Cobb County elementary and middle school students will have more ways to explore their summer reading enrichment through a new collaboration with the Cobb County Public Library (CCPL). For the first time, the Cobb County School District and the library system have developed complementary summer reading programs that include shared suggested reading lists, common themes for both academic levels and cross-curricular activities. Both corresponding programs promote the importance of literacy to student achievement and reinforce the value of resources in our public libraries to Cobb County citizens.

Suggested reading lists for 2013 were developed to represent both school and public library collections, including current, popular books and literary classics, with Lexile levels/reading ranges provided for each title. Students still have the option of choosing any age- and level-appropriate book they prefer to read. Students in Kindergarten through fifth grades will “Dig Into Reading” and middle school students will dive “Beneath the Surface,” into books aimed for the pre-teen reader. The primary and intermediate lists for elementary schools and the middle school reading list have corresponding activities for students to choose from, designed to help reinforce study and research skills, critical thinking and application of knowledge.

Students may participate in the summer reading programs for free at any of the 16 branches of the Cobb County Public Library. Library cards are free to all Cobb County residents, property owners and business owners, and to students, with permission from a parent or guardian.

Local schools are also providing fun incentives for students to participate, with specific “reading rewards” criteria for the elementary and middle school programs. Students may also record the titles of all books read on the CCPL Summer Reading Log and return to any branch to be eligible for additional prizes.

Cobb County School District Library Media Education supervisor Janell McClure said, “Research consistently indicates that summer reading programs help boost student achievement and bridge the ‘summer gap’ of retention and learning focus. We’re excited to partner with our local libraries to create a unified reading experience Cobb students can enjoy.”

The Library Media Education department has set up special websites for the elementary and middle school summer reading programs that include promotional videos, suggested reading lists and activity sheets.

Elementary School Summer Reading Site | Middle School Summer Reading Site

Elementary School Summer Reading Video

Middle School Summer Reading Video

The Wheeler High School Center for Advanced Studies in Science, Mathematics, and Technology will host its first Wheeler STEM Symposium Thursday, Mar. 21, 6-8 p.m. in the magnet building.

Sponsored by the Center for Advanced Studies Foundation, the Wheeler STEM Symposium provides a forum for students to share their research, its challenges and successes. The community is invited to join in the celebration of student achievement in studies of engineering and medical biotechnology.

Parking provided across the street at the East Cobb Middle School parking lot.

Riverside Intermediate School capped its celebration of Black History Month by having classes decorate their doors with famous black historical areas, past and present. Teachers engaged students with the door project to reinforce common core standards for social studies in grades 2-5. The best decorated doors were awarded ribbons. The culminating activity was a Black History play combining many of the interesting buildings and areas studied.

View a slideshow of the beautifully decorated doors below:

Submitted by Patricia Bush, Riverside Intermediate

CCSD 2013 Elementary Science Fair Winners

The competition was fierce at the third annual Cobb County School District Elementary Science Fair, held Saturday, Feb. 2 at Kennesaw Mountain High School. More than 140 students entered projects in the fair; 16 went home winners, including Grand Prize Winner, 9-year-old Oliver Long, fourth grader at Murdock Elementary.
Three times the number of students entered the fair this year over last year, showing that word is getting out about the quality and importance of science at the elementary level, as well as the interest of students in hands-on learning.

Submitted by Jennifer Gates, Academic Coach, Norton Park Elementary School

Science students from the Cobb Performance Learning Center (PLC) participated in the PLC and Kennesaw State University’s collaborative science labs during the second quarter of 2012—2013 school year. During four Fridays in November 2012, an average of 14 PLC students, the largest attendance since the program began four years ago, were engaged in the practical, hands-on college-level labs in four disciplines in science.

This group of students was able to learn to synthesize the theoretical with the practical in 13 different labs in Biology, Chemistry, Physics, and Environment Science. They dissected and explored the tissues and vessels of pigs’ hearts, created chemical reactions, observed osmosis and diffusion, and experimented with biodegradability to name a few. Students were enthusiastic, motivated, and became more knowledgeable of the scientific method and experimentation through this educational experience, and many of them requested an extension to the program.

The science collaborative program was closely tied to the curriculum of the courses that students are presently taking at the PLC, and they were required to make reflective learning summaries for each lab session. Students were also able to articulate and apply their experiential knowledge to individual-learning, peer-learning, quizzes, tests, and EOCTs.

The most profound outcome of this experience for students may be the college environment, provided by Dr. Lester and his assistants, where they conversed and interacted with their college mentors and other KSU students in the lab and during lunch in the university’s meals facility—The Commons. Students also gained greater perspectives on what academic and career paths they would like to take in the near future.

Submitted by Elaine Bush, Principal/Academic Coordinator, Cobb Performance Learning Center

The Wheeler High School Center for Advanced Studies in Science, Mathematics, and Technology is the fifth Georgia school to earn prestigious state STEM certification from the Georgia Department of Education. Dr. Michael Buck visited Wheeler Oct. 16 to officially present the honor to principal David Chiprany and magnet program coordinator Dr. Tiffany Stark. STEM certification is reserved for comprehensive programs that meet 16 specific criteria for STEM curriculum including  career pathways, business partnerships, testing and teacher training.

Dr. Stark submitted an extensive application for certification that details how Wheeler’s magnet program meets the high standards for Georgia STEM school recognition, including levels of parent and community engagement. The Wheeler STEM magnet program immerses students in course work focused on engineering and medical biotechnology, culminating with a senior internship and research experience with universities, local practices, and industry partners.

The Wheeler magnet program is hosting an open house for prospective students this Thursday, Nov. 1 from 7-9 p.m. in the Wheeler gymnasium.

Kindergarten students at Milford Elementary School had a wonderful time at the first annual Red Party Oct. 19. The 67 students who attended were able to read all 25 sight words from the “Red Word List.” They enjoyed popcorn, red juice, and took home goodie bags full of red treats. The playground was even decorated with red balloons and streamers.

Submitted by Katie Nix, Kindergarten teacher at Milford Elementary

Congratulations to the media specialists and teams at McClure Middle School, Belmont Hills Elementary School and Russell Elementary School, recipients of 2012 Exemplary/Exceptional Library Media Program Awards from the Georgia Department of Education. The awards spotlight the essential role library media programs play in student achievement.

McClure media specialist Cara Harpin and paraprofessional Susan Chambless

McClure Middle School earned the highest honor, the Exemplary Library Media Program Award. Media specialist Cara Harpin will share her experiences and expertise with other Georgia school library media specialists at the Georgia Educational Technology Conference Nov. 7-9 in Atlanta. She and paraprofessional Susan Chambless will also host an open house event later in the school year for representatives from the DOE and other school systems throughout the state.

To qualify for the award, media specialists submitted a 6-page narrative documenting the media program and explaining the impact of the library media program on student achievement. Letters of support from administrators, teachers, students/parents are also part of the evaluated narrative that is read and scored by outside experts. The program must be ‘proficient’ in all of the 19 target indicators in the rubric (based on law, policy and standards) and exemplary in at least 14 of the indicators.

The library media programs at Belmont Hills Elementary (operated by Tina Launey) and Russell Elementary School (operated by Marty Arrington) were two of five programs recognized as Exceptional. These schools met most of the target indicators and may reapply for the overall award in future years.

Bill Waggener, president of the Georgia Mineral Society spent three days the week of Oct. 1 visiting sixth grade Earth Science classes at Campbell Middle School to enhance their rock unit of study. Mr. Waggener brought samples of his rock collection from around the state containing metamorphic, sedimentary and igneous rocks and students delved into his collection. He shared information about the many digs he has participated in and the vast amounts of scientific information rocks provide.

Seniors Patrick Holmes and Patrick Levandoski tested tropospheric ozone levels inside and outside Lassiter High School.

Ever wonder what goes on in an Advanced Placement Environmental Science Class? Students in Jennifer Mercure’s class at Lassiter High School are conducting tropospheric ozone (ground level or “bad” ozone) tests around the school campus that reinforce lessons learned in class.

Students collected ozone samples using a special paper they prepared with cornstarch and potassium iodide solution. This paper experiences color change when exposed to ozone and students measure the level on the 0-10 Schoenbein color scale. This number is then compared to the humidity level. On the day tested, excellent results were determined at Lassiter High School with minimal color changes from no change to pale pink of 0-2, which corresponds to level of 0 – 70 ppb ozone at a humidity level of 45% average.

This was the case in most areas inside the school, so it appears that Lassiter’s custodians and building engineer are doing a fabulous job cleaning up post construction and changing air filters regularly to provide air filtration. High outdoor ozone levels were found near the construction areas, such as the outdoor areas at the front of the school. The color changes here were medium to dark purple (7-10 on the Schoenbein scale) measuring levels 150-160 ppb ozone at our humidity of 45% average. Want to learn more about tropospheric ozone? Click here to learn more from the EPA.

Submitted by Ashlynn Campbell, assistant principal, Lassiter High School