GCSS Community Update
Greene County School System News & Notes for the Community
In this Issue
- GCHS Class of 2023 commits to colleges and universities on Academic Signing Day
- Introduction of the new Director of Teaching and Learning
- Community Partner Spotlight: Chick-fil-A Lake Oconee
- Announcement of 2023 Exemplary EL Student and ESOL Teacher
- Fine Arts Festival Showcase Video
- GCCA dual enrollment seniors continue 100% college acceptance rate
- GCCA Pathway Selection & Signing Day
- Career Coach Spotlight
- How to Get Involved
- Upcoming Events & Important Dates
From the Superintendent
It’s hard to believe there are just 3 weeks left in the school year, but here we are. I continue to be so grateful for the way our Greene County family has worked together to make this a successful year for our kids and our community.
Next week is National Teacher Appreciation Week, and I want to share my heartfelt gratitude for our 200+ classroom teachers and take a moment to express my admiration for everything they do. They cultivate curiosity while instilling core values like kindness, patience, and teamwork. They are tasked with helping students discover their passion so they can pursue their dreams. They teach our students the skills they need to thrive, by helping them manage stress, develop positive relationships, and work through conflict. Anyone who steps foot inside our schools sees how hard they work to provide a positive impact on the lives of our students, their colleagues, and our community. Much of what they do falls outside of their job description, but they go the extra mile to care for each of the students in their classes as though they were their own. Please join us in celebrating our incredible Greene County teaching staff next week during Teacher Appreciation Week.
I am so proud of our athletic programs who have achieved great success this spring. Our new Adapted Basketball team won the gold at the Special Olympics State Games, and the Lady Tigers soccer team made it to the second round of the Division II state playoffs and accomplished their first postseason victory since 2008 this year. Our boys Track and Field team won region champion, and our Lady Tigers track team won region runner-up.
I am also proud to share that we are expanding our Adapted Sports and Adapted PE offerings for our special education students next year to include a golf team! I know that with the incredible golf community in Greene County, we will be able to make the most of this special opportunity for these students. On that note, I’d like to ask for your help: our Special Education Department is looking for donations of golf clubs for this new team, especially putters and chippers. However, they would be grateful for donations of clubs of any type. Please spread the word! Anyone interested in donating clubs may contact our Special Education Director Kelly Rogers at kelly.rogers@greene.k12.ga.us or call 706-453-7688.
Greene County Schools is prepared to finish the school year strong. End-of-year state testing is underway, and we are excited for our students to show what they know. We are confident that this year’s results will show the fruit of the hard work and new, innovative strategies that have been implemented at each of our schools this year. Summer is right around the corner, but we can't let ourselves relax just yet. Whether it’s in academics, athletics, or culture and climate, let’s come together to cheer our students on with a big “Go Tigers!”
Sincerely,
Dr. Chris Houston
GCHS Seniors Commit to Post-Grad Plans on Academic Signing Day
On April 19th, GCHS seniors celebrated Academic Signing Day by announcing their post-graduation plans and signing with the college of their choice where they will be enrolled in the fall. Students signed with universities both near and far, including Columbia University in New York, Morehouse College in Atlanta, Tuskegee University in Alabama, the University of Georgia, Georgia Southern, North Carolina State, and many more. Families of seniors and many in the community attended to cheer on each senior as they revealed their college commitment choice. The soon-to-be graduates shared words of inspiration with the GCHS underclassmen from the stage before walking to their college tables.
Notable GCHS alumnus Ronald Blair, who played football at Appalachian State and was later drafted into the NFL, also shared words of wisdom, challenging the seniors to stay focused and driven as they transition from high school to college life. The event closed with further congratulations from Principal Eddie Hood, who told the seniors that they exemplify the Greene County School System motto of “Start Here and Go Far.”
GCSS announces new Director of Teaching and Learning Crystal Parten
The Greene County School System is pleased to welcome Crystal Parten to the district leadership team as the Director of Teaching and Learning. In this role, she will be primarily responsible for curriculum choice, planning, alignment, and implementation, all of which are crucial to a school district’s essential function of teaching and learning.
Parten said she is looking forward to her new role, especially the collaboration with the instructional team: “I believe that this position relies on listening and responding to students, teachers, and administrators as it relates to curriculum resources, assessment, professional learning opportunities, and more,” Parten said. “I am most excited about collaborating with the instructional coaches and teachers directly on literacy initiatives, effective instructional strategies, lesson design, and student engagement.”
Parten comes to Greene County from the Central Savannah River Area Regional Educational Service Agency (RESA), where she served as a K-12 Content Literacy Specialist and K-12 Social Studies Specialist, among many other responsibilities. In these roles, she researched, prepared, and delivered professional learning in literacy, social studies, history, inquiry-based learning, disciplinary literacy, and more for the twelve school districts in the RESA’s service area.
Prior to her RESA service, Parten served as a history and social studies teacher at the high school level and has served as an adjunct history professor at Gordon College, Georgia College, Valdosta State University, and Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College.
Click here read more about Parten's accomplishments and career so far on our website.
Community Partner Spotlight: Chick-fil-A Lake Oconee
Our Chick-fil-A Leader Academy group would like to thank Chick-fil-A Lake Oconee for providing this wonderful leadership program for our students! Throughout the year, students learned valuable leadership skills and participated in multiple service projects, including:
- One Million Books Giveaway: packaged and brought books to Pre-K and Primary classrooms and read to the students
- Do Good December: volunteering with Winter Wonderland program and creating a Christmas tree that went to a family without one
- Dr. Seuss Week: reading to preschoolers again
- Spring Impact Project: planned and created activity stations such as the photo booth for a pre-k field day.
GCSS names 2023 Exemplary English Learner Student and ESOL Teacher
The Greene County School System has named GCHS senior Sherlyn Camacho-Bustamente as the district’s 2023 Exemplary English Learner (EL) Student and Donna Lund as the GCSS 2023 Exemplary ESOL Teacher. Both will proceed to the statewide competition for Exemplary EL Student and ESOL Teacher.
Each year, the Georgia Department of Education (GaDOE) selects an Exemplary EL Student and ESOL Teacher for the state from among those nominated by local school systems. This is the first year that Greene County has participated.
Sherlyn Camacho-Bustamente is a former EL who will graduate from GCHS this May. She has participated in the honors, AP, and dual enrollment programs throughout her high school career. She is a member of several clubs, organizations, and sports teams and holds leadership roles on many of these. Additionally, Sherlyn volunteers as a translator for the Spanish-speaking community members. Greene County is extremely proud have Sherlyn represent us as our nomination for the GADOE Exemplary EL Student for 2023.
Mrs. Lund was nominated by her fellow ESOL teachers and administrators in the district. She is described as hard-working and dedicated. She understands her students’ data and collaborates well with content area teachers so that students receive the supports they need to succeed in the classroom. Additionally, Mrs. Lund has strong professional relationships with the families of her students. She maintains constant communication with the families and ensures they receive information in a language they can understand. She also shares important social and familial information about the students with their content teachers so that students truly have a connected educational experience where they can grow and flourish.
Scenes from the GCSS Fine Arts Festival on April 11th
2023 GCCA dual enrollment seniors continue 100% college acceptance rate
The Greene College & Career Academy would like to recognize the hard work of the Dual Enrollment seniors at Greene County High School and Lake Oconee Academy. The Class of 2023 is one of the brightest to come through the college and career academy. As a class, these seniors have potentially saved themselves, and their parents, over $372,000 on college costs. Continuing the tradition set by the classes before them, all Dual Enrollment seniors that applied to college got accepted. Please join us in wishing them the very best as they get ready for the next step on their journey. We are so proud of you all!
GCCA 9th Grade Academy Pathway Selection and Signing Day
Career Coach Spotlight: Deb Grunnet
B.S. Special Education
M.S. Curriculum and Instruction
Ed.S. Administrative Leadership
Hobbies/Interests: One daughter-Dermatologist, Married for 41 years to another College and Career Coach, love lake life and outdoor activities
Career: Special Education teacher and administrator
Note to parents: I feel so fortunate to be able to coach your child. I look forward to working together to support your child and encourage them to achieve their goals and pursue their dreams.
How YOU Can Get Involved
Volunteer - Reading Buddies (GCPS & CMS)
Help a 2nd grader at Greene County Primary School or a 4th 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
May 5, 2023
Exceptional Children's Day
Mark your calendars! Exceptional Children's Day (formerly known as Special Olympics) will be Friday, May 5th from 8:30 a.m. - 1:00 p.m. at Tiger Stadium. (In case of rain, the backup date is May 12th.)
May 8-12, 2023
Teacher Appreciation Week
Join us in celebrating GCSS teachers and staff during Teacher Appreciation Week! This year's theme is "The Transformation of Education Begins with Teachers." Thank you to all our teachers and staff for all the ways in which you educate, inspire, challenge, and support all Greene County students each and every day!
May 18, 2023
Board of Education Regular Monthly Meeting
The Greene County Board of Education will hold its May 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.
May 20, 2023
Ronald Blair III All-Star Football Camp
Once again Ronald Blair is returning to his alma mater to bring his All Star Youth Football Camp to Tiger Stadium! This is a free camp for up to 300 kids in 3rd– 12th grades and includes admission, breakfast, a series of football drills with NFL Players & Coaches as instructors, mock games of 7on7, camp t-shirt, lunch, and a gift bag with autographs by Blair himself. Register at ronaldblairnfl.com.
May 26, 2023
Last Day of School and GCHS Graduation
Friday, May 26th will be the last day of school for all students, with a noontime early release. Graduation at GCHS will be at 7:00 p.m. that evening in Tiger Stadium.
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