The academic calendar for the 2018-19 school year for Starkville Oktibbeha School District has been amended to include an additional day of professional learning for teachers to begin the school year which means students will return on Tuesday, August 7, rather than Monday, August 6.
In addition, the Mississippi Department of Education has approved the District’s request to restructure four regular school days as 60% days during the 2018-19 school year. These dates are September 11, October 8, November 6 (Parent Conference), and February 7 (Parent Conference), and these dates are scheduled as delayed starts. As a member District of the Mississippi Innovation Lab Network (MS-ILN), SOCSD is allowed some flexible scheduling options for professional development to incorporate innovative strategies that further advance this new model of learning to best support students.
The District understands the delayed start days could present some challenges especially for parents of our elementary students. While the District is evaluating potential solutions which could include a plan to accommodate those students who would benefit from additional learning support during the delayed start dates, we encourage parents to begin to think about arrangements during the morning hours for their children on the delayed start dates. The District will provide transportation, but buses will operate on a delayed schedule.
One of the goals of the MS-ILN is to involve students and teachers in significantly different ways that lead to increased student learning and engagement. As the District implements more personalized learning for students, it is necessary for our teachers to have time to discover and experiment with 21st century strategies to facilitate learning. And as our District strives for excellence every day, it is important for all of us – parents included – to be willing to step beyond our comfort zones as we explore new methods of operation. We look forward to working together to provide meaningful, relevant instruction that engages our students as critical thinkers and problem solvers. Thank you in advance for your support of our efforts.
Click to download the academic calendar as amended for the 2018-19 school year.