Bartow County School System

WOW: Congratulations, Nathan Dolen and Sebastian Ogle! These Bartow County College and Career Academy Public Safety Pathway students just attended and graduated the Georgia Law Enforcement Experience Academy in Forsyth County! During the rigorous one-week academy, these rising seniors were challenged physically and academically in the areas of criminal procedure, traffic stops, domestic violence, active shooters, and more. They both passed the firearms qualifications course too! Another example of Bartow County students prepared for job offers immediately following high school graduation! Good job, Nathan, Sebastian, and BCSS Public Safety Instructor Greg Magee for helping students achieve the high goals they set for themselves!

JOIN OUR TEAM: Still some positions available! Come on down and see why it's the best system around! https://bartow.tedk12.com/hire/index.aspx

NEW: Our Free and Reduced-Price School Meal application window opens tomorrow, July 1, 2022. It is important to fill out the application because Congress has not extended school nutrition waivers this year. Unfortunately, that means breakfast and lunch will not be automatically free for all students. We have enjoyed serving meals at no cost to our families over the last two years. Please understand these decisions are made at the federal level. If anything changes, we will be sure to communicate with you immediately. Please fill out the Free and Reduced-Price School Meal application by September 14 to avoid breakfast and lunch charges if your child qualifies. You can fill out an online application here https://www.bartow.k12.ga.us/page/nutrition-services, print a hard copy from our website and return it to your child’s school, or pick up an application at Central Office starting on July 11. The county office is located on 65 Gilreath Road in Cartersville. Additionally, as a reminder for those who do not qualify for free or reduced-price meals, you can always download the “MyPaymentsPlus” app and add money to your child’s meal account. Convenience fees apply. Thank you for your prompt attention to this matter as we work to “feed the body and fuel the mind” for complete academic success.

FULL STEM/STEAM AHEAD WITH GTRI AND NW GA RESA: We were incredibly honored and humbled to host the Georgia Tech Research Institute today at Adairsville High School! STEM teachers and leaders from all over the county and surrounding counties heard our vision and implementation plan for STEM, which is deeply rooted in Professional Learning Communities. Participants also learned from our State STEM Certified schools and AHS Magnet students as they described their rigorous STEM research. Later in the afternoon, GTRI helped participants with STEM community asset mapping and improving plans for engaging community partners. We loved having the Georgia Department of Education in our buildings, along with all our amazing partners, stakeholders, and Board Member Anna Sullivan! Great day of showcasing the work we do in Bartow County Schools! We are excited to continue this partnership with Georgia Tech!

PROJECT PURPOSE: The Cartersville-Bartow County Chamber of Commerce helped unlock the potential of five Adairsville High School students through a new program called Project Purpose! Here’s how it works. High school counselors and work-based learning coordinators identify graduating seniors based on their post-high school goals. Then, the Chamber helps facilitate a one-week intensive skills bootcamp, which includes courses on soft skills, professionalism and work ethics, resume assistance, financial literacy, and more! Upon competition, the graduates are given the opportunity to interview with several companies, such as Anheuser-Busch, Gerdau, Shaw, Textron, Toyo Tires, NOTS Logistics, and YANMAR. Most individuals received at least two JOB OFFERS at the end! Here’s where our AHS graduates landed: • Austin Pilkay, Shaw • Kamdin DeValentino, NOTS Logistics • Christian Leon, NOTS Logistics • Tristin Alford, YANMAR • Nycholause Garrett, NOTS Logistics Congratulations! The inaugural Project Purpose Signing Day Ceremony at the Chamber was a huge success! Special thanks to Georgia Power for sponsoring the program and Chattahoochee Technical College for hosting the courses. Chatt Tech professors, GHC professors, the Etowah Scholarship Foundation, Leadership Consultant Cherie Wasit, and local financial coach Dan Dollevoet were facilitators in the program. “There are few things more rewarding than opening doors to a bright future for our local, young talent,” said Chamber CEO Cindy Williams. “This program allows for life-changing opportunities, and I could not be prouder of the graduates and the Bartow community.”

SUMMER FEEDING PROGRAM: Our school nutrition staff and volunteers have been working very hard to feed children this summer, and we are extremely appreciative of them! One week, they served about 12,600 meals, and the next, they served about 19,700! Good work! What a help to many!

STUDENT-ATHLETE AWARDS: Congratulations to the following student-athletes for being named most positive in their sports by the Positive Athlete Organization! We also had a state winner, Ms. Selena Amerson from Cass High School! Selena received a Children's Hospital of Atlanta "Hope & Will" Award and a $1,000 scholarship! REGIONAL WINNERS: Boys Multi-Sport - Evan Sanders, Adairsville High School Boys Swim & Dive - Matt Rodriguez, Adairsville High School Girls Track & Field - Lucianna Mclendon, Cass High School Girls Tennis - Jaylee Kilgo, Woodland High School [pictured: Selena Amerson]

OPENINGS: No better time than now to join our team! Click this link https://www.bartow.k12.ga.us/page/career-opportunities to see what jobs are available right now within our school system!

BE IN THE KNOW: Most of our families have already downloaded our award-winning app, but if you haven't done so, please do! Just look for the BCSS in your app store! On the BCSS App, you'll find LUNCH MENUS, NEWS & NOTIFICATIONS, EVENTS, STAFF, ACADEMIC CALENDARS AND MORE! Thank you for #stayingconnected to your school system FAMILY!

AHS TO CALI: A West Coast STEM adventure with AHS Magnet students is underway! Check out a few places they've been! * Golden Gate Bridge * Alcatraz * Cable car rides in San Francisco * Stanford University * Tech Interactive * Google & Facebook * Pacific Ocean

NEW YEAR, SAME AMAZING SYSTEM: Check out the cover of our new 2022-2023 Student Handbook! We spy the Georgia Teacher of the Year and some exemplary students! Raise your hand if you can't wait until Open House!

AND THAT'S A WRAP: "The STEMAZING Race" is complete! Our summer STEM camp participants raced around the world this week. They traveled through 17 different countries, across six different continents, and over 65,306 miles. As they traveled, the groups competed in different challenges to earn points. They were all winners, though, thanks to the amazing organizers of the camp, STEM teachers, and volunteer Magnet students from Cass and Adairsville high schools! Again, what an amazing opportunity for these elementary and middle school students. There is always an extensive waitlist for this camp, and here's why. Check out these pictures! Our deputy superintendent and chief leadership and learning officer even joined in on the fun!

SUPPLIES FOR SUCCESS: The event formerly known as Bartow Give a Kid a Chance is now Supplies for Success, and organizers are excited to once again supply our students with free backpacks, school supplies, haircuts, and more! Register today! www.supplies4success.com

BOARD RECOGNITIONS: It's official, Bartow County Campus Police Chief Randall Burch is retiring at the end of this month and Mr. Billy Henson is moving into the top spot. Congratulations, and thank you Chief Burch for almost two decades of service. Under your leadership, we saw a significant increase in safety measures, including but certainly not limited to additional access control systems, cameras, drills and performance reviews, and Georgia certified officers.

BOARD RECOGNITION: KINGSTON ELEMENTARY SCHOOL, MODEL PLC SCHOOL Kingston Elementary School becomes the 11th Bartow County school to be named a Model Professional Learning Community for its sustained success in raising student achievement!

BOARD RECOGNITIONS: EMERSON ELEMENTARY SCHOOL, DISTRICT STEM CERTIFIED *EES IS ALSO A NATIONALLY RECOGNIZED MODEL PLC SCHOOL WITH A-TEAMS*

THE STEMAZING RACE: Bartow County students are testing their skills with challenges, clues, and detours to race their way around the world in four days, tackling STEM challenges with Spheros, RVR, LEGO Spike Prime Robots, Drones, green screens, and more! Where else can you create a 3-D model of the Taj Mahal? Only at Bartow County STEM Camp! We'll post more pictures throughout the week! What a unique opportunity for these students!

SUPERINTENDENT'S MESSAGE TO BCSS SUBSTITUTES: An important piece of us meeting the needs of our students is our substitute teaching and support staff within our school system. Because of their critical role in our success, I am excited to announce all current active substitutes who have worked 20 hours or more in the 2021-2022 school year will receive a one-time pay supplement via direct deposit on Tuesday, June 7, 2022. Substitutes will receive a payment in the amount of $24 - $820 depending on hours worked as of May 24, 2022. I would like to thank our Bartow County Board of Education for supporting this one-time supplement, which is paid for through federal COVID-19 relief funds. It has taken all of us to ensure our students had the best opportunities to learn this year. Without our substitutes, we could not have provided continuous in-person instruction during first semester. Thank you!

FARM FAMILY OF THE YEAR AWARD: Kingston Elementary's very own Nurse Lauren Lyle is making headlines! We are proud to announce that her family deservedly won Bartow County's top agricultural award! When Nurse Lyle isn't tending to our kiddos, you can find her baking her famous Stilesboro Sourdough Bread or growing and processing her sorghum cane for sorghum syrup! That is in addition to the Lyle's squash, cucumbers, sweet potatoes, sweet corn and more! Congratulations on earning Bartow's most prestigious agricultural honor!

WELCOME: Meet Woodland High School's newest Wildcat, Kevin Muldoon! Mr. Muldoon will be serving as an assistant principal. If he looks familiar it's because he served South Central Middle School (now Red Top Middle) for four year and Taylorsville Elementary School for three years! Come this fall, he will have worked as an administrator on all three levels - elementary, middle, and high! What an accomplishment! Congratulations, Mr. Muldoon! "I look forward to starting this journey at the place that many students end their BCCS journeys as high school graduates!," said Mr. Muldoon. Starting his educational career nearly 20 years ago in Carroll County as a Villa Rica Wildcat, Mr. Muldoon is excited to be a Wildcat once again!