Gordon County Schools -

PARENT & FAMILY ENGAGEMENT MONTH CONTEST: Don't forget to send in pictures of your family completing some of the weekly tips to be entered to win one of these amazing baskets! Parent & Family Engagement month contest tips are available now on our social media pages and on our website at www.gcbe.org/pfemonth Thank you to our Community Partners at Savoy Automobile Museum, Kroger, Jumping Jacks, and Cracker Barrel for your support of the Parent and Family Engagement program! #GoCoSchools #GETGCS #OneBIGFamily

VETERANS DAY: Gordon County Schools will be celebrating Veterans Day at each of our local campuses. Check out the events happening this Friday! Ashworth Middle School- Veterans will be honored at the school’s Veterans Day Breakfast on 11/11/22 at 7:45 a.m. Belwood Elementary School- There will be a Veterans Day breakfast on November 11 at 8:00 a.m., followed by a program. Fairmount Elementary School- Veterans will be honored with a parade on November 11th at 8:00 a.m. Gordon Central High School- GCHS will be hosting a Veterans Day Luncheon on November 11th during your student's regularly scheduled lunch period. Red Bud Elementary School- RBES & RBMS will be hosting a Veterans Day Parade on November 11th at 9:00 a.m. Red Bud Middle School- RBES & RBMS will be hosting a Veterans Day Parade on November 11th at 9:00 a.m. Sonoraville Elementary School- SES & SHS will be hosting a Veterans Day Parade on November 11th at 10:00 AM Sonoraville High School- SES & SHS will be hosting a Veterans Day Parade on November 11th at 10:00 AM Tolbert Elementary School- TES will be hosting a Veterans Day Luncheon where students are encouraged to invite veterans to visit with them at lunch on November 11. W. L. Swain Elementary School- Students will honor veterans on November 11 at 8 a.m. with a special breakfast. For more detailed information about the Veterans Day events, check our Community Bulletin Board by visiting www.gcbe.org/bulletinboard #GoCoSchools #GETGCS #OneBIGFamily

MENTORS WANTED: Help make a difference by becoming a REACH Scholarship Mentor! REACH mentors are volunteers from the community who provide support and guidance to encourage students in grades 8-12 in achieving academic, personal and occupational success. Interested? Contact Dr. Amy Parker at ajparker@gcbe.org for more information! #GoCoSchools #GETGCS #OneBIGFamily

November is Parent and Family Engagement Month! To celebrate Parent & Family Engagement Month, we are posting weekly tips filled with activities and ideas to help you engage with your child. Please post photos or videos of your family engaging in the activities on our Gordon County Schools social media pages or email them to kpannell@gcbe.org -Each post made by your family will enter you in a drawing to win a Family Prize Pack. -The drawing will take place on November 18, 2022 and the winners will be announced on our website and social media channels! Week TWO tips are available below and on our website at www.gcbe.org/pfemonth #GoCoSchools #GETGCS #OneBIGFamily #FamilyEngagement

Six Gordon County Schools middle school students have been named a Realizing Achievement Can Happen (REACH) Scholar. The REACH Georgia program provides support for students with academic promise, to help them successfully progress from middle school through college, with a goal of earning a degree. The students will receive scholarship funds upon high school graduation. The GCS REACH Scholar signing day will be held December 5th at the Gordon County College and Career Academy of Design and Advanced Manufacturing. Congratulations to our 2022 REACH Scholars! Emma Derrick MacKenzie Holland Madison Richards Leonardo Parra-Torres Carla Ramirez Hope Loveday

FIRED UP FOOD DRIVE: The annual fired up food drive starts MONDAY! November 7-11, Gordon County Schools will be participating in the Fired Up Food Drive to benefit our community partner, the Voluntary Action Center (VAC). The VAC is looking to collect items that are either canned goods or unopened non-perishable items. #GoCoSchools #GETGCS #OneBIGFamily

SCHOLARSHIP WINNER: Congratulations to Gordon Central High School senior, Gavin Holmes, on being named a School Winner for the 2022 Heisman High School Scholarship! The Heisman High School Scholarship program extends the Heisman prestige to the nation’s most esteemed high school seniors by celebrating and rewarding outstanding male and female scholar-athletes who understand that the most important victories happen not only on the field, but also in their schools and communities. #GoCoSchools #GETGCS #OneBIGFamily

SES LUNCH BUDDIES: Check out some of the lunch buddies at Sonoraville Elementary School today! The Lunch Buddy program pairs mentors with elementary school students for a lunch meeting twice a month where students are able to speak with their mentors about their studies, classes, friends and what's going on in their world. This fantastic mentoring program first started in Gordon County Schools in 2018 and has made a positive impact in our schools. We are extremely thankful for the continued community support of this program!! #GoCoSchools #GETGCS #OneBIGFamily

Our theme for the 2022-2023 school year is #OneBIGFamily. We asked Leigh-Ann Hunt, Media Specialist at Ashworth Middle School, what it means to be part of our One BIG Family: "I am thankful that I am a part of Gordon County’s One Big Family because of the impact we collectively make on the lives of our students, families, and coworkers. None of us can do it all on our own, but when we work together, we see great results. What I love most about being an educator is that it allows us opportunities to serve others every day, and it warms my heart to see so many teachers and staff pouring into our students – developing their skills, providing support, and showing them love. I personally benefitted from the love and support of countless Gordon County employees and families when I experienced an extended illness six years ago. Our people come from various backgrounds and experiences, but they pull together and show up when it counts. This quote sums it up well. “Two are better than one, because they have a good return for their labor. For if one falls down, his companion can lift him up!” Ecclesiastes 4:9-10" #GoCoSchools #GETGCS

November is Parent and Family Engagement Month! To celebrate Parent & Family Engagement Month, we are posting weekly tips filled with activities and ideas to help you engage with your child. Please post photos or videos of your family engaging in the activities on our Gordon County Schools social media pages or email them to kpannell@gcbe.org -Each post made by your family will enter you in a drawing to win a Family Prize Pack. -The drawing will take place on November 18, 2022 and the winners will be announced on our website and social media channels! Week 1 tips are available below and on our website at www.gcbe.org/pfemonth #GoCoSchools #GETGCS #OneBIGFamily #FamilyEngagement

TOTY CELEBRATION: We have some amazing teachers at Gordon County Schools. Please help us to celebrate the 2022 Fairmount Elementary School & Gordon County Schools System Teacher of the Year, Katy Waters! Waters knew from a very young age that she wanted to be an educator. “I have always wanted to be a teacher. I have never imagined myself doing anything else,” said Waters. “Growing up, I had a very close family member who struggled with adult illiteracy. I learned from a very young age the importance of a strong foundation in reading. Reading has always been my passion, so naturally teaching my first graders to read brings me great joy.” Leaving a lasting impression throughout her career for always going “above and beyond” for the students she has taught and the staff she has worked with, we asked Ms. Waters if there were any teachers that left a lasting impact on her: “I have been blessed with some amazing educators in my life. I vividly recall my first-grade teacher Mrs. Carlan and paraprofessional, Mrs. Parks. They made learning so much fun. Mrs. Parks made the best homemade cookies. My high school ag teacher, Mr. Barnes, taught me to be confident and helped train me in public speaking. My mom taught first grade for most of her career, she is a never-ending resource for great strategies and new ideas. Even though my husband teaches middle school, we still spend our evenings bouncing ideas off each other and doing our best to design lessons our students will remember.” We also asked Ms. Waters what made her so passionate about her students and career: “A parent posted once on her social media page that her little girl said a verse of scripture every day. Not just some days, but everyday... "This is the day the Lord has made; rejoice and be glad in it" (Psalm 118:24). This was so powerful to me, and it has stayed with me since reading it,” said Ms. Waters. “Do what you love and love what you do, and all the pieces just seem to fall into place.” Prior to teaching first grade, Ms. Waters would host the morning announcements at FES. Each day, she would leave a lasting impact on each student and staff member in the school by saying, "You have control over your day, your actions, and your attitude. Make it a great day or not, the choice is yours." Congratulations Ms. Waters!! #GoCoSchools #GETGCS #OneBIGFamily

We are thinking of our friends and family in the Chattooga High School community who lost several students in a tragic accident this weekend. #ChattoogaStrong #OneTribe #OneBIGFamily

We encourage all members of our #OneBIGFamily community to complete the Gordon County Moving Forward Together Survey from our friends at the NW GA Regional Commission. This survey offers the opportunity for people that live or work in Gordon County to provide guidance about improving various aspects of our community. Link to survey: http://s.alchemer.com/s3/Gordon-County-Moving-Forward-Together-Survey #GoCoSchools #GETGCS

CTAE PATHWAY SPOTLIGHT: Industrial Maintenance students learn the fundamentals of installation, operation, maintenance, and trouble-shooting for hydraulic pneumatic systems, pump and piping systems, electric motors, and wiring as it relates to the manufacturing environment. Mr. Clay Pruett, pictured alongside his students, is the Industrial Maintenance teacher at the Gordon County College and Career Academy of Design and Advanced Manufacturing. #GoCoSchools #GETGCS #OneBIGFamily

ANONYMOUS ALERTS: Students, parents, staff and community members are now able to download and utilize the new GCS Anonymous Alerts app! The Anonymous Alerts safety system empowers students, parents, and community members to anonymously report issues related to bullying, threats, harassment, drugs, and mental health concerns using the safety system. Use of this system allows for 1-way or 2-way anonymous encrypted communications between those who submit a report and district administration and/or school administration. Learn more about Anonymous Alerts by visiting www.gcbe.org/anonymousalerts You can also download the Anonymous Alerts app today and use activation code: gocoschools #GoCoSchools #GETGCS #OneBIGFamily

PRE-K CELEBRATION: Thank you to Senator Chuck Payne for joining us today at Fairmount Elementary School! This morning, Senator Payne joined the Pre-K classes at FES to share some of his favorite books; “The Monster at the End of This Book” and “Hey, Georgia.” The students enjoyed spending time with Senator Payne and learning about the importance of reading! #GoCoSchools #GETGCS #OneBIGFamily

RBMS CHORUS AWARDED ‘VIBRANT COMMUNITIES’ GRANT FROM GEORGIA COUNCIL FOR THE ARTS: Red Bud Middle School Chorus, under the direction of Valerie Robbins, was awarded a Vibrant Communities grant from Georgia Council for the Arts (GCA), a strategic arm of the Georgia Department of Economic Development, for fiscal year 2023. The Vibrant Communities Grant supports a variety of arts programming opportunities throughout the state. As part of this year’s Vibrant Communities awards, 44 entities in 38 counties will receive almost $200,000 in funding. “Rarely has arts funding been more needed than it is today, so Georgia Council for the Arts is particularly grateful for the support that the Georgia General Assembly is providing for our arts communities to help them carry out their mission,” said Georgia Council for the Arts Director Tina Lilly. “We hear firsthand about what this assistance can mean to an organization and a community, and we’re pleased to know that it will touch the lives of so many Georgians.” Georgia Council for the Arts received applications from schools, libraries, cities, historical societies, community theatres, Boys & Girls Clubs, and arts and other related organizations from across the state. Entities that previously received a fiscal year 2023 Project, Bridge, or Arts Education grant, which were announced in August, were not eligible for Vibrant Communities grants. “RBMS Chorus will be presenting “The Little Mermaid, Jr.” in March 2023 and these funds will help tremendously as we transform our gym into a performing arts space by bringing in lighting and sound and curtains,” said Robbins. Funding for these grants is provided through appropriations from the Georgia General Assembly. A complete list of fiscal year 2023 grantees in these program areas can be found on the GCA website. #GoCoSchools #GETGCS #OneBIGFamily

SSAC: Today was the first meeting of the 2022-2023 Superintendent’s Student Advisory Council. Students from Gordon County middle and high schools met to learn about Gordon County Schools, how the SSAC makes a difference in our school system, discuss the issues they would like to resolve as members of this council and participate in team building activities to get to know one another. Thank you to our program sponsor North Georgia National Bank for supporting our programs and for providing lunch to our council members! We are looking forward to a fantastic year with these student leaders! #GoCoSchools #GETGCS #OneBIGFamily

Gordon County Schools is currently seeking public comment and parental input for the adoption of a high school textbook for the Healthcare Science Pathway. To view the table of contents for the textbook the CTAE department has chosen for this adoption and for more information about the instructional materials review and adoption process, visit our website at www.gcbe.org/textbookadoption #GoCoSchools #GETGCS #OneBIGFamily

COLORING CONTEST: During the month of October our community partner, Amanda Jo Brown Real Estate, hosted a coloring contest for first grade students in Gordon and Bartow County Schools! Students were given coloring sheets to complete, and one winner was chosen in each first-grade class to compete to be the county winner. All classroom winners will receive a free t-shirt and each county winner will receive 4 tickets to go to the Tellus Museum! County winners will be announced by the Amanda Jo Brown Real Estate Team on Monday, October 31st! #GoCoSchools #GETGCS #OneBIGFamily