Atlanta is under a tornado watch until 7:00 p.m. Atlanta Public Schools employees have been advised to monitor weather conditions and take necessary precautions. Normal dismissal procedures will be followed, and outside extracurricular activities are also being monitored carefully.
Visit the Mays High School alumni Twitter page this week and they have one question for you….”Are you going to the game this week?”
Tonight, Atlanta Public Schools’ Mays High School plays in a highly anticipated playoff game against Pope. Ā According to a recent article in the Cascade Patch, “When it comes to football excellence in southwest Atlanta, thereās May’s High SchoolĀ and then thereās everyone else.”
Here are a few interesting facts from the AJC:
Mays (8-2) at Pope (9-1)
– Pope is making its second consecutive playoff appearance after going 2001 through 2009 without one. Popeās best finish is the round of 16 in 1994 and 2000.
– Pope is a region champion and a home playoff team for the first time since 2000.
– Mays is 0-8 all-time in road playoff games. Mays is 4-9 all-time in postseason games, with all four victories coming at Lakewood Stadium in Atlanta.
– Mays is less than five miles from the Cobb County line, but this will be Maysā first football game played in Cobb or against a Cobb school.
Springdale Park Elementary School
ATLANTA ā Springdale Park Elementary School has earned the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) gold certification by the U.S. Green Building Council (USBGC).Ā This is next to the highest certification for school buildings and campuses in recognition of the unique nature of the design and construction of K12 schools.
Springdale Park Elementary School underwent a $12.1 million total renovation and expansion recently that incorporated energy efficient and environmentally friendly, low-emissions geo-thermal technology into the schoolās heating, ventilation and air conditioning system.
LEED promotes sustainable building and development practices through a suite of rating systems that recognize projects that implement strategies for better environmental and health performance.
The rating process involves evaluating schools and campuses for such things as classroom acoustics, master planning, mold prevention and environmental site assessment.
ATLANTA ā APS received the 2011 Leadership in Adoption of LEED (K12) Award from the U.S. Green Building Council of Georgia (USGBC) last week.
Georgia Lt. Governor Casey Cagle presented the award to Jere Smith, APS Director of Capitol Improvement, at the USGBCās High Performance Healthy Schools Summit held at the Georgia World Congress Center.Ā APS was one of 3 finalists nominated for the award.
LEED stands for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design and is intended to provide building owners and operators with a concise framework for identifying and implementing practical and measurable āgreenā building design, construction, operations and maintenance solutions.
Three APS schools have received gold or silver LEED certifications since 2007, including Jean Child Young Middle School, Sarah Rawson Smith Intermediate Campus and Grady High School ROTC renovation.Ā An additional 14 APS schools have been registered and slated for LEED certification.
Therrell HIgh School Ribbon Cutting - October, 2011
Continental Colony Elementary School Ribbon Cutting - October, 2011
The district recently held ribbon-cutting celebrations for D.M. Therrell Educational Complex and Continental Colony Elementary School. Both campuses, located in the Greenbriar Mall area, opened August 2011 as state-of-the-art, multimillion-dollar learning facilities. Board Chair Brenda J. Muhammad and District 6 Representative Yolanda Johnson participated in the ceremonies for both schools. In addition, board members Emmett Johnson and Nisha Simama, and Superintendent Davis helped to mark the occasion at Continental Colony. Other APS capital improvement projects completed during the 2011-12 school year are as follows:
- Mays High School ā will be completed December 2011
- Lakewood Stadium ā will be completed December 2011
- Peyton Forest Elementary ā was completed July 2011
A letter today from Dr. John D. Barge, State School Superintendent, to Atlanta Public Schools Superintendent Erroll Davis confirmed that contrary to previous news reports, the Georgia Department of Education (GaDOE) has no intention of taking over local control of any APS schools.
APS leadership has been in direct contact with their counterparts at the GaDOE this week regarding the status of five APS schools that were reclassified to the state’s ‘Needs Improvement’ category on Wednesday. Ā The schools are: Parks, Harper-Archer, Kennedy middle schools and Dobbs and Gideons elementary schools. Ā Barge called the report published earlier this week in the AJC “grossly inaccurate” saying further that it is “…unfortunate that the headline in the AJC misrepresented the facts.”
According to the letter from Barge to Davis, the GaDoe will be supporting APS by providing a School Improvement Specialist to serve each of the five schools. Ā These specialists will help the school develop and implement their school improvement plan and short-term action plan, provide professional learning for staff, and help facilitate best practices that will improve student achievement.
Karen Waldon, the district’s new Deputy Superintendent of Curriculum has also been in close contact with Avis King, the Georgia Department of Education Deputy Superintendent for School Improvement about the matter. Ā Ms. King and Ms. Waldon will work closely together and collaborate on the work that lies ahead to realize the academic improvements that will eventually result int he five schools being removed from the state’s ‘Needs Improvement’ list.
The full letter from Superintendent Barge to Superintendent Davis is below.
by Kasele Mshinda, Mathematics Educator, South Atlanta School of Law and Social Justice
Seven Math IV students from South Atlanta School of Law and Social Justice were selected to present their work at a regional technology conference.
The Georgia Educational Technology Conference (GaETC) was held at the International World Congress Center and featured innovative uses of technology from educators around the state. My students displayed their piecewise function pictures created entirely on the TI-Nspire CX handheld calculator using a variety of functions and domain restriction.
The students illustrated their work through the use of the Nspire software while fielding questions from educators about the project.
From the office of Deputy Superintendent for Instruction, Karen Waldon
In an effort to provide support to students who may have been adversely impacted by the 2009 CRCT Testing administration, the Atlanta Public Schools is requesting parent input through a very important survey.
The feedback from this survey will be used to assist us with the parent component of the district’s Accelerated Support Plan.
Please take a few minutes to provide feedback on how we can better serve your child and the community as educators. We would like to know your opinion as a parent in order to adequately allocate academic intervention and support. The survey is confidential so you will not be identified.
The estimated time to complete the survey is between 5 to 10 minutes.Ā Thank you very much for your support.
The following is the URL where the survey can be completed: ASP Parent SurveyĀ or copy and paste the linkĀ https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/7X3Y2VW
by Brian Ashley, Library Media Specialist, Deerwood Academy Elementary
The "Math Aviator" visits elementary students at Deerwood Academy
One of the most important foundational skills of mathematics is the ability of a child to have math fluency. Math fluency is when a student is able to recall basic math facts without using their fingers, drawing tally marks, or hesitating before answering. It is also imperative that our students gain the ability to recall basic math facts in order to be successful with higher-order math concepts.
To encourage our students with math fluency and to be excited about math our math coach Billy Jackson created a character call Math Aviator. This character visits all grade levels speaking to children about the importance of math as well as doing spiral review activities to continue to help students with applying mathematical concepts. Letās hear it for Deerwoodās own Math Aviator.