lighting the way for tomorrow's leaders beacon/beacon...2010/08/18 · to review benefit plans...

[Type here] Savannah-Chatham County Public School System

HAPPENINGS:

THE BEACON

"Lighting the Way for Tomorrow's Leaders"

Volume 2 / Issue 6

M. Ann Levett, Ed.D.

Superintendent of Schools

Savannah-Chatham County

Public School System

208 Bull Street

Savannah, GA 31401

(912) 395-5600

SCHOOL BOARD Jolene Byrne

President

Julie M. Wade

District 1

Dr. Dionne Hoskins-Brown

District 2

Cornelia H. Hall

District 3

Shawn A. Kachmar

District 4

Irene Hines

District 5

Larry Lower, Vice-President

District 6

Michael Johnson

Vice-President Pro-Tempore

District 7

Ruby Jones

District 8

NEWS YOU CAN USE:

DON’T BE SELFISH!!! TELL YOUR FRIENDS ABOUT OUR GOOD NEWS!

TEACHER OF THE YEAR FLAG RAISING CEREMONY Each year the Flag of Learning and Liberty is raised at the school where the district’s Teacher of the Year is located. The flag was officially raised earlier this week. The flag will now fly high throughout the entire 2018-19 school year at Mercer Middle School where the Savannah-Chatham County Teacher of the Year, Kiwonda Riley, is located. On July 4, 1985, the first flag symbolizing the link between education and a strong, free nation was raised over the capitals of all 50 states and the District of Columbia. The Flag of Learning and Liberty was inspired by the importance of education and significant reform movements undertaken by many states of USA. In 1985, the Flag of Learning and Liberty was designed incorporating the red, white and blue of the "Stars and Stripes," symbolizing America's historical belief in and reliance upon education. The flag features: A horizontal red stripe across its top depicting the strength and vitality of a democratic way of life. A blue stripe running horizontally along the bottom which represents the stability and opportunity made possible by a strong system of education. A center field of white which conveys the virtue and aspiration of a nation of free people. The central focus of the flag is the emblem in the middle of the white field, featuring: Two gold flames at the top - one for learning and one for liberty. These flames are supported by a base of four elements, arranged in alternating blue and red pairs. The blue elements represent the two key foundations of strong education - high expectations and effective teaching. The red elements symbolize the cornerstone institutions of a democratic society - responsible families and involved communities.


THE BEACON – PAGE 2


RED RIBBON WEEK IS

OCTOBER 23-31,

2018 For Red Ribbon Week in October, we can use a number of unique educational activities to spread the knowledge and importance of drug and bullying prevention. The entire community can come together during Red Ribbon Week to teach children to develop good habits early in life to help them achieve future success.

NATIONAL SCHOOL BUS

SAFETY WEEK, OCTOBER 22-

26, 2018 National School Bus Safety Week in October is the ideal time to reinforce bus safety rules among students and express gratitude to our bus drivers, monitors, and transportation support staff for their hard work and professionalism. Please share a special thank you to all transportation staff members today!

SCCPSS HOSTED ITS ANNUAL FALL HIGH SCHOOL READY TO WORK JOB FAIR The Savannah-Chatham County Public School System (SCCPSS) is dedicated to the support of our students as they transition from school to the world. Whether students seek college or career opportunities, the school district strives to provide quality learning experiences and program options that will ensure all students are fully prepared to succeed in an increasingly competitive global workforce. In this spirit, on October 4, 2018, SCCPSS hosted its annual Fall Student Ready to Work Job Fair at the Savannah Mall, with the intent to connect the world of work with our work ready students. There were over 50 businesses present that provided opportunities for students. In addition, there were 20 colleges and universities present vying for students to enroll in their institution. The event was a huge success!




OCTOBER 2018 IS

BULLYING PREVENTION

MONTH

Bullying is serious business.

In fact, every state in the

U.S. has anti-bullying laws in

effect, so it's more

important than ever to have

a strong and ongoing anti-

bullying program that

reaches everyone in our

schools. Educating children

about the dangers of

bullying and how to deal

with it is essential and

should start at a young age

in order to prevent this

negative behavior. We can

help with educational tools

designed to motivate

students to become role

models and perform acts of

kindness every day.

28 SCCPSS NEW YOUTH MENTION HEALTH FIRST AID INSTRUCTORS SCCPSS is proud to announce that we have certified 28 new Youth Mental Health First Aid Instructors (100% of our cohort)! Participants completed a rigorous 5 day course to earn this credential. Our SCCPSS instructors join the ranks of over 10,000 Mental Health First Aid instructors. Mental Health First Aid is a national movement that is changing how Americans understand mental health and addiction. Our new instructors will be able to certify SCCPSS staff in Youth Mental Health First Aid. YMHFA curriculum raises awareness about mental illness as wells as works to eliminate the stigma associated with mental illness. This awesome experience was a component of SCCPSS’s Coordinated Early Intervening Services (CEIS) program headed by the Department of Specialized Instruction. Our New Instructors include: 9 Transition Specialist 8 Behavior Interventionists 3 School Social Workers 3 Staff from Building Bridges (2 Teachers and a School Psychologist) 2 School Counselors 2 School Resource Officers 1 Parent Mentor




PREPARING CHILDREN

FOR EMERGENCIES

Talk to your children

today about what

emergencies may impact

Chatham County and

what your family’s plan is

in case a disaster strikes.

Check out these

resources to learn more!

#2018PrepareAThon




MANDATORY

ENROLLMENT OPENS

OCTOBER 15TH

Open Enrollment will begin

October 15th and will

continue through November

2nd at 11:59 p.m. Open

Enrollment provides

employees the opportunity

to review benefit plans for

the 2019 benefit plan year,

review and update

beneficiary information,

elect, change, and/or drop

benefit coverages. All

changes to your benefit

coverage will be effective

January 1, 2019 through

December 31, 2019.

Enrollment for District

Benefits is mandatory for all

employees, see the attached

newsletter for enrollment

instructions.

For additional information,

contact the Shaw Hankins

customer service center at

844-550-9717 for District

Benefits and SHBP/ADP at

800-610-1863 for medical

only.

On October 25, 2018, we can join millions across America to celebrate the amazing power of reading with the READ FOR THE RECORD event! Read for the Record brings together millions of people each year in classrooms, libraries, community centers, and homes across the US. This annual campaign was launched by Jumpstart over a decade ago to highlight the importance of building early literacy and language skills for EVERY child, so that all children have the opportunity to enter kindergarten prepared to succeed. This year’s book selection, Maybe Something Beautiful, by F. Isabel Campoy and Theresa Howell, and illustrated by Rafael López, celebrates the magic that can happen when a community comes together to create something beautiful and bring about change.

Congratulations to Mrs. Natasha Grant, Business Teacher at Johnson High School for being

selected for the 2018-19 LEAD CTAE cohort!!! The elite group of 20, representing school

systems and program areas from across the state, were selected from 76 applicants. The

CTAE Resource Network, GACTE, and the Georgia Department of Education are proud and

excited to welcome this group and provide this great professional learning opportunity.

JOHNSON HIGH SCHOOL TEACHER SELECTED FOR

THE STATE LEAD CTAE PROGRAM




SAFETY GRANTS FOR SCCPSS

The Department of Justice this week announced more than $70 million in grants to support school

safety nationwide. The Savannah-Chatham County Public School System is pleased to have been

the recipient of two of those grants totaling nearly half a million dollars.

SCCPSS Campus Police were awarded $187,500 through the STOP School Violence Prevention and Mental Health Training Program, also managed by BJA. The grant monies will provide training and education on preventing violence and effectively responding to related mental health crises.

SCCPSS Campus Police in collaboration with Chatham County Government were also awarded $306,912 through the COPS Office School Violence Prevention Program (SVPP). This grant will provide for school safety measures including coordination with law enforcement, training for law enforcement to prevent student violence against others and self, target hardening measures, and technology for expedited notification of law enforcement during an emergency.

The federal grants are authorized by the STOP School Violence Act, which are intended to improve school security by helping students and teachers reduce exposure to risks, prevent acts of violence, and quickly recognize and respond to violent attacks.

SCCPSS Campus Police Chief Terry Enoch says, “The grants will help Savannah-Chatham County

Public Schools enhance security at each of our facilities and continue our efforts in training our

staff, students and law enforcement officers in the best ways to prepare for the possibility of

violence and mitigate the effects.”

Savannah-Chatham County Public Schools make ensuring the safety of students, staff and our

facilities a top priority and assessments are regularly conducted to determine what improvements

can be made to enhance those efforts.

STEM ACADEMY @BARTLETT WINS HONOR!

We’re excited to announce that The STEM Academy @ Bartlett has been selected as an Apple Distinguished School for 2018–2021, a three-year designation.

Congratulations on being recognized for continuous innovation in learning, teaching, and the school environment.

CHECKING

BENEFICIARIES –

NOW IS A GOOD

TIME!

When is the last time you updated your beneficiary designations? It’s open enrollment time, so now is a perfect time to check your designated beneficiaries. It's truly amazing the amount of people who have prior spouses or deceased relatives still named as a beneficiary on a retirement account at a former employer, or on a life insurance policy purchased long ago. That's why it's so important that after marriages, divorces, births, deaths and other major life events, account-holders need to check and, if necessary, update beneficiary statements.




WANT TO GET YOUR

SCHOOL

NOTICED! SEND IN

YOUR EVENTS,

SCHOOL HAPPENINGS,

GOOD NEWS AND

ACCOMPLISHMENTS!

When your school has great

things going on - we want to

know about it! Let District

Communications help

spread the good news

about your school to the

community. Each week we

send out an event rundown

and coverage opportunities

to our media partners and

we want to make sure your

school gets noticed! Good

PR is at every turn – don’t

miss an opportunity!

Make sure you inform us of

your good news so we can

share it with the

community!

Just fill out this link:

Send in Your Good News

today

2018 CONSTITUTION DAY ART CONTEST WINNERS

Congratulations to all of our winners in the 2nd Annual Constitution Day Art/Essay

Contest. All of the winners will be recognized on Monday, November 5th at 10 a.m. at

the Federal Bankruptcy Court in downtown Savannah by Judge Edward J. Coleman. The

students will enjoy a tour and reception at the courthouse and their artwork and essays

will be displayed in the courthouse for the rest of the school year.

Kindergarten winner is Michael Hall Carter, II, from Ms. Newsome’s class at White Bluff Elementary School

1st grade winner is Nusaybah Kirk, from Ms. Lorelei Faucette's class, at Jacob G. Smith Elementary School

2nd grade winner is Paxton Parrish, from Ms. Elizabeth Harper's class, at Pooler Elementary School

3rd grade winner is Cooper Crunkleton, from Ms. Bynikini Frazier's class, at Hesse Elementary School

4th grade winner is Lietta Checketts, from Ms. Richardean Platts' class, at Jacob G. Smith Elementary School

5th grade winner is Kamrin Ladson, from Ms. Carolyn Chisholm's class, at Otis Brock Elementary School

GADSDEN ELEMENTARY SCHOOL SCCPSS GREEN RIBBON SCHOOL

As you may recall, we recently attended a national ceremony in Washington DC to officially receive

the designation for Godley Station K8 as a US Department of Education National Green Ribbon

School! Godley Station is just one of 46 in the nation!

And there are others that we feel are deserving of this award as well. This year, Gadsden

Elementary School has been chosen to receive the Savannah Chatham County Public School System

Green Ribbon Sustainability Award for the SY18-19! They are being recognized for efforts to

reduce their environmental impact and utility costs, promote better health and implement

effective environmental education experiences.

Gadsden will be nominated by the District to receive the Georgia Department of Education Green

Ribbon School Award in March of 2019. We are very proud of efforts at many of our schools

toward green living! Congratulations to Gadsden!

http://selectsurveynet.sccpss.com/TakeSurvey.aspx?SurveyID=92M1mn9K

http://selectsurveynet.sccpss.com/TakeSurvey.aspx?SurveyID=92M1mn9K


THE BEACON – PAGE







SCCPSS WINS FAFSA GRANT

A press conference was held Monday, October 1, 2018 on the front steps of the Board of

Education to announce that the city has secured a $40,000 grant from the National College

Access Network (NCAN), a nonprofit focusing on ensuring equal access to higher education. The

grant will fund a project in partnership with the University System of Georgia and the Savannah-

Chatham County Public Schools (SCCPSS) to increase the number of 12th graders completing the

Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). The announcement comes on the opening day

of the 2019 FAFSA application.

The project is funded by the Kresge Foundation and the Great Lakes Higher Education

Corporation & Affiliates. The Kresge Foundation is a national nonprofit focusing on improving

educational outcomes.

Through its GEAR UP Georgia grant, the University System of Georgia will work with SCCPSS and

multiple community partners over the next 10 months to provide services and supports to help

12th graders and their families complete the FAFSA. The project will pilot a number of innovative

ideas, including providing community options for families to receive assistance.

Research shows that 9 out of 10 seniors that complete the FAFSA enroll in college. As a cross-

sectional collaboration, we are eager to continue improving our practices to help more Georgia

students enter and succeed in college."

Additional partners in the project include:

The City of Savannah

Chatham County Commission

Georgia Student Finance Commission

Georgia Technical College System

Savannah State University

Georgia Southern University, Armstrong Campus

Savannah Technical College

Georgia Association of Student Financial Aid

lighting the way for tomorrow's leaders beacon/beacon...2010/08/18 · to review benefit plans...

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