In his noted country twang, singer Tracy Lawrence famously told us all that “Time Marches On.” This is also true for summer break. Before we know it, the halls and sidewalks of UPSD will be filled with activity again, and I can’t wait! Activity never really stops for educators. Even before the 2023-2024 year was over, we were already making plans for 2024-2025. I wanted to share some focus areas for the upcoming school year with our wonderful community. Your support is vital in helping us move students forward, and we can’t thank you enough.
Here are a few focus areas to look forward to:
1. Behavior will be a major focus. Since the pandemic, schools across America have seen a rise in behavioral issues, and UPSD is no different. Many factors contribute to this, but it's an issue we’re going to address together with parents. The learning environment is crucial to student success, and behavior and belonging are central to that. As you know, most preK-12 staff were trained on Capturing Kids' Hearts on April 1 and 2. This fall, we will fully implement this program district-wide. The basic premise is The Golden Rule: we treat others the way we want to be treated. Additionally, each month will feature a character word to guide our efforts, with words like respect, responsibility, kindness, integrity, honesty, and determination. We are also providing additional behavioral support to the early grades to address issues while students are still young. Family engagement is essential in this endeavor. Students need to know that parents and caregivers are on the same team with their best interests at heart. We are very much looking forward to this.
2. UPSD is laying the groundwork to pursue a designation as an Emerging Science of Reading School. Elementary staff members were trained on the structured literacy curriculum, Phonics First, during the last week of school. For many, this is the second or third time through the training. We will pursue additional training for leadership and teaching staff through the AIM Institute for Learning and Research, which leads the way in evidence-based strategies for student success. AIM empowers teachers with practices grounded in the Science of Reading to achieve the best outcomes for students. This approach includes a focus on phonics, phonemic awareness, fluency, comprehension, and background knowledge. Coupled with this, we are directing our best resources towards early intervention to ensure our Tier 1 instruction is top-notch. If you’re interested in learning more about this body of research, I suggest listening to "Sold a Story" on your preferred podcast platform.
3. We're going to get better at writing... everywhere! Research supports that if a student can write about it, they know about it. Writing deepens our understanding, forces reflection, and connects ideas. We will use writing as a connection to home and community because research shows that when writing is published to a broader audience, it improves significantly. We will start early and do it often... across the curriculum. Good writers are good thinkers, and we owe it to our students to help them grow as thinkers. My vision is to integrate writing (print, cursive, and typed) into our study of grade-level science and social studies standards. This will stimulate deeper exploration and enable parents to discuss what students are learning by reviewing their writing. In some cases, we have underestimated how much parents want to be deeply engaged in their children’s education. Parents and caregivers play a vital role in a successful education, and I’m excited to see this partnership grow. Parents, we need you!
As a reminder, registration for the 2024-2025 school year is scheduled for July 12 from 7:00 AM until 2:00 PM and July 23 from 12:00 PM until 7:00 PM.
It’s hard to contain my excitement for the new school year. Thank you for trusting us with your children. Together, we will make the 2024-2025 school year the best one yet. GO JACKETS!
Dr. Tyler Hansford is the Superintendent of the Union Public School District. He holds a bachelor’s degree from Mississippi State, a master’s degree from Arkansas State, and specialist and doctoral degrees from William Carey University. He currently serves as Secretary of the Mississippi Association of School Superintendents and Vice President of East MS Center for Educational Development. His research interest focuses on academic success in rural schools.
