State schools Superintendent Kathy Cox and the Governor’s Office of Student Achievement announced this month 327 public schools have the most improvement or top performance on state exams during the 2008-2009 school year.
Twiggs, Houston, Bleckley and Hancock County schools and Dublin City schools made that list.
“Congratulations to the principals, teachers, parents and students at these 327 schools,” Cox said. “Even in these very difficult economic times the schools we are awarding continue to have a no-excuses attitude and are more focused than ever on the goal of providing a world-class education to every student.”
The awards are being announced as part of the release of the 2008-2009 K-12 Public Schools Scoreboard and Report Card. The recognized schools will receive a congratulatory letter and a banner announcing the accomplishment.
The schools are awarded on four levels — platinum, gold, silver and bronze — in two different categories.
“Greatest gains” are schools that showed the greatest improvement in scores on the Criterion-Referenced Competency Tests or the Georgia High School Graduation Tests. “Highest performance” are schools that demonstrated the highest achievement on the CRCT or GHSGT.
Schools that got greatest gain awards were Bleckley County High, Susie Dasher Elementary in Dublin, Hancock County High, Twiggs County High and Perry Primary in Houston County.
Schools that got highest performance were Bleckley County High, Susie Dasher Elementary in Dublin and in Houston County: Bonaire, Quail Run and Matt Arthur elementaries, Perry and Perdue primaries and Warner Robins, Houston County and Perry high schools
To learn more about GOSA, visit www.gaosa.org.
Houston County schools to offer more H1N1 vaccines
Free H1N1 vaccines will be available at 19 Houston County schools in January and February during the school day.
Targeted toward elementary and middle school children, students must have a permission form to receive the vaccine. There will be a limited supply of the vaccine, which will be available in injection and nasal mist forms.
Children with medical conditions such as asthma, diabetes or seizures can only receive the vaccine through injection, and those with severe egg allergies cannot receive any flu vaccine.
The H1N1 clinics at the schools are put together by the Houston County Hot Shots Coalition.
Contact Kathryn Shiplett, R.N., lead nurse for the Houston County Board of Education, at (478) 929-7767 or Kathyrn.Shiplett@hcbe.net for more information.
Huntington Middle featured on GAcollege411 Web site
Huntington Middle School is being recognized this month for its online efforts to help prepare its students for high school and beyond.
The school will be highlighted on the home page of GAcollege411.org, which provides students with information about the SAT and ACT, the college admissions process and careers, through January.
Huntington Middle was chosen for using student accounts that help them identify career goals and guide them through high school, the Georgia Student Finance Commission said.
The organization will also present a plaque to the school Jan. 25 and feature it in its newsletter.
Northside teacher earns National Board Certification
Northside High School teacher Courtney Flores earned National Board Certification in 2009, joining 20 other teachers in Houston County that also hold the distinction.
Flores, an English teacher at Northside, was certified in English Language Arts for Adolescence and Young Adulthood.
To earn National Board Certification, teachers must undergo an assessment to determine their knowledge of their classroom subjects. They also must build a portfolio including items such as student work samples and videos demonstrating their teaching methods.
The process, put together by the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards, can take between one and three years to complete.
Central High School students start SADD chapter
Sophomores at Central High School in Macon have started a Students Against Destructive Decisions chapter, which is a group of peers against teens making destructive decisions, such as underage drinking, doing drugs or fighting.
Students involved said they hope the SADD chapter will be a positive influence on their school and community and they plan to participate in campaigns and activities throughout the school year to spread the message.
Central students Brittany Scott, Jamecia Harper, Ja’Nae Flowers and Cayce Rumph became interested in forming a SADD chapter, with sophomore teacher Marquis Harris serving as the SADD advisor.
Originally named Students Against Driving Drunk, the organization started in 1981 and has grown to become the nation’s premier peer-led youth education and prevention organization, with 10,000 chapters in middle schools, high schools, and colleges.
Compiled by Telegraph staff writers Andrea Castillo and Julie Hubbard.
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