Panther Press
a weekly publication of the Georgia Academy for the Blind
March 9, 2018
Dr. Cindy Gibson, Superintendent
Email: smilam@doe.k12.ga.us
Website: www.gabmacon.org
Location: 2895 Vineville Avenue, Macon, GA, United States
Phone: (478) 751-6083
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Georgia.Academy.for.the.Blind/
Twitter: @gab_library
Mission Statement
The Georgia Academy for the Blind provides quality education services to Georgia’s students with visual impairments and/or visual impairments in conjunction with other disabilities to prepare them to achieve their highest level of independence in transition to college and career readiness.
This institution is an equal opportunity provider.
Set your clocks ahead an hour this Saturday night. Change your smoke detector batteries too!
Mark your Calendars!
March 11: Daylight Savings begins - - Set your clocks forward
March 12: Jump Rope for Heart money due
March 13 & 14: Jump Rope for Heart during PE
March 14: PI DAY
March 23: Spring Program
March 26-30: Spring Break
April 2: Easter Holiday April 5: Prom (*details below)
April 10: Special Olympics
April 12: Spring Festival 5:30 - 8:30 p.m.
April 9-20 Elementary and Middle Milestones
April 19-22 SCASB April 26-29: Senior Trip
April 30-May 11 High school End of Course Milestones
May 1: Help a Child Smile Mobile Dental Clinic
May 14-18: Milestones’ Retests for grades 3, 5 and 8
May 17: Community Partners Recognition Day 1:00-2:00 pm, Media Center
May 24: Project Search Graduation, 4 pm at Navicent Health
May 25: Graduation
March Birthdays
~4th Zy
~9th Kameron
~23rd Harry
~27th Angelica L
~28th BJ
~29th Sammy
Character Education
PERSEVERANCE Part 3! We’re watching a video series about how students can develop a growth mindset! Watch The Big Show at: https://ideas.classdojo.com/i/perseverance-the-dip-3 and ask your child these questions this weekend: 1. Often we use the word "best" as our goal. How else can we phrase our goal to allow for a growth mindset? 2. How can you "learn new ways to improve?" Give an example from your week. 3. What kind of attitude should we have when we see others who are rockstars and we aren't rockstars yet?
Learn more about our Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports (PBIS) program by visiting the link below.
2018 High School Prom: “A Night in the Land of the Rising Sun”
Editor’s note: below is the letter accompanied a packet that went home today! For your convenience this letter and its attached packet can also be found below.
Dear High School Students and Families,
As spring draws near, the High School Prom quickly approaches. In an effort to help your family plan for one of the most memorable high school events that we offer, we wanted to provide you with as much detail as possible about the event. We are excited to announce that our Prom will be held on Thursday, April 5th. GAB’s prom will be held on campus in the cafeteria this year, which will be decorated to match this year’s theme, “A Night in the Land of the Rising Sun.” If your student is in grades 9 through 12 at GAB and would like to attend prom, please complete and return the enclosed forms. Please contact Ms. Lauren Eckman (leckman@doe.k12.ga.us or 478-751-6083) if you have questions.
Thank you for partnering with GAB to make this prom a special event for our students!
Sincerely,
The GAB Prom Committee
Media Center News
Check out this video below about Bookshare which provides students with print disabilities a vast online library of accessible reading material. Bookshare's library consists of popular books, newspapers, magazines, and textbooks. This video will take you through the steps to get an account.v=ExqTYgbwS7E&list=PLXmZW3Adenz_lSN4I5WFdWhtdrx3iUHVL If you need any assistance with this, contact our Media Specialist, Mrs. Kim Smith, kismith@doe.k12.ga.us, 478-751-6083, ext 1280
Box Top Collection Still Underway!
We have only 3 months left of school. I would like to see us collect 300 Box Tops before school ends. This will get us to the next 1,000 Box Tops goal. I know we can do it. Remember look for them on everything you buy. Thanks for all your work. Sylvia Layson, 478-751-6083 ext. 1200 slayson@doe.k12.ga.us
THIRD NOTICE! Special Education State Advisory Panel Needs a GAB Parent/Guardian!
The Georgia Department of Education Division for Special Education Services and Supports is currently accepting applications for the State Advisory Panel for Special Education (SAP). The SAP is comprised of parents, persons with disabilities, educators and administrators who are knowledgeable about the education of all children. SAP members provide input and advice into meeting the statewide needs of students with disabilities. Deadline is March 19, 2018I
Project SEARCH update
By Angel Lopez, graduating senior and Project Search Intern
On January 9, 2018, our interns began their second Project SEARCH rotation in their new departments. Needless to say, they have been very busy!
Ms. Brooks is working in the In-House Linens Department where she stocks different items, keeps track of inventory, makes deliveries throughout the hospital, and other duties as assigned.
Mr. Evans is now working in Environmental Services. He is responsible for maintaining the stockroom, keeping track of inventory, overseeing the laundering of cleaning supplies, buffing and vacuuming the floors and offices, maintaining the cleanliness of the breakroom and locker rooms, and also completing a few clerical duties as well.
Mr. Lopez has taken on the challenge of working in Create Café. In this department he is now responsible for maintaining the coffee bar and tea station by making sure they are wiped down, condiments are filled, and any debris around those areas is removed. He also wipes down the tables and chairs, the booth areas, as well as washes dishes, and answers the telephone.
The interns have also been involved in job development as they prepare for their future after graduation. All three are looking to finding jobs and become active members in their communities.
The year is moving quickly and the interns are preparing to interview for their third and final work rotation! Project SEARCH graduation is just around the corner…May 24! Shown below at their display table at Braille Challenge is our Project SEARCH team.
This week in pictures!
Visual arts, performing arts, social studies, O&M and more! One of the artists Mrs. Applebee’s high school students studied this year was Jim Henson. He combined drawing and sculpture with performance arts to make the beloved characters from Sesame Street, The Muppets, Fraggle Rock, The Lambrynth, and The Dark Crystal. Our students each created their own hand puppet based on the works of Jim Henson before seeing an exhibition of his work at the Center for Puppetry Arts. While we were there, we saw a performance of The Wizard of Oz done with marionettes. One of the two puppeteers came out to show us how Dorothy worked. There was an exhibit of famous types of puppets from Japan, China, and Indonesia. A student works the shadow puppets to make the figures larger and smaller. TV monitors help students with puppets see if they are off the screen and making their characters look realistic. It was a rainy day, but everyone was happy as they left The Center of Puppetry Arts to get back on the bus.
Yes, it’s barely March! No it is not too early for summer camp registration to begin!
Come to our meeting after the Spring Program to meet with these folks and learn more! Scholarships and spaces are limited so act now! We would love to know who is going! Sonya Milam stands ready to help with the registration and scholarship process! smilam@doe.k12.ga.us, 478-262-3303
SECOND NOTICE: Just for high school students! Envisioning Youth Empowerment (EYE) Retreat, July 14-21, Raleigh, NC
The mission is to expose participants to college transition activities through mentoring, real work experiences and identification of support services. To learn more, and to register, go to link below.
FOURTH NOTICE! Camp Dreams 2018 Camper Session Dates
· July 15th – July 18th (Sun. - Wed.)
· July 19th – July 22nd (Thu. - Sun.)
· July 23rd – July 26th (Mon. - Thu.)
·July 27th – July 30th (Fri. - Mon.)
Contact Sonya Milam for more information including how to register and how to apply for a scholarship!
Visit their website where you can watch a video and learn more below:
FOURTH NOTICE! Camp Abilities May 25 - 28, 2018
Camp Abilities Columbus GA at Columbus State University (CSU) is a non-profit (501c) organization for children that are blind or visually impaired. Camp Abilities Columbus, GA is a residential camp that will be open for a maximum of 16 campers, ages 9 to 18 years old who are blind or visually impaired. They will stay on Columbus State University's campus to engage in an array of sports and recreational activities in a safe and developmentally appropriate environment. Sports and recreational activities include: goalball, beep baseball, beep kickball, tandem biking, rock climbing, swimming, soccer, tennis and team building activities.Contact Sonya Milam for more information including how to register and how to apply for a scholarship! Visit their website and watch a video below:
SIXTH NOTICE ! Announcing the Georgia Lions Club Camp for the Blind’s 2018 SUMMER SCHEDULE
Session 1 June 10-15 Family Camp (ages 5-9)
Session 2 June 17-22 Pre-teen (ages 6-12)
Session 3 June 24-29 Older Adults (ages 35-up)
Session 4 July 1-06 Young Adults (ages 18-34)
Session 5 July 8-15 Teenagers (ages 13-17)
Deadline for completed applications is April 21! You may get a paper application from Sonya Milam, smilam@doe.k12.ga.us, 478-262-3303 or from the website below:
Parent/guardian surveys continue. WE NEED YOUR HELP! Your voice matters and we want to hear from YOU! Please take a few minutes and complete these three quick surveys from the Georgia Department of Education. Sonya Milam stands ready to assist you!
1 Annual Georgia School Climate Parent Survey. This online, anonymous survey only takes about 5 minutes to complete and is your opportunity to provide feedback to GAB and the Georgia Department of Education. Georgia Parent Survey is important because the data will be used as part of the calculation of the School Climate Star Rating. Survey responses are anonymous and will be submitted directly to the Georgia Department of Education for analysis. Results from the Georgia Parent Survey will not be available to the public and will not be posted online. The Georgia Parent Survey link is posted below. The survey can be found at: http://gshs.gadoe.org/parents The first line asks for School System. Here you scroll down to STATE SCHOOLS, not your county! You will then be prompted to choose Georgia Academy for the Blind.
2 Annual Georgia Special Education Services Parent Survey. This online anonymous survey with 10 questions also takes only 5 minutes to complete. It is available to all Georgia’s families who have a student with a disability. This survey helps the state determine parents’ perception of the success of parent engagement between them and schools. Georgia is required to conduct a parent survey collection process to measure parent/family perceptions. The information is gathered as a component of the State Performance Plan, Indicator 8: Percent of parents with a student receiving special education services who report that schools facilitated parent involvement as a means of improving results for children with disabilities. The data collected is reported as a percentage of parental involvement in the Annual Performance Report for each district. This survey can be found here: http://www.gadoe.org/Curriculum-Instruction-and-Assessment/Special-Education-Services/Pages/Parent-Survey.aspx When prompted to select district, choose STATE SCHOOLS, not your county! You will then be prompted to choose Georgia Academy for the Blind.
3Annual ASPIRE Parent Survey. This survey is conducted each year to determine parents’ satisfaction in and involvement with Georgia’s student led IEP program. Whether you attended your child’s IEP on campus or on the phone, if you didn’t complete this survey afterwards, please take a few minutes to do so now! https://goo.gl/oGU3oc
THANK YOU FOR YOUR ASSISTANCE AS WE GATHER THIS IMPORTANT FEEDBACK AND DATA!