Employees of the month for high schoolGriffin High School:
Rebecca Valdez
We would like to thank Mrs. Valdez for her hard work and dedication. Throughout the renovation process, she has worked to ensure that our students have access to media resources and materials. She plays a critical role in the use of technology in our building by offering instructional technology to our teachers. Most importantly, she offers a welcoming environment in our Media Center with a smile.
It is because of Mrs. Valdez, and people like her, that we are able to, "Keep the Change".
Spalding High School: Dexter Sands. For the last 11 years Dexter has been a vital part of SHS! As a classroom teacher who was named Teacher of the Year by his peers to the assistant principal that everyone loves, respects, and admires greatly, Mr. Sands has been behind the many successes of our students and school. The SHS family wishes all the best to one of the classiest Jaguars of all time! Good luck and know that you will be missed. We are proud for you!
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Don't let the SLOs get you down!
Labor Day, according to Wikipedia, is "an American federal holiday observed on the first Monday in September ....that celebrates the economic and social contributions of workers.
"Labor Day pays tribute to the contributions and achievements of American workers. It also symbolizes the end of summer for many Americans, and is celebrated with parties, parades and athletic events."
You know what Labor Day also is to some? It's the time we stop wearing white clothes and shoes. It's the beginning of the college and pro football seasons.
And if you are a Race to the Top school system, it is the beginning of SLOs. Yes, Student Learning Objectives. What a pain. Yes, I said that.
SLOs
SLO is a construct of Race to the Top. SLOs are Student Learning Objectives written for all non-tested subjects.
This means everything that the CRCT and the End-of-Course tests don't measure, SLOs do measure.
SLOs represent two steps backward.
They are inconsistent in relevance and rigor, and they are a growing pain for us.
However, that said, I am glad we have them. Why?
Because I have a lot of confidence in you, and I know you will work to improve them. Or put another way, if we have to have SLOs, and we do, I would much rather have you rework them later this year than someone we don't know.
So go home over the week-end, reflect on our first month of school, and enjoy your family over Labor Day. And come back next week daring to make September better than August!
COLDR
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Georgia Tech, Griffin-Spalding County Schools Receive $7.3M for Advanced Manufacturing and STEM Education
 ATLANTA -The National Science Foundation has awarded the Georgia Institute of Technology and the Griffin-Spalding County School System a five-year, $7.3 million grant to enhance middle and high-school education in the science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) fields.
The initiative - led by Georgia Tech's George W. Woodruff School of Mechanical Engineering in collaboration with the Center for Education Integrating Science, Mathematics and Computing (CEISMC) - will introduce about 5,100 Griffin-Spalding County students in grades six through nine to advanced manufacturing learning experiences, such as working with robots and creating items using computer design and 3-D printers.
Called Advanced Manufacturing and Prototyping Integrated to Unlock Potential (AMP-IT-UP), the project aims to inspire students to study STEM topics, particularly manufacturing, by exploring their creativity and watching their creations come to life.
"With AMP-IT-UP we hope to inspire all students to connect with STEM fields," said CEISMC Associate Director and AMP-IT-UP Program Director Marion Usselman.
"In particular, we want to catch those students who might be our future creative innovators but who are at risk of falling through the cracks in our current book and test-driven education."
Student classroom experiences will be broadened by extracurricular clubs and competitions provided through the AMP-IT-UP project.
Georgia Tech faculty and students will mentor Griffin-Spalding students in clubs such as the Junior Makers Club and robotic competitions including FIRST LEGO League and FIRST Robotics.
Additionally, Georgia Tech faculty will be using the project for research purposes.
They will be investigating whether STEM innovation and design courses impact students' academic engagement, content understanding, knowledge transfer and persistence in STEM. Researchers will also study how professional development of teachers affects the deployment of the advanced manufacturing curriculum, and will explore and describe the barriers to change within educational systems.
"To develop and put into practice innovative approaches and strategies in math and science based on educational research is phenomenal," said Griffin-Spalding County School System Superintendent Dr. Curtis Jones.
Georgia Tech and the school system have been awarded $2.9 million for the first two years of the grant, with another $4.3 million to follow in 2014.
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GSSA, GSBA, and PAGE release joint statement on the Constitutional Amendment
 August 30, 2012 Contact: See Below Over the last 36 hours, blatant tactics of bullying and intimidation have been used to attempt to silence two groups that opposed the Constitutional Amendment concerning the state takeover of local schools. Examples of the attempt to squelch voices who opposed the amendment were the reversal of the Gwinnett Chamber of Commerce's opposition to the amendment due to tremendous outside pressure and the attempt to neutralize the Georgia Parents and Teacher Association (PTA) from continuing their opposition. From the beginning we have been clear that the vote in November is NOT about Charter schools. All three of our organizations believe in charter schools that are approved at the local level by school boards that answer to their local citizens. Current law also provides an appeals process for charters denied at local level to be considered by the state board of education. Do not believe our opponents' rhetoric. This is a state power grab to set up and fund a dual public school system: One system of public schools approved by local boards of education representing the voice of their communities and another STATE public school system with decisions made by an appointed group with no accountability to local citizens. We are deeply concerned about the smear campaign already underway against the public schools of Georgia. Voters need to educate themselves about the real issues in this campaign and not the emotional sound bites sure to follow. For further information: * Sis Henry, Executive Director, GSBA, 770-962-2985 * Angela Palm, Director of Policy and Legislative Services, GSBA, 770-962-2985 * Dr. Herb Garrett, Executive Director, GSSA, 404-413-8135 * Dr. Allene Magill, Executive Director, PAGE, 770-216-8555 * Margaret Ciccarelli, Staff Attorney & Legislative Services Manager, PAGE, 770-216-8555 GSBA, GSSA and PAGE are voluntary associations providing information, research and training for school boards, local school superintendents and professional educators in Georgia. |
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