Juniors from all the District's high schools took tours of downtown Macon earlier this month. The Urban Field Experience, led by Historic Macon Foundation's Kim Campbell, showed them a variety of locations key to preserving Macon's history.
"I feel like it's important for us to learn about our heritage and where we come from and the things that make us who we are today," said Northeast junior Mary Gray.
The students learned about the Sidney Lanier Cottage, Steward Chapel AME Church, Cotton Avenue and more during the tour.

Thanks to the Bibb County Sheriff's Office for supporting #BibbVIP! Sheriff David Davis presented Superintendent Dr. Curtis Jones with a donation from confiscated funds during a press conference in October.

The student-run Compass Rose Cafe will be opening for the first time this school year on Friday, Nov. 3. The cafe features a multi-course sampler menu of gourmet dishes prepared by students in the W.S. Hutchings College and Career Academy's culinary arts pathway, and service is provided by students in the hospitality and tourism pathway.

Compass Rose is open each Friday from 12:30 to 1:30 p.m., and lunch is $10. The school and cafe are located at 1780 Anthony Road. For more information, menus and reservations, visit www.compassrosecafe.com.

As part of Red Ribbon Week, the students at Porter Elementary School got a visit from Officer Russ Criswell and Deva, the drug dog he works with. This allowed him the opportunity to speak about the dangers of drugs and how Deva helps keep our schools safe and drug-free!

The District has launched a new service through Parchment for accessing transcripts for current students and alumni. There is still a cost associated with these items, but it can now be paid and managed online.

"Parchment offers our existing students a place they can keep their current unofficial transcripts that can be shared with colleges and scholarship services quickly as a placeholder for the official transcript," said Tony Jones, Director of Research, Evaluation, Assessment and Accountability. "Second and more importantly, Parchment offers our alumni the opportunity to order transcripts in a 21st century environment, without the headache of coming to the board office and paying in cash."

Click here for more information and to access records for your school.

The Georgia Secretary of State Student Ambassador Middle-South Georgia Regional Program seeks to promote civic engagement among high school students aiming to get them involved in volunteering, community service, and voter registration. Over 700 students attended a recent kickoff event, coming from as far north as Griffin and as far south as Tifton.

“The Student Ambassador Program has been a tremendous success because of hardworking students, faculty members and community leaders who have dedicated their time and efforts into improving their neighborhoods and encouraging civic participation through voter registration,” said Secretary of State Brian Kemp. “I am very excited about this opportunity for students across Georgia to become more involved in voting and elections this year and for many years to come.”

The following District students and employees participated:

• Adams, Shon (Westside High School)
  
• Channing, Byrd (Southwest High School)
  
• Coats, Kenzavious (Southwest High School)
  
• Daniely, De'Omini (Southwest High School)
  
• Holland, Drew (Academy for Classical Education)
  
• Jackson, Ciara (Westside High School)
  
• Lowe, Jontori (Westside High School)
  
• Middleton, Zori (Westside High School)
  
• Parker, Tachevian (Southwest High School)
  
• Smart, Emmanuel (Westside High School)
  
• Valeria Drummond, Westside High School Work-Based Learning Coordinator
  
• Ronald Rodgers, Southwest High School Law Group Counselor
  

The 100 Black Men of Macon-Middle Georgia hosted a College and Career Fest at the Anderson Conference Center last week. An estimated crowd of more than 3,000 students, including groups from all of the District's high schools, attended the event.

"A day like this is important because it gives you different perspectives of different colleges so you can get a better grasp at what you want to do when you get older," said Westside junior Jhaylona Towns.

Towns added that she's interested in the Savannah College of Art and Design for a career in fashion design. In addition to colleges and universities, representatives from businesses, non-profits and branches of the military attended the event. This was an excellent opportunity for our students!

Porter Elementary School celebrated Hispanic Heritage Month with a Cultural Parade that recognized all students’ heritages. Hispanic Heritage Month is celebrated annually September 15 to October 15.

“Hispanic Heritage Month has been celebrated at Porter for many years and has included all cultures as a fusion celebration," said Principal Cami Hamlin. "Porter celebrates culture as a process, not a product. The growing diversity of student populations makes recognizing and celebrating the unique cultures of all students more crucial than ever."

Veterans Elementary held a fall festival as a PBIS reward for students that received Veterans Vouchers for positive behavior. These students got to play games, enjoy inflatables, eat snacks and more!

October is known across the country as Breast Cancer Awareness Month, and our faculty, staff and students take part. That includes the school nutrition staff, which wore pink on a "Pink Out Day." We appreciate all the worthy causes that members of our District take part in!

Southfield Elementary School hosted a Career Day recently. This event connected students with representatives of a variety of career options, which showed them what was available to them after graduation. Thank you to all of the companies and agencies represented, including the Bibb County Sheriff's Office, Macon-Bibb County Fire Department and American Red Cross.

W.S. Hutchings College and Career Academy graphics instructor Paige Welch picked up another honor recently when she was chosen for the 2017-2018 CTAE LEAD program. Of 96 applicants statewide, 20 were chosen for this professional learning opportunity that will encompass leadership development sessions throughout the next year.

“Paige Welch is truly the epitome of a teacher leader, and being selected to participate in the 2017-2018 CTAE LEAD program will allow her the opportunity to fill her toolbox with additional skills and knowledge,” said Cassandra Washington, the District’s CTAE Executive Director. “It is wonderful to have her represent Bibb County School District/CTAE as part of the elite 20.”

Welch was previously named runner-up for the District’s 2018 Teacher of the Year Honor and also received a Peyton Anderson Foundation “Teach to Inspire” grant. Through this opportunity, she will seek to hone her skills in leadership, team building, priority management and more.

Vineville Academy awarded its students of the month for September with "Panda Paw" awards. These students represented “Courtesy” and overall “Self-Discipline.” We are proud of all our student achievements!

The Physical Education Program Grant recently elected to donate PE equipment to four PBIS schools in the District. Alexander II Magnet School, Howard Middle School, Appling Middle School and Rutland High School received the equipment to use as a positive incentive for students. The PEP and PBIS partnership focuses on providing positive acknowledgements for students that keep them active and can be used to improve physical fitness.

Bernd Elementary students are learning the importance of leadership through the "Leader in Me" program. As a community service project, Bernd’s students created Thanksgiving cards for different organizations around the community in an effort to allow those individual groups to know someone is thinking of them during this season of thankfulness. Pictured is Bernd’s Student Lighthouse Team, along with the cards that each of the 430 students created.

Hartley Elementary School families got a special opportunity with the "Muffins With Mom" event. This allowed moms and other guardians the chance to come in and eat breakfast with students, which is always a good time!

Representatives of the Bibb County Sheriff's Office attended the "Coffee with a Cop" event recently at W.S. Hutchings College and Career Academy. The event, put on by Hutchings Teacher of the Year Paige Welch as part of a "Teach to Inspire" grant from the Peyton Anderson Foundation, sought to connect community members with law enforcement officers.
Several officers sat on a panel to address questions and concerns. When talking about dealing with fear or tense situations, the officers talked about relying on training to get them through.
"Something as important as your life is bigger than our fear," said Sgt. Willie Purcell.
We'd like to thank all the officers, students and District employees who made this event possible!

During their time at the Georgia National Fair, the Rutland Middle School Dairy Team had a unique experience. They got to show off their cows to U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue, who formerly served as Governor of Georgia.

On September 28, parents and students came out to Carter Elementary School for "Data Date Night." This Title I event was held for parents to learn about district and state assessments students will be taking this year. Students also held student-led conferences with parents, utilizing their "Leader in Me" Leadership Notebooks. Students shared Carter's WIGS (Wildly Important Goals) as well as their personal goals.

The first ever "Walk to School Day" event sponsored by the Georgia Department of Public Health was held on October 4. Seven elementary schools - Bernd, Brookdale, Hartley, Lane, Springdale, Taylor and Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Elementary - participated in a walking event at their school. The event was held to raise awareness that physical exercise, like walking, helps improve youth concentration, memory and classroom behavior. Lane had the most participation and received $500 from the Georgia Department of Public Health, and Taylor received $300 for having the second highest participation.

It's been a big month for Lane Elementary School fourth-grader Laela Freeland. First, she became the school's first "Millionaire Reader" when she read a million words, and she then was honored for earning the most Accelerated Reader points at the school in the first nine weeks.

"I think it recognizes the kids for their hard work, and it encourages the others to aim higher," media specialist Jane Hardy, said of recognizing reading efforts.

Freeland was recognized at school for her "Millionaire" mark, while her AR points earned her a visit from the "AR Prize Patrol." Way to go, Laela!

State Rep. Allen Peake helped us kick off Georgia Pre-K Week - Oct. 2-6 - by reading to Pre-K students at Springdale Elementary School. He read a selection of "Pete the Cat" books, complete with the necessary singing and said that he likes to read to his grandchildren.

"I think it's part of my responsibility to encourage these young kids to read as early as possible," he said.

Rep. Peake encouraged the students to keep reading and to make sure their parents read to them. Thank you, Rep. Peake, for visiting our students!

The District joined schools across the country to participate in the "Read for the Record" campaign on October 19. Special thanks to all of the partners and community members that came out to read "Quackers" to our students, including representatives from United Way of Central Georgia, Middle Georgia Derby Demons, GEICO, The Creek 100.9 FM, The Otis Redding Foundation, WGXA, Junior League of Macon, Macon Georgia Chapter of The Links, Keep Macon-Bibb Beautiful Commission, MidSouth Community Federal Credit Union, Bibb County Sheriff's Office, The Telegraph, Mercer University, 41NBC, Macon Housing Authority, Vineville United Methodist Church, Middle Georgia Regional Library, Navicent Health, State Bank and Trust, Central Georgia Technical College, Wesleyan College, The Mentors Project of Bibb County, Macon-Bibb County, Peyton Anderson Foundation, Pilot International Headquarters, and more!