COMMUNICATOR
System-wide Straight Talk for GSCS Employees
May 4-11, 2018
In This Issue

A lot of great events fill up the calendar this time of year. Today I attended one of the best activities of the year - Special Olympics. Talk about an event that presents participation and competition in its purest form and you are talking about Special Olympics. The faces of the athletes beamed with the pride they felt in completing various track and field events. Many of them wore multiple ribbons for placing in running, throwing and jumping events over the course of the morning. A big thank you goes to staff and volunteers who spent untold hours organizing and implementing a smooth schedule that kept athletes busy. The ones I spoke with all agreed that supporting our GSCS Special Olympics athletes is time well spent.

Last week I attended another unique event that displayed great skills. Our annual Bus Rodeo was held in the student parking lot at Griffin High. Approximately 20 bus drivers competed through a series of obstacles in an amazing display of driving ability. Every obstacle on the course has an everyday application for our drivers. Do you enjoy parallel parking your car? Try it in a school bus! How straight can you drive your car in a tight space? Try taking a bus straight through a series of stanchions that diminish in width the further you go in the course. How about keeping a set of dual rear wheels inside a double row of tennis balls for about 50 feet on a downhill and sidehill course? Our bus drivers deserve credit for being exceptionally skillful in the job they do each and every day. Trudy Gilliland came out on top in this year's rodeo and will represent GSCS in the state competition next month. Good luck, Trudy!

May 7 kicks off Teacher Appreciation Week. I wish all our teachers a great week. The work you do with our students is the heart of why schools exist. There are so many stories that show the impact a caring teacher can have on a student in need of encouragement and guidance. Where else can that kind of influence be found? I appreciate what you do and am thankful our community has the benefit of your presence and involvement with our students. Happy Teacher Appreciation Week!

Only three more weeks until the end of the school year and so much more to do. Let's finish strong.  Have a great weekend!

Sincerely,
James D. Smith
Superintendent
BOE BRIEFS
Click HERE to view the May 1, 2018 Board of Education meeting briefs.


First Place winner in Georgia State SKILLS USA Competition - Martin Sanchez, Griffin High School Pictured (L-R): GHS Principal Dr. Darrell Evans, GHS Advisor Walter Preston, Ms. Sanchez and Martin Sanchez
BOE APPOINTS NEW 2018-19 ADMINISTRATORS
The Griffin-Spalding Board of Education approved the  following new school administrators for the 2018-19 school year during its monthly board meeting held May 1, 2018.
  • Orrs Elementary School Principal - Larry Jones
  • Rehoboth Road Middle School Principal -
    Laura Jordan
  • Kennedy Road Middle School Assistant Principal -
    Donna Raye Aragon
  • Kennedy Road Middle School Assistant Principal - James Ray
Click HERE to read the news release.
GSCS MODEL CLASSROOM TEACHERS
The GSCS Model Classroom Project is designed to increase success for all students by providing job embedded professional learning through access to video clips. The videos will demonstrate quality student engagement and instructional best practice classroom strategies as well as access to Model Classroom Teachers for feedback and collaboration.

Potential model classrooms were identified through this year's AIM visits. Nineteen of those teachers agreed to volunteer for the Model Classroom Project and have been recording lessons and submitting plans monthly.  These resources are being compiled into a team drive and broken down by grade level and content area. The drive will be made available to all GSCS teachers at the beginning of the 2018-2019 school year.

"It is not enough to tell our teachers what they should be doing, we must provide them with examples that allow them to see what rigor, relevance and relationships look like in GSCS classrooms," stated GSCS Deputy Superintendent Dr. Kiawana Kennedy.

Click HERE to watch a video clip highlighting Griffin High School World Literature Teacher Dr. Marye Smith's model classroom.

NOMINATIONS  OPEN FOR 2018 GSCS EDUCATOR HALL OF FAME 
Nominations are open for the 2018 Griffin-Spalding County School System (GSCS) Educator Hall of Fame. Established in 2013, as a part of the school system's 60th Anniversary festivities, GSCS is seeking exemplary nominees for the Class of 2018.

Educators should be nominated for his/her outstanding and significant contributions to students, staff, parents and the community during their employment at GSCS. Nominees must have been employed at GSCS for a minimum of 10 years and be retired for at least five years. The district utilizes an independent panel of out-of-town judges to review all nominees.

The 2018 class will be inducted during a special ceremony on August 24, 2018 at the annual Griffin High School vs. Spalding High School football game. 


Click HERE for the nomination form that are due on May 15, 2018.
2018-19 KINDERGARTEN REGISTRATION

NUTRITION APPRECIATION WEEK
Next week, May 7-12, is Nutrition Appreciation Week. Remember to celebrate the great nutrition staff of GSCS who work hard every day to feed our students and keep them healthy!

FIRST GSCS STUDENTS TO EARN FINE ARTS DIPLOMA SEAL
Seven Spalding High School students completed the process and are the first  to earn the Fine Arts Diploma Seal for our school system. Last Fall, GSCS was approved to offer the Georgia Department of Education Fine Arts Diploma Seal. Interested students must meet certain requirements in regards to the number of fine arts classes they take, participate in a specific amount of extra curricular fine arts activities, acquire 20 community service hours related to fine arts and present a capstone project. Congratulations!

Pictured (L-R): Katherine Moody (visual arts), Rachel Boggs (visual arts), Brandon Tharp (music), Elise Wright (musical theatre), Spencer Edens (music), Katelyn Talbot (music) and Isaac Garland (theatre)
GSCS ZERO TO FIVE EVENT AT COWAN ROAD ELEMENTARY

SHS LADY JAGS SOCCER TEAM MAKES ELITE 8
MRE FIRST ANNUAL SCIENCE FAIR
Moreland Road Elementary students participated in the school's first annual science fair. Students enjoyed sharing what they learned from their research and experiments with attendees.

EAT MORE CHICKEN FOR TEACHER APPRECIATION DAY!
2018 SPECIAL OLYMPICS
The 2018 Griffin-Spalding Special Olympics was held on May 4 at Griffin High School. Almost 200 GSCS students participated from 16 schools. Thank you to Special Education Department for coordinating the event, Griffin High School for hosting, and to all student and staff volunteers who helped make this such a special day!







GSCS HIGH SCHOOL EMPLOYEES OF THE MONTH
A.Z. KELSEY ACADEMY
Gabriel Burnette, assistant principal 
Mr. Burnette managed Georgia Milestones testing for both End of Grade and End of Course exams. He worked hard to ensure that testing was well organized. Mr. Burnette's contributions are appreciated at A.Z. Kelsey.

GRIFFIN HIGH SCHOOL
Kenneth Fields, ISS coordinator & Col. Jesse Pugh, JROTC department head
Mr. Fields has high expectations and works hard in the ISS room to educate and motivate the students about their behavior. He has a great attitude, shows professionalism among staff and students and follows and meets all of the core beliefs. Mr. Fields is an asset to GHS!
Col. Jesse Pugh embodies Griffin High's core beliefs. He is always professional, polite, willing to help and a mentor to all. Col. Pugh has worked hard as the leader of the new teacher mentor program and has helped make all of the first year teachers at GHS feel welcomed and appreciated.

SPALDING HIGH SCHOOL
Michelle Purmort, instructional coach
Mrs. Purmort is an important factor who helps both our math and science teachers multiply the number of their instructional strategies. She forms bonds with the science teachers and keeps math teachers from going off on tangents. She looks at all angles in her approach to finding new topics that will improve classroom instruction and student performance benefitting both the teachers and students of SHS. If you put it under a microscope, she is a catalyst for better instruction at SHS.
MAY IS MENTAL HEALTH MONTH
Be the one to make a difference!