Good evening everyone... happy to have you online. I hope that the next hour will provide you with an opportunity to ask some questions that you may have!!! So, let's get started! All you have to do is ask any question that you may have about next year at Margaret Pollard and I'll answer them as quickly as possible. We'll be able to do this for one hour as our session closes out at 6:30. Enjoy!
(Please make sure your refresh your browser frequently to see the new comments as they get posted)
~ Dr. Bartholomew
Prescription Drug Awareness - Blog #3
11 years ago
Do you have any updates on the electives that will be available next year or how they will be delivered (wheel, elective per quarter, etc.)?
ReplyDeleteIf I join the softball team, where will I play?
ReplyDeleteWe are located on the outskirts of Chatham county, actually on the line of Wake County. Can you please tell me how the busses will run knowing we are located so far out to the new middle school? I have actually had a meeting with Robert Logan and he has suggested to us that he would have a bus route that would pick up our kids in this area and take them directly to school without a lot of stops. We are hoping that our kids who will be attending Pollard next year will not have to ride the bus for an extreme amount of time, since we will also have kids at North Chatham.
ReplyDeleteCan you tell us if any decisions have been made as to where the children will be in the fall...classrooms or trailers?
ReplyDeleteOk.. good question to start off... Electives.
ReplyDeleteHere is what we know for certain. There will be band, music, PE, Health, Art, and CTE to start the year for certain. We are trying to see what we can do in terms of intramurals right at the start of the year, but that may need to wait until we are all in one building.
In terms of frequency... we do not know that now. It still depends on how many positions we are allocated and if they are shared. We shall see!! The goal is to have students be able to take two electives each day (e.g. Band and Spanish OR PE and Band), but it really depends on what we can make happen with the schedule.
Sports locations. I recently had a chance to talk with both principals and our Athletic Director and all agree that the best place to play Softball would be at North Chatham. Soccer will be played at Perry Harrison (this should be very welcome news for the fans especially as both are great venues for watching the games!).
ReplyDeleteFYI - Basketball is still undecided.
Hi Jill,
ReplyDeleteBusing - I wish I could answer that for you. That is a transportation question and not in my arena. I do know that the Transportation Department is working on finalizing routes. As they are completed, they will post them on their website. Here it is:
http://www.chatham.k12.nc.us/central_office/auxiliary_services/transportation/index.html
Hope to see you soon!
Have any decisions been made on staffing yet? will the teachers that taught at Perry Harrison stay at Perry Harrison and the teachers that are N. Chatham stay there or will there be many changes in staff?
ReplyDeleteHi Ms. Martin!
ReplyDeleteIt looks right now as though MP students at North Chatham will be in both. I'm not 100% on Perry Harrison now, but it does appear that they will also be in both.
will the school days start and end the same as the elementary schools. i have students at both schools and use the car rider line. i am concerned about getting them to school on time
ReplyDeleteSpeaking of bus routes, the County's proposed staggered start times for next year (calendar year 2011) would put Pollard starting within 15 minutes of Woods. That would potentially put roughly 1200 students from two schools a quarter mile apart on a very small road. Has the County considered this in its planning or will the current road improvements accomodate this?
ReplyDeleteStaffing - For the most part all of the teachers will remain at the current schools. There is one classroom teacher that will move over, and obviously most specialists (art, CTE, etc.) will be shared between the two buildings.
ReplyDeleteWas an assistant principal announced yesterday? If so, can you tell us about her.
ReplyDeleteStart/End Times for school:
ReplyDeleteTo start the year, the start and end times will be the same at both. When the students go to MP in January they will have a "staggered start/end." We do not know right now the time difference, but as soon as we do we will post it so that affected families can make those changes and hopefully reduce stress!!
Hi Clay,
ReplyDeleteAgain on the buses and transportation, that is not my arena, but I will be certain to pass this along... it's a good point.
Yes she was announced!! (And I'm passing the laptop to her now so she can do her first public commenting, even though she's not officially starting until 8/1)'
ReplyDeleteHi, I'm Lisa Jordan. I have been in education for 18 years both as a teacher and at the central office. My background is in curriculum and instruction and in the human resources division. I'm really excited about being at MP and working with the students and the community.
will the students have the same language arts, math, science and ect when we transtion over to the new school building in january as they will have in the begining of the year
ReplyDeleteDo you know of any teachers that are teaching at North Chatham now, but will be moving to different grades and teaching at MP?
ReplyDeleteI read somewhere that the county is debating giving the middle school students IPADS. Is this true?
ReplyDeleteSame teachers and classes when the students transition over to the MP building:
ReplyDeleteAs of right now the answer is "yes" and that is likely to remain. The ultimate goal is to integrate the students as quickly as possible. Between athletics, clubs, intramurals, and social events, that is where we will really be able to make this integration happen. A full integration will obviously take place in the 2011-2012 school year.
How will discipline issues be handled while the kids are seperate campus. Can they be sent to the pricipal or have ISS if the administration of Pollard physically on campus?
ReplyDeleteHello again Jill!
ReplyDeleteI don't know about grade levels and what teachers will be teaching the various courses. Because of the significant shift in numbers from one grade level to the next (which appears at both schools), teachers will be relied upon heavily to utilize their expertise at multiple grade levels. I do not have a firm answer on who will be teaching what, where, or when.
when will list of the staff be posted?
ReplyDeleteiPADS... great question!!
ReplyDeleteRight now for the County, the details are still be worked out. As those details are hammered out, we'll know for certain what will happen in terms of what technology will be used in the schools.
Do you have a date on when students and parents will be able to tour MP?
ReplyDeletewill there be any avalibility for parents and students to visit the new school building in december or earlier to help the students feel comforterable in their new school. i am concerned they will feel rushed into the new changes and stressed out
ReplyDeleteDiscipline:
ReplyDeleteOne of the nice aspects of working in the two building is that all three administrations work closely and communicate frequently. The question of what happens to a student in terms of discipline obviously depends on the action. If ISS (if we have ISS) is a proper consequence, that would be communicated to either the AP or the Principal, though likely we will be in opposite buildings most days, so we would deal with it directly.
Is it possible that kids that had a certain teacher this year, will have that same teacher for the same subject next year? Will teachers be changing grades resulting in a repeat next year?
ReplyDeleteStaff list:
ReplyDeleteI can probably have a list of current staff up fairly soon. What I could not list on the website would be what they are teaching. I may even be able to get that posted up tonight or tomorrow morning.
Touring of MP:
ReplyDeleteRight now we cannot tour the building. We have to have permits for occupancy before folks are able to walk through the building. Hopefully between the time equipment is being moved in and when the students move into the building we will have an "Open House" of our own! (A formal dedication will take place a month or so after we are actually in the building)
Is it possible that kids that had a certain teacher this year, will have that same teacher for the same subject next year? Will teachers be changing grades resulting in a repeat next year?
ReplyDeleteIt is possible, but we do not know at this time.
I hope I just answered that up above, and I agree... a new setting can be stressful!! Hopefully that open house can take place before they students come in January!
ReplyDelete"Right now we cannot tour the building. We have to have permits for occupancy before folks are able to walk through the building. Hopefully between the time equipment is being moved in and when the students move into the building we will have an "Open House" of our own! (A formal dedication will take place a month or so after we are actually in the building)"
Any word on the PTA and the first meeting
ReplyDeleteis it possible to post the student homeroom teacher assiment on the web site for next year or will we have to come to the open house in aug. alot of people may be out of town that last weekend befor school starts
ReplyDeleteI'd like to encourage people to take a look at the Margaret B. Pollard Middle School PTSA page on Facebook and to follow @PollardPTSA on Twitter. I'll be posting updates and announcements in both places over the summer as we bring our PTSA together.
ReplyDeletePTA:
ReplyDeleteI know the two groups have been communicating closely and that they were meeting to discuss the transition. When the first meetings of the new PTA are ready to go, MP will put out quite a few announcements!
Posting Homeroom Assignments:
ReplyDeleteIt would be wonderful, but due to privacy issues, we cannot post it on the website.
Thanks Clay... that information on the PTA is outstanding!!
ReplyDeleteThe PTSA has received a charter from the NC PTA. We have our letters from the NC PTA and the IRS documenting our status as a 501c3 organization. We will be meeting in late July to get started in earnest. In the meantime, look for updates on the Pollard PTSA Facebook page or announcements from @PollardPTSA on Twitter.
ReplyDeletewill the kids have to be in 7th grade to start sports
ReplyDeleteSorry for the delay in response. 7th and 8th grade students will comprise our traveling teams (soccer, softball, basketball, cheerleading, and baseball). Intramurals will be open to all students in grade 6-8!
ReplyDelete