Sunday Soup

Good Sunday Evening,

Happy Memorial Day!

As you know, Memorial Day is an American holiday, observed today, the last Monday in May.  Memorial Day honors the men and women who have died while in the U.S. military.  Memorial Day became an official federal holiday in 1971.  Many Americans observe Memorial Day by visiting cemeteries or memorials, family gatherings, and/or participating in parades.  Both my father and eldest brother served in the Military.  My father served in the Navy during WWII and my brother in the Army during Vietnam.  I would like to thank them both for their service and I would like to thank everyone who has served our country in the past and into the present. 

Congratulations Class of 2024!

I was extremely impressed with the HS and Inverness Academy graduation ceremonies last week.  We had a wonderful turnout and the ceremonies were run very professionally and efficiently.  I would also like to thank all of the folks involved in making these events a special memory for our graduates.  It is exciting to see a group of eager and well-prepared young men and women ready to take on the world.  I wish all of our graduates the best of luck and remember, “Once a Chief, Always a Chief”!

Please Vote on August 6th!

As you know, the school district has issued a Referendum Resolution for August 6th, 2024, Election.  The referendum comprises of three priorities:

  1. Addressing facility needs at East Elementary.

  2. Upgrading aged infrastructure within the entire district.

  3. Implementing important projects that prioritize safety, accessibility, and enhance the environment of students, staff, and visitors at our schools.

This proposal is a zero-mill tax increase so your tax bill will NOT increase, it will remain the same, however, the passing of this referendum will allow the school district to renew our current depleting bond fund which will allow us to continue to maintain and create the best educational environments possible for our students, your children. 

The school district will be posting updated referendum information at this site to keep you as well informed as we can:  https://bit.ly/cas-ref24

Summer Work Plans for 2024

Work on replacing our HS bleachers will begin soon.  This project will take all of June and July so the HS gym will not be available for use in June and July.  And, we are not sure if access to the Fitness Center over the summer will be impeded or not.  It is our hope that we will be able to work with the construction company so that all summer programs that want and/or need access to the Fitness Center will have it.  We will keep you posted as we learn more and as the bleacher work begins.

Also, the best bid was approved at the BOE meeting last week.  The summer project will address the HS Science Labs (started pre-Covid but not completed) and renovate our PE/Athletic Lockers Rooms to address the Title IX concerns, specifically, the discrepancies between the boys and girls locker-room.   

Book Study – “Drive” by Daniel H. Pink:

Our conclusion meeting for this semesters book study club will be Thursday, May 30th, in the MS Library at 3:30.  Don’t forget to make a post in our Chat Room and also make a comment on someone else’s post for each chapter.  I also wanted to thank the members that participated and I hope you had as much fun as I did.  It is amazing to me that so much positive educational dialogue can be derived from something as easy as a book study, excellent work! 

I enjoyed reading the section in the back of the book, in the toolkit area, “Ten Ideas for Helping our Kids”.  The idea I liked best was the idea of turning students into teachers.  One of the best ways to self-check your own depth of knowledge on a specific area of study is to try to teach it to someone else.  A classroom full of students that are learning with a mindset and through the lens of a teacher, will raise their level of attention significantly.       

Week @ Glance:

Monday – 27th – Memorial Day     

  • No School

Tuesday – 28th   

  • 6:00 – Bootcamp

  • 8:30 – SL Referendum Support via Zoom

  • 9:00 – BP Meeting in the BR

    • Data Review

Wednesday – 29th          

  • 8:00 – MASA – New Superintendent Leadership Academy

    • Last Class/Graduation

Thursday – 30th   

  • 6:00 – Bootcamp

  • 8:00 – New Admin Tour

  • 3:30 – Book Club Meeting – “Drive” by Pink @ MS Library

    • Last Meeting – 1.5 hours

Friday – 31st   

  • Open

Thank you for your time and support, it is greatly appreciated.

Spencer S. Byrd, Ed.S, CSBO – CAS Superintendent

Quote for the Week: “Silent Gratitude is not much use to Anyone.” - By G.B. Stern – Writer – 06.17.1890 to 09.20.1973  

Important Future Dates:

  • June 6th – Retirement Luncheon in the MS Cafeteria @ Noon

  • June 6-7 – Half Days for Student Exams – Work Days for Teachers

  • June 8 – Summer Break Begins

  • June 13th – Athletic Committee Meeting @ 6pm

  • June 18th – Finance Committee Meeting @ 10am

  • June 18th – Curriculum Committee Meeting @ 3:45

  • June 24th – BOE Meeting

  • June 25th – Building Admin last Day for 23-24 School Year

  • September 3rd – Start of the 24-25 School Year for Students