At last night's Board of Education meeting, we recognized Sarah Thomas, School Nutrition Assistant at Winterville Elementary School, for being named CCSD's Employee of the Month for September and the winners of the Foundation for Excellence in Public Education in Clarke County's 2026 Teaching and Staff Awards. Congratulations to all!
We were excited last night to hold the organizational meeting of our Literacy Advisory Council! This group of more than 25 parents, teachers, school leaders, and community members from across Athens-Clarke County is charged with building our district's formal Literacy Plan that will be presented to the Board of Education later this year. Thank you for leading the way in strengthening our Culture of Literacy! Learn more at www.clarke.k12.ga.us/literacy.
We are excited to announce Sarah Thomas, School Nutrition Assistant at Winterville Elementary School, as our September Employee of the Month! Ms. Thomas was nominated by a Winterville teacher who shared that she goes way beyond taking care of each child at breakfast and lunch but also regularly attends school functions and celebrates their achievements! Ms. Thomas was surprised with the award this morning by Superintendent Dr. Jennifer Scott and the Winnerbee nutrition team and will be publicly recognized tomorrow night at the Board of Education meeting! Thank you to this School Lunch Hero for being a champion for our students, and congratulations!
Nominate any full-time CCSD employee with at least one full year of experience for Employee of the Month at bit.ly/CCEmployeeAward.
An exciting development in our partnership with Athens Neighborhood Health Center! Today, ANHC's mobile dental bus made its first CCSD stop at J.J. Harris Elementary School and will be there twice a week throughout September. Additional schools will be announced at a later date. Services include cleanings, X-rays, fillings, sealants, and other preventative care.
Thank you to ANHC for being an invaluable partner in helping meet our students' dental care needs and serving our families. They saw three patients for appointments today and have seven more scheduled later this week with more to follow! ANHC also offers dental care at the Hilsman Health Center, which is one of four school-based health centers across CCSD that are open to all district students and staff!
Thank you to ANHC for being an invaluable partner in helping meet our students' dental care needs and serving our families. They saw three patients for appointments today and have seven more scheduled later this week with more to follow! ANHC also offers dental care at the Hilsman Health Center, which is one of four school-based health centers across CCSD that are open to all district students and staff!
Your Presence Matters! As we begin September, CCSD is proud to join the nationwide Attendance Awareness Month campaign.
Regular school attendance is the key to Thriving Students - from developing critical social skills, friendships, and good habits at a young age, to learning to read and write, to staying on track for high school graduation, and succeeding in life.
Our district remains committed to strengthening relationships with our families and community partners to help reduce chronic absence and to fostering safe and welcoming school environments that allow every child to learn, grow, and thrive. We invite you to join us in this effort!
Regular school attendance is the key to Thriving Students - from developing critical social skills, friendships, and good habits at a young age, to learning to read and write, to staying on track for high school graduation, and succeeding in life.
Our district remains committed to strengthening relationships with our families and community partners to help reduce chronic absence and to fostering safe and welcoming school environments that allow every child to learn, grow, and thrive. We invite you to join us in this effort!
Another thank you to all those who attended last night's Progress and Plans session with Dr. Scott! This was the third and final session for this round, but stay tuned for a full report on the sessions and more updates on the Superintendent's 90-day entry plan!
Our September breakfast and lunch menus are now available for viewing!
• Access this week's menus and printable monthly menus at www.clarke.k12.ga.us/menus
• Get daily menus for your child's school every morning by downloading the official CCSD mobile app!
Thank you to those who attended our second "Progress and Plans" session with the Superintendent last night! There is one more opportunity to hear from Dr. Scott in this round of meetings, so make plans to join us this coming Monday, August 31, from 5:30-6:30 p.m. at Rhema Christian Fellowship, 1850 Danielsville Road! The presentations include a Q+A period, and you may submit questions in advance by emailing feedback@clarke.k12.ga.us or filling out the form at bit.ly/AskDrScott
We were excited to officially launch year 2 of our partnership with Gifted Savings today, as nearly 800 seniors at Cedar Shoals High School, Clarke Central High School, Classic City High School, and the Athens Community Career Academy learned more about the $1,000 real-money investment portfolios they will receive along with financial education - all thanks to the more than $400,000 raised by community members like you and the matching $400,000 from an anonymous donor! We're excited to see the members of the Class of 2027 grow in this program and become real investors after graduation! Read more!
Thank you to everyone who attended the first of three "Progress and Plans" sessions with Superintendent Dr. Jennifer Scott last night, as she provided an overview of her 90-day entry plan and how CCSD will continue Raising the Bar this school year while also answering questions from the community!
Join us for the next session TOMORROW (Thursday, August 27), from 5:30-6:30 p.m. at the Athens-Clarke County Library, 2025 Baxter Street! As a reminder, you may submit your questions in advance by either emailing feedback@clarke.k12.ga.us or completing the short form at bit.ly/AskDrScott.
LET THE BIG DAWG READ: More than 800 CCSD second-graders experienced firsthand the magic of reading during a special event this morning at the University of Georgia's Stegeman Coliseum with former UGA and NFL football player-turned children's author and literacy advocate Malcolm Mitchell! After a read-aloud with Malcolm and other fun activities, all students left with their own free copy of Malcolm's brand-new book, "My Super Duper Me!" Thank you to Malcolm and his Share the Magic Foundation as well as the UGA Athletic Association for once again putting on a terrific event for our Thriving Students and promoting a Culture of Literacy across CCSD and Athens-Clarke County!
Athens: We asked, and you have answered the call!
We are thrilled to announce that our community has stepped up to raise $400,000 to fund Gifted Savings for our Class of 2027! That money unlocked a match of $400,000 from an anonymous donor for a total of $800,000, which means that, for the second year in a row, every CCSD high school senior will receive a real $1,000 investment portfolio that they will watch and learn from throughout the year!
Once our seniors have completed all the Gifted Savings learning modules, graduated, and turned 18, that portfolio will become theirs! Thank you, Athens, for helping shape the future of our community one student at a time.
Learn more about this financial education and literacy program and how you can help keep the momentum going for the Class of 2028 and beyond at www.clarke.k12.ga.us/giftedsavings.
Employee of the Month nominations for the 2026-27 school year are now open! Nominate any full-time CCSD employee with at least one year of service to the district at bit.ly/CCEmployeeAward
Scenes from a wonderful first day of school! Thanks to our students, staff, and families for bringing the energy all day! See the full gallery on the CCSD Facebook page!
Congratulations to new District 8 Board of Education member Johnelle Simpson II, who was officially sworn in today! Thank you, Mr. Simpson, for your willingness to serve CCSD students and the Athens-Clarke County community and for your advocacy of public education!
At CCSD, we're continuing to build on the momentum of making Athens the first community in America where every student has the opportunity to graduate high school as an investor, and we need your help!
We have approximately $77,000 left to raise by Monday, August 10, to meet our $400,000 goal of fully funding real $1,000 investment portfolios for every member of the Class of 2027 at Cedar Shoals High School, Clarke Central High School, and Classic City High School through the Gifted Savings financial education and literacy program!
Help us cross the finish line by Monday, August 10! Donate to the CCSD Gifted Savings Fund through the Athens Area Community Foundation at bit.ly/GSCCSD. Check out this video to learn more about the life-changing impact of Gifted Savings on CCSD students in year one, and get inspired to be a part of creating brighter futures for our youth! Learn more at www.clarke.k12.ga.us/giftedsavings.
Pictured: Thank you to Gifted Savings Executive Director Josh Landay for leading the presentation at today's kickoff meeting of the Gifted Savings Advisory Council and to the members of the council for leading the way in these efforts!
Yesterday proved just what an amazing year we're going to have and was a phenomenal showcase of Optimized Talent, Thriving Students, and Connected Culture - all working hand-in-hand to make CCSD and Athens-Clarke County Better Together! Convocation 2026 is in the books, but the fun is just getting started!
And we're off! Convocation 2026!
Almost ready to go here for Convocation 2026, a full day of professional learning for all CCSD employees to make 2026-27 the best school year yet! Thank you to The Classic Center and Akins Ford Arena for hosting! And a big THANK YOU to our sponsors who made this event possible!
Last week, Mayor Kelly Girtz was joined by members of the Executive Board of the Clarke County Association of Educators and issued a proclamation declaring today, July 27, as "You Matter" School Personnel Appreciation Day. The proclamation recognizes the vital role all school employees play in encouraging academic achievement, fostering personal growth in students, and building positive relationships that shape the future of our community. Thank you to Mayor Girtz and ACCGov, and thank you to all the members of our CCSD team who show up and Raise the Bar for students every day!
