| We're all in this together!
a message from Superintendent Dr. Curtis Jones
You know, we are all in this together. Every member of our educational family is a vital part of the learning and leadership of our students. And one of our team members was involved in a student bus accident last Friday. We send our best wishes to the child and the driver involved.
Driving to work this morning I realized that I always knew that the ride to school and the bus driver could set the tone for a positive school day. But, I didn't realize until today that the reverse is also true. The school day sets the tone for the ride home. We can all help reduce distractions on the bus by setting expectations for bus riders.
I met with our bus drivers this week to talk about bus safety. We have several new initiatives in place that help us focus on bus safety such as team leaders among the drivers. But, we must all help and support our drivers as members of our school team.
Transportation Director Harlan Plagmann also talked with drivers about the distractions that impact drivers the most. They are: student behavior, noise, traffic, route issues, undeliverable students, radio and weather conditions. He also spent a lot of time talking about the 12-foot danger zone around school buses.
Our district has had 11 accidents this school year. Records show that spring has the most preventable accidents and we need to all help prevent these accidents. It seems to me that our interest and plans for character education will also have a positive impact on bus riders. Educating our students on self-control, courtesy, respect for others, civility, reliability and kindness will all transfer to the ride home.
When asked, Harlan made these suggestions of how we can all help drivers.
"Our drivers and monitors are a professional unit dedicated to the safe and efficient transport of district students. Transportation is focused on keeping the minor issues controlled on the bus so that when we do have a major issue, we have the schools' support. Please utilize your bus team leaders to help with daily operations. We are excited about this new initiative."
I personally appreciate your help and know that our drivers are committed to getting students to school with a positive bus ride. We have to help ensure that the ride home is just a positive.
Thanks, everybody, and have a great weekend!
Curtis
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Schools Win Salvation Army Food Drive Awards
Griffin-Spalding County schools gathered 30,000 cans for the Salvation Army Food Drive this year. Congratulations to these schools for donating the largest amount.
Elementary: 1st Futral Road 2nd Crescent 3rd Anne Street
Secondary: 1st Rehoboth Road Middle 2nd Cowan Road Middle 3rd Kennedy Road Middle |
Left to right: Crescent Principal Beth Gaff, Futral Road Principal Larry Jones and Cowan Road Middle Principal Rachelle Holloway received their awards at the Salvation Army banquet this week. |
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Georgia Educational Technology Consortium
2013 Innovation Grants
Who: The opportunity to apply for an Innovation Grant is open to all Georgia teachers, media specialists, counselors, or any combination of persons within a school setting.
What: A maximum of $10,000 in Innovation Grants will be awarded, with each individual grant not to exceed $2,500.
When: Applications and supporting documentation are now available at www.gaetc.org.
Deadline for Submitting Grant Application: September 14, 2013
Grant Recipient Announcement: October 19, 2013
To obtain an Innovation Grant application and/or Innovation Grant Rubric, please visit www.gaetc.org.
All completed grant applications should be sent electronically to Paulina Kuforiji at grants@gaetc.org on or before the deadline listed on the application.
Innovation Grants will be judged and scored based on a published rubric.
Applicants must agree to implement the approved grant initiative and expend all awarded funds prior to January 1, 2014.
Grant recipients are expected to make a presentation during the 2013 Georgia Educational Technology Conference.
Questions regarding the grant should be directed to Paulina Kuforiji at grants@gaetc.org.
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A Message from the State Superintendent
We are facing an epidemic among our Georgia students - obesity. The data is clear and the message cannot be ignored: We must get our students moving more during the school day. Physical activity means higher test scores, increased attention in class and a healthier student population. To make this possible, we need your help.
We've created Power Up for 30, a voluntary program that encourages every elementary school in Georgia to include an additional 30 minutes of physical activity each day. This physical activity is in addition to structured physical education classes - not a replacement - and can be led by any teacher.
Nearly a million students participated in the Georgia S.H.A.P.E. (Student Health and Physical Education) FitnessGram last year. This is an assessment of a student's fitness level determined by basic exercises like walking, running, stretching and calculation of body mass index (BMI). The results were startling. Only 16 percent of Georgia students passed all health related FITNESSGRAM assessments. Twenty percent of the students were unable to pass any of the five assessments.
Many of you already are working hard to incorporate more activity into each school day. Through Power Up For 30, we will share best practices from schools across the state and highlight success stories.
At Jackson Road Elementary in Spalding County, students participate in "Mind in Motion" every morning during announcements that gets students moving at a moderate to vigorous pace. Fifth-grade students at Yargo Elementary School in Barrow County participate in a fitness club before classes each morning, which has resulted in the students being able to jog an average of 10 laps more per day than when the club first began.
Some schools are using heart rate measurements and physical activity to demonstrate math and science concepts during classes. Others have running clubs where students jog several mornings per week before school.
We, the leaders of the Department of Education and the Department of Public Health, stand with you and are ready to help accomplish this goal. To learn more about Power Up for 30, please contact Therese McGuire, health and physical education specialist with the Georgia Department of Education, at (404) 651-7859 ortmcguire@doe.k12.ga.usor Dan Fesperman, manager DPH Obesity Project, at (404) 657-6587 or dafesperman@dhr.state.ga.us. If you'd like to hear more success stories, subscribe to our email newsletter by sending a blank email to powerup@list.doe.k12.ga.us.
Working together we can get our children physically active and on a healthier path in life.
Sincerely,
Dr. John Barge
State School Superintendent
Dr. Brenda Fitzgerald
Commissioner, Georgia Department of Public Health
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SHS Student Selected for Honor
Barrett Lavender, a sophomore student from Spalding High School, was selected by the Electric Cooperatives in Georgia (Georgia EMC) to represent our state this June as a delegate for the Washington Youth Tour. This top-notch leadership experience and tour of Washington, D.C., includes meetings with state and national leaders, leadership training, and visits to all the major landmarks. Congratulations, Barrett, for being selected for this award and representing Spalding High School with this honor!
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Save the Date!
The Education Celebration and Kids in Need store is set for August 7, 2013. The Classified Celebration is set for August 9, 2013.
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| Character moment
Did you know?
Jessie Pearl Rick was in school in Griffin in 1911 and graduated from the "Girls School." Rice went on to get a masters degree from Emory and a doctorate from Columbia. She is famous for being the second in command of the WACs during World War II. Dr. Rice returned to Griffin following the war and was buried here in 1949. Griffin High graduate Kyle Cobb is writing a book that features Dr. Rice as a hero!
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Futral Road fourth grader Thomas Smith comes to school early for Challenge 24 math activities.
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First in Math leads to success at Futral Road Elementary
Futral Road Elementary fourth grader Thomas Smith is a whiz at First in Math. He recently demonstrated the online program just prior to the Griffin-Spalding County School System's radio show to discuss how it was helping students practice math problems. His Futral Road Elementary School class is first in the school in earning points or electronic award stickers for solving problems correctly and third among all fourth grade classes in the school district.
When asked about the kinds of problems he might encounter in First In Math, Thomas says, "There might be word problems in different subjects like angles, bar graphs, charts and shapes."
According to its website, "The First In Math Online Program offers comprehensive content-ranging from single-step addition to complex algebra-in an engaging format."
If Thomas is an example of students who get engaged in problem solving with immediate feedback, it is understandable that at the end of March, Futral Road students had solved over 955,000 math problems at home and school.
With that kind of practice, it's no wonder 91% of the school's fourth graders have met or exceeded standards in math on the common assessment.
The top earner leads the school's Clap Out with the principal, Larry Jones.
Principal Jones says the schools plans to continue with First in Math next school year because of the positive impact it has on student motivation and learning.
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| Griffin-Spalding County Schools support Relay for Life!
Every school in the county has registered a team for this year's Relay for Life to be held at Spalding High School from 7 p.m. to 7 a.m. on May 3-4. Griffin-Spalding County School System is the largest supporter of this effort in the county! Last year, we raised almost 40% of the total goal, donating $55,884.00 to the American Cancer Society. There are a few things you can do to make it an amazing Relay for Life this year:
- Be sure to register as a team member at www.relayforlife.org and pay your $10 registration fee online or to your school team captain. Team participation is key to Relay's success.
- Buy a Luminaria, Torch, or Relay Reel in honor or in memory of a friend or loved one. You can purchase these online or from your school's team captain. These items help to make the Luminaria Ceremony meaningful.
- Help advertise and fundraise for Relay for Life by liking the Relay for Life of Spalding County Facebook Page along with sharing on your page and other social media. Help us get the word out!
- Set a team goal to have a team member or members on the track at all times. This is such an encouragement to survivors as they see you support the effort to do away with cancer, because as you know cancer never sleeps.
- Go to www.relayforlife.org and make a personal donation to fight against cancer. Be sure to credit your team with the donation. The top fund-raising teams will be recognized at Relay for Life on May 3rd.
In our school system, we have student survivors like Aimee Martin, a fourth grader at Moreland Road Elementary. Recently she spoke at a Relay for Life team meeting and shared her story. She concluded by telling the volunteers, "I look forward to each year of my life and every Relay for Life that I can participate in. I would like to say thank you for all of your work to raise money for Relay for Life." Thank you to all our Griffin-Spalding Relay Teams as we join together to Celebrate, Remember, and Fight Back on May 3-4!
Top Griffin-Spalding School Team fundraisers to date:
Moreland Road
Crescent
Jordan Hill
Who will be the top earners at Relay for Life?
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Atkinson motivates for CRCT
 Atkinson Elementary used a "Ride to Success" theme for their CRCT testing this week. Over 50 bikes were donated and students will be entered to win based on such things as attendance, being on time, and being prepared for the day. Many individual Atkinson alumni as well as partners in education and citizens donated the bikes. The bikes line the center of the hallways at Atkinson. |
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Employee of the Month
~Middle Schools~
Carver Road Middle
Bart Pinckney
Coach Pinckney continues to go above and beyond in demonstrating his dedication to students. Immediately following basketball season he switched gears to track and field and led both boys and girls teams to an outstanding season. He also finds the time to volunteer on Saturdays by tutoring students in Math at Carver Road. Coach, thank you for what you do!
Cowan Road Middle
Juanita Massac and Ricky English
Juanita Massac and Ricky English for working hard to provide interventions while meeting the needs of students.
Kennedy Road Middle Staff
Great job to the KRMS faculty, staff and volunteers for creating a well suited testing environment for our students. Everybody played an important role in preparing and maintaining KRMS for The CRCT. "Job well done!"
Rehoboth Road Middle Shiketha Jester, Teresa Graddick, Theresa Lubin
for their dedication and hard work to help get items prepared for CRCT. |
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REMINDER: Open Enrollment ends at 4:30 pm on April 16th.
If you don't need to make any changes, then you are already done! Your current coverages will carry over into the next plan year.
However, we do encourage you to go online and at least check your coverage and beneficiaries just to make sure everything is up to date. Click here for the informational video.
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THANK YOU to Scott Votaw and his student, Mikal Miller from GHS for the awesome job they did with the video! We appreciate your willingness to help us and for the time you invested in making this video happen. We look forward to working with you on other video projects in the future.
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Quick Links
Board of Education meets May 7, 2013 |
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