Missed this Week's Announcements?

Archived e-Blast from Sunday, Nov. 2

Stephen Spivey is on a mission!  He wants to give the WHS Community the skills and confidence  to take control of  their own personal safety.  For 12 years, Mr. Spivey of Max Defense has empowered WHS students by teaching the nation's leading personal safety and awareness clinic on our campus during each semester! Three years ago, the PTSA began sponsoring this course as part of the WHS Health curriculum to insure that each WHS student learns these lifesaving skills before graduation. In just a few hours, anyone can learn to use the "great equalizers, adrenaline and fear," to successfully defend themselves against a stronger opponent. Proactively taking control of one's own personal security also contributes to physical, emotional and psychological well-being. Mr. Spivey's goal is to provide the education and practical skills so that his students will never become victims.

Statistics show that 1 in 4 girls will be attacked in their lifetime. The chance of becoming a victim increases to 1 in 3 while a girl is in college. In response, the PTSA has sponsored a free course for  the past five years for our Senior girls, specifically designed to cover college safety issues. Mr. Spivey will be teaching this FREE SENIOR GIRLS Self-Defense class during WEB on Wed. Nov. 19.

The Walton Community Clinic is open to students, teachers, parents and friends in the Walton Community on Tues. Nov. 18 from 7:30-9:30 pm in the Auxiliary Gym.  This class will be offered for the drastically reduced rate of $39 per person. WHS students who have taken on-line health classes may take this course free of charge during this time. For more information and to register for the  Community Clinic, go to SELF DEFENSE.  To register for the senior girls' class, go to Senior Girls.

Julie Cleveland, WHS PTSA Self-Defense co-Chair, received a chilling call late one evening last year.  A former WHS student attending college in Alabama wanted to say, "Thank You".  She had been physically attacked while walking alone on campus and had utilized the skills she learned in the Senior Girls Max Defense Clinic to escape her attacker.  "If I had not taken that class, I would not have known what to do. And, it terrifies me to think what could have happen."  WHS PTSA encourages you to come and be a part of something that is life-changing and life-saving. Mr. Spivey's motto resonates: "Expect the very best in life but be prepared for the unexpected!"

Under a DOE mandate, each Georgia school district is required to declare their intent to either continue operating as a "Status Quo System", move to an "Investing in Educational Excellence" (IE2) System, or become a Charter System by July 1, 2015. For the past year, CCSD sought the input of parents, community members, and school staff as part of the process of determining which district classification Cobb County would pursue. After careful examination, the district has concluded that an (IE2) partnership is the best option for "meeting our community's priorities and for ensuring that Cobb schools are the premier choice in education today and in the future." Not only will the IE2 System provide Cobb County schools flexibility to innovate in teaching and learning to increase student achievement throughout the district, this selection will be more cost effective than becoming a Charter System. And, by selecting to become a IE2 system before the July deadline, CCSD will be preserving a current annual savings of almost $44 million gained through state waivers, making the conversion to an IE2 System revenue neutral.

Scott Sweeny, Cobb County School Board Member, Post 6, reports the CCBE unanimously approved the CCSD recommendation authorizing the district administration to submit its declaration of intent to become an IE2 District to the Ga DOE. Sweeny further explained that the next step is for the school district to draft its proposed performance contract for submission to the Georgia DOE. The Board of Education will meet with the Superintendent and other administration representatives in November to exchange ideas regarding the contract terms.

According to Sweeny, the performance contract strikes a balance between accountability and autonomy through the negotiation of two primary components: 1.) Academic and other targets to which the School District is committed, and 2.)  Waivers granted by the State Board of Education to the School District. The contract details will stipulate academic targets including specific minimum targets on an individual school basis in exchange for certain autonomy (i.e. flexibility through waivers of Georgia's Title 20 law, rules and guidelines). Sweeny anticipates the CCSD will submit its petition/performance contract very soon to the Georgia DOE and, provided mutual acceptance, that the district would begin operation as an IE2 System starting with the 2015-2016 school year.

The CCSD Administration feels that "IE2 will allow Cobb to establish performance goals tailored for each school, and customize the innovations in each school to meet and exceed those goals. The school principal, leadership team, and teachers can then devote their energy and expertise to advancing student performance." Walton High School will continue to operate under its current status as a conversion charter school with its own Walton Governance Council, a classification that has been highly advantageous over the past decade. As a charter school within an IE2 District, Walton High School is uniquely positioned to create an optimum learning environment for our students! For more information on IE2 systems, visit IE2.

Gift Yourself or Others With Spellbinding Stories

from the annual

  Walton High School Book Fair !

Get your holiday shopping done early and benefit the WHS Media Center at the same time. The Book Fair is opened daily now through Nov. 13 from 7:30 a.m. - 4 p.m.

Late Night:  Shop extended hours from 5-7 p.m. during our Hispanic Heritage Festival, November 12^th!

Walton High School Online Book Fair -

Shop an extended selection of great books at BUY BOOKS ONLINE!