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GCSS Community Update
Greene County School System News & Notes for the Community
In this Issue
- Message from the Superintendent
- Announcement of 2023-2024 Teachers of the Year
- Video: Lunchtime Fun at GCPS
- Community Partner Spotlight: Chris Dyches Electrical
- STEM Highlight: Planetarium visits CMS
- GCCA Pathway Spotlight: Early Childhood Education
- GCPS Classroom Spotlight: Literacy Lab
- GPB Feature on Undefeated Tiger Football
- Approval of FY24 budget and rollback millage rate
- Warning period to begin for new school zone speed cameras
- Career Coach Spotlight
- How to Get Involved
- Upcoming Events & Important Dates
From the Superintendent: Safety First
We have had a great start to the 2023-2024 school year! As it does every year, school safety remains our top priority. I would like to take this time to give a shout-out our School Resource Officers and thank them for their hard work. Not only do SROs keep our staff and students safe by securing our buildings and investigating threats, but they also participate in educating our students, whether as an instructor in our D.A.R.E. Program or by conducting drills and trainings.
This year, all of our schools will be conducting a variety of drills, including intruder drills, evacuation drills, and reunification drills. We will not announce all of these in advance in order to support the integrity of each drill, however, once they are in progress, we will issue an announcement to parents and the community to reassure all that a real event is not taking place.
We are investing in a variety of facility upgrades and security improvements to further enhance the safety of each entry point to our school buildings, as well as other safety communications tools such as intercoms, phones, and radios. We are also implementing a few new safety protocols this year, including the use of security wands at athletic events and new school zone speed cameras on Main Street in Greensboro. You can read more information about each of these initiatives further down in this newsletter.
I would like to thank GPD Chief Rodricus Monford for his constant vigilance and leadership assistance in our safety strategic planning efforts, our entire law enforcement community for their work at our athletic events and other occasions that draw large crowds to our schools, and our SROs once again for their daily efforts to protect our kids: from the GPD Ofc. Celine Andrews in Union Point, Sgt. Don Gause, Cpl. Tampa Lewis, and Ofc. Jonathan Thomas in Greensboro, and from the GCSO Deputy Jonathan Franco at LOA. And we can't forget to mention our Pre-K Protector, Ofc. Alphonzo Chester! When you see these officers out in the community, please take a moment to thank them for their service. School safety is a shared responsibility!
Sincerely,
Dr. Chris Houston
Superintendent
2023-2024 Teachers of the Year
Congratulations to our 2023-2024 Teachers of the Year! First grade teacher Cameron Shuler is Greene County Primary School’s Teacher of the Year, sixth grade math teacher Ashley Bridges is Anita White Carson Middle School’s Teacher of the Year, and Greene College & Career Academy Early Childhood Education pathway instructor Laura Ringer is Teacher of the Year at Greene County High School. Click here to read more about these outstanding educators' stories on our website.
Video: Lunchtime fun at Greene County Primary School turns musical!
Every day when students at Greene County Primary School enter the cafeteria's serving line at lunchtime, the kitchen staff sing them a song! In this spotlight on the GCPS nutrition team, learn how they make lunch fun with a song about selecting food choices.
Community Partner Spotlight: Chris Dyches Electrical
Thank you to the team at Chris Dyches Electrical for running electricity to the Reading Tree on the CBJ Preschool Playground and installing lights in the heart of the tree to allow it to glow as a beacon to represent literacy and a culture of reading for the students of Greene County!
STEM Highlight: Planetarium visits CMS
Recently, Will Dodd, regional coordinator for the Georgia Youth Science and Technology Centers, joined our 6th and 7th graders for an engaging science lesson about our solar system! In a blow-up planetarium Mr. Dodd brought right into the CMS library, the students found intriguing objects in that evening's sky as they hopped from planet to planet and learned their own location in our solar system.
GCCA Pathway Spotlight: Early Childhood Education
Early Childhood Education is the newest pathway at the Greene College & Career Academy. It provides hands-on learning opportunities for students who are interested in education and services or working with children in another occupation. Topics covered in the courses include human growth and development (prenatal-age 12), appropriate and optimal care, safety, health, and wellness for children, and preparation for classroom teaching through a practicum.
The Early Childhood Education I recently class had two guest speakers. Ms. Bailee Adams, the Speech-Language Pathologist for CBJ Preschool, came to speak to the students during their career unit. She talked about her role as an SLP, what she does on a daily basis at the Pre-K, and inspired the students to have fun and be kind in whatever career they choose to pursue. Ms. Kathy Arena, Greene County's representative from the Professional Association of Georgia Educators, came to speak about professionalism, focusing on the Code of Ethics for teachers. Thank you to Ms. Adams and Ms. Arena for visiting the ECE class!
GCPS Classroom Highlight: Literacy Lab
Kindergarten students had a blast in Mrs. Ansley's Literacy Lab recently, learning all about insects, including naming the body parts of insects, and exploring the life cycles of various insects. Students learned and sang songs that helped them remember content-specific vocabulary. Students made models of different insects using playdoh, as well as making and labeling a diagram of an ant. They finished the week by sequencing the life cycle of a butterfly. What a great way to combine learning about nature with research, vocabulary, and writing skills! 🦋🌿✏️
Undefeated Greene County Tiger Football featured by GPB Sports
Georgia Public Broadcasting's high school sports page recently featured GCHS Tiger Football, undefeated 5-0 this season for the first time since 2005. The experienced team has returned six starters on offense and seven starters on defense this year and beat Oglethorpe County 14-7 last Friday night. Click on the link below to read more of the GPB feature.
BOE approves rollback millage rate and FY24 budget
The Greene County Board of Education approved a rollback millage rate for the 5th consecutive year and the Fiscal Year 2024 budget at its regular monthly meeting on Thursday, August 17th. At 10.311 this year, the Greene County BOE millage rate is among the 10 lowest school board millage rates in the state.
“This year’s budget planning process faced a number of challenges in the form of unfunded cost increases from the state, such as a 59% surge in the employer-paid cost of health insurance, as well as a decrease in our state funding,” said Dr. Chris Houston, Superintendent. “However, through sound financial management and careful planning, we are pleased to be able to avoid passing that cost along to the taxpayer and instead pass a rollback millage rate, which our BOE has done every year since 2019. I am grateful to our CFO Dean Ware and our finance department staff for their diligent work in once again creating a sound, balanced budget that addresses these challenges and keeps the burden off of our community."
The Greene County School System has won the Excellence in Financial Reporting Award from the Georgia Department of Audits and Account for six consecutive years, every year since the award was established. Click here to read more of this story on our website.
Warning period to begin for speed cameras on Main Street in front of CMS & GCHS
In a joint effort by the Greene County School System and Greensboro Police Department to improve campus safety by enforcing school zone speed limits, Greensboro will be implementing a School Zone Speed Safety Program later this fall. Upon the program's launch, warning notices will be issued for 30 days to the registered owner of any vehicle that is photographed by the new school zone speed cameras passing through the school zone in excess of the posted speed limit while school is in session and one hour before classes are scheduled to begin and one hour after classes have concluded.
Warning notices do not include fines. However, fines will be issued to drivers who violate the law during the citation phase, which will begin following the initial 30-day warning period. First-time offenders will be fined $75, and subsequent offenses will result in a fine of $125. The warning period gives drivers the opportunity to check their speed and comply with our school zone safety program before actual citations begin. The intent of this program is to alert drivers to the school zones, reduce speeds, and increase safety for students.
The enforcement locations were chosen based on a traffic study that identified the schools as having the highest number of vehicles exceeding the posted speed limit while school was in session. In the three-day period during the traffic study, there were nearly 800 violators traveling more than 11 MPH over the 30 MPH posted speed limit.
“I’m pleased the City has school zone speed safety cameras near our school," said Superintendent Dr. Chris Houston. "Any countermeasure to get drivers to slow down and be aware of children as they walk to and from school is beneficial.”
Career Coach Spotlight: Kathy Kelly
Education: BA in English Literature, Minor in Secondary Education
Hobbies/Interests: Married for 52 years to a very good man! We have lived in different places and traveled the world. HUGE reader! travel, golf, grandchildren are all important. Last year I jumped off a mile high cliff with a parasail. I was scared to death but soooo glad to have done it!
Career: Lots of different jobs from Systems Analyst to Mayor of a city (Clearwater, FL) and lots of volunteering. I thought my first job would teaching in a school. But a company came to my college and asked me to interview to become a Systems Analyst. I wrote manuals for data processors and taught them how to do their job-I used my writing and teaching skills!
Note to students: Follow what you are good at in school. You'll figure out a good use for your natural abilities. Here's a little advice from my Grandmother (who had to leave school at 12 to work). "An education is a light load to carry." She was horrified that anyone would pass up the opportunity to learn!
Note to parents: I know you want your child to have a bright future. I am just a small part of help to get to that future. Your encouragement is PRICELESS!
How YOU Can Get Involved!
Volunteer - Reading Buddies (GCPS & CMS)
Help a 2nd grader at Greene County Primary School or a 5th grader at Carson Middle School by becoming a Reading Buddy! You can make a REAL difference with just 1 hour per week by sparking conversations, building relationships and social skills, and helping children foster a love of reading. Interested? Contact Beth Thomas at beth.thomas@greene.k12.ga.us or 706-347-0750.
Volunteer - After School Enrichment (CMS)
Donate - Wraparound Program (GCHS)
Upcoming Events & Important Dates
September 21, 2023
Board of Education Regular Monthly Meeting
The Greene County Board of Education will hold its September Regular Meeting at 6:00 p.m. in the Board Meeting Room located at 101 E. Third St. in Greensboro. To view Board of Education agendas and minutes, please click here.
September 28, 2023
Homecoming Parade
The GCHS Homecoming festivities will kick off on Thursday, September 28th at 4:30 p.m. with the Homecoming Parade! Come out to cheer on the Tigers as the parade makes its way up Main Street through downtown Greensboro.
September 29, 2023
Homecoming/Early Release
The Homecoming festivities will continue on Friday with the annual tailgate on the CMS track starting at noon, and the Homecoming Tiger Football game vs. Towns County at 7:30 p.m. This will be an early release day for students and staff at all schools.
We want to hear from you!
Please also share this newsletter with your communication circle and encourage them to sign up on this form so we can include them on our mailing list for future updates, and thank you for helping spread the word about the great things going on in Greene County Schools. As always, we appreciate your support as we strive to educate, inspire, challenge, and support Greene County’s students.
Keep up with us!
Email: gcsscommunications@greene.k12.ga.us
Website: www.greene.k12.ga.us
Location: 101 3rd Street, Greensboro, GA, USA
Phone: 706-453-7688
Facebook: facebook.com/gcsstigers
Twitter: @gcsstigers
Instagram: @gcss_tigers