Bartow County School System

LET’S CELEBRATE: The long-awaited MS. DOT DAY is finally here! Before we crown our System Teacher of the Year this evening at the Booth Western Art Museum, we want to pay tribute to the true Queen of Education, Ms. Dot Frasier, who has dedicated nearly 70 remarkable years to our school community. In recognition of her incredible service, the Bartow County Board of Education established Ms. Dot Day through a proclamation in 2021. This proclamation states, in part: “The Bartow County Board of Education and Superintendent of the Bartow County School System hereby honor Ms. Dot Frasier as the first Teacher of the Year in the Bartow County School System in 1969. Each year, on the date of the System Teacher of the Year banquet, we proclaim it as ‘Ms. Dot Day’ throughout the Bartow County School System.” Let’s celebrate Ms. Dot! Hit that "love" button and tell us how much you love her!

RIGHT WORK: Let's recognize our new Ms. Dot STAR Award winners for going above and beyond in their line of work! Their impact can truly be felt districtwide! CONGRATULATIONS: Anthony Daise, Head Custodian, Red Top Middle School Patty Darley, Paraprofessional, Adairsville Middle School Misty Coker, Custodian, Emerson Elementary School

SENSORY-FRIENDLY FALL FEST: Fall Festivals are always a blast, but the crowds can sometimes be overwhelming for our Exceptional Education students. To ensure everyone could enjoy the fall festivities, Adairsville High School and the surrounding community organized a sensory-friendly event at AHS. The third annual festival, led by Ms. Lawhorn, was packed with games, goodies, and great times for Adairsville students from pre-K through 12th grade. This wonderful event saw participation from numerous students and teachers at AHS, including Mr. Gobles’ class, Miss Garland’s class, Mr. Whitfield and Mr. Agans’ Musical Theatre classes, Mr. Evans’ Teaching as a Profession class, Mrs. Crosby’s engineering class, Ms. Calvert’s chemistry class, JROTC, the football and cheer teams, and the Adairsville Church of Christ, among others!

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 Albert Zielke, our purchasing specialist! No one is more willing to help than Albert, and he does it all with a smile on his face. From the most mundane tasks to the biggest tasks, Albert will show up faster than anyone else. He loves his Bartow County School System family, and it shows. Albert certainly makes us all better!

DESERVING DONATION: Thanks to a partnership with AT&T and the Bartow Education Foundation, 100 Bartow County high school students are receiving laptops to take home at no cost! Brian Barfield, AT&T Georgia’s Regional Director of External Affairs, made the first delivery this morning at Woodland High School, and the students’ smiles were priceless! A special shoutout to AT&T, Ms. Dot Frasier, Dr. Davis Nelson from the Bartow Education Foundation, BCSS Chief Leadership and Learning Officer Dave Stephenson, and the WHS Counseling Department for helping connect our students to endless possibilities both in and out of the classroom. Community partnerships truly make a difference. #betterinbartow

PERFECT ATTENDANCE: Congratulations to our school bus drivers who achieved perfect attendance! It is no small feat and speaks volumes about their reliability and professionalism. Their unwavering presence ensures the safety and punctuality of our students, and for that, we are deeply grateful. Their hard work and consistency do not go unnoticed, and we are proud to have such exemplary individuals as part of our team! **Mike Blalock** (13 years) Falena Campbell (3 years) Jennifer Edwards (3 years) Jason Neal (3 years) Wanda Shellhorse (3 years) Rebecca Neal (bus monitor 2 years) Laverne Reed (2 years) Angela Austin (1 year) Mary Brown (bus monitor 1 year) Bill Dowis (1 year) Jennifer Markners (1 year) Allison McMillan (1 year) Dennis Mietz (1 year) Kenneth Moore (1 year) Bruce Poore (1 year)

🎉🍎CELEBRATING NATIONAL SCHOOL LUNCH WEEK🍎🎉: Sweet strawberries and even sweeter SMILES! Fueling the young minds of Allatoona Elementary School during National School Lunch Week! #NationalSchoolLunchWeek #HealthyMeals #BetterInBartow #ThankYou

BUS DRIVER APPRECIATION: Our Transportation crew is just the BEST...hands down! Special thanks to Todd Hooper with NFP and Parnick Jennings for treating our team to a delicious breakfast spread🙌

NEW: Adairsville High School Science Teacher Jenifer Calvert has just been named the 2024-2025 HIGH SCHOOL TEACHER OF THE YEAR! Congratulations! Mrs. Calvert is now in the running for the System Teacher of the Year Award, which will be announced October 29 at the Booth Western Art Museum!🎉

NEW: Cass Middle School Eighth Grade Science Teacher Kasi Litton has just been named the 2024-2025 MIDDLE SCHOOL TEACHER OF THE YEAR! Congratulations! Ms. Litton is now in the running for the System Teacher of the Year Award, which will be announced October 29 at the Booth Western Art Museum!🎉

NEW: Adairsville Elementary School Third Grade Teacher Brandie Smith has just been named 2024-2025 ELEMENTARY SCHOOL TEACHER OF THE YEAR! Congratulations! Mrs. Smith is now in the running for the System Teacher of the Year Award, which will be announced October 29 at the Booth Western Art Museum!🎉

CELEBRATING CJ: Ten – a number that holds special significance for our Allatoona Elementary School Wildcats and C.J. Stewart, the former Chicago Cubs outfielder and co-founder of the LEAD Center For Youth. For the past decade, come rain or shine, pandemic or not, C.J. has been the driving force behind our monthly mentorship lunch and learn sessions with ALES fourth and fifth graders. Through the inspiring pages of The Energy Bus, C.J. imparts invaluable life lessons to our students. His dedication doesn’t stop there – at the end of each school year, he rewards their hard work with exciting field trips to places like Mercedes Benz Stadium, Georgia State University, and Georgia’s Own Credit Union. This year, they’re even heading to the Governor’s Mansion! Thank you, C.J., for a decade of unwavering commitment and for lighting the path for our future leaders at ALES. Your time and wisdom are truly valued!

NEW: Due to our current network outage, we will not be fingerprinting individuals (substitutes and volunteers) at Central Office tomorrow, October 15, 2024. Sorry for the inconvenience. We look forward to serving you in this capacity soon!

LET'S CELEBRATE: The Bartow County School System proudly celebrates Georgia Pre-K Week, highlighting the importance of early childhood education! With more than a dozen Georgia Bright from the Start Pre-K classrooms, we're dedicated to providing a strong educational foundation for our youngest learners. This week-long celebration included various activities and events that engaged students, parents, and the community, showcasing the exceptional work of pre-K teachers and staff! Check out this event at Clear Creek Elementary School today! Thank you, City of Adairsville, Bartow County Sheriff's Office, Bartow County Fire Department, and Taylor Transportation!

GA PRE-K WEEK: Our superintendent is always out in schools, witnessing the impact of early learning firsthand! 👏 Here's Superintendent Terza at Clear Creek Elementary School!

The Bartow County School System achieved unprecedented growth on the Georgia Milestones Assessment System. This state-mandated test, administered last spring to students in grades three through twelve, evaluated their proficiency in core subjects. Highlights include: • All seven tested math areas saw an increase or maintained the number of proficient and distinguished students. • Five out of the seven tested math areas exceeded or met the state average, with the remaining two missing the state average by just one point. • All seven tested English Language Arts areas experienced growth in the number of proficient and distinguished students. • Cohort data indicates that every cohort (for example: last year’s third-grade students to this year’s fourth-grade students) either grew or maintained their performance. “We have never witnessed such remarkable growth before,” said Bartow County School System Superintendent Clint Terza. “The consistency of our Focus Teams Initiative and the efforts of our End of Grade/End of Course Collaborative Teams of Distinction have resulted in higher Milestones and SAT scores, as well as an improved graduation rate.” To be recognized as a Collaborative Team of Distinction, teacher teams must achieve a student proficiency rate of 50% or higher on the EOG/EOC assessments and surpass the state average. In Bartow County, 43 elementary school collaborative teams scored above the state average on the math, ELA, science, and social studies Milestones assessments. Of these teams, 29 will earn the designation of Collaborative Teams of Distinction, meaning their students scored above the state average and 50% of students achieved proficiency or higher. Seventeen middle school collaborative teams scored above the state average on the math, ELA, science, and social studies Milestones assessments. Of these, 10 will earn the designation of Collaborative Teams of Distinction, with their students scoring above the state average and 50% achieving proficiency or higher. Seven high school collaborative teams scored above the state average on the American Literature, Biology, and US History Milestones assessments. Of these, 2 will earn the designation of Collaborative Teams of Distinction, with their students scoring above the state average and 50% achieving proficiency or higher. “Our school system also exceeded the state benchmark for all grades and subjects on the Georgia Alternate Assessment (GAA),” said BCSS Exceptional Education Executive Director Tania Amerson. “The GAA is designed for students with significant cognitive disabilities, providing them an opportunity to demonstrate their progress on essential academic skills in a more personalized and accessible way. This achievement reflects the dedication of our students, teachers, and support staff working together to ensure every learner succeeds.”

THE HELICOPTER HAS LANDED: Cass High School welcomes Florida State University Head Football Coach Mike Norvell! 🏈👀 #BeSeen #FireTheCannon

SHINING BRIGHT IN BARTOW: When you work in a school system and community like this, you have a lot to celebrate! The Academic Support Superstar Award recognizes our instructional coaches who have contributed to the Bartow County School System in the areas of Literacy, Disciplinary Literacy, and Mathematics. This month, we recognize Kristen Stevens (EHES), Lynn Sherman (RTMS), and Sarah Turner (CHS). Kristen is an outstanding instructional math coach who consistently supports teachers with dedication and a passion for improving math instruction. She is always eager to lend a hand and explore new strategies to enhance her work and the success of her team. Lynn is fully committed to supporting teachers in building effective literacy instruction. She continuously searches for new and innovative studies grounded in Science of Reading practices. Additionally, she is helping to lead the district in understanding and implementing the new GaDOE standards for the upcoming school year. Sarah brings a unique perspective to supporting literacy within the district. Her background in social studies greatly aids in building systemic reading and writing practices across all content areas. In addition, her passion for understanding and helping students and teachers is contagious within Cass High and admired by her fellow instructional coaches! CONGRATULATIONS!

With an average score of 1044, Bartow County School System students have achieved their highest overall SAT score since 2021. This score surpasses the state average by 14 points and the national average by 49 points. Adairsville High School students earned the highest SAT scores in Bartow County, followed by Cass High School, and Woodland High School. The overall scores are as follows: · AHS – 1061 · CHS – 1041 · WHS – 1032 AHS and CHS students have both set new records in reading and writing scores, with AHS scoring 552 and CHS scoring 541. Additionally, WHS students achieved a notable score of 539. In the math category, AHS students improved their scores by 14 points compared to last year, while CHS students saw an 11-point increase from 2023. “These strong scores can enhance college applications and help our students qualify for merit-based scholarships,” said Bartow County School System Superintendent Clint Terza. “The results show that our students are well-prepared for the academic challenges that lie ahead. I am very proud of the hard work shown by our students and teachers alike."

NEW: The Bartow County School System maintains a historically high four-year graduation rate of 95.1%! “Once again, that exceeds the state four-year graduation rate by about 10%,” said Bartow County School System Superintendent Clint Terza. “Just to put this information into perspective, about six years ago, our system graduation rate peaked at 87.1%. While that was still higher than the state rate at the time, we were not satisfied. Last year, specifically, we were intentional with our focus to raise the bar through our focus team initiative and collaborative teams of distinction. I am so proud of our schools’ work. Never complacent, our school leaders and educators know that graduation rates serve as a key performance indicator and reflects their effectiveness in educating and supporting students through graduation.” Adairsville High School leads the county with the highest graduation rate – 97.6% – and highest graduation rate for students with disabilities – 93.8%. “We are incredibly proud of our teachers’ hard work and dedication, which have been instrumental in our success and in fostering a strong commitment to graduation,” said Adairsville High School Principal Tony Stanfill. “Through the collaborative efforts and focus on learning by our teachers, we were able to accomplish our rate. We are also very proud of the fact that because of the hard work, we were able to meet our School Improvement Plan (SIP) goal for last year, which was to increase the graduation rate in many of our subgroups. Every subgroup met the improvement target!” Cass High School recorded another record-high graduation rate – 93.6%. That is up 1.1 percentage points from last year. “We are incredibly excited to set another school record for the fourth consecutive year,” said Cass High School Principal Steve Revard. “I am proud of our 2024 graduates for their commitment to success in the classroom and beyond. Our staff remains dedicated to equipping students with essential skills to become productive members of their community. We expect to see additional growth through our focus on advanced learning opportunities, interdisciplinary literacy, and accountability.” Woodland High School documented an impressive 94.6% graduation rate and equally notable graduation rate for students with disabilities – 91.7%. That is up nearly two percentage points from last year! “This achievement reflects our commitment to fostering academic excellence through regular monitoring of student learning and a strong emphasis on Tier I instruction,” said Woodland High School Principal Melinda Wilder. “Over the past five years, we have seen our graduation rate for students with disabilities rise by more than 28%, reaching an all-time high of 91.7% for the Class of 2024. Additionally, we saw gains in most student subgroups, showcasing our dedication to inclusivity and support for all learners. We identified areas for improvement and implemented targeted interventions for at-risk students and ensured high-quality, differentiated instruction for all learners. Our collaborative efforts among educators, counselors, and families have further enhanced student support, ensuring every student has the resources they need to succeed.”