On July 25, the District kicked off the 2018-19 school year with Convocation. This event allowed teachers and other staff members to get together and celebrate past success while looking ahead to another great school year.
As part of this event, Northeast Health Science Magnet High School's Jarred Moore was named the 2019 Teacher of the Year for the District, with Avery Durbin of Hutchings College and Career Academy being named runner-up. Congratulations!
Author and former educator John Antonetti was the guest speaker. He encouraged teachers to allow students to "informate" - a word he coined that combines informing and creating.
"If a child can show me something that is true, that's a thought that we need to let come to life," he said.
Best wishes for a great school year!

Recently, families from across the District gathered at the Macon Centreplex for the Bibb PBIS Back to School Bash. This event provided students with free bookbags, books, school supplies and information for the coming school year, which starts on Aug. 1.
"It's such an important event to help our students be prepared for the first day of school," said PBIS Coordinator Curlandra Smith. "We want to be sure that they start in a positive mindset and give back to our families."

In all, more than 1,600 people came out to participate in the event. The District would like to thank the following community partners for sponsoring:

Gold Level Sponsors:
The Amerigroup Style Tour
Midsouth Community Federal Credit Union
Wellcare
Walmart Gray Highway
Peach State
Bibb County School District Physical Education Program (PEP)
Tex James and "I Believe in Me"
Strayer University

Silver Level Sponsors:
Navicent Health
Bibb County Department of Family and Children Services
Delta Sigma Theta Sorority Inc. Macon Alumnae Chapter
Game Time Entertainment
Harvest Cathedral
Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity Inc. Macon Alumnae Chapter
Gamez on Wheelz

Bronze Level Sponsors:
Macon Georgia Regional Commission
Georgia Appleseed Center for Law and Justice

Friends of Bibb PBIS:
Oriental Trading
Sigma Gamma Rho Sorority Inc. Macon/Fort Valley Alumnae Chapter
Macon Mayhem
Kids Yule Love

School starts on Aug. 1, and we look forward to seeing all our students, faculty and staff!

Click here for more information, including supply lists and dress codes.

Recently, new educators in the District took part in New Teacher Orientation, held at Howard High School. This comprehensive training was an effort to boost faculty and student success.
“The New Teacher Orientation is our first opportunity to ensure our new teachers have the tools necessary to prepare them for a successful year. Our goal is to accelerate our teachers’ effectiveness so they and their students will thrive," said Tanzy Kilcrease, Assistant Superintendent for Teaching and Learning. "We want our new teachers to know we are here to support their efforts and will continue to provide support throughout the school year.”
New teachers, both those that are new to the profession and new to the District, participated in sessions relating to curriculum, classroom technology, lesson planning and more. This training was made possible thanks to community partners like MidSouth Community Federal Credit Union, BB&T, American Pride Bank, Bibb Association of Educators, Epps Kelvin Painting, Professional Association of Georgia Educators, Pure Barre and Pyles Plumbing and Utility Contractors.

New teachers at Southwest High School, and other District schools, have received their oval District logo lapel pins. After a year, employees receive their VIP logo pin as recognition for their commitment to our Victory in Progress. We are glad to have all our employees on our team!

This summer, physical education teachers from across the District gathered for a Summer Institute. Part of the Physical Education Program Grant, this institute gave educators the opportunity to learn character education, self defense and other lessons from their peers, which they can apply in their own schools.

On July 26, the District held a commencement ceremony for students that completed graduation requirements over the summer. Congratulations to all those who remained committed to graduation!

Over the summer, the School Nutrition Department had in-service training to sharpen their skills. As part of this training, 10 visiting chefs came to the District to teach knife skills, product consistency, cooking techniques, new recipes and more.

Over the summer, several Rutland High School students attended the FCCLA National Leadership Conference in Atlanta. As part of the conference, the following students won gold medals in Students Taking Action with Recognition events: Katlyn Yancey (Job Interview), Katelyn Green and Monique Christian (Sports Nutrition), Zahira Trujillo (Career Investigation) and Alyssa Gammie (Food Innovations). Way to go!

District and community representatives recently signed the Macon-Bibb County School-Justice Partnership Agreement. The agreement is a joint effort of the District, Bibb County Juvenile Court, Bibb County State Court, Bibb County Sheriff's Office, David Cooke, Macon Judicial Circuit District Attorney's Office, Macon Judicial Circuit Public Defender’s Office, Bibb County State Court Solicitor’s Office and Georgia Department of Juvenile Justice.

"We're taking a greater step to raise up children with the tools they need to succeed," Cooke said.

The agreement aims to increase graduation rates, reduce criminal activities in schools and connect students with resources to address underlying issues that lead to that activity. These issues can include childhood trauma like death in the family and separation from parents due to crimes of their own.

"It's not uncommon at all for student offenders to have experienced multiple traumas," Cooke said.

Offenses known as "focused acts" of the agreement would include possession of alcohol, disorderly conduct, criminal trespass and others, and those would be addressed outside the juvenile court system. This allows students to proceed without a criminal record while also allowing judicial resources to focus on more dangerous offenses.

"When we talk about dealing with crime and dealing with issues in our community, there's that term, 'begin at the beginning,'" Sheriff David Davis said of the agreement's focus on eliminating the cause of criminal behavior.

Superintendent Dr. Curtis Jones Jr. was among the dignitaries to sign the agreement. He thanked all the agencies represented for their involvement in the process, which will allow School Resource Officers to assign student offenders to programs that target root causes of their behaviors.

"This is another example of the community coming together to address one of our issues," Jones said.

Teachers from across the District participated in "Dig In" training, learning strategies for Digital Integration in the classroom. Springdale's Jennifer Johnston said that she was excited about the SAMR Technology Integration class, one of the offerings during the training.

"This is so amazing," she said. "I'm going to have to take some time to play around with it."

Instructional Technology Coach Brian Lewis was one of the instructors for the training, and he said the applications are numerous for technology in the classroom. One option for teachers was moving tests and quizzes online to save paper.

"I think this makes their life easier and saves their time," he said.