Urseila Williams is the Employee of the Month for Anne Street Elementary. Comments from the staff reflect her willingness to help in any way possible and recognition of the excellent job she does
supporting PBIS expectations. Ms. Williams brings a caring and willing spirit to our students and our school. We are blessed to have her on our staff.

ATKINSON ELEMENTARY

Atkinson Elementary School would like to recognize Audra Olukoya and Renee Curry-Thomas as the Employees of the Month. They are being recognized for their diligent work with the Literacy Days participants.

BEAVERBROOK ELEMENTARY

Megan Lokey is the Employee of the Month for Beaverbrook. Mrs. Lokey directed our Christmas musical and it was outstanding! The children performed beautifully under her direction. She also goes above and beyond in her "morning duty" responsibilities. Megan is a consummate professional and we are fortunate to have her as a teacher in our school!

CRESCENT

ELEMENTARY

Debi Hancock, 4th grade math teacher, is Crescent's Employee of the Month. Debi is an excellent math teacher!!! One of our teachers describes Debi as being a very creative teacher when delivering her instruction. The lesson always begins with a hook, sometimes involves the use of music, and continuously engages the students in real world problems. She is enthusiastic about her content and that enthusiasm spills over to her students. She is our FIRST Lego League coach and spends many hours working with our students after school hours going above and beyond. Debi's commitment to our student and school are to be commended. Thanks, Debi!!

FUTRAL ROAD ELEMENTARY

Futral's Employee of the Month is Christine Morgan. Mrs. Morgan did an outstanding job taking the lead on our first Daddy and Daughter Dance. She worked tirelessly with our Parent and Community Design Team to create a magical night. It was both heartwarming and emotional to see our fathers building memories with their daughters.

JACKSON ROAD ELEMENTARY

JRE would like to recognize all staff members as Employees of the Month for December. Our staff has worked tirelessly to pinpoint each student's unique learning needs, provide excellent instruction, and assess student progress. As a result of their efforts, we've seen huge gains in student academic achievement, student growth and achievement gap reduction. Not only are students effective in the classroom, but also dedicated to extracurricular activities. Thank you staff for making JRE a fun and inviting place for our students and parents. The staff of Jackson Road ROCKS!

JORDAN HILL

ELEMENTARY

This month Jordan Hill would like to recognize two Employees of the Month, Joanna Johnson and Machelle Garland. These two ladies head up our PBIS team and do an awesome job for our students. They are a big part of the reason Jordan Hill has a proficient rating and has the support of our faculty, students and parents. Way to go ladies!

MOORE ELEMENTARY

Moore Elementary would like to recognize LaTricia Bennett, school counselor, as the Employee of the Month. Ms. Bennett joined Moore Elementary in September 2014 and made sure the transition period was smooth. She continued with procedures and programs already in place and began implementing new initiatives. Her passion for the students, parents, and staff is revealed through the many hours she spends planning and carrying out innovative ideas for Moore Elementary.

MORELAND ROAD ELEMENTARY

First grade teacher Heather Rustin is Moreland Road's Employee of the Month. Mrs. Rustin always has an outstanding classroom! Her children are active learners and she does an excellent job with differentiating her instruction to meet the needs of each of her children. Her classroom has a very positive atmosphere and is academically challenging and conducive to learning on various levels. Mrs. Rustin is well loved by her students and respected by her peers for her caring and professional spirit and demeanor. We are grateful Mrs. Rustin is a teacher here at MRE!

ORRS ELEMENTARY

Orrs would like to recognize Paula Sanders, our school counselor, for all of her hard work. She goes above and beyond for our students and staff members daily. She works very diligently to ensure our PBIS program is being implemented with fidelity. She also works very hard keeping up with reports, attendance, Project Wisdom and holding counseling sessions. Paula also ensures that staff members and students are recognized daily for their hard work. Paula is outstanding. Orrs Elementary appreciates and values her. Thank you, Mrs. Sanders, for all you do!

CARVER MIDDLE CRAB LAB

Last month, Mrs. Richter's STEM-ID course from Carver Road Middle visited Georgia Tech for lab tours in the Mechanical Engineering and Physics departments. Students had the opportunity to learn more about animal physiology, motion of construction cranes and much more! Mr. Pinckney chaperoned the field trip.

KICK OFF 2015 WITH GOOD HEALTH

AT THE JRE 3rd ANNUAL RESOLUTION RUN 5K!

Jan. 10, 2015

9:00 a.m.

A cash prize of $150 will go to the school who has the most student and staff participation!

Click HERE to register

online

Click HERE for the flyer/registration form

GHS BEAR'S CHILI COOKOFF
DEC. 13TH
11 AM - 1 PM
$3 ENTRY

It was a great week for GSCS!

On Thursday morning, members of the Griffin Region College & Career Academy governing board and superintendents and staff joined me at the State Board of Education meeting for an interview on our charter request. The charter committee members were so impressed with our petition that the request was immediately moved for consent for approval. We now have a charter! My thanks to all of the steering committee members, governing board members, Butts and Pike superintendents and college presidents who have supported this 21-month project. It was a job well done.

Being at the State Board meeting meant I had to miss the Superintendent's Advisory Committee. One student from each school came for lunch and Donna Parks led them through a discussion on school uniforms. These students were articulate, thoughtful and full of ideas. They made suggestions that will help to guide our school uniform committee through their work. Ideas ranged from a phase-in of uniforms to color choices. If you recall, during our fall staff meetings at each school, many of you suggested school uniforms as a way to decrease misbehavior and bullying. I took your suggestions to heart and have appointed a uniform study committee to bring me a recommendation about uniforms. Stay tuned for more info.

The students also heard a presentation on bullying and what the state law and our policy says about bullying. One interesting comment was that sometimes a student gets picked on when the teacher's back is turned. Another said that a bully often has friends that will defend him/her. While those are only two of the comments it reminds me that we still have work to do in this area.

The holidays are almost on us. I hope your shopping is complete, your stocking is hanging up and that you have great plans with family and friends during the Christmas break. Let's make our last week before the holidays our best week ever!

COLDR

SCHOOL BOARD ACHIEVES QUALITY STATUS

The Griffin-Spalding County Board of Education has reached Quality School Board recognition for 2014. The Georgia School Boards Association honored board members at their annual conference in Atlanta in early December.

The recognition program is designed to showcase best practices in school governance and leadership. GSBA recognizes good school board governance to foster educational community cultures in order to advance student learning and achievement.

GSCS Board of Education met or exceeded the criteria set forth to earn the honor of 2014 Quality Board.

"Our board of education is committed to excellence in leadership and best practices," said Dr. Curtis L. Jones, Jr., superintendent of schools. "This is the second year board members were honored with this new designation and I applaud them for a job well done."

Board of Education members are: James Westbury, chair; James "Pete" Graham, vice chair; Barbara Jo Cook, Zach Holmes and Michael Kendall.

DECEMBER PAYROLL DATE IS DEC. 19, 2014

THE JOHN HATTIE VISIBLE LEARNING INSTITUTE IS COMING TO ATLANTA!!

The one day Visible Learning Institute will be on February 7, 2015 in downtown Atlanta (exact venue TBA). Visible Learning is an in depth school change model of professional learning and development based on the research of Professor John Hattie. Professor Hattie, a leading voice and researcher on what "does" and "does not" impact learning and makes significant differences on student achievement.

EARLY BIRD REGISTRATION BY DEC. 31 IS ONLY $299 (that includes breakfast, lunch, a Visible Learning workbook and two (2) of John Hattie's books - Visible Learning and Visible Learning for Teachers).

Corwin publisher is marketing this event all over the world so register early.

Click HERE to view flyer.

Message from Mack Bullard, GSCS Director of Strategic Talent Management...

I would love for at least 10 GSCS employees to attend this event with me. If you plan to attend please contact me at 770-229-3710 ext. 319 or mack.bullard@gscs.org so I can get us seats together.

This event is for Districts and school-based leaders - Superintendents, Assistant Superintendents, District Office Administrators, Principals, Assistant Principal, Curriculum & Instruction Directors, Department Chairs, Teacher Leaders, Teachers and Instructional Coaches.

Dr. Hattie ONLY comes to the USA twice a year and Learning Forward GA is very fortunate to bring him to Atlanta! You won't regret this investment of time!

ATTENTION CLASSIFIED EMPLOYEES: BRING IN THE NEW YEAR WITH PROFESSIONAL LEARNING!

GSCS Human Resources Department has developed and planned a wide variety of professional learning opportunities for classified staff (i.e. secretaries, custodians, bus drivers, nutrition staff, etc.) to build their capacity and knowledge of system initiatives.

These professional learning courses will be offered on January 5, 2015 and February 13, 2015.

All classified employees are encouraged to register for BOTH a morning and afternoon course on BOTH dates based on your professional growth goals and school/department needs.

Click HERE for a detailed listing of courses.

Registration is required through PDExpress. Please visit http://mypdc.gscs.org/pdexpress/login.aspx and use your GSCS email address to login and register.

If you have questions please contact Mack Bullard, Director of Strategic Talent Management, at 770-229-3710 ext. 319 or mack.bullard@gscs.org.

BEARDEN'S TIPS OF LEADERSHIP

Understanding Employees' Definitions of Value, Part Three

Click HERE for handout.

MAINSTAY COMMENDED FOR PBIS WORK

Dear Dr. Jones:

On December 3-4, 2014, I attended the Georgia Association for Positive Behavior Support conference in Atlanta. Of all the session I attended, our own Mainstay Academy was by far the best session of them all.

Chris Briggs, Pete Alexander, Lauren Flanagan, and Heidi Thompson presented "Students to Students: Student PBIS Ambassadors Promote Climate Change." The bulk of their presentation was done by four student ambassadors. These student ambassadors were wonderful! Our school system should be very proud of these outstanding kids and the educators that prepared them to speak in front of a group of about 50 adults. The highlight for me was when a very shy student hesitated to present and the other three students gathered around him to support and encourage him.

Their PBIS program is doing an excellent job with challenging students and should be commended for their hard work.

Sincerely,

Wendy Whedon, Counselor

Crescent Elementary School

HOLIDAY HINTS FOR HOME SAFETY

Spending quality time with family and friends is the best part of the holiday season! If that means packing up and heading out of town it's important to take the proper precautions to keep your house safe.

Get to know your neighbors - If you have not already done so, the holiday season is a great time to get to know your neighbors. Neighbors' watching out for neighbors helps keep an eye out for suspicious activity and make communities safer.

Keeping your home safe during the holidays - Be extra cautious about locking windows, sliders, and doors when leaving your house. Set indoor and outdoor lights on timers and maybe a television or radio to make it appear as if someone is home. Never keep gifts or valuables in plain view from any window.

Don't leave a key- Having a spare house key is a must, but it's crucial to be careful about where you store that key. Don't leave it in a fake rock or place it under your doormat because these are locations criminals will look. Instead, leave a key with a trusted friend or neighbor so it won't end up in the wrong hands.

Avoid posting your whereabouts on social media

Some people post everything on Facebook however, you may want to think twice about this during the holiday season. You never know who may be looking and you don't want strangers to know that your house is vacant for a week.

NEW BLENDED-ONLINE GIFTED
ENDORSEMENT COHORT

Griffin RESA is offering a Blended-Online Gifted Endorsement New Cohort program beginning in February 2015.

Click HERE to view the flyer.

PERFORMANCE MATTERS

Item Analysis for Instructional Leadership - Dec. 16

Can you easily locate the easiest and most challenging questions on a test? How about determining the quality of the distractors? Beyond answers to these questions, the Item Analysis report allows users to drill down for an
in-depth view of student performance aggregated by standard to form small groups with similar needs. Lead the way as an instructional leader with meaningful data after joining us for this webinar. Click HERE to register.

Basic Navigation in ADMS - Dec. 17

Calling all new users to ADMS! Join us for an introductory session on navigating the ADMS windows using menus, icons, and tabs. The most important stop on the journey... HELP! We will show you where to find "OnScreenHelp" for just-in-time support and locate a library of resources filled with downloadable PDF files and online videos designed to help you learn more about ADMS independently. Register for this webinar today so you can take your first steps in the right direction! Click HERE to register.

Click HERE to see the full webinar schedule

IT'S BEGINNING TO LOOK A LOT LIKE CHRISTMAS AROUND GSCS...

Cowan Middle's Jingle Bell Jog

Orrs Elementary Festival of Trees Parent Workshop

Moore Elementary principal Dr. Brown, with Santa

SHS Holiday Chorus Concert

GSCS Maintenance Department tree

GSCS Teaching & Learning Department tree

Click HERE for our non-discrimination statement.

Laura Beaber, Editor

GSCS Communications and Partnerships Department

PO Drawer N

Griffin, GA 30224