Better Together

The past week around CCSD has been filled with more fun, excitement, surprises, interactive learning, and school-culture building! Be sure to follow us on social media (@ClarkeCoSchools) and check out our schools' pages for more exciting posts!

Did you know that a study in 2015 of 20,000 students in Philadelphia found that student chronic absence in elementary school had negative impacts on the achievement of classmates? Classmate relationships are crucial in elementary school and prove to be an important part of a student's social and academic success.

As we continue on our mission of creating educational journeys that empower all students to fulfill their potential, we invite families to be our partners in supporting great student attendance. Be Present. Be Active. Be Thriving. Be There for Each Other. All Year Long.

We are pleased to announce the 2025-26 Teacher of the Year and Support Professional of the Year for each of our schools and academic program campuses! From this group, a district-wide Teacher of the Year and Support Professional of the Year will be selected and announced Oct. 23 at CCSD’s annual Teacher of the Year and Support Professional of the Year awards banquet. The district Teacher of the Year will then advance to compete at the state level.

Read more here and be sure to follow us on social media in the coming weeks as we highlight each winner individually!

Congratulations to Sallie Smith, custodian at Johnnie Lay Burks Elementary School, on being named CCSD's Employee of the Month for September! Ms. Smith was nominated by a Burks staff member who praised her for not only providing a welcoming school environment by helping to keep it clean and orderly, but also through the care and behind-the-scenes, emotional support she provides to students and staff.

Ms. Smith was surprised with the award at school earlier this week by Interim Superintendent Dr. Jennifer Scott and Burks principal Matt Snow and was recognized at the Thursday, Sept. 11 Board of Education meeting.

As a reminder, anyone in the community may nominate any full-time CCSD employee to be Employee of the Month. Go to bit.ly/CCEmployeeAward to get started or complete the form embedded directly below!

The Georgia Match program through the Georgia Student Finance Commission and Georgia Futures provides high school seniors a simple way of knowing what colleges they would be eligible for admission to based on their HOPE grade-point average through 11th grade and get a jumpstart on the college application process.

Seniors will receive a personalized letter in October listing the schools participating in the program that they would be eligible for admission to as of right now. Navigate to this page for additional information and view the video below.

The Athens Youth Development Initiative is excited to announce Volleyball Open Gym sessions this fall, free for girls enrolled in the Clarke County School District in grades 2-7! These sessions are focused on fundamentals and intended to help girls of all skill levels improve their volleyball skills. Sessions will be held on the following Sundays at the CCSD District Office gymnasium, 595 Prince Ave., Athens, from 1:30-2:30 p.m. for grades 2-5 and 2:30-3:30 p.m. for grades 6-7:

• Sept. 14
• Sept. 21
• Sept. 28
• Oct. 5
• Oct. 19
• Oct. 26
• Nov. 2
• Nov. 9
• Nov. 16.

The CCSD Office of Early Learning will be offering free Child Find screenings for all children in Athens-Clarke County ages 2 years, 6 months to 6 years old this school year on the following dates:

• Sept. 17
• Oct. 15
• Nov. 12
• Jan. 14
• Feb. 18
• March 18.

Parents/guardians may request to have their child screened at any time, and physicians, therapists, local preschool or daycare providers, or other agencies can also make a referral with parental/guardian permission.

See more information in the attached flyer (available in English and Spanish) below. To schedule an appointment or speak to someone for more information, contact Cynthia Stephens from the Office of Early Learning at 706-357-5239. Or if you have a child from infancy to 2.5 years old who has developmental delays, please contact Babies Can't Wait at 706-369-6101.

The CCSD Family Advisory Board (FAB), which includes representatives from each school, will hold its first quarterly meeting of the school year Wednesday, Sept. 17, at 6 p.m. in the media center at Hilsman Middle School, 870 Gaines School Rd. The FAB exists to promote discussion and development of a shared vision of the educational needs of all students in the Clarke County School District.

Additional FAB meetings this school year are scheduled for Nov. 19, Feb. 18, and April 22. For more information on the Family Advisory Board, email ccsd.parentab@gmail.com. To send questions or concerns to the FAB, please complete this form.

If you own or work for a company or organization that is interested in becoming a vendor or bidding on contracts with CCSD, mark your calendars and make plans to attend a pair of informative events coming up in October!

• CCSD will be joining the Athens-Clarke County Unified Government and the University of Georgia for a three-part series about how to do business with those agencies. CCSD's session will be Wednesday, Oct. 22, from 9:30-11 a.m. at the Athens-Clarke County Library, 2025 Baxter St., Athens. Find more information and register at accgov.com/doingbusiness. Space is limited. For more information, call 762-772-8090.
• CCSD's Business Services Division will also host its second annual Prime Time with Purchasing Event on Thursday, Oct. 23, from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the District Office, 595 Prince Ave., Athens! Join us to explore ways in which you can do business with CCSD. The event will feature representatives from multiple departments who will be on hand to provide information about vendor opportunities. Attendees will also be able to receive assistance in completing the district vendor packet forms. For more information, call Veronica Jackson, CCSD Purchasing Supervisor, at 706-546-7721, Ext. 79711 or email jacksonv@clarke.k12.ga.us.

High school students who are interested in taking classes at the Athens Community Career Academy (ACCA) are invited to a Future Student Fair from 4:30-6:30 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 25, at the ACCA building, 440-1 Dearing Ext.

ACCA is open to CCSD high school students in grades 10-12 and offers courses in more than a dozen high school and college level career pathways as part of CCSD's Career, Technical, and Agricultural Education (CTAE) program. The Future Student Fair is designed to introduce students to these pathways and allow them to tour the building and learning spaces.

Students interested in applying for ACCA for the 2026-27 school year can apply now at bit.ly/accainterest.

High school seniors are invited to apply for the 2025-26 Athens Area Human Relations Council scholarship by Friday, Sept. 26. A completed application will consist of the following items:

• the completed scholarship application form (attached below).
• an essay
• two (2) recommendations
• Copy of high school transcript.

A detailed description of requirements can be found on the application itself. For more information, email scholarships@humanrelationscouncil.org.

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, October 9, 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.

CCSD is now hiring bus drivers and invites all interested candidates to our transportation job fair on Wednesday, Sept. 24, from 10 a.m. to noon at our Transportation Office, 165 Paradise Blvd.

No CDL license? No problem! We will provide *free* training to help you earn your CDL within 4-6 weeks!

Be a part of our team and *DRIVE* our students to success!

Fill out the short Google form below or here, and a CCSD Human Resources representative will follow up with you.

Registration is now open for the East Athens Development Corporation's fall middle school tennis program in partnership with the Clarke Oconee Tennis Association.

There will be six weekly sessions from 6-7 p.m. each Wednesday at Heard Park, 410 McKinley Dr., Athens, starting Sept. 17 and running through Oct. 22.

Click here to register. For more information, email eastathensdcinfo@gmail.com or call 706-208-0048.

Are you or someone you know looking to learn Spanish or build your Spanish-speaking skills this fall? Athens-based Casa de Amistad will be offering Spanish classes for all levels Sept. 16 through Dec. 10 at the Athens Area Chamber of Commerce office, 246 West Hancock Ave., Athens.

The grammar-focused class for beginning and intermediate learners will be held on Tuesdays from 6:30-8 p.m., and the conversation class for all levels will be held on Wednesdays from 6:30-8 p.m.

Register today by scanning the QR code in the flyer above or visiting athensamistad.com.

The 16th annual LatinxFest will be held Saturday, Sept. 20, from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Washington Street between Lumpkin and Pulaski streets in downtown Athens. Come out and enjoy live music, food, dancing, children's activities, and more!

The Athens-Clarke County community is invited to the Child Safety and Health Festival on Tuesday, Sept. 23, from 4-6 p.m. at Georgia Square Mall, 3700 Atlanta Hwy., Athens. The event will include information about educational and other community resources, children's activities, and giveaways and prizes. For more information, call 706-410-6074.

Registration is open for the 2025–2026 Northeast Georgia Youth Ice Hockey season. Boys and girls ages 4–18 are welcome. No ice skating experience needed, and loaner equipment and scholarships are available. The association offers a two-week trial period before committing. Sign up today and see the full schedule at www.negahockey.org.

HEART Music in Athens invites CCSD band and orchestra students in grades 6-12 to audition for the Hearth Youth Symphony community orchestra! The orchestra holds weekly rehearsals with fall and spring concerts. There is no deadline to apply.

Students should submit a video audition online and will be placed in the Open Participation or Advanced-level Ensemble based on musical strength, experience level, and teacher assessment. Scan the QR code in the flyer above or visit www.heartmusicathens.org for more information!

Students in grades 2-12 are invited to audition for the Georgia Children's Chorus 2025-26 season! The Georgia Children's Chorus includes five different ensembles and performances at the University of Georgia and allows singers to build confidence in their singing abilities while being part of a creative community. Financial assistance is available. For more information, go to www.georgiachildrenschorus.org or email jkanegcc@gmail.com.

Looking for an after-school program to help your child become more physically active through running? Check out Atlanta Track Club’s Kilometer Kids program, which will once again be offered at Bishop Park in Athens this fall!

The free, 10-week, game-based running program for children in grades K-5 is designed to teach them about goal setting, healthy habits, respect, and community building, all through exposing them to the sport of running. Practices will be held on Wednesday from 6-7 p.m. starting Sept. 10.

There is no fee to participate, and the program is for all elementary students regardless of running ability or experience.

To sign up, go to atlantatrackclub.org/kilometerkids. For more information, email kilometerkids@atlantatrackclub.org or call 404-231-9064.

"Spread the Love" in September and support the peanut butter and jelly food drive sponsored by the Beechwood/Alps Road branch of Synovus Bank in Athens – running Sept. 2-30! All proceeds will benefit the Athens Community Council on Aging and the support it provides to older adults living in the community.

Throughout the month, you can donate and drop off jars of peanut butter and jelly at the bank, located at 310 Alps Rd., during business hours (9 a.m. - 4 p.m. Monday-Thursday, 9 a.m. - 5 p.m. Friday, and 9 a.m. - noon Saturday).

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.