Better Together
11/7/25 • News from the Clarke County School District
J.J. Harris Student Tops All 4th-Graders in Statewide 'Spooky Story' Contest
Congratulations to Amal Maxwell of J.J. Harris Elementary for winning first place among all 65 fourth-grade entries in the Georgia Writers Museum's recent Spooky Story Contest!
Amal’s story will be featured on the GWM website for the year and on the GWM Facebook and Instagram pages. It will also be printed in the Eatonton Messenger newspaper. Amal also won a gift card from Barnes and Noble for her first-place finish!
CCSD Social Worker Wins Top SSWAG District Award
Congratulations to Angela Gay, school social worker at Howard B. Stroud Elementary and Cedar Shoals High, on being named District 9 School Social Worker of the Year by the School Social Workers Association of Georgia (SSWAG)! This prestigious recognition honors Ms. Gay for her outstanding dedication, leadership, and impact on students and families across the district.
As the District 9 honoree, Ms. Gay will advance to compete for the SSWAG School Social Worker of the Year, a statewide award recognizing excellence and innovation in school social work across Georgia.
With 31 years of service to children and families, Ms. Gay has spent the past 24 years as a CCSD school social worker. She has consistently gone above and beyond to advocate for students’ academic, social, and emotional stability and success. She has played a key role in developing, facilitating, and implementing programs that promote mental health awareness and physical safety, family engagement, and equitable access to resources. Her compassionate approach and commitment to collaboration have made her a trusted leader among colleagues and a powerful voice for all students.
Vote for our CCSD 'Hidden Heroes!'
We are thrilled to have seven people from our CCSD family who have been nominated in the Georgia Leadership Institute for School Improvement "Hidden Heroes" online voting campaign!
- Latasha Ball, CCSD bus driver, nominated by a member of the Cleveland Road Elementary community
- Chantal Brown, MTSS specialist at Hilsman Middle
- David Diaz, receptionist and After-School Program coordinator at Johnnie Lay Burks Elementary
- Arnulfo Flores, receptionist at Cedar Shoals High
- Ariel Gordon, counselor at the Athens Community Career Academy
- Lt. Jerry Johnson, CCSD Police Supervisor
- Dr. Utevia Tolbert, Director of the CCSD Learning Center.
Voting is NOW OPEN! Follow these directions to cast your votes:
- Go to this link: https://hiddenheroes.glisi.org/2025/gallery
- Search for the nominee
- Vote once per day for this person through Nov. 21!
The top three vote-getters for GLISI's three regions will be given the title of 2025 Hidden Heroes and receive a cash prize. Let's make sure at least one of our own is a part of those awardees in December!
High School Seniors: Apply to College for FREE This Month!
November is Apply to College Month in Georgia, and numerous colleges and universities throughout the state are waiving their application fee for the entire month through an ongoing initiative with the Georgia Student Finance Commission. Click here for a list of participating colleges and universities! Each high school senior in CCSD should have also by now received their personal Georgia Match letter informing them what colleges and universities they are eligible to attend based on their most recently calculated HOPE grade-point average. For questions, please contact your school counselor.
Parent ProTech November Focus: Influencer Culture and Online Identity
CCSD families: Many children look up to YouTubers, TikTok stars, and other social media influencers and may want to build up their own online presence. However, they may not fully understand the privacy implications of sharing their information on the internet.
CCSD encourages all families to sign up for a *FREE* Parent ProTech account and get tips on how to talk with your child about fame, privacy, peer and societal pressure, and setting healthy boundaries to ensure they maintain a safe online profile.
Calendar Reminders
Click to view the 2025-26 Academic Calendar.
Important dates:
- 11/24 - 11/28: Thanksgiving Break (all schools and district offices closed)
- 12/1 - 12/5: Pre-K Parent-Teacher Conference Week
Update or Create Parent Portal Account
Follow these directions for updating the contact information in your Parent Portal account.
Don't have an account yet? An Activation Key is required. Follow these directions to set up an account if you already have an Activation Key. Follow these directions if you don't have an Activation Key yet. Having a Parent Portal account allows parents and guardians to access attendance records, class schedules, grades, and assignment information for their students.
If you already have an account but forgot your password and need a reset, use the links on the login page to reset your password or username or to request help. You may also email campus@clarke.k12.ga.us for additional assistance.
Download the CCSD Mobile App!
Stay up to date with access to event information, documents, school news, student stories, and even emergency notifications. See the video below for a tutorial on downloading and customizing the app to your preferred settings. You can download the app for free on Google Play or Apple App Store.
Download for Android: https://aptg.co/xQ_qX1
Download for iPhone: https://aptg.co/zCh8gX
Download the Edulog App for Bus Info
Parents/guardians of students who ride a bus to and/or from school can use the Edulog page on the district website or download the Edulog Parent Portal mobile app to find information about their student’s bus.
Breakfast and Lunch Menus
Take Advantage of our School-based Health Centers!
School-based health centers make accessing medical and dental care as easy as walking down the hall. Students and families throughout the district are encouraged to take advantage of one of our four school-based health centers for many of their basic healthcare needs. Click the links for additional information.
See Something, Say Something
CCSD considers the safety and security of our students and staff our highest priority, and utilizes the CCSD Tip Line as a critical tool for us to help ensure that our schools remain safe and promote a welcoming environment for learning. It is also another mechanism for us to celebrate good deeds or achievements by our staff members and students that may have gone unreported but deserve recognition and celebration.
Tips can be submitted online at www.clarke.k12.ga.us/tipline or by phone by dialing 706-353-1737. All tips are anonymous by default, but you do have the option of including your name and contact information. Once received, your tip will be investigated by the CCSD response team. The Tip Line can also be accessed online from the home page of the district website and all school websites.
Remember: If you See Something, Say Something. If you see something of concern online, Don't Repost. Report.
How to Address Questions, Concerns
Have a question or concern that you'd like to address? CCSD has put together a matrix of who to reach out to depending on the situation. Please click here to view this information. You can also go to CCSD's main site at clarke.k12.ga.us, go to the "I Want To" tab from the menu at the top of the page, and select “Ask a Question/Submit a Concern.”
Board Contact Information, Meetings
The Clarke County Board of Education welcomes community feedback. Here are ways you can share your voice:
- Contact BOE Members: Click here to view a list of the BOE members and their contact information.
- Find Your Board Member: Use Athens-Clarke County's online voter information tool at www.accgov.com/voterinfo to enter your address and find your BOE member and your other elected representatives.
- Attend a Meeting: The board's next scheduled meeting is Thursday, November 13, with the work session beginning at 5 p.m., followed by the regular meeting at 7 p.m. All meetings are held in the Vernon Payne Meeting Hall at the CCSD administrative offices building, located at 595 Prince Ave. in Athens. The public is invited to attend meetings in person. Meetings are also streamed live and are available for on-demand viewing on the CCSD YouTube channel. Click here for the board meeting schedule.
- Agendas: Click here to access board meeting agendas.
- Board Briefs: Click to read the "Board Briefs" overview from meetings.
- Public Comments: Click here for information on how to sign up to speak at a BOE meeting.
- Review Policies for Review: View and comment on district policies pending public review.
Georgia Museum of Art to Host Monthly Family Day Event, Other Activities
The Georgia Museum of Art, 90 Carlton St., Athens will host several free community events on Saturday, Nov. 8, including its monthly Family Day event.
From 10 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., enjoy the exhibit, "Native Roots." For Native American Heritage Month, the museum will be highlighting the film “Three Thousand” by Inuit artist asinnajaq and the work of native artists in the collection. Enjoy fun artcCart activities and make your own take-home art project inspired by Indigenous traditions.
The Family Day event also coincides with the University of Georgia's annual Spotlight on the Arts festival and includes the following events:
- 10:15 and 11:15 a.m. – Aerial dancers in the Georgia Museum of Art sculpture garden
- 10:15-11 a.m. – Instrument petting zoo in Hugh Hodgson School of Music
- 10:30 a.m. – Children’s Theatre in the Georgia Museum of Art auditorium
- 11 -11:45 a.m. – Instrument petting zoo in Hugh Hodgson School of Music
- Noon – Community Music School performance in the Georgia Museum of Art auditorium
- 12:30 p.m. – UGA String Project performance in front of Hugh Hodgson School of Music.
Students: Use Your Library PLAY Card!
As part of a collaboration between CCSD and the Athens Regional Library System, the PLAY Card account provides each CCSD student with free materials (books, magazines, etc.) and online resources from the public library to help your child succeed in school, along with fun resources to support a lifelong love of reading. You and your child can check out materials at the libraries by entering their student ID number.
Stay Informed with ACCGov 'Notify Me' Feature
Anyone in the community may sign up for email and/or text notifications from the Athens-Clarke County Unified Government in a wide variety of categories with more than 100 different options. Visit accgov.com/notifyme and select the list you'd like to sign up for.
211 – Get Connected. Get Help.
211 is United Way of Northeast Georgia’s health and human service helpline – a free and confidential program accessible to anyone. Call 211, text your zip code to 898-211, or visit the online database.