DOE Provide Answers to Questions About Flexibility Waiver

http://www.doe.k12.de.us/infosuites/ddoe/eseafaq.pdf

Audio Available On All Red Clay School Board Meetings

Click on the below link, this will take you to Red Clay's site. Click on the audio link, in red under each month, to hear the monthly board meetings.

http://www.redclay.k12.de.us/boardmeetings1112/boardmeetings1112index.shtml

Frequently Asked Questions About the Upcoming Referendum

Why was the Graves Road property not used when North Star was built?
At the time, the site did not have sewer service.

Why aren’t you building a bigger school?
We believe that 600 students is a good size for an elementary school and the CN was approved based on our student counts.

When would the school be open?
Final timeline will be developed upon successful referendum, but likely August 2015.

What happens if it doesn’t pass?
Adjust feeder patterns at elementary schools, reconsider BSS K-8, remove programs at city schools (Pre-K, Parent Centers, Boost Up, Small Class Size).

Will there be enough middle school capacity for the elementary students?
The middle schools don’t currently have the significant overcrowding that we see in our elementary schools. We believe that the additional options available to middle school students will prevent us from an overcrowding problem at middle school.

Why are you building a school when the overcrowding is a result of choice?
The overcrowding is not a result of choice. We have closed choice to our most overcrowded schools and the enrollment has still increased. We have parents who utilize choice at all of our elementary schools. Some of our choice is a result of NCLB required choice options.

Why are you not proposing new feeder patterns?
Adjusting feeder patterns is disruptive to schools and communities.

What is being done about Highlands which is equally overcrowded?
We have been working with some engineers to look at possible options to provide additional classroom space at Highlands. We will work with the Highlands community as we have options to consider.

What neighborhoods will go to the new school?
It would be premature to look at feeder patterns at this point. Once funding for a new school is secured, we will invite community members to work on the most appropriate feeder patterns. The goal would be to decrease the overcrowding at our most crowded schools.

Can’t you fix the problem by adjusting choice?
Although the number of In District and Out of District students has significantly decreased, there are still many parents who utilize the state Choice law for their students.

Choice is not just at our three most overcrowded elementary schools. As examples, Richardson Park (81) has as many choice students as Linden Hill (80) Marbrook (128) has more than North Star (89)

Will these projects be doing anything to help Red Clay be more environmentally friendly?
Yes. We believe that it’s critical that we are good stewards of the environment and set an example for our students. We hope that we will be able to build the new school to the LEED certification. In addition, many of the renovations will replace equipment with much more energy efficient equipment. We will also be replacing a number of roofs. This will enable us to explore additional solar projects. We are also looking to leveraging the referendum projects with some additional energy efficiency measures to make our buildings more energy efficient – thus saving energy as well as money.

Information On the Upcoming Referendum

Visit the RedClayVote.org website, by clicking the above link.

Board of Education Meeting

The next Board of Education meeting will be held on December 14, 2011 at 7:00 pm at Brandywine Springs School.

Click below to review the agenda.
http://www.redclay.k12.de.us/boardmeetings1112/121411.pdf

Choice is Now Open

If you are planning on choicing your child for the 2012-2013 school year, you can choice between November 1, 2011 to January 11, 2012 at 4:30 pm. For Conrad Schools of Science and Cab Calloway School of the Arts, you must fill out a choice application and a school's application. If your child is already enrolled at Conrad and Cab for middle school and your child is going into 9th grade and he/she would like to continue to attend Conrad or Cab, you MUST again submit a choice application for your child. They are NOT automatically enrolled. Please click on the links below for more information or to fill out your on-line choice applications, included are the choice open house dates. Please feel free to send me your choice questions.

Choice Information
http://www.redclay.k12.de.us/pschoice/choiceindex.shtml

Choice Open House Dates
http://www.redclay.k12.de.us/calendars/Cals1112/ChoiceOpenHouse.pdf

Here is a link to Conrad Schools of Science choice information.
http://www.edline.net/pages/RCConrad/Admissions_Process

Here is a link to Cab Calloway School of the Arts
http://www.cabcallowayschool.org/application_process/

November 16th Board Meeting

Next Board of Education meeting Public Hearing on Class Size Waiver will be held on November 16, 2011. The Public Hearing will begin at 6:30 pm and the Regular Session will begin at 7:00. The location of the meeting will be at Brandywine Springs School.

Family Resource Fair

The Family Resource Fair will be held on Saturday, November 19th from 10 until 1 at Dickinson High School. Below is a link with more information.

http://www.redclay.k12.de.us/news1112/pdf/FRFflyerballoon.pdf

Bill Cosby Visits Red Clay Students

Bill Cosby spoke yesterday to 10th grade Red Clay students about the importance of staying in school and earning a high school diploma. At the end, the students were able to ask Mr. Cosby questions. One student asked Mr. Cosby how many children did he have. Mr. Cosby went on to explain how his son had been murder while changing a flat tire. It was an excellent presentation. Mr. Cosby spent the afternoon over at AI Middle School. He truly is a remarkable man.

Click below to read the Delaware Online article.
http://www.delawareonline.com/article/20111027/NEWS03/110270342/Funnyman-Cosby-gets-serious-about-education

Parents, You Need to Watch This Video

Click on the link below to watch video.
http://www.clickondetroit.com/video/29384556/index.html

No Computers at This School

Click on the link below to read the New York Time article.
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/10/23/technology/at-waldorf-school-in-silicon-valley-technology-can-wait.html?_r=1&ref=education

Thoughts and Prayers Go Out to Anthony Skoutelas Family, Friends, and the students and staff at Odyssey Charter School

Anthony Skoutelas died after a 4 month battle with cancer. Mr. Skoutelas helped found Odyssey Charter School. To read the entire article, click on the link below.

http://www.delawareonline.com/article/20111023/NEWS03/110230346/Headmaster-Greek-focused-school-dies-47

Will Red Lion Close?

Between declining enrollment, struggling to pay a debt and some recent financial choices, Red Lion Academy is in danger of closing. Remember, Red Lion was also involved in a recent controversy about the school violating state athletic rules which resulted in a investigation by the DIAA (Delaware Interscholastic Athletic Association). To read more, click on the link below.

http://www.delawareonline.com/article/20111021/NEWS/110210334/Red-Lion-Academy-danger-closing

First Marking Period Will Be Ending Soon, Check Your Child's HAC Account

The first marking will be ending on November 4th. Please check your child's HAC account (Home Access Center) grades 4 to 12 to see if they need to makeup work. HAC is a way to stay up-to-date on your child's grades, classwork, and homework. If you do not know your user name and password, call the school's main office and they will be able to help you. Make it a favorite on computer and get into the habit of checking it every day, just like you check your Facebook account every day. This is such a useful tool.

Below is a link to the district's website pertaining to HAC.
http://www.redclay.k12.de.us/pshac/hacindex.shtml

Below is a link to HAC.
https://hac.doe.k12.de.us/homeaccess/