Welcome back to everyone's favorite newsletter, The Paw Print! After a speedy summer, not only are we returning to the Paw Print, but we also returned back to school! We are sure the first day left us all with some jitters as we trickled into our new classes, met new people, or started new schools even! The best thing about first days, though, is that they are also a new start!

Your Paw Print Pals implore that you all work to improve yourselves this school year, whether that be in your grades, sports, or just an aspect of your personality! The first weeks of school are the perfect time to start. :-) As always, Stay #BearBuilt!

The Paw Print newsletter features sports updates, events in the community, and fun activities for the family... so stay tuned!

Burke County wishes a big congratulations to our 23-24 Teachers of the Year! We are all so appreciative of all that you do for our students and our community. We are grateful that you all have led by example to provide your students with the education they deserve!

(Pictured, Left to Right)

Waynesboro Primary: Laurie Dickey

SGA Elementary: Sonya Lane

Blakeney Elementary: Vilencia Leslie

Burke Co. High: Merritt King

Burke Co. Middle: Tra Derricotte

Save the Date: Friday, September 29th, our Teachers of the Year will be recognized and our District Teacher of the Year will be named during halftime of the BC Bears vs. WACO Yellow Jackets football game.

Pictured, L-R: Christy Palmer, Kristen Page, Amy Cowart, Schylea Williams, Kelly Deason, Alana Dickey, April Rios, Aleshia Hill, Stephanie Jones, Nikkia Moore, Jodi Jarvis, Maria Osorio, Pamela Green, Tasha Brihm, and Tracy Colebrooke.

Three years ago Burke County was awarded the Literacy for Learning, Living and Leading grant, better known as L4GA. The purpose of the grant is to strengthen literacy in our community from birth through 12th grade. The Burke County Literacy Project was created from the grant. Research conducted by The Annie E. Casey Foundation found that students who were not proficient in reading by the end of third grade were four times more likely to drop out of high school than proficient readers. In fact, 88 percent of students who failed to earn a high school diploma were struggling readers in third grade. Based on this research, the primary goal of the Burke County Literacy Project is to have 100% of all Burke County students reading on grade level by the end of third grade.

As we continue the partnership with Houghton Mifflin Harcourt (HMH) to improve our school district’s literacy outcomes, the company provides professional learning and coaching support to help us implement the "Into Reading" and "Into Literature" programs. HMH has also provided training and coaching for the System 44 and Read 180 intervention programs. HMH has become a true partner in our journey to reach our reading goal.

Several educators have stepped up to take the lead in our literacy journey. They have modeled instruction and allowed their colleagues to visit their classrooms. Some of these educators were filmed teaching to help instructors across the country implement Into Reading and Into Literature in their classrooms.

* Vote for our standout Bear, BCHS Senior, Jeremy Richardson, for the Augusta-area high school football player of the week for Week 4.

The poll will remain open until 9 p.m. Wednesday, Sept. 13.

** Jeremy Richardson has also been nominated for the WJBF 44 Strong Player of the Week.
Voting ends Friday at noon. You can cast a vote one time per day.

WJBF Channel 6 News will announce the winner on Football Friday Night at 11:35 p.m. this Friday.

TICKETS $8.00

Oconee County High School

2721 Hog Mountain Rd.

Watkinsville, GA 30677

Join the Bears online or over the radio at 92.9 FM, "The Soul Mine."

Ben Roberts, Earl Huddleston, and Chris Henry will bring the excitement of Burke County Football each Friday Night.

*Click the headline above to join the parade!

The Georgia and South Carolina Cheer Teams for Border Bowl XI have been officially announced.

The game, presented each January by WJBF NewsChannel 6, features the top high school senior football players in the CSRA region of Georgia against their counterparts from South Carolina.

Border Bowl XI will be played in the Bear Den at Burke County High School on January 13, 2024 at 1:00 p.m.! This annual game is a "Non-Profit Game", in that the proceeds from the ticket sales are given to the Ronald McDonald House Charities of Augusta.

(L-R) Kaneria Wesby, Stalayah Crawford, Tommie Conner, Catelyn Rodriguez, and Kameryn Cooper are five of the 17 cheerleaders who were chosen to represent our hometown and state on the Georgia Cheer Squad. Congratulations to our five outstanding Bears!

Student attendance matters and we would like all students to be at school every day as much as possible.

BCPS would like to give a SHOUT OUT to one of our distinguished educators. BCHS ELA teacher, Erin Mobley, has been selected as a Claes Nobel Educator of Distinction by the National Society of High School Scholars. She was nominated by a student for her outstanding dedication and commitment to excellence in the profession. When you see her give her a high 5 and a big congratulations!

Did you know that First National Bank of Waynesboro has a custom Burke County debit card that earns our school MONEY?! With EVERY swipe of the Burke County School Spirit Debit Card, FNB donates $0.05 cents to our school.

During our last home football game, FNB Representative, Nan Palmer-Lynch presented a check for $8,738.55! Over 170 THOUSAND swipes were made over the last year alone, which earned our schools $8,738.55!
You can visit First National’s Main Office or 6th Street Branch to get your Burke County School Spirit Debit Card printed instantly & start raising money for Burke County Schools!

We are excited to announce Returning Student Registration is underway! This online process replaces the paper forms sent home at the beginning of each school year to update returning student information. Updating your current contact information is imperative for receiving important updates, should there be an emergency at your child's school.

PowerSchool Registration is a secure process, which allows the district to verify all student demographic and emergency information for your child(ren) prior to the start of the new school year. Completing this online form is an important and required component of our returning student registration process.

An email from noreplyregistration@powerschool.com has been sent to the email address of the parent/guardian listed in PowerSchool. This email will contain your student's unique Access ID and Access Password. If you are a parent/guardian of multiple returning students, you will receive a separate email for each student.

*Parents/Guardians will have the option to add other (new/current) students within your existing household while updating their current information.

Questions?
Please contact our Student Information Dept. at the Board Office, at 706-554-5101.

Dear Parent or Guardian:

We are pleased to inform you that Burke County Public Schools is participating in an option available to schools as part of the National School Lunch and National School Breakfast Program called the Community Eligibility Provision (CEP) for the 2023-2024 School Year.

By participating in the Community Eligibility Provision (CEP) and eliminating the need for meal applications, Burke County Public Schools will reduce administrative and printing costs. Families also benefit from the elimination of completing and submitting meal applications.

Children need healthy meals to learn. Burke County Public Schools offers healthy meals every school day at no charge to your child(ren). Our food service receives support from the U.S. Department of Agriculture through the National School Lunch and School Breakfast Programs.

The following schools will be participating in this alternative provision and provide meals at no charge to children:

Waynesboro Primary School, Blakeney Elementary School, SGA Elementary School, Burke County Middle School, Burke County Life Center, and Burke County High School

_________________________________________________________________________

Nondiscrimination Statement: This explains what to do if you believe you have been treated unfairly.

In accordance with federal civil rights law and U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) civil rights regulations and policies, this institution is prohibited from discriminating on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex (including gender identity and sexual orientation), disability, age, or reprisal or retaliation for prior civil rights activity.

Program information may be made available in languages other than English. Persons with disabilities who require alternative means of communication to obtain program information (e.g., Braille, large print, audiotape, American Sign Language), should contact the responsible state or local agency that administers the program or USDA’s TARGET Center at (202) 720-2600 (voice and TTY) or contact USDA through the Federal Relay Service at (800) 877-8339.

To file a program discrimination complaint, a Complainant should complete Form AD-3027, USDA Program Discrimination Complaint Form which can be obtained online at: https://www.usda.gov/sites/default/files/documents/USDA-OASCR%20P-Complaint-Form-0508-0002-508-11-28-17Fax2Mail.pdf, from any USDA office, by calling (866) 632-9992, or by writing a letter addressed to USDA. The letter must contain the complainant’s name, address, telephone number, and a written description of the alleged discriminatory action in sufficient detail to inform the Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights (ASCR) about the nature and date of an alleged civil rights violation. The completed AD-3027 form or letter must be submitted to USDA by:

1. Mail:
U.S. Department of Agriculture
Office of the Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights
1400 Independence Avenue, SW
Washington, D.C. 20250-9410; or

2. Fax:
(833) 256-1665 or (202) 690-7442; or

3. Email:
program.intake@usda.gov

Unfortunately, some phones may send this number into a spam folder which leaves you to miss out on all of the news and updates sent by the school.

There is a way to prevent that from happening! Simply add 855-977-0602 to your contacts and you will receive all of the informational updates we send out!

If you haven't received anything from this number, you may have to update your contact information. You can make sure we have the correct contact information by checking with your school office staff, parent coordinator, or student information specialist.

The app is compatible with both iPhone and Android. Just search Burke County PS in your phone's respectable app store!

Stay in the know with the Burke County Public Schools Google Calendars! There is a calendar for every school in the district as well as a larger district calendar that covers all district-wide events.

All calendars are accessible at the link below. Simply click which calendar you would like to notify you and it will then be added to your own Google calendar.

The Word of the Day is Implore! Implore is a verb that means to beg someone earnestly or desperately to do something. As we mentioned before, the first couple days of school are a great time for self improvement. One way to improve yourself is to become more present. So, on this lazy day, your Paw Print Pals implore you to unplug from your devices and just experience life outside of the screen even if it's just for a couple of minutes. Mental health is very important. :)

We challenge you all to use this word as many times as you can this week, extra points if you use it in the right context, and EVEN MORE points if you have to explain to somebody what it means!

From oceans to lakes to streams to swimming pools, water is everywhere: 71% of the Earth’s surface is covered in it! And while water can be an irresistible place for kids to explore, play and enjoy splashy fun, it can be risky for those who haven’t yet developed their water smarts. Check out these awesome water safety resources provided at the links below!

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