February 17-24, 2017
In This Issue


This has been quite a week in Griffin-Spalding County Schools. First, congratulations go to Dr. Tiffany Taylor, principal of Carver Road Middle School, for earning Middle School Principal of the Year honors from the Georgia Association of Secondary School Principals. Dr. Taylor is very deserving of this honor for the outstanding work she is doing leading the staff of Carver Road in putting the best possible instructional program in front of student each day.  In addition, she has become a "go-to" person when colleagues have questions or need suggestions. I am very proud of what Dr. Taylor has accomplished and the recognition she has earned. This reflects well on the entire school system.
 
We also honored the 2017 STAR students and STAR teachers. Jeramie Paz of Griffin High and Turner Jordan of Spalding High earned STAR recognition for their outstanding academic records. Jeramie and Turner then had the task of selecting their STAR teacher one whom they felt had the greatest impact on their academic and personal growth. Jeramie chose Eric Harper while Turner chose Dee Joiner as STAR teachers. The STAR program is unique in that it recognizes the academic success of students while also recognizing the importance of the student-teacher relationship. I would be remiss if I didn't mention that Griffin Christian Academy and Skipstone Academy were also included in the STAR recognition program held during Wednesday's Kiwanis Club of Griffin luncheon. Chandler Creswell and Jordan Souther were named STAR student and teacher for Griffin Christian while Sara Reeves and Kylie Huddleston were honored for Skipstone. Congratulations to all of these outstanding students and dedicated teachers. At the end of the program, Turner Jordan of Spalding High School was named the county-wide STAR student. Both he and Mrs. Joiner will compete for region honors in March. 
 
We have a lot of "excellence" to be proud of here in Griffin-Spalding County.  All you have to do is look for it. Have a great President's Day break.

Sincerely,
Jim Smith
Superintendent
TIFFANY TAYLOR NAMED GEORGIA SECONDARY PRINCIPAL OF THE YEAR
Carver Road Middle School Principal Dr. Tiffany Taylor is the Georgia Secondary Principal of the Year.
 
Dr. Taylor has served as principal of Carver Road Middle School (CAMS) since 2014. Under her leadership, CAMS was recognized as a 2016 and 2017 Model School by the International Center for Leadership in Education for its innovative practices. The Georgia Department of Education also recognized Carver Road Middle as one of three middle schools in the state for having the largest percentage decline in the number of students missing 15 or more days of school and also having a School Climate Star Rating of 4.
 
Dr. Taylor has almost 20 years of experience in education. She began her career in administration for the Griffin-Spalding County School System (GSCS) at Griffin High School as an assistant principal in 2010. Her experience also includes teaching English/Language Arts and serving as a graduation and instructional coach. Dr. Taylor received her Bachelor's degree from the University of West Georgia and completed her Master's and PhD in Educational Leadership at Mercer University.
Read more...
On the day of the announcement, Taylor was surprised by her staff, GSCS administrators, BOE members, stakeholders, family and friends
YOU'RE INVITED TO A CELEBRATION

2017 STAR STUDENTS AND TEACHERS
Congratulations to our high school STAR students and the teachers who inspired them!
Pictured (L-R): SHS and County STAR Student Turner Jordan, SHS STAR Teacher Dee Joiner, Superintendent Jim Smith, GHS STAR Teacher Eric Harper and GHS STAR Student Jeramie Paz
GSCS INSTRUCTIONAL TECHNOLOGY TRAINING SESSIONS
The GSCS Instructional Technology Department is now offering afterschool training sessions for teachers. If you would like to attend any or all of the training sessions, you MUST pre-register in PDExpress. All sessions will be held in Computer Lab A211 at Central Office.  

Upcoming trainings include...





Google Expeditions - Google Expeditions allows teachers and students to take virtual field trips right from the classroom! If you would like to know how to implement Google Expeditions and Google Cardboard, come to this training.
Date: February 28, 2017
Time Session A: 3:15 PM - 4:15 PM
Time Session B: 4:30 PM - 5:30 PM
HyperDocs - HyperDocs are interactive Google Docs that are designed to engage your students with various technology tools. Coming to this training will give you the skills and some templates to begin using HyperDocs.
Date: March 28, 2017
Time Session A: 3:15 PM - 4:15 PM
Time Session B: 4:30 PM - 5:30 PM
"It is small people who try to belittle your ambitions. The great ones help you to feel that you can become great."
~ Mark Twain
CELEBRATING BLACK HISTORY MONTH
Atkinson Elementary held it's 5th annual Celebration of Black History program on Friday, February 17. Each grade level did a performance based on the theme Amazing African American Lives, History & Culture. 
2017-18 SCHOOL CHOICE
School choice will close on March 10, 2017. All parents must go to the Parent Service Center, 234 E. Taylor Street, to complete the parent request form.
 
Click HERE for more information.
INSIDE THE HUMAN HEART: 10 FAST (AND FUN) FACTS
www.everydayhealth.com
The all-important heart is constantly at work, pumping blood (about 2,000 gallons a day) filled with essential oxygen and nutrients to your body's organs 24/7. Everything about the heart and how it works is interesting, but here are some nuggets of information we found particularly fascinating.
  1. The heart sits in the center of the chest, not on the left side.
  2. The human heart beats around 70 times per minute.
  3. Having a big heart isn't necessarily a good thing.
  4. Having a cold heart isn't always a bad thing.
  5. Monday is the most common day of the week for heart attacks.
  6. Male-pattern baldness is a sign of heart disease.
  7. The body's system of blood vessels is more than 60,000 miles long.
  8. Women's hearts beat faster than men's.
  9. Your heart doesn't stop when you sneeze.
  10. The aorta is nearly the diameter of a garden hose.

Click HERE to read the article.
ARBOR DAY CELEBRATION
In celebration of Arbor Day, members of the Griffin Environmental Council donated and planted trees for Crescent Elementary, Moore Elementary and Orrs Elementary in front of the Griffin Police Station. 
Representatives from each school attended the celebration on February 17.
HIGH SCHOOL EMPLOYEES OF THE MONTH
A.Z. KELSEY ACADEMY
Dr. Denson
Dr. Denson is a team player who is able to build positive relationships with students. She works with students from all three of our programs and she does a great job helping them to see the value of reading. She is a great asset to our school!
 
GRIFFIN HIGH SCHOOL
Ahlesltia Smith, school resource officer and Donna Pollard, special education department
Officer Smith is a great SRO. She always has a happy demeanor and stays active moving throughout the school. She builds strong connections with students and encourages them to be their best. Officer Smith displays respect and professionalism in all that she does.

Donna Pollard goes above and beyond to make sure our students are equipped with what they need. She has worked to obtain electronic communication systems that allow our students to interact and communicate in ways that they could not before. With care and compassion Ms. Pollard has dedicated decades of her life to helping students at GHS.
 
SPALDING HIGH SCHOOL
Katie Hodgson, math teacher
Katie is one of the newest members of the Spalding High School family.  She consistently works to provide her students with opportunities to grow and excel in Algebra I. She uses data to inform her instruction and provides engaging lessons which empowers her students to overcome their fear of math. Katie devotes countless hours during lunch and after school to any student in need of tutoring and extra support. She fosters positive rapport with her students instilling in them a "can-do" attitude about math. Spalding High School proudly salutes Katie Hodgson for her dedication and hard work.
 
MAINSTAY ACADEMY
Audra Lester, Lauren Flanagan, Claudia Harris and Dan McLean
These four staff members are responsible for keeping all the rest of us well organized, energized and fully supported. All of them have a wide range of responsibilities and they fulfill those responsibilities in a professional manner.  They are Mainstay's clerical champions!!!
SCHOOL BOARD APPRECIATION WEEK COMING SOON
GSCS students benefit every day from the hard work of our school board. March 13-17, 2017 is Georgia School Board Recognition Week, remember to thank these dedicated leaders for spending countless hours away from their own families and jobs to ensure that our students get a quality education. 
Pictured (L-R): Micheal Kendall, Barbara Jo Cook, Will Doss, Zach Holmes, James "Pete" Graham with Superintendent Jim Smith
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