BOARD RECOGNITIONS: PIEDMONT CARTERSVILLE MEDICAL CENTER (Jan Tidwell, Brad Cothran, & John Pope) & CVS PHARMACY - CARTERSVILLE (Carrie Hayes & Alexis LeClaire) “Piedmont has been instrumental in supporting us with all our health services needs – support of New Teacher Orientation, training of staff on Stop the Bleed and Narcan procedures, and continued professional development of our school nurses with updates in medicine, hospital procedures, and student care. They have most recently provided us with additional PPE for our schools and nurses in concerted efforts to help us keep our students and staffs safe. They are a VALUABLE supporter of BCSS year end and year out!” “CVS was our source for providing Narcan supplies to all our schools and facilities – they were willing to work with us as a school system and health services department (School Nurse Program) when no other pharmacy or provider would. They went out of their way to get the quantity we needed to have at all our locations and kept us updated along the way to help us meet our beginning of the school year deadlines.” – Macy Defnall, Chief Human Resources Officer

BOARD RECOGNITIONS: EMPLOYEE OF THE MONTH Darlene Shaw, Red Top Middle School Nutrition Department “Darlene is an exemplary employee. She brings a smile to work each day without waiver. She greets everyone that walks in the door, asking about their day and encouraging them about any upcoming events. She is referred to as “Grandma” by most and she responds in kind.” “Darlene does her best to make sure everyone at Red Top feels welcome. We are ALL one big family and she makes sure everyone, staff and students alike, are included. We are truly blessed to have her as part of our team.” – Red Top Middle School Staff

NOTEWORTHY ACCOMPLISHMENTS: The Marching Tigers marched straight into Scottsboro, Alabama, this past Saturday, gave a stellar performance at the Where the Mountains Meet the Lakes Marching Festival, received superior ratings, and that's not all! Take a look at these other accomplishments: * Won in Class 3A * 2nd place Color Guard * 1st place Percussion * 1st place Drum Major (Carleigh Chadwick) * 1st place Band The band and the color guard received the second highest scores for the day! Congratulations, Marching Tigers!

A DAY IN THE LIFE OF: Allatoona Elementary SO many wonderful things happening at ALES! Just recently, kindergarteners sent seniors at Fite Living Centre and Townsend Park sweet sentiments! Just as "sweet," second graders ate "synonym rolls" with their lesson, and other class transformed their educational space into a "donut shop" for an engaging day of literacy activities!

NEW: State School Superintendent Richard Woods visits Bartow County today to recognize Adairsville Middle School as a new STATE STEM CERTIFIED SCHOOL - THE FIRST IN BARTOW COUNTY!! More than three years of hard work paid off! Exciting details coming soon; check out our STEM ambassadors and school community showing Superintendent Woods what we're about in Bartow County!

MAGE AND INTERVIEW DAY: The strength of a community shines through when you have more than 15 local companies volunteering time and expertise to help our Adairsville High School CTAE juniors and seniors practice the art of interviewing! Some students even got hired on the spot!

CHS HOMECOMING 2022: Guess who led the CHS Homecoming Parade? Our very own Judd Bailey! If you'll remember, late last month, Judd, a fifth grader at Mission Road Elementary School, rang the bell after a two year battle with cancer. JUDD WON THE FIGHT! Now, it's time to celebrate!

ALMOST TIME: Get ready! Cass High School's Homecoming Parade will be rolling through downtown Cartersville at 7 p.m. tonight! JOIN US!!

CHECK IT OUT: New opportunity for Bartow County grandparents! See below!

WOW: Add Woodland High School to the list of nationally recognized Promising Practices schools! This recognition is awarded to schools that have demonstrated initial success in raising student achievement by focusing on learning, building a collaborative culture, and creating a results orientation. Only six high schools in the state have been awarded this and 54 across the entire country! Congratulations! Just this year, WHS recorded a graduation rate above the milestone 95% mark (again), historically high SAT scores, more AP scholars than any other school in the county, and now this! Such huge gains within the last five years!

WOW: First, Adairsville High School earns the HIGHEST GRADUATION RATE IN THE COUNTY! Now, it's being nationally recognized as a PROMISING PRACTICES SCHOOL for its initial success in raising student achievement! Adairsville High School's commitment to implementing the Professional Learning Communities process has been a major contributing factor in making a visible, positive impact on student learning. This recognition acknowledges the collective efforts of their staff to ensure all students learn at high levels. CONGRATULATIONS, AHS staff & students!

BARTOW CARES FOR YOU: APPROVAL; It's our relational word of the month! You'll see and hear it in school and out in the community! We all have experienced the pain of someone making us feel unworthy or disliked. That is why we want to focus on the need of approval this month. Approval means building up or affirming the worth of another person, and sounds like, “I’m proud of you. You have such a kind heart. I’m impressed by you." #bartowcares4u For more information on this mental health campaign, click here! https://www.bartow.k12.ga.us/article/783187

UPDATE: Thanks in part to our new bus driver recruitment campaign and incentive, we are almost fully staffed once again in the Transportation Department! We hope to officially hire about 10 drivers next week and round out the team with the newest training class that starts today! Thank you for your continued support of the Bartow County School System!

BARTOW AND BEYOND: Carressa Hann Carressa is a 2014 Woodland High School graduate who has a sharp focus on helping individuals with disabilities become more independent! Check out her journey below! We are so proud of Carressa's tenacious attitude and accomplishments in and after high school! ITT Technical College - Networking Administration (Associates Degree) 2016 Georgia Highlands College - Business Administration (Associates degree) 2020 Georgia Highlands College - Administration Healthcare Management (Bachelors of Business) 2022 NWGA Center for Independent Living - Community Transition Coordinator 2022

PINK OUT: We haven't seen these AMAZING field formations since 2019 due to COVID-19. Well, they're back, and we're excited to say the PINK OUT event in Adairsville will be BIGGER THAN EVER! This year's field formation of more than 3,000 students and staff will spell the word FAMILY! There will also be music and an extremely moving survivors walk. Please join us at the Adairsville High School football field on Oct. 21 at 9 a.m. to support Breast Cancer Awareness Month and our local families who are battling the disease.

PROFESSIONAL LEARNING: It's always #betterinbartow and here is another reason why. Through our partnership with Georgia Highlands College and GYSTC, our STEM Teacher Champion Academy cohorts, robotics coaches, and gifted teachers learned how to dissect a spiny dogfish shark, engineer a prosthetic for a "sea turtle," extract DNA from a strawberry, and explore the art of stop motion, just to name a few activities! Here's the best part; these teachers and teacher leaders will now take what they learned back to their schools and recreate these activities! Yes, students WILL be dissecting SHARKS thanks to GHC! How neat is that?!

WOW, WOW, WOW: Congratulations to the Cass High School Band for its amazing performance at the Lake Lanier Tournament of Bands! The band walked away as Best in Class AAA and a very close 2nd Place Overall finish on the day. What an incredible way to start the competitive season! Class AAA Champions 🥇 1st Place AAA Percussion 🥁 1st Place AAA Color Guard 🏴 1st Place AAA Band 🎺 Overall 2nd Place 🥈 Up next...the 5th Annual Northwest Georgia Marching Band Championship tomorrow at Cass High School! Wish them luck! 📸: David Draper

LIGHTNING FAST VISIT: WSB Meteorologist Brian Monahan visited Mission Road Elementary School this week to share his extensive knowledge on monitoring and interpreting computer and radar analysis of the weather, among many other topics!

TOUCH A TRUCK: As you can tell from the first picture, the Touch a Truck event at Clear Creek Elementary School was a big hit! This is yet another example of how our community partners help engage students in relevant learning experiences!

NEW: The Bartow County School System four-year graduation rate climbs to a new all-time high in 2022 – 94.4%. That rate is up from 93.6% last year and beats the state average by more than 10%. Two Bartow County high schools break the milestone 95% plane, and the graduation rate for students with disabilities skyrockets for the second year in a row. “Those are incredible highlights from the data just released today by the Georgia Department of Education,” said BCSS Superintendent Dr. Phillip Page. “There are so many reasons to celebrate, as school leaders remain intentional and focused in this area, and students are increasingly engaged and supported through the Professional Learning Communities process. I could not be prouder of the work that is being done and excited to continue the trend of improving student outcomes countywide.” Adairsville High School students and staff earned the highest graduation rate in the county – 96.6%. That is a 3% increase over last year’s rate and the first time above the milestone 95% mark. The graduation rate for students with disabilities also jumped from 79.3% to 89.2%. “AHS is committed to providing relevant learning experiences for ALL,” said AHS Principal Dr. Lexie Bultman. “The increase in our graduation rate, which is the highest it has ever been, continues to validate the effectiveness of the PLC process and our commitment to those relevant learning experiences. Collaborative teacher teams consistently analyze student data to make informed decisions about each individual student, leading to increased learning and achievement.” “Scores and numbers are never our mission, but they are a metric by which we are measured,” added Dr. Bultman. “Graduation rate is a school metric everyone can get behind and this is truly a schoolwide effort! We are excited because this increase supports the hard work our staff put in each and every day to ensure all students learn at high levels.” Cass High School’s graduation rate increased from 91.9% in 2021 to 92.1% this year. School leaders also graduated more students with disabilities than any other school in the county. Increasing their outcome by 9%, they recorded a 92.3% graduation rate this year for students with disabilities. “We are excited to see our four-year graduation rate over 92%, the highest in school history!,” said CHS Principal Steve Revard. “The Class of 2022 was a special group of students that pushed through adversity, while continuing to raise the bar. Our teachers and staff remain dedicated to supporting all students through effective collaboration, Tier II instruction, a focus on literacy, and extracurricular opportunities. I am also incredibly proud of our Guiding Coalition, as they continue to implement research-based strategies and innovative practices that move Cass High forward.” Woodland High School and its school community were pleased to log a 95.3% graduation rate, which is above the milestone 95% plane for the second year in a row. Their rate for students with disabilities is 82.8%, which is a whopping 37% higher than their average in 2018. “We are very pleased to see that our graduation rate is above 95% for the second year in a row,” said WHS Principal Dave Stephenson. “Our students enjoy a culture of high expectations, and our staff have committed to each student who walks through our doors becoming fully prepared for opportunities after high school. We will continue to focus on all students learning and achieving at the highest levels.” Exceptional Education Director Tania Amerson and her team were also instrumental in raising their overall system rate for students with disabilities by almost 8%, moving from 80.8% last year to 88.6% this year. “The work to prepare our students to graduate starts at pre-K,” adds Amerson. "The collaboration which is occurring between general and exceptional education at all levels is leading to improved outcomes for all students as evidenced by the decreasing gap in graduation rate between general and exceptional education. I am very pleased to see this gap closing and know this work is having a positive impact on the lives of our students and community.”