Join us to help shape community education’s future

It’s Aug. 17, 2022. I’m waiting in the parent drop-off with my daughter on her first day of kindergarten. She is focused on the smiling faces of students and teachers outside the car window, eager to start her day. But my mind is racing with questions.

Will she enjoy school? 

Will she make friends? 

How will she relate to her teachers, the other students? 

The car door opens. I fumble to gather her things. A smiling face greets us. My daughter hops out, confidently hoists her backpack with a quick “bye dad” and heads off to begin her journey.

As I drive off my mind stays on my daughter, but those earlier concerns shift to hope.

I hope she finds joy and excitement in her work. 

I hope she is respectful and caring for others. 

I hope she discovers who she is and what she is great at.

These are questions and hopes many parents share. Here at Nelson County Schools, we are inviting those parents and community members to work with us to ensure these concerns are met. The work of educating our children is too great for people to sit on the sidelines. We need to hear your experiences and perspectives in order to create the next generation of leaders. 

Serving on one of our “Community Challenge Teams” is one way for you to take a proactive hand in shaping our community’s education.

This is an opportunity for our community to clarify what benefits really matter for students and how we gauge our progress. NCS is one of many districts throughout the state looking for a better way to prepare students for success. The Kentucky Department of Education is encouraging school districts and their communities to build this type of localized model. 

The Challenge Teams teams are centered around:

• Finance and operations
• Early childhood literacy and numeracy
• Professional development and retention
• Student safety and well-being
• Learning pathways and partnerships

Each team needs a diverse set of community members. Educators, administrators, students, parents, board members and employers will have an opportunity to add their unique perspectives to the conversation. These teams will clarify the benefits we want to provide students, share feedback regarding next steps and review our current performance data. We will showcase our community progress toward accomplishing these challenges through our Nelson County Schools online data dashboard. The dashboard will bring transparency to our work, and also help inspire us to be more intentional about our progress.

The work that lies ahead impacts everyone in this community. Our hope is that all children of Nelson County will be equipped to live, work and grow within our community and beyond. We would like to invite you to join the conversation and commit to joining one of our challenge teams. Go to nelson.kyschools.us/next/challenge to sign on to a team.  Explore the conversation further by visiting our current data dashboard at nelson.kyschools.us/data.

We look forward to partnering with you. 

By Alex Martin - NCS Director of Student Performance