What an interesting winter season this has been!  I do not remember the last time we have had so many inclement weather events and such bitter cold.  It has created quite a few challenges for us as we have worked to make the correct calls in terms of early dismissals, delays, and days out of school.  As these decisions have been made we have always kept student safety as our primary consideration.

I want to thank the students, parents, and school employees for the patience and understanding that has been shown as we have worked through the winter season.  Everyone has been wonderful!  I have received several calls, emails, and face to face conversations expressing support for the decisions we have made when we have had to call off school.  I truly appreciate your expressions of support.  Thank you!

As of today (Friday, March 14th), we have made up three of the five days we have missed recently.  Going forward, the plan is to make up the remaining two days on Friday, April 18th and Friday, May 23rd.  We have also had to adjust the day third quarter report cards will be sent out.  Expect report cards on Tuesday, March 25th.

Again, thank you for your patience and understanding.  Warmer days are ahead!

Merry Christmas!  On December 20^th, our students will be dismissed from school for their much-anticipated Christmas vacation.  I know the students (and many of the employees!) can hardly wait.  With the holiday season so close at hand, our attention naturally begins to turn to thoughts of spending time with our families and friends and to the many aspects of the Christmas season.  However, it is also a time of year during which many of our children and families struggle.  It is always important, but especially at this time of the year, to demonstrate that we are compassionate and caring people and that we support our students and their families.

I was fortunate to be able to attend the holiday program at East Bend Elementary School on Monday night.  The children and faculty did a wonderful job during the program and everyone enjoyed the singing and music.  However, the thing that struck me the most was that, prior to the start of the program, the students were bringing in bags of food and necessities for the needy families in the community.  This served as a strong reminder that this season is about giving. The students at East Bend truly demonstrated a giving spirit and they are an inspiration to me.

As we begin to prepare for the Christmas holiday, we also will turn our thoughts to the arrival of 2014 and second semester.  When we return to school in January, we will be just as busy as we were as we closed out first semester in December.  For this reason it is important to take a much-deserved rest this holiday season.  I extend my sincere thanks for a wonderful first semester to the students, parents, faculty members, administration, and everyone associated with the Yadkin County Schools.  I wish each of you a safe, restful, and happy holiday season.

American Education Week

November 18-22 is American Education Week.  Parents and citizens of Yadkin County, please join me in thanking our teachers, teacher assistants, support personnel, administrators, custodians, cafeteria workers, bus drivers, and all others who go to work every day to help our students.  These folks do so much on a daily basis to provide educational opportunities for the children.

It is an honor and a privilege to work in the Yadkin County Schools with such dedicated educators.  I feel fortunate to be able to serve as superintendent of the Yadkin County Schools, and this is due in large part to the great educators I have the good fortune to work with on a daily basis.  Let us remember, this week and every other week of the year, the excellent job the employees of the Yadkin County Schools do for our students.  

Autumn is here!

Autumn is here!  This is my favorite time of year.  I love the cooler temperatures and the changing leaves.  As I have travelled to the different schools I have discovered that Yadkin County is absolutely beautiful during the fall season!  

As I have visited in our schools I have been impressed by the work everyone is doing to prepare our students for their futures.  I love the dedication the school system employees demonstrate to the students enrolled in the Yadkin County Schools.  The teachers, teacher assistants, custodians, bus drivers, cafeteria workers, maintenance and bus personnel and school administrators show up every day ready to roll up their sleeves and do what is best for students.  This speaks volumes about the dedication you all have to the children of Yadkin County.

In the next couple of weeks our end of grade and end of course test results will be released by the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction.  It is important to note that proficiency levels will show that significantly fewer students met the standards that were set.  However, it is also important to note that students continued to grow academically in 2012-13, even though the tougher achievement standards indicate fewer students were proficient in reading, math, science, and other subjects.

There are other things I would like to point out regarding the new standards.  They include:

• North Carolina public school students are now required to meet higher standards to be considered proficient on end of grade (EOG) and end of course tests (EOCs).
• Whenever new standards are set, as they were last school year, test scores will show a drop.  This has historically been the case in North Carolina each time standards have been raised.
• The 2012-13 test scores will serve as a baseline for the new assessments our students will take. These scores will not affect students’ grades or their current placements.
• Comparing scores from 2012-13 to scores from previous school years is ineffectual.  Students were tested on completely new standards in 2012-13 with brand new assessments.
• In the past, proficiency standards as measured by EOGs and EOCs only addressed what students needed to be successful at the next grade level.  The new standards seek to measure how well our schools are preparing students for college or careers.  These new assessments will give everyone a better idea of how well prepared our students will be for college or a career when they graduate from high school.  

As we go through the 2013-14 school year I am excited by the possibility of increased academic achievement.  I believe our teachers and everyone else associated with the Yadkin County Schools will work diligently and collaboratively to prepare our students for academic success!

Greetings from Dr. Martin

Greetings students, parents, employees, and community members.  I was sworn in as the new superintendent for the Yadkin County Schools on September 30th and have just completed my first two weeks.  It has been a wonderful two weeks for me.  Over the past two weeks I have been able to visit several schools and have had the opportunity to meet students, teachers, and school administrators.  It has been a great experience for me and everyone I have met has been very helpful.  I have also been impressed with the dedication of the teachers and school administrators, and the positive attitudes they have towards the children and their education.

I also would like to offer my thanks to the Yadkin County Board of Education for the support they have given me.  I sincerely appreciate and am humbled by the opportunity they have given me to serve as superintendent.  I take this opportunity very seriously and am going to work hard to provide the best educational opportunities I can for our students.

Thanks also goes to the Yadkin County Board of Commissioners for their support of a grant proposal to provide further safety measures for our schools.  I appreciate their willingness to support the school system as it seeks funding from the state of North Carolina to make our schools safer.  

Again, I am excited to be able to serve Yadkin County as superintendent of schools.  I look forward to meeting more of you over the next few weeks and months.

Todd Martin
Superintendent