Category: District News

Hand in Hand with Haiti
Awareness, Support & Celebration
New Albany Schools and Community
December 2012

You can continue to support the New Albany Schools Fundraising Goal
(Indicate”NACF Fund” in the fund line and
“Hand in Hand with Haiti” in the comment section
Click Here to Donate!

Color a Pack Update!

ASK ME ABOUT MY BACKPACK

This activity launched earlier this fall to create awareness of this remarkable resource that is being used by Haitians to transport and ensure safe, clean water.  Teachers and students have carried the packs on campus for the day to get students talking about the resource and how this pack is changing the lives of people in Haiti. The color a pack is an additional fundraising opportunity to support the effort.  The packs are white and are available for students to design, color and decorate in their own way.  Each pack will then be sent to Haiti from the students of New Albany!

We are informed that there is a waiting list until we receive an additional quantity of packs. If you have already requested one or made the donation, you will be notified.  Parents may also e-mail, parent volunteer Kris Moss at mosskris@gmail.com with questions.

• Download a form here.
• $20 donation

New Albany – Plain Local Schools Director of Operations Ken Stark announced to staff that he has accepted a position as the Director of Business Services at South-Western City School District, pending Board approval next week.

“You amaze me every day with the high quality of work that you do,” said Stark in a message to staff.  “From top to bottom it is truly impressive and I will be eternally grateful for having had the opportunity to play a small role.  My hope is that I have somehow helped to make this district a better place today than it was when I arrived here.”

“I am incredibly thankful for the years of dedicated service Ken has brought to New Albany Schools and the community in general,” said Superintendent Domine. “I am continuously amazed by the extent of his knowledge of the district and his expertise makes a significant impact every day.  So much of Ken’s work is seen by the public, but the amount of what we do not see to keep district operations flowing smoothly is amazing.  Ken is a remarkable asset and will be greatly missed by all.”

Mr. Stark has led the efforts of the district from an operations standpoint for over 6 years, shepherding many initiatives and helping establish policy and process during his tenure.  His duties include the oversight of all major operational systems including transportation, food service, custodial and maintenance, safety and security, Information Technology as well as overall campus facilities.

“I offer my heartfelt congratulations to Ken on this opportunity,” said Board President Laura Kohler. “His years of dedication to the district are greatly appreciated and well noted.  He has worked tirelessly to advance this district and we all owe him a debt of gratitude for the advancements he has put in place to effectively manage such an impressive operation.”

Mr. Stark will work with Superintendent Domine and the administrative team on a transition plan over the month of December and will begin his new position on January 7, 2013.  The New Albany – Plain Local School District will also begin the work to identify the next steps to finding someone to fill the role of district operations.

View the Benchmarking Excellence Report and the Final Benchmarking Budget

In our quest to become national leaders in reinventing education, NAPLS began an effort in 2009 to strategically plan for the future. Through the generous sponsorship and support of Corna Kokosing and the New Albany Community Foundation the district was able to launch a benchmarking study to seek out the best public school systems in the nation.  The search led us to Minnetonka, Minnesota. NAPLS formed a committee to lead this effort, the Benchmarking Advisory Board, and together we engaged in dialogue and discussion regarding our vision and mission.  We explored and considered innovative schools, businesses and professional readings to inform our work. We now have a completed product that is available for public review.

Through the extensive work and data analysis process in the Benchmarking study, six key themes emerged from the Minnetonka Public Schools:

• Theme 1 – The needs of every student are at the center of all decisions, and multiple opportunities and supports are provided to prepare students for global citizenship in the 21st century.
• Theme 2: The district has created a culture of high expectations, rigor, and intellectual inquiry for both students and staff.
• Theme 3: A visionary, forward‐thinking commitment to innovation is powered by research and data and serves as a constant force for growth.
• Theme 4: Clear alignment and unity of purpose result from strong leadership at all levels championing the vision and focusing on the district strategic plan.
• Theme 5: Mutually supportive relationships, active community involvement, and public recognition and celebration foster a deep sense of pride and commitment.
• Theme 6: Communication with both internal and external groups is an ongoing, engaged, two‐way dialogue that is listening, learning, and growth‐minded.

Each of the six key themes described above illustrate best practices that are informative for New Albany as we strive to continue improving educational opportunities for all of our students.

We look forward to continuing our work on incorporating these research findings into our work in the New Albany – Plain Local School District. We also look forward to launching our international benchmarking research in January 2013. Benchmarking with other highly innovative and high performing organizations unleashes our imaginations, challenges us to continuously learn, and sparks our innovations.

Special thanks to the 40-member Benchmark Advisory Board for the extensive amount of work and effort that went into this project.

Preliminary state report card data

The Ohio Department of Education has posted the preliminary report card data as directed by the State Board of Education.

The data is in an Excel format and will provide the public with the following information

• Performance data for all grades and subjects on the Ohio Achievement Assessments and Ohio Graduation Tests,
• Adequate Yearly Progress status,
• Value-Added growth status, and
• Longitudinal graduation rates calculated for both four and five years.

The spreadsheet data does not include Performance Index calculations, attendance rates or overall district or school building ratings because of the Auditor of State’s ongoing investigation.

NAPLS is reviewing the data and will be able to provide some more in-depth analysis in the future. We wanted to inform the public of the posting and provide a few highlights for our district.

The great news is according to what is reported NAPLS has “Met” the goal for Adequate Yearly Progress and is listed “Above” on our Value-Added measurement.  We are confident that when a performance index score is available that it will be the highest the district has ever received.

Here is the link to the Ohio Department of Education.

It is important to note – The information released by ODE is preliminary and remains subject to revision.

The Ohio Department of Education has posted the preliminary report card data as directed by the State Board of Education earlier in September. According to the report we have “Met” the goal for Adequate Yearly Progress and are ”Above” on our Value-Added measurement.

Click here to access the Ohio Department of Education’s preliminary report card data for the 2011-2012 School Year.