Superintendent's On the Move Series

It seems like August began 50 days ago because we have been working hard since mid-July! We started with our Leadership Retreat which launched our We > Me Mindset to get us ready for another launch of our Back to Basics: Literacy Launch. These two strategies have guided our work and our training during our back to school preparations and will guide us throughout this school year and beyond.

Our district will be embracing the Educational Epiphany program under the direction of Dr. Donyall Dickey, to guide us in providing Humboldt students a shared language of learning where expectations are elevated and there is a renewed belief in what our students can accomplish. As we move through this school year, we plan to provide glimpses of the impact this focus will bring to our students and our district.

Not only have we moved quickly into classroom rigor but we have also moved quickly into sports schedules and practices. Our teams have gotten off to a great start and we invite everyone out to our sports activities to cheer for our athletes as they represent Humboldt on the field and on the court. Let's always be mindful of those that visit these activities and show them and our students how to be hospitable hosts when we win and even when we don't.

As you will see as you review the August newsletter, everyone has been BUSY! From inservice activities with Mr. Dickey to Poverty Simulation training, our staff has been working hard. We have welcomed several new staff members to our campuses as well as having some of our veteran staff taking on new roles. A new role for some of our staff is the addition of Attendance Coaches. Because we have a large number of students that are chronically absent, we have our Attendance Coaches reach out to students daily when they are absent to provide assistance and encourage them to get back in the classroom as soon as they can. Students must be in class in order to learn!

Be sure to download our Humboldt City Schools App to stay in tune with all our activities and events! Go to our websites for more information on how to download the app. We wish everyone a Happy New School Year and we look forward to another great year for Humboldt City Schools! Remember: #VikingforLife!

Dr. Janice Epperson
Superintendent

Humboldt City Schools

We learned from each other, developed strategies and had a lot of fun as we gathered back together to kick-off the New School Year! We were SO excited to see our staff and students returning to our schools! Check out our video below to get an idea of what our fun and learning looked like! 👇

Back to School means Back to Basics for Humboldt City Schools. Our staff participated in Professional Development sessions with Dr. Donyell Dickey, author of "The Universal Language of Literacy", who began guiding us through his program to help our district focus on literacy. During our week-long PD, staff participated in a Poverty Simulation exercise as well as individualized trainings for specific departments. It was a great start to the new school year that laid the foundation for a successful Back to School!

Check out who stepped up and made generous donations for our students as they returned to school!

Research shows that missing 10 percent of the school year, or about 18 days in most school districts, negatively affects a student’s academic performance. That’s just two days a month and that’s known as chronic absence.

In Humboldt, we are working hard to tackle this growing problem. This year, our district is arming our staff as Attendance Coaches, to put our words into action. Everyday, each of our coaches receives a list of students that are absent for the day. Our coaches reach out to their assigned students to see if they need assistance and to inquire if they will be able to return to school the following day.

September is Attendance Awareness Month and we are making our mission well known as we help ensure our students can receive the best education but only if they are in their classes everyday.

Humboldt students taking advantage of the Middle College opportunities with Jackson State Community College - Gibson County Center has grown by leaps and bounds! We are so excited for this next class to get started toward their Associates Degree while still earning their high school diploma!

Our athletes and coaches have been busy getting ready for the fall season with Meet the Vikings held on August 7th followed by a scrimmage game and then onto Jamborees and first games of the season. Stay in touch with schedules and highlights on our Athletics Page on the HJSHS website as well as follow Viking News on Demand to stream games live when you are not able to attend in person. Also, be on the lookout each Sunday afternoon on Facebook and Instagram for a listing of the week's sports events. Stay up to date on game results and athlete awards and recognition on each sports page on the website. Click the photo above to go to the Viking Varsity Football Page to see what our young men have accomplished so far!

Because we are encouraging our students to be in class everyday, we should all set the example by being in our jobs everyday. We were blessed with gifts from Newbill's so we wanted to share the blessing with all our teachers that have been present all week (August 31-September 4).

Click the title above to see if you are the winner of a $50 Amazon gift card from Newbill's Heating and Air! Winners: stop by the Central Office and pick up your gift card from Ginger or Cindy! Congratulations to our three winners!