Bartow County School System

BOARD RECOGNITIONS: MODEL PLC SCHOOL – ADAIRSVILLE HIGH SCHOOL AHS becomes the 13th Bartow County school to be named a Model Professional Learning Community for its sustained success in raising student achievement! “Honestly, we were shocked at first considering AHS had just received the designation as a Promising Practices School back in October,” said AHS Principal Dr. Lexie Bultman. “Of course, we are elated, as this recognition continues to highlight the phenomenal work being done by our staff and students daily.”

BOARD RECOGNITIONS: EMPLOYEE OF THE MONTH – Monserrat Cabanas, our paraprofessional at Woodland High School “Ms. Cabanas has served as a paraprofessional supporting our students with autism for three years. She is not just a support person, she is a teacher, advocate, and source of stability for our autistic students. This past fall, with our lead autism teacher on leave, Ms. Cabanas provided all areas of instructional leadership in our autism unit. She ensured stability, provided calm and care, and she went above and beyond to make sure that her colleague could focus on her family by knowing that her Wildcats were in the best of hands. In addition to the great care she provides our autism unit students, Ms. Cabanas provides translation support to our custodial staff, front office, counselors, and parents of Spanish speaking students. She never asks for anything, but she is due so much praise and celebration. She is truly irreplaceable.” – WHS Principal Dave Stephenson

JOINING THE ARMY FOOTBALL BROTHERHOOD: Adairsville High School student-athlete standout Evan Sanders accepts a full scholarship offer to attend and play football for the United States Military Academy at West Point! "We have targeted you as one of the finest leaders of your generation," said Head Football Coach Jeff Monken. Congratulations, Evan! West Point is lucky to have you!

ROOT, ROOT, ROOT FOR THE HOME GUY: We're a part of the Official Larry Gardner Fan Club, and we're cheering him on as he is one out of ten individuals vying for a position as the next ATLANTA BRAVES ANNOUNCER! Larry is an active parent in our school system, and we know he'll hit a "homerun" with this opportunity! Stay tuned! The Braves organization will narrow their search down to three at the end of the month!

IT'S OFFICIAL: Adairsville's own Chris Roper crossed those t's and dotted those i's! He's off to one elite Ivy League school - Dartmouth College in New Hampshire! We can't wait to see #18 make a name for himself both on the field and in the classroom! #signingday #306Pride

SCHOOL CRASHERS GRANT: Community residents, students, educators, and businesses in the state of Georgia can now nominate a school for a School Crashers facility makeover grant! “If your school has been waiting for a special career and counseling area, a relaxing retreat space for those hard-working teachers or a sensory room for students to decompress, this could be your year,” said Kim Wall, Georgia United’s director of community development. The schools with the most compelling stories (including a photo illustrating the need for facility improvements) may be selected as a School Crashers grant recipient in March. Requests for projects that include electrical, structural, or plumbing enhancements will not be considered. The contest ends February 28. Click the link below for additional information! https://5il.co/1o8l9

IN THE NEWS: We love watching our students highlight their exceptional skills on TV! Check out Clear Creek Elementary School's Team Blaze before it was announced that they were the ONLY team in the competition to move on to the 2023 FIRST Championship World Festival in Texas! https://www.wdef.com/local-students-compete-in.../...

MAINTENANCE SUPERHEROES: Hardworking and humble; that's how you'd describe this team! Because of that, you'd never know they spent almost 40 hours on Christmas day and the following day fixing broken pipes during a deep freeze at three schools and one Bartow County facility! Thank you, Lamar Burt, David Gaspardo, James Howell, Dannie McGuirt, and Joe Millsaps! Ms. Dot, Superintendent Page, and Chief Leadership and Learning Officer Clint Terza recognized them today at a System Leadership meeting. We have the best of the best in Bartow County!

THREE...TWO...ONE...LEGO: Clear Creek Elementary School's award-winning Robotics teams and coaches walked into the cafeteria today and were met with a loud applause! What a sight; the crowd was electric! They were cheering on Team Blaze and Green Seas! Out of 24 teams at the regional competition in Chattanooga, Team Blaze was the only one to earn a spot at the World Festival Competition in Houston, Texas! Also, overnight, Green Seas was invited to join the Worcester Polytechnic Institute FIRST LEGO League Invitational in June! Congratulations! Now, the fundraising begins! During today's pep rally, both Robotics teams received the opportunity to demonstrate their programming, building, research, and teamwork skills! We're so proud of these teams for making Bartow County history!

ON THE WORLD STAGE: One Bartow County team advances to the WORLD Robotics competition!!!!!!!! Congratulations, Clear Creek Team Blaze! In a few short months, they’ll be one out of approximately 180 teams from 53 countries competing in Houston, Texas! How incredible is that? And that’s not all; Clear Creek’s Green Seas team won second for its Innovation Project, and Cass Middle took home the second place trophy for Robot Performance! We are so proud of all eight Bartow County teams! Unbelievable, and this is Bartow County’s first time in a regional competition like this!

READY, SET, CODE: Join us in cheering on our BCSS Robotics teams as they head to Chattanooga tomorrow morning for the BIG Region Championship event! Eight of our teams are competing for a shot at “Worlds” in April! This is a first in BCSS history! GOOD LUCK: AES CCES (two teams) CMS CLES MRES WES WMS

CLASS ACT: Another day, another visit to Cass High School from a college football coach! But wait! While this visit started the same as many others, with a helicopter landing on the football field, it ended in a way that will leave you smiling ALL WEEK! Here's how it all unfolded. Georgia Tech Head Football Coach Brent Key popped in today, and while having a conversation with the Cass coaching staff, he was introduced to a GT fan, not just any GT fan, though, a SUPER FAN! We're talking about Brayden Warren. To know him is to love him, and the same adage proved true for Coach Key. He connected with Brayden and made sure to sign his jersey that he just so happened to have on today! Wait, there's more! Coach Key ALSO invited Brayden to be a special guest at an upcoming game and asked him to join the team for a locker room visit! Wow! Can you believe that? What a class act, and Brayden will always remember January 26, 2023. OK, you can go grab those tissues now.

CENTRAL OFFICE CELEBRATIONS: When you work in a school system and community like this, you have a lot to celebrate! And, if you know Superintendent Page, then you know he likes to celebrate the RIGHT WORK. In the Bartow County School System, the right work supports learning, collaboration, and results. That's what we value. This month, we celebrate and honor Myra Rosenfeld, our Assistive Technology Specialist! While Myra may be behind the scenes a lot, she is an integral part of the Bartow County School System. Her duties include managing equipment for our Exceptional Education students. She's also kind, patient, and professional. We're proud to have her; she makes us all better! Congratulations, Myra!

NEW: We are changing pre-K sites from Woodland High School to the Bartow County College and Career Academy! If you are interested in the BCCCA, please make a note of that on your pre-K registration packet.

NEW: Adairsville High School becomes the 13th Bartow County school to be named a Model Professional Learning Community for its sustained success in raising student achievement! “Honestly, we were shocked at first considering AHS had just received the designation as a Promising Practices School back in October,” said AHS Principal Dr. Lexie Bultman. “Of course, we are elated, as this recognition continues to highlight the phenomenal work being done by our staff and students daily.” The school’s successful implementation of PLC’s was a major contributing factor in the improved achievement of its students. PLC’s are schools and districts in which educators recognize the key to improved learning for students is on-going, job-embedded learning for the adults who serve those students. The three big ideas of a PLC call upon educators to: 1. Focus on learning. 2. Build a collaborative culture. 3. Create a results orientation. “Data is a partial, imperfect snapshot of the past,” said Dr. Bultman. “It took us completely re-examining how we told our PLC story through the student achievement data presented. Once we did that, we knew it would not be long before we achieved Model PLC status.” Schools are recognized based on strict criteria, including demonstration of a commitment to PLC concepts, implementation of these concepts for at least three years, and clear evidence of improved student learning over that period. Once measurable results can be seen, the school must explain its practices, structures, and culture, and then submit its application for consideration by the PLC Review Committee. “Our primary goal is to continue moving forward in the PLC journey, critically examining ways to maintain and improve our practices as well as foster and support the right work,” added Dr. Bultman. “Currently, the Guiding Coalition is discussing avenues to enhance our intervention block, which we call Tiger Time, to better support students. We are also moving forward with promoting more collaborative teams to apply for A-Team status.” AHS, Allatoona Elementary School, Kingston Elementary School, Mission Road Elementary School, Adairsville Elementary School, Euharlee Elementary School, Clear Creek Elementary School, Pine Log Elementary School, Emerson Elementary School, Cass Middle School, Adairsville Middle School, Cloverleaf Elementary School, and White Elementary School now join the Bartow County School System as they celebrate Model PLC School and Model PLC District status.

CLASSROOM CONVERSATIONS: Woodland High School Teacher and Georgia Teacher of the Year Michael Kobito is making waves once again, airwaves that is! He recently recorded an episode for a Classroom Conversations podcast, a collaboration between GPB and GaDOE. The podcast is titled “2023 GaTOTY: Know Your Why," and in it is an inspirational message for all Georgia educators! Check it out!

A-TEAM AWARD: Superintendent Page and system leaders present Adairsville Middle School and its eighth grade science team, which consists of Traci Newman and Kim Ruggles with the most prestigious award given by the District, the A-Team Award! Traci Newman and Kim Ruggles exemplify the three big ideas of our Professional Learning Communities culture as they continually demonstrate a focus on learning, collaboration, and results. Through observations and conversations with each team member, it is evident this team uses the PLC process to work together with collective responsibility for student learning. They ensure a guaranteed and viable curriculum for all eighth grade science students, use common formative assessments to monitor student learning, use common assessment data to improve teaching and learning practices, and support the RTI process by providing systematic interventions and extensions for all students. It is also evident that Principal Tony Stanfill and the AMS Guiding Coalition have played a significant role in the development of this A-Team. Its Guiding Coalition was mentioned many times as a source of strength for the PLC process and as the means for the professional development which resulted in the efficacy of this collaborative team. Congratulations on this extraordinary achievement! Traci Newman and Kim Ruggles will now present at a future school board meeting, New Teacher Institute, and serve as role models for future A-Teams throughout our school system. This is our 17th collaboration team to earn an A-Team Award!

AHS PAGE STAR STUDENT AND TEACHER: Senior Annie McCormick & Math Teacher Mrs. Katy Carder McCormick has been named a STAR Student through PAGE after earning the highest SAT score in her class. McCormick also recognizes Mrs. Carder as her STAR Teacher!

CHS PAGE STAR STUDENT AND TEACHER: Senior Ryan Matthew Pope & Math Teacher Mrs. Tammy Ragus Pope has been named a STAR Student through PAGE after earning the highest SAT score in his class. Pope also recognizes Mrs. Ragus as his STAR Teacher!

WHS PAGE STAR STUDENT AND TEACHER: WHS Senior Joseph Parker & WHS Chorus Teacher Mrs. Kimberly Human Parker has been named a STAR Student through PAGE after earning the highest SAT score in his class. Parker also recognizes Mrs. Human as his STAR Teacher!