Better Together

September is Attendance Awareness Month, and Howard B. Stroud Elementary students and staff got their groove on during the school's annual Attendance Pep Rally. To have Thriving Students, we must have Present Students, and CCSD encourages families to be partners with us in promoting great attendance habits. Students being present at school means students preparing for success in and out of the classroom. Daily instruction in subjects such as math, reading, science, and social studies go a long way toward ensuring our students remain on track to earn their diploma and have the best opportunities available to them upon graduation. Every. Day. Counts.

During the recent professional learning day at the Office of Early Learning, members of the Cedar Shoals High School band got everyone in the right frame of mind with a fun performance.

At the Thursday, Sept. 12 Clarke County Board of Education meeting, district officials presented an update on school safety – including an overview of the Centegix crisis alert system and how the badges all CCSD staff have function when activated. The presentation also included an overview of recent surveillance and security upgrades, annual safety training that schools and district staff go through, and additional measures that are taken as we make every effort to ensure that our school campuses remain safe. You can view the presentation in the video below and also find a copy of the presentation attached as a PDF file.

Congratulations to Mr. Pierce Woodson, advanced manufacturing and welding instructor at the Athens Community Career Academy, for being named CCSD's Employee of the Month for September! Mr. Woodson, who is in his fourth year at ACCA and second year as a full-time staff member, was nominated by two of his former students who both praised him for being a teacher they could always trust and talk to about anything.

Mr. Woodson was surprised with the award this week by Superintendent Dr. Robbie Hooker and was recognized Thursday, Sept. 12 at the Board of Education meeting.

As a reminder, you may nominate any full-time CCSD employee who has at least one year of service in the district. Go to bit.ly/CCEmployeeAward to get started!

CCSD's Human Resources Division was recently honored at the Georgia Association of School Personnel Administrators conference with a pair of awards.

The division won the Platinum Award, the highest accolade, for its benefits processes, specifically recognizing the work done this year to create a 403(b) retirement plan employee match program for employees. This initiative has significantly enhanced the benefits for CCSD employees in the PSERS retirement program, demonstrating our commitment to helping those employees with their financial well-being and future security.

Additionally, the division received the Gold Award for its innovative retention practices, highlighting the outstanding induction support provided to new staff members. These efforts ensure that our new teachers and leaders receive the guidance and resources necessary to thrive in their roles, fostering a supportive and nurturing work environment.

Congratulations to Ms. Lillie Brooks, a CCSD parent, who has been selected to serve on the State School Superintendent's Parent Advisory Council (PAC) for a two-year term. The approximately 30-member council is a group of parents from across the state that provides input on new policies, projects, and materials that impact students and their families. PAC members are particularly focused on how to increase parent and family engagement to ensure student academic success. Members serve as advisors and meet with the State School Superintendent several times throughout their two-year term.

The Georgia Student Finance Commission and Georgia Futures are continuing the Georgia Match program for high school seniors this year, which provides students 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 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.

Clarke County Board of Education member Mark Evans (District 9) will hold a "Community Conversations" event Wednesday, Sept. 18, from 6-7 p.m. at J.J. Harris Elementary School, 2300 Danielsville Rd., Athens. This is a public meeting open to constituents from all districts. It is the first in a series of upcoming meetings throughout the community featuring different board members. Future dates will be announced at a later time. Spanish-language interpreters will be in attendance.

Join us from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Tuesday, Sept. 24, at Athens Community Career Academy's blood drive with The Blood Connection! Your donation can save lives and make a difference in our community. Each donor will receive $30 in digital rewards as a token of appreciation. Plus, for every 30 donors, the school will receive $500 in grant funding to support educational initiatives. Your act of kindness can have a significant impact on our school and those in need.

Sign up for a donation time slot here. Let's come together to save lives and make a positive impact! ACCA is located at 440-1 Dearing Extension, Athens.

Race registration is officially open for the inaugural Clarke Central High School "Glads Run ATH" 5K on Saturday, Nov. 9, at 8 a.m. Volunteer opportunities are also available for those who don't want to run, jog, or walk the course as well as "virtual runner" and sponsorship opportunities.

• To register to run, go to bit.ly/glads5Krun.
• To volunteer, go to bit.ly/glads5Kvolunteer.
• To be a sponsor, go to bit.ly/glads5Ksponsor.
• To purchase a T-shirt, go to bit.ly/glads5Kshirt.

If you are the owner or representative of a local or area company and would like more information about doing business with CCSD, join us on Saturday, Oct. 26, for our "Prime Time with Purchasing" event!

Hosted by CCSD's Office of Purchasing and Contracts, the event will be held from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the CCSD District Office, 595 Prince Ave., and will give potential vendors an overview of ways to do business with the school district as well as current bids and opportunities that are available. Small businesses and minority- or women-owned businesses who are interested in becoming a vendor are strongly encouraged to attend.

To register for this event, scan the QR code in the flyer or go to bit.ly/CCSDPrimeTimeRegistration.

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.
• Attend a Meeting: The board's next scheduled meeting is Thursday, Oct. 17, 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.

Run Athens is a free six-week program that occurs in both the fall and the spring and is open to students in grades K-8. Within each season, there are three practices and three race days, alternating between the two throughout the six-week period.

The program will be held every Sunday from Sept. 22 through Oct. 27 from 1-2 p.m. at Clarke Central High School. Interested parents/guardians can sign their students up by scanning the QR code in the flyer below.

Local organization Dignidad inmigrante en Athens will host the 15th annual LatinxFest in downtown Athens from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Saturday, Sept. 14. Come enjoy live music, food, dancing, children's activities, and more. For the latest updates on the festival, go to the official event page on Facebook.

CCSD students and families are encouraged to the University of Georgia home volleyball match against South Carolina at 7 p.m. Friday, Oct. 11. Admission is free for all spectators. There will be a kids zone featuring a photo booth, face-painting, a balloon artist, and more. The first 2,000 fans in attendance will receive a free T-shirt. Go to georgiadogs.com for more information.