Bartow County School System

PERFECT ATTENDANCE AWARDS: Every year, Dan Clark with the Bartow Education Foundation sponsors an event to honor our bus drivers with perfect attendance, and this year was no different! Congratulations to these dedicated, hard-working individuals who love our children! Clark awarded them all gift cards (and bragging rights!). Michael Blalock - 11 years Jerry Hoover - 4 years Anthony Alexander - 1 year Sebrina Brewer - 1 year Falena Campbell - 1 year Jeff Crowe - 1 year Jennifer Edwards - 1 year Jeff Johnson - 1 year Melissa Mauldin - 1 year Jane Monroe - 1 year Jason Neal - 1 year Carrie Overby - 1 year Judy Scoggins - 1 year Sue Shellhorse - 1 year

Due to the possibility of inclement weather on Friday, September 30, all Bartow County School System football games played in Bartow County will be moved to Thursday, September 29, at 7:30 p.m. Adairsville High School is scheduled to play in Walker County, Georgia, on Friday. LaFayette High School, the host school, has not moved or canceled the game. We will communicate any necessary changes if they become available. Thank you for your understanding as we work to keep our BCSS Family safe.

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: Shannon Hilburn, BCCCA Tamera Johnson, CMS Falena Campbell, Transportation

SERVING UP SOMETHING SWEET: First, Donuts with Dad. Now, Muffins with Mom. HCES is serving up all the fun! Special thanks to our moms and stand-in moms who are nurses at Piedmont Cartersville Medical Center, Parent Action Committee members, and teachers during planning!

COLLEGE ACCESS DAY: In order to help our Hispanic, Latino, and native Spanish speakers navigate the path to college, the Cartersville-Bartow County Chamber of Commerce is hosting College Access Days on Oct. 8 and Nov. 5! The sessions will be held primarily in Spanish and cover the topics of college admissions, financial aid, and local scholarships! Representatives from local colleges will be on hand, and childcare will be provided by qualified staff at St. Francis of Assisi Catholic Church. See attached flyer for additional information!

He did it. Judd Bailey did it. 2543 pills. 27 chemotherapy infusions. 17 spinals. 13 port flushes. 6 hospital stays. 3 surgeries. 2 x-rays. 2 ultrasounds. 2 electrocardiograms. 2 bone marrow biopsies. 2 positron emission tomography scans. Two years after being diagnosed with stage 2 B-cell lymphoblastic lymphoma, this fifth grade Mission Road Elementary School student beat cancer. Heart pounding and tears flowing, Judd rang the bell! His cancer story ends and gratitude begins. “He is thankful to be ringing the bell, ending his chemotherapy treatment,” said Jessi Bailey, Judd’s mother and third grade teacher at MRES. “He is looking forward to his trip to Jekyll Island this week, his celebrations, and to be able to be a normal child again. He has felt every ounce of love and support this school and community has given him, and he cannot wait to give back to them in the future.” His school community, filled with countless students and staff, continues to wrap their arms around the 10-year-old boy they affectionately call “Super Pug Judd.” They wear the homemade t-shirts and never miss an opportunity to grab a hug, look with admiration, and whisper, “You got this!”

START YOUR ENGINES: These third graders at Adairsville Elementary are taking off! In their first reading room transformation, they entered a "RACE" and reviewed skills they have been learning all year, such as character traits and thick and thin questions! Good work, AES!

STEM SHOWCASE: Smiles all around as Euharlee Elementary School students showcased their most recent projects in science, technology, engineering, and math! They have their sights on state STEM certification!

WELCOME TO CAMP JEKYLL: These fifth grade GATEWAY students are having the time of their lives at Camp Jekyll! Their wide-eyed wonder and smiles are truly priceless! Without our sponsors, this first-of-its-kind environmental science trip to Jekyll Island wouldn't be possible. Thank you, Kona Ice, Reliable Paper, Inc., Bailey Civil Group, Mrs. Gail Henry, and Mr. & Mrs. David King!

BCSS ROBOTICS: Robotics in Bartow County is more than building a robot using a LEGO Spike Prime kit! It's designing, coding, and programming missions as a team. It's researching real-world problems, developing solutions to those problems, and presenting those solutions in front of a panel of judges. These students learn cooperation, collaboration, creativity, and critical thinking! Over the weekend, we held a LEGO kickoff event at Georgia Highlands College, and students heard from industry professionals as they research this year's theme - renewable energy! Nearly every school in Bartow County has a Robotics team; and we're excited to see them compete and learn new skills this year!

JOIN OUR FAMILY: Four bus drivers hired...13 completing CDL training, but we still need you! Apply today! We have a $3,500 signing incentive, competitive pay, benefits, and the BEST kids around!

WELCOME TO CAMP JEKYLL: At 5:10 this morning, a group of excited fifth grade GATEWAY students and teachers embarked on their first-ever trip to Camp Jekyll on Jekyll Island! Gifted students from Adairsville, Hamilton Crossing, Pine Log, Taylorsville, and White elementary schools will be studying Maritime Forest, Beach, and Salt Marsh Ecology, along with Herpetolgy and so much more! They'll enjoy dolphin tours and lodging in cabins too! Have fun, GATEWAY students! Later this month, gifted fifth graders from the remaining elementary schools will be taking the big trip to study environmental science!

NATIONAL HISPANIC HERITAGE MONTH: Did you know that the first Latina astronaut was Ellen Ochoa, a Stanford graduate and inventor for NASA? Sonia Sotomayor is the first Latina Supreme Court Justice. Gloria Estefan sold 100 million records and received the U.S. Presidential Medal of Freedom for her contributions to American music. These are just a few individuals who have made their mark on American culture. During National Hispanic Heritage month, our students are making their mark, too. Check out Mrs. Fabiola's ESOL students proudly wearing their "I'm bilingual, what's your superpower?" t-shirts. Emerson Elementary students are teaching others how to say phrases in Spanish, and our BCSS Parent Facilitator, Mrs. Sindy Zepeda, shares her talents at local Latino festivals!

REMINDER: Wednesday, September 21, is an Early Release Day! Elementary schools dismiss at 11:30 a.m. and middle/high schools dismiss at 12:30 p.m. Lunch will still be served, and buses will run on an early dismissal schedule. After School programs will continue to operate.

STATE HONOR: One of our own Bartow County parents – Mrs. Sharon Viktora – has been selected to serve on the 2023 State School Superintendent’s Parent Advisory Council! She will join 29 other parents from across the state to discuss ways to increase parent and family engagement. Chances are you’ve seen Mrs. Viktora in our Adairsville schools as she has children who attend Adairsville Middle and Adairsville High. Mrs. Viktora is instrumental in our STEM and Magnet programs, and she is also on our Parent Advisory Council! We value her ideas and opinions, and we know she will be a wonderful asset and representative of our system! Congratulations!

STARS AND STRIPES: What a powerful and impactful moment for these Allatoona Elementary School students as they sat and listened to Adairsville High School's Tiger Battalion Cadets as they taught the importance of the American flag. Students also witnessed the color guard and riffle exhibition with advanced riffle spinning from Cadet Bobby Campbell. Then, students took turns properly folding the American flag under the guidance of the cadets. Special thanks to Senior Army Instructor Major Dave Sexauer for coordinating these lessons on showing respect to the flag and expressing gratitude to those who fought and continue to fight for our freedom. Impressive work by Battalion Commander Cadet Ian Westerfield, Cadet Reese Leighly, Cadet Makenzie Rainey, Cadet Greer Cofield, Cadet Nicholas Bennet, and Cadet Bobby Campbell.

HANDS-ON LEARNING: Great day at Red Top Middle School as students and community partners participated in a STEM Showcase! They are already District STEM Certified, so now they're going for STATE STEM CERTIFICATION! In these pictures, you'll find students with their STEM journals, learning about erosion, among many other topics. You'll even find Red Top's new Teacher of the Year, Mrs. Webb, in this snapshot of the day!

SERVING UP REAL-WORLD EXPERIENCES: Where does our food and clothing come from? What does agriculture look like in Georgia and how can we have a place in it? White Elementary School Warriors learned the answers to those important questions today thanks to Georgia Farm Bureau's mobile agriculture classroom and other community partners! The 36-foot mobile unit, equipped with technology and digital learning materials, helped students dive into seven different Georgia agricultural commodities! To further the agriculture experience, several other community partners brought goats, pigs, rabbits, chickens, and tractors! What an exciting day of STEM education as our students explored the vast opportunities in agriculture! Special thanks to the Bartow County Farm Bureau, Tona & Darrel Morgan, Bagwell Family, Melinda Wilson, Angie & Jason Leker, Stacey Gheesling, Graham Smith, Hannah Hall, and Jillian Caldwell.

ENDING CHILDHOOD HUNGER: Empty Bowls is back by popular demand! This amazing fundraiser to support the Backpack Buddies program will be held on September 25 from noon until 2:30 p.m. at the Bartow County College and Career Academy! For $20, you get to pick a custom, handmade bowl created by local artists and students and an all-you-can-eat buffet of foods served in a bowl! Get your event tickets here: https://secure.givelively.org/.../empty.../empty-bowls-2022 The Backpack Buddies program helps feed food insecure students in Cartersville-Bartow County on the weekends. Please join this incredible effort, which is spearheaded by the Laney Family! They are wonderful educators in our community!

JOIN US: Raising literacy levels one Read to Grow volunteer at a time! Our next Read to Grow training session will be this Thursday, September 15, at 2 p.m. inside the Central Office Board Room at 65 Gilreath Road. No registration necessary, just come as you are, complete the paper work, attend the training, and get fingerprinted. Volunteers should bring $10 to cover the background check fee. One-stop shop! Everything in about an hour, and you are truly making a lasting difference in your community!