|
|
Raider Basketball is in full swing! The season opened for the 5 WHS teams in November, and they are all looking forward to Tournament Play over the holiday break. The Men's program includes a Freshman, JV, and Varsity squad. Head Coach Joe Goydish is joined by Coaches Larry Knotts, Jim Satalin, and Rick Myrick. Head Coach Karen Duncan, Coach Bree Goolsby, and Coach Matt Kelterborn guide the Women's Varsity and JV squads. Both Duncan and Goydish applaud the grit and camaraderie of their young teams. Predominately freshmen and sophomores, the squads are concentrating on building teamwork and skill sets this season but are showing marked improvement with each game.
Tip Off Booster Club Co-President Kate Jordan's favorite part of her position is the opportunity to get to know the players and the coaches. "The booster club supports the teams both financially and through various volunteer opportunities. In fact, we just completed our major fundraiser and delivered hundreds of Poinsettias to purchasers from the Walton Community!" Planning is also underway for the WinterFest game on Jan. 15. WinterFest is the basketball equivalent of Homecoming. Activities to build school spirit are held throughout WinterFest Week. Each class selects representatives that are presented during the half-time activities and a WinterFest Queen is crowned. The basketball program also supports the middle school Walton Junior Raider program. Walton will host a Jr. level tournament during the break to encourage and develop future WHS players. This commitment to the sport has paid off both on the team and individual levels. The Raider teams have produced many stars with several currently playing college level ball. Nick Wells (US Air Force Academy), Josh McGrath (Oglethorpe University, and Meredith Singer (Univ. of North Georgia) are all scholarship athletes recruited from WHS. The players welcome fans from the community. To find out more about the players and view the upcoming schedules, visit the website at WHS BASKETBALL. Go Raiders!
|
| |
Cheerleaders and Fans Enjoying Raider Basketball
Photos: Pete English Photography
|
|
|
 Mindfulness Classes Offered to Adults at WHS: Register Now
Got STRESS? Who doesn't? The CDC estimates that one in five Americans suffer from anxiety or depression, two disorders directly correlated with chronic stress. We see the negative results of stress in ourselves and in our students. In a proactive response to this issue, the PTSA has sponsored Mindfulness in School's ".b Program" in the WHS Health Classes for the past 2 semesters. The response to the program has been overwhelmingly positive from students, parents, and faculty.
Evidence of the effectiveness of MBSR programs has propelled Mindfulness practices to the forefront in business, politics, higher academia, medicine, sports, and now schools throughout the world. The .b student classes at Walton have led to a demand from parents and teachers to learn more about Mindfulness. As a result, the PTSA will sponsor an 8 week .b Foundations in Mindfulness program at WHS on Wednesday afternoons from 4:30-6, beginning Jan. 6. (skipping the Wednesday of Winter Break).
.b Foundations is based on the core mindfulness principles found within Mindfulness-based Stress Reduction (MBSR) and Mindfulness-based Cognitive Therapy (MBCT) courses. However, it differs in that this program has been designed with school staff and parents in mind. This course fulfills the prerequisite course and certification required to take the Teacher Training courses through Mindfulness in Schools. Adults who develop a regular practice and feel inspired to go on to teach mindfulness to students could then attend a Teach .b Course or Teach Paws b Course. Take a positive step towards controlling chronic stress in your life and become a model for your children. Sign up today! PTSA sponsorship will allow the .b Foundations in Mindfulness Course to be offered at a substantial discount to the Walton/East Cobb Community. To register and pay the $295 registration fee on-line, click here: .b Foundations
|
|
Education Reform Advocacy
YOU CAN MAKE A DIFFERENCE
Last Tuesday, local parents, teachers and school administrators heard Claire Suggs, Senior Education Policy Analyst for the Georgia Budget and Policy Institute, paint a somewhat grim picture of the future of education funding in Georgia. For the last year data is available, 2013, Georgia ranked 37th in amount spent per student. Georgia's $9,099 was almost $2000 less than the national average and austerity cuts were more than $1 billion that year. Education hasn't been fully funded in Georgia due to austerity cuts since 2002. A recap of the evening's presentation as well as additional resources can be found here.
When Governor Nathan Deal formed his Education Reform Commission (ERC) in January, he gave the members two directives regarding a new funding formula: the formula needed to be based on student enrollment and needed to allow the districts flexibility in using their allotted dollars. Critics of the commission's work point to this directive as problematic because there was no research done to determine the actual cost to educate our children. The three components of the formula, base rate and weighted student characteristics along with Categorical Grants (to districts to pay fixed administrative costs), were essentially backed into, based on educational funding in the current budget. Although the formula recommendation adds $258 million over 2016 funding, it is still way below the amount school districts should be receiving. If the new funding formula passes as is, the ERC will have cemented 14 years of austerity cuts by following through on Gov. Deal's wishes. The final report of the ERC to Gov. Deal, dated December 15, 2015, is available here.
Two consequences of inadequate education funding that impact students statewide are increases in class sizes and shifting transportation funding to local districts. At Walton, the average size for a writing class has increased by 33% since 2008. What does this mean? Walton teachers must still give meaningful assignments to their students and have more papers to grade per semester, while striving to give feedback that will allow our children to learn. While not at the forefront of many discussions, recent education cuts have forced districts to shoulder more of the cost of transporting students to school. Georgia requires local districts to transport all special education students as well as students who reside beyond 1.5 miles from their school. Cobb County is currently forced to put money into transportation that could be put into educating our students in order to safely transport those students.
Beyond the actual method of funding education and of particular concern to our teachers are the recommendations from the Teacher Recruitment, Retention and Compensation (TRRC) Committee. Moving towards merit pay and not paying teachers for their advanced degrees and experience could be very critical for retaining and recruiting qualified teachers. Without qualified teachers, the competitiveness of our future work force is in jeopardy. Much has been reported on this issue, so look for updated information and ways to voice your concern in January's Connections.
What can you do?
- Be on the lookout for information regarding education forums in January at Wheeler High School and Hightower Trail Middle School. These forums are open to the community.
- Continue to educate yourself and spread the word among your friends and neighbors. All stakeholders are impacted by these changes and this is not just a Cobb County issue.
- Look at the 2016 Legislative Priorities put out by the Cobb County School District Board of Education.
- Contact Governor Deal and express your concerns over the recommendations.
- Contact your lawmakers (Representatives Matt Dollar & Sharon Cooper and Senator Judson Hill). Remind them of the importance of real education reform. Ask that they consider funding education based on the actual cost of educating a child in Georgia rather than either an outdated formula (QBE) or one that imposes permanent cuts (ERC recommendation). Tell them how funding cuts and increased class sizes have impacted your child.
This publication is funded entirely by the WHS PTSA. No public funds were used to convey this message.
|
|
|
|
|
WaltonStrong
Plan for a Healthy Holiday!
The holidays are officially here! And since they revolve around food, many people worry that they will fall victim to the cycle of overeating, feeling guilty and then struggling to get back on track making their health a priority. To help minimize the anxiety and really enjoy the holidays, it's important to have a game plan.
First, decide on your mindset. If your schedule is full of parties and celebrations decide if you want to be mindful of what you are eating and drinking or will you choose the events that you will throw caution to the wind and enjoy the event from top to bottom?
Now let's say, like most of us, you want to enjoy the delicious Holiday food, but you also want to keep your metabolism firing on all cylinders and minimize any excess weight gain and bloating...these tips are for you:
1. Eat in 3's all day long. A big myth is to starve yourself all day so you can dive into dinner. When you do that, it actually slows down your metabolism and then causes you to over eat at dinner and store fat. Simply eat when you wake up and all day long, which will keep your metabolism humming and minimize the quantity of food you consume at dinner & any excess fat storage.
2. If you are attending a party bring a protein like homemade meatballs and/or a vegetable platter. This way you have some healthy and balanced options in addition to the other treat options. Bonus Tip - Make sure to balance out your plate with some Protein, Carbohydrates and Fat. Smaller meals that are spaced throughout the day let you rock the Holidays and stay in shape!
3. Eat a small protein meal before bed. A big mistake that many people make is eating a high calorie meal right before bed. This triggers fat storage. A simple adjustment: About 3 to 4 hours after your holiday meal, right before you go to sleep, have a small meal of just protein and fat such as plain Greek yogurt and almonds, a hardboiled egg or a protein meal replacement shake.
There you have it; easy tips to survive holidays and keep your body functioning like a fat burning machine!
(Excerpted from Mark Macdonald's Body Confidence and Why Kids Make You Fat)
Jill Gregory
Board Certified Nutritionist
PTSA Health and Wellness Chair
|
|
The WHS Website, eBlast,
Connections and The Raider Review
are paid for by funding from your
Visit Our Website to Learn more about Walton's PTSA
|
|
