Editor’s Note: Tim Wilder is superintendent of the South Panola School District.
It is with great pleasure as the superintendent of the South Panola School District that I take this time to welcome new, as well as returning, students, parents, guardians, teachers and staff, to the upcoming 2016-17 school year.
Although classes officially start on Thursday (Aug. 4), we are gearing up for our annual “Meet the Teacher” nights which will be held at the following times:
Batesville Junior High School – Tuesday, Aug. 2, 4 -5 p.m.
Pope School – Tuesday, Aug. 2, 6 p.m.-until
Batesville Intermediate School – Wednesday, Aug. 3, 3:30-4:30 p.m.
Batesville Elementary School (Kindergarten) – Wednesday, Aug. 3, 4-5 p.m. (at Batesville Middle School)
Batesville Middle School – Wednesday, Aug. 3, 5-6 p.m.
Batesville Elementary School (Pre-K and First Grade) – Wednesday, Aug. 3, 4-5 p.m. (at BES)
South Panola High School – Monday, Aug. 8, 4-6 p.m.
Throughout the summer several infrastructure projects and upgrades have taken place within the South Panola School District to enhance the educational experience of all involved.
We are pleased to announce the new ninth-grade wing at South Panola High School is ready to accept students on the first day of school.
The newly constructed building will house 18 classrooms, an administrative office area and will be under the direction of SPHS Ninth Grade Principal Jason Matthews.
Construction is still ongoing for the Batesville Elementary School kindergarten wing, which was destroyed by a fire in July 2015, but we hope to be in the new building during the fall semester.
Due to the ongoing construction at BES, to start the 2016-17 school year class locations for BES kindergartners and Batesville Middle School fifth-graders will be held in the same location as in 2015-16.
All BES kindergarten classes will be held on the BMS campus, which houses fourth through fifth grades. BES kindergarten teachers and students will occupy the fifth grade wing of BMS.
BMS fifth grade teachers and students will be housed on the Batesville Junior High School campus. The Alternative School will remain at the Maintenance Building, where classrooms were built to accommodate the students.
Batesville Elementary School’s administrative staff will oversee daily operations for Pre-k, kindergarten and first grades, while Batesville Middle School’s administrative staff will oversee fourth through fifth grades.
The district will have measures in place to ensure the kindergarten students are isolated from the fourth grade students, and the fifth grade students will be isolated from the sixth- through eighth grade students.
The Facility and Maintenance Operations team renovated the 100-wing at Batesville Junior High School by painting the walls, installing a new drop-ceiling, removing the concrete locker pads to widen the hallway and remodeling the bathrooms.
The technology department oversaw an upgrade in wireless Internet access to every K-12 classroom. These upgrades will be a benefit to the learning environment of the students, and also aid teachers in their instructional efforts.
Another technological update to the classrooms for the upcoming school year will be the use of Chromebooks.
The school district purchased 540 Chromebooks – six per teacher – to be used in all K-3 classrooms at Batesville Elementary School, Batesville Intermediate School and Pope School.
We strive to keep parents, students, teachers and the community informed on all events and activities pertaining to SPSD through our district and school websites, as well as the district Facebook pages and mobile app. If you have not done so, I urge you to explore these means of communication to stay up to date on all the happenings within the South Panola School District.
Again, welcome to the South Panola School District for the 2016-17 school year. Please feel free to call the district office at 662-563-9361, or email me at twilder@sphs.k12.ms.us, to discuss any issues you feel that need to be addressed. I value, and encourage, feedback from parents and the community about SPSD.
My main priority is the education of the students of the South Panola School District. We will provide opportunities for educational excellence to every student who attends a school within the district.
Sincerely,
Tim Wilder