"The Sound of Angels" Performance by the Georgia Singers at PTC First Presbyterian Church December 6

The public is invited to a special holiday concert performed by the Georgia Singers at PTC First Presbyterian Church on December 6 at 6:30 pm. This concert features sacred and secular opening sections followed by delightful seasonal selections and the singing of congregational carols.

The Georgia Singers is a new force in choral music for women's voices in Fayette County and is directed by Dr. Franklin Green, who is nationally known for his work with young women's voices and accompanied by Mr. Rick Massengale, Director of Music at First United Methodist Church in Fayetteville.

Admission is free, however a ticket is required. For more information or to reserve a ticket, please call 770-487-7757 or email concerts@firstpresptc.com. A free-will offering will be taken. Childcare will be provided for ages 4 and younger.

First Presbyterian Church
206 Willow Bend Rd
Peachtree City

-----
Community News You Can Use
www.fayettefrontpage.com
Fayette Front Page
Fayetteville, Peachtree City, Tyrone
www.georgiafrontpage.com
Georgia Front Page

Georgia Alternate Assessment Parent Workshop set for December 3

The Exceptional Children’s Services Department of the Fayette County Public School System will host a workshop on the Georgia Alternate Assessment on December 3 in the media center at Rivers Elementary beginning at 8:30 a.m.

Parents are encouraged to bring their child’s report to reference during the discussion. Topics will include the creation of the Georgia Alternate Assessment (GAA) and how its portfolio is assessed; eligibility for the GAA; adaptive curriculum in general; and elements of the Georgia Performance Standards assessed in the portfolio.

Parents will also see examples of activities aligned to grade level standards and will learn ways to talk to their child’s teacher regarding which standards their child is working on and how they can help their child at home.

Exceptional Children’s Services staff members Kim Stapleton, adaptive curriculum coordinator; Cathy Skinner-Robertson, adaptive curriculum consultant; and Linda Williams, REACH and transition consultant, will facilitate the discussion.

Light refreshments will be served and a door prize drawing will be held. The workshop is free and open to the public; however, reservations are required for those planning to attend.
December 2 is the deadline to reserve a seat by contacting Allison Stevenson, parent mentor, at stevenson.allison@mail.fcboe.org or call 770-460-3911, ext 239.

-----
www.fayettefrontpage.com
Fayette Front Page
www.georgiafrontpage.com
Georgia Front Page

Dec. 3rd Receipt Day at Fayetteville Dwarf House

The Fayetteville Dwarf House Save your receipt from your purchase on THURSDAY, DECEMBER 3rd, and receive that same order for FREE during the month of January! (one time only) This is good for ALL FOOD PURCHASES!!!! (Even chick-fil-a trays!) This does not apply to merchandise purchases and does not apply to any delivery orders.

If you're on Facebook, look them up and become a fan.

Learn to love your work and you'll never have to 'work' again.--Truett Cathy

Register for Prizes and Support Fayette Businesses!

The Fayette Chamber is encouraging holiday shoppers to buy local with their Find it in Fayette! Holiday Campaign. At www.FinditinFayette.org, visitors can find places to shop, local holiday events, hot deals, and register for great drawing prizes.

Supporting Fayette County businesses strengthens our local economy in multiple ways. Sales tax dollars provide funding for local resources and buying local helps bolster the Fayette job market and supports local business owners and their families. According to the 3/50 Project, for every $100 spent in locally owned independent stores, $68 returns to the community through taxes, payroll and other expenditures. Non-profit causes also benefit because successful, community-minded businesses are more likely to support local charities.

The www.FinditinFayette.org website is an ongoing effort by the Chamber to connect the community with local businesses and to help sustain the excellent quality of life we enjoy here in Fayette. For more information on how the Chamber helps local businesses, visit www.FayetteChamber.org or call 770.461.9983.

-----
Community News You Can Use
www.fayettefrontpage.com
Fayette Front Page
Fayetteville, Peachtree City, Tyrone
www.georgiafrontpage.com
Georgia Front Page
Follow us on Twitter: @GAFrontPage

Angel Tree Sponsors Needed in Fayette County

(L-R) CARE Coordinator Karen Spangler and her assistant, Dian Farrente, stand next to the Angel Tree Board representing nearly 300 needy students and their families.

Nearly 300 students and their families are in need of “angels” this holiday season.

The Fayette County Public School System’s annual CARE (Children at Risk in Education) Angel Tree project is underway and the needs of students and their families are reflective of the current economic situation in Fayette, the state and nation.

The CARE Angel Tree is different from most holiday donation projects in that students and families make non-traditional gift requests. This year the school system is seeing requests for more basic needs such as toilet paper, soap, shampoo and conditioner, dish and laundry detergent, and cleaning supplies. Angel requests span across all grade levels and areas of the county.

“We are getting numerous requests for very basic living necessities that many of us take for granted. Many of our angels are for students and their families who have never been in a financial hardship before,” says CARE Coordinator Karen Spangler. “We have parents who have lost jobs and are still without work or had to take a drastic pay cut. These are the working poor who are trying to make ends meet.”

In order for a student and/or family to make a gift request, at least one of the parents must be working or legitimately trying to find work. Counselors at each school identify those who are in need and make recommendations for placement in the angel project if the students and their families meet the required guidelines.

“When the community makes a donation to our project, we want them to know that we are being good stewards of their gifts. We want them to know that their donations are being given to those who truly need and will use them,” says Spangler.

Besides basic needs, other requests include gas cards for getting to and from medical appointments and jobs, portable heaters, pots and pans, automobile tires, beds and mattresses, and linens and blankets.

Also, there are more requests from the high school level than in the past. Many of these students are in need of clothing, shoes and basic toiletries. Since older students are sometimes harder to fit than younger ones, it is requested that sponsors donate a gift card so that school counselors can help the students shop for clothing that appeals to them and fits properly.

The community can select an angel off the Angel Tree board located at the former East Fayette Elementary School on Booker Avenue in Fayetteville. Angels will be available for sponsorship now through early December.

Persons who would rather make a donation instead of sponsoring a particular child or family can do so by dropping off basic need items, non-perishable foods or gift cards at the front office of the former East Fayette Elementary School or at the Fayette County Board of Education office at 210 Stonewall Avenue in Fayetteville. These donations will help stock the holiday shopping center the last week before the winter break, giving school counselors an opportunity to shop for last minute needs for families who have just moved into the area or lost a job, got evicted, etc.
“This has been a huge success the past two years. We always have families and students who suddenly find themselves in need just before the holidays. Donations to the holiday shopping center are greatly appreciated so that we can help students and their families have a brighter holiday season,” says Spangler.

All donations are due by December 11 so that school staff can distribute the gifts to families in time for the holidays. For questions about the CARE Angel Tree Project or directions, please contact Betty Albers, 770-460-1390.

-----
Community News You Can Use
www.fayettefrontpage.com
Fayette Front Page
www.georgiafrontpage.com
Georgia Front Page

Peachtree City Elementary Students Share Season’s Bounty

Lily Gober places eggplants and corn into the cornucopias made by Peachtree City Elementary ASP students for Fest Day. The decorations were later donated to Southland Health and Rehabilitation.

The spirit of sharing Thanksgiving’s bounty is in the hearts of After School Program (ASP) students at Peachtree City Elementary.

The students designed paper cornucopias filled with vegetables made out of paper and paint to serve as centerpieces during the school’s annual Fest Day, an event held just before the Thanksgiving holiday break when parents and family members join their children for lunch.

After the fest was over, the ASP students extended the spirit of giving by donating their handiwork to their next door neighbors at Southland Health and Rehabilitation. The facility will use the artwork to decorate the residents’ dining hall between now and Thanksgiving Day.

"This activity provided our students with dual opportunities in creative expression and community service. ASP students enjoyed sharing their art with the school and with our neighbors at Southland. It was wonderful to see the students develop an awareness," says Jennifer Campbell, the school’s ASP site coordinator.

-----
www.fayettefrontpage.com
Fayette Front Page
www.georgiafrontpage.com
Georgia Front Page

Kiwanis and Civitan Clubs Help Fayette County School Clinics Purchase New Thermometers

Temporal artery scanner thermometers will soon be in every Fayette County school clinic thanks to donations from two local civic organizations.

The Kiwanis Club of Fayette County and the Fayette County Civitan Club have both made monetary donations to the school system’s School Health Services program after learning about the need for thermometers that take temperatures by scanning the forehead.

The school system found it would be more efficient and less costly to have the temporal artery scanners after dealing with flu outbreaks at the beginning of the school year. As individual students and staff members were diagnosed with the flu, school nurses took the temperatures of all students and staff in order to detect others that were running a fever, a symptom of the flu. Each time a temperature was taken, a new protective cover had to be placed on the thermometer. Not only was this costly, but it was also time consuming.

The temporal artery scanners can be cleaned with alcohol between students, eliminating a need for costly covers and making it more time efficient to take multiple temperatures. They also have a sliver ion antimicrobial head that destroys harmful bacteria, mold, mildew and fungi on contact.

“I want to thank these two organizations for helping us get the scanner thermometers into our school clinics. They are more accurate, efficient and less expensive than what we are using now. These thermometers are going to be a great asset to the clinics and I just want to thank these groups again for their donations,” says School Health Services Specialist Debbie King.

The temporal artery scanner is an infrared thermometer that measures temperature with a gentle stroke of the forehead, capturing the naturally emitted heat from the skin over the temporal artery. The scanner has proven to give more accurate readings than ear thermometers because it measures arterial temperature, the same temperature as the blood flowing from the heart which is the best determinate of body temperature.

The scanners cost about $78 each. School clinics are expected to receive the new thermometers in January.

-----
www.fayettefrontpage.com
Fayette Front Page
www.georgiafrontpage.com
Georgia Front Page
Follow us on Twitter: @GAFrontPage

Pilot Flu-Free Schools Program Likely to Return Next Year

Fayette County Health Department nurse Cindy Stratton, RN, gives Janaé Walker a seasonal flu vaccine during the make-up clinic at Robert J. Burch Elementary on November 16 as her mom, Veronica, holds her.

The pilot Flu-Free Schools program has been deemed a success and will most likely return next year, hopefully expanding to additional elementary schools.

The program was held at seven elementary schools last month to provide the FluMist vaccine for seasonal flu to students and employees at those schools. A total of 552 students or approximately 13.5 percent of the total student population of the participating schools received the flu vaccine.

Of these same schools, 113 staff members received the vaccine or approximately 24.4 percent of the total employee population. Nearly 40 percent of all eligible persons were vaccinated. These numbers will increase as additional students and employees receive the vaccine during make-up clinics at the schools November 16-19.

Parents had to give consent for their children to receive the vaccination. Burch parent Veronica Walker was pleased that the Flu-Free Schools program was held at her daughter’s school because her pediatrician had ran out of the regular flu vaccine.

“This is a real convenience. We don’t have to sit around and wait at the doctor’s office. It can be done right here at school and I don’t have to check my daughter out to take her to the doctor,” says Walker.

Walker’s daughter, Janaé, who is in pre-K, had to have the injectable vaccine since she had received the H1N1 vaccination the Friday prior to the make-up clinic.

Only students and staff members of each school were eligible to receive the seasonal flu vaccine. The program was not open to the general public or to students and staffs at other schools. Injectable vaccines were available for students and adults who could not take FluMist due to health issues or other concerns.

The participating elementary schools were Huddleston, North Fayette, Peachtree City, Robert J. Burch, Sara Harp Minter, Peeples and Spring Hill. The schools were selected based on their geographic location and that they had past experience setting up flu clinics.

District 4 Public Health sponsored the Flu-Free Schools program. The purpose of the program was to keep students and teachers healthy and in school by reducing the number of days missed from school and work.

-----
www.fayettefrontpage.com
Fayette Front Page
www.georgiafrontpage.com
Georgia Front Page
Follow us on Twitter: @GAFrontPage

Give Free Stuff for the Holidays and Help Fayette County Teachers

Who couldn’t use a free Papa John’s pizza or Firestone Complete Auto Care oil change, no purchase necessary?

The word “free” is very appealing in this economy and free food and services is exactly what you will get when you purchase an Enjoy the City coupon book from the Fayette County Education Foundation.

Not only can you enjoy many free items, but you can also feel good knowing that you have helped Fayette’s public school teachers purchase needed supplies for their classrooms.

The books are $20 and make great holiday gifts or stocking stuffers. Proceeds benefit the Fayette County Education Foundation, which supports the county’s teachers by providing mini-grants to purchase needed items that enhance classroom instruction.

The books can be purchased at the Fayette County Board of Education office, 210 Stonewall Avenue in Fayetteville, Monday-Friday from 8 a.m.-4:30 p.m.

They have numerous “buy one, get one” free deals and discounts from popular restaurants such as Johnny’s New York Style Pizza, La Hacienda, Sonic and La Parrilla. Families can also enjoy savings on entertainment like “buy one, get one free” Atlanta Braves game tickets and free general admission to Zoo Atlanta with the purchase of a ticket. There are many discounts on services such as car rentals, dry cleaning and hair care.

Other than employee and community donations, the foundation relies on the coupon book sales to help fund the mini-grants that typically range from $500-700 per teacher.

These are tough financial times for everyone. The foundation wants to make the holidays a little merrier while also helping the county’s teachers get what they need to continue offering their students the best educational experiences possible.

The Fayette County Education Foundation is nonprofit organization and is a cooperative effort between the school system and the Fayette County Chamber of Commerce. For more information about the foundation or Enjoy the City coupon books, contact Melinda Berry-Dreisbach, public information specialist for Fayette County Schools, 770-460-3535.

-----
Community News You Can Use
www.fayettefrontpage.com
Fayette Front Page
Fayetteville, Peachtree City, Tyrone
www.georgiafrontpage.com
Georgia Front Page

Fayette County After School Program Offers Holiday Special

The Fayette County Public School System’s After School Program (ASP) wants to help parents get ready for the holidays.

Crowded stores, long checkout lines and heavy traffic may leave some parents needing to add a few extra hours to their day to get everything done. That’s why the ASP is extending a special offer just in time for the holidays.

November through December, parents can purchase one or two day tickets for their students to attend the program at participating schools. Hours for ASP care begin at the end of each school day through 6:30 p.m. The program is available at the following elementary schools: Braelinn, Brooks, Robert J. Burch, Cleveland, Crabapple Lane, Kedron, North Fayette, Oak Grove, Peachtree City, Peeples, Fayetteville Intermediate, Hood Avenue Primary, Huddleston, Inman, Sarah Harp Minter, Spring Hill and Tyrone.

The ASP offers quality supervision with plenty of fun activities to keep children busy including arts and crafts, games, computer classes and homework assistance.

Advanced ticket purchases are required. Space is limited and based on availability. More information about the holiday special can be obtained by contacting the ASP site coordinator at a participating school or call 770-460-3990, ext. 256.

-----
Community News You Can Use
www.fayettefrontpage.com
Fayette Front Page
www.georgiafrontpage.com
Georgia Front Page

North Fayette Surpasses Pennies for Patients Goal

Proudly displaying the check representing the money the school collected is (L-R) Abraham Respert, Andre Teague, school counselor Heather Sherwood, Nadia Martinez and Sanathan Mercer.

Students at North Fayette Elementary in Fayetteville are helping one of their classmates fight against cancer as they raise money for research and education one penny at a time.

Throughout October, students donated their pennies and other spare change to the Pennies for Patients campaign benefitting the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. The school decided to set an ambitious fundraising goal of $1,000 but surpassed it by collecting a total of $1,268.87.

“The students became very passionate about this cause when they learned that one of the school’s students had been diagnosed with cancer. All of the pennies really added up,” says school counselor Heather Sherwood.

The students learned that even a small effort could make a difference in the lives of others. The money they raised will be used by the society to research cures for leukemia, lymphoma, Hodgkin’s disease and myeloma, as well as fund programs to improve the quality of life of patients and their families.

-----
Community News You Can Use
www.fayettefrontpage.com
Fayette Front Page
www.georgiafrontpage.com
Georgia Front Page

GOP Pancake Breakfast Nov 21

The Fayette County GOP will have a Pancake Breakfast on Saturday, November 21, 2009 at the Fayette County GOP Headquarters located at 111 South Glynn Street, Fayetteville, GA. The hours are 8:00 AM to 11:00 AM. Tickets are just $5.00 each. They will serve pancakes, sausage, coffee or orange juice. For tickets call Dot Ensley at 770-460-8507 or the GOP Headquarters at 770-716-1545.

DivorceCare: Surviving the Holidays Seminar Scheduled

The Small Group Ministry at Heritage Christian Church will be offering “DivorceCare: Surviving the Holidays” which is a helpful, encouraging seminar for people facing the holidays after a separation or divorce. The seminar will be held on Sunday, December 6th from 5:00 to 7:00 p.m.

Childcare provided. There’s no charge for this event.

The “Surviving the Holidays” seminar features practical suggestions, guidance and reassurance through video interviews with counselors, experts in divorce-related care and people who have experienced the holidays after separation or divorce. Topics to be discussed include “Why the Holidays Are Tough,” “What Emotions to Expect,” “How to Plan and Prepare,” “How to Handle Uncomfortable Situations” and “Using the Holidays to Help You Heal.”

Those who attend will receive a free book with over 30 daily readings providing additional insights and ideas on holiday survival.

Please email smallgroups@heritagechristian.org, for details and location of this event.

Heritage Christian Church offers many support groups such as Divorce Care, Divorce Care for Kids, Grief Share, Financial Peace University and many more. For complete group listings visit our web site at www.heritagechristian.org/smallgroups
---
Community News You Can Use
Follow us on Twitter: @gafrontpage
www.FayetteFrontPage.com
www.GeorgiaFrontPage.com
www.PoliticalPotluck.com
www.ArtsAcrossGeorgia.com
---

Fayette County Schools Prepare for Veterans Day Celebrations A Long Standing Tradition Continues in Brooks

Public schools throughout Fayette County will recognize and honor the community’s veterans and active duty military personnel on Veterans Day (November 11) with breakfasts, special programs and receptions.

One of the largest and longest-running Veterans Day celebrations takes place at Brooks Elementary where the school’s students honor veterans with songs, music and messages of “thanks” during a patriotic assembly followed by a parade through the town of Brooks and a picnic at the school. This annual tradition is in its eighth year.

The Veterans Day celebration has become a tradition that the Brooks community holds near and dear to its heart. Because of the current economic situation, cuts in the school’s transportation budget put the performances of the Sandy Creek High Air Force JROTC Color Guard and the Whitewater High marching band in jeopardy. The Brooks Elementary student council turned to the Brooks Town Council for help.

“One by one, out of the goodness of their souls, these individual councilmen signed over their quarterly paychecks to Brooks Elementary. It was a spiritual moment indeed,” says Pre-K teacher Dana Sams, one of the organizers of the celebration. “Next a business person offered to pay for a large banner in the town square announcing the program, a local minister offered his church’s assistance and a teacher wrote a personal check. There wasn’t a dry eye in the Town Hall. If you don’t think that Mayberry, USA exists, then you need to come to Brooks, Georgia and visit our community school. This is America at its finest.”

More than 100 local veterans and their families have received hand-written invitations from the school’s fifth graders. Special letters of thanks and well wishes have also been sent to Lt. Daniel Berschinski of Peachtree City, who is currently recuperating at Walter Reed Army Hospital in Washington D.C. He lost both legs and sustained other injuries after stepping on an improvised explosive device in Afghanistan. He is a 2002 graduate of McIntosh High.

“His family has already indicated how touched they have been by the letters and cards that Brooks has already sent; and we’ve only just begun,” says Sams.

The honored veterans, along with the school’s students, parents and staff, and a total of 18 red wagon floats and banners, will parade through downtown Brooks with Mayor Bobby Butler (a Korean War veteran) leading as grand marshal. This will be Butler’s last year as grand marshal before his tenure as mayor ends in December.

Hungry parade participants will gather back at the school to enjoy an All-American picnic lunch of hot dogs and all the trimmings. Students will have an opportunity to listen to veterans tell stories from their military experiences as the celebration winds down.

“Children sense the gravity of what it means to have freedoms here in America that like-aged children in other countries do not have. They get the special privilege of shaking hands and sharing a hot dog with a real life hero or heroine,” says Sams.

If you plan to go, here is the schedule for the celebration: 8:30 a.m., reception; 9:30 a.m., program; 10:15 a.m., parade; 11:11 a.m., moment of silence followed by the All-American picnic lunch.

-----
Community News You Can Use
www.fayettefrontpage.com
Fayette Front Page
www.georgiafrontpage.com
Georgia Front Page

Sandy Creek ROTC Drill Team Wins Awards

Cadets show their excitement and proudly display their trophies after earning a third place overall finish at the Mundy’s Mill Invitational Classic Drill Meet. (L-R) Haylie Billingsley, Alexa Solano, Aleeia Marcelo, Vanessa Lara, Megan Shuford, Manuel Austria-Torices, Donald Loken, Tasha Marcelo, Dustin Gonzalez, Kaycee Hall, Caleb Davidson, Christopher High, Julian Hughes, Katrina McKennon, Benjamin Pickard, Samuel Dean, Kendrick Dixson, Yanni Ramlochun, Zaheer Tajani, Catherine Dougherty, Christian Powell and Derek Ansley. Cadets not pictured are Nereida Duran and Delsi Duran.

The Sandy Creek High Air Force Junior ROTC drill team placed in the top three at the Mundy’s Mill Invitational Classic Drill Meet.

Sandy Creek’s team, which is in its third year, had its best competition finish to-date, placing third out of a total of 10 Air Force Junior ROTC drill teams from area high schools.

Meet competition involves multiple events judged for precision and accuracy. Each drill routine must be executed with a set sequence of commands. The commands must be called out perfectly and the entire squad must perform each movement in unison.

In addition to the overall third place finish, the team also placed second in the Unarmed Regulation Drill, commanded by Cadet Katie McKennon, third in Unarmed Regulation Inspection and third in Armed Regulation Drill commanded by Kendrick Dixson.

Sandy Creek’s ROTC drill team practices after school with cadets going over each routine repeatedly to ensure proper execution. Chief Master Sergeant Mark Davidson oversees the team.
“These results are reflective of the hard work the cadets put into the preparation for this meet.
Each cadet was so proud of their efforts and so excited to bring back trophies. This type of performance further encourages the team to continue to excel in these types of competitions,” Davidson says.

The drill team will compete next in the Blue Devil Drill Meet in Marietta on December 12 and will likely participate in the state drill meet in March.

-----
Community News You Can Use
www.fayettefrontpage.com
Fayette Front Page
www.georgiafrontpage.com
Georgia Front Page

Fayette County School Gets Excellence Award for Second Time

A Fayette County school has just received its second Georgia School of Excellence designation, bringing the county’s total awards to 22.

Whitewater Middle has been named a 2009 Georgia School of Excellence in Student Achievement by the Georgia Department of Education. The school is among 27 statewide to receive the recognition.

The award is given in two categories: greatest improvement and highest achievement. Whitewater Middle received the award in the highest achievement category, designating it as being among the top 10 percent of highest achieving schools in the state as measured by assessments in reading and mathematics. Only 13 schools were honored at this level.

Whitewater Middle was named a Georgia School of Excellence for the first time in 1997. Schools can receive the honor more than once if they have not been named a Georgia School of Excellence in the past five years.

Each year the Georgia Department of Education identifies schools from each Congressional District as Georgia Schools of Excellence in Student Achievement. One public school from each Congressional District is chosen in the greatest improvement and highest achievement categories.

The 2009 winners will be honored at a banquet on February 5 at the Georgia International Convention Center in College Park.

-----
Community News You Can Use
www.fayettefrontpage.com
Fayette Front Page
www.georgiafrontpage.com
Georgia Front Page

Eight Fayette County Schools Named as Distinguished Schools

A total of eight of Fayette County's elementary and middle schools have been named Title 1 Distinguished Schools by the Georgia Department of Education.

The county’s schools are among 896 public schools statewide to receive the designation. Schools are given “distinguished” status based on having made Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) three or more years consecutively. Since all of Fayette’s schools receiving the honor have met AYP six or more years in a row, they will each receive a monetary award, paid out of federal funds, as well as a certificate recognizing their achievement.

Both North Fayette Elementary and Robert J. Burch Elementary have met AYP for 11 consecutive years and will each receive a $1,424 award. Both schools have been recognized as distinguished for nine years.

Fayette Middle, Fayetteville Intermediate, Hood Avenue Primary, Inman (formerly East Fayette) Elementary and Oak Grove Elementary have made AYP for seven consecutive years and will each receive a $712 award. These schools have been recognized as distinguished for five years.

Flat Rock Middle has made AYP for six years and will receive a $712 award. The school has been recognized as distinguished for four years.

-----
Community News You Can Use
www.fayettefrontpage.com
Fayette Front Page
Fayetteville, Peachtree City, Tyrone
www.georgiafrontpage.com
Georgia Front Page
Follow us on Twitter: @GAFrontPage

Fayette County Student Named to State School Superintendent’s Advisory Council

Sandy Creek High’s Quannaires Streeter is among the 53 students from around Georgia selected to serve on the 2009-2010 Student Advisory Council to State School Superintendent Kathy Cox.

Members of the council will meet three times throughout the school year to advise Cox on how state policies are having an impact in the classroom. The Student Advisory Council will also discuss other education-related issues and will serve as the superintendent’s ambassadors in their respective schools.

More than 550 students from 108 districts applied to be a member of the Student Advisory Council by filling out an application and answering essay questions. Students were chosen based on the strength of their essay.

The first meeting of the council will be held November 9 at the Georgia Institute of Technology in Atlanta.

-----
Community News You Can Use
Fayetteville, Peachtree City, Tyrone
Fayette Front Page
www.fayettefrontpage.com
Georgia Front Page
www.georgiafrontpage.com
Follow us on Twitter: @GAFrontPage

Parents Invited to Attend Intellectual Disability Eligibility Workshop November 10 in Fayette County

A parent workshop on Intellectual Disability eligibility will be presented by the Fayette County Public Schools Exceptional Children’s Services Department on November 5 in the media center of Rivers Elementary beginning at 6 p.m.

Discussion will focus on how mild, moderate, severe and profound intellectual disability eligibilities are determined, the terminology used and the services available for students in the general and adapted curriculum settings. A question and answer session for general questions will follow.

Cathy Skinner-Robertson, adapted curriculum consultant for the county’s Exceptional Children’s Services Department, will lead the discussion. There will be light refreshments and door prizes for participants.

Attendance is free but reservations are required. Contact Parent Mentor Allison Stevenson at Stevenson.allison@mail.fcboe.org or call 770-460-3911, ext. 239 to reserve a seat.

-----
Community News You Can Use
www.fayettefrontpage.com
Fayette Front Page
www.georgiafrontpage.com
Georgia Front Page
www.artsacrossgeorgia.com
Arts Across Georgia

Lunch and Learn in Fayette County for Surrogate Parent Training

A lunch and learn session for persons interested in becoming surrogate parents to students with disabilities in the educational process will be held November 9 in the media center of Rivers Elementary beginning at 12:30 p.m.

The Fayette County Public Schools Exceptional Children’s Department will provide training for those interested in becoming surrogates for students whose parents cannot be identified or located, and the responsibilities are strictly limited to the special education portion of the child’s education. Duties include attending and participating in the child’s annual Individualized Education Program (IEP) meeting and providing consent for evaluation or placement.

Foster parents, retired teachers and persons who would like to act as a parent in these special education decisions are encouraged to come to this training. Rosie Gwin, exceptional children’s services coordinator for the school system, will lead the training.

“Acting as a surrogate parent is a wonderful opportunity to serve a child when he or she needs it the most,” says Allison Stevenson, the school system’s parent mentor.

Participants are invited to bring their own lunch. Drinks and dessert will be served.
The training is free but reservations are required. Contact Allison Stevenson at stevenson.allison@mail.fcboe.org or call770-460-3911, ext. 239 to reserve a seat.

-----
Community News You Can Use
www.fayettefrontpage.com
Fayette Front Page
Fayetteville, Peachtree City, Tyrone
www.georgiafrontpage.com
Georgia Front Page
Follow on Twitter: @GAFrontPage