The Woodward News

Local News

July 27, 2012

Sharon-Mutual gets early start on school year

Brandi Thomas Woodward News

Woodward, Okla. — Sharon-Mutual Public schools will be one of the first schools in the area to start classes this fall.

The first day of school for the Trojans will be Thursday, August 9, with enrollment being held on Aug. 1 and Aug. 2 from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. for all grades.

According to Superintendent Jeff Thompson, new students must bring their shot records and previous school records when they enroll.  Returning students do not need to bring anything.

"This summer has been a good summer, but a fast one," Thompson said.

Sharon-Mutual is one of the area schools that has had to fill several positions this summer with a total of 13 new hires during the break.

"We had a few people retire, a few that moved away and then we also had to split our Pre-K class due to increased enrollment which caused a need for a new teacher there," Thompson said.

Thompson is looking forward to the school year and the new changes that it will bring.

"We will be concentrating this year on transitioning to the Common Core curriculum which all schools (in Oklahoma) have to be transitioned to by the 2014-2015 school year," he said.

The Common Core curriculum helps to establish standards to increase students' skills in English, math and literacy across all subject matters.

A lot of the transitioning process involves getting the teachers prepared, Thompson said.

"We have a lot of new reforms going on so it is important for our teachers to get all the tools and skills they need to be the best teachers possible," he said.

Since the Sharon-Mutual district has just a 4-day week for most of the year, many Fridays will be spent working with the teachers on the new core curriculum, Thompson said.  The hope is to have Sharon-Mutual schools transitioned by the end of the 2012-2013 school year, he said.

"It is a lot of pressure on the teachers, but it is exciting at the same time," Thompson said of all the changes that are being handed down by the state.

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