GSCS COMMUNICATOR
System-wide straight talk for employees
April 29 - May 6, 2016
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In This Issue
GSCS 
ELEMENTARY
 EMPLOYEES 
OF THE MONTH

ANNE STREET ELEMENTARY
The Certified Employee of the Month for April is Amy Echols. She is helpful, knowledgeable, hardworking and always has a great attitude. She has innovative ideas that she is always willing to share. Amy is a very caring teacher and loves her children.
The Classified Employee of the Month is Fred Colbert. He is very humble and a great example for the males in our school. Fred is always willing to help, firm but loving and an awesome person.
 
ATKINSON ELEMENTARY
Atkinson would like to recognize Lori Taylor as the Employee of the Month.  Ms. Taylor has done a great job in her role as academic coach.  She has delivered content relevant professional development to staff this school year. Ms. Taylor has worked closely with administrators to assist in meeting our school-wide goals. She also volunteered her time to coach our Challenge 24 team. She is always willing to assist in any capacity needed to ensure Atkinson students are getting what they need.
 
BEAVERBROOK ELEMENTARY
The Employee of the Month for Beaverbrook is Ashley Baldwin.  Ashley does a fantastic job in the media center and is an asset to our school.  Her organizational skills and ability to build schedules is vital to our school. Ashley takes initiative and you can count on the job being done quickly and correctly.
 
COWAN ROAD ELEMENTARY
Cowan Road's Employee of the Month is Assistant Principal Karen Mizell.  Mrs. Mizell has done a fabulous job with overseeing EOG and SLO testing. Her hard work and dedication to Cowan's students, teachers and parents has created a winning tradition! CRE loves Mrs. Mizell!
 
CRESCENT ELEMENTARY
The Employees of the Month for Crescent are Fran Stikes and Kelly Prescott. Thank you for going above and beyond to help us get our "Bee" project off the ground and buzzing. Your dedication is helping us be a part of the solution to protect bees in crisis.
 
FUTRAL ROAD ELEMENTARY
Cynthia Curtis is the Employee of the Month for April.  She has done a phenomenal job accommodating students' behavioral and academic needs in her classroom, while maintaining high expectations for all of her students.  She never complains about the challenges she faces in her classroom; instead, she continually looks for ways to engage her students while motivating them to do their best. We appreciate Ms. Curtis's positive attitude and hard work!
 
JACKSON ROAD ELEMENTARY
JRE's Employee of the Month is our Cafeteria Manager Arvella.  She has been a valuable member of our JRE team.  She is always pleasant, collaborative and willing to help whenever needed.  She has helped us streamline our breakfast program to get students to class on time and provides support as needed.

JORDAN HILL ELEMENTARY
Jordan Hill would like to recognize Helena Taylor and Cathy Williams from our SID/PID classroom as our Employees of the Month. These two ladies assist with duties outside of their classroom and keep the inside running like a top. They care deeply for the welfare of not only the students they serve but for all Jordan Hill students. They maintain a great attitude and are calming spirits among our staff. Congratulations Ladies!
 
MOORE ELEMENTARY
It is with great pleasure that we recognize Dana Landburg as Moore Elementary's Employee of the Month. Mrs. Landburg demonstrates her teacher-leader skills by sharing and modeling best practices acquired from the Math Endorsement and Governor's Office of Student Achievement (GOSA) Grant Initiatives to drive continuous improvement in instruction and student learning. We are proud to have her on our team.

MORELAND ROAD ELEMENTARY
Moreland Road's Employee of the Month is Amy McKemie. She goes above and beyond for her students with very creative activities and learning experiences. She is also very helpful and proactive for the entire school. She serves as the grade level chair as well as the leadership team and is an active, contributing member on the PBIS Team. She helped with our new conference room and with Field Day t-shirts.  She is a very pleasant staff member with a positive attitude. Thank you Mrs. McKemie for all that you do! 
 
ORRS ELEMENTARY
Katie McKinney is the Employee of the Month for Orrs Elementary.  Ms. McKinney is selfless in her service to her students, parents and co-workers. She organized a campaign to make sure every student who tested during testing week received a special note of encouragement and a goody bag. Ms. McKinney rocks at Orrs Elementary!

EDUCATOR HALL OF FAME
NOMINATIONS NEEDED

The deadline for Educator Hall of Fame nominations is May 4. This is an opportunity to honor those exceptional GSCS educators who have made outstanding contributions to students, staff, parents and the community.


Click HERE for the nomination form.
ENROLLMENT CLOSES MAY 6
 
To view options visit www.mygscsbenefits.com. Click on the green button then go to the "My Benefits" tab. The benefits that are available during spring open enrollment include:
  • Dental Insurance (Delta Dental) - slight increase in rates effective July 1
  • Vision Insurance (Superior Vision) - slight increase in rates effective July 1
  • Life Insurance (Whole life carrier switched to UNUM effective July 1, more information to come). Term Life will remain with One America. Plan premiums may fluctuate due to changes in salary or age brackets.)
  • Cancer/Critical Illness Insurance (carrier switched to UNUM effective July 1; more information to come)
  • Disability Insurance (One America) - Plan premiums may fluctuate due to changes in salary or age brackets
For questions regarding open enrollment and questions regarding your current coverage, please contact the GSCS Customer Care Line at 1- 877-422-3312.
 
Enrollment will be handled two ways:
  • Online - Visit www.mygscsbenefits.com and click on the blue button, then click "First Time User" to set up your username and password.   Click on Change Events then Begin Event.  View each page and click "save and continue" until you have completed the enrollment process.  Be sure to confirm before you leave the page or it will not save your elections.
  • By phone - Call 1-877-422-3312
Once you have enrolled, you will receive a new confirmation statement via email from InfinityHR.
 
Click HERE to view the flyer.
 
Click HERE for important information regarding Whole Life and Critical Illness/Cancer.
KINDERGARTEN REGISTRATION
Griffin-Spalding County School System (GSCS) kindergarten registration for the 2016-17 school year is May 2 - 20, from 8:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m. (M-F). Kindergarten registration is located at the Parent Service Center, 234 East Taylor Street. 
 
Students enrolling in kindergarten must be five years old by Sept. 1, 2016. Students currently enrolled in a GSCS pre-kindergarten class do not need to register for kindergarten.

Click HERE to view flyer.
GSCS VIRTUAL SCHOOL IMPORTANT DATES

Information sessions:
Wednesday, May 11 - 6:00 pm
Thursday, June 9 - 3:30
Thursday, July 14 - 3:30
 
Orientation:
Tuesday, May 17 - 3:30 pm
Wednesday, July 20 - 3:30
 
*All information sessions and orientations will be held in the GSCS Board Room (216 South Sixth St.)

"THE FLOWER THAT BLOOMS IN ADVERSITY IS THE MOST RARE AND BEAUTIFUL OF ALL"

~ Mulan



During the week of May 23, Shred-X will be delivering bins to each school and to several buildings at Central Office. These bins will be picked up on either on May 31 or June 1.

This is your opportunity to clean out documents not on the Records Retention Schedule.  Please consult your Records Retention Schedule to determine which documents must be kept, for how long and which ones need to be shredded.  If you have any questions, you can contact Donna Parks or Debra Knight at 770-229-3710, Ext. 10349 or 10335.

Please take advantage of this opportunity to clean out your storage areas! 
GHS SENIORS TAKE CHARGE OF THEIR FUTURE


In celebration of National College Signing Day, Griffin High School held a special event this week to recognize the 70 seniors who have declared the college, university or branch of military they plan to attend or enlist. Thirty-nine colleges and universities have admitted students from GHS and the United States Army and United States Navy have enlisted six students. The GHS counseling department coordinated the event where GHS Seniors signed the GHS "symbolic" signing book and received a certificate of recognition.

Click HERE to view the event program.
HOW TO DISPOSE OF UNUSED MEDICINES


Is your medicine cabinet full of expired drugs or medications you no longer use? How should you dispose of them?

The Drug Enforcement Administration and local law enforcement are sponsoring the annual Drug Take Back Day on Saturday, April 30. The Spalding County Sheriff's Department and the Griffin Police Department will have stations set-up for Griffin-Spalding County residents to properly dispose of expired and unused medications. This service is free and anonymous.

Agents from the sheriff's office will be at Wynn's Pharmacy, 566 South 8th Street, from 10 a.m. - 2 p.m. and Griffin Police will be at Kroger, 1524 Highway 16 West, from 10a.m.- 2p.m.

If you are unable to take advantage of the annual Drug Take Back Day, click HERE for other safe medicine disposal options from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.

Click HERE for our non-discrimination statement.
 
Laura Beaber, Editor 
GSCS Communications and Partnerships Department 
PO Drawer 
Griffin, GA 30224