear of a tornado watch or warning for our county during school hours:

DO NOT TELEPHONE THE SCHOOL- Our limited phone lines MUST be clear to communicate with the Emergency Management Agency and Central Office. School personnel have specific responsibilities to attend to student/teacher needs.

TUNE IN TO LOCAL RADIO OR T.V. STATIONS- Media outlets
Radio: FM 105.7, 93.3, 102.5, AM 1330, 1490, TV Knoxville Channel 10, 6 Fox 17, Nashville Channel 5

DO NOT COME TO THE SCHOOL UNLESS STUDENT PICK UP IS REQUESTED- This will allow staff to attend to the children during TAKE COVER due to a Tornado Warning.

IF THE SCHOOL GOES INTO TAKE COVER, THEY HAVE BEEN NOTIFIED OF THE SEVERITY OF THE STORM- No Student(s) or staff will be allowed to leave the campus for their safety during this most dangerous time.

We do understand your concerns but want to assure you that the safety of all the children is our upmost concern.

THE CUMBERLAND COUNTY SCHOOL SYSTEM IS “GOING GREEN”!

After a year of research and back-ground work, Cumberland County Schools is on the verge of launching a massive energy conservation program that will impact every school in the system. When the City of Crossville released the “Report of the Crossville Energy and Sustainability Initiative”, in April 2008, the Cumberland County School System was already 8 months into their efforts to become a leader in the community toward environmental stewardship and energy conservation.

As an active participant in the CESI Workshops, the Director of Schools for Cumberland County, Aarona VanWinkle was already looking at ways to incorporate the findings of the Study into a parallel plan for the Cumberland County School System.

In February of 2008, the Cumberland County School System initiated a competitive process to identify an “energy partner” – or Energy Services Company (ESCO), who could work with the school system to investigate the feasibility of a “self-funding” energy conservation project. The selected ESCO would have to handle all engineering, design, project management for implementation, on-going reporting to verify energy savings, and most importantly, guarantee that the savings would occur – in other words write a check to the school system if the projected savings do not occur.

The preliminary audit indicated that the Cumberland County School System can be expected (and guaranteed) to save more than $475,000 in energy costs annually while improving students’ learning environment with improved lighting, upgraded heating and air conditioning systems and state of the art control systems. With an annual utility budget exceeding $ 1.9 million dollars, this type of savings is greatly needed. Barring any unforeseen slow downs, the entire project should be completed by early 2010, with the savings beginning to occur as soon as Spring of 2009.

The company who emerged from the highly competitive process as the “energy partner” for the Cumberland County School System is Trane.

On December 2008, Trane began the Investment Grade Energy Audit necessary to finalize the complete energy conservation project. They have already conducted a Preliminary Energy Audit of the school system.

In addition to addressing high energy costs and needed infrastructure upgrades in the school buildings, several of the recommendations from the CESI Report, involving Education and Outreach will be implemented in the school system, directly with the students.

Of particular interest to students like the ones in Tamara Tollett’s M.E.A.N. Green Team, the project will also result in an annual carbon dioxide reduction of 630,350 pounds, an annual sulfur dioxide reduction of 8,274 pounds and an annual notorious oxide reduction of 2,782 pounds. These statistics are equivalent to saving 63 trees, taking 54 cars off the road and saving 2,782 gallons of gas annually.

One of the primary goals of the Cumberland County School Board is to increase student achievement. Students like the ones above identify with the fact that their educational performance can be enhanced by an upgraded learning environment. In a study conducted by the National Clearinghouse for Educational Facilities, “appropriate light levels improve test scores, reduce off-task behavior and play a significant role in student achievement.” In another study, reported by Educational Facility Planner Report, there was a direct correlation demonstrated between classroom environmental conditions and student performance - “Student performance increases when ventilation rates are set at the correct levels, which minimizes carbon dioxide levels in the classroom.”

Additionally, from a student perspective, a project like this can produce excess savings which can be used to purchase books, computers or even athletic equipment.

Based on all of the research we conducted, we feel this project is the right thing to do for our school system, our tax payers and the environment. The fact that this project is a guaranteed energy savings program and we do not need any additional funds from County Commission is a major selling point. The State Comptroller’s Office has informed CCS, that all we really need form our local government is ‘their blessing’ in acquiring the project money since we are not requesting any ‘additional’ funding. We will actually be using the money from our existing utility budget to fund the entire project. It will be a win-win for every one involved – especially the students of Cumberland County.

Cumberland County Schools Staff Development for 2008-2009

Cumberland County Schools
2008-2009 Staff Development

In any vocation, it is imperative that professionals keep abreast of current knowledge and skills essential to effective job performance. You would expect a doctor, a pharmacist, a hair stylist, or an auto mechanic to be competent with the latest and most effective practices when delivering services to you. This is also certainly true for educators.

When discussing education, teacher’s duties, and school calendars, you may have come across the term “staff development.” Staff development can be defined as those activities teachers participate in that assist them in gaining knowledge and skills to more effectively perform their duties. Staff development opportunities include conferences, workshops, and meetings where teachers and staff may gain specialized knowledge on various topics.

Some examples of staff development activities for Cumberland County School System educators for 2008-2009 include the following opportunities:
· Differentiated Instruction and Inclusion
· How to Work with Children of Poverty
· New Curriculum Standards (which our students will be held to beginning in 2009-2010)
· Practical Strategies for Accelerated Reading and Accelerated Math
· Practical Strategies for RTI (Response To Intervention-identifying and assisting students who are academically struggling in the primary grades)
· One Team, Many Hands, Great Accomplishments: School Counselors and Administrators Academy
· Southeast Regional International Reading Association Conference
· Kindergarten, 1st Grade and 2nd Grade Conferences
· Smoky Mountain Renaissance Coalition Conference
· Framework for Evaluation Training
· How to Increase Value Added Scores
· How to Increase Writing Assessment Scores
· Key to Dropout Prevention

The professionals in Cumberland County are dedicated to being well-informed and well-equipped to deliver quality educational services to the children of our county. Our students certainly benefit from the skills learned in these sessions.

Cumberland County Schools
2008 Report Card Summary

The words “Report Card” have always been accompanied with feelings of anticipation, excitement, and anxiety. When we were students ourselves, the periodic report card always meant a time of reckoning. Did we measure up to the standards given? What would our parent’s reaction be? Would it be a time of reward or a time of correction?

These same words apply to our county as we have recently received our “Report Card.” This report is a reflection on our last school year’s accomplishments and deficiencies. From this report, we have cause to celebrate as well as take note of weaknesses we must address. What follows is a brief summary of Cumberland County’s 2008 Report Card.

General Information:
Our county-wide No Child Left Behind status is “Good Standing.” This is the highest category awarded by NCLB standards. Specifically, ten of our schools (all of our elementary schools and the Phoenix High School) are listed individually as in “Good Standing,” while two of our schools (CCHS and SMHS) are listed as “Targeted” for their individual graduation rates.

We are happy to announce that all of our schools are 100% SACS accredited. This is a perfect score considering that only 72% of the state’s elementary schools and only 91% of the state’s high schools have attained this accomplishment.

Elementary:
All of our elementary schools met Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) benchmarks in all areas (reading/language arts and math) and in all subgroups that apply to us (all students, Hispanic students, white students, economically disadvantaged, and students with disabilities).

Our academic achievement grades reflect the actual Norm Curve Equivalent (NCE) scores our students averaged. As a general reference, obtaining a NCE of 50 will earn a C. We are excited to announce that our elementary students (grades 3-8) scored an A in math, an A in reading/language, a B in social studies, a B in science, an A in 5th grade writing, and an A in 8th grade writing. We are proud that all subjects exhibited a numerical NCE increase for each of the last three years.

Switching to our growth indicator (Value Added), our county receives a grade to indicate how much growth our students experienced over the last year. One normal year of growth will earn a C. Any indications of growth above and beyond what the students were expected to earn will yield grades higher than a C. It is with pride that we announce our growth grades: an A in math, an A in reading/language, an A in social studies, and an A in science.

After pausing for a moment to celebrate these successes, our staff and teachers are working diligently to keep this progress moving in a positive direction. State standards are in the process of being raised, and state benchmarks are being set higher. Much effort must be applied to ensure that we continue to succeed. A few programs that are being actively implemented and monitored include our RTI program (Response to Intervention: a program that identifies students in grades K-3 who may need extra strategies and effort to succeed) and our AR Program (Accelerated Reading Program: a program which encourages frequent reading practice opportunities and monitors the comprehension level of each individual student).

High School
It is with enthusiasm that we announce increases in the number of high school students across the county who scored “proficient” or above in the area of reading/language plus writing. Not only did we see improvement in our own scores from the previous year, but also we celebrate exceeding the state goal and the state average in each subgroup.

Looking at our areas of concern and growth, we observe that our “high school students with disabilities” collectively did not meet the benchmark for Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) in the area of math. Looking deeper into the data, we also note a drop in the number of students across the county who scored “Proficient” on the high school math test (Gateway for Algebra I). Further analysis of this group of students shows a drop in proficiency in the subgroups: all students, economically disadvantaged students, and students with disabilities.

So what steps are we taking to improve this category? Efforts to increase proficiency include:

• quality staff development for our teachers who instruct these students,
• the implementation of inclusion classes for these students (the student remains in the regular education class receiving quality math instruction geared toward the State Standards to be assessed with individualized instruction from trained professionals),
• scheduling of contextual CTE classes (where these students may learn the skills needed through varied research-based strategies and teaching styles), and
• increased technological approaches (such as the use of the SMART board during instruction).

An additional area of concern is our high school graduation rate. The state goal is that 90% of the students who started together as freshmen graduate in four years and a summer with a regular education diploma. Keep in mind that GEDs, special education diplomas, and certificates of attendance do not count toward the graduation rate. Those situations actually count against us as the state figures our graduation rate. Our collective Cumberland County average is 76.5%. This number is reported from the 2006-2007 graduating class. Good news is to follow as we already have calculated our rate for 2007-2008 and it has improved to 80.6%. To what may we attribute this increase? Two major factors contributing to this increase are the Freshman Academies at CCHS and SMHS and the Phoenix School’s efforts to recover those students who may need an alternate setting to complete their graduation requirements.

It will be another year before our Report Card is issued, but we are making efforts to use our available data (RTI reports, AR reports, Benchmark Tests, Gateway and EOC tests) to make sound instructional decisions and adjust to our students’ needs.

You may access the entire Report Card document at http://www.tennessee.gov/education/.

For additional discussion and comments you may log on to the Cumberland County School’s blog location at avanwinkle.blogspot.com.