This week’s Saturday Six highlights a variety of exceptional KCS students and employees, as there are so many accomplishments of which to take note!

1.  This week, the 2016 KCS Building-Level Teachers of the Year were announced.  The list is phenomenal, and truly highlights the exceptional educators that work in our district each day.  This year’s winners include:
   • K-4th Grade
     • Sarah Hall (Pre-K Special Education, Palmer)
     • Caylor Harrison (4^th Grade, Jackson)
     • Kelly Hernandez (Special Education, Johnson)
     • Pam Kindle (2^nd Grade, Kennedy)
     • John Luppe (Physical Education, Washington)
     • Pattie Seabolt (2^nd Grade, Lincoln)
     • Kristy Walters (3^rd Grade, Roosevelt)
     • Charlotte Williams (3^rd Grade, Jefferson)
   • 5^th-8^th grade
     • Lisa Bratton (8^th Grade Math, Robinson)
     • Amanda Cole (5^th Grade, Adams)
     • Jenny Jensen (7^th Grade Science, Sevier)
     • Iva Rice (7^th Grade Science, Robinson)
     • Liesel Watkins (7^th Grade Math, Sevier)
   • 9^th-12^th grade
     • Jana Engle (German, D-B)
     • Kevin Fielden (Social Studies, D-B)
     • Andy Irvin (Social Studies, D-B)
     • Kris Krautkremer (Biology, D-B)
     • Nick Lingerfelt (Special Education, D-B)
     • Vicky Livesay (Special Education, D-B)
     • Cindy Norris (Health Science, D-B)
2. From this exceptional list of educators, three individuals were named as the overall KCS Teachers of the Year and will now continue on to vie for the Tennessee Teacher of the Year.  Congratulations to:
   • Amanda Cole, KCS Elementary School Teacher of the Year
   • Caylor Harrison, KCS Middle Grades Teacher of the Year
   • Kris Krautkremer, KCS High School Teacher of the Year
3. At this week’s Board of Education Meeting, four fantastic KCS students were honored for receiving a perfect score on the 2015 TCAP Writing Test.  This is an extraordinary accomplishment and worthy of recognition!
   • Sophie Dawson, a 6th grade student at Robinson Middle School (5th grade student at Jefferson when earning this perfect score).
   • Libby Russum, a 6th grade student at Robinson Middle School (5th grade student at Jefferson when earning this perfect score).
   • Allison Glynn, a freshman at Dobyns-Bennett High School (8th grade student at Robinson Middle when earning this perfect score).
   • Emily Baker, a senior at Dobyns-Bennett High School (junior at DBHS when earning this perfect score).
4. In case you missed it, this past week was National School Counseling Week, recognizing the individuals that give so much to help ensure that students have the social and emotional wellness support needed to succeed in school and in life.  We can’t thank these individuals enough for providing these vital supports and for caring so much for our students.  The KCS Video Blog featured this fantastic work, and is worth a view!  (Click here to view)
5. A note regarding 2016 TNReady Assessments – Next week features the start of the 2016 TNReady testing window for students in Tennessee, which, for the first time, will be fully online.  Students, teachers, and even KCS technology staff have been working for quite some time to make sure this is a positive experience that will accurately reflect the learning that is taking place in KCS classrooms.  This is a great time to make sure students get those full nights of sleep and healthy breakfasts so that they are primed and ready to roll!
6. One more notice, this time regarding the end of the 3rd Nine Weeks and Report Card distribution… Due to the recent snow days and to help balance the calendar, the KCS Board of Education has moved the last day of the 3rd Nine Weeks to Thursday, March 10, 2016.  Report Cards will now be distributed on Thursday, March 17, 2016.