School Designation

November 25, 2025

Dear Parents and Guardians,

I hope the school year is off to a successful start for you and your child. I am writing this letter to let you know that Holly Shelter Middle School has been designated as an Additional Targeted Support & Improvement (ATSI) school by the North Carolina State Board of Education. Per ESSA Section llll(d)(2)(C), schools are identified as ATSI schools in North Carolina because one or more of the following subgroups received a subgroup performance grade score at or below the highest identified CSI-LP school's All Students group during the identification year; and is on the TSI-CU list for the subgroup(s) for the previous year. Subgroup performance scores are provided for the following subgroups: (1) Students with Disabilities, (2) Economically Disadvantaged, (3) Black, (4) White, (5) Hispanic, (6) Asian-Pacific Islander, (7) Multi-racial, and (8) English Learners. This letter is to notify our parents and guardians of Holly Shelter Middle School's intentions to improve educational outcomes for underperforming student subgroups and close achievement gaps for all students.

As an ATSI school, Holly Shelter is required to develop an Additional Targeted Support and Improvement (ATSI) plan that specifically addresses how the school will improve outcomes for underperforming subgroups. The plan will also include strategies that our district or charter will employ to support Holly Shelter's improvement efforts. The ATSI plan will address the following areas:

Classroom Management
Standards-aligned Instruction
Professional Learning Communities (PLCs)
Instructional Leadership
Recruitment & Retention of Effective Teachers
Support for Grade-to-Grade Transitions
Implementation of a Tiered Instructional System
Data-Driven Decision Making
Student Support Services
Family and Community Engagement

This is a planning year for Holly Shelter Middle School and New Hanover County Schools with this distinction. This is the time for the goals and strategies to be reevaluated and guide our work over the next three years of this designation cohort. We will follow up with specific goals next year.

Also, parent engagement is at the heart of our school improvement efforts. Here are some ways we can work together:

Ensure that both you and your child know the academic expectations set for your child this school year. A list of learning objectives in student-friendly language is available from your student's teacher(s).
Call your child's counselor or any member of administration if you have questions or concerns about your student or to set up an appointment to meet with a school staff member who will be working with your child.
Make sure that your child is prepared and attends school each day.
Monitor your child's homework.
Monitor the progress your child is making and attend meetings with your child’s teacher(s).
Keep track of our website and social media sites.
Volunteer.
Join the PTA

Additionally, listed below are a few resources available to help:

Graduation requirements: www.ncpublicschools.org/gradrequirements/
K-12 standards in academic subjects: www.ncpublicschools.org/curriculum/
State student achievement test results: www.ncpublicschools.org/accountability;
N.C. School Report Cards: https://ncreports.ondemand.sas.com/src/

We are committed to improving student performance. It is important to remember that just as no single score or grade tells the whole story of a student, neither does it tell you everything about a school's performance or the opportunities that our school provides. The intent of receiving these designations is to improve educational outcomes for all students, close achievement gaps, increase equity, and improve the quality of instruction. We're excited about this school year and are working to make it a success for your child.

If you have questions about the content of this letter, please contact Kimberly Morrissey at kirnberly.rnorrissey@nhcs.net or (910) 602.404

Sincerely,

Kimberly Morrissey

Principal