News

Parent Engagement = Student Success

Parent engagement days empower parents with information to help children reach their full potential and thrive at school. At Reeves-Rogers, parent workshops focus on grade level learning and give parents tools they can use at home to help their child be successful.

“Success at Reeves-Rogers is achieved by our school working closely with parents and the community for the success of the children,” says Dr. Cherrye Robertson, Principal. “We are proud of our Reward School status but that is only achieved by working together. Today’s expectations for grade level learning are much different than they were when today’s parents attended school.”

Like other schools, Reeves-Rogers has a focus on STEAM. However, in this case, the A in STEAM stands for Agriculture – Science, Technology, Engineering, Agriculture and Math. Throughout the year, Reeves-Rogers partners with multiple organizations to bring a Farm to School focus to aspects of the classroom.

“When parents ask ‘What did you do at school today?’, we want our parents to understand the conversations and lessons that their child and teachers are actually having. If they say, ‘I planted a garden’, we want them to understand that the garden is part of our STEAM focus and aligns with our curriculum standards,” says Robertson.

Parents play a vital role in how well students do in school. Reeves-Rogers parent, Nyoka Duong says parent workshops allow for open conversations and equip parents with different strategies for individual children. These conversations help parents overcome road blocks that children may face.

“We want parents to leave with strategies they can use at home,” says Natalie Hardiman, Vice Principal. “Parent workshops open dialogue that allows us to address learning strategies for children and parents. Workshops also allow us to review overall readiness and testing standards like TNReady reports.”

Group meetings and grade level workshops allow opportunities for staff and parents to connect in support of their child’s education.

Over 250 Participate in Dash

Over 250 people participated in The City Schools Foundation’s 4th Annual Back to School 5k/10k Dash. The 5k and 10k USATF Certified course conditions allowed for several personal best times by participants.

The Dash is one of two major fundraisers for The City Schools Foundation. The Foundation, chartered in 2005, benefits Murfreesboro City Schools’ 9,000 plus pre-K through 6th-grade students and serves as a venue for other foundations and corporations to make significant contributions that can impact the school system as a whole. The intent is to bring local resources to bear on local needs.

Race participants began at Overall Creek Elementary. Participants ranged from 10k runners preparing for the upcoming half marathon, to run clubs, and MCS staff and students enjoying the 5k run or walk.

Monies raised from the Dash will be distributed in the form of teacher classroom grants. In 2018, The Foundation gave over $90,000 in grants and parity dollars to teachers and schools ranging from $199 to $10,000. For additional information about The Foundation, please visit www.cityschools.net.

MCS & 9 Schools Receive Highest Rating in State

The Tennessee Department of Education has announced that Murfreesboro City Schools has received the designation of Exemplary District, the highest distinction school districts can earn in Tennessee. In addition, the Department announced that nine Murfreesboro City Schools have received the designation of Tennessee Reward Schools, the highest distinction schools can earn in the state.

Murfreesboro City Reward Schools include: Black Fox, Cason Lane, Discovery, Erma Siegel, John Pittard, Mitchell-Neilson, Overall Creek, Reeves-Rogers, and Scales Elementary. TNReady data indicate that these schools are significantly improving student academic achievement and student growth for all students and for student groups. Attendance and English language proficiency are also required measures in the designation. This year marks the highest number of schools recognized in any individual year as Reward Schools for Murfreesboro City Schools.

In addition to the district Exemplary Status and nine schools’ Reward School Status, noteworthy results include:

1 of only 20 districts across the state to receive Exemplary status; 1 of 3 districts (Williamson County, Wilson County, and Murfreesboro City) in the Mid-Cumberland CORE region, which comprises 15 school districts.
Level 5 (highest level possible) in Mathematics
Level 5 (highest level possible) in English/Language Arts
Number of schools that earned Level 5 (highest level possible)—10 out of 12
Level 5 (highest level possible) in 9 out of 10 possible subgroups
Level 5 (highest level possible) in 8 out of 10 grade level content areas (remaining were level 3 and level 4)
No schools on any of the “underperforming” lists (CSI, TSI, ATSI) which are easy lists for diverse schools to make.
Finally, in the Department of Ed’s public release, the district was cited in one of 3 bullet points from all districts in the Mid-Cumberland Region: “Murfreesboro City Schools all students in grades 3-6 improved their math score.”

“The news affirms the support of the City Council, leadership of the School Board, dedication of school employees, partnerships with parents, and support of the community,” says Gilbert. “While we are pleased with the test results, MCS teachers and support staff are focused on the needs of boys and girls under their care and are committed to growing the whole child. We are preparing students for their futures and not simply one snapshot of memorized facts.”

MCS Receives $100,000 Farm 2 School Grant

Murfreesboro City Schools (MCS) is pleased to announce that they are one of only two school districts in Tennessee and one of 126 projects across the United States receiving support this year through the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Farm to School Program. MCS received a $100,000, two-year implementation grant to enrich the connection students have with fresh, healthy food and allow students to experience the growing cycle of their food first hand.

“Our aim is to consistently acquire locally or regionally sourced foods for our cafeterias and make it the norm for our students to receive a variety of freshly harvested vegetables to develop healthy eating habits,” say Sandy Scheele, Supervisor of Nutrition.

“This grant will continue the Farm2School program established in 2014 and allow us to grow together, not only seed to table, but also in knowledge of farming including introducing hydroponics,” added Scheele.

The MCS Farm to School Program includes community partners like MTSU Department of Agriculture, Farm Credit Mid-America, UT-TSU Extension and the Rutherford County Health Department.

In a press release from the USDA, Secretary Perdue stated, “The farm to school grants announced connect schools with the farmers, ranchers, and producers in their communities. Everybody wins with Farm to School. USDA is proud to help the next generation better understand where its food comes from, while strengthening local economies.”

The MCS Farm 2 School program will continue to include applied learning and STEM opportunities like farm Saturdays, field trips, raised bed gardening, and greenhouses at school sites. A Farm Educator will work with teachers and students throughout the school year to add a hands-on approach to the Farm to School curriculum. Additionally, Farm 2 School will introduce hydroponic tower gardens in each school cafeteria to increase the harvest of fresh vegetables.

In the second year of the grant cycle, Farm Bots will be introduced into the program as a STEM-based learning and research tool adding opportunities for collaboration, critical thinking and theories in the planting and harvesting process.

In the announcement, USDA Director of Grants and Fiscal Policy, stated: “Hundreds of applicants across the country competed for a limited amount of funding. The overwhelming interest in this round of USDA Farm to School Grants was exciting but also made the selection process extremely difficult. Your application stood out because it demonstrated your strong experience and readiness to conduct farm to school initiatives; showed that you are thinking critically about opportunities and challenges; outlined goals that are closely aligned with FNS goals for the program; proposed a reasonable scope and budget; and gave us confidence that your farm to school program will be implemented with or without continued Federal support.

For additional information, please call 893-2313 or visit www.cityschools.net. Murfreesboro City Schools is a district of thirteen schools committed to the academic and personal success of each child.

School Supply Lists

School supply lists for all grade levels can be found under the student tab on this website or by clicking on the link below. This is an overview of supplies that will be needed for the upcoming school year. If you need assistance with supplies, please let your teacher or principal know when school begins. We look forward to an exciting academic year.

Supply Lists

Siegel Students Honored for Invention

An inventor team of three 5^th graders from Erma Siegel Elementary School were recently honored for their invention at the 4^th Annual Invention Convention U.S. Nationals. They were among more than 500 award-winning K-12 inventors from across the nation and around the world who gathered inside Henry Ford Museum of American Innovation in Dearborn, Michigan to compete for top awards.

The team of Seth Nobles, Trence Houston and Parker Robinson won an Industry Innovation Award in Education for their invention, “The Texture Ball”.

The Texture Ball is a large, stuffed ball with sequins on one side and a soft material on another made for students with autism or anxiety. It opens to reveal an interior with several additional textures. It is portable and can be made in different sizes for small or large hands. The soft material helps to sooth and the rougher textures helps with excitement.

The three team members each won a Google Home Hub device.

Hobgood Teacher Wins Miss Tennessee

Brianna Mason spent the last four years working to reach her goal of becoming the first African American crowned Miss Tennessee.

Mason, a first-grade school teacher at Hobgood Elementary, won the pageant in her fourth attempt. She was last year’s second runner-up competing as Miss Knoxville.

“I’m here to tell you, it doesn’t matter what your skin color is, it doesn’t matter what your religion is, you can do anything that you want,” says Mason.

Mason joined the Murfreesboro City Schools family in 2018.

Discovery School Wins National Beta Award

The Discovery School Beta Team is the National Champion in the Elementary School Division of the Beta Club Quiz Bowl! Discovery School students competed against 20,000 students from across the country and came home with impressive wins.

Quiz Bowl -1st – Jack Gray, Alicia Moreno, Grayson Lin, John Thomas Parkerson

Engineering – 7th – Keegan Sparks, Matthew Smith, Luca Guevart, Bryce Holman, Andrew Smith

Academics

Junior Level (6th-8th grades)

6th grade science – 7th – Griffin Minter

Elementary (4th and 5th grades)

5th grade science – 1st – Rachel Swicord

5th grade math – 2nd – Grayson Lin

5th grade social studies – 5th – Ellie Gardner

4th grade math – 2nd – Eli Bauer

4th grade social studies – 2nd – Truitt Surbaugh

5th grade poetry – 8th – Allison Lewis

Congratulations to the students, sponsors and parents!

Chumney selected as finalist

The Tennessee Department of Education is pleased to announce the nine finalists for the 2019-20 Tennessee Teacher of the Year award. The finalists represent each of the six Center of Regional Excellence (CORE) area in the state, with three finalists in each Grand Division (West, Middle, and East). Grand Division winners including the Teacher of the Year will be selected from this group and announced during an honorary banquet this fall, following a panel interview with each finalist.

Murfreesboro City Schools teacher, Sarah Chumney, has been selected as the Teacher of the Year state finalist for the Mid-Cumberland region. Chumney joined Murfreesboro City Schools in 2011 and most recently served as an English as Second Language (ESL) teacher at Cason Lane Academy. Chumney is a military veteran with thirteen years of classroom experience serving in ESL and Intervention.

“I have visited classrooms in every region, and we have so many passionate and highly effective educators in Tennessee,” Education Commissioner Penny Schwinn said. “Kids never forget their best teachers; they carry the lessons with them for the rest of their lives. These teachers are changing the trajectory of their students’ lives.”

In addition to Chumney, the finalists include: Amanda Tutor with Bartlett Municipal School District, Holly cooper with Lexington City School System, Tina Greenlee with Dyer County Schools, Mary Pack with Lawrence County Schools, Mary Lindsay Spain with Putnam County School System, Kristin Robertson with Hamilton County Schools, Cristina Hasha with Jefferson County Schools and Brian McLaughlin with Hamblen County Schools.

The final winner will represent Tennessee in the National Teacher of the Year competition and serve as an ambassador for education in the state throughout the 2019-20 school year. To qualify, candidates must have been teaching full-time for at least three years, have a track record of exceptional gains in student learning, and be effective school and community leaders.

Finalists have the opportunity to serve on Commissioner Schwinn’s Teacher Advisory Council for the duration of the 2019-20 school year. This council acts as a working group of expert teachers to provide feedback and inform the work of the department throughout the school year.

Looking Forward to Kindergarten

MCS is excited to welcome our newest students to kindergarten.

Kindergarten phase in dates include:

August 6th – half day for kindergarten students with last names beginning with A-L
August 7th – half day for kindergarten students with last names beginning with M-Z
August 8th – half day for all kindergarten students
August 9th – first full day for kindergarten students

To register, please bring:

Your child’s Official Birth Certificate
Tennessee Dept. of Health Certification of Immunization
Proof of Physical within the last year
Verification of Your Address. This must be a current utility bill with your name and address on it. (Example: Water, Electric, Gas).

New Student Registration

For more information, take a look at our Kindergarten newsletters below!

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