CCSD and Alps Road Elementary School were honored to welcome State School Superintendent Richard Woods to the school on Wednesday, Sept. 21.

Superintendent Woods visited with Alps Road fourth-graders, gave each of them a pocket-size U.S. Constitution signed personally by him, and talked with the students about the history and importance of the Constitution in celebration of Constitution Week, which is recognized every September.

Superintendent Woods also spoke with CCSD Superintendent Dr. Xernona Thomas, Alps Road principal Dr. Melanie James, and other school and district leaders about the ongoing areas of focus for the Georgia Department of Education and sought feedback from them on how the Department can better support our students, teachers, and the district as a whole in our commitment to helping all of our students achieve success.

It was a fun and busy week at the Athens Community Career Academy as the weeklong Be Proud Be Pro Week gave high school students and eighth-graders hands-on interaction with career options in various trades — health care, plumbing, robotics, commercial truck driving, and much more. On Wednesday, Sept. 21, community members also got the chance to visit and experience the demonstrations.

The event, sponsored by Be Pro Be Proud Georgia and Georgia Power, coincided with ACCA’s Career Exploration Fair, which gave students the opportunity to meet dozens of local employers who offered insight and information on their respective organizations and career paths.

The Georgia Department of Education (GaDOE) is encouraging high school juniors and seniors to participate in three upcoming opportunities — including the 2022-23 United States Senate Youth Program (USSYP), the United States Presidential Scholar Program, and the Georgia Scholar Program.

• The 2022-2023 USSYP application is available here and is due Oct. 7. GaDOE no longer limits USSYP nominations to one per school district. Instead, any high school junior or senior may apply, provided they secure signatures from their principal and school counselor. Learn more here.
• The 2022-23 U.S. Presidential Scholar nomination form is available here and is due Nov. 15. Any Georgia high school student scheduled to graduate between January 2023 and August 2023 may complete the application, provided they obtain signatures from their principal and school counselor. Please note that submitting a nomination form does not guarantee the student will be nominated for national recognition; Georgia is only permitted to select 20 students for the U.S. Department of Education. This nomination form is for the general Presidential Scholar recognition; the CTE and Arts recognitions are handled separately and are by invitation only. Learn more here.
• The 2022-23 Georgia Scholar application will be available soon. Learn more here.

The Georgia Department of Education will require all students grades K-3 to be screened for characteristics of dyslexia beginning in the 2024-25 school year.

CCSD is beginning preparations this fall to implement universal screening in advance of this date as we recognize the importance of early reading success. Our district continues to utilize iReady diagnostic results as a universal screening measure and will also utilize these results to identify any potential characteristics of dyslexia. If students are identified as needing additional dyslexia screening after the iReady diagnostic is administered, parents will be contacted.

Here are some resources for families to take advantage of:

• GA DOE Video Series
• GA DOE Dyslexia Handbook (English)
• iReady Family Center with Diagnostic Screening Information

It was a great day for CCSD on Saturday, Sept. 17, as we had a big turnout for our "Bridging the Gap" community forums at Rocksprings and Rolling Ridge. CCSD's Department of Family and Community Engagement and Community School Organizers organized the forums in an effort support families and students with information, services, assistance, and a focus on the "whole child."

Representatives from our schools located in the school zones for Rocksprings and Rolling Ridge (Alps Road Elementary, Chase Street Elementary, Clarke Middle, and Clarke Central High), along with the Office of Early Learning, the Athens Community Career Academy, several district departments/offices (CCSD Police, Clarke Middle Health Center, Trauma-informed Practices, Restorative Practices, McKinney Vento Program, and Migrant Education), Superintendent Dr. Xernona Thomas, incoming Superintendent Dr. Robbie Hooker, and other district officials were on hand to listen to and provide information for our families.

Several of our community partners also participated. See our Facebook post for a full list.

The Clarke County Board of Education welcomes community feedback. Here are ways you can share your voice:

• Contact BOE Members: Click here to view a list of the BOE members and their contact information.
• Attend a Meeting: Next regular meeting is Thursday, Oct. 13, at 6 p.m. (in-person and broadcast on the CCSD YouTube channel).
• Board Briefs: Click to read the "Board Briefs" overview from meetings.
  
• Public Comments: Click here for information on how to sign-up to speak at a regular BOE meeting.
• Review Policies for Review: View and comment on district policies pending public review.

CCSD is providing free COVID-19 testing clinics for students and staff. Clinics will be held in schools across the district. Rapid antigen tests (results in 15 minutes) and PCR tests (results in 24-48 hours) will be available. No appointment is necessary, but registration is required.

Testing will resume shortly, but will not be conducted for the week of Sept. 26-30. An updated schedule with new testing dates will be announced soon. Click here for more information.

As a reminder, COVID-19 testing and vaccinations are available at the Hilsman Health Center. Call 706-546-7463 to make an appointment. The center is open from 7:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Thursday and 7:30-11:30 a.m. on Friday.

Envision Athens is currently accepting nominations for its third annual Good Neighbor Awards through Oct. 6.

Community members are asked to nominate anyone they think exemplifies a “good neighbor” by excelling in one of four categories:

• Create Athens (arts and culture)
• Abundance Athens (helping curb food insecurity)
• Educate Athens (workforce development)
• Healthy Athens (assisting with mental health and substance use disorder).

Winners will be recognized at the Envision Athens Wellbeing Event at the Classic Center on Oct. 20 from 6-8 p.m.

Submit your nominations here.