Representatives from more than 40 Cobb schools recently took part in bullying prevention training sessions conducted by the District’s Prevention Intervention Center. Prevention specialists shared best practices and research-based strategies with teachers, counselors and support staff, helping them better recognize and address bullying behaviors in schools. The Prevention Intervention Center provided a wealth of support materials for schools and parents to explore, including presentations to share with families and a set of brochures co-written by specialist Jeff Dess, entitled Understanding Playful vs. Hurtful Teasing and Bullying Behavior. Click here to review the brochures online.

Schools are implementing these best practices in ways that best suit their student bodies, including the delivery models for anti-bullying programs and the style of communication. Belmont Hills Elementary is one of several schools to use the Second Step program, which helps develop and reinforce core social-emotional skills in elementary and middle school students.

At Cooper Middle School, students in Amy Zschaber’s art classes created their own digital anti-bullying campaign. Students snapped photos of themselves in various environments and then created their own graphic posters with slogans calling for students to stand up and speak out. A small group of Cooper students also created their own short film, defining the roles kids can play in seeking social justice. A gallery of images created by Cooper students is below.

The P/I Center has also helped administrative teams establish schoolwide reporting mechanisms, so students know whom to report incidents of bullying behavior. Some schools, such as Lost Mountain Middle, have opted to take further steps to implement the intensive Olweus Bullying Prevention Program, a nationally-recognized model for prevention and promotion of understanding amongst young people.

For more information about bullying prevention programs in Cobb schools, visit the Prevention Intervention Center website.

The Durham team couldn't help but "high five" after 'Georgia Month' was signed into existence!

Thanks to the efforts of Durham Middle School students BethAnn Shires and Ryan Mulkey and teachers Thomas Panter and Mandy Martin, the entire state of Georgia will celebrate the first-ever “Georgia Month” in September 2012. Governor Nathan Deal signed a resolution March 27 establishing September as a statewide month of Georgia history and character education, with the team from Durham (and some important allies) alongside him.

So how did a pair of inquisitive eighth graders turn an idea into reality? BethAnn and Ryan approached their Georgia history teacher Thomas Panter with a vision for honoring the character values and accomplishments of Georgia founder James Oglethorpe. Through research, they discovered the long-dormant recognition of Georgia Day, established in 1909 to celebrate statehood on Feb. 12 each year. BethAnn and Ryan, with assistance from Mr. Panter and Langauge Arts teacher Mandy Martin, drafted a letter to Senator Steve Thompson, proposing a new concept for Georgia Day that celebrates character and positive choices during the month of September. Sen. Thompson jumped at the idea, visiting Durham Middle School to work with the team at Durham to draft a new Georgia Day resolution for the state Senate! The resolution swiftly passed both the Senate and House, arriving on the desk of Gov. Deal.

Beth Ann and Ryan’s idea impressed Gov. Deal so much, he proposed expanding Georgia Day into an entire month of celebrating Georgia’s history and the positive character traits exhibited by Georgians, past and present. Both students, along with Mr. Panter, Ms. Martin and their families were special guests at the State Capitol on March 27 for the resolution signing. The Senate recognized BethAnn and Ryan on the floor for their hard work emphasizing the importance of character in Georgia. A gallery from their visit is below:

The text of the original resolution that passed the General Assembly is available here.

“Awesome – four pups and they have all their fins,” said 5th grader Brycen Downey at Wheeler High School last Thursday, March 15.

Downey helped remove the pups from a female dogfish shark in Wheeler Center for Advanced Studies’ Post-AP Advanced DNA Genetics Lab. While Downey and his classmates are not regular students in the Wheeler Magnet Program, they worked with the high schoolers to dissect sharks in the lab. The 4th and 5th grade Target students from Powers Ferry elementary school are studying sharks and how sharks’ anatomy compares to human anatomy. Last week, they donned goggles, aprons, and gloves and spent the day with 11th and 12th grade Post-AP DNA Genetics students to study DNA and the internal parts of dogfish sharks.

Under the supervision of Wheeler Biology and Genetics teacher, Maggie Kelavkar, and Powers Ferry Target teacher, Kristine Anderson, the high school students used scalpels to open the sharks, and the elementary students used probes to pull back tissue and remove organs. The dogfish, a common shark found in the Atlantic, Pacific, and Indian Oceans, is frequently used for lab studies.

“The shark’s liver is huge, but the heart is smaller than a peanut – it only has two chambers,” said Damariz Ortiz, a 4th grader who hopes to become a veterinarian.
Mrs. Kelavkar, who is collaborating with elementary school students for several lab activities, and Ms. Anderson have collaborated on other projects over the years.

Two years ago, the Target students dissected sharks and last year they dissected frogs. “The kids really like being in a real science lab and working with the older students,” said Ms. Anderson, “but this is the first time we’ve ever dissected a female with pups.”

Mrs. Kelavkar hopes to involve the elementary students in more projects with genetics techniques, giving the students more hands on science experience. This will “peak their interest in science at a very young age and build a generation of science literate citizens.” “Working with the younger kids is a great opportunity for vertical alignment of the curriculum as well as sharing resources in a time of economical crisis.” Mrs. Kelavkar’s Genetics Students “wowed” the young elementary students with bacterial transformation, which is taking a gene of interest (gene that controls the production of a green protein) from one organism (Jelly-fish) and cloning it into bacteria ( E.coli). Mrs. Anderson’s students had a lot of questions about how the transformation is done. “How can we make bacteria glow? Can we make insects glow?” “These questions tell us that we have sparked an interest, and as teachers we can take it to the limits,” says an excited Mrs. Kelavkar.

After their lab experience, the Target students toured the high school and learned more about the Center for Advanced Studies in Math, Science and Technology Magnet program. A’niya Abdulsamad, a 4th grader planning to become an OB GYN, said, “I definitely want to apply for the Magnet school and play in the band.”

Entry submitted by Wheeler High School Biology and Genetics teacher Maggie Kelavkar and Powers Ferry Target teacher Kristine Anderson

The Cobb County School District’s Food & Nutrition Services division recently received a Best Practices Award for its healthy vending program by Horizon Software International, a food services software provider. The division started a pilot for the program, installing pairs of vending machines at Wheeler and Campbell high schools to gauge student interest in quick, healthy options for lunch and snacks. Stocked with sub sandwiches, salads, fruit and juices, the machines are designed to accommodate students’ on-the-go schedules and offer alternatives to the usual fare.

Nicole Dial, Food & Nutrition supervisor for Campbell High School said, “Students really like it because it’s easy and offers lots of variety. Parents have been equally receptive, liking the healthier food options being offered to students.” The vending machines have also benefitted the mainstream food service operations at both schools, boosting participation and helping students spend less time in line and more time eating and relaxing during lunch.

With the inital success of the healthy vending program, Food & Nutrition Services has expanded into a total of seven schools, with 10 machines serving students.

Floyd data teams engage in collaborative planning sessions every Wednesday. The teams develop lessons and common assessments, monitor student learning and adjust instruction.

Floyd Middle School students worked hard to achieve Adequate Yearly Progess this year, and earned a well-deserved celebration.  The 818 students at Floyd showed gains in English Language Arts and Math across all grades, and only a minor downturn in scores for Reading.   Struggling toward AYP in prior years, Floyd is finding ways to improve student achievement against sizeable odds…with a transiency rate of 38% and approximately 80% of the students receiving Free and Reduced Lunch assistance, Floyd was able to utilize some creative strategies to help students reach their goals.

The Numbers

Math was the area of focus during the 2008-2009 school year at Floyd.  With a 5% increase in the number of students meeting and exceeding expectations, Floyd met AYP through intense focus on this content area.  Similarly, the percentage of students achieving in English Language Arts was also up 5% for the year.  Although Reading was down for the school overall, the number of 7th and 8th grade students meeting / exceeding expectations was up from 2008.

Floyd also saw significant gains in the percentage of students exceeding standards in Reading and English Language Arts.  In Reading, the percentage increased from 14% in 2006, to 18% in 2007, 21% in 2008, and 26% in 2009.  Percentages for ELA were 4, 9, 10 and 21% for those respective years.

How did they do it?

Principal Teresa Hargrett credits her team for following suggestions made during a GAPSS review the year before.  Armed with some specific priorities and taking some new approaches, a major emphasis on math helped turn things around at Floyd Middle School.  Those new approaches included a Title I Math coach to guide instruction and a week-long “Math Blitz” that enabled students to hone their math skills.   Data teams at Floyd continued the work of collaborative planning among the staff and close scrutiny of student performance data.

But it wasn’t just about math.  Floyd also placed heavy emphasis on Reading and Language Arts.  For instance, resources like Read 180 and Scholastic Reading Inventory were beneficial to students as they worked to improve their skills.  Along with a 25 book reading goal and reading connections, strategies targeted students in areas that needed improvement.

Benchmark tests were also beneficial guiding instructional decisions so that staff to collaborate on ways to address deficiencies.  Data teams were able to focus on specific standards that needed attention and these became focus points for activities such as the Math Blitz week, in which a dozen coaches teamed with school staff to teach math during the connections period.

But the learning didn’t end with the last bell…Floyd invited parents to be involved in the action and gave them hands-on opportunities at Parents Night, where they interacted with their students as they rotated through stations to experience the curriculum firsthand.