GSCS
HIGH SCHOOL EMPLOYEE OF THE MONTH
A.Z. KELSEY
ACADEMY
A.Z. Kelsey's Employee of the Month is Brenda Kendall. Mrs. Kendall is always kind and polite to visitors, staff and students. She offers five-star service to everyone she encounters. She is flexible, a team player and an asset to A.Z. Kelsey.
GRIFFIN HIGH
SCHOOL
Brenda Rutherford, Healthcare Science Teacher, is the GHS Employee of the Month. Mrs. Rutherford works on so many tasks for the Griffin High family. She provides our students with a rigorous and real world program that prepares many students for national certification tests in Pharmacy Tech and Clinical Nursing. Mrs. Rutherford is the consummate team leader and team player. She provides mentoring for other teachers in the building and has built one of the best Healthcare Science programs in the state of Georgia. Through clinical and various school activities, Mrs. Rutherford gives students opportunities to work and learn from currently practicing emergency medical responders, firefighters, nurses, doctors, pharmacists and other health related professionals.
MAINSTAY ACADEMY
Mainstay Employees of the Month are Kandy Evans and Destiny Langford, our Math teachers!!!! Kandy and Destiny are both brand new teachers to our GNETS' Mainstay Academy program this year and they have done a GREAT JOB delivering meaningful and developmentally appropriate math instruction to our students. The broad scope of ability level within multi-grade groups accompanied by the severity of social, emotional and behavioral problems they encounter daily can sometimes be overwhelming. But these new teachers have taken the challenge and are growing in skill, competence and style every day.
SPALDING HIGH
SCHOOL
Spalding High is proud to announce Yvonne Reid as the Employee of the Month. Mrs. Reid is an outstanding Career Technical Educator teaching Health Science courses and working with students to earn their Certified Nursing Assistant Certificates. She also builds leadership skills and prepares students for careers in healthcare through the HOSA student organization. Mrs. Reid and her HOSA students are strong supporters of school activities and have annual blood drives to assist the community.
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COWAN ELEM. TEACHER AWARDED SECOND AGRICULTURE GRANT!
Cowan Road Elementary third grade teacher, Mandy Colwell, was awarded a $250 Farm Bureau Agriculture grant.
Last month Colwell was awarded $500 from the Georgia Agribusiness Council's Dr. Joe B. Crane Memorial Classroom Grant.
Her class now has $750 to complete their project of creating raised beds behind the school and growing a variety of vegetables throughout the late winter and Spring.
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PIEDMONT COLLEGE / GRIFFIN-SPALDING ED.S. COHORT HAS BEGUN!
Joel Pasch, Raye Aragon,
Laura Perry, Joy McGee,
Robyn Davis, Kassidy Bynoe,
and Amy Clyburn have been accepted into the first
Piedmont College - Griffin-Spalding Education Specialist Cohort. This group of outstanding employees will collectively learn and take courses together for four semesters as they earn their Ed.S. Degree in Curriculum and Instruction from Piedmont College. Professors from Piedmont College will hold all courses at Spalding High which will allow this team of
educators to be equipped to positively affect students and the educational community
within our school system.
Classes will begin in Jan. 2015 and conclude in May 2016 with commencement and graduation! We are proud of our first
Griffin-Spalding Ed.S. Cohort
and know they will meet their program goals and utilize their scholarly development to
improve our schools, student achievement and improve the lives of children.
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SPECIAL EDUCATION
PROGRAMS
For additional
information on these programs click HERE.
- Master of Arts in Teaching (MAT) in Special Education General Curriculum
- M.Ed. in Special Education General Curriculum (Fully Online)
- KSU Graduate Certificate in Autism Spectrum Disorder (Fully Online)
- Master of Arts in Teaching (MAT) in TESOL
- M.Ed. in TESOL
(Fully Online) - Ed.S/Ed.D in Special Education
Deadline: April 15
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I hope that you all had a wonderful holiday and happy New Year!
Each new year is about reflection and resolution.
Take time to really think about who and what we've gotten to see and experience each day, each week, and each month in the past year. Recognize how many lives you have impacted, all you have accomplished and feel a sense of completion.
A speech delivered by A.Z. Kelsey Academy graduate, Serah Okeke, at the graduation on Dec. 19, 2014 is one of those stories of success.
Standing here today, I am extremely glad and happy to say that the experiences I've had at A.Z. Kelsey have all been good ones.
I moved to the United States in February 2013 and started school at A.Z. Kelsey in August 2013. I was very nervous about attending school in the U.S and did not know if I would be able to catch up. I rarely used a computer in Nigeria and it was difficult for me to understand the teachers and students accents and vice versa. But to my greatest surprise the teachers, principal, and students welcomed me!
The lovely qualities displayed by my teachers and the students led me to believe that A. Z. Kelsey was more than a school, it was a FAMILY!
One of my New Year resolutions is always to spend more time visiting schools to be with students and staff. I am proud to say that I am off to a good start this year. On our first day back from break I visited many schools and spent time with staff during our professional learning day. Updating our knowledge, skills and professional thinking is critical in our profession and is a great resolution for us all.
I was very impressed with each of the trainings I attended. I also enjoyed spending time with our GSCS paraprofessionals and classified staff as they enhanced their skills through the many courses offered.
Staff at Futral Road concentrated on student safety and participated in the Stewards of Children Child Sexual Abuse Prevention Training. Staff received valuable information on how to prevent, recognize and react responsibly to child sexual abuse.
Focused on preparing our middle school students for the new Georgia Milestones, Carver Road Middle teachers received training on Project CRISS (Creating Independence Through Student-Owned Strategies). CRISS aims to get students involved in learning through writing, organizing and discussion.
Excited about their impressive results in reducing office referrals, Spalding High staff concentrated on PBIS planning. SHS will be presenting their data at the Winter GAEL Conference along with Jackson Road Elementary.
I truly appreciate all that you have done to make last year and this year, so memorable.
2015 is off to a great start! 80% by 2020 here we come!
COLDR
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 MESSAGE FROM THE GSCS FINANCE DEPT...
W-2's and 1099's will go out January 30, 2015.
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 PERSONAL LEAVE BALANCE ENFORCEMENT IN AESOP
Message from Stephanie Dobbins, PHR, Executive Director of Human Resources
Personal leave taken above the 3 days allowed per year must be entered in AESOP as "Leave Without Pay."
Background
Employees may use up to three (3) days of accumulated sick leave each year for personal reasons; this is what we call personal leave. Personal leave comes out of the sick leave balance. For example, if you have a balance of 36 days of sick leave and you use one day of personal leave, then your sick leave balance is 35 and you still have two days of sick leave that may be used for personal reasons.
Read more...
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BOARD BRIEFS
At its regular meetings on January 6, 2015, the board of education elected officers for 2015. James Westbury will serve as chairman and Pete Graham will serve as vice-chair.
In other business the board...
Read more...
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Griffin-Spalding Board of Education recognized as a Quality School Board
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 | | Futral Road Assistant Principal, Karen Miller, Meredith Schroeter, GSCS December MVP, and Jessica Layfield, GSCS Parent Involvement Coordinator. |
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GSCS Literacy Days Winners
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GSCS PBIS Operational Schools
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COMMUNITY LEADER RECOGNIZED BY ATLANTA FALCONS
Dick Brooks received an honorable mention in the 2014 Atlanta Falcons Community Quarterback Award Program. Brooks was presented with a certificate from the Falcons for his commitment to helping the community. He was nominated for this award by Griffin-Spalding school superintendent, Dr. Curtis L. Jones, Jr., for his many contributions to the Griffin-Spalding County School System (GSCS) and the community. Brooks was also recognized at the Board of Education meeting.
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PARAPROFESSIONAL AND CLASSIFIED STAFF PROFESSIONAL LEARNING DAY WAS A HUGE SUCCESS!
Message from Mack Bullard, Ph.D., Director of Strategic Talent Management
 | | Google Training |
On January 5, a total of 98 parapros and classified staff members attended the morning sessions and 61 attended the afternoon sessions. The feedback from the participants has been very positive!
Employee training is crucial because it:
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Ensures employees are competent and have key organizational knowledge, - Promotes safety and health among employees,
- Creates opportunities for career development and personal growth, an important factor in retaining workers
- Educate employees about effective use of technology,
- Helps employers comply with laws and regulations, and
- Improves morale, needed skills, productivity, and performance (Training Today, 2015).
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Special thanks to all of the excellent trainers for being professional, prepared, extremely positive and engaging. Thank you for supporting the continued development of our classified staff.
Lets do it again on February 13th!
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 BEARDEN'S TIPS OF LEADERSHIP
Understanding Employees' Definitions of Value, Part Five
Click HERE for handout.
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HEALTHMPOWERS 2013-14 ANNUAL REPORT INCLUDES JACKSON ROAD
 It was a milestone year for HealthMPowers with many accomplishments to celebrate!
As one of HealthMPowers alumni schools, we wanted to share their annual report with you to review and consider joining us in our journey to make the next generation of children a healthier one.
Click HERE to view the Report.
To learn more about the program visit their website at www.healthmpowers.org
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GSCS EMPLOYEES: IT IS TIME TO REGISTER FOR THE 15TH ANNUAL HEART HUSTLE!
Come out for a great day of running/walking and  support Futral Road!
Saturday, February 7, 2015
8:00 AM to 11:00 AM
Futral Road Elementary School
180 Futral Road
Griffin, GA 30224
To register visit:
http://www.eventbrite.com/e/heart-hustle-futral-road-elementary-school-tickets-14450454699?aff=eivtefrnd
* Register by Wednesday, January 21st and we will reserve a T-shirt for you.
If you have questions or need more info please contact sarah.meeks@gscs.org
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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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