MOKANE, Mo. - Teaching coaches for the South Callaway R-2 School District gave school board members Wednesday an overview of how they try to help teachers be more effective in the classroom.
The teaching coaches, who also have their own classes to teach, serve as a support network for their fellow teachers as they integrate technology and new approaches in the classroom.
Mary Van Orden, director of curriculum and instruction, said the days of a teacher standing in front of the room lecturing while students take notes are gone. The district added instructional coaches this school year in an effort to help teachers with that transition.
In other business, the board discussed how the district might determine how and when organizations or activities could be scheduled on recently improved athletic fields and facilities. For example, school-related activities and events would take precedence over non-South Callaway groups wanting to use the spaces.
South Callaway modeled its first draft of the facility rental/use agreement after what the Blair Oaks R-2 School District uses, the board was told. Activities director Tony Brandt said he has already received requests for non-South Callaway groups to use the football field, which the district spent $1.52 million improving this year.
The district allowed Westminster College to use its football field for practices after bad weather. The board voted 6-1 at its June meeting to approve more than $330,000 to be spent on baseball/softball field improvements. ATG Sports Industries, the sports facility company that worked on changes to the school's football field, took on the baseball/softball field project.
The board and district will continue to discuss and research pricing and terms for the facility rental/use agreement.
In other action, the board:
• Learned high school students will soon receive letters about their Missouri Assessment Program (MAP) end of course exams in December. The school will apply 5 percent of that test score to the student's course grade. The board voted 4-1 in October to attach a grade to students' EOC scores.
• Was told attendance rates have improved. In October, the elementary school saw a significant amount of absences due to illness. The district earned 95 percent of possible attendance points on its Annual Performance Report (APR) this year, compared to 75 percent the year before. At the board's August meeting, Hillman said the district made attendance a focus last August.
• Heard a report that South Callaway students had raised $1,727.61 for Honor Flight, an organization that transports veterans to Washington, D.C., so the veterans can visit memorials dedicated to honor their service. Principal Leigh Dunlap and the Early Childhood Bulldog leadership team presented the district's contribution during a Veterans Day event in the high school gym Tuesday.