Karen Y Johnson,School Board District 6, Davidson County

Metro freshmen receive laptops

2009-11-29T12:06:00.002-06:00

Five Metro freshmen received free laptops earlier this week from Bridgestone/Firestone North America Tire LLC.
The students were selected through a drawing at the school district's first career exploration fair, which took place Nov. 6.
All students who visited the Bridgestone/Firestone booth had a chance to submit their names for a random drawing to win a laptop.
The winners are: Felishia Briclyes, Glencliff High; Matt Mercer, Antioch High; Tosheidru Yancy, Pearl-Cohn High; Cameron Smart, Hillwood High; and Hunter Stewart, McGavock High.

http://karenyjohnson.blogspot.com/2009/11/mnps-executive-lynn-anderson-and-karen.html

Dr. Register Testifies in Rezoning Case and is final witness

2009-11-20T16:42:00.003-06:00

Attorneys urged to settle NAACP rezoning case
Friday, November 20, 2009 at 12:42pm
By Jeff Woods
U.S. District Judge John Nixon urged attorneys Friday to settle the NAACP-backed lawsuit against the Metro school district's new student assignment plan that ended the cross-town busing of black children in Nashville.As the school board rested its case, ending 12 days of hearings on the lawsuit, Nixon told lawyers for both sides to meet Monday to try to reach a settlement."Obviously, this is an important case to the community," Nixon said. "I'm going to ask you to make an attempt to settle this case. ... Each side has the possibility of losing this case. So come back and attempt to settle this case in the interest of the parties and in the interest of the community."
On the last day of the often-contentious hearing, schools director Jesse Register praised the student rezoning plan for offering parents choice of schools and for investing more than $5 million annually in additional teachers and guidance counselors and other improvements for north Nashville's schools."That can really turn schools around," Register said. "... I think it's a good start. This really creates an opportunity for high-quality schools."
The lawsuit accuses the school board of discriminating against black children by ending cross-town busing from north Nashville to Hillwood. The lawsuit asks Nixon to order the school board to develop a new plan that’s acceptable to both sides.
Experts for the plaintiffs--three black families--have testified the rezoning plan has isolated hundreds more children by race and socioeconomic status and contradicted decades of social science on how to teach poor urban kids. These witnesses cited 40 years of studies, including research in Nashville by Vanderbilt University’s Claire Smrekar and Ellen Goldring, showing that students learn less in schools where poverty is concentrated.
Register said he hasn't read academic papers by Smrekar and Goldring on the subject. But, parroting the testimony of school board members, he emphasized that parents are given the choice between putting their children on buses to Hillwood or sending them to school in north Nashville.Of the 1,526 north Nashville students zoned last year for Hillwood’s schools, 1,094 have chosen to go to schools closer to home, according to the school district. The district is providing transportation to students who choose Hillwood’s schools.Register said he sent social workers door-to-door to make sure parents understood their choice before the school year began. Of 3,200 students whose school zone was changed in north Nashville, only 17 families weren't contacted, he said."We wanted every parent in the district to make an informed choice, an educated choice for their children," Register said.

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Testimony supports Nashville schools rezoning
Consultant says diversity rises because of plan
By Clay Carey • THE TENNESSEAN • November 20, 2009
Metro's new school rezoning plan does positive things for diversity in the school system, an independent school consultant said Thursday.
Milan Mueller, president and founder of the San Diego, Calif.-based Omega Group, testified as part of a federal lawsuit over the student reassignment plan. In the lawsuit, opponents claim the plan resegregates the city's schools.
Mueller's company analyzes demographics and handles mapping jobs for school systems and law enforcement agencies. He said Thursday that Omega Group has helped more than 100 school districts draft zoning plans.
"My opinion is it does not have a segregative effect," he testified.
Omega Group didn't work with the task force that created Nashville's current plan in 2008, but the district hired him to review it in October. He testified that the district paid him about $185 an hour to evaluate the plan, a process that took about four weeks of full-time work.
Quoting statistics provided by the school system, Mueller testified that the number of schools in Metro where no single race made up more than 50% of the school population was 49 under the new plan, up from 38 the year before.
"The student assignment plan is maintaining and increasing diversity," he said.
The number of schools that were largely one race was unchanged under the new plan, Mueller said. A single race makes up at least 90 percent of the student population in 10 schools, he said.
That number is unchanged from last year, but the locations of the schools did shift. The Pearl-Cohn school cluster, which has been front and center in the suit, gained one of those racially "isolated" schools, Mueller said. The school was already predominantly black.
Though "you are not supposed to assign (students) on the basis of race," Mueller testified that school districts commonly look at demographics, including racial breakdowns, when considering new boundary lines.
Metro's student assignment task force did so in early 2008, when it created the new plan, which was approved in a contentious 5-4 vote last summer and implemented this fall.
Suit wants plan nullified
Attorneys for the families who filed the suit claim the district ran afoul of a 2007 Supreme Court ruling that bars schools from using race as a factor in the plan.
The lawsuit asks the court to nullify the rezoning plan, saying that it puts some black students at a disadvantage by moving them out of schools in the predominantly white and affluent Hillwood cluster and into lower quality schools in North Nashville, a predominantly black area.
The rezoning plan ended cross-town busing for racial balance in the city. In its place, the school system let students who had been bused from North Nashville to Hillwood schools choose whether to attend schools in their neighborhoods or in a separate school cluster.
Nashville's choice option never expires, Mueller testified; in other cities, similar provisions were phased out after a few years.
Contact Clay Carey at 615-726-5933 or mcarey@tennessean.com.
Consultant defends 'progressive' rezoning of Metro schools

School Board District 6 First to Receive Vaccines in MNPS

2009-11-16T11:50:00.004-06:00

Nashville schools begin clinics for H1N1 vaccines

Parents have option to be present
By Christina E. Sanchez • THE TENNESSEAN • November 13, 2009

The Metro Nashville Health Department began giving the H1N1 vaccine to schoolchildren on Thursday, about a month later than health officials had hoped to start.

Parents shouldn't expect that the process will move quickly to vaccinate the 34,000 students who returned parental consent forms to their schools. The health department doesn't have enough doses to vaccinate in all the schools at once.
Because the vaccine shipments arrive in unpredictable intervals and quantities, the health department will hold school clinics piecemeal. Thomas Edison Elementary and Lakeview Elementary in Antioch were the first two schools to get the vaccine this week. Clinics planned for next week include Henry Maxwell, Mt. View, A.Z. Kelley, J.E. Moss and Glencliff elementaries.
Only students with signed parent consent forms will be allowed to get the vaccine.

"We're trying to have multiple strategies, so that as vaccine comes in, we get it out to the community as quickly as possible," said Chris Taylor, Metro Public Health Department's director of school health. "The most effective way to prevent the spread of infection is through immunization. We're going to do all the elementary schools first, then move into the middle schools and high schools."
Across the state, more than 265,000 H1N1 vaccine doses have been given out, and about 830,000 doses have been ordered for distribution. Tennessee has confirmed 45 H1N1-related deaths, including 34 adults and 11 children, according to the state health department.
Metro was among the first school districts in the state to begin vaccinations; Knoxville began last week. Not all school districts will offer the vaccine in schools. Rutherford, Williamson and Sumner county school districts said the vaccine is available at the health department, and at this time, there are no plans to bring it to the schools.
Students at Thomas Edison got the vaccine from a nurse on Thursday after their names were cross-checked with their student identification and consent form. A majority of parents want their children to receive the FluMist.Contact Christina E. Sanchez at 615-726-5961 or cesanchez@tennessean.com.

Pictured: Cathy Gleaves comforts her son, second-grader Micah Gleaves, as he receives the H1N1 vaccine at Thomas Edison Elementary in Antioch on Thursday. (MANDY LUNN / THE TENNESSEAN)

School Board members explain vote for rezoning

2009-11-14T09:27:00.006-06:00

School Board members explain vote for rezoning
Melissa Penry
NASHVILLE, Tenn.- The second week of testimony in the rezoning lawsuit against Metro schools ended with the plaintiffs still presenting their case.
They claim the student assignment plan for the city's schools approved in 2008, re-segregates the school system.

The lawsuit asks the court to throw out the rezoning plan.

Friday, two School Board members took the stand and explained why they voted in favor of the zoning changes.

Chairman David Fox said one reason he liked it was the extra resources it provided to some schools in the inner city zone of Pearl-Cohn, which includes more teachers to reduce the pupil-teacher ratio, and extended school hours.

The district has repeatedly failed to meet standards set under No Child Left Behind, although it did show improvement in the past year.

Fox says he has been supportive of providing extra resources and "doing something different."

He says if it is effective academically in the Pearl-Cohn schools, it can be taken district-wide.

School Board member Karen Johnson, the only African American board member to vote for the rezoning plan, told the court she did so because she liked the process.

A citizen's task force studied the Metro School zones and developed the rezoning plan.

Johnson said, "I am a very open-minded, inclusive person. I want to see more parents, more people involved in the school system."
The rezoning plan was approved by the Metro School Board in July of 2008. It went into place at the beginning of this school year.

The city has a long list of witnesses to call once attorneys begin presenting their defense.

However, some of those witnesses are the school board members being called to the stand by the plaintiffs.

Board Member Mark North, who chaired the Student Assignment Task Force, spent two days testifying earlier this week.
http://www.wkrn.com/global/story.asp?s=11502916

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TENNESSEAN ARTICLE
Chamber didn't sway Nashville school rezoning vote, board members say
By Clay Carey • THE TENNESSEAN • November 14, 2009
Two school board members who supported Metro Nashville's controversial school rezoning plan last year insisted Friday that local business leaders did not influence their votes.

School Board Chairman David Fox and board member Karen Johnson are named as defendants in a federal lawsuit over the rezoning plan that was filed in August.

The lawsuit claims the new rezoning resegregates the city's schools and alleges that the Nashville Area Chamber of Commerce and other local commercial interests funded candidates' campaigns with the goal of getting it passed.

"Nobody — nobody — that made a contribution to my campaign called me at any point during that process and asked me to vote a certain way," Johnson said during court testimony.

Johnson represents the Antioch area and was the only African-American member of the school board to vote for the rezoning, which passed by a 5-4 vote last July.

She was elected in 2006, as was Fox.

Both said they received thousands of dollars in donations from a political action committee run by the Chamber, but that the group never tried to sway them on the rezoning issue.

Chamber officials have said the organization never took a position on the rezoning plan, but have otherwise declined to comment on the case.

Fox said he met with several organizations and groups while running for office. One of those meetings involved Ralph Schulz, the Nashville Area Chamber of Commerce executive director, who at the time was head of the Adventure Science Center.

On the witness stand, Fox said Schulz and other business leaders at a meeting in late 2005 asked him several questions about school policy, but did not bring up rezoning.

The lawsuit claims the plan that went into effect this year puts some black students at a disadvantage by moving them out of schools in the affluent, predominantly white Hillwood cluster and into lower-performing schools in North Nashville. It claims racist motives prompted the plan.

School officials have denied that accusation; they say provisions in the plan giving students in the Pearl-Cohn area the option to attend other schools give them a better shot at academic success.

A task force appointed by board members started work on the new student assignment plan in early 2008. Johnson first suggested creating the task force after attending an education conference.

Johnson said she had attended several of the task force's meetings and "liked the healthy discussion that took place."

After the vote, she said, she also spoke with several North Nashville parents and students. That part of town is not in her school board district.

"It strengthened and validated that we did the right thing," she said. "They felt like it was a good thing to have an option to choose."
Contact Clay Carey at 615-726-5933 or mcarey@tennessean.com.
http://www.tennessean.com/article/20091114/NEWS04/911140344/Chamber+didn+t+sway+Nashville+school+rezoning+vote++board+members+say

MNPS Executive Lynn Anderson and Karen Johnson help bring Career and Technical Fair to Reality

2009-11-11T18:24:00.017-06:00

http://www.mnps.org/Page63826.aspx

It was a charge set forth by the Union representatives Lewis Beck, Tony Adams, and other Union Leaders at a Union meeting at Piccadilly a while back to bring vocational which is now Career and Technical back to MNPS and wanted us to plan a career fair. Many people thought there was not enough interest in Vocational/Career and Technical anymore and that this probably could not happen. Well it is exciting not even a year later that a well planned, well executed career exploration fair is now a reality. The fair brought together major businesses in Nashville, Union and Trade Representatives and Colleges and Universities and we began our efforts to expose our students early on in exploration of the many avenues they could pursue. All 9th grade students throughout Metro Nashville Public Schools were bussed in to the Nashville Convention Center on this past Friday, November 6th. I am so proud to have been able to help bring this to reality for the many Union and Business Leaders in our great city. Starr Herman and Lynn Anderson were assigned to handle this for MNPS and she visited St. Louis and other cities and ensured our event was a huge success by learning from others. I am so proud of what we are accomplishing in MNPS. We are on the move to ensuring the best educational experience for all children.

NEWS CHANNEL 2 coverage http://www.wkrn.com/global/Category.asp?c=175880&autoStart=true&topVideoCatNo=default&clipId=4279707&flvUri=&thirdpartymrssurl=
NEWS CHANNEL 5 coverage http://www.newschannel5.com/Global/category.asp?C=125220&autoStart=true&topVideoCatNo=default&clipId=4284637&flvUri=&thirdpartymrssurl==

I would like to thank all of our MNPS Educational Leaders for their help in making this a success: Pam Appleton, Paula Barkley, Ann Cumbie, Ava Diviney, Beckie Gibson, Donna Gilley, Kelly Henderson, Denise Hinds, Gazetta Holt, Emily Hughes, Nancy Hunter, Deanna Conn, Alison Mcarthur, Julie Martin, Kenyetta Martin, Alma Roberts, April Snodgrass, Gini Pupo-Walker, Ernestine Wilson, Jill Eatherly, and Dawn D'Ambros. Thank you to our sponsors Mayor Karl Dean and the office of Children and Youth, Shoney's Inc, Nashville Area Chamber of Commerce, Trevecca Nazarene University and Nashville Building and Construction Trades Council. Thank you to Heat & Frost Insulators Local Union 86, Boilermakers Local Union 455, Carpenters Local Union 223, Cement Masons Local Union 90, IBEW Local Union 429, Elevators Local Union 93, Painters & Glaziers Local Union 456, Ironworkers Local Union 492, Laborers Local Union 386, Millwright Local Union 1554, Operating Engineers Local Union 369, Plumbers & Pipefitters Local Union 572, Sheetmetal Local Union 177, Road Sprinkler Fitters Local Union 669, and Teamsters Local Union 327.

http://www.mnps.org/Page63826.aspx

Karen Johnson issues statement regarding Flap Over Political Sign Turns Heated

2009-10-27T22:45:00.004-05:00

Statement from Karen Johnson for Juvenile Court Clerk Campaign

The signage which I placed on the property of the Onyx Room located at address 624 Jefferson Street was permitted by Julius Herbst, the property manager and a supporter of my campaign. I was never contacted by Ms. Kathleen Wilkinson until after a report with authorities was filed because she was identified as the person who vandalized and stole my property and currently has a trespassing waiver issued against her from the co-owners of the property. After Ms. Wilkinson was contacted by the authorities who were attempting to recover the sign, she then called me. Her tone was very rude, brash and nasty, therefore, I saw no reason to continue the conversation. My focus is to run a campaign in an honorable, lawful and respectful way as I will continue to do until the election.

Karen Y. Johnson For Juvenile Court Clerk Campaign

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http://www.wsmv.com/politics/21442881/detail.html#
Flap Over Political Sign Turns Heated
Business Owner Says Candidate Didn't Get Permission To Place Sign On Property
Reported By Dennis Ferrier

POSTED: 5:20 pm CDT October 27, 2009
UPDATED: 10:12 pm CDT October 27, 2009
NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- When a Nashville business owner asked a political candidate to take a sign off her property, she said she was accused of committing a crime.
The incident involves a high-profile political race and a well-known woman running for office.

Karen Johnson is a Metro school board member who is running for the office of juvenile court clerk. Recently she placed a campaign sign in the front lawn of the Onyx House, a notable building in the Germantown of north Nashville.

The building is owned by Kathleen Wilkinson, and she was shocked to see the sign in the yard of the house. Wilkinson said Johnson never received approval to place the sign on her property.

Wilkinson said she does not support Johnson because she is one of the school board members who voted for the recent school rezoning. Wilkinson said her mother, Delois Jackson Wilkinson, was a former school board member who spent her life fighting for desegregation.

"Mrs. Johnson wants me to go against my mother's legacy," said Kathleen Wilkinson.

So, she called Johnson and asked her to take her sign off of her property.

"She cursed me out (and said,) 'I'm going to put your blank, blank, blank in jail, and you don't know who you are messing with,'" said Wilkinson.

So, Wilkinson removed the sign herself, since it was on her property. Johnson then filed a criminal theft report with Metro police.

"She wanted to have me arrested because I removed a sign from a building that my mother left me," said Wilkinson.

Wilkinson said Friday night that two Metro detectives knocked on her door investigating the theft of the Johnson sign.

Police said on Tuesday they have dismissed the report and will now longer investigate the case.

Johnson said she received approval from the property manager to place the sign outside the Onyx House.

Metro Schools Considers Offering Free Masters Program

2009-10-27T10:53:00.001-05:00

NASHVILLE, Tenn. - The Metro School district is considering partnering with Vanderbilt's Peabody School of Education. The idea to pump more highly qualified teachers into the system.
Math was just one of the subjects Amanda Snodgrass had to tackle Monday. The first year teacher at Hunters Lane High School is sort of a jack of all trades.

Her undergraduate degree is in health and wellness, and at Hunters Lane she teaches a credit recovery class.

"It's where students have to make up credits that they either missed or failed," said Snodgrass.

Just like the students, everyday for Snodgrass is also a learning experience.

"I have to use my resources. I have teachers in here all the time tutoring and helping me refresh. High school math is the hardest I have to say," said Snodgrass.

Thanks to the Metro school district she could possibly be getting a bit more education from one of the best schools in the country - for free.
"I think that's awesome. I would completely be on board," said Snodgrass.

The idea of a partnership with Vanderbilt's Peabody College of Education is being looked over by director of schools Dr. Jesse Register.

The district would actually pay for new teachers to earn their master's degree. The idea is for both recruitment and retention.

"In terms of Metro, you can say we have the opportunity for you to not only advance in your learning, but also it gives you a quick transition into possibly having higher pay," said teacher Lebrian McGill.

McGill said the additional education has certainly helped him. He received his master's a few years back and believes the degree is not only a career boost for educators but a plus for students as well.

The partnership between Metro schools and Vanderbilt's Peabody school is just in the preliminary stages. A number of things would have to be discussed and finalized before the plan could actually be put in place.

Under preliminary ideas discussed, teachers who received a free diploma would be required to work for the district for at least five years after graduation.

Harlem Wizards Play Tonight at Antioch High School for Lakeview Elementary Design Center 7:00 p.m.

2009-10-23T12:29:00.004-05:00

Please come out and support this community wide family event!
Highlights:
This will be a night of family entertainment for the entire community. The Harlem Wizards, a professional entertainment basketball team that has toured the world since the beginning of inception, will be facing the untested, but enthusiastic Lakeview Lions. While the Harlem Wizards feature players with illustrious college and professional basketball backgrounds, and skills that include trickery and theatrical type humor, keep in mind they only have six or seven players and we will keep fresh with our squad of 20-30! The game mixes periods of some competitive fast-paced action and other parts that are geared more towards humor and schtick.

Besides the playing/performing during the game, the Harlem Wizards will do a halftime crowd participation show, and will sign autographs at the end until every child is satisfied.

Ticket Information:
Advance Tickets are $7 for students and $10 for general public, and at the gate tickets are $3 additional.

FREEE AUTOGRAPH SESSION! Concessions and Souvenirs!
Date: Today, Friday Oct 23
Time: 7:00 pm
Where: Antioch High School, 1900 Hobson Pike, Antioch
Harlem Wizards vs the Lakeview Lions
www.harlemwizards.com

School Safety Summit Held Tuesday A Huge Success!

2009-10-23T12:22:00.002-05:00

13th Annual Event Focuses On Graduation Rate
Reported by Sara Dorsey
http://www.wsmv.com/education/21320019/detail.html
POSTED: 4:50 pm CDT October 16, 2009
UPDATED: 7:35 pm CDT October 20, 2009
Guns, drugs and gang violence may sound like the ingredients to an "R" rated movie, but all are problems Metro high school students face.
School administrators held the 13th annual school safety summit at McGavock High School on Tuesday. It was designed to encourage students to choose education, overcome challenges and increase Nashville's graduation rate.

Metro school administrators said they are battling to keep kids in school and focused on learning.

"We are constantly struggling against what's going on at home, what's going on in the community and ultimately what's going on in the society as it relates to violence, as it relates to alcohol," said Metro Schools administrator Ralph Thompson.

Graduation rates for last school year are not yet out. During the 2007-2008 school year, nearly 73 percent of students earned a diploma.

"I can stay in school, I will stay in school and I must stay in school. I can graduate, I will graduate and I must graduate. I must stay away from drugs and alcohol. I must behave," said Thompson.

Attendance is up 10 percent from this time last school year, and administrators want to keep that momentum going. With the help of Nashville Mayor Karl Dean, 101 FM "The Beat's" DJ A.G., a cast of media members and two local pastors, students saw firsthand how hard work pays off.

"We definitely want to touch on (and) emphasize education, graduation, attendance and staying in school and the importance of that. We want to highlight and we will talk about the ill effects, if you will, of the use of drugs and alcohol, the abuse of alcohol and drugs and violence, including gang violence," Thompson said

Tuesday's event was for everyone -- high school students, parents and community members.

"My message to them was, 'We're all here to support you, but you all need to be the leaders in creating the right kind of environment in all of your schools,'" said Metro Schools Director Dr. Jesse Register.

Thompson said because the event was all about coming together, the school's metal detectors were taken down, and there was no security frisks and drug dogs.

Register said he hopes that everything students heard on Tuesday will ultimately lead to more students graduating.

"It was a lot of words of encouragement and things to lift our spirit," said student Daniel Shelton.

This is the first year the event was held during fall break. The high school with the highest attendance wins a free DJ for prom from 101 "The Beat," Thompson said.

The event ran from 8 a.m. to 3:45 p.m.

Tennessee Titans players Vincent Fuller and David Thornton were scheduled to speak but could not attend due to a team meeting.

Transportation was provided with pickup and drop-off points at Cane Ridge High School, Whites Creek High School and Hillsboro High School.
Tennessean Article below
http://www.tennessean.com/article/20091021/NEWS04/910210397/1970/Nashville+safe+school+forum+addresses+reality+of+gangs++violence

Youth Conference Teaches Life Lessons

2009-10-19T08:20:00.004-05:00

NASHVILLE, Tenn.- Tackling tough topics was the main focus of a youth summit at W.A. Bass Middle School Saturday. Youth from around the city learned about important keys to living a successful life.
At the Annual Top Teen Healthy Choice Conference, teens heard from a range of leading business professionals about their careers and how they can reach their goals.
"You just feel this warm environment and people are wrapping their arms around you and people are taking a special interest in you," said student Mark Crowder.
"It's so important because I think when you plant the kinds of seeds that have been planted today bout making wise choices then when they become older and become adults they will make wiser choices.
Students heard form a range of speakers including TBI director Mark Gwyn who stressed to the children the impact their decisions can have on their future.
"At the end of the day if we can just touch one of these young people then this day has been worth it," said Gwyn.
Get ready for a huge event on Tuesday. NewsChannel 5 is teaming up with Metro schools for their 13th annual Safe Schools Summit. Students will hear from NewsChannel 5's Rodney Dunigan, Bishop Joseph Walker, and Tennessee Titans Vincent Fuller and David Thornton.
The event is open to kids throughout the city. It will be at McGavock High School and goes from 8 Tuesday morning until 3:45.
The event Saturday was hosted by the Top Ladies of Distinction. Members said they hope to keep impacting the lives of children in a positive way.
http://www.newschannel5.com/global/story.asp?s=11333391

H1N1 clinic draws 500 people on first day

2009-10-13T23:35:00.001-05:00

NASHVILLE, Tenn. - Nashville residents lined up Tuesday for the H1N1 vaccine on the first day of the health department's public clinic.
Rosaria Peffer and her two preschool-age children were among those in line.
The mother told News 2 her pediatrician isn't sure when the H1N1 vaccine will arrive, so she's taking advantage Metro's clinic.
"I believe in immunizing my children and protecting them from any illness and because they're children, they're my number one concern, so I want to protect them," Peffer said.
Robert Voss showed up with his entire family.
He told News 2, "I've noticed a lot of people have passed away, so I didn't want to take chances with my family."
The Metro Health Department received its first shipment of the H1N1 FluMist nasal vaccination late last week.
It opened its clinic on Monday to healthcare providers but when only 64 people showed up for the vaccination, city health officials decided to open the clinic to everyone on Tuesday.
523 people were vaccinated on Tuesday.
"We certainly hope those that are children through young adults come in and get the vaccine because they seem to be the ones that are, what we're seeing is more severe illnesses in that age group," said health department spokesperson Brian Todd.
The nasal version of the H1N1 vaccine is only for people in good health, from age two to 49 years old.
Women who are pregnant and others must wait for the H1N1 injections.
The health department expects those to arrive in the coming weeks.
City health officials said they have ordered more than 100,000 doses in all, both the mist and the injections.
Once an ample supply is on hand, they plan to open other clinics in the community, and offer free vaccinations at schools as well.
Children age nine and under must get two separate doses of the H1N1 vaccine. Everyone else will be protected with just one dose.
The H1N1 Flu Clinic continues through Friday, October 16, or until the current supply of the vaccine runs out, from 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Lentz Health Center located at 311 23rd Avenue North.

Balancing Your Health and Welfare Fair Today at Cane Ridge High School

2009-10-10T05:46:00.007-05:00

Click on flyer to enlarge

Please make plans to attend the 1st Annual "Balancing Your Health & Wealth Fair presented by the Antioch and Cane Ridge Cluster Schools from 9 a.m. until 2 p.m at Cane Ridge High School, 12848 Old Hickory Boulevard. As you remember we had our 1st community wide Healthy Kids Healthy Families Health Fair at K-Mart last year which was a huge success and this has opened the door to many new and exciting Health events within Southeast Davidson. This year the Southeast Davidson community has an exciting opportunity to attend an even larger event that has been organized by our new Metro Nashville Public Schools Family Community Liaisons Bradley Redmond and Pamela Burgess. Metro Schools is proactively working to partner with the community in opening up our schools and expanding community services with agencies, businesses, and community leaders. This event is a collaborative family and community event. It will provide families with information on how to lead healthy lifestyles and also encourage families to think about their future, their wealth and financial well-being in a fun and entertaining venue. There will be over 50 local businesses and organizations providing information on nutrition and exercise, wealth management, public health concerns, financial investing and much more. Please join the Antioch and Cane Ridge community today for a day of fun while receiving the best and latest information to keep your family healthy and on the right financial track.

I also want to thank Councilman Sam Coleman, Councilman Duane Dominy, Councilman Robert Duvall, Councilman Parker Toler, and School Board Candidate Cheryl Mayes for their donations to an aspect of the event.

Metro schools to give free H1N1 vaccinations

2009-10-07T08:38:00.003-05:00

Thank you Dr. Paul for sharing this information at a recent community meeting. So many people as I had shared have been waiting for this news.

Metro schools to give free H1N1 vaccinations
Tuesday, October 6, 2009 at 11:26pm
By Sherry Phillips

Nashville's health department will be providing free flu shots to Metro Schools students. Stacks of boxes of information packets about vaccinations are ready to distribute to parents later this week. Photo by Jude Ferrara/The City Paper

Parents concerned about H1N1 spreading in their children's classrooms can breath a slight sigh of relief in knowing that Metro Schools are taking proactive steps to prevent a widespread outbreak.As soon as vaccine is available, Metro Health Department will begin dispensing free H1N1 vaccinations to all public school students. The health department has been working with Metro Schools since April to develop the voluntary vaccination program, said Brian Todd, spokesperson for the Metro Health Department."We recognized that at some point we'd have another outbreak, and children are one of the highest risk groups," he said. "We also recognized that the federal government would be providing, at no charge, large doses of vaccine."Public school parents should expect to receive a four-page packet sent home with their children either late this week or early next week.The packet includes a letter from Bill Paul, Metro's Director of Health, explaining the program and two pages providing information on the actual H1N1 vaccines — one for the FluMist and another on the shot. Both vaccine pages are provided in English and Spanish.The fourth page, which will be inserted by the school system, includes a consent form for parents or guardians to sign and return."This is purely an opportunity to protect their children," Todd said. "We want to them to have the information whether they're getting the shots from us, their pediatrician or they're not getting it at all."H1N1 virus, also known as "swine flu" and "Pandemic H1N1 2009” is a virus that can spread from people who are infected to others through coughs and sneezes. The Centers for Disease Control recommends that children and young adults between the ages of 6 months and 24 years be vaccinated against the 2009 H1N1. Children under 10 will need two doses four weeks apart. The health department will also provide the second dose.Metro Schools spokesperson Noelle Mashburn said the plan is to begin with elementary grades, move to middle schools and then high school students."We're all working really, really hard to help slow spread and keep our kids healthy and well," Mashburn said.Despite all the preparation, there are two variables officials cannot predict — when and how much vaccine will be available and how many people are going to want to be vaccinated.Consent forms should be returned to schools by Oct. 9 so the health department can get an estimated head count on the number of doses needed before the vaccine arrives.The health department will likely hire a team of contract nurses for an 8-week period to travel to schools and administer H1N1 vaccines, Todd said.The federal government allows health departments to charge up to $19.50 per dose in administrative costs, but Metro has made the decision to offer the shots free of charge.Metro is receiving $2 million in federal funds to promote an overall plan to provide H1N1 vaccinations. Todd said those funds will cover any administrative costs.

Candidate emerges for vacant school board seat

2009-10-02T08:05:00.002-05:00

By Kyle Swenson

Tuesday, September 29, 2009 at 1:01pm

Although the election is almost a year away, already one candidate has emerged for the Metro Board of Education’s District 6 seat, a position left vacant as current board member Karen Johnson launches a campaign for Juvenile Court Clerk.
Cheryl D. Mayes, a longtime volunteer in the district schools, has kicked off her candidacy by launching a campaign Web site and planning an upcoming meet-and-greet for late October. She is the first candidate to officially announce her bid for the seat.
Mayes told The City Paper that her decision to run was inspired by her hope to continue the work Johnson has done for the district in her time on the board.
“She has made a lot of great strives in the southeast Davidson County area, and my fear was that it would just drop off,” Mayes said.
A mother of three, Mayes says she has extensive experience working with PTO and PTA programs, as well as recently serving as a representative on the Community Task Force on Student Assignments.
Mayes says that a key area of focus for her campaign will be working to gather greater community involvement in the district schools.
“Our parents give, our administrators and teachers give, the students do everything that they can, but unfortunately sometimes we don't have as much community involvement as we need to,” she said. “If you put all four pieces together, you are going to have a valuable tool.”
Communication, Mayes says, is the key to bringing the community back into the schools. “A lot of the time we don't reach out to the community leaders or the businesses to ask for what we need,” she added.
Mayes’ bid for the school board seat has caught the attention of Johnson, who has known the candidate for a number of years, calling her is “an outstanding candidate.”
“She has been an extremely involved mother within the district, in all facets, both at the board level and at the district level,” Johnson said. “I think that's what sets her apart.”
Johnson said that whomever ends up with her seat will have to continue to offer the high level of communication and accessibility her constituents have come to expect.
“They're used to being able to get information and having access to me at all times, so that person would definitely be someone who will over-communicate and be involved both in schools and the neighborhood associations,” she said.
In addition to launching a Web site, Mayes plans to meet and greet potential voters from 6-9 p.m. on Oct. 29 at Raz’z restaurant on Murfreesboro Pike. In the meantime, she plans to talk to parents, students and administrators to take a measure of the current schools situation.
“My personal philosophy is that you can't fix it unless you know what people think is broken,” Mayes said.

http://www.cheryldmayes.blogspot.com/

2009 Walk Nashville Week will take place October 3-9

2009-10-02T08:03:00.001-05:00

The 2009 Walk Nashville Week will be the 11th annual week that celebrates and promotes walking in your daily life and walking throughout Nashville.
The 2009 Walk Nashville Week will take place October 3-9. The week will consist of Walk to Worship Day (October 3-4), Walk Your Neighborhood Day (October 5), Walk to Work Day (October 6), Walk to School Day (October 7), Walk for Active Aging (October 8), and Walk to Lunch Day (October 9).
Walk to Worship Day promotes local congregations to walk to their worship activities on the weekend of October 3-4. Congregations are encouraged to develop walking groups, that will continue throughout the year.
Walk Your Neighborhood Day celebrates taking pride in your city and neighborhood. The Community Health and Wellness team is developing a printable booklet of various maps of community-based walks that will not only encourage physical activity but also give you an opportunity to learn about Nashville history, along with a chance to appreciate your community. If you would like to submit the directions/map of a community walk, please contact us by clicking here.
Walk to Work Day asks Nashville workers to walk to work for the day and to consider walking to work more often in the future. The Community Health and Wellness Team sets up shop at various locations around town to provide free breakfast to walkers and to promote the day.
Walk to School Day is designed to increase students' physical activity levels, focus on the walk-ability of the surrounding environment, and increase safe walking skills. The Nashville Walk to School Day has been nationally recognized for its large participation numbers and health promotion aspects.
Walk for Active Aging promotes walking among senior citizens and the senior centers around Nashville. Maintaining physical activity into your senior years continues to have a great benefit on your health.
Walk at Lunch Day promotes walking at lunch for the day. Area companies and local office buildings will be promoting walking groups from within to walk at lunch, and to hopefully continue these walking groups throughout the year.

Johnson To Kick-Off Campaign at Cabana For Davidson County Juvenile Court Clerk Run in Recognition of "Youth Court Month" September!

2009-09-17T12:09:00.004-05:00

Johnson To Kick-Off Campaign at Cabana For Davidson County Juvenile Court Clerk Run
Media Contact: Rhea W. Kinnard, Press Secretary

Phone (615) 941-8396 or Mobile (615) 400-6125

Email: kinn0167@aol.com

NEWS RELEASE

For Immediate Release

JOHNSON TO KICK-OFF CAMPAIGN AT CABANA FOR DAVIDSON COUNTY JUVENILE COURT CLERK RUN

Campaign and Local Supporters to Recognize Youth Court Month

Nashville, TN- September 17, 2009- Since publicly making her announcement to run for Davidson County's Juvenile Court Clerk in April, Karen Johnson will officially kick-off her campaign on Tuesday, September 22 at Cabana located at 1910 Belcourt Avenue from 5:00 to 7:00 pm.

At the kick-off event, Johnson will address her run for Juvenile Court Clerk and recognize the importance of Youth Court Month.

"I am excited about my run for the Davidson County Office of the Juvenile Court Clerk. I am equally excited about recognizing Youth Court Month in Nashville and helping people understand the important work they do and how it is all connected to the position I am running for," says Johnson. "I believe our children should come first. That's why I am committed to reaching out to the community for their support so that we can make a difference in the lives of our children. Youth must be at the forefront in the struggle to overcome some of our most pressing social problems and challenges. It is also critical that this office is efficiently run and that the records are timely, accurate and can be relied upon. Each child's future depends on this."

Johnson further emphasizes that her twenty plus years of working for Nashville's children and families and her educational and professional background in management will offer a unique and much needed set of skills for the Juvenile Court Clerk Office.

Other highlights of the event include a resolution which will be presented to the Tennessee Teen Court Association which operates under the Tennessee Bar Association as well as musical performances by Neo Soul artist William Davenport, Country Music artist Layne Wrye, and vocalist Michael Storey.

To RSVP for the kick-off event, call (615) 519-8197 or email teamjohnson2010@comcast.net. For more information regarding the campaign, please visit http://www.karenjohnson.org/. About Karen Johnson

Karen Johnson is a community leader and youth advocate. She is a native of Montgomery, Alabama and was educated in the public school system. She holds a degree in Business Administration in Management from Tennessee State University and a Masters degree in Business and Organizational Management from Trevecca Nazarene University. She is currently the Director of Outreach for the Governor's Books from Birth Foundation for the State of Tennessee and resides in Nashville with her husband David and their three sons David, Chris and Jon.
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Volunteer to help Metro Schools Saturday September 26 with Hands On Nashville

2009-09-15T21:55:00.003-05:00

Join more than 1,000 volunteers for Hands On Nashville Day, our community's largest day of service to public schools. Last year was the largest event ever with 1,400 participants giving a total of 5,600 hours.
Be the Change. Individuals and groups are encouraged to participate in this community-transforming event. Choose to make a difference at one of over 50 Metro Nashville Public School sites by painting, landscaping, and more.

8:00am - Noon Projects at Metro Schools

Noon - 2:00pm CMT One Country Celebration at LIMELIGHT

If you have any questions, or need assistance, please contact Hands On Nashville at 298-1108 ext. 110 or mailto:amy@hon.org

Nashville school among those named "Blue Ribbon" Schools

2009-09-15T21:48:00.003-05:00

This is a significant achievement for MNPS! Congratulations Rose Park
By BILL THEOBALD • Tennessean Washington Bureau • September 15, 2009
WASHINGTON -- The Rose Park Math/Science Middle Magnet School in Nashville is one of six Tennessee schools named "Blue Ribbon Schools" today by the U.S. Department of Education

A total of 314 schools across the country received the honor in an announcement by Secretary of Education Arne Duncan. The Nashville school was among those selected because they showed dramatic improvement on standardized test scores and they have 40 percent of their students from disadvantaged backgrounds. Schools are chosen under that criteria or if the school is in the top 10 percent on standardized tests.
The schools will be honored during a ceremony in Washington, D.C., on Nov. 3.

Prepared Remarks of President Barack Obama Back to School Event

2009-09-07T20:18:00.002-05:00

Prepared Remarks of President Barack Obama Back to School Event

Arlington, Virginia September 8, 2009 
The President: Hello everyone – how’s everybody doing today? I’m here with students at Wakefield High School in Arlington, Virginia. And we’ve got students tuning in from all across America, kindergarten through twelfth grade. I’m glad you all could join us today.
I know that for many of you, today is the first day of school. And for those of you in kindergarten, or starting middle or high school, it’s your first day in a new school, so it’s understandable if you’re a little nervous. I imagine there are some seniors out there who are feeling pretty good right now, with just one more year to go. And no matter what grade you’re in, some of you are probably wishing it were still summer, and you could’ve stayed in bed just a little longer this morning.
I know that feeling. When I was young, my family lived in Indonesia for a few years, and my mother didn’t have the money to send me where all the American kids went to school. So she decided to teach me extra lessons herself, Monday through Friday – at 4:30 in the morning.
Now I wasn’t too happy about getting up that early. A lot of times, I’d fall asleep right there at the kitchen table. But whenever I’d complain, my mother would just give me one of those looks and say, "This is no picnic for me either, buster."
So I know some of you are still adjusting to being back at school. But I’m here today because I have something important to discuss with you. I’m here because I want to talk with you about your education and what’s expected of all of you in this new school year.
Now I’ve given a lot of speeches about education. And I’ve talked a lot about responsibility.
I’ve talked about your teachers’ responsibility for inspiring you, and pushing you to learn.
I’ve talked about your parents’ responsibility for making sure you stay on track, and get your homework done, and don’t spend every waking hour in front of the TV or with that Xbox.
I’ve talked a lot about your government’s responsibility for setting high standards, supporting teachers and principals, and turning around schools that aren’t working where students aren’t getting the opportunities they deserve.
But at the end of the day, we can have the most dedicated teachers, the most supportive parents, and the best schools in the world – and none of it will matter unless all of you fulfill your responsibilities. Unless you show up to those schools; pay attention to those teachers; listen to your parents, grandparents and other adults; and put in the hard work it takes to succeed.
And that’s what I want to focus on today: the responsibility each of you has for your education. I want to start with the responsibility you have to yourself.
Every single one of you has something you’re good at. Every single one of you has something to offer. And you have a responsibility to yourself to discover what that is. That’s the opportunity an education can provide.
Maybe you could be a good writer – maybe even good enough to write a book or articles in a newspaper – but you might not know it until you write a paper for your English class. Maybe you could be an innovator or an inventor – maybe even good enough to come up with the next iPhone or a new medicine or vaccine – but you might not know it until you do a project for your science class. Maybe you could be a mayor or a Senator or a Supreme Court Justice, but you might not know that until you join student government or the debate team.
And no matter what you want to do with your life – I guarantee that you’ll need an education to do it. You want to be a doctor, or a teacher, or a police officer? You want to be a nurse or an architect, a lawyer or a member of our military? You’re going to need a good education for every single one of those careers. You can’t drop out of school and just drop into a good job. You’ve got to work for it and train for it and learn for it.
And this isn’t just important for your own life and your own future. What you make of your education will decide nothing less than the future of this country. What you’re learning in school today will determine whether we as a nation can meet our greatest challenges in the future.
You’ll need the knowledge and problem-solving skills you learn in science and math to cure diseases like cancer and AIDS, and to develop new energy technologies and protect our environment. You’ll need the insights and critical thinking skills you gain in history and social studies to fight poverty and homelessness, crime and discrimination, and make our nation more fair and more free. You’ll need the creativity and ingenuity you develop in all your classes to build new companies that will create new jobs and boost our economy.
We need every single one of you to develop your talents, skills and intellect so you can help solve our most difficult problems. If you don’t do that – if you quit on school – you’re not just quitting on yourself, you’re quitting on your country.
Now I know it’s not always easy to do well in school. I know a lot of you have challenges in your lives right now that can make it hard to focus on your schoolwork.
I get it. I know what that’s like. My father left my family when I was two years old, and I was raised by a single mother who struggled at times to pay the bills and wasn’t always able to give us things the other kids had. There were times when I missed having a father in my life. There were times when I was lonely and felt like I didn’t fit in.
So I wasn’t always as focused as I should have been. I did some things I’m not proud of, and got in more trouble than I should have. And my life could have easily taken a turn for the worse.
But I was fortunate. I got a lot of second chances and had the opportunity to go to college, and law school, and follow my dreams. My wife, our First Lady Michelle Obama, has a similar story. Neither of her parents had gone to college, and they didn’t have much. But they worked hard, and she worked hard, so that she could go to the best schools in this country.
Some of you might not have those advantages. Maybe you don’t have adults in your life who give you the support that you need. Maybe someone in your family has lost their job, and there’s not enough money to go around. Maybe you live in a neighborhood where you don’t feel safe, or have friends who are pressuring you to do things you know aren’t right.
But at the end of the day, the circumstances of your life – what you look like, where you come from, how much money you have, what you’ve got going on at home – that’s no excuse for neglecting your homework or having a bad attitude. That’s no excuse for talking back to your teacher, or cutting class, or dropping out of school. That’s no excuse for not trying.
Where you are right now doesn’t have to determine where you’ll end up. No one’s written your destiny for you. Here in America, you write your own destiny. You make your own future.
That’s what young people like you are doing every day, all across America.
Young people like Jazmin Perez, from Roma, Texas. Jazmin didn’t speak English when she first started school. Hardly anyone in her hometown went to college, and neither of her parents had gone either. But she worked hard, earned good grades, got a scholarship to Brown University, and is now in graduate school, studying public health, on her way to being Dr. Jazmin Perez.
I’m thinking about Andoni Schultz, from Los Altos, California, who’s fought brain cancer since he was three. He’s endured all sorts of treatments and surgeries, one of which affected his memory, so it took him much longer – hundreds of extra hours – to do his schoolwork. But he never fell behind, and he’s headed to college this fall.
And then there’s Shantell Steve, from my hometown of Chicago, Illinois. Even when bouncing from foster home to foster home in the toughest neighborhoods, she managed to get a job at a local health center; start a program to keep young people out of gangs; and she’s on track to graduate high school with honors and go on to college.
Jazmin, Andoni and Shantell aren’t any different from any of you. They faced challenges in their lives just like you do. But they refused to give up. They chose to take responsibility for their education and set goals for themselves. And I expect all of you to do the same.
That’s why today, I’m calling on each of you to set your own goals for your education – and to do everything you can to meet them. Your goal can be something as simple as doing all your homework, paying attention in class, or spending time each day reading a book. Maybe you’ll decide to get involved in an extracurricular activity, or volunteer in your community. Maybe you’ll decide to stand up for kids who are being teased or bullied because of who they are or how they look, because you believe, like I do, that all kids deserve a safe environment to study and learn. Maybe you’ll decide to take better care of yourself so you can be more ready to learn. And along those lines, I hope you’ll all wash your hands a lot, and stay home from school when you don’t feel well, so we can keep people from getting the flu this fall and winter.
Whatever you resolve to do, I want you to commit to it. I want you to really work at it.
I know that sometimes, you get the sense from TV that you can be rich and successful without any hard work -- that your ticket to success is through rapping or basketball or being a reality TV star, when chances are, you’re not going to be any of those things.
But the truth is, being successful is hard. You won’t love every subject you study. You won’t click with every teacher. Not every homework assignment will seem completely relevant to your life right this minute. And you won’t necessarily succeed at everything the first time you try.
That’s OK. Some of the most successful people in the world are the ones who’ve had the most failures. JK Rowling’s first Harry Potter book was rejected twelve times before it was finally published. Michael Jordan was cut from his high school basketball team, and he lost hundreds of games and missed thousands of shots during his career. But he once said, "I have failed over and over and over again in my life. And that is why I succeed."
These people succeeded because they understand that you can’t let your failures define you – you have to let them teach you. You have to let them show you what to do differently next time. If you get in trouble, that doesn’t mean you’re a troublemaker, it means you need to try harder to behave. If you get a bad grade, that doesn’t mean you’re stupid, it just means you need to spend more time studying.
No one’s born being good at things, you become good at things through hard work. You’re not a varsity athlete the first time you play a new sport. You don’t hit every note the first time you sing a song. You’ve got to practice. It’s the same with your schoolwork. You might have to do a math problem a few times before you get it right, or read something a few times before you understand it, or do a few drafts of a paper before it’s good enough to hand in.
Don’t be afraid to ask questions. Don’t be afraid to ask for help when you need it. I do that every day. Asking for help isn’t a sign of weakness, it’s a sign of strength. It shows you have the courage to admit when you don’t know something, and to learn something new. So find an adult you trust – a parent, grandparent or teacher; a coach or counselor – and ask them to help you stay on track to meet your goals.
And even when you’re struggling, even when you’re discouraged, and you feel like other people have given up on you – don’t ever give up on yourself. Because when you give up on yourself, you give up on your country.
The story of America isn’t about people who quit when things got tough. It’s about people who kept going, who tried harder, who loved their country too much to do anything less than their best.
It’s the story of students who sat where you sit 250 years ago, and went on to wage a revolution and found this nation. Students who sat where you sit 75 years ago who overcame a Depression and won a world war; who fought for civil rights and put a man on the moon. Students who sat where you sit 20 years ago who founded Google, Twitter and Facebook and changed the way we communicate with each other.
So today, I want to ask you, what’s your contribution going to be? What problems are you going to solve? What discoveries will you make? What will a president who comes here in twenty or fifty or one hundred years say about what all of you did for this country?
Your families, your teachers, and I are doing everything we can to make sure you have the education you need to answer these questions. I’m working hard to fix up your classrooms and get you the books, equipment and computers you need to learn. But you’ve got to do your part too. So I expect you to get serious this year. I expect you to put your best effort into everything you do. I expect great things from each of you. So don’t let us down – don’t let your family or your country or yourself down. Make us all proud. I know you can do it.
Thank you, God bless you, and God bless America.

MNPS Student from Antioch Maxwell Elementary Dies From H1N1 Virus

2009-09-02T19:29:00.002-05:00

Nashville Child Dies From H1N1 Virus
5-Year-Old Boy Attended Henry Maxwell Elementary School In Antioch
POSTED: 9:31 am CDT September 2, 2009
UPDATED: 6:11 pm CDT September 2, 2009

NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- The Metro Public Health Department confirmed on Wednesday that a 5-year-old Nashville boy has died as a result of H1N1 influenza.

Metro Schools confirmed that the child, Max Gomez, attended Henry Maxwell Elementary School in Antioch. Administrators at the school were expected to send notes home with students to let parents know of the child's death.
The school will hold two meetings on Thursday for parents to attend and ask questions. One meeting will be held at 7:45 a.m. and the other will be held at 6 p.m. Metro health officials will be at the meetings to answer questions.
The school is taking steps to sanitize to keep it extra clean.
The child became ill on Friday evening and died Monday night at a local hospital, according to a press release from Metro Health.
Officials are looking into whether other medical conditions may have contributed to the death.
"Our thoughts and prayers are with the family and friends of this child," said Director of Health of Nashville/Davidson County Bill Paul, in a press release. "Even though most people who get H1N1 flu have a mild illness and quick recovery, this death is a sobering reminder that it can be a serious illness. We all need to pay attention and do what we can to help reduce the spread of the virus."

Parents are urged to use the same judgment about seeking medical care that they would during a typical flu season and not seek medical care if their child is not sick or if symptoms are mild, said the Metro Health Department.
If the child has a fever and respiratory symptoms, including cough, sore throat, runny nose or nasal congestion, the child’s doctor should be contacted for guidance before going to a clinic or emergency room.
An H1N1 vaccine is expected to be available starting in October to certain members of the public deemed at high-risk of contracting this strain.
Health officials said parents should seek emergency assistance if their child experiences any of the following:
Fast breathing or trouble breathing
Bluish skin color
Not drinking enough fluids
Not waking up or not interacting
Being so irritable that the child does not want to be held
Flu-like symptoms improve, but then return with fever and worse cough
Fever with a rash
Health Department officials remind all adults and children to take the following precautions:
Avoid close contact with people who are sick.
Cover coughs and sneezes with the crook of the elbow or a tissue.
Wash hands often with soap and water, especially after coughing or sneezing.
If water and soap are not available, use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer.
Try not to touch one's eyes, nose or mouth.
Get the seasonal flu shot, which is now becoming available locally.
Children and adults who are sick should stay home if they have symptoms of fever over 100 degrees F and a cough, sore throat, runny nose, body aches, vomiting or diarrhea. Ill persons should not return to school or work until 24 hours after they are free of fever without the use of fever-reducing medicines.

Our New Mission and Vision: MNPS will be the first choice for families

2009-08-18T15:49:00.002-05:00

VISION
Metropolitan Nashville Public Schools will provide every student with the foundation of
knowledge, skills and character necessary to excel in higher education, work and life.
We embrace and value a diverse student population and community. Different
perspectives and backgrounds form the cornerstone of our strong public education
system.
TO SUCCEED WE MUST
• Provide an excellent teacher in every class, for every student, every year;
• Ensure that school leadership is focused on high student achievement and cultivates an
environment that produces excellence for a diverse student body;
• Build and sustain effective and efficient systems to support finances, operations and the
academic and personal growth of students;
• Engage all families, recognizing the power and responsibility of parents and caregivers to
drive success for students; and
• Strengthen connections with the entire community to support all areas of student
growth.
WE BELIEVE
• All students bring unique cultural backgrounds, learning styles, abilities, interests, and
social and health needs.
• Each student can achieve at high levels, exceeding national standards.
• Quality school staff is essential to academic excellence.
• Consistent and sustained leadership ensures results are achieved and proven strategies
can take hold.
• Professional development must be sustained, clear and consistently focused on quality
instruction.
• Families and community organizations must be partners in meeting our goals.
• Each person in the school system is responsible for working toward this vision.
• Effective, two-way communication with parents and other stakeholders is essential.
• Transparency and accountability must be valued and practiced.

METROPOLITAN NASHVILLE PUBLIC SCHOOLS WILL BE THE FIRST CHOICE FOR FAMILIES

Our Children Are Our Future!

2009-08-14T11:49:00.008-05:00

A note from a candidate (Cheryl D. Mayes) for school board district 6 seat. Check out her blog http://www.cheryldmayes.blogspot.com/ to receive additional information on her candidacy.

Email: CherylDMayes@gmail.com
www.facebook.com/CherylDMayes
twitter.com/CherylMayes
Phone: (615) 753-9766
Donations: Mayes for School Board District 6
P.O. Box 1044
Antioch, TN 37011-1044
All to often we make decisions for our children that we believe are in their best interest. As parents we always want the best for our children from the way they live to the lessons that we attempt to teach them. A quality education is no different.We seek the best for our children based on our own life experiences. We know from experience what a mediocre education can cost us in they way we live, the jobs we seek and lifestyles we try to attain for ourselves and our families.So why would we settle for anything less than the absolute best education possible for our precious children? The answer, we shouldn't! We should expect that whichever form of education we seek for our children, be it public or private, will offer the best without question!Our children are our future! When I think of the how times have changed since my own high school graduation I am amazed at how the educational process has changed. Are we really thinking about the best for our children or are we consumed with changing the system to suit what we believe is what our children want?As parents and educators we have an undeniable belief that each and every child that we encounter will go to college and perhaps go on to be the next great debater, the next community leader, the next multi-million dollar business owner, the next star athlete and yes, even the next President of our great nation. The question is how do they get there? How do the children of today reach these goals that we have set for them? What will it take for our children to be the best they can be? My belief is that we begin with talking with our children. Knowing what we want for our children is not always what they seek for themselves. Asking our children what their expectancies are for themselves may be a true eye-opener.Consider the pressure a child feels if he/she comes from a family of educated professionals. The child may feel compelled or even obliged to follow in their parents/family's footsteps even if what they really seek is a career as an artist or a musician. What about this child whose parents never received a post-secondary education? Will the pressure to attend college because he/she will be the first in their family produce added pressure to make the family proud? And let's also consider the child who does in fact desperately want to attend college, but his/her family is not financially able to make that dream a reality? What becomes of this child?Let's also take a quick glance at how our children are "tested" for academic performance. Are these tests truly designed with all of our children in mind? While I must say that academic testing can be a good way to determine how our children are performing and advancing in their respective classes, it does not completely measure the "whole" child.When we consider the "whole" child we must always take a closer look at our children's environment, their home life, their communities and their educational experiences. Too often we judge a child based solely on their academic performances and thereby grossly underestimate the ability of a great mind!As a community, it is our duty to enable and encourage our children to reach their true potentials. Our jobs as parents, educators and communities is to support our children. We must not and should not demean any child for choosing not to take the post-secondary road. Instead, we should encourage our children to be the best they can be. As I have said so many times before to my own children, a quality education is the key to a quality life. However in recent years I have had the absolute privilege to encounter many children for whom college is just something they've heard about. Why?Why must these beautiful minds go untapped? Why must there be even one child who believes that getting through high school is all they need to accomplish? Why must there be any child left behind?There does not have to be! If we work as a whole community (parents, educators, community) to help educate our children and not only advise them but show them the many possibilities they have before them, the wonderful minds of our children of today will in fact become the outstanding leaders that we all know they can be for our tomorrows!What are your thoughts? What are the thoughts of your wonderful, creative, exceptional children? Talk to them. You may be surprised at what you learn about your child and yourself.
Peace and Blessings
Cheryl

Sales Tax Free Holiday Begins this Weekend!

2009-08-04T07:43:00.003-05:00

School is ready to begin and the sales tax free weekend kicks it off.
Tax-free items include clothing with a price of $100 or less per item, school and school art supplies with a price of $100 or less per item and computers with a price of $1,500 or less.

2009 Sales Tax Holiday: August 7-9

The State of Tennessee's Annual Sales Tax Holiday is held every year on the first Friday in August and ends the following Sunday night. This year's tax-free holiday weekend begins at 12:01 a.m on Friday, August 7th and ends Sunday, August 9th at 11:59 p.m.

http://tn.gov/revenue/salestaxholiday/

Other School Readiness Information

http://www.tennesseeanytime.org/gov/back-to-school/

CoverKids Health Insurance for Children
Making sure children have access to regular preventive checkups and doctor visits reduces absences from school due to illness. CoverKids allows qualifying children 18 and under to get FREE, comprehensive health insurance so they may obtain preventive health care such as vaccinations and services like doctor visits, prescriptions and hospital visits. For more information about CoverKids, please call 1-866-COVERTN or visit http://www.coverkids.com/.
Immunize Now to Prevent Future Illness
Now’s the time to make sure students have their state-required immunizations. Having your child vaccinated now may prevent future illnesses and doctor’s visits. Vaccinations vary by age group for students from kindergarten to college. Both required vaccines and others recommended for children are available at Tennessee’s local County Health Departments and more than 1,500 physician offices across the state. Get more information about required immunizations for school-aged children.
Birth Certificates for School Registration
For many first-time students, a birth certificate may be required for school registration and enrollment. Parents can order a certified short-form birth certificate for $7 at any of Tennessee’s local County Health Departments or order online.
Preparing for Success
“Books from Birth” Prepares Children to Learn
I have always believed books in the home are a signpost of children that will do well in school. The Governor’s Books from Birth Foundation encourages early reading by putting a new, age-appropriate, hardcover book in the hands of every child registered for the program each month up to age five. Make a commitment to read with your child every day, starting at birth, at no cost to your family. Register a child online or call the foundation toll-free at 1-877-99-BOOKS.
Raising the Bar for Tennessee Students
Education is our state’s number one priority, and I’m proud this fall Tennessee will implement new graduation requirements, standards and assessments for students of all grade levels through the Tennessee Diploma Project. Our goal is to prepare students for college or career by requiring a deeper understanding of knowledge and skills and measuring students for college readiness. This approach allows educators to determine what skills each student has mastered and where each student needs additional instruction before it is too late. View the complete list of Tennessee’s new graduation requirements.
Safety
Keeping Teens Safe with “Between the Barrels”
Tennessee high school students can look forward again this year for “Between the Barrels,” an award-winning program made available to our state’s high schools by the Departments of Transportation and Safety. It delivers a powerful message of the importance of safe driving, especially in highway work zones. More than 40,000 students participated in a “Between the Barrels” presentation last year and more than 75 entries were received in “Project Orange,” a video contest for teens.
Mitigating Hazards with Safe Areas in Schools
To date more than $2.7 million has been awarded to fund Safe-Area Mitigation Projects in Tennessee Schools. The program creates “safe areas” in schools, such as reinforced walls and hallways, where teachers and students can take cover in bad weather. For more information, call the Tennessee Emergency Management Agency at 800-262-3400 and ask for the State Hazard Mitigation Officer.

Antioch Together kicks off Nashville Night Out for our Community

2009-08-04T07:29:00.007-05:00

Tonight will be children, families, neighbors coming together with our area police officers and firefighters. Many business leaders from the national sponsor Target and Publix and others will also be in attendance. Antioch Together kicks off the activities for Southeast Davidson at Hickory Hollow Mall at 6:00 p.m. For more information visit http://www.antiochtogether.com/
Thank you Target for donating to my area neighborhood association Percy Priest Meadows Neighborhood Association and Watch http://www.percypriestmeadowsna.blogspot.com/ and many others throughout the city. Additionally, a special thank you to the Nashville Neighborhood Alliance and the Mayors Office of Neighborhoods for their donations as well. Thank you to State Representative Janis Sontany for also donating to tonights event.

Thank You to Our New Publix!

2009-08-04T07:24:00.004-05:00

Publix has already partnered with some of our area PTA/PTO's and has given away soda for tonights annual Nashville Night Out for our neighborhood associations. We are so very happy to have our Publix back as they are great supporters of our children and families. A special thanks to Councilman Robert Duvall who worked hard on bringing our Publix back to our area. The pictures are Councilman Sam Coleman, Councilman Robert Duvall, Councilman Duane Dominy, Pastor Jay Voorhees, national representatives from Publix and (Karen Y. Johnson) opening and Councilman Robert Duvall cutting the ribbon.

Karen Y Johnson,School Board District 6, Davidson County

Metro freshmen receive laptops

Dr. Register Testifies in Rezoning Case and is final witness

School Board District 6 First to Receive Vaccines in MNPS

School Board members explain vote for rezoning

MNPS Executive Lynn Anderson and Karen Johnson help bring Career and Technical Fair to Reality

Karen Johnson issues statement regarding Flap Over Political Sign Turns Heated

Metro Schools Considers Offering Free Masters Program

Harlem Wizards Play Tonight at Antioch High School for Lakeview Elementary Design Center 7:00 p.m.

School Safety Summit Held Tuesday A Huge Success!

Youth Conference Teaches Life Lessons

H1N1 clinic draws 500 people on first day

Balancing Your Health and Welfare Fair Today at Cane Ridge High School

Metro schools to give free H1N1 vaccinations

Candidate emerges for vacant school board seat

2009 Walk Nashville Week will take place October 3-9

Johnson To Kick-Off Campaign at Cabana For Davidson County Juvenile Court Clerk Run in Recognition of "Youth Court Month" September!

Volunteer to help Metro Schools Saturday September 26 with Hands On Nashville

Nashville school among those named "Blue Ribbon" Schools

Prepared Remarks of President Barack Obama Back to School Event

MNPS Student from Antioch Maxwell Elementary Dies From H1N1 Virus

Our New Mission and Vision: MNPS will be the first choice for families

Our Children Are Our Future!

Sales Tax Free Holiday Begins this Weekend!

Antioch Together kicks off Nashville Night Out for our Community

Thank You to Our New Publix!

Prepared Remarks of President Barack Obama Back to School Event