ELEMENTARY SCHOOL EMPLOYEE OF THE MONTH

Anne Street Elementary

Lisa Manolis and Paula Grogan are Anne Street's employees of the month. Mrs. Manolis greets everyone in our office with a warm and welcoming smile and ensures that the staff and parents have what they need.   

Atkinson Elementary 

Atkinson Elementary School would like to recognize Susan Hardwick and Kristi Mathis as the employees of the month.  Mrs. Hardwick created the Kindergarten 9+1 assessment for Atkinson Elementary School.  Ms. Kristi Mathis assisted several grade levels with data collection of their 9+1 assessments.  

The employee of the month for Beaverbrook is Dashia Josey.  Dashia has worked tirelessly with teachers on 9+1 Assessments and was also our Literacy Day coordinator.  Ms. Josey is always willing to assist and we are very fortunate that she is our Academic Coach.  

Cowan Road Elementary employees of the Month are 4th Grade teachers Deborah Hastings, Kera Holden, Karen Stanfield, and Teresa Willis. They are reaching out to expand professional learning communities in our system. Thank you for sharing the 9+1 Assessment process with our other schools. Contributing to the development of others helps achieve GSCS shared goals.

Futral Road's employee of the month is Nancy Atchison. Ms. Atchison has done a superb job of organizing and conducting the Literacy Days competition at Futral Road. She is a professional of the highest quality and is always willing to serve as a volunteer and help students and staff achieve at their highest level. We thank Ms. Atchison for her many years of hard work and

Jackson Road Elementary employee of the Month for November is Demetrice Parks, 5th grade math teacher.  Ms. Parks works tirelessly each and every day to make sure her students are mastering math standards.  She assess and adjusts learning constantly, using many different strategies to engage her students and push them to be their best.  Her students love her because she takes the time to get to know them.  We appreciate her hard work and dedication, and are so glad that she is a JRE Wildcat!

This month we would like to salute the entire faculty and staff of Moore Elementary School for a job well done.  Dreams for students begin when caring people pour encouragement and knowledge into them. Thank you for being dream makers. Go Cubs!

Moreland Road Elementary employees of the Month are...

Mrs. Christy Whitson for doing an outstanding job with Parent Involvement and enhancing this program tremendously.  She is also a vital member of the Relay for Life Team and serves as our Team Captain.  Mrs. Whitson is very creative and is always eager to promote Moreland Road and support our children. 

Mrs. Tracy King-Holmes for creating and posting Character Ed traits around our school. She serves as our PTO President, on our School Council, and co-directs our chorus. She also volunteered to carry the banner for our Step Team in the parade.  Mrs. King-Holmes is very talented and a dedicated educator and is constantly growing professionally.  

Thank you to both of these ladies for helping to make Moreland Road a wonderful place.  

Orrs would like to recognize Mrs. Deena Shockley and Mrs. Janie Rivera for all they do on a daily basis to help our school run smoothly. They have worked to organize various fundraisers, pictures, Ident-A-Kid, field trips, etc. Together they handle Parent Link, Infinite Campus, teacher attendance, as well as the many interruptions which occur daily. They set the example of following the COLDR expectations and are always courteous and helpful to the parents and visitors in our school. Thank you Deena and Janie for all you do for students, teachers, parents, administrators and visitors at Orrs Elementary School.

To: GHS, Leigh Jackson, & CAP students

Dr. Jones received this message...

ANNE ST. STUDENT COLORS HIS WAY TO A BRIGHTER FUTURE

Tyree Branch is one step closer to achieving his dreams of becoming a police pilot after winning the Path2College 529 Plan's annual Hootie the Owl coloring sweepstakes. Tyree was awarded $1,529 for his college savings and Anne Street Elementary was awarded $1,000.

"This contribution will provide Tyree with a chance to open doors that will take him beyond anything that he could imagine, a college education," said Evelyn Jones, principal of Anne Street Elementary School.

Read more...

Mitch Seabaugh, executive director of the Path2College 529 Plan presented the checks to Tyree and Anne Street on November 21st.

SHS ART STUDENTS RECEIVE CATERPILLAR FOUNDATION GRANT

The Caterpillar Foundation, in partnership with the Griffin-Spalding County School's Partners in Education program, presented a grant to Spalding High School. The grant will be used to help strengthen students' aptitude and love for technology, as well as prepare students for college and careers. New technology will be used to create art work and electronic portfolios for submission to College Board, for college recruitment and as part of career exploration.

Read more...

Pictured: Lataunya Hancock and Calvin Jones, Caterpillar of Griffin, Amanda Breland, SHS Media Specialist and Darrell Jeffcoat, SHS Principal.

-John Fitzgerald Kennedy

CRESCENT TEACHER CREATES DRAMA THANKS TO SOUTHERN RIVERS ENERGY

Rachael Long, teacher at Crescent Elementary, was awarded the Southern Rivers Bright Ideas Energy Grant for $865.00. The grant will fund "Project Break a Leg" which will allow two drama productions for 4th and 5th grade students this year. 

Bobby Ferris, Director of Marketing and Communications at Southern Rivers Energy and Erin Cook, Communications Specialist for Southern Rivers presenting Rachael with her check at Crescent  on October 28, 2013 along with Dr. Jones, superintendent, and Beth Gaff, principal.

Congratulations to the other GSCS teachers that were also awarded the Southern Rivers Bright Ideas Energy Grant:

• Sandra Hogan at Futral Road Elementary was awarded $977.
• Joyce Victoria at Spalding High School was awarded $1,000.
• Jessica Lalumiere at Futral Road Elementary was awarded $954.
• La'Tesa Parker at Atkinson Elementary was awarded $900.

GSCS PLEDGES OVER $15,000 TO UNITED WAY 

Congratulations GSCS staff! You've done it again! During our 2013-2014 campaign, GSCS staff members pledged $16,327.46 to United Way through payroll deduction and cash contributions. Thank you for supporting our community in such a tremendous way! 

Every school participated in the campaign but three deserve special recognition. Jordan Hill Elementary, Moore Elementary, and Carver Road Middle School had 100% STAFF PARTICIPATION! This is not an easy task so kudos to Amy Coe (Jordan Hill), Shwanda Dukes (Moore), and Ashley Donaldson Hare (Carver Road Middle) for leading their schools in this huge achievement.

Whether you were able to give a little or a lot, know that your donation will help make a positive difference in someone's life. Thank you for being a change agent in our community and thank you for supporting United Way.

Click HERE for the full list of our 2013-2014 United Way Campaign Totals.

"Thanksgiving Day comes, by statute, once a year; to the honest man it comes as frequently as the heart of gratitude will allow."

 - Edward Sandford Martin 

GRIFFIN COMMUNITY CAN-A-THON

Drop off canned and non-perishable foods at CVS (Crescent Road Entrance) on Friday, Dec. 3rd from 7:00 a.m. - 5:00
p.m. Donations stay local and support the Salvation Army and Griffin Food Pantry. 

Click HERE to view flyer.

CRMS JINGLE JOG REMINDER

Registration deadline for Cowan Road Middle's 5th Annual Jingle Bell Jog 

(Dec. 5th at 5:30 p.m.) is November 29th. Register now at:  www.CRMSJingleBellJog.eventbrite.com. 

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