August 5 - 12, 2016
In This Issue


All in all, the first few days of school have felt more like mid-year than beginning a new year. Planning and preparation show through clearly when a smooth start is the result. Thanks for making this a great opening week. I believe we are set for a dynamic year in GSCS.
 
I mentioned last week that we should consider ourselves "agents of change" in the work we do to transform our students into future-ready learners. Likewise, we should consider ourselves "agents of change" as we work to improve our schools and district. You may have heard that GSCS commissioned a curriculum audit last spring, an independent review of our system's operations directly impacting the teaching and learning process. A curriculum audit team, composed of education specialists from across the nation, gathered information through interviews and surveys, document review and classroom observations. That information was used to develop recommendations on how the school district can improve processes and practices leading to better support our instructional program. The final report is basically a gap analysis identifying areas for improvement rather than areas where we already do well. It is through the lens of desiring improvement that you must read the report. The full report is available on our website.
 
I will point out specifics in the weeks to come, but let me provide an overview today. The report highlighted areas in which GSCS can improve the framework within which we do our work. This involves reviewing policies and regulations, organizational structure, planning processes, instructional practices, program design and evaluation with an eye toward being more efficient and effective and resulting in greater levels of student achievement. Time will be required to address the recommendations. The talents and experiences of a wide array of people will also be needed. This will not be quick nor easy, but it is necessary that we view the report with a sense of urgency.
 
More details will follow but I wanted to provide a brief overview today. I know I can count on each of you as "agents of change" to make this a successful process. Have a great weekend!

Sincerely,
Jim Smith
School Superintendent
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BOARD HEARS CURRICULUM AUDIT RESULTS
Griffin-Spalding County School System Board of Education commissioned a curriculum audit which was conducted from February 22-25, 2016. Findings in the curriculum audit identify gaps in the district/school program. A curriculum audit is an exceptions report. It does not give an overall view of the system or what is being done well.
 
Lead auditor Dr. Eve Proffitt summarized the 433-page report for board members as well as school and district administrators. In her presentation she outlined for the Board how a system of standards is used to compare our district with expectations of outstanding programs. Specifically she expressed to the board a need for revision and expansion of board policies relevant to instruction.
 
Standard audit practice is that the superintendent and the district's board of education receive an audit but they do not accept or approve it. After review of the audit report, the board requests the response of its superintendent on the audit recommendations. When the superintendent's response is received, the board makes a determination regarding how it will act on the recommendations.
 
"I am excited to receive the results of the curriculum audit we requested and to begin the process of turning recommendations into actionable steps for improving our processes and programs. The system recently completed design of a five-year strategic plan covering the years 2016-2021. The curriculum audit was part of the strategic plan and will form the basis of many improvement strategies,' stated Superintendent Jim Smith.
Read more...

Click HERE to view the full curriculum audit final report, findings and recommendations.
GSCS WELCOMES DOSS TO THE BOE
Will Doss was sworn in as a member of the Board of Education by Probate Court Judge Jan Hunt on Monday, August 1. Doss is replacing James Westbury for the District 2 seat. 
SAME PROGRAM, NEW NAME
Message from the GSCS Human Resources Department
As of August 2, AESOP will be referred to as "Absence Management", VeriTime will be referred to as "Time and Attendance" and AppliTrack will be referred to as "Applicant Tracking." The look will be more streamlined with a different color scheme but the functionality will remain the same.

If you have questions regarding any of these Frontline Technology programs, feel free to contact Ashley Evans at ashley.evans@gscs.org or 770-229-3700 ext. 10358.
NEW 2016-17 ADMINISTRATORS 
DAVIS NAMED ANNE STREET ELEM.
ASSISTANT PRINCIPAL
GARVIN NAMED COWAN ROAD ELEM. ASSISTANT PRINCIPAL
The Griffin-Spalding County Board of Education named Dr. Kimberly Davis as the 2016-17 assistant principal for Anne Street Elementary School.
 
Davis joins the Griffin-Spalding County School System with almost 20 years of experience in school administration.  During that time she served as an assistant principal of instruction for Burke County Schools for 11 years, an assistant principal and principal for Richmond County Schools for eight years and a principal for Charleston County School System in South Carolina for one year.
The Griffin-Spalding County Board of Education named Misty Garvin as the 2016-17 assistant principal for Cowan Road Elementary School.
 
Garvin has been employed at the Griffin-Spalding County School System (GSCS) since 2015, serving as the Response To Intervention (RTI), Section 504 and Positive Behavioral Intervention and Support (PBIS) coordinator. Prior to joining GSCS, she worked overseeing instructional models and grants as a project manager for both Henry County Schools and Georgia State University. Garvin began her career as a special education teacher for both Jasper County and Henry County School Systems and served as the head of school for Rock Springs Christian Academy.
2016-17 ADMINISTRATORS 
GSCS school and central office administrators at the 2016 Administrator Retreat on July 18-19, in Athens, GA.
MIRROR, MIRROR ON THE WALL. WHO HAS THE CLEANEST DATA OF THEM ALL?
Message from Administrative Technology Director Josh Griffis
During the school year, school office staff receive a weekly report of errors in their school's Infinite Campus data. Errors consist of missing or invalid demographic information, problems with attendance, discipline or special education data and other areas. Clean data is important because the errors cause a variety of issues. Errors can impact FTE and result in reduced state or federal funding or have a negative impact on CCRPI scores. Most errors aren't that severe but still have negative results. 

A student that is missing a mailing address in Infinite Campus may not receive a report card or an attendance letter. A teacher that is missing an email address in Infinite Campus won't be able to login to certain other software systems. A student-parent relationship that is not setup properly may prevent a parent from seeing their student in the Infinite Campus Parent Portal. These are only a few examples of the more than 150 errors that may be found on the weekly report.

Many of the errors can be corrected by a secretary or clerk while other errors must be corrected by special education staff or an administrator. The number of school errors is tracked each week to identify the areas that may need additional training, to identify schools that may need additional assistance and to measure our progress toward being a more reliable organization. Additional training sessions will be offered during the 2016-17 school year based on the areas that have the most errors. Staff may register for those training sessions on PDExpress.

The average error rate for all schools for the 2015-2016 school year was 14.34%. I would like to recognize the elementary and middle schools with the fewest errors during the school year. The staff at these schools did a great job keeping their data clean and we appreciate their outstanding efforts!

Elem. Schools (average - 3.95%):
Middle Schools (average - 5.76%):
Jackson Road - 0.24%
Futral Road - 0.48%
Cowan Road - 2.07%
Jordan Hill - 2.38%
Rehoboth Road - 3.21%

MAPPS DATES SET FOR FALL
GSCS along with The University of Georgia-Griffin Campus announces its fall Math and Parent Partners (MAPPS) Program. The fall focus will help families learn fun and effective ways to help students with fractions (Grades 4-5) and rates and proportional relationships (Grades 6- 8). 
 
The dates, times and locations are:
Grades 4-5:
Aug. 27 - 10am-12pm at Griffin City Park Gym (601 Camp Northern Rd.)
Sept. 27- 5:30pm-7:30pm at UGA - Griffin (1109 Experiment St.)
Oct. 20 - 4:30pm-6:30pm at Griffin City Park Gym (601 Camp Northern Rd.)

Grades 6-8:
Sept. 20 - 5pm-7pm at Griffin Kiwanis Center (1025 S. Hill St.)
Oct. 27 - 5:30pm-7:30pm at Fairmont Park (241 Blanton Ave.)

The purpose of the MAPPS program is to help children improve their mathematics skills.  It also helps families: 

* Be better equipped to help their child with homework.

* Gain a better understanding of math and how to explain it.

* Increase children's confidence and performance with math.

* Enjoy fellowship with other parents and teachers.


"Math is everywhere! There is no escaping it. One way to increase interest in math is to demonstrate to students how math is relevant to them personally. When children are allowed to participate in everyday activities such as paying bills, grocery shopping, cooking, or figuring out a tip, they see how important math is to everyday life and how often they do math. When families understand math and are confident in learning the math, it improves their students' success" said Family and Community Engagement Specialist Melinda Owens.

Click HERE to register for the MAPPS program.
DID YOU KNOW???
Did you know that in 2015-16...

- Griffin High School had 87 senior athletes with a graduation rate of 96.5.

  • - Spalding High School had 77 senior athletes with a graduation rate of 98.7.
Congrats to these athletes that stayed focused and excelled in athletics and academics! 
2016-17 RESA STUDENT COMPETITIONS
2016-2017 Regional Mathematics Contests
February 10, 2017 - Regional Middle School Math Contest
February 8, 2017 - Regional High School Math Contest

2016-2017 Regional Literacy Days
January 23, 207, Grades K-2
January 24, 2017, Grades 3-5
January 25, 2017, Grades 6-8

2016-2017 Regional Science Fair
January 27, 2017

Note: The Regional Middle School and High School Academic Bowl Team Schedules for 2016-2017 will be sent out in September. Additional information about the regional student competitions will be out at a later time. We are providing the dates for you to mark on your system and school calendars.
PEACH PASS TAKES YOU FURTHER WITH THE NEW
I-75 SOUTH METRO EXPRESS LANES!
The State Road and Tollway Authority (SRTA) and Georgia Department of Transportation (GDOT) have introduced the I-75 South Metro Express Lanes, Georgia's first reversible toll lanes, to increase options and mitigate congestion for Georgia commuters traveling south of Atlanta
 
The I-75 South Metro Express Lanes are newly constructed reversible lanes that run along the median of Interstate 75 through Henry and Clayton counties. These reversible toll lanes flow in the direction of traffic - toward Atlanta during the morning commute and away from Atlanta during the evening commute. The I-75 South Metro Express Lanes will add capacity to existing general purpose lanes and are separated by a series of gates and a concrete barrier, offering the highest level of safety.
 
Any motorist with a registered, active Peach Pass mounted on the inside of their vehicle's windshield will be able to access the I-75 South Metro Express Lanes. Motorists can set up Peach Pass accounts and receive their Peach Pass transponders by:
  • Visiting PeachPass.com
  • Applying via the Peach Pass GO! mobile app for Android and iPhone devices
  • Calling the Peach Pass Customer Service Center at 1-855-PCH-PASS (724-7277)
  • Getting a Pay n GO! Peach Pass at area  CVS/pharmacy� or Walgreens� locations (visit http://peachpass.com/peach-pass-customers/get-a-peach-pass for locations)
  • Opening an account in person at a Peach Pass Customer Service Center (visit http://peachpass.com/about/contact/ for locations)
To learn more about the I-75 South Metro Express Lanes, visit PeachPass.com.
Click HERE for our non-discrimination statement.

* The Communicator is edited using the AP Stylebook 2010 edition.

Laura Beaber, Editor
GSCS Communications and Partnerships Department
770-229-3700
www.spalding.k12.ga.us