D9 Connection

On Tuesday, I attended the Wake STEM Early College HS graduation. Congratulations class of 2022! On Tuesday evening, I attended the Wake County Teacher Assistant Association's (WCTAA) 36th Annual Teacher Assistant of the Year Banquet. It was an honor to celebrate each school's Teacher Assistant of the Year, the 10 finalists, and the 2022 WCTAA's Teacher Assistant of the Year-Richard Jones, River Bend Elementary. Congratulations! It was also nice to celebrate six Teacher Assistants (or IAs) retiring. Each of them had at least two decades of service and dedication to our students, families, and staff! On Wednesday, I attended the Green Hope HS Athletic Signing Celebration. Well done student athletes! I then headed to Cary High School for the 2022 Athletic Awards Ceremony. It was a magnificent evening celebrating all the Cary HS athletic teams, senior athletes, and athletic training program. Excellent job athletes, coaches, Ryan Rodgers-Athletic Director, and Eric Hall-Athleti

On Wednesday, I attended West Cary Middle School's Spring Concert for Beginning and Concert Band. It was spectacular! Well done students and Band Director-Ryan Anderson. A special shoutout to the guest musicians from Cary High. After the concert, I was able to visit their Art Gallery and view all the amazing artwork. Excellent job artists and Art Teacher-Lial Miller! Later on Wednesday, I hosted a D9 Connection Meeting. On Friday, I attended the Future Teachers Luncheon. It was so exciting to celebrate those being hired by WCPSS for the 2022-23 school year and those still working through this program. Use this link to learn more about the Future Teachers Program. This week as a Board, we had two meetings: Work Session and Board Meeting. At the Tuesday, May 17th Work Session: One item, the 2022-25 WCPSS AIG Plan, was removed from the agenda due to a staff member's emergency. Representatives from the School Safety Advocacy Council (SSAC) provided an update on seven key areas fr

On Monday, I visited Northwoods Elementary, met some students, and had the opportunity to sit down and listen to feedback and ideas from a teacher. On Tuesday evening, I attended Cary High School's Drama Club Show, To Art and Beyond. The performance was fantastic! Congratulations to the cast, crew and directors- Maddie Alger and Sam Bryant (both Seniors). On Wednesday, I enjoyed attending the Teacher of the Year Banquet. We celebrated the Diane Kent-Parker First-Year Teacher Award winners, each school's Teacher of the Year, the 20 semifinalists, the 10 finalists, and the 2022-23 WCPSS Teacher of the Year- Caroline Olson. Ms. Olson has been an Extended Content Standards teacher since 2015. Congratulations! On Thursday, I had a blast at Davis Drive Middle School's Spring Dance Show! Excellent performance students and Dance Director-Mrs. Winans. A special shoutout to the dancers in Mr. Geist and Mrs. Stevenson-Bennet's classes. Inclusion rocks! Congratulations to the dance

On Sunday, I hosted a D9 Connection Meeting. On Wednesday, I volunteered at a Wake Up and Read Event at Smith Magnet Elementary School. I helped students pick out books that they get to keep. On Thursday, I attended Farmington Woods IB/PYP Magnet Elementary School's 5th Grade Exhibition. The students did a fabulous job presenting their topic, research, action, and answering questions from the audience! This week as a Board, we had two meetings: Work Session and Board Meeting. At the Tuesday, May 3rd Work Session: Dr. Gardner, Chief of Staff and Strategic Planning; Michael Martin, Educational Consultant, RTI Education Services; and Dr. Nash, Educational Consultant, RTI Education Services; provided an update on the work that has been done and is planned in support of the strategic plan. To access their presentation, click here . Drew Cook, Assistant Superintendent of Academics; Michele Woodson, Senior Director, K-12 Instructional Supports; and Tamani Anderson-Powell, Director, Magnet