This has been a great week of celebration. On Wednesday we observed Veterans Day, a time when we honor the sacrifices made by the men, women, and families who served in the armed forces or support those who served. I am proud of the

Ceremony at Veterans Park.

manner in which Griffin and Spalding County commemorates their service. Many of our schools had special Veterans Day programs, U.S. flags were flown in downtown medians, and a meaningful ceremony was conducted at Veterans Park including participation from our GHS and SHS JROTC units. To those on our staff who served in the military, thank you for your service and the example you set.

 

Also on Wednesday, our Teachers of the Year were honored at a luncheon sponsored by the Kiwanis Club of Griffin. Ernie Lee, a high school teacher from Savannah and the 2016 State Teacher of the Year, was the guest speaker. All of our Teachers of the Year were
present to be honored with a plaque commemorating

GSCS Teachers of the Year at the Kiwanis luncheon.

their selection by peers in the school they serve. Once  again, thank you to all of our Teachers of the Year for the example you set daily in classrooms across our county.

 

On Monday, November 16, the Georgia Department of Education will release district and school level results from the Milestone tests administered last spring.  Generally speaking, the results of the test are not good and are disappointing when compared to state averages which are themselves disappointing. Richard Woods, state school superintendent, put it this way when he wrote "These results show a lower level of student proficiency than Georgians are used to seeing....they've (students) been asked to clear a higher bar." This is true in Griffin-Spalding. While actual results will be released on Monday, I can tell you that results highlight areas of strength and weakness in our instructional program.  We are not looking through the data to find excuses.  We are looking through the data to find clues leading to a better correlation between instructional practices and the expectations being assessed. School leadership teams have been combing through the data for the past several days looking for areas where we need to build capacity in performance tasks, problem-solving skills, and critical thinking skills that are highlighted in the Milestones format. Our students can (and do) perform as well as any in the state. We need to prepare them better for the skills needed in a changing work environment. We have work to do.

 

In that regard, several initiatives are underway. The calendar adopted for 2016-17 includes five dedicated professional development days. Building capacity in our staff is key to significant improvement. We recently were approved under the Strategic Waiver District contract process formerly known as IE2. The flexibilities included in the contract are the kind we need to tailor our instructional programs to the students we serve. A new five-year strategic plan is nearing completion. You will be receiving printed flyers for your classrooms incorporating a new vision and mission statement along with strategic goals serving as the focus of our work.  There will be some redirection of resources - personnel, financial, and time - as we focus on better ways to prepare our students. As I recently read "if anything is going to change, something must change." I believe this.

 

When the scores come out, please be concerned but don't despair. Sometimes results serve as a call to action and that's how we must respond.  

 

 

Both organizations have collected donations of reading material appropriate for elementary, middle, and high school students, and C4G members helped sort and package the books for distribution. Superintendent Woods will distribute the books to media centers as he visits schools throughout the state.

 

So far, approximately 2,000 books have been donated to the project.