Meet our Employee of the Month, Alice Brownlee! Alice has a vast amount of experience in the
education field. She has been an Educational Consultant here at Palmetto Fortis for 4 years.
Prior to working here, she served as a kindergarten teacher/administrator for 20 years, as the
ACSI Southeast Early Education Director for 8 years, and as an educational consultant for
ACSI/Purposeful Design for 10 years. We are so thankful for the level of expertise that Alice
brings to our team.

Alice has been happily married to Brad Brownlee for 45 years, and has two kids and 5 beautiful
grandchildren! In her free time, Alice enjoys reading, running, cooking, and working in the yard.
She also serves on a committee that oversees a historical cemetery in the Atlanta area dating
back to 1840.
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Alice and her husband also enjoy traveling, being involved in the community, serving at their
church, and seeing their family! Alice’s favorite verse is James 1:17 — “Every good and perfect
gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change
like shifting shadows.” We are so thankful to have Alice as a valuable part of our team here at
Palmetto Fortis!

Back to School Q&A
Q: What was most important for you when tackling a new school year as a teacher? 
A: "BE PREPARED. In my experience there is no such thing as over preparation! Preparation may look different for every teacher and at every grade level, but knowing your scope and sequence before the year begins is crucial to staying on track!" 


Q: How do you prepare yourself before the year begins and each day before stepping into the classroom? 
A: "The first thing I recommend is to start your morning in the Bible. We need to be in the Word and there is no better way to prepare for the day. The second thing I do to prepare is listen to podcasts in the morning. Learning from professionals in the field is so easy through podcasts and it is so beneficial. To teach others to learn, you have to keep learning yourself."


Q: Any last tips or recommendations for teachers this year?
A: "Over communicate with parents! It is crucial to start communicating early with parents. Don’t wait till a child is far behind, start early! This will help everyone involved, and it will help to build relationships."

Hear what other schools are saying about Reading HQ!

"[The Reading HQ] is straightforward and cleverly presented — I wish I had been able to learn this way as a kid!"

Will M., South Carolina
 
Help children become better readers with The Reading HQ!

Do you know how often your students are on social media? According to the Statista Research Department, children and young adults in North America will spend roughly 170 minutes on social media every day.

A study released by Common Sense Media showed that most teens (over 78%) believe it is important to stay current with the news of the world, but more than half of them receive their news from social media sites such as Facebook and Twitter—and 50% say they receive their news from YouTube.

The point? Students want the news, but they receive it from social media. They want video-based, brief, engaging content that covers the issues in a way that resonates with them. Meet World Watch—a daily news content source created just for students. This platform provides uniquely created, journalistically styled and biblically sound 10-minute daily videos on an app-based platform.

Once subscribed, you can provide access to World Watch to your entire school! It serves as a supplemental device for the classroom and as an informative source for your students at home.

You can secure a preview to see if World Watch is right for your school!

Sign up now and get the summer free

​Previewing a product can be complicated, time-consuming and difficult! We want to change that.

​The ReadingHQ Sample Lesson includes the essential items that enable you to review what an actual lesson would look like and see how you can use the material for your students.

Each grade level sample lesson includes a daily video, a media presentation, an instructor guide, and a student activity sheet.

It's simple. Click the link below to request your sample lesson for FREE right now! Test it out. See what a difference a little practice can make for your students. 

​Michele is an educational resource consultant for Palmetto Fortis. She has been an employee of PF for almost five years and has served in a variety of roles as the company has grown and the needs have changed. She currently serves ​​Alaska, Idaho, Michigan, Minnesota, North Dakota, Ohio, Virginia, West Virginia, Wisconsin, and Wyoming. 

After graduating with her Bachelors in Elementary Education, she married her husband Tim, and began teaching. Her education background, both in the classroom and at home with her own children, has given her insight that has been invaluable for the company. Tim and Michele have been passionate advocates of Christian education for decades and have instilled this passion in their three children, who all work in businesses that support Christian education. 
 
In her time outside of work, she enjoys serving in her local church using her gifts of singing and hospitality. She also loves spending time with her family—especially her 5 grandchildren! 

​Duane Nichols is the Creative Director at Palmetto Fortis. Duane maintains the company brand and leads design projects while collaborating within the marketing team. 
 
After graduation from BJU in 1982, he and his wife spent the first 15 years of their marriage working at the Bill Rice Ranch, which is a Christian camp in Murfreesboro, Tennessee. In 1997 he and his family moved to Greenville, SC so he could work as a Christian school curriculum designer at BJU Press. He worked there until he joined Palmetto Fortis 7 months ago. Since being on the Palmetto Fortis team, Duane has brought enthusiasm for excellent design and collaborative teamwork. 
 
He has two married children and four grandchildren. In his spare time, he enjoys riding his bike on the Swamp Rabbit trail, working in the yard, and, of course, spending time with family.

Let’s face it: the last two years of educating have been difficult ones. Prior to March of 2020, no one could have predicted the rollercoaster of changes and obstacles that would come to face every school in the nation. How can we protect our kids? More importantly, how will we continue to help them learn? While Covid-19 brought health in schools to the forefront, other viruses and germs have been keeping students and teachers out of the classroom and will continue to do so—unless we have a solution.

“The common cold causes children to miss 22 million school days each year. Influenza, another common sickness among students, causes kids to miss 38 million school days each year.” (Education World)

After the past two years, we’ve seen what can happen when students are out of the classroom, and we want to help make a difference. The Air & Surface Pro can help bring school back to the way it used to be—for schools who want to protect the students in their classrooms, and for parents who want peace of mind for their child as they attend in-person.

The Air & Surface Pro is an air and surface sanitizer that is specially designed to combat viruses and reduce dirt and dust in the air. For a classroom, that means having a machine that reduces the presence of SARS-CoV-2 in the air and on surfaces by 99.9%. That percentage isn’t just a guess, either—the Air & Surface Pro has been lab-certified by the FDA for a space of up to 3,000 square feet! Details and specific findings of the research can be found here. In total, it sanitizes your space, freshens the air, and reduces the presence of all viruses—including COVID-19—in your classrooms.

If you’re interested in the possibility of further protecting your classroom and your students with the Air & Surface Pro, give us a call at (800) 484-0197 or check out our website. We want to lessen the stress of teaching—and give your kids the space to learn as safely as possible.

Callie Summer is one of our education consultants and has been with Palmetto Fortis for the past 4 years and currently serves schools in SC, GA, TN, KY, MD, MA, ME, CO, NE, SD, and NV.
 
Callie said, "My favorite part of the job is building relationships with schools and helping them meet their curriculum goals. I love chatting with schools, answering their questions, and helping them find best fit education solutions."

Callie was homeschooled from K5-12th  grade. She then attended Bob Jones University, receiving first a BA in Dramatic Productions, and then earning her MA in Theatre Arts. 

Outside of the office, when Callie is not writing or voice-acting for a Christian radio program, you can find her outside enjoying the many trails and parks around Greenville, SC.  

Contact Callie about Palmetto Fortis education solutions here.

"More than 1 in 3 children in kindergarten through grade 3 have little chance of reading on grade level by the end of the school year without major and systemic interventions" –Education Week

According to a recent article from Education Week, if something isn't done soon, students will be moving into upper elementary levels without essential reading comprehension and critical thinking skills necessary to complete coursework and to advance further in their education. 

Covid-19 hit schools in many ways—one of the devastating outcomes is underdeveloped reading skills.

Excitingly, The Reading HQ offers a remedy to these detrimental effects on reading. The RHQ is a hybrid program designed to supplement your curriculum and support students with essential reading skills. 

The Reading HQ program targets letter recognition, short and long vowel sounds, and comprehension foundations in a fun format that's easy to use. Each grade level builds on the previous program, and expands student understanding in order to establish comprehension connections, and build reader confidence.

Check out www.thereadinghq.com for more information!