Panther Press
a weekly publication of the Georgia Academy for the Blind
March 15, 2019
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.
Check out the student produced video about our Mission Statement below:
Mark your Calendars!
Now through March 22: School Council Pet Food and Supplies Drive to benefit All About Animals Rescue.
March 22: 10 am Spring Music Program. GREAT NEWS! WE ARE BACK IN OUR NEWLY RENOVATED GAB AUDITORIUM! Student Art Show and Family meetings prior to and after the program. See note below:
GAB FAMILY MEETING 8:45 am in the Media Center and repeated following the Spring Program in the Auditorium
AGENDA:
- Greetings, facilities and 2019-20 calendar updates, Q&A session: Dr. Cindy Gibson, GAB’s Superintendent
- Summer Camps, survey updates and 2019-20 Family Engagement documents: Sonya Milam, GAB’s Parent Mentor
- Home reading and chore resources: Kim Smith, GAB’s Media Specialist
- Transition updates: Jackie Davis, Georgia Vocational Rehabilitation Agency’s (GaVRA) Career Specialist and Kenya Rose, Parent to Parent of Georgia and GaVRA’s Transition Partner
So that we may have adequate seating, snacks and supplies, please rsvp to Sonya Milam, smilam@doe.k12.ga.us, 478-262-3303. NOTE: THOSE WHO RSVP AND COME TO THE 8:45 MEETING WILL RECEIVE RESERVED SEATING FOR THE 10 AM PROGRAM.
March 25-29: Spring Break
April 4: High School Prom
April 9: Special Olympics
April 11-14: SCASB, Alabama (Track & Field)
April 22: Easter Holiday
April 25-- 28: Senior Trip
May 17: Graduation
May 24: Last day of school
Let us hear from you!
This newsletter is published by our Parent Mentor, Sonya Milam. Please send your ideas, news, and resources in your community to her. smilam@doe.k12.ga.us, 478-262-3303
Character Education
Cheerfulness: being in pleasant spirit and actions.
Cheerfulness is a matter which depends fully as much on the state of things within,
as on the state of things around us.”
― Charlotte Brontë
March Birthdays
Students:
Zy 03/01
Kameron 03/09
Jess 03/13
Harry 03/23
Angelica L 03/27
BJ 03/28
Sammy 03/19
Staff:
Ms. Orr 3-1
Ms. Rushing 3-1
Ms. Applebee 3/5
Ms. Mosley 3/10
Ms. Brown 3/11
Ms. Edenfield 3/14
Mr. Caldwell 3/19
Ms. Walker 3/21
Mr. Hudgins 3/24
Ms. Ezell 3/25
Mr. Lumpkin 3/25
Families: Don't forget to encourage your child to check out books from our Media Center for spring break reading. There are other resources available at link below and through your local library too!
Keep math and literacy alive during Spring Break! Check out the membership offerings from Described and Captioned Media Program below!
The Case of the Missing 1000 Box Tops Mission 2: March 15, 2019
Our GAB Box Top detectives have collected about 30 Box Tops in a month. We only have 2 months left to collect and try to make our new goal of 1000 Box Tops before we leave for the summer. I have confidence that our detectives will find those Box Tops in various places. When our GAB family works together just think what we can do. We have 100 students in our school. Just think what we can do if each student just brought in one Box Top. That would be $10.00.What if 100 students brought in 10 Box Tops (which is not hard to find) that would be $100.00 dollars and our goal would be met of 1,000 Box Tops. So, please as you do your weekly shopping take a moment to look for Box Tops. Calling all detectives to get on the trail to find some Box Tops because our GAB students appreciate it. A list of participating products can be found on our website below:
Sylvia Layson, TVI slayson@doe.k12.ga.us (478) 751-6083 Ext. 1200
THIRD NOTICE: SUMMER CAMPS!
Act fast as spots are limited. Scholarships are available! Contact Sonya for details! Note: these camp resources are simply provided as a courtesy to our families. Though we are confident that they are appropriate for and accessible to our students, GAB does not endorse or sponsor any camp.
Georgia Lions Club Camp, Waycross, GA
Session 1 - June 9~14: Adults, age 31-plus
Session 2- June 16~21: Adults, age 31-plus
Session 3 - June 23~28: Family Camp, age 5-12
Session 4 - June 30~ July 5: Teens, age 13-17
Session 5 - July 7~14: Young Adults, age 18-30
Get your application by contacting Sonya Milam, Smilam@doe.k12.ga.us, 478-262-3303 or get it from their website at link below. DEADLINE IS APRIL 15 – no late applications will be considered!
Camp Abilities Columbus, GA
May 24, 2019 - May 27, 2019 at Columbus State University
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, track & field and team building activities. Learn more from their website at link below.
Contact Jeanine Fittipaldi-Wert at wert_jeanine@columbusstate.edu for information regarding camp registration
Camp Dreams, Correction: (Camp Grace, Roberta, GA)
July 21st – July 24th (Sun. - Wed.)
July 25th – July 28th (Thur. - Sun.)
Only online applications are accepted. See the link below. Let Sonya know if you would like assistance in registering.
Blaze Adaptive Sports Camp, Camp Twin Lakes, Winder, GA
July 21-26 Ages 7-17 Only online applications are accepted. See the link below. Let Sonya know if you would like assistance in registering.
STARS Day Camp at the Center for the Visually Impaired, Atlanta
. Transportation from 7 points in Atlanta area provided. All grades for day camp 9 am-3pm. To register go to link below. Sonya has paper applications available as well. Deadline is May 3!
Week 1 - June 3 to 7 . . . . . STARS & the Arts
Week 2 - June 10 to 14 . . . STARS & the Arts
Week 3 - June 17 to 21 . . . Sports and Recreation
Week 4 - June 24 to 28 . . . ECC Week, with a focus on Activities of Daily Living, Transition, Social Skills & more!
FOURTH NOTICE! Middle Georgia Families: All GAB families living in middle Georgia are invited!
THIRD NOTICE! Middle Georgia families: The Annual Self-Determination Conference will be returning to the Goodwill Conference Center on Saturday, April 13 from 8 am – 1 pm. Save this date! High school students and families, you don’t want to miss this opportunity!
FINAL NOTICE! North Metro Atlanta Families
Please let Sonya Milam know if you plan to go! smilam@doe.k12.ga.us, 478-262-3303
March 21 2:30-5:00 pm
Cherokee County Agency Fair and Parent University
7545 Main Street, Building 200
Woodstock , GA 30188
Join other families to learn of services and programs in your community which will be of service to your student after graduation. It is never too early to plan for this!
Last Week in Pictures
Below: (Top to bottom, left to right) Students enjoying Lunch in the Library to celebrate good behavior.
Mrs. Applebee’s students preparing props and back drops for the upcoming High School Prom
Mrs. Rushing’s ECC class enjoying an outdoor picnic they prepared in their food prep class.
A mother enjoying a GAB lunch with her child.
(Below) At the end of last week, GAB hosted Georgia’s statewide Braille Challenge. We had many GAB student winners. (left to right) Sophomore: 1st Kayleigh; Freshman: 2nd Shyann M.; Apprentice: 1st Berkley and 2nd Jesse M.; Junior Varsity: 1st Sebastin; Varsity: 2nd Armando; two of our elementary students posing with their fellow Rookies.
This Week in Pictures
(Below) A sneak peek into our beautiful newly renovated auditorium that is eagerly awaiting our Spring Program on March 22 at 10. New lights, sound, curtain, carpet and seating! See page one for details about the Family Meetings taking place prior to the program in our Media Center then repeated after the program. Our Student Art Show will also be taking place!