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Thanks to your hard work.....
a message from from Ashley McLemore, Director of Federal Programs
 Our system had the great honor of being recognized at the Georgia Department of Education's 10th Annual Title Programs Conference as a 2011-2012 Title I Distinguished District on June 19. Dr. Jones was excited to accept the award and discuss the activities that have moved
us forward as a school system.
During his comments, Dr. Jones discussed the importance of implementing initiatives through a careful planning process. Our system places a great focus on our planning process - annual review, needs assessment, and school improvement plan. Being able to align all of our initiatives to a strategic plan and using our performance indicators to drive those initiatives has helped us to focus our goals and resources in the most effective manner. Dr. Jones also recognized GSCS employees for all of the hard work and dedication to our students.
As part of being recognized as Distinguished District, our system received an additional $50,000 in funds. These funds were used to supplement the Thinking Maps Training we had already received with the Thinking Maps Writing Program for K-8. Additionally, funds were used to purchase Distinguished District flags that you have seen in your building.
There have been many changes in Federal law over the last few years. The strings attached to the funds that we receive are numerous; however, we are able to provide enhanced opportunities for students and teachers to increase student achievement. It is an exciting time in our state and especially in our county. With the approved flexibility waiver, we are seeing changes to our accountability system, our required federal mandates, and we continue to look to the future for innovative ways to improve student achievement. I believe that the US ED will use the results from states that were accepted for the flexibility waiver and for Race to the Top to shape policy at the federal level and when the Elementary and Secondary Education Act is ultimately reauthorized.
It truly is an exciting time as we become a leader in the State in student achievement and are recognized for our hard work!
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New School Meal Pattern and Nutritional Standards to Enhance Student Academics and Health
Changes are coming to the school lunch program this school year. Schools will be changing meal offerings to comply with the Healthy Hunger-Free Kids Act. This law was passed by Congress in 2010 with a goal of encouraging children to build habits of healthy living.
Many of the changes will not be new to the Griffin-Spalding County Schools. Our system has been offering healthier options for many years. You will notice some differences in our menus with the implementation of the new meal pattern rule.
- More whole grains, fruits, and vegetables will be served
- Milk will be low-fat or fat-free
- Specific calorie ranges will be in place for grades K-5. 6-8, and 9-12
- Trans fats will be eliminated
- Sugar and sodium levels will be reduced.
We will keep you updated on the new meal pattern requirements as they are shared with us. If you have questions, please contact Laura Youmans, Director of School Nutrition at 770-229-3700 or laura.youmans@gscs.org.
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Interim Principal Named for Kennedy Road Middle School
Shelia Mincey has been named Interim Principal of Kennedy Road Middle School upon the retirement of the school's principal, Dr. Brenda Ford. Ms. Mincey is currently Director of Special Education, Data, Assessment and Program Evaluation.
Mrs. Mincey has been a middle school teacher and assistant principal. She was principal at Kelsey Avenue Middle School from 1997 to 2000. She has served as the Special Education Director for the school system for the last 11 years.
She will assume the position on August 1st. The school system is currently conducting a search for a principal for the 2012-2013 school year.
Superintendent Dr. Curtis Jones, said, "Parents of Kennedy Road Middle School students can be assured of Ms. Mincey's caring for middle school students. She has one of the most extensive backgrounds in middle schools of any of our administrators."
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Georgia Educators Begin Teaching Common Core Georgia Performance Standards This School Year
From GDOE
July 26, 2012 - Educators across Georgia will begin teaching the Common Core Georgia Performance Standards (CCGPS) in mathematics, English language arts, as well as literacy in science, social studies, and technical subjects, when they return to school this year.
The CCGPS are part of the Common Core State Standards, a state-led initiative developed two years ago in conjunction with the National Governors Association (NGA) and the Council of Chief State School Officers (CCSSO). The goal is to establish a uniform set of expectations for what students will learn no matter where they attend school and to ensure that students are ready for college and careers after high school graduation.
"These standards will better prepare our students for success beyond high school and allow us to see how we measure up against other states," said State School Superintendent Dr. John Barge. "Also, because we are such a transient society, these standards can help ensure some level of consistency in what is taught from state to state."
The standards have been adopted by 46 states, the U.S. Department of Defense's education programs and three U.S. territories. Georgia formally adopted the standards in July 2010.
In Georgia, educators have been training on the new standards since March 2011. The GaDOE has offered numerous resources, both online and in person, throughout the state.
School administrators from across the state will gather at the Centreplex in Macon on July 31 for a summit on Common Core. Speakers at the summit will include Bill McCallum, head of the University of Arizona's mathematics department and a lead author on the math standards. It also will include Cheryl Dunkle, president of the Colorado Association of Elementary School Principals.
For Georgia teachers and students, the move to CCGPS won't create drastic changes because the state's curriculum already closely matched the standards outlined in the Common Core.
Below are some examples of changes students will see under Common Core:
* Third-graders will learn how to multiply and divide large numbers. They also will learn the function of adverbs, which was previously taught in fourth and fifth grade.
* Fourth-graders will tackle adding and subtracting fractions, which was not taught until fifth-grade under the former curriculum.
* Eighth-graders will be taught the Pythagorean Theorem, rather than learning the concept in ninth-grade.
* Under Georgia Performance Standards, students were taught pronoun-antecedent agreement in seventh-grade. Common Core will teach that grammar rule in third-grade.
Explore more about the CCGPS at the links below:
http://www.gadoe.org/Curriculum-Instruction-and-Assessment/Curriculum-and-Instruction/Pages/CCGPS.aspx
http://www.gadoe.org/Curriculum-Instruction-and-Assessment/Curriculum-and-Instruction/Pages/Mathematics.aspx
http://www.gadoe.org/Curriculum-Instruction-and-Assessment/Curriculum-and-Instruction/Documents/CCGPS%20English%20Language%20Arts%20Informational%20Card%206-27-12.pdf |
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Editor, gscs Communicator
Griffin Spalding County School System
PO Drawer N
Griffin, Georgia 30224 |
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