Table of Contents
- 2018 Library Media Specialist of the Year
- Strong Evidence and K-5 Reading Curriculum
- Georgia Receives $1.3 Million to Help Veterans Begin Teaching Careers
- Georgia Department of Education Provides $1 Million for School Wraparound Services
- Georgia Approves New Standards for Fine Arts, Physical Education
- Digital Library of Georgia Launches New Website
- Georgia Student Media Festival GALILEO Staff Prize Winners
- Worth Sharing
- Going Social
- GaDOE Media Mailing List
2018 Library Media Specialist of the Year
The Georgia Department of Education wants to congratulate Jennifer Lewis for winning Library Media Specialist of the Year! Ms. Lewis is the media specialist at Indian Knoll Elementary School in Cherokee County Schools.
“We are so, so proud of Jennifer; she is such an impressive educator,” said Dr. Brian V. Hightower, Cherokee County's Superintendent of Schools. “People like Jennifer challenge me to the core. Kids deserve your A-game, they deserve the teacher’s A-game, and they deserve my A-game. It fills my heart to know that we’ve got people like Jennifer out there working hard for public education.”
“We have such an amazing group of hard working Media Specialists; I’m honored to represent them,” said Ms. Lewis. “The kids are the best part of my job, and I love helping them find books that they enjoy reading, and I love teaching them things about new technology that they didn’t know. I love the combination of literature and technology.”
Strong Evidence and K-5 Reading Curriculum
Published in a premier, peer-reviewed journal, Elementary School Journal, in December 2017, research shows student reading scores improved due to implementation of Bookworms and the professional learning associated.
An
independent curriculum evaluation by EdReports.org also indicated that Bookworms is a strong curricular resource.
Bookworms is a K-5 literacy curriculum. It has lesson plans, units, etc. It is tied to Georgia Standards. Writing lessons have been added as of this summer.
Georgia Receives $1.3 Million to Help Veterans Begin Teaching Careers
On June 21, the Georgia Department of Education received a $1,324,170 grant from the U.S. Department of Defense to administer the
Troops to Teachers grant program in partnership with the Georgia Professional Standards Commission.
The program assists transitioning service members with meeting the requirements necessary to become teachers, and helps program participants find employment as a teacher when eligible.
“Our military veterans have already demonstrated extraordinary courage, skill, and leadership,” State School Superintendent Richard Woods said. “They are well-suited to the education profession, and I’m so pleased that this partnership will assist our veterans who want to continue their service in the classroom.”
Veterans share
common skills and traits that allow them to serve effectively as classroom teachers, including leadership, adaptability, communication skills, initiative, discipline, and integrity. And school administrators have found that veterans interact effectively with parents, community members, and other teachers and staff, according to Troops to Teachers.
“Our military veterans have given so much to our country,” said Kelly Henson, Executive Secretary of the Georgia Professional Standards Commission. “We are delighted to be able to provide some opportunities for them. And, the partnership between GaPSC, DOD and GaDOE will be a great platform to deliver these opportunities.”
Georgia Department of Education Provides $1 Million for School Wraparound Services
The Georgia Department of Education is providing more than $1 million to help schools create wraparound centers for their students. The funding is part of GaDOE’s comprehensive and proactive strategy to improve schools, and will be targeted to schools identified for support by GaDOE’s School Improvement division.
The wraparound centers will operate before, during and after the traditional school day, connecting students and families with resources in order to support and improve student achievement. Through the centers, students will have access to community resources like food pantries and clothes closets; mental health counseling; tutoring and academic support; workshops on college applications, resumes, interview skills, and money management; help connecting with local job opportunities; and more.
“Our job, and our responsibility to students, doesn’t end when the school bell rings,” State School Superintendent Richard Woods said. “These wraparound centers will provide the support kids need to be ready to learn – they’ll begin to address the barriers to learning that are in place for so many of our students.”
Georgia Approves New Standards for Fine Arts, Physical Education
Based on the recommendation of State School Superintendent Richard Woods, the State Board of Education approved revised standards for physical education and several fine arts areas. All standards were developed or revised based on public feedback, including opportunities for public comment and participation from educators, business and industry representatives, parents, and advocates.
Some of the fine arts standards had not been revised since 1993; while the health and physical education standards had not been revised since 2009.
“The updated, high-quality standards approved in the areas of fine arts and physical education are great examples of the direction we’re moving in here in Georgia,” Superintendent Woods said. “We’re prioritizing areas of the curriculum that haven’t been updated, in some cases, for decades, and expanding opportunities that support the whole child.”
The revision of the fine arts standards was based on a formal review process that took place in the fall and winter of 2017. The Georgia Council for the Arts, the Alliance Theatre and the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra endorsed the standards.
Digital Library of Georgia Launches New Website
The newly redesigned web site of the
Digital Library of Georgia (DLG) is now available. The site connects users to a half a million digital objects in more than 700 collections from over 130 institutions and 100 government agencies. The new site is designed to provide quick and direct access to these resources for all audiences and was developed by incorporating input from end users, librarians, and other stakeholders.
Georgia Student Media Festival GALILEO Staff Prize Winners
Animals, by Michelle Thompson's kindergarten class, shows how excellent research habits are demonstrated by the state’s young GALILEO users.
Going Social
GaDOE Media Mailing List
Do you want to share the GaDOE Media Updates? If so, encourage your colleagues to join the email mailing list by following the directions on this page.
Thank you,
Tony Vlachakis
Educational Technologist
Library/Media Liaison
tvlachak@doe.k12.ga.us
