Greene Notes

Greetings GCSS Team,

We’ve made it to Spring Break! I hope you and your family are able to take some well-deserved time to rest and recharge over the next week.

I am pleased to report that the ESPLOST and our bond initiative to fund the new Greene County Elementary School have been validated, which means we have cleared the final hurdle to beginning construction on the new school, which we expect to be able to do in the next 30 to 60 days. In other facility updates, we are looking at architectural recommendations for GCHS, including purchasing additional property for the Agriculture program to give our students enough space to raise and show livestock, renovating our baseball/softball complex, adding flag football facilities, and moving tennis courts from their current location at the visitor parking area by the district office to the south side of the high school. This move will involve sacrificing the parking lot between the GCHS bus ramp and CMS driveway, however, we are confident there is plenty of space for both staff and students to park in the building’s northside parking lot.

Thank you to all certified staff who signed contracts indicating you will return for the 2023-2024 school year. We are grateful to have you back, and look forward to another year of building on the successes and progress we’ve made thus far.

Enjoy your Spring Break and this beautiful weather, and we look forward to seeing you on April 10th!

Sincerely,

Dr. Chris Houston

GCHS senior Jai’Lyn Armour has committed to attending the University of Georgia close to home in Athens this fall, although he did not have a shortage of options. Jai’Lyn has been accepted to 50 colleges and universities, as far north as Pennsylvania (Lincoln University) as far west as St. Louis, Missouri (Harris-Stowe State University) and as far south as Miami, Florida (Florida Memorial University).

Jai’Lyn said he applied to so many schools because the current college admissions scene is extremely competitive. He had heard that many students are often waitlisted or deferred from the schools at the top of their lists. “I knew I couldn’t have just a plan A, B, and C,” he said. “I also wanted to have a plan X, Y, and Z.”

So, he started early, in July 2022, and applied to a college or two each week until January. He was accepted everywhere he applied but was especially overjoyed to receive the acceptance letter from his first choice. “UGA has always been my dream school,” he said. “I am very grateful that I get to attend my Plan A school.”

Jai’Lyn plans to major in Business Administration with a concentration in Marketing. Read more of Jai'Lyn's story here on our website.

On the evening of March 3rd, more than 5,000 Georgia high school students found out whether or not they'd been admitted to Georgia Tech. But GCHS's own Aiden Turner (Class of 2023) found out before anyone else. The GA Tech admissions team, along with local alumni such as Jamie Reynolds and Josh Nesbit, surprised Aiden in class that morning to hand him his acceptance letter in person and present him with plenty of GA Tech swag. His mom, dad, and grandmother were all there to share the moment.

GCHS senior Mariah Leslie has received a scholarship from Savannah State University to be a part of their “Powerhouse of the South” Band. Mariah plays the trumpet in the Tiger Marching Band. Special thanks to GCHS Band teacher Mr. Boone for working with our band students on getting them opportunities to further their education by using their talent!

GaDOE is providing a free, statewide Employee Assistance Program (EAP) for all full-time, public-school teachers and staff, along with Pre-K teachers. Free services available through the EAP include up to six free counseling sessions, legal and financial consultations, work/life referral services, supports for managers and supervisors, and more. You can access the EAP by visiting www.EAPHelplink.com and using code GADOE or calling 1-866-279-5177. Linked below is an approximately 1-hour video that gives an overview of the EAP.

This year, a few appreciation days for various groups of staff fall during our Spring Break, so we would like to give them a shout-out in advance.

National Assistant Principals Week

April 3-7 is National Assistant Principals Week, when we say a special thanks to Dr. Jody Worth at GCPS, Mrs. Tanisha Wright and Mr. Chris Williams at CMS, and Dr. Jim Meneguzzo and Ms. Jessie Draper at GCHS for their hard work and dedication to Greene County’s students. Our APs often work behind the scenes while making enormous contributions to their schools’ safety and success and making a difference in students’ lives every day. Please join us in recognizing and thanking them for their leadership, ideas, and vision. Thank you for all you do!

National School Librarian Day

The first week in April is also home to National School Librarian Day on April 4th, when we recognize and thank all of our school library staff, including our librarians and library clerks, for their efforts to maintain our school libraries as learning hubs and epicenters of literacy in all its forms. School librarians are likely to be the first people to help students find the resources they need to learn, serve as instructional technologists for their building, and provide instructional support, curriculum collaboration, and professional development to teachers. They encourage students to pursue reading outside of academic texts and are also responsible for creating an environment where students are motivated to learn. Please join us in thanking them for their important work!

National Paraprofessional Appreciation Day

April 5th is dedicated to recognizing our paraprofessionals for their efforts in delivering targeted support to students and working to maintain their classrooms and keep them running smoothly. Paraprofessionals are often the unsung heroes of the education system because they help shoulder the workload and allow teachers to focus on what they do best - teach! Paraprofessionals work tirelessly to support students and teachers, so please join us in honoring them for their time and talents!

We have another 1 MILLION word reader! Congratulations to “Magnificent” Mikel Callaway, 2nd grader at GCPS, who has read 1,075,853 words and 319 books so far this school year! Mikel reached the one million word milestone on March 7th during a bedtime reading session with his mom, Eula Davis, who is a parapro at GCPS. Ms. Davis says that Mikel’s love of reading began when he was younger during their bedtime partner reading sessions, and it blossomed as he began reading more difficult books on his own and also reading to his younger brother at bedtime. Mikel says he loves reading because it takes him to different places, and that his favorite types of books are adventure books and graphic novels. Some of his favorite series are Junie B. Jones, Big Nate, and Diary of a Wimpy Kid. Ms. Davis says she loves being able to encourage her own children in their love of reading along with her other students at school. Her favorite part is how reading opens their young minds and how each of them absorb the information and stories they read in unique ways. Congratulations on this achievement, Mikel!

Earlier this month GCCA SkillsUSA members attended the statewide SkillsUSA Competition at the Georgia World Congress Center. Kalonji Jarrett, Javion Thomas, and Zuhri Bell competed in the Music Video contest. The students who attended learned a lot and had a great experience at their first SkillsUSA State Competition.

There was a great turnout for the 2nd Annual Parent Expo: Connecting Resources One DisAbility at a Time on March 11th! This event was designed to provide access and connection for parents and families of special education students in Greene County and the surrounding area to information about the resources and services available to them. The event included a vendor fair, keynote speakers, and family activities. Thank you to all who attended, to all of our community partners who shared services and resources available to our students and their families, and to GCSS Parent Mentor Jacqueline Evans for organizing such a wonderful event for our students' families!

Greene County Primary School celebrated Read Across America Week with themed dress-up days throughout the week!

Monday - "Hats off to reading!" (Wear a hat)

Tuesday - Reading jogs your mind. (Wear exercise clothes)

Wednesday - Dress for success! (Dress up as your favorite profession)

Thursday - Reading gives you superpowers! (Dress like a superhero)

Friday - Cozy up with a good book. (Wear your pajamas)

CMS celebrated Read Across America Day on March 2nd with community members who came to read to the students. Volunteer readers included Greene County Retired Educators, Sheriff Donnie Harrison, Chief Rodricus Monford, BOE Member Regina Gainer, and many more! Additionally, CMS 5th graders dressed as book characters and traveled to CBJ Preschool to read to the Pre-K students.

GCHS celebrated Read Across America Day on March 2nd by welcoming guest author Karen Robertson. Mrs. Robertson talked to GCHS ELA students about her book "Epiphany: Journey to Finding the Real You." The GCHS Band continued the Read Across America celebration with music in the media center: Connecting Music with Literacy. Music teaches children how to hear: Scientists say that Music teaches an essential skill of the human brain to hear minute sounds within words and thus translate them into sound (Prodigies, 2003).

Congratulations to Greene County Primary School on an exciting career day event on March 8th! It was a "Career Carousel" where 13 participants including Georgia Power, Drip and Dip, city and county police, 911 dispatch, a golf course superintendent, fire department, a dog groomer, 4H, EMS, social workers, and Miller Grading parked their work vehicles around the bus area of the school. Students circled around and learned about different jobs. Participants engaged students with their experience, provided live examples of their work, and tirelessly answered over 400 questions. Students enjoyed the tour, and we look forward to another great career day next year. Thank you to our community partners for your presentations and demonstrations for the students.

April 3-7, 2023

District Closed for Spring Break

All schools and the District Office will be closed for Spring Break.

April 11, 2023

GCSS Fine Arts Festival

Join us at Festival Hall in Downtown Greensboro on Tuesday, April 11th from 5-8 p.m. to view the talents of GCPS, CMS, GCHS, and LOA art students! Refreshments will be provided by OPAS and GCHS Culinary Arts Department. The Art Reception begins at 5:00 p.m. and musical performances by the GCHS band, OPAS, and others begin at 6:00 p.m.

April 20, 2023

Board of Education Regular Monthly Meeting

The Greene County Board of Education will hold its April 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.

April 29, 2023

Parent University

The next Parent University session is on Saturday, April 29th at Greene County High School from 9 a.m. to 11:45 a.m., with a hot breakfast served beforehand from 8:30 to 9 a.m. Parent University is designed to equip parents with tools & knowledge to help their children succeed in school, with topics coming up in the April session such as Social Emotional Learning, End-of-Year Testing, School Nutrition, and more!

Registration for the April session is currently open, and we are sending out flyers and posting advertisements online and in the local newspaper to encourage parents to sign up. Please help us spread the word to parents and encourage them to attend! There are multiple ways to register available, including:

• Scanning the QR code on the flyer below
• Using this link: https://forms.gle/tKe2Q3hyAd2UKE4QA (In Spanish at: https://forms.gle/Km9MhwhebCM82sw67)
• Visiting the district office or the front office at each school to fill out a paper form
• Calling 706-454-1059 to register by phone

We can't wait to share your good news!

Email: gcsscommunications@greene.k12.ga.us
Website: www.greene.k12.ga.us
Location: Greene County Board Education, 101 E 3rd Street, Greensboro, GA, USA
Phone: 706-454-1109
Facebook: facebook.com/gcsstigers
Twitter: @gcss_tigers