The Caldwell County School System is overflowing with loving, caring and compassionate people who dedicate their services each day to the development and education of nearly 13,000 students. Teachers, associates, administrators and support personnel build the foundation of public education. You work directly with the children every day, keep their learning environments safe and teach them to achieve academically and socially. You are the key to the success of the Caldwell County Schools.

We applaud you on the academic achievements of 2009-10. Twenty-two of 26 schools made AYP, or 84.6 percent, the highest percentage posted from any school district of comparable size in the Catawba Valley Region. Ninety-two percent, earned the designation of NC highest academic growth or expected academic growth, up from 85 percent the previous year. The percentage of students on grade level and above increased in both reading and math in grades 3-8, averaging a gain of 17 percent in the last two years. Student performance in grades 9-12 climbed from 78.2 percent in 2008-09 to 86.18 percent, the highest composite score for Caldwell County high school students since the beginning of the statewide accountability program.

Congratulations to all in the school system who made a contribution to our success. Thank you for modeling exemplary behavior, preparing for eager minds each morning and seeking better and brighter methods to educate students. Right now, you are the bar to reach for your peers in the Northwest District and throughout North Carolina.

Let's continue the momentum. The people in the Caldwell County School System are of the highest quality, and I encourage each of you to reach for the greatest accomplishments personally and professionally this school year. Take advantage of all the opportunities and resources available to you. We are fortunate to have preserved all the jobs in the Caldwell County System, and we will continue to place our people as a top priority. We believe in what you are doing each day with children.  

Thank you for your commitment to educating students in the Caldwell County Schools. Contact me with any suggestions or ideas on the challenges we face in educating students. I have the utmost confidence in your abilities, integrity, enthusiasm and creativity in 2010-11. This is going to be another great year!

Sincerely,

Dr. Steve Stone

• The Caldwell County Schools Finance Department was awarded the Certificate of Excellence in Financial Reporting by the Association of School Business Officials International and the Certificate of Achievement for Excellence in Financial Reporting from the Government Finance Officers Association, the highest forms of recognition in the area of governmental accounting and financial reporting.
• Regina Barrier, Western Outreach Coordinator for the Science House of NC State University -- whose office is located at the Education Center -- , was elected as the Secretary of the North Carolina Science Leadership Association with more than 300 active members statewide. She was also selected and listed as a content reviewer for the 2012 edition of the Pearson Chemistry textbook and her article the "Astronomical Misconceptions" was published in the May 2010 issue of "The Physics Teacher," a publication of the American Association of Physics Teachers (AAPT).
• Caldwell Career Center Middle College earned SACs Accreditation, an assessment in which schools must meet high standards, implement continuous improvement and engage in internal/external quality assurance review Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Council on Accreditation or SACs is one of six private, voluntary, nonprofit regional accrediting associations in the United States recognized by the U. S. Department of Education. For the first time, the Career Center Middle College operated with all four grade levels on a full-day schedule in 2009-10, creating school eligibility for SACS Accreditation.
• Gamewell Middle School and Kings Creek Elementary School have been selected to partner with the North Carolina Museum of Art to promote integrated instruction of math, science, English, social studies, and visual arts at the middle school level Art of Collaboration supports teams of art and non-art teachers who will be collaboratively planning and implementing curriculum tailored to the needs of the schools.