From the Superintendent's Desk

The Week of November 6, 2009

It was a very strong week for school and community engagement.  I met with the Parent’s Roundtable, a representative collection of parents from all across the county; held another Town Hall meeting to discuss our current initiatives and vision for the future; and met with a group of stakeholders to catch them up on our plan for a Charleston Children’s Zone.  On this front, early next week I will join a team of community, civic, business and education leaders from Charleston at a Promise Neighborhood planning conference. We look forward to learning from the successes of the Harlem Children’s Zone—U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan and Geoffrey Canada, President/CEO of the Harlem Children’s Zone will be presenting—and to applying these ideas toward the creation of our own successful model.  

Also this week, I attended the Superintendent’s Roundtable Meeting in Columbia.  A group of local superintendents and I have been discussing a “Lowcountry Superintendents Consortium” concept.  Basically, we’re exploring the ways in which we can learn from each other’s strategies, create a unified front to meet the needs of coastal districts, and expand collaborations. We are still in brainstorming mode, but I do think this kind of partnership could reap huge benefits for students, families, and employers down the line.  I will keep you posted as this discussion progresses.   

Looking forward, we will have a County Board Meeting on Monday.  If interested in the agenda, please visit the Board Page.  Next Friday, free H1N1 vaccinations— administered by our partners at the South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control—will begin in two of our schools.  Please visit our H1N1 page to find out more about this massive effort to protect our students and staff from the flu.  I also want to remind folks to please attend our Parent Information Fair on November 14.  Have a great week, everyone!   

-Dr. Nancy J. McGinley

Be sure to catch the rest of this week's Community Update electronic newsletter.