Friday, July 25, 2014

Grand Caillou Middle - What a great way to bring in a new school year!

There is no better way to bring in a new school year than with a brand new, state-of-the art school! Even before the first bell rings, tremendous excitement surrounds the Terrebonne Parish School District’s newest school, Grand Caillou Middle.  Teeming with innovations, the new school is the answer to the many challenges of the historic Grand Caillou Middle School, a school constructed in 1934 when Terrebonne Parish geographically, demographically and economically was a different place.


With the opening of the new school, no longer will the principal’s severe weather plan have to include how many bricks to put under the desks and filing cabinets to keep them out of flood waters or what to do with students for three months while the school dries out, since her new school sits 10 feet above sea level and all classes and educational materials are safely located on the second floor.  Neither will she have to worry about wind damage knowing that the new school is rated to withstand winds of 150 miles per hour.  Of course it doesn’t hurt that the school sports a striking blue exterior, has covered bus lanes and was built in a manner that will save taxpayers $10 million in interest!

No instead the principal can focus on learning modalities that leverage interconnected Promethean boards and the fully-equipped computer lab. She can focus on extracurricular activities that utilize the flexibility of the new Cafetorium with its modern commercial kitchen and its theater-style stage. Or she can share the good news with her faculty that rainy days no longer mean keeping energetic teens inside all day since she has 15,000 square feet of covered outside space to turn the kids loose in.

Yes.  There is just nothing like starting a new year with the opening of a brand new school. It’s going to be a great year for Terrebonne Parish Schools. 

Thursday, July 10, 2014

Terrebonne Schools – A Point of Pride

It’s mid-July and summer is in full swing.  While the mind of most of the community is focused on days at the beach, picnics in the park and fun on the water, at Terrebonne Parish School District, our minds are focused on an upcoming school year that is now just weeks away. We are excited about what the New Year will bring and look forward to the return of our teachers, students and our staff.
Part of our anticipation of the upcoming year, is based on how well we ended the last year. It was a great year for Terrebonne schools with accomplishments and accolades that any school system would be proud of.  Here are some of the highlights.

Terrebonne’s Schools were ranked by the Louisiana Department of Education as “B” rated schools.  We actually are a high B school system ranking a strong 5 percentage points above what’s required to achieve this designation. We are sitting within striking distance of being ranked an “A” school district, with four of our schools having already achieved an“A” ranking.