Table preparations underway for tonight's Teacher/Support Professional of the Year awards dinner! Check back here later tonight for the announcement of our 2024-25 district winners!
BIG CONGRATULATIONS to Ben Smalley, CCSD's Social Studies Curriculum Coordinator, who was presented with the Georgia Council for the Social Studies (GCSS) Outstanding Social Studies Supervisor/Leader of the Year award today during the council's 60th annual conference and awards luncheon.
Great turnout last night for our districtwide AP and Dual Enrollment Night, where students ranging from grades 9-11 and their families got an overview of the Advanced Placement and other college-level courses available at Cedar Shoals High School, Clarke Central High School, and the Athens Community Career Academy as well as dual enrollment options available through ACCA, Athens Technical College, the University of North Georgia, and the University of Georgia. Students and parents/guardians who couldn't make it last night but are interested in learning more can contact their school counselor at anytime for additional information.
The Classic City Championship Basketball Games are coming! Head over to the new Akins Ford Arena at the Classic Center in downtown Athens on Friday, Dec. 20, and watch the Cedar Shoals High School and Clarke Central High School girls' and boys' junior-varsity and varsity basketball teams do battle! Tickets go on sale this Friday, Oct. 25, at 10 a.m.
More info is available at https://classiccenter.com/1695/Classic-City-Championship
We look forward to this great community event in an exciting new venue and encourage everyone to come out and support our student-athletes!
Thank you to State School Superintendent Richard Woods for visiting Barnett Shoals Elementary School this morning to present the school with its Literacy Leader banner for achievement in reading. Barnett Shoals third-graders had one of the highest growth rates in the state last school year on the Georgia ELA Milestones Assessment with an 18.2% increase in students scoring proficient and above. Along with this morning's banner presentation, the school unveiled its Wall of Legends celebrating students who scored Distinguished on the Milestones. Mr. Woods also took time to visit pre-K and fifth-grade classrooms.
We were delighted today to welcome dozens of members from the local business community into some of our schools for the 2024 Seeing is Believing Bus Tour! Participants visited elementary, middle, and high schools to see the extraordinary work that takes place in our schools every day, learn about innovative programs, talk to our school leaders, and hear from students, parents, and other community members about the great things happening in our district! See more photos on our Facebook page, @ClarkeCoSchools
Congratulations to David Darden, automotive tech teacher at Cedar Shoals High School, who was named a winner of the Harbor Freight Tools for Schools Prize for Teaching Excellence this morning! Mr. Darden, who is in his 15th year at Cedar after retiring from a 35-year career in the automotive industry, won $50,000 for the school's automotive program. A previous finalist for this award, he was one of 25 public high school skilled trades teachers across the U.S. and the only one in Georgia to receive it this year!
Mr. Darden was surprised this morning with a special presentation and joined by his family. Special thanks to Jessica Hayes from Congressman Mike Collins' office, state Rep. Houston Gaines, and Athens-Clarke County Mayor Kelly Girtz for also being in attendance!
More photos on our Facebook page (@ClarkeCoSchools)!
Scenes from today's 2024-25 Teacher of the Year finalist surprises. Congratulations once again to Chris Batson of Clarke Middle School, Tymisha Creightney of Burney-Harris-Lyons Middle School, and Barbara Gaertig of Hilsman Middle School!
More photos on our Facebook page (@ClarkeCoSchools)!
As part of an exciting day of celebrations, we also want to give a BIG CONGRATULATIONS to our October Employee of the Month, Liza Burnsed!
Ms. Burnsed has worked in special education with CCSD for 10 years and has been a transition specialist with the Department of Special Education at the district office for the past three years. She also spent several years at Cedar Shoals High School, including as SPED department head. In her role, Ms. Burnsed works tirelessly every day in assisting students served through our special education program and helping them and their families prepare for life after high school. This includes, among many other things, making and maintaining contacts with numerous local businesses and companies to set up job training sites and support employment opportunities for students with special needs. Her passion for her work shines through every day.
Ms. Burnsed was surprised with the award this morning by Superintendent Dr. Robbie Hooker and will be recognized at the Oct. 17 Board of Education meeting.
We continue to receive many outstanding nominations for Employee of the Month thanks to our community! You can nominate any full-time CCSD employee with at least one year service at bit.ly/CCEmployeeAward.
Shana Tovah to all of our community members celebrating Rosh Hashanah beginning this evening!
#CCSD2024
#BetterTogether
#RoshHashanah
#ShanaTovah
We are continuing to accept nominations for October Employee of the Month through Sunday, October 6! Anyone in the community may nominate any full-time CCSD employee with at least one full year of service for the award. The winner will be surprised at their school/building and recognized at this month's Board of Education meeting. Go to bit.ly/CCEmployeeAward to get started!
Clarke County School District celebrates Breast Cancer Awareness Month.
Breast Cancer Awareness Month serves every October to inform the methods to prevent breast cancer and detect it in its early stages, where the survival rate is 99 percent. CCSD encourages members in our community to do what they can to prevent and detect breast cancer as soon as possible. By being aware of breast cancer and its risks, our community can fight back.
#CCSD2024
#BetterTogether
#BreastCancerAwarenessMonth
Please join us for a Community Conversation with Board of Education representative Dr. Lakeisha Gantt on October 21st at the Chestnut Grove Baptist Church Historical School House at 610 Epps Bridge Parkway from 6:00 - 7:00!
¡Únase a nosotros para una conversación comunitaria con la representante de la Junta de Educación, la Dra. Lakeisha Gantt, el 21 de octubre en la escuela histórica de la iglesia bautista Chestnut Grove en 610 Epps Bridge Parkway de 6:00 a 7:00 p.m.!
Happy International Translation Day from CCSD to our incredible district translation team!
¡Feliz Día Internacional de la Traducción de parte del CCSD a nuestro increíble equipo de traducción!
#CCSD2024
#BetterTogether
#JuntosSomosMejores
No Better Together newsletter this week due to the weather, but we'll be back next week. Enjoy your weekend!
Today marks the official start of Autumn! What makes you excited about Fall? Let us know in the comments! #CCSD2024 #BetterTogether
Today, CCSD joins other school districts across the U.S. in recognizing National School Backpack Awareness Day, an effort sponsored by the American Occupational Therapy Association to encourage students to wear backpacks correctly to prevent injury and other health risks. Some common tips for parents/guardians include:
•selecting a backpack that is proportional to your child's size and limiting the backpack weight they carry to under 10% of their body weight.
•ensuring backpacks have padded shoulder straps
•teaching your child to place the heaviest items in the back closest to their back
•removing any items from the backpack that are not necessary for the day.
•instilling habits of using both straps when wearing the backpack in order to prevent potential shoulder strain and poor posture.
Today, CCSD joins school district around the nation in celebrating Constitution Day, commemorating the signing of the U.S. Constitution on Sept. 17, 1787, and the start of Constitution Week (Sept. 17-23)! Schools throughout the district are participating in educational activities today and this week centered around the Constitution, the history of its framing, and its importance in setting forth our systems of law and governance.
REMINDER: Come on out to J.J. Harris Elementary tomorrow evening (Wednesday, Sept. 18) from 6-7 p.m. for a Community Conversation with District 9 Board of Education member Mark Evans. The event is open to residents throughout the community. Spanish-language interpretation services will be available. See you there!
September 17 is IT Professionals Day! Thank you to the incredible IT staff that help keep us going through glitches, freezes, and malfunctions. Their hard work means a secure workspace for students and staff and we appreciate their incredible service!
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#BetterTogether
