Assistant Superintendent Angie Dillon stated, "We are so appreciative of the hard work by the students, their teachers, and the Instructional Coaches/IAPs!"  These students will be recognized at the May, 2015 Board Meeting.  Invitations will go to parents from Central Office, giving the date,  time, and location of the recognition.  Entries that win at the RESA level will be announced in June, 2015 on the DOE web site and on the Georgia Council of Teachers of English web site.

School climate refers to the quality and character of school life - the "culture" of a school. A sustainable, positive school climate fosters youth development and student learning, which are essential elements for academic success, career-skill improvement and overall quality of life. The School Climate Star Rating helps determine whether a school is on the right path to school improvement or if the school is sustaining a conducive climate for learning.

"Research has shown us that school climate has a strong impact on student achievement," State School Superintendent Richard Woods said. "The data used to develop the 2014 Star Ratings proves this once again. If your school has a positive climate, it's giving students the environment they need to learn. You'll likely see high achievement there - or a school that's on the right track toward high achievement."   

To rate schools, GADOE used several components.  Surveys of perceptions of students, parents, and teachers comprised 25% of the school's rating.  Student safety comprised 50% of the rating. School attendance comprised 25% of the rating.   

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.

Star ratings are:

'5-star' schools ranked excellent according to the school climate index;

'4-star' schools ranked above average according to the school climate index;

'3-star' schools ranked average according to the school climate index;

'2-star' schools ranked below satisfactory according to the school climate index, or

'1-star' schools ranked unsatisfactory according to the school climate index.

School Climate Star Ratings are required by law; they also serve as a companion to the Department of Early Care and Learning's Quality Rated program, which includes an assessment of the learning environment.  Monroe County Schools' climate ratings are:

More than 2 million poisonings are reported each year to the 57 poison control centers across the country. More than 90 percent of these poisonings occur in the home. The majority of non-fatal poisonings occur in children younger than six years old. Poisonings are one of the leading causes of death among adults. A poison is any substance that can harm someone if it is used in the wrong way, by the wrong person or in the wrong amount. These tips are brought to you by members of the National Poison Prevention Week Council.

General Safety Tips:

• Install safety latches on cabinets used for medicines and household products.
• Ensure children can't use chairs or stack items to climb to products stored out of their reach.
• Buy products in child-resistant packaging whenever possible. But remember, child-resistant is not childproof, and is designed to keep children away from the product for a short time before a parent notices.
• Keep the toll-free Poison Help number, 1-800-222-1222, near your phone, or program 1-800-222-1222 into your home and mobile phone.

Medicine Safety Tips

• Ask babysitters, visitors, and houseguests to keep purses, briefcases or bags that contain medicines up high, away and out of sight from your children. The same rule applies when your children are visiting a friend or relative's home.
• Use child-resistant packaging properly by closing the container tightly after use.
• Read medicine and product labels before each use and follow directions exactly.
• Tell children what medicine is and why you must be the one to give it to them.
• Never call medicine "candy" to get a child to take it.
• Never leave medicine out on a kitchen counter or at a sick child's bedside.
• Always turn the light on when giving or taking medicine. Check the dosage every time.
• Put on your glasses to read the label when you need to take a medicine so that you know you have the correct amount of the right medicine.

Source: http://www.poisonprevention.org