The GSCS                         
COMMUNICATOR
System-wide straight talk for employees
March 20-27, 2015
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In This Issue
GSCS 
ELEMENTARY EMPLOYEES OF THE MONTH

ANNE STREET

Liz Akins and Alice Fielding are the Employees of the Month at Anne Street. Both were selected by their peers as Employees of the Month. Staff members said that Ms. Akins is very organized and is a
positive teacher. Mrs. Fielding's peers stated that she is very helpful and never complains. She is a positive person and is a pleasure to work with. Congratulations to our Employees of
the Month.

 

ATKINSON

Atkinson Elementary School would like to recognize Tiffany Campbell as the Employee of the Month.  Mrs. Campbell is a great leader and supporter at Atkinson Elementary School. She knows how to motivate and inspire our staff on a daily basis. We are very fortunate to have her on our staff.  Keep Working!!!!!!!


 
BEAVERBROOK

The Employee of the Month for Beaverbrook is Rosemary Nicholas. Mrs. Nicholas is always cheerful and willing to pitch in and help where needed. Her students love her and she has a positive impact on everyone in our school.

 

COWAN ROAD

Cowan Road Elementary Employee of the Month is our school clerk, Charon Amerine.  Charon joined the Cowan Road family late in the school year however, it seems like she has been a part of the family for years. She has a warm and friendly disposition and shows that in the way she interacts with students, parents and staff. She has done an amazing job managing daily office operations with ease and goes above and beyond to ensure that student attendance concerns are addressed. She is hard working, efficient and dependable. She is a great asset to our school and we are grateful to have her. Thanks Charon for all that you do for Cowan!

 

CRESCENT

Crescent's STEM specials teacher Kim Jeffcoat is our Employee of the Month. Kim is an excellent teacher and content specialist.  She has worked hard this year to lead our STEM endeavors to facilitate our students' and teachers' understanding of the engineering design process. Kim integrates science, math and technology into real world problems for our students to solve.  She coordinates her lessons with each grade level's content standards and supports classroom instruction.  Students often comment that STEM Specials is their favorite because it is so hands-on and engaging.  Thanks Kim for challenging our students' thinking and problem solving skills!!!


 

FUTRAL ROAD

Christen Dodd is Futral Road's Employee of the Month. Mrs. Dodd does an outstanding job as our clerk. She provides excellent customer service to both our parents and students. She knows everyone by name and makes our front office a warm and inviting place. Thank you Mrs. Dodd!

 

JACKSON ROAD

Jackson Road's Employee of the Month is Assistant Principal Melissa Bentley.  Ms. Bentley's hard work and dedication to our school was recently on display with the extended absence of Principal Laura Jordan. Ms. Bentley stepped up to the plate to make critical decisions, problem-solve and meet important deadlines, all while effectively keeping the school running as normal.  She never missed a beat and kept a smile on her face the entire time. It is with much thankfulness and pride that we recognize Ms. Bentley for a job well done!

 

JORDAN HILL

The Jordan Hill Employee of the Month is Tonya Nelms. Mrs. Nelms is not just my right hand; she is my right and left. She does a great job with testing and curriculum as well. She has a great rapport with staff, students and parents. She is always willing to tackle any task given to her. I am thrilled that she is with us at JHE!

MOORE

Nurse Biggins is selected as Moore's Employee of the Month. She does a phenomenal job balancing the medical concerns of the students and staff. She provides health and empowerment practices with students and staff to encourage a healthy lifestyle. Her passion for helping others is evident in her spirit of servant hood. Nurse Biggins' customer service skills are extraordinary.

 

MORELAND ROAD

Mr. Freeman was a sub in the school system and accepted a parapro position in Pre-K.  He then assumed the clerk duties and responsibilities in the front office. Customer service and having a welcoming environment in the front office are extremely important. Mr. Freeman is very personable and never meets a stranger. He has an uplifting and positive attitude along with a very humble spirit. He is polite, well mannered and always makes parents feel welcome. The clerk is the first point of contact at our school and he greets everyone with a pleasant attitude. He does an excellent job working with children and providing interventions if needed. He is also an outstanding professional role model for our young boys. Mr. Freeman is an asset to Moreland Road Elementary!

 

ORRS

Orrs Elementary would like to acknowledge Deena Davis, Janie Rivera and Pam Thomaston as Employees of the Month. These ladies have stayed on top of our discrepancy reports in Infinite Campus. They work very hard to ensure reports, data and student information stays up to date and correct in Infinite Campus. They consistently monitor this process to ensure Orrs does not have any errors each week. We applaud them for their efforts and are very proud of the work they do. Keep up the good work ladies. We appreciate all that you do!!!
SHS STATE HOSA WINNERS

Cassidy Blackmon and Henry Hart received silver and gold medals in the area of clinical nursing at the HOSA State Leadership Conference. They will compete at the national level this June in California.

 

This has been a great week for GSCS! eSPLOST V passed! I am extremely excited! We should all be celebrating. Say YEAH!

 

This is the fifth eSPLOST that Spalding County voters have approved. We are lucky to have such a supportive community. I believe eSPLOST V will be the springboard for GSCS's continued improvement over the next five years. Thank you Spalding County voters!  Please make sure to let the voters of Spalding County know how much we appreciate their support.

 

I want to especially thank the hard working members of the Spalding for Schools committee. They made over 50 presentations in the community to help get the word out on eSPLOST. Dick Brooks, Lou Baldwin and Harvey Booker served as the committee co-chairs with Kelly Smith as the treasurer. If you see these individuals please be sure to thank them for their support and dedication to helping our school system.  

 

We are now ready to move forward. Bonds will be issued so that construction can begin right away. Designs are being developed to get the College and Career Academy built. I actually found out earlier this week that the facility we are using will be vacated earlier than we anticipated. Things are looking up for GSCS and our community. eSPLOST V is a huge part of that.

 

It has been a great week and I hope you have a graet weekend!

 

Curtis

 

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GEORGIA RELEASES STAR CLIMATE RATINGS

 

The Georgia Department of Education today released its first School Climate Star Ratings. The 2014 ratings are based on survey results and data from the 2013-2014 school year.

 

School climate refers to the quality and character of school life - the "culture" of a school.

  

Each school in Georgia received a 1-5 star ratings, with five stars representing an excellent school climate, and one star representing a school climate most in need of improvement. School Climate Star Ratings are an informational tool for schools, administrators, and parents; they do not affect the school's College & Career Ready Performance Index (CCRPI) score.

READ MORE...

PROJECT AWARE MENTAL HEALTH PROGRAM KICKS OFF AT GSCS

 

On February 17, 22 GSCS assistant principals became the first class of Project AWARE Youth Mental Health First Aiders.  These Mental Health First Aiders are now equipped to assess student mental health issues and offer support to students and families in emotional distress by referring them to school and community resources.

 

"The training provides participants with the knowledge and resources needed to detect mental health issues early. The main objective is to be proactive in identifying mental health issues to prevent crisis," said Debbie Crisp, Project AWARE Coordinator.

 

The GSCS Project AWARE team will train a minimum of 125 school employees and other adults in the community each year. This team consists of co-coordinators, Greg DeLuzio and Debbie Crisp and mental health clinicians Ethan Engelhardt and Kelly Petaccio.

 

Two Youth Mental Health First Aid trainings are scheduled during March. These trainings will consist of GSCS school counselors, special education teachers and remaining assistant principals. All GSCS employees will have the opportunity to be trained.

 

READ MORE...




ORRS STUDENTS BELIEVE IN MAKING A CHANGE

 

Students of Orrs Elementary donated their change to provide books for 25 young Spalding County children through the Ferst Foundation for Childhood Literacy. This is the second year that Orrs has sponsored the "Loose Change: Straight from the Heart" fundraiser. The fundraiser also serves as a character education project focusing on the importance of improving the lives of others. In an effort to support reading readiness skills Orrs students sent books into the homes of 14 Spalding County children last year. This year the students increased their sponsorship to include 25 children.


 

 


 


 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


 
Click HERE to read full article.

"IF WE HAD NO WINTER, THE SPRING WOULD NOT BE SO PLEASANT: IF WE DID NOT SOMETIMES TASTE OF ADVERSITY, PROSPERITY WOULD NOT BE SO WELCOME."

~ Anne Bradstreet, The Works of Anne Bradstreet

SEASONAL ALLERGIES: NIP THEM IN THE BUD

 

Springtime brings longer days, warmer weather, balmy breezes, blooming flowers and the return of pollen. Pollen and allergies don't mix.

 

Relieve seasonal allergies with these tried-and-true techniques. 

  • Stay indoors on dry, windy days - the best time to go outside is after a good rain, which helps clear pollen from the air.
  • Delegate lawn mowing, weed pulling and other gardening chores that stir up allergens.
  • Remove clothes you've worn outside; you may also want to shower to rinse pollen from your skin and hair.
  • Don't hang laundry outside - pollen can stick to sheets and towels.
  • Wear a dust mask if you do outside chores.
  • Check your local TV or radio station, your local newspaper, or the Internet for pollen forecasts and current pollen levels.
  • If high pollen counts are forecasted, start taking allergy medications before your symptoms start; don't wait until you are miserable.
  • When pollen counts are high, shut the windows and use the air conditioner. Even though the weather is nice, sleeping with the windows open is a big mistake.
  • Avoid outdoor activity in the early morning when pollen counts are highest.
A FESTIVAL FOR YOUR TASTE   BUDS 

Friday, May 1, 2015
5 pm - 8 pm
Orrs Elementary
Tickets - $1.00

Click HERE to view flyer.

APRIL SHOWERS ARE BRINGING PL TO GRIFFIN RESA!

 

"Drop" in on our website and take a look...click HERE.

 

Note: Please find the link to the current Class List for April 2015  for Teachers, Administrators & Paraprofessionals. The classes are listed chronologically by date.
NEW INSTRUCTIONAL TECHNOLOGY DEGREES AT KSU

 

Kennesaw State University (KSU) has received approval from the GaPSC for an online M.Ed. and online Ed.S. in Instructional Technology. It's great to have online degrees from a CREDIBLE and AFFORDABLE institution in Georgia! KSU is part of the University System of Georgia and fully SACS accredited. Our faculty are nationally known and recognized for their work in Instructional Technology at the state and national levels. KSU is ready to prepare teachers to leverage technology for 21st century teaching and learning.

 

These online degree programs lead to the NEW GaPSC S-certification (Service) in Instructional Technology upon passing the GACE and will result in an upgrade to an existing teaching certificate (T-5 or T-6).
 

KSU is now admitting students for SUMMER 2015 (application deadline April 15, 2015) and FALL 2015 (application deadline June 1, 2015) cohorts!

For more information, check out the links below:
M.Ed. in Instructional Technology (online) - http://bagwell.kennesaw.edu/itecmed

Ed.S. in Instructional Technology (online) - http://bagwell.kennesaw.edu/iteceds

Click HERE for our non-discrimination statement.

Communicator is edited using the AP Stylebook 2010 edition. 
 
Laura Beaber, Editor 
GSCS Communications and Partnerships Department 
PO Drawer 
Griffin, GA 30224