Dear Parents and Community Members of Russell Independent Schools,
The Kentucky Department of Education (KDE) released the most recent round of KPREP testing and school report card results yesterday. As in years past, we were assessed on a variety of indicators. The 3rd thru 8th grades are assessed on gap, growth, and achievement and 9th thru 12th grades are assessed on gap, growth, achievement, college and career readiness, and graduation rate. Although many of these indicators are as strong or stronger than they have been before, there are definitely specific areas where we can improve. This year’s scoring system included a new formula for a subset of our student population. The purpose of this calculation is to do exactly what it did – draw attention to groups of students who were not seeing gains as quickly as they should. While we always strive to reach all students, this particular change in calculation significantly impacted our overall assessment score. Regardless of the reasoning of the shift in scores and rankings, we are taking our KPREP scores very seriously. As soon as we became aware of our scores, our district administrators began strategically planning to address any deficits. Yesterday, I met with our Board of Education to discuss our results, any gaps in services, and to update them on our strategic planning process. Our four school principals and our RATC principal will present their specific plans at an upcoming board meeting. Although today’s announcement caused all of us a great deal of concern, we have many KPREP related achievements to continue to celebrate. Our overall composite ACT score of 21.0 is the highest in our region and ranks us 31st in the state. Our graduation rate is 97.3% which, like the ACT score, is one of the highest in our region. Even with a slight scoring decrease, our high school is still rated “Distinguished” and our district is rated as a “Proficient” district, according to the Kentucky Department of Education Benchmarks. In closing, I want to reassure the community of our dedication to excellence. We welcome accountability and we will continually strive to improve in every facet of our district. Many generations of administrators, educators, students, and community members have laid the foundation for our success. Our reputation for academic excellence is well earned and we will continue to be a leader in our region. Our students will remain our #1 priority. Please do not hesitate to contact me directly if you have any questions or concerns. M. Sean Horne Superintendent
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If you can dream it, you can do it. --Walt Disney Each week I will highlight some of our opening day themes: #6--"We" is much more important than "me." If I win, the team wins. If the team wins, I win. RIS Mission: Our mission is to inspire and empower all students to reach their maximum potential: one student, one lesson, one day at a time. Things I CAN Control…
Continue to focus on the RIS four core beliefs: It’s about Kids! —Accountability—Transparency—Communication. Positives across the district……….. Russell Primary School (From the desk of Mr. Cassity) We are about to finish up with MAP Testing, which is always an adventure with Kindergarten. Our students enjoyed learning all about our country during Constitution Week this past week. We are all so very excited about The Fall Carnival that is taking place Saturday, October 1. PTA officers have claimed that it is going to be the best carnival ever! Our PTA and volunteers ROCK!!! Russell-McDowell Intermediate (From the desk of Mrs. Wright)
Russell Middle School (From the desk of Mr. Moore)
Russell High School (From the desk of Mrs. Chaffin)
Russell Area Technology Center (From the desk of Mr. Trimble) We had another awesome week at RATC as we continue to see our students participate in activities that will help them grow in the skills and knowledge for future success. Our MNA students made their first trip of the year to Oakmont Manor to tour the facility as they prepare for their clinical experience later this year. We really appreciate our community partners who allow our students to work with them and have these relevant and impactful experiences. This is a very exciting partnership that will be an amazing tool to help increase the learning of our students! Russell Preschool (From the desk of Mrs. Staton) Preschoolers in Mrs. Moore's class went on a bear hunt this week!! They went through a wheat field, across the river, into a cave, and found...a BIG bear!! Ms. Snyder and Ms. McKee's class went on a nature walk searching for fall leaves. They found some red, yellow, and orange leaves. What’s happening at central office / district this week?
Have a Great week Russell!!!! --Sean "Positive thinking is more than just a tagline. It changes the way we behave. And I firmly believe that when I am positive, it not only makes me better, but it also makes those around me better.” –Harvey Mackay Each week I will highlight some of our opening day themes: #5--Your hard work and excellence is done with pure motives. You are not worried about climbing the ladder or impressing anyone. RIS Mission: Our mission is to inspire and empower all students to reach their maximum potential: one student, one lesson, one day at a time. Things I CAN Control…
Continue to focus on the RIS four core beliefs: It’s about Kids! —Accountability—Transparency—Communication Positives across the district……….. Russell Primary School (From the desk of Mr. Cassity) We had a great ending to our week. The Taiko Drum Assembly was a huge hit with everyone. We also had a great turnout for Grandparents' Day (Over 500 grandparents)!! A very special thanks once again to our PTA for sponsoring both events. They are the BEST! Russell-McDowell Intermediate (From the desk of Mrs. Wright)
Russell Middle School (From the desk of Mr. Moore)
Russell High School (From the desk of Mrs. Chaffin)
Russell Area Technology Center (From the desk of Mr. Trimble) We had another awesome week at RATC this week. We continue to see great excitement and hard work from both our students and our teachers throughout the building. We have now elected officers for HOSA and FBLA. The officers are: We look forward to these students bringing the things they learn from their leadership trainings and opportunities and not only applying them to these organizations, but also within the school! Russell Preschool (From the desk of Mrs. Staton) Preschoolers were very busy this week! Mrs. Moore's room used their number sense and measured each other to find out who was the tallest. They made graphs to see if there were more boys or more girls in the class. Mrs. McKee and Ms. Snyder's rooms used their senses to explore different kinds of apples. They cut apples open and counted the seeds inside and made apple prints! It was a great week! What’s happening at central office / district this week?
Have a Great week Russell!!!! --Sean "A positive attitude causes a chain reaction of positive thoughts, events, and outcomes. It is a catalyst, and it sparks extraordinary results." Wade Boggs Each week I will highlight some of our opening day themes: #4--Giving just the “minimum” amount of effort required to get by without “getting in trouble” doesn’t even cross your mind. RIS Mission: Our mission is to inspire and empower all students to reach their maximum potential: one student, one lesson, one day at a time. Things I CAN Control…
Continue to focus on the RIS four core beliefs: It’s about Kids! —Accountability—Transparency—Communication Positives across the district……….. Russell Primary School (From the desk of Mr. Cassity) We had a great short week at RPS!! We had some visitors from our local Girl Scout Troop leaders, which sparked a lot of interest from our students! Our PTA Board had a very productive meeting, which focused on the many exciting events that are coming up, as well as a close look at all budgeted items. A very special thanks to our PTA for working so hard for all students at RPS. We are so very appreciative of this trustworthy group! Russell-McDowell Intermediate (From the desk of Mrs. Wright)
Russell Area Technology Center (From the desk of Mr. Trimble) We had a great week at RATC! Our students continue to grow and see success in the classrooms. We are very thankful for the hard work of both our students and our teachers. We also want to welcome the newest member of our RATC family who joined us on Wednesday. Mr. Fields comes to our Electrical Technology program with over twenty years of experience in the field, and as you can see below he has hit the ground running with our students. We look forward to another great week next week at RATC! Russell Preschool (From the desk of Mrs. Staton) Preschoolers are still learning procedures and routines. We have a lot of little bodies in our classrooms! We are so thankful to our Board of Education for allowing us to open another classroom! We are still taking enrollments for 3 and 4 year olds! What’s happening at central office / district this week?
Have a Great week Russell!!!! --Sean Each week I will highlight some of our opening day themes: You realize you are part of something bigger than yourself, and humbly accomplish the goals because of a larger motivation than just you. RIS Mission: Our mission is to inspire and empower all students to reach their maximum potential: one student, one lesson, one day at a time. Things I CAN Control…
Continue to focus on the RIS four core beliefs: It’s about Kids! —Accountability—Transparency—Communication. Positives across the district……….. Russell Primary School (From the desk of Mr. Cassity) We had another great week at RPS. Over 800 parents and students attended the PTA sponsored Open House/Informational Meetings. Thanks again to the PTA for providing popcorn and FRYSC for helping watch students while their parents met with their teachers. Students were all smiles for Picture Day on Thursday!! We are very excited about the four-day week ahead!! Russell-McDowell Intermediate (From the desk of Mrs. Wright)
Russell Middle School (From the desk of Mr. Moore)
Russell High School (From the desk of Mrs. Chaffin)
Russell Area Technology Center (From the desk of Mr. Trimble) We had a great week at the Russell Area Technology Center! Our students and teachers have moved into some hands-on activities that help the students to take their learning and apply it in real-world situations. We have also seen our Career and Technical Student Organizations (CTSOs) begin to gear up for the school year. Our FBLA (some members pictured below) had their first meeting this week and had a great turnout. Our newly formed HOSA club for our health sciences students will follow with their first meeting this week. We look forward to seeing these organizations bring the ideas from these meetings to life as they participate in leadership and service opportunities. What’s happening at central office / district this week
Have a Great week Russell!!!! --Sean |
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