Dr. Monique Gardner-Witherspoon listened to a parent after a meeting at the Davidson Town Hall Thursday evening.

The newly-appointed area superintendent for the CMS North Learning Community, Dr. Monique Gardner-Witherspoon, was among public school officials in Davidson Thursday to unveil “Data Dashboard,” a new web tool.  Dr. Gardner-Witherspoon talked with parents and described the north district of Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools, which includes Davidson, “a gold mine” of high achievement.

“What a pleasure this is for me,” she said of her new appointment.

We have a report on the CMS meeting, plus news of fourth-graders at Davidson Day out cleaning up Lake Norman, Davidson IB Middle‘s plans to hold a book fair at Barnes & Noble, and Davidson Elementary‘s reinstatement of a suspended teacher.  Our school calendar lists vacation days, meetings and more, including an upcoming internet safety training session for parents at Bailey Middle and a BBQ fundraiser that will feature Davidson Express.

A web-based snapshot of CMS

Representatives of Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools made a presentation at Davidson Town Hall Thursday about a new web tool, the Data Dashboard, designed to provide a snapshot of how the district is performing.

“We’re one of the few school districts out there that have a tool like this,” said Mike Davis, who helped develop the technology. “Now a lot of the information that you had to go to different places to pull is consolidated into one place.”

The data provides comparisons within CMS, including by individual school and by learning community (Davidson, Cornelius and Huntersville encompass the north learning community, which has 18 schools).  Data Dashboard was developed within CMS and has received a grant through the Broad Foundation of New York, following an effort by the school board to make the district more transparent and accountable.

Mr. Davis, a Broad Foundation Fellow, said Data Dashboard is essentially a scorecard that has pulled together 18 measures in one place, providing a web look at reading and math scores, graduation rates and even school bus timeliness.  The main data is assembled to look like the dials on a car’s dashboard.  Other parts of the website pull together data on school performance, teacher surveys and strategic goals.

“Click on it and try some things,” Mr. Davis advised. “That’ the best way to become familiar with the tool.  We want to make it something that is useful for people.”

Davidson Day student Annie Echols hunted for fishing line. (Photo courtesy of Emily Frey.)

Hidden treasures found in trash hunt

Fourth graders at Davidson Day School plunged into the muddy waters of Lake Norman on Saturday, Oct. 4, in an effort to clean up the lake and its shoreline.

Led by their teacher, Emily Frey, the students combed Ramsey Creek Park hiking the trails and wading along the shoreline on a scavenger hunt for trash.

Items found included a chinaware dining set, a pair of sneakers, and a necklace. The fourth graders are part of Davidson Day’s EXL (pronounced “Excel”) program, a project-based learning experience that adds a real world dimension to student education.

DES teacher reinstated following alleged confrontation with student

The unnamed teacher suspended last month at Davidson Elementary has been reinstated following an investigation into an allegation of excessive physical contact in a confrontation with a student.

Principal Celeste Ellis sent a note home with all students Sept. 23 about an investigation into an allegation that a teacher hit a student.  The teacher was suspended with pay, and Ms. Ellis said a substitute teacher was brought in to take over classes.  Then on Oct. 21, Ms. Ellis issued a follow-up letter, explaining that the investigation was over and “the teacher was able to return to our school and resume full duties.”

IB book fair is at Barnes & Noble

Davidson IB Middle School will be holding a book fair at Barnes & Noble Bookstore in Birkdale Village Nov. 6 – 8. Student art will be displayed in the store, and a student musical ensemble will perform on Friday, Nov. 7, at 7:00 p.m.

To have your sales credited to the school, print a Davidson IB Middle Book Fair voucher, or ask the cashier to apply your sales to the Davidson IB Middle School Book Fair. Vouchers are valid until Nov. 12. Proceeds from the book fair will be used to update the media center collection.

MARK YOUR CALENDAR

• Monday, Oct. 27 – The Bailey Middle PTA will host a free class on internet safety, starting at 6:45 p.m. in the school’s media center.  The class will discuss how social networking can be used to stalk children, what safety precautions parents can take, and other parent concerns.  Babysitting will be available for those who RSVP by Oct. 23 to failedebbie@yahoo.com.  Light refreshments will be served.
• Monday-Tuesday, Nov. 3-4 – No school for CMS public schools or at Pine Lake Prep charter, to allow time for parent-teacher conferences.
• Wednesday, Nov. 5 – Walk to School day for Davidson Elementary.
• Thursday-Friday, Nov. 6-7 – No school for Davidson Day, to allow time for parent-teacher conferences.
• Saturday, Nov. 8 – Children’s Community School will host an auction and “BBQ Social” at Oehler’s Mallard Creek BBQ in Charlotte.  The event will feature live music by Davidson Express, raffles and more, with proceeds benefiting the school’s planned expansion into the high school grades.  Tickets are $25 per person and can be purchased at the school.
• Tuesday, Nov. 11 – No school for CMS public schools due to the Veteren’s Day holiday.
• Wednesday, Nov. 12 – Walk to School day for Davidson IB Middle.
• Tuesday, Nov. 13 – Children’s Community School, a North Carolina public charter, will host two open houses planned to introduce interested families to the school’s philosophy and registration process. The session at 9:30 a.m. will have a middle school focus, while the session at 7 p.m. will be aimed more at elementary grades.   (Click here to view all the dates for open houses.) To reserve a spot for a session, call the school at 704-896-6262, or send an email to info@ccsch.org.
• Monday, Nov. 17 – Dr. Monique Gardner-Witherspoon, the new area superintendent for the CMS North Learning Community, will attend the Book Fair Family Night at Bailey Middle School, which will feature pizza and drinks from 5:30 – 7 p.m.
• Tuesday, Nov. 18 – The Mental Health Association of Central Carolinas will hold a public forum, “Knowing the Signs – Suicide Prevention,”at Davidson IB Middle School, 6:30 – 8 p.m.  The free educational forum is aimed at caregivers and family members who want to learn more about “QPR,” or “question, persuade and refer,” considered the three essential steps to suicide prevention.
• Wednesday, Nov. 19 – Walk to School day for Davidson Day.
• Nov. 26-28 – Most area schools will be closed for the Thanksgiving holiday.

Send calendar items and press releases about local school news to us at lauriedennis@bellsouth.net . Don’t forget to include a contact phone number, in case we have questions.