Bartow County School System

ICE CREAM WITH A COP: To protect and serve...ice cream? That's right! This sweet initiative is back and better than ever thanks to Bartow County School Resource Officer Donnie Scott. Multiple law enforcement agencies participated in today's Ice Cream with a Cop event for Allatoona Elementary School's second graders! Students were reminded that officers are in their community in help them. What a way to support and invest in our littlest learners! Superintendent Terza and Principal Suarez loved seeing the sweet bonds that were formed today! SPECIAL THANKS: Billy Henson, Bartow County School Police Chief Donnie Scott, Bartow County School Resource Officer Katelyn Flowers, Georgia Bureau of Investigations Sgt. Andy Page, Euharlee Police Department Jason Warren, Department of Natural Resources Cpl. Jacob Tow, Georgia State Patrol

TAKE ONE...ACTION: Utilizing our Chattahoochee Tech Dual Enrollment Intro to Film and Video Production class at the Bartow County College and Career Academy to record Superintendent Terza's new PSA on the Bartow Cares initiative...priceless! Coming to a jumbotron near you! Wonderful work by our students, who are led by AV Teacher Mike Beavers!🎬

A COLORFUL CAUSE: Come out and support our local Future Farmers of America high school chapters!🐷🐮🐔

ATTENDANCE AWARENESS MONTH: Did you know that as many as one in three students in the country misses 10%, or about 18 days, of the school year? This month, join with us to celebrate the Attendance Awareness Campaign. We’re working together to make sure all kids show up and participate every day possible. Being in school supports students’ social, emotional and physical well-being, and provides students with opportunities to learn and reach for their dreams! #BePresentBePowerful

ROBOTICS KICKOFF: Real shark dissections, shrimp boat adventures, sea turtle prosthetics, Georgia Aquarium research, and scuba diving experts were just a few unique areas our Robotics teams were exposed to today at Georgia Highlands College! Why? Well, this year's FIRST LEGO LEAGUE ROBOTICS theme is OCEAN EXPLORATION! Ms. Robin Morrow, who provides district support for our Gifted, STEM, and Robotics programs, organized the event to engage the research side of our students' Innovation Projects this year! In Robotics, students are judged and scored on Core Values, Innovation Project, Robot Design, and Robot Game. What an amazing start to our nationally recognized Robotics program in Bartow County!

ALMOST THERE: Not too much longer now before our new Esports Arena and STEM Innovation Center are COMPLETE ✔️

MENTORS NEEDED: We need your help! Can you spare about 30 minutes a month to mentor to a student? You can choose the student age level and school you would like to visit! Additional details below! THANK YOU!

SCHOOL SPOTLIGHT: A day in the life of Euharlee Elementary School students... These students are having fun in fine arts, the "Grow Getters" Club, and so much more!

College Board’s newly released Advanced Placement Scholar Roster includes 236 Bartow County School System students earning 346 awards – yet again, the highest numbers ever recorded in Bartow County! College Board’s AP program provides motivated and academically prepared students with the opportunity to take rigorous college-level courses while still in high school. Students can earn college credit, advanced placement, or both for successful performance on the AP exams administered in high schools. College Board recognizes three levels of achievement based on student performance and AP exams. The highest level of academic honor is AP Scholar with Distinction, followed by AP Scholar with Honor, and AP Scholar. College Board also recognizes students who complete the AP Capstone Diploma Program and earn an AP Seminar and Research Certificate. Forty-five students qualified for the AP Scholar with Distinction Award by earning an average score of 3.5 or higher on all AP exams taken and scores of 3 or higher on five or more of these exams. Twenty-nine students received the AP Scholar with Honor Award after earning an average score of at least 3.25 on all AP exams taken and scores of 3 or higher on four or more of these exams. One hundred and ninety-one students earned the AP Scholar Award by earning a score of 3 or higher on three or more AP exams. Forty-eight students countywide completed the AP Capstone Diploma Program. AP Capstone is not a course. It is a two-year program based on two AP courses – AP Seminar and AP Research. It focuses on helping students advance academic skills in the areas of critical thinking, collaboration, public speaking, and conducting research. Thirty-three Bartow County students received their AP Seminar and Research certificate. In AP Seminar, students investigate topics in a variety of subject areas, write research-based essays, and design and give presentations. In AP Research, students conduct a year-long investigation to address a specific research question. “We are pleased to also recognize Bartow County School System AP Teachers of Distinction, and new this year, AP Teachers of Distinction with Honor,” said Paula Camp, Director of Advanced Learning, STEM, and Gifted programs. “Their rigorous classroom instruction and support is instrumental to the success of these intellectually gifted students. With our AP Teachers of Distinction, more than 80 percent of their AP students took the AP exams, and of those, more than half scored a three or higher on them. AP Teachers of Distinction with Honor have a 90 percent participation rate, and more than 70 percent of their students scored a 3 or higher on the AP exams. I am astonished by the growth we have seen with our AP program over the last six years. More and more students every year are developing important skills that are crucial for success in college, such as critical thinking, time management, and independent study. I am so proud of our students’ commitment to achieve at the highest level.”

MARCHING COLONELS: Let's give it up for the Cass High Band!👏 They punched a ticket to the highly prestigious GRAND NATIONALS!🎼

COOKING COLONELS: You just can't keep these Colonels out of the kitchen! Bartow's only culinary class is at it again! This time, they're dishing up some taco salads! Unique entrees are available every Friday for staff purchase. They have been such a hit that nearby BCSS schools are picking up a few for their staff members! Parents, raise your hands if you feel like cooking and cleaning the dishes are great life skills for young adults?! 🙋‍♀️🙋🙋‍♂️

CENTRAL OFFICE CELEBRATIONS: When you work in a school system and community like this, you have a lot to celebrate! This month, we celebrate and honor Stephanie Silvers, our accounts payable specialist. She has an infectious positive attitude, calm demeanor, and is always eager to help and support our students and staff in any capacity. Stephanie certainly makes us all better!

HEART OF SERVICE: Look who we spotted today at Woodland High School! Richard Wynn, the oldest running volunteer with Backpack Buddies! Eleven years and he's still going strong! Mr. Wynn delivers about 285 bags of food a week to five different schools -- WHS, Emerson Elementary School, Allatoona Elementary School, Mission Road Elementary School, and Cartersville Primary School. Trinity United Methodist Church, the original sponsor organization of Backpack Buddies, also assists in making sure our students are fed on the weekends, and we are thankful! Good work, Mr. Wynn & Trinity UMC! What a difference maker you are in the community!

PINK OUT: Who's ready for this year's Pink Out event on October 18th at Adairsville High School? We are! This year's field formation will spell out the word "Fight." The inspiration for this event in particular comes from two courageous people in our community, one who is battling breast cancer and the other who just beat leukemia. Check out this year's coveted Pink Out t-shirt! We are currently accepting sponsors for it. If you'd like to become a sponsor, please email Christy Ridley at christy.ridley@bartow.k12.ga.us. Visit your local school if you'd like to purchase one! #cancerawareness #communitysupport #betterinbartow

PROGRESS REPORT: Structural steel beams are currently going up at Adairsville High School! By the end of March, we anticipate the addition will be completed. Students and staff will soon get to enjoy 15 new classrooms, two science labs, and one engineering and technology classroom and lab combination space!

EMPTY BOWLS: Adairsville High School Art Teacher Jayme Laney is gearing UP for another annual "throw DOWN" this Saturday! Dozens of community volunteers will converge upon AHS for the sole purpose of creating beautiful bowls on the potter's wheel! The finished bowls will then be used Sept. 22 for the Empty Bowls fundraiser, which supports food insecure students through the Backpack Buddies initiative! Special THANKS to the Laney family for organizing this important event. Also, thank you to several area art teachers for donating their time, resources, and expertise this weekend -- Ms. Johnson (WHS), Ms. Jenkins (CHS), Mrs. Ballard (WES), and Ms. Emme Worthy (North Paulding High School).

BACK IN BARTOW: Please join us in welcoming home Mr. Michael Kobito! After serving as the 2023 Georgia Teacher of the Year and Teacher Recruitment and Retention Specialist for the Georgia Department of Education, Mr. Kobito is back in Bartow to serve as our new Talent Acquisition, Induction, and Retention Specialist! Mr. Kobito is a Woodland High School and University of Georgia alum. He returned to WHS upon graduation to teach and direct the world-renowned Wildcat Band before becoming the Bartow County School System Teacher of the Year and State Teacher of the Year! “My time serving as the 2023 Georgia Teacher of the Year and as the Teacher Recruitment and Retention Specialist for the Georgia Department of Education was great and gave me some fantastic insights that I'm able to bring to Bartow County,” said Kobito. “Traveling the state and the country as a representative of Bartow County, and of Georgia's teachers, provided a new perspective, connected me with other outstanding educators and advocates, and allotted me opportunities to continue to learn and grow. I'm excited to continue to make Bartow County Schools a fantastic place to work, lead, and empower students to succeed!” “Teaching in Bartow County is a blessing, and the students and families here are wonderful. My goal in this role is to ensure that we attract the best teachers, provide them space to grow, celebrate their successes, and support them in reaching and exceeding their potential. Every student deserves a great educator, and every educator deserves to feel supported as the professionals and life-changers they are!”

BOARD RECOGNITIONS: A-TEAM 1ST GRADE MATH COLLABORATION TEAM, ADAIRSVILLE ELEMENTARY SCHOOL • Britney Ouelette • Amanda Carter • Debbie Coker • Brooke Green

BOARD RECOGNITIONS: A-TEAM COLLEGE, TECHNICAL, AND AGRICULTURAL EDUCATION (CTAE) COLLABORATION TEAM, BARTOW COUNTY COLLEGE & CAREER ACADEMY • Mike Beavers • Cicily Hardin • Greg Magee • Jonathan Wallin • Alison Burkhalter

BOARD RECOGNITIONS: A-TEAM 6TH GRADE SOCIAL STUDIES COLLABORATION TEAM, RED TOP MIDDLE SCHOOL • Katie Hamilton • Dana Walters