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Welcome back!
It was an eventful and busy summer for Mountain Brook Schools. The summer started with the great news that the International Society of Technology and Education (ISTE) recognized our school system as the "Distinguished District Award." This is a prestigious award given annually to only one school district worldwide. We are thrilled to receive this award, and we believe it is a great reflection of everyone in our school system and community. Please read more about this award below.
As is true of most summers around here, we spent the bulk of our time planning for the upcoming year, training staff, and completing hiring for the new year. New Teacher Orientation is one of my favorite weeks of the year. Our new teachers spend a week learning about our school system’s purpose and values while discovering how to best integrate these beliefs into every classroom every day. We could not be more excited about our 35 new teachers, and I hope you have the same great experience with them as our district leaders had this summer.
It was a great summer, but nothing beats the first day of school. It starts by watching elementary school families walking into our schools together. There are always a few tears (mostly from parents), but students and teachers jump right into getting to know one another and beginning the process of learning. There doesn't seem to be a second wasted from the first bell of the school year on. I am continually impressed by how our students and our schools work together to make our great schools greater.
Starting over is something I love about the new school year. We all get a new start and an opportunity to improve at everything we do as a system, as a school, as a student, as a parent, and as a family. I hope you have had a wonderful start to the new school year and, together, I hope we all have a fantastic 2016-2017 school year!
Dicky Barlow
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Mountain Brook Schools receives prestigious international award for technology in education.
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Mountain Brook Schools worldwide winner of Outstanding District Award
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Attending the ISTE Conference in Denver and accepting the award on behalf of MBS, (L-R), Brad Sklar, School Board President; Dr. Missy Brooks, Director of Instruction, Donna Williamson, Director of Technology, and Dr. Dicky Barlow.
The International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE) named Mountain Brook Schools the Distinguished District, the only school system so honored in 2016. ISTE (www.iste.org) is an international nonprofit serving educators and educational leaders, committed to innovation in the use of technology in education. The organization creates standards for learning, teaching, and leading in the digital age and represents more than 100,000 professionals worldwide.
ISTE recognized the Mountain Brook school district for innovation and for equitable and appropriate technology use for all students. The organization noted the school system's goal of increasing learning opportunities and improving achievement. ISTE cited the school system’s creation of the Institute for Innovation, funded by the Mountain Brook Schools Foundation, which encourages district teachers to submit proposals for innovative teaching and learning strategies based on new uses of technology in the classroom. Ideas stemming from the Institute for Innovation include a 3D design and technology maker room and a virtual digital classroom, employing multiple data projectors and gaming technologies.
“The Institute for Innovation has allowed us to see the teachers’ creative ideas come to life and to see the increased engagement of our students as a result,” said Mountain Brook Schools' Director of Instruction, Dr. Missy Brooks.
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ISTE also noted that the school system pioneered “eDays,” which allow teachers to design learning for students to achieve at home during unplanned school closings and on teacher professional development days.
Mountain Brook Schools has also held TedX Youth programs, giving students an opportunity to develop and deliver high-quality speeches.
Last year, the school district developed and made available a technology bundle to students, facilitating access to digital resources.
“This award is among the most important ever received by Mountain Brook Schools,” said Superintendent Dr. Dicky Barlow. “It places a spotlight on our educators, on how they continue to work every day to go beyond routine and complacency to bring quality and innovation to teaching and learning in their classrooms.”
Donna Williamson, Mountain Brook Schools’ Director of Technology, added, “In addition to our teachers, we are grateful to our team of technology professionals. We are fortunate to be able to have technology teams out in the schools who help bring our teachers' ideas to reality.”
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New Teachers and Staff Welcomed to MBS
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New teachers spend a week preparing to begin their first school year at Mountain Brook, learning about school culture, approaches to instruction, and other topics.
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The week of July 24 was New Teacher week at Mountain Brook Schools. We welcomed 35 new teachers at a breakfast attended by school system and community leaders, the new teachers' principals and assistant principals, and their mentors. A highlight of the breakfast was talks given by three teachers who, newly hired last year, provided insights into their first year with the school district.
New Mountain Brook teachers spend a full work week working with school district officials, school personnel and administrators and collaborating with each other. They learn about our purpose statement--to provide an effective, challenging, and engaging education for every one of our students--and spend blocks of time exploring the key parts of that purpose statement in depth.
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Graduates Reflect on the Value of Their Education at Mountain Brook Schools
At our recent Institute Day we were proud to show this video, in which we asked graduates of Mountain Brook Schools key questions on their experiences as students in our district.
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This is the first edition of quarterly newsletters from Mountain Brook Schools. We hope you find these updates useful and informative.
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Important Fall Semester Dates
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Sept 5 Labor Day (NO SCHOOL)
Oct 7 End of 1st Nine Weeks
Oct 10 eSchool Day
Nov 11 Veterans Day (NO SCHOOL)
Nov 23-25 Thanksgiving Holidays (NO SCHOOL)
Dec 16 End of 1st Semester
Dec 19-Jan 2 Winter Holidays
Jan 4 Students return to School
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