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Employees of the Week
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Anne Street
Christopher Forrer
Assistant Principal
for his willingness to disaggregate data for our school and for other schools who ask for his assistance
Atkinson Anika White
for the production of The Midnight Ride of Paul Revere
Beaverbrook Anne Clark
for an outstanding organizing and directing our Recitation Competition
Cowan Road Sonia Fields
Speech Teacher
She has helped teachers develop targeted strategies & progress monitoring processes needed for EIP & RTI students. She is vested in working collaboratively with teachers to impact student achievement one student at a time.
Crescent Sherrie May
Cafeteria Manager
Because our cafeteria recently scored 100% on the Food Services Inspection Report
Futral Road Landra Chastain
2nd Grade Teacher
for her willingness to design, edit, and publish the monthly parent/stakeholder newsletter at our school
Jackson Road Robin Harris
1st grade teacher
for seeking, writing and being awarded a grant for her 1st grade class for "Kindles for Reading".
Jordan Hill
Lisa Anthony
Counselor
for doing a great job with "Jaguar Mart"
- our PBIS school store
Moore Pam Nutt
for being a great asset as a media specialist, grant writer, & an effective teacher of science, math and media skills. She is also a super star storyteller of children's literature. She brings excitement to the children in the media center, in the classroom, and in the hallways!
Moreland Road
Tracy King
4th Grade Teacher
Ms. King is new to GSCS and has quickly become a proactive member of the Moreland Road Mighty Mustang family. She was instrumental in designing and posting the PBIS MRE expectations on our main entrance wall.
Orrs Jackie Maynard
Dana Jett
Mandy McDaniel
Louise Warren
for their excellent representation at the National Character Education Conference In San Francisco
Carver Road
Daniel Lee
Language arts teacher
for his work with setting up student government association elections & improving our student engagement process
Cowan Road M.
Brandi Davis &
Bridget Harris
for consistently demonstrating such dedication to the success of our school's endeavors Kennedy Road Carlos Welch
for being a flexible team player in ensuring that 8th graders receive the proper math instruction to be successful on the CRCT Rehoboth Road Stoney Setzer
for sharing his GAA portfolios with other systems & modeling appropriate documentation Griffin High Michelle Stewart
10th grade counselor
for a fantastic job coordinating the "Apply to College" fair at GHS. Her efforts contributed to this being a great event for our students and guests. Spalding High Adrien Stallings
For leading the SHS Academic Team to Victory at the competition held at Gordon College, and for hosting/organizing an Academic Meet at SHS. We are proud to have her teaching at SHS! A. Z. Kelsey Academy Mary Ringer
Nutrition
She's always so great to our students at both AZKA and MainStay. She helps provide the nutrition they need each and every day. Nutrition
Catherine Henley
Jackson Road Elementary
Nutrition Assistant
Instrumental in receiving an excellent review with the State Department for the Fruit and Vegetable Grant Transportation Valarie Copeland
Bus Driver
Noticed a student walking to school in the rain. Valarie requested & received permission to transport the child even though it was not her student and she was finished with her route. |
| Want money for classroom projects? | | |
Apply now
through
December 3
Partners in Education
mini-grants
Education Foundation
grants
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November Payroll
a reminder from
Ryan McLemore,
Director of Accounting
November payroll will be on November 30.
In past years, we issued payroll on the Tuesday before Thanksgiving, which is when we received our payment from the state.
This year the state has postponed payment until the end of the month. | |
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the gscs
COMMUNICATOR
system-wide straight talk |
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Conversations that lead to decisions
a message from Superintendent Dr. Curtis Jones
A year from now our school system will undergo the SACS-CASI five-year accreditation visit. You know how important this time will be, because it allows all schools and our school district to remain accredited through SACS-CASI.
As part of the preparation, I was able to attend a portion of the SACS-CASI fall conference in Atlanta this week. The theme was Race-To-The-Top. It was very enlightening. Once again I was reminded that test scores don't tell everything about how well a school district is doing.
One of the sessions was a student forum where the topic was, "Is our educational system preparing our students for the future?"
There were five students who were a part of the panel. What they said reminded me of what I heard from our recent graduates when I met with them in December 2009.
This panel was special indeed. Of the five students, two were from our schools. Griffin High School was represented by Exzayvious Williams, and Spalding High School was represented by Aaron Ledet. Moderator Stuart Bennett, the GAEL Executive Director, posed questions of them.
Hearing our students talk about current educational issues from their perspective was very informative and a source of pride for me. They spoke with competence and clarity. They spoke in such a way that it was recognized by all conference participants that our system is doing something right.
It's also noteworthy that Mr. Williams from Griffin High School, an alternate for the panel, found out only five minutes before the panel began that he was to participate.
Yet his performance as well as Mr. Ledet's, in my view, were two of the best delivered, well thought-out responses. Kudos to these two GSCS students, their parents, and their schools!
The SACS-CASI conference allowed me to see our progress in implementing continuous improvement. All of the work you're doing with:
- formative assessments,
- summative assessments,
- flexible grouping,
- differentiated instruction,
- maintaining a safe learning environment, and
- increasing teaching effectiveness
is part of the process that SACS-CASI will revisit and verify that we're doing the right thing for our students.
This week I also met with all principals and central office leadership to give an update on the latest scope of work for our application for RT3.
In addition, we provided an overview to the application and have begun school visits to explain what the scope of work means and will look like in Griffin-Spalding.
Already I made presentations to Atkinson Elementary and Carver Road Middle School. We have other visits set for the coming weeks. Every school will receive a presentation, either by its principal or a district administrator, so that we're all able to better understand what RT3 is going to look like.
I remain excited about our application for RT3 because it will:
- help turn around our lowest-achieving schools,
- help us better use formative assessments for daily instruction,
- let us revise our teacher and leader evaluation system to one that we believe is supportive, and
- allow us to experiment with pay-for-performance.
I encourage you to look at the highlights from the scope of work and to prepare your questions. We're looking forward to talking with you.
Be assured we're at the discussion table. I can take your questions and concerns to the other RT3 superintendents to help create a RT3 implementation plan that we can all support. So please, stay informed, stay engaged, and let's make RT3 work for the Griffin-Spalding County School System.
I close with a big thank you to all of the parents and visitors who celebrated Veterans Day with our students on Thursday, November 11. Thank you to the veterans who are part of our school system and our community. We appreciate your service to our country so that we can enjoy our way of life.
Have a great weekend!
--Curtis
Daring to do better!
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School-to-Career Fair
November 11, 2010
Griffin Event Center
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GSCS Career Pathway teachers met with students and parents at the School-to-Career Fair on November 11 to discuss high school curriculum.
 | Over 150 students and parents talked with colleges and universities.
Students enjoyed visiting with representatives, including this one from Southern Crescent Technical College. These students were discussing the transition from high school to college. |
 | | Students and parents also met with area employers. Here, Susie Greer from Georgia 4H (Fortson Center) talks with a GSCS student about environmental education and how Georgia 4H serves the state. |
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 Running 20 years strong
Local private funds available teachers through Partners in Education and Education Foundation grants
GSCS teachers have the opportunity to apply for up to $300 in mini-grants and $1,000 in school grants now through December 3.
For the next three weeks, teachers can submit grant applications for classroom projects to the Griffin-Spalding Education Foundation and Partners in Education.
- The deadline date for applications is December 3, 2010.
- Applicants will be notified of results no later than January 21, 2011.
- Grant projects must be completed by the end of November 2011.
- Apply online at www.supportspaldingschools.org.
Teachers are invited to attend a grant writing workshop sponsored by Partners in Education on Thursday, November 18, from 3:30 to 4:30pm. (Call 770-229-3710 x.340 to register.)
This is the 10th year $1000 grants will be awarded through the Education Foundation and the 20th year classroom mini-grants will be funded through Partners in Education. Funds are raised locally and through the Teachers Giving to Teachers campaign.
"These grants offer great opportunities for our teachers and students. Projects that could not be funded otherwise can be funded through these grants. All of the projects that will be awarded funding will enhance the curriculum already being taught in our classrooms," said Dr. Cynthia Anderson, a member of the Partners in Education Board of Directors and the middle school curriculum director for the Griffin-Spalding County School System.
New, easy-to-use Education Foundation Application
In an effort to streamline the grant process, the Education Foundation Board of Directors has revamped the grant application.
"The new streamlined form should make the process for applying much easier. We hope more teachers will take advantage of grants to fund projects in their schools," said Anna Burns, the director of Partners in Education.
In 2009, these organizations together funded 48 grants ranging from $50.00 to $1000.00 each. Teachers in 11 schools were able to jump start educational projects not funded through tax dollars in subjects including math, literature, and science.
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Parent to Parent of Georgia to present workshop on IDEA
Parent to Parent of Georgia is collaborating with the Griffin-Spalding County School System's Department of Special Education to present a free workshop as part of Parent University on Tuesday, November 16, from 6 to 8 pm in the Griffin-Spalding County School System Learning Center.
Parents of students with special needs will have an opportunity to learn more about the basic components of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), how to make a referral, what to expect from an evaluation, and how to prepare for an Individualized Education Program (IEP) meeting.
A guest presenter from Parent to Parent, Gloria Chamblee, will present the workshop, "What a great IDEA! An Overview of Special Education for Parents and Families. "
Debby Daniel-Bryant of the Special Education Department notes, "It can be daunting to have a child with special needs. Parent to Parent has a long history of providing information and support to families. The organization is comprised of parents of special needs students. They are eager to share their wisdom with others and help families work with school systems to provide an appropriate education for their children."
The workshop on November 16 will be in the GSCS Learning Center, the former media center of Taylor Street Middle School, at 216 South 6th Street in Griffin.
Parents and anyone interested in learning more about the special education process and law are encouraged to attend.
Click here for a printable flyer! |
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Become a Georgia Master Teacher! a message from Valerie Mercer, Director of Teacher Quality
Program Description
The Georgia Master Teacher Certification Program is designed to achieve Governor Perdue's goal of providing statewide recognition for full-time certified public school teachers with at least three years of teaching on a clear renewable certificate in Georgia who consistently demonstrate excellence in the classroom through gains in student achievement.
Minimum Criteria:
Evidence of student achievement and student progress
Full-time Georgia Public School Teacher
Minimum of 3 years of teaching on a Clear Renewable Certificate in Georgia
Application Deadlines: - Deadline for CRCT: December 15, 2010
- Deadline for non-CRCT and Instructional Coach applications: January 31, 2011
Be Honored..
Educators built and tested the Georgia Master Teachers program, and they continue to refine it, making sure that unlike a lot of teacher-recognition programs, it's not a popularity contest, and it's not based on seat time in the classroom. You are certified as a Georgia Master Teacher based on the clear criterion of your students' achievement.
Be a Leader..
Georgia Master Teachers gather to share knowledge, skills, and best practices of Leadership Institutes that focus on enhancement and refinement of instructional practices.
Be Heard..
As a Master Teacher, you'll be part of the go-to group for insights, actions, reactions, and recommendations in education. Master Teachers are frequently invited to serve in local, state, regional, and national education groups as the voice of Georgia educators, and as influential professionals in their communities.
Be of Help..
Georgia's Master Teachers help build better schools by mentoring new teachers and coaching peers. More information available in the attached powerpoint! To apply, contact valerie.mercer@gscs.org. |
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Nine Griffin-Spalding County schools earn Title I Distinguished School honor
For the first time two middle schools, Carver Road Middle and Rehoboth Road Middle, have joined seven other elementary and middle schools in earning the Title I Distinguished School designation.
Ashley McLemore, Director of Federal Programs said, "The Georgia Department of Education honors K-12 Title I schools that make adequate yearly progress (AYP) for three or more consecutive years. These schools have made significant progress in improving student achievement by meeting and exceeding the standards."
The Griffin-Spalding County School System is honored to announce the Title I Distinguished Schools for 2010-2011:
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Title I School |
Consecutive Years of Making AYP |
Years Distinguished | |
Carver Road
Middle School |
3 |
1 | |
Rehoboth Road Middle School |
3 |
1 | |
Jordan Hill Elementary |
4 |
2 | |
Kennedy Road Middle School |
6 |
4 | |
Atkinson
Elementary |
8 |
6 | |
Jackson Road Elementary |
8 |
6 | |
Orrs
Elementary |
8 |
6 | |
Anne Street
Elementary |
9 |
7 | |
Moore
Elementary |
10 |
8 |
The Georgia Department of Education will release the final list of approved schools after the January State Board of Education meeting. Schools making AYP for three consecutive years receive a certificate of recognition. Schools making AYP for four or more consecutive years receive a certificate of recognition and a monetary award (when available). Schools may use their funds to provide teachers and staff bonuses and/or to purchase instructionally related supplies and services for the school.
Funding for the Title Programs Distinguished Schools program is provided through the Title I, Part A of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (ESEA).
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Eleven GSCS students advance to state GHP interview
Eleven high school students from the Griffin-Spalding County School System will advance to the state interview level for the Governor's Honors Program for the 2010-2011 school year. The students are:
Academics
Willie Thompson - Social Studies (Spalding High)
Ruth Guerra - Communicative Arts (Spalding High)
Jordan Tapley - Communicative Arts (Spalding High)
Aubrey Fowler - Communicative Arts (Spalding High)
Jessica Johnson - Communicative Arts (Griffin High)
Ashlyn Coffey - Mathematics (Spalding High)
Aaron Trimble - Science (Biology) (Griffin High)
Fine Arts
Nequa Olawumi - Theater Arts (Griffin High)
Jashun Walker - Visual Arts (Griffin High)
Jordan Gilbert - Voice (Spalding High)
Technology
Jed Paz - Technology (Griffin High)
GHP is a summer enrichment program for rising juniors and seniors. Teachers at Griffin High School and Spalding High School nominated outstanding students in the areas of mathematics, science, communicative arts, social science, visual arts, music, and theatre.
Students nominated must have demonstrated a high aptitude and interest in the area of nomination. Those students selected as finalists at the state interview level will participate in a four-week summer instructional program designed to provide intellectually gifted and artistically talented high school students challenging and enriching educational opportunities not usually available during the school year.
State level interviews will be held in January and February. Student notification of state selection of finalists will be sent the week of March 28, 2011.
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