BOARD MEETING LIVE STREAM: If you want to watch any of our school board meetings from the comfort of your home, navigate to the School Board Agendas page on our website, and click on the word "stream."
Once the meeting is finished, the word "stream" will change to "video." If you click "video," it will take you to the recorded school board meeting. An example is below. Please let us know if you have questions! Our next board meeting is Monday, January 10.
BETTER IN BARTOW: You are never too young to start changing the world!
Look at this cutie from Euharlee Elementary School!
OPTIONS & OPPORTUNITIES: Life-changing week for many Red Top Middle School eighth-grade students!
They were able to experience the following activities thanks to Be Pro Be Proud Georgia:
- Test hand/eye coordination using a tool developed by NASCAR
- Utilize virtual reality goggles provided by Georgia Power to experience what a lineman does
- Utilize a welding simulator
- Construct a plumbing wall
- Explore human anatomy and agriculture through 3D devices
- Drive and deliver a commercial load using a driving simulator
- Operate a robotic drone
Be Pro Be Proud, sponsored by the Cherokee Office of Economic Development, is a hands-on workshop available to Georgia middle and high schools to introduce them to skilled professions.
The workshop highlights careers that are in high demand and pay approximately $16,000 more per year than the average paying job in Georgia.
Cass High School students will be able to experience this unique workshop later this month! We are so grateful!
During our holiday break, the Department of Public Health issued a new Administrative Order for Public Health Control Measures. This updated Administrative Order contains new isolation and quarantine protocols that align with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidance issued December 27, 2021. As a result of this new information, the Bartow County School System has updated its COVID-19 isolation and quarantine protocols to match many of the recommendations below.
Isolation: Anyone who tests positive for COVID-19 (regardless of vaccination status) must:
• Isolate at home for 5 days from the date symptoms first appeared or, if asymptomatic, the date of the positive test. Stay away from others in the household as much as possible during isolation.
• After 5 days, if you have no symptoms or your symptoms are resolving and you have not had fever for more than 24 hours without the use of fever-reducing medication, you may end isolation. If symptoms are not improving or fever has not resolved, you should continue isolating until these criteria are met.
• After ending isolation, you should continue to wear a mask around others for 5 days.
Quarantine: If you have been exposed to someone with COVID-19 and you are
• Boosted, or have become fully vaccinated within the last 6 months (Moderna or Pfizer vaccine) or within the last 2 months (J&J vaccine):
o You do not need to quarantine at home.
o You should wear a mask around others for 10 days.
o If possible, get tested on day 5.
o If you develop symptoms, get tested and isolate at home until test results are received, then proceed in accordance with the test results.
• Unvaccinated, or became fully vaccinated more than 6 months ago (Moderna or Pfizer vaccine) or more than 2 months ago (J&J vaccine) and have not received a booster:
o You must quarantine at home for 5 days. After that, continue to wear a mask around others for 5 additional days.
o If possible, get tested on day 5.
o If you develop symptoms, get tested and isolate at home until test results are received, then proceed in accordance with the test results.
In summary, the new protocols basically shorten the quarantine window from ten days to five days for those individuals who tested positive for COVID-19 or have been exposed to a positive COVID-19 case at home.
The BCSS will continue to follow the quarantine guidelines from last semester for exposure at school or outside of the home or school.
For questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to reach out to your school administrators or Central Office staff.
COLONELS CARE: Before our holiday break, we told you about Cass High School's unusual Colonel Tree experience! It wasn't the appearance of the tree that was different this year, it was the fact that CHS Teacher Lindsay Meltzer took a student's wish list off the tree and went above and beyond! She took to Facebook, and her community stepped up to provide Falcons tickets for our own Brayden Warren! Brayden was able to attend the game over Christmas break, and his smile says it all!
POLICE OFFICER APPRECIATION: We celebrated and honored our campus police officers this week with a luncheon! They do so much for our schools! Thank you, Chief Randall Burch, Campus Police Supervisor Billy Henson, Officer Mark Corbin, Officer Duane Smith, Officer Nancy Norris, Officer Marc Barrere, Officer Buddy Wilson, Officer Nick Thompson, and Officer Scott Blackman!
REMINDER: Our ESOL Parent Instructional Meeting is tomorrow, January 5, 2022, at 9:30 a.m. Can't wait to see you at the BCCCA!
We hope you enjoyed a wonderful, well-rested holiday break!
All students not previously enrolled in our Bartow Virtual Academy will return to in-person learning on Wednesday, January 5, 2022.
Due to the continued presence of COVID-19 in our community and across the globe, we will continue our COVID-19 mitigation protocols into the new year, which include enhanced sanitation measures at all facilities, social distancing when feasible, strict contact tracing, and quarantine guidelines.
The BCSS will also continue to utilize the green, yellow, and red phase system and COVID-19 School Spread Matrix. Additional information on our guidelines and an updated matrix can always be found on www.bartow.k12.ga.us or our new mobile app.
The safety of our students and staff is paramount. For the duration of this winter break, and to best serve our school community, we have remained in constant contact with our local public health officials, and we are dedicated to communicating any changes to our protocols in a timely and efficient manner.
Thank you for your continued attention to this matter, and never hesitate to reach out to your school leaders or Central Office staff if you have questions.
See you on Wednesday!
A COLONEL CHRISTMAS STORY: It's truly a "Colonel Christmas Story" with a twist.
Each year, teachers and various club members at Cass High School pick ornaments off their Colonel Tree. Each ornament represents a student at CHS who could use an extra "Christmas wish" to be granted this holiday season. Well, CHS Teacher Lindsay Meltzer picked a sports-loving student.
"When I picked the student off the tree, it listed that he was interested in sports and wanted Falcons, Braves, or Hawks memorabilia along with his sizing for clothes," said Meltzer.
After purchasing some clothes, she took to the internet and asked those on her neighborhood's Facebook page if they had anything else they would like to donate.
"Within a few hours, a few neighbors commented and had already dropped brand new stuff off at my house for the student, and one neighbor is a Falcons season ticket holder and reached out to me because they wanted to give two tickets to the student for Christmas," added Meltzer. "She even said she is a season ticket holder for the Braves and wants to give him two tickets to a Braves game in the spring!"
The community support has left us all...speechless.
This student, who is a wheelchair user, will have the most magical holiday, partly because those in his community truly care.
It is better in Bartow. It's not just a hashtag.
SHOP WITH A WILDCAT: More than 60 Woodland High School students raised money to provide Christmas and holiday gifts to 30 Bartow County elementary school-aged children through their first-ever Shop with a Wildcat event!
Not only did children get to pick out gifts at Target, they also enjoyed breakfast, arts and crafts, face painting, a movie, and pictures with the Wildcat mascot!
What an outpouring of love from these outstanding students, teachers, administrators, and community members. They surely embody the season of giving!
SEASON OF GIVING: "Santa Z" and her elves were out delivering books to their Adairsville Elementary School students today! What a special time for these kiddos!
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.
Today, we celebrate and honor Chris Forsyth, our technology director. Chris takes large and often times complex technology issues and solves them quickly with confidence and grace. She's forward-thinking and leads a great technology team. Congratulations, Chris! You make us all better!
TIS THE SEASON: For holiday parties and they're in full swing around the school system! Check out these Hamilton Crossing kiddos!
THAT'S A WRAP: Have you ever seen an entire classroom wrapped from top to bottom? Well, here's a gift from us to you!
The Last Word Literary Guild, Cass High School's Book Club, recently hosted the Get Decked Challenge, where students could vote for a teacher to have his or her ENTIRE classroom wrapped in Christmas wrapping paper! The overall "winner" was CHS Math Teacher Richard Morris!
Mr. Morris was a great sport, and LWLG raised money for its club in the process!
GAME ON: For the first time in school history, the Cass High School football program has been invited to play in the 2022 Corky Kell Classic, a televised event that reaches more than 250,000 people!
The first game will be played on August 19 against Kennesaw Mountain!
HISTORIC OPPORTUNITY: For the first time ever, a BIG Tennessee Valley Robotics and First Lego League regional qualifying tournament comes to BARTOW COUNTY!
We had two schools and three teams participating at the tournament inside Adairsville Middle School!
Congratulations, AMS and Red Top Middle!
AMS - led by Alan Cook
Team 50965, “The Revolutionaries”
Leila Damone
Dylan Teems
Mika Drennon
Jacob Turgeon
Jaylin Simpson
Team 42245, “Time Travelers”
Wendy Scott
Solomon Leighly
Team 50965 placed 11th
Team 42245 placed 12th
RTMS - led by James Conaway
Conner Hartsook
McKenzie Good
Eric Lopez
Redman Porter
Uriel Hernandez
Cheyenne Gilley
Vincent Gicheru
Placed 15th!
WEDNESDAY WOW MOMENT: Clear Creek Elementary School students continue to celebrate their brand new Model PLC School status in style!!! @SolutionTree
STUDENT FARMERS: “Farm to School Table” with a little help from Bartow County School Nutrition Coordinator Emily Miller! Thanks to our second-grade garden club members, third-grade ESOL students, and Mrs. Clements, they successfully grew lacinto kale. Mrs. Miller helped our student farmers harvest, prep, and bake kale chips. The students now have a new recipe to share with their families and have decided they want to continue those healthy habits in their own home!
PROFESSIONAL LEARNING: The key to improved learning for students is on-going, job-embedded learning for the adults who serve those students.
Today, our school leaders learned several high impact tools to increase learning from LeAnn Nickelsen, an author and expert in the field.
From seriousness to silliness, the day was filled with engaging opportunities and activities that ultimately led to Action Plans for each individual school. #betterinbartow
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:
Vicki Rader, Paraprofessional, Hamilton Crossing Elementary School
Angi Booth, Attendance Clerk & Receptionist, Emerson Elementary School
Mark Corbin, Campus Police Officer, Woodland High School
