SYLACAUGA, Ala. – Students from both Sylacauga City Schools and Talladega County Schools will be back in the classroom on Tuesday morning.
To kick off the 2017-18 school year, the Alabama State Board of Education is launching its ‘Ready, Set, Soar!’ campaign to highlight the excitement and fun seen in classrooms around the state.
“Over 740,000 students will wake up, ready for the new school year… and more than 90,000 educators, administrators, and support staff will arrive at school, with one mission on their minds – to better the lives of those very students. I truly appreciate that dedication to learning and want everyone in the state to see more of what is happening in our classrooms,” said State Superintendent Michael Sentance.
During the campaign, schools will share pictures and videos from daily learning activities, classrooms and events during the first days and weeks of school. Information tagged with #ReadySetSoarAL will be seen on social media throughout the first full two weeks of August, showcasing the excitement about learning which local educators see every day.
Dr. Jacqueline Brooks, Superintendent of Macon County and newly appointed School Superintendents of Alabama President, said of her school system, “Students, parents, teachers and the whole community are buzzing with excitement about the 2017-18 school year. We are rolling out some very engaging opportunities for students, including an elementary coding program called Dot and Dash.
Brooks continued, “We have an exciting aerospace engineering project between our high school students and Tuskegee University with dual enrollment opportunities; and music programs in all of our elementary schools, made possible by a partnership with the music department at Alabama State University.”
New technology will be featured for Sylacauga City Schools in its ‘Digital by Design’ initiative. Starting this fall, all Sylacauga City Schools students in grades 3-12 will receive a Google Chromebook. Students in grades K-2 will have access to Chromebooks as well as iPad devices while at school. Sylacauga City Schools Technology Director Michael Robinson told SylacaugaNews.com the project has been a massive undertaking.
Robinson says the goal of adding Chromebooks is not to replace teaching and learning; it is an additional component to add to the Sylacauga City Schools learning environment.
“There are already a lot of phenomenal things occurring in the school district. Digital by Design is just another one of those things. Instead of scheduling time in the computer lab or booking a cart of devices, the Chromebooks are there, ready for usage,” added Robinson.
Jeremy Law for SylacaugaNews.com | © 2017, SylacaugaNews.com/Marble City Media LLC. All Rights Reserved.