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MIDDLE SCHOOL
EMPLOYEES OF THE MONTH
CARVER ROAD MIDDLE SCHOOL
Zacharel Veal is Carver Road Middle School's Employee of the Month. Though Mr. Veal is a new teacher, he is an outstanding role model and mentor for others. He is a lead learner with technology and often volunteers and goes above and beyond. Ashley Watkins is our 2185 Pride Staff member of the Month. She is our special education lead teacher, and she has the 2185 Pride.
KENNEDY ROAD MIDDLE SCHOOL
KRMS is proud to recognize Coach Janet Boerner as our Employee of the Month. Coach B wears many hats at Kennedy Road Middle. She does an awesome job with our physical education program and also serves as our Athletic Director. She works tirelessly to keep the athletic program going and holds our student athletes to high standards both academically and behaviorally. Coach B is a team player and always willing to go that extra mile to help KRMS be the best!!! Her dedication to our students, parents, and staff is on display daily. Thank you Coach B for all that you do for KRMS.
REHOBOTH ROAD MIDDLE SCHOOL
Rehoboth Road's Employee of the Month is Jake Harris. Mr. Harris is a 7th grade social studies teacher and our athletic director. He invests many hours outside the school day to give our students both academic and athletic experiences that are positive and productive. Mr. Harris also takes part in helping other teachers grow and learn at our school. He is a mentor to our new teachers and serves as grade level leader. Mr. Harris is truly an asset to our school and community.
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On Thursday, the administrators and I met for our monthly meeting. During the meeting, Deputy Superintendent Jim Smith shared a presentation on bullying. We took the opportunity to discuss bullying to ensure that we are all on the same page. What is the definition of bullying? Where does bullying occur? What are our responsibilities? What can we do to reduce it? What are the impacts of bullying on attendance, graduation and school climate? It was a very good conversation. The principals are going to re-deliver that presentation to you and when they do, I encourage everyone to engage in some courageous conversations concerning bullying.
You and I know that your definition of bullying may not be the same one that I have. But, we do know the Georgia law and we need to be consistent in defining what bullying is and what it is not. Even if we disagree with another person's definition of bullying there is still a situation that has to be addressed. From my investigations and reviews of bullying situations you are all doing a great job addressing these situations. But, in some cases, we have not won the public conversation on how we respond to situations of bullying. It is time we change that.
While 75 percent of our secondary students say they have never been bullied, there is another 25 percent that have. I know that if one of those 25 percent were my child or your child, we would want it dealt with in a very serious way. It is important that we recognize that. When a student comes to us we must treat them like our own. It is a possibility that some of those same students are also the ones telling us that school is not safe and they may also be part of the population that do not graduate. Let's recognize that some of our students do not think school is safe. Take this opportunity to become comfortable with how bullying situations should be addressed. Let's continue to do our best to provide a safe learning environment for our students.
GSCS is a good school system because of your hard work and efforts. I want you to know that it is recognized and appreciated. Thank you.
I also want to thank our new teachers for making my Wednesday a little brighter. They were here Wednesday for their last new teacher training. Although they looked a little different than when I first met them at new teacher orientation, they were all smiling and happy to be here with us. It was good to see them.
In closing, it has been five years and six football seasons that I have been superintendent and I didn't want to miss this opportunity to congratulate the SHS Jaguars football team for an outstanding season. They are to be commended for their hard work, dedication and school spirit. I enjoyed watching them play. SHS should be proud of their season and I look forward to seeing their improvement next year. I also want to give kudos to Lindy Scott for experiencing her first football season as a high school principal. And, before I am accused of playing favorites, I will close by saying, "Go Bears, Beat Liberty!"
Have a great weekend.
COLDR 
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 GEORGIA STUDENT HEALTH SURVEY 2.0 There are two versions of the Georgia Student Health Survey (GSHS) 2.0. The first version is for middle and high school students (grades 6- 12), and the second version is a short survey for elementary students (grades 3-5). At least 75% of students at each grade level (3-12) must participate in the GSHS 2.0 to be eligible for the School Climate Star Rating. Please make plans for your elementary, middle and high school students to participate in the GSHS 2.0. Survey responses are anonymous and will be submitted directly to the Georgia Department of Education for analysis. The survey is offered at no cost to all Georgia public school districts and private schools that wish to participate. The URL addresses for the elementary, middle and high school surveys are posted below. Georgia Student Health Survey 2.0 - ELEMENTARY SCHOOL (grades, 3-5) http://apps.gadoe.org/schoolclimate/elementary.nsf/Survey.xsp Georgia Student Health Survey 2.0 - MIDDLE SCHOOL (grades 6-8) http://apps.gadoe.org/schoolclimate/middleschool.nsf/Survey.xsp Georgia Student Health Survey 2.0 - HIGH SCHOOL (grades 9-12) http://apps.gadoe.org/schoolclimate/highschool.nsf/Survey.xsp |
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GEORGIA SCHOOL PERSONNEL SURVEY
 The Georgia School Personnel Survey (GSPS) is modeled after the student survey and includes 31 questions. The GSPS is for all teachers, school administrators, certified staff members and other classified staff members (paraprofessionals, office staff, cafeteria workers, custodians, etc.) who work at least 50 percent of the day in the school. At least 75% of your teachers and administrators must participate in the survey to be eligible for the School Climate Star Rating. Most teachers should be able to participate in the GSPS using their classroom computer. The survey is also accessible using an iPad or smartphone. Survey responses are anonymous and will be submitted directly to the Georgia Department of Education for analysis. Data results from the Georgia School Personnel Survey will not be available to the public and will not be posted online. The URL address for the Georgia School Personnel Survey is posted below.
Georgia School Personnel Survey:
http://apps.gadoe.org/schoolclimate/personnel.nsf/Survey.xsp
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 GRIFFIN REGION COLLEGE AND CAREER ACADEMY TRAINS NEW GOVERNING BOARD
Eleven directors for the newly-formed Griffin Region College and Career Academy (GRCCA) met for orientation and training on November 7.
Representatives from Spalding, Butts and Pike county school systems as well as parents, college reps and business leaders are part of the founding board of directors. A steering committee has worked for 18 months preparing the charter application for this new educational program. The first step of the plan is to seat a founding board of directors.
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 TWENTY-TWO GSCS STUDENTS NOMINATED FOR 2015 GOVERNOR'S HONORS PROGRAM Griffin-Spalding County School System (GSCS) has 22 nominees for the 2015 Governor's Honors Program (GHP). GSCS students will join almost 3000 students from across the state to be interviewed and auditioned over two weekends in January and February 2015. From those nominees up to 690 finalists will be chosen to participate in the GHP scheduled for June 21 - July 18, 2015. Griffin-Spalding's nominees are: |
Fatima
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Humayun
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Griffin High School
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Communicative Arts
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Courtney
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Britt
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Griffin High School
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Dance
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Jamya
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Geter
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Griffin High School
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Dance
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Azayla
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Rodriguez
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Griffin High School
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Dance
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Jeramie
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Paz
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Griffin High School
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Engineering and Design
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Lauren-Ann
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Graham
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Griffin High School
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Science
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Kellie
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Kirkland
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Griffin High School
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Spanish
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Caroline
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Parrish
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Griffin High School
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Spanish
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Melody
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McElroy
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Griffin High School
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Theatre
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Nicole
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Corley
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Griffin High School
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Theatre
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Sidney
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Willis
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Griffin High School
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Visual Arts
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Victoria
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Starr
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Griffin High School
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Visual Arts
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Jessica
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Yeszkonis
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Griffin High School
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Visual Arts
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Caroline
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Long
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Spalding High School
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Communicative Arts
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Amelia
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Smith
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Spalding High School
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Dance
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Henry
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Hart
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Spalding High School
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Mathematics
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Erin
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Brooks
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Spalding High School
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Music - Voice/Alto
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Francisco
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Zepeda
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Spalding High School
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Science
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Brooks
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Davis
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Spalding High School
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Social Studies
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Meghan
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Dunn
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Spalding High School
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Visual Arts
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Mary
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Chrzanowski
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Spalding High School
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Visual Arts
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Ellen
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Chase
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Spalding High School
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Visual Arts
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Read more... |
 COWAN MIDDLE CELEBRATES BULLYING PREVENTION MONTH On a recent Friday, almost 600 students filled the Cowan Road Middle School gymnasium with eagerness and enthusiasm. Classroom teachers joined their students as Principal Rachelle Heggie talked to students about safety and standards. Students were quiet and attentive as Mrs. Heggie reminded them "we are the best! You ARE what you DO. We are allies to those sitting next to us." Spalding County deputies reminded students that their CHAMPS program helped middle schoolers choose healthy activities. The deputy reminded students of the exact definition of bullying and then said, "Spalding was the first county to have all schools posted with no bullying signs as part of a Georgia state initiative." The school was also designated in 2012 by the Anti-Defamation League as a "No Place for Hate" school.
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GHS FOOTBALL TICKETS
 Griffin High School Football team has advanced to the first round of the playoff games. Our first game will be Friday, November 14th against Liberty County. All employee's wishing to attend the game must purchase a ticket, unless you hold a GHSA Coaches pass. Tickets will go on sale in advance at GHS on Thursday and Friday. Tickets are $8.00.
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 EIGHT GSCS TEACHERS BENEFIT FROM PARTNERS IN EDUCATION TUITION REIMBURSEMENT SCHOLARSHIPS The Griffin-Spalding Partners In Education (PIE) offers scholarships for up to $1,000 each to Griffin-Spalding County School System teachers who are currently seeking additional certification or advanced degrees related to their teaching/educational field. The eight teachers receiving the $1000 scholarship for this year are: Jessica Lalumiere - Futral Road Elementary Joshua Worley - Spalding High School Kathryn Harris - Beaverbrook Elementary Lynn Akin - Rehoboth Road Middle Rachael Long - Crescent Elementary Tamika James - Griffin High School Tiana Fowler - Jackson Road Elementary Walter Gregory Crawford - Spalding High School Read more... |
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ANNUAL REGIONAL MIDDLE & HIGH SCHOOL MATH COMPETITION
 Griffin RESA is proud to sponsor the annual regional Middle & High School Math Competition. Math teams from Butts, Fayette, Henry, Lamar, Newton, Pike, Spalding, and Upson are invited to participate in these annual events. Last year, almost all schools (all but one) in our region participated. Each competition consists of a multiple choice test and a ciphering round. We plan to have up to three divisions based on school size. Schools are invited to bring a Math Team of four participants (plus one alternate) along with their sponsoring teacher.
The deadline for returning the notification letter is...
November 15th for Middle Schools (Event is scheduled for January 28th, 2015). Click HERE for Middle School letter.
November 15th for High Schools (Event is scheduled for January 21st, 2015). Click HERE for High School letter.
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BEARDEN'S TIPS ON LEADERSHIP
Understanding Employees' Definitions of Value, Part Eight
Employees' responses to the first three in our series of four types or questions for understanding their Definitions of Value are clearly important. The importance of this fourth type of question is probably equal to that of the other three combined. Here, again, are the four types of questions:
1. What questions
2. Priority questions
3. Clarification questions
4. Why questions
Read more... |
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THANKSGIVING SAFETY TIPS FOR THE KITCHEN & THE HIGHWAY FROM THE AMERICAN RED CROSS
 Millions of Americans will be preparing meals and traveling throughout the Thanksgiving holiday weekend. The American Red Cross has safety tips for the kitchen and for the highway. We want people to arrive at their destinations, enjoy time with their loved ones and make it home safely.
IN THE KITCHEN
Cooking is the leading cause of home fires and related injuries. Follow these safety tips:
- Keep children and pets at least three feet away from the cooking area.
- Clean all cooking surfaces to prevent grease buildup.
- Stay in the kitchen while frying, grilling or broiling food. Turn burners off if leaving the kitchen.
- Keep a pan lid or baking sheet nearby. Use it to cover the pan if it catches on fire.
- Place turkey fryers outside and away from the house, deck and garage.
ON THE ROAD
Vehicles should be in good working order before heading out. Remember to:
- Pack emergency supplies like blankets, water and snacks, flashlight and first aid kit.
- Fill the fuel tank, check air pressure in tires and top-off windshield fluid.
- Buckle up and obey all traffic signs.
- Avoid distractions while driving like using mobile phones to talk or text.
- Designate a driver who won't be drinking whenever alcohol is served.
KNOW HOW TO TREAT EMERGENCIES
People can learn how to respond to emergencies by downloading the free American Red Cross First Aid App. Users receive instant access to expert advice whenever and wherever they need it. The app is available in the Apple App Store or the Google Play Store by searching for American Red Cross or by going to redcross.org/mobileapps.
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Click HERE for our non-discrimination statement.
Laura Beaber, Editor
GSCS Communications and Partnerships Department
PO Drawer N
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