Rowan-Salisbury Schools Wins National Award For Digital Citizenship Curriculum
Rowan-Salisbury Schools received the Digital Content and Curriculum Achievement Award ( DCCAA ) presented by the Center for Digital Education during the ISTE ( International Society for Technology in Education ) 2016 International Conference held in Denver , Colorado this summer .
Rowan-Salisbury was honored for their K-12 “ Digital Citizenship Curriculum ” developed to reinforce the district ’ s take-home digital device program . The curriculum was created by 25 RSS teachers , under the direction of Andrew Smith , Director for Digital Innovation . " The Digital Citizenship Curriculum is essential to ensuring that our students are equipped with the knowledge and tools necessary to navigate an increasing digital world . The creation of this curriculum was a collaborative effort between many educators and administrators and I couldn ' t be more proud of their work ."
The “ Digital Citizenship Curriculum ” lessons were implemented during the last school year . The lessons deliver a robust and comprehensive curriculum designed to provide students in grades K-12 with 18 vertically and horizontally aligned lessons on digital citizenship that include :
• Internet Safety
• Privacy and Security
• Relationships and Communication
• Cyber Bullying
“ We want to be sure our students are given with as much information
as possible to ensure their safety when they use the Internet ,” says Superintendent Dr . Lynn Moody . “ Many students , as well as adults , need to be aware of the digital footprint they leave behind on the world-wide web every time they transmit online personal data such as comments , videos and photos . This is the world we live , in and we want to encourage our students to think and be respectful while using the Internet .”
Dr . Kecia Ray , Executive Director of the Center for Digital Education states , “ This year ’ s honorees are taking the practice of education to new heights that show great promise for other districts to follow .”
DCCAA awards are presented to schools in three categories :
• Large District / Schools ( 12,000 or more students )
• Medium District / Schools ( 3,000 - 12,000 students )
• Small District / Schools ( up to 3,000 students ) Rowan-Salisbury Schools is included in the Large District / School category .
This is the fourth year that the Center for Digital Education presented this honor and the second time that Rowan-Salisbury has received the award . The district was selected as an Honoree in the inaugural Digital Content and Curriculum Achievement Awards in 2013 .
For more information , please click on this link : http :// www . centerdigitaled . com / awards / digital-content-curriculum / Schools- Honored-for-Innovative-Implementations-of-Digital-Content-and- Curriculum . html .
Industrial Tours Support Career Pathways for Students
August 2nd marked the kick off to the Industry Tours for Educators series being implemented during the 16-17 school year .
Administrators were able to hear the entrepreneurship success story of Koco Java owner Arturo Therecka .
The focus of this program will be to increase awareness among staff and students of the industries and careers available in our community and region . The Career & Technical Education Department is organizing one industry tour per month that will be open to administrators , guidance counselors , and teachers . These tours will help participants make connections to what students are learning and have the knowledge to guide them towards high growth careers in our region . The Industry Tours for Educators is just one initiative that is part of a larger Career Pathway development
Mandy Mills , CTE Director & Arturo Therecka , Ower Koco Java
project to align secondary and post-secondary programs with the needs of the local and regional workforce .
Welcome Dr . Jason Gardner !
New Executive Director of Elementary Education
Dr . Jason Gardner is the new RSS Executive Director of Elementary Education . Dr . Gardner comes to us from the Mooresville Graded School District where he has served as Principal for East Mooresville Intermediate School / Mooresville Middle School since 2013 . He previously held the positions of Assistant Principal and as a Teacher in all subjects for grades 3-5 in a Title 1 setting . Dr . Gardner is a former Teacher of the Year and selected as a Science Teaching Fellow .
Dr . Gardner received a Bachelor of Science Degree in Education from Concord University ; a Master Degree in School Administration from Appalachian State University ; an EdS in Educational Leadership and a Doctorate in Educational Leadership from Wingate University .
Dr . Gardner looks forward to meeting and working with the elementary principals , staff , students and administrators for our district .
4 • September / October 2016 • Parent Teacher News