It is with great pleasure as the superintendent of the South Panola School District that I take this time to welcome new, as well as returning, students, parents, guardians, teachers and staff, to the upcoming 2015-16 school year.

Although classes officially start on Aug. 6, we are gearing up for our annual “Meet the Teacher” nights on Aug. 4-5 and are looking forward to this special time.  (A complete list of dates and times may be found on the district website – http://www.southpanola.k12.ms.us/)

Speaking of special, the outpouring of support for Batesville Elementary School, its teachers, administration and staff, as well as the South Panola School District, has received from the community after the fire to BES on the night of July 10 shows just what a special place Batesville and Panola County is to live, work and raise a family in.

The fire at BES damaged the kindergarten wing, including 17 classrooms, the cafeteria and the administrative office. The severity of the blaze necessitated the reorganization of classes within the school district.

All kindergarten classes at Batesville Elementary School will be held on the Batesville Middle School campus, which houses fourth through fifth grades. The Batesville Elementary School kindergarten teachers and students will occupy the fifth-grade wing of Batesville Middle School.
The Batesville Middle School fifth-grade teachers and students will be housed on the Batesville Junior High School campus. The Alternative School will be moved to the Maintenance Building where classrooms have been built to accommodate the students.

Batesville Elementary School’s administrative staff will oversee daily operations for Pre-k, kindergarten and first grades, while Batesville Middle School’s administrative staff will oversee fourth through fifth grades.

The district will have measures in place to ensure the kindergarten students are isolated, as much as possible, from the fourth-grade students, and the fifth-grade students will be isolated from the sixth- through-eighth grade students.

We are making every effort to ensure a smooth transition for parents, students and teachers, and will keep you informed with updates on all events and activities pertaining to SPSD through our district and school websites, as well as the new district Facebook page (www.facebook.com/SouthPanolaSD).

Plans to rebuild Batesville Elementary School are currently underway. Construction is slated to start this fall, and we anticipate the new building to be completed before the start of the 2016-17 school year barring any delays in construction.

BES is not the only campus in the district with construction projects underway, though.
Construction on the new ninth-grade wing at South Panola High School will begin this fall. The building will house 18-20 classrooms and will be located on the east side of SPHS. We anticipate this building, which will keep ninth-graders isolated with students their age the majority of the school day, to be open for the start of the 2016-17 school year.

Again, welcome to the South Panola School District for the 2015-16 school year. Please feel free to call the district office at 662-563-9361, or email me at twilder@spsd.k12.ms.us, to discuss any issues you feel that need to be addressed. I value, and encourage, feedback from parents and the community about SPSD.

My main priority is the education of the students of the South Panola School District. We will provide opportunities for educational excellence to every student who attends a school within the district.