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A Quarterly Community E-Newsletter from GSCS
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GSCS SEES INCREASE IN GRADUATION RATES
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 Graduation rates for 2015 were released in early November and Griffin-Spalding County shows an increase. The 2015 graduation rate for the district is 69.17% compared to 66.6% last year. Griffin High graduation rate rose significantly as did AZ Kelsey. Spalding High School's graduation rate for 2015 fell slightly. "Clearly our focus on graduation is leading us in the right direction," said Superintendent Jim Smith. "The importance of school attendance and academic achievement are two of the important elements in seeing GSCS continue to grow. Our new strategic plan will also keep our focus on graduation." |
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NEW 2016 - 2021 GSCS STRATEGIC PLAN, MISSION, VISION & BELIEFS
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 Vision: The vision of the Griffin-Spalding County School System is to be an agent of change,transforming our students into future-ready learners and contributing members of society. Mission: The mission of the Griffin-Spalding County School System is to empower students to graduate college and career ready. We Believe:
- effective and invested staff have a great impact on student learning.
- all students will learn.
- in a safe and secure environment for our schools.
- in continuous improvement.
- students find success when schools are effective, families are involved and communities are engaged.
- all stakeholders are accountable in/for the education of our students.
- a quality public education can transform individuals and communities.
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2016-17 GSCS SCHOOL CALENDAR
Click HERE to view the board approved 2016-17 school calendar.
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GEORGIA MILESTONES
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END-OF-COURSE TESTING
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The Georgia Milestones test scores for Griffin-Spalding County were released in November by the Georgia Department of Education.
Grades 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 and 8 used the newly-created Milestones to assess student learning.
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The End-of-Course test scores for Griffin-Spalding County were released by the Georgia Department of Education in November.
Middle and high schools use the end-of-course test to measure literature, mathematics, science and social studies student learning.
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MCGAVIN NAMED GSCS TEACHER OF THE YEAR
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 Griffin-Spalding County School System's 2016 Teacher of the Year is Jonathan McGavin from Orrs Elementary. He will represent the district in the state-level Teacher of the Year competition.
Jonathan McGavin has been employed by the Griffin-Spalding County School System for almost 10 years. He began his teaching career in 2006 at Beaverbrook Elementary where he taught first and fourth grade. In 2008, he transferred to Orrs Elementary and is currently teaching fifth grade math and science. In addition to teaching, he also serves on the school's character education team, National Jr. Beta Club team, Fathers Being Involved (FBI) program and as a new teacher mentor.
"Watty Piper wrote it best in the book, The Little Engine that Could. The quote, "I think I can, I think I can," holds true in my classroom. I believe that if you think you can do something and put in all of the necessary work to achieve a goal, you will succeed. I teach my class everyday based off this belief and I do my best to instill this belief in each and every student that crosses my threshold. Too often students say 'I can't' when the going gets tough but in my class those words are not acceptable," stated McGavin.
Candidates from all 19 schools completed the screening process that included judging by three committees consisting of last year's Teacher of the Year finalist, community leaders and retired educators from other districts. These three teachers had classroom observations from instructional specialists and participated in a personal interview.
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GSCS APPROVED FOR STRATEGIC WAIVER GOVERNANCE MODEL
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 The Georgia State Board of Education has approved the petition/application from the Griffin-Spalding County School System to become a Strategic Waiver district. Formerly known as IE2, the application is a result of a 2008 law that allows local school boards to contract with the state Department of Education for flexibility with state laws, rules and policies in exchange for increased accountability. The flexibility options hold specific and varied performance requirements linked directly to the strategic plan and board policy. Strategic Waiver is one of three options. |
FOUR GSCS SCHOOLS PILOT NEW VISITOR MANAGEMENT SYSTEM
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 To keep better track of visitors and weed out those that might be unwelcome, the Griffin-Spalding County School System (GSCS) is piloting the Raptor Technologies Visitor Management System at Beaverbrook Elementary, Cowan Road Elementary, Moreland Road Elementary and Rehoboth Road Middle School. "The system will create a secure educational environment for our students by allowing us to track and screen every individual that enters our school buildings," said Student Services Director Donna Parks. Visitors at these four schools must report to the front office and have their government-issued ID scanned into the Raptor security system. Visitors are screened against two databases: a database containing registered sex offenders from all 50 states and U.S. territories and a custom alert database created by each school or district containing custody issues, restraining orders, banned visitors, etc.
For more information click HERE to read original news release. |
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OPINIONS OF OUR FINANCIAL AUDITORS
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 In our opinion, the financial statements referred to above present fairly, in all material respects, the respective financial position of the governmental activities, each major fund, and the aggregate remaining fund information of Griffin-Spalding County School System, as of June 30, 2015, and the respective change in financial position thereof and the respective budgetary comparison for the General Fund for the year then ended in accordance with the principles generally accepted in the United States of America.
Congratulations to the GSCS Finance Department for a job well done!
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GSCS CLEANEST SCHOOLS
The GSCS maintenance department annually recognize the cleanest school(s) in the system. This year, Kennedy Road Middle School received first place and Moreland Road Elementary received second. The custodians at both of these schools were treated to a celebration luncheon sponsored by Specialty Products of Griffin.
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| Pictured (L-R): Front row - Linda Colquitt (KRMS), Norma Stansell (MRE) and Katrina Boggs (MRE). Back row - Ralph Berry (KRMS), Jerome Barkley (KRMS), Lynwood Goodrum (KRMS), Robert Brown (MRE) and Tommie Coleman (MRE).
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EDUCATOR HALL OF FAME
Nancy Gresham, Margery King, Juliette McCann and the late Lemuel Watkins were inducted into the Griffin-Spalding Educator Hall of Fame at the GHS vs. SHS football game on October 2, 2015.
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| Pictured (L-R): Superintendent Jim Smith, Nancy Gresham, Margery King and Juliette McCann.
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TAKE ACTION TO ELIMINATE ABSENTEEISM
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 Parents and Families should:
1. Make getting to school on time everyday a high priority in your family. 2. Talk with your child about the importance of school attendance from an early age and the negative effects of too many absences. 3. When necessary, create a safe space for your child to share what's keeping them from participating in school on a regular basis. 4. Have a backup plan for getting your child to school when there are difficulties with transportation, family illness or other challenges. 5. Schedule doctor and other appointments for after-school hours whenever possible. 6. Monitor students' school attendance to make sure your child is in class every day. 7. Contact your child's school to discuss supports and services that can help your child maintain regular school attendance. |
| PARTNERS IN EDUCATION GRANTS & SCHOLARSHIPS |
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2015 CLASSROOM & FIELD TRIP GRANTS
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2015 TEACHER TUITION
SCHOLARSHIPS
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The Griffin-Spalding Partners in Education awarded over $30,000 in grants to GSCS teachers. Thirty-eight classroom and field trip grants were funded with amounts ranging from $136 to $1000. With the grants, teachers in 16 schools plus the Enrichment Center will jump start special educational projects. The grants will support subjects including agriculture, art, drama, history, literature, math, music and science.
Grant recipients were surprised at their school by the PIE prize patrol consisting of PIE board members.
Click HERE to view the full list of 2015 PIE grant winners.
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Congratulations to these recipients of the 2015 Partners In Education Teacher Tuition Reimbursement Scholarships.
Mandy Colwell (Crescent Elem.)
Chris Garland (AZ Kelsey)
Gwen Lebouef (Futral Road Elem.)
Veronica Lee (Griffin High)
Adrienne Murray (Griffin High)
James Ray (Kennedy Road Middle)
Bill Stikes (Griffin High)
Zacharel Veal (Carver Road Middle)
Josh Worley (Spalding High)
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2015 PIE GOLF TOURNAMENT
The 14th annual PIE Golf Tournament took place on Oct. 2, at the Griffin City Park Golf Course. It was a great success with over 30 teams and raising over $20,000 to benefit GSCS teachers and students. Thank you to all of the sponsors, teams, contributors and volunteers for making this event so amazing!
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FIRST PLACE
Bicker's Consulting Group/
Eagle Canyon Wine
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SECOND PLACE
Southern Credit Union
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THIRD PLACE
Nicci's Pizza
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NOW IS THE TIME: PROJECT AWARE
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 "Now Is The Time: Project AWARE (Advancing Wellness and Resilience in Education) is a five-year federal grant from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) that was awarded to the Georgia Department of Education (GaDOE) in September 2014. The Purpose of Georgia Project AWARE is to increase awareness of mental health issues among school-aged youth; provide training in Youth Mental Health First Aid; and connect children, youth, and families who may have behavioral health issues with appropriate services.
The GaDOE is partnering with Muscogee County, Newton County and Griffin-Spalding Schools to provide training in Youth Mental Health First Aid and to develop processes and procedures for connecting youth and families to community based mental health services.
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Youth Mental Health First Aid (YMHFA)
Young people experience mental and emotional pain often. Suicide is the second leading cause of death for young people. Every two-hours and three-minutes an adolescent takes their own life by suicide. The goals of Youth Mental Health First Aid USA are twofold:
- To teach members of the public how to respond in a mental health emergency with youth and young adults
- To offer support to a young person who appears to be in emotional distress.
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Dates:
January 27 & 28, 9am-1pm
February 24, 7:30am-4:30pm
March 30, 7:30am-4:30pm
May 4, 7:30am-4:30pm
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* The trainings are free (a $150 value) and both four-hour sessions must be completed.
* To sign up for YMHFA please submit an inquiry to debbie.crisp@gscs.org for further information.
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For more information on Project AWARE click HERE.
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 BOARD MEETING
The Griffin-Spalding Board of Education meetings are held on the first Tuesday of each month.
The next meeting is January 5, 2016.
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GRIFFIN REGION COLLEGE AND CAREER ACADEMY
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 Griffin Region College and Career Academy (GRCCA) Informational Meeting Thursday, January 7, 2016 6PM Griffin Auditorium (234 E. Taylor Street)
Learn about the opportunities of earning college credits while in high school. Students can take core academics classes such as college English, college math, as well as technical courses in welding, film, healthcare, manufacturing, cosmetology, automotive, forensic science, etc.
* Transportation to the GRCCA will be provided and college tuition and textbooks are at no cost.
Parents of middle and high school students do not want to miss this meeting. Mark your calendars! |
| DO YOU KNOW GREAT PEOPLE? |
Do you know great people with at least one year of college credit who would like to become a substitute teacher? If so, please direct them to our website at www.spalding.k12.ga.us. Click on the Departments tab, choose Human Resources from the drop-down menu and select Substitute Teacher.
Daily rates are:
* $60/day (30 semester or 45 quarter hours)
* $70/day (Bachelors/certified)
* $85/day (Long-term teacher assignment)
* $125/day (Long-term certified teacher)
The Griffin-Spalding County School System needs great substitute teachers to help us prepare our students for success. Questions can be directed to Ashley Evans at 770-229-3700, extension 10358.
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Griffin-Spalding County School System
Communications & Partnerships Department
PO Drawer N / 216 South Sixth Street
Griffin, GA 30224
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