week of October 25 - 29, 2010  
the Griffin-Spalding County School System staff e-newsletter  
published by the school & community services department 
 

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gscs
  COMMUNICATOR
         system-wide straight talk
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In This Issue
Our current elected officials
A state finalist
Preview the Board of Education meeting
Open Enrollment
GAPPS Survey Notice
 Employees of
the Week
 
...daring to do better! 

Anne Street
Autumn Schaffer
for a terrific start - 1st year teaching &
incorporating new technology and instruction to faculty
 
Atkinson
Valerie Trice
Parent Involvement
for being an integral part of organizing and planning the "Curriculum in the Park."

Beaverbrook
Angie McDaniel
for organizing and directing our very successful "Trunk or Treat" PTA event

Cowan Road
Amy Lance
Certified Tutor
For diligently assisting administrators and teachers with program set up and support. For being task oriented and following through to the end.

Crescent
Nikki Neel
5th grade math teacher
for excellent delivery of math instruction through higher order questioning and differentiation.  She is willing to share her content knowledge with others and she is well respected by her peers.  She is our math queen!!!

Futral Road
Sara Bachman
Art Teacher
for her hard work in getting student art work to the fair and having it displayed

Jackson Road
Machelle Garland
She is the best counselor with her "Froggy" stories.  Her positive "You can do it" attitude comes out in all that she does for students and staff.  She is a wonderful "cheerleader" for all! 

Jordan Hill
Kim Holden
Pre K teacher
loyal to her school and students; dedicated; great role model for other teachers

Moore
Reba Ellis
Nutrition manager
for her work ethic and collaborative spirit with administrators, teachers, students and parents - she's a wonderful human being

Moreland Road
Carolyn Mincey
3rd grade teacher
for going above and beyond preparing and implementing lesson plans. Her professional practices are of the highest quality. 

Orrs
Dana Jett
For setting high expectations for her special needs students 

Carver Road
Gregory Gardner
Language arts teacher
for demonstrating outstanding standards-based instruction as well as his leadership with facilitating our school wide literacy days competition

Cowan Road
Bill Handley
for not only helping with building maintenance as part of our outstanding custodial team but for considering all CRMS needs a priority 
 
Kennedy Road
Greg McWell
who is a dependable team player who is always willing to lend a helping hand and is consistently spoken of as the best custodian by all of the students
 
Rehoboth Road
LaSondra Thrash Harris for her dedication to our school and our students. She works to ensure that all students are demonstrating mastery in mathematics

A. Z. Kelsey Academy Sandy Phillips
Nutrition Manager
for providing the students of AZKA and MainStay the nutrition they need for success. She always has a friendly smile and is very thoughtful and helpful to all our students

Griffin High
Dr. Tiffany Taylor Instructional Coach
for being instrumental in helping our teachers analyze and utilize benchmark data

Spalding High
Mrs. Cheryl Reddick
for her dedication to our 9th grade students and the 9TH Grade Academy

TSAC
Mrs. Brenda Kendall.  She is cooperative, professional, and helpful to all, and she has taken on more responsibilities and challenges to ensure that our students and staff are more successful

Mainstay Academy
Cris Craft
for taking the initiative and the personal time to complete on line training in multisensory teaching methods for language arts

Nutrition
Belinda Conley
Manager at Jordan Hill
Always willing to go the extra mile to help others including managers. Recently her kitchen was updated, training employees about the use and care of the new equipment were a priority and took some extra time.

Transportation
Earnest Wimbush
All drivers look to him for sound advice and spiritual guidance

Let 'em know what you think
a message from Superintendent Dr. Curtis Jones, Jr.

 

Dr. Curtis Jones
This week I had the good fortune of hearing speeches (in person) from the three candidates for governor. In addition, all three candidates for state school superintendent as well as Brad Bryant, our current state school superintendent, spoke.

When I put the ideas presented by the candidates into perspective with the direction that Brad Bryant is moving us, it became very clear to me that whoever wins the governor's race will have to work closely with the state school superintendent if we are move education forward in Georgia.

All candidates talked about:
  • not liking furlough days,
  • shortening the school year when we should be lengthening it, and
  • Race to the Top's impact on education in Georgia for years to come.
While they had different ideas about how to solve problems, they were all committed to addressing these issues.

I think the candidates running for the state superintendent and governor's offices have made their positions known. They have websites, and the information is there.

We also have state legislators who will have a major impact on the laws that are passed. What is not known is how our local delegation stands, and we need to make it our business to talk to these candidates about what we think the priorities and issues are.

It's time we held them accountable for their support of public education in Spalding County.

So, find time to talk with our local legislators, and let them know what your thoughts are about furlough days, school year length, and the concept of using School SPLOST dollars to maintain normal day-to-day operations and not just capital improvements.

I've seen in recent weeks legislative priorities (from the Georgia Association of Educators, for example). These may help you define your thoughts as we go into the voting booth.

I think it's inappropriate for me to tell you what I think the solutions could be (or should be). I think you have to form your own opinion.

So, please, I dare you, over the next few weeks, have conversations with our delegation, and let them know what you think.
Our current elected officials

Representative John Yates
961 Birdie Road
Griffin, Georgia 30223
770.412.7166 - Office
770.227.1474 - Home
770.412.7166 - Fax
Email: john.yates@house.ga.gov

Representative David Knight
401 Coverdell Legislative Office Building
Atlanta, Georgia 30334
404.656.0152
Email: david.knight@house.ga.gov

State Senator Ronnie Chance
130 Regal Oak
Tyrone, GA 30290
(770) 969-9155 (O)
(770) 969-9755 (F)
Email: ronnie.chance@senate.ga.gov
 
State Senator John Douglas*
302-A Legislative Office Building
Atlanta GA 30334
404-375-1234
Email: john.douglas@senate.ga.gov.
(*Term concludes December 2010.)

United States Representative Lynn Westmoreland
Third District Office
1601-B East Highway 34
Newnan, Georgia 30265
Phone: 770-683-2033
Fax: 770-683-2042
Office Hours: 9:00 am to 5:00 pm M-F
  
United States Senator Johnny Isakson
One Overton Park, Suite 970
3625 Cumberland Boulevard
Atlanta, GA 30339
(770) 661-0999
Fax: (770) 661-0768
Web Contact Form: http://isakson.senate.gov/contact.cfm

United States Senator Saxby Chambliss
300 Mulberry Street
Suite 502
Macon, GA 31201
Main: 478-741-1417
Fax: 478-741-1437
Tollfree: 800-234-4208


Jackson Road Elementary media specialist a state finalistA.Stratton

Alicia Stratton (left) was one of finalists for state media specialist of the year.  She is pictured with Georgia Library Media Association past-president Valerie Ayer of DeKalb County Schools.

The award was presented by the Georgia Council of Media Organizations as part of the annual recognition for outstanding media specialists. 

Preview the Board of Education meeting
Reminder!
a message from Christina Crane
Benefits Specialist, 770-229-3710 x 353

Open Enrollment

October - 12 - November 10 (4:30pm)
EVERYONE enrolled in health insurance MUST go online at www.oe2011.ga.gov!

GAPPS Survey Notice 

The GAPSS survey for faculties at schools not undergoing a GAPSS study this year is on hold until licensing issues are resolved.

Click here for our non-discrimination statement

 
 
Elizabeth Benz, Editor
Griffin-Spalding County School System

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