This is a sad one... Infant death, mother arrested in Fayetteville

The Fayetteville Police Department served multiple arrest warrants on Kaisha Poulson charging her with Felony Murder-one count, Cruelty to Children-2 counts, and Contributing to the Delinquency of a Minor-1 count.

On Sunday, March 7, 2010 the Fayetteville Police Department received a 911 call of a 2-month old infant male not breathing at 350 Bates Avenue, Fayetteville, GA. The death was investigated due to suspicion of the cause of death of the infant. An autopsy was performed by the G.B.I. along with toxicology tests. The final results came back on the toxicology as death by methamphetamine intoxication. The mother of the infant, Kaisha Poulson, was charged with the murder of the 2-month old. She was also charged with cruelty to children in relation to an incident in which she had shown a 14-yr-old child how to use methamphetamine. Ms. Poulson was served all warrants at the Fayette County Jail.

DAR and SAR Ring Bells to Celebrate America's Freedom

Musket shots were fired on the old Fayette County Courthouse grounds on July 4th as the James Waldrop Chapter Daughters of the American Revolution and the Marquis de Lafayette Chapter Sons of the American Revolution gathered to celebrate America's independence at the annual "Let Freedom Ring" ceremony.

Names of the signers of the Declaration of Independence were read aloud, and followed with a bell being rung for each of the 13 original colonies. 

Jared Cline, a member of the Button Gwinnett Chapter Children of the American Revolution, led the pledge of allegiance to the American Flag.

The Declaration of Independence is a statement adopted by Congress which listed the grievances against King George III and announced the 13 colonies were no longer a part of the English Empire.  The vote to declare independence from England was on July 2, 1776, but the statement was not adopted until July 4, 1776.  By this time, the American colonies had been at war with England for over a year.  While adopted on July 4th, it is generally believed the final signatures on the Declaration were not completed until August 2, 1776.

The James Waldrop Chapter DAR and the Marquis de Lafayette Chapter SAR are chartered in Fayetteville.










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More Fayette Students Taking AP Courses, Pass Rate Holds Steady

The latest Advanced Placement (AP) scores released by the College Board show that more Fayette students took AP exams compared to last year while maintaining an overall 70 percent pass rate.

AP classes and exams are administered by the College Board, which also administers the SAT. AP classes offer rigorous college-level learning options to students in high school. Students who receive a 3, 4 or 5 on AP exams may receive college credit.

The total number of Fayette students taking the exams increased one percent in 2010. As was the case last year, the most tested subjects were United States History, English Language and Composition, and English Literature and Composition.

Fayette’s students outpaced the nation in scoring higher passing rates in the majority of subjects tested. The College Board will release detailed national data in the fall.

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Sons, Daughters and Children of the American Revolution Showcased in Peachtree City July 3 Parade

 The streets of Peachtree City were lined with residents and guests on July 3rd as everyone waited for the annual tradition of kicking of Independence Day celebrations in "Peachtree City" style.

Members of the Marquis de Lafayette Sons of the American Revolution Chapter Color Guard started the parade off by the firing of their muskets which rallied the crowd for one of the biggest parades in the metro Atlanta area.

Joining the Sons of the American Revolution on their float were members of the Augustin Clayton, General Daniel Newnan, Fayette Starr’s Mill and Pulaski Daughters of the American Revolution Chapters, and members of the Button Gwinnett Chapter Children of the American Revolution.

The Marquis de Lafayette Chapter Sons of the American Revolution is chartered in Fayette County.

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Melvin Named Georgia Economics Teacher of the Year

Michael Melvin of Starr’s Mill High with (R) Principal Audrey Toney and Fayette County Public Schools Social Studies Coordinator Cathy Geis.

Two years in a row, the Georgia Council on Economic Education has selected a Fayette County teacher as the Georgia Economics Teacher of the Year.

Michael Melvin of Starr’s Mill High has received the 2010 award. He helped coach the 2009 Starr’s Mill Economics Challenge team to a third place finish at the national competition, a first in the Fayette County Public School System’s history.

Nominees for the award must be teachers in either public or independent schools in Georgia who are either teaching a course in economics or integrating economics into their courses at any grade level, K-12. Teachers must demonstrate knowledge of economics appropriate to the grade level or courses being taught, an ability and willingness to use a variety of appropriate methods and resources in teaching economics, and enthusiasm and creativity in teaching economics.

Last year’s winner was Shelby Garner of Spring Hill Elementary. Since 1998, a total of six Fayette County teachers have received the prestigious award.

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National Night Out 2010 at Target Stores in Fayetteville and Peachtree City on August 3, 2010

The Fayette County Sheriff's Office wants to remind you that National Night Out Against Crime 2010 is happening at the Target Store in Fayetteville from 6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. and the Target Store in Peachtree City from 7:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m..

The purpose of the event is to help our citizens meet and receive valuable crime prevention information from your Public Safety Professionals. Law Enforcement and Fire/EMS personnel from Fayette County, Fayetteville, and Peachtree City will be on hand to talk with you about safety related issues.

For more information about NationalNight Out Aagainst Crime, vist their web site at www.nationalnightout.org

Fayette County Students Score High with End of Course Tests

The majority of Fayette County students are either meeting or exceeding performance requirements for end of course tests based on data released by the Georgia Department of Education.

The spring administration of the test shows students performing strongest in US History, Economics/Business/Free Enterprise, American Literature and Composition, and Ninth Grade Literature and Composition with the majority scoring in the “exceeds” category. In comparison to last year, Ninth Grade Literature and Composition had the largest jump in the “exceeds” performance level with a gain of 4 percentage points.

Other subjects tested include Mathematics I, Mathematics II, Geometry QCC, Physical Science and Biology.

Overall, Fayette outperformed the state in all subjects tested by 4 to 27 points. The biggest gap between the school system and the state was in Economics/Business/Free Enterprise where Fayette’s mean score was 452 compared to the state’s 425.

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Congrats! All Fayette County Schools Make AYP

The Fayette County School System has 100 percent of its schools making AYP (Adequate Yearly Progress) for seven consecutive years.

Fayette is among 27 systems in Georgia with all schools meeting AYP requirements in 2010. Of these systems, most have less than 10 schools compared to Fayette’s 28.

All of Fayette’s schools have made AYP each of the seven years since the assessment was implemented.
AYP is one of the cornerstones of the federal No Child Left Behind Act of 2001. It is a measure of year-to-year student achievement on statewide assessments.

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PTCUMC Preschool Openings for 2010-2011 School Year

The Peachtree City United Methodist Preschool currently has openings for the upcoming school year in our two-day, 3-year-old class. To be eligible, children must be three years old by September 1, 2010 and potty trained. The class meets on Tuesday and Thursday from 9:00 AM – 12:00 noon, beginning August 24. Registration fee for this class is $110.00, with monthly tuition $110.00 as well. A Lunch Bunch hour is offered from noon to 1:00 PM each day for an additional fee. Our 3-year-old class is geared towards introducing children to the structure of a classroom and growing their love of school. Along with academics, Bible and Music class are offered. Social skills are also emphasized. The PTCUMC Preschool and Kindergarten has a total of 10 classes and 130 students. The school first became recognized as a Program of Excellence by the United Methodist Preschool Association of the North Georgia Conference in 1996 and has maintained the same high-quality programming in subsequent years, achieving recertification in 1998, 2001, 2005 and 2008. All classes are held at the PTCUMC Family Ministry Campus at 400 Windgate Road in Peachtree City. For more information please call Carolyn Long, PTCUMC Preschool Director, at 770.486.5538 or carolyn.long@ptcumc.org.

Fayette County School Bus Technician Top in State

One of the top 10 school bus technicians in Georgia helps maintain the Fayette County Public School System’s school bus fleet.

Lee Voyles placed seventh in the state at the fifth annual Georgia School Bus Technicians Competition held last month at North Georgia Technical College. The competition was held in conjunction with the 48th annual Georgia School Bus Technicians Workshop.

The competition consists of both a written examination and hands-on diagnostics. The written portion covers topics regarding electrical systems, brakes, engines, suspensions, drive trains and body systems. In the diagnostics portion, competitors troubleshoot and identify mechanical deficiencies in school bus components and systems. The competitor provides a detailed explanation of the cause of the specific defect or the proper techniques for correcting the defect.

The purpose of the competition is to help school bus technicians enhance their skills so that the safest school buses are utilized to transport children to and from school.

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Fayette Softball and Volleyball League Registration

TITLE OF LEAGUE: Adult (18 & Over) Softball Leagues

We are offering men’s softball and women’s softball. Each team will play ten games, all at McCurry Park. Official ASA Slow Pitch Softball Rules (without stealing) printed in the current edition of the Official Guide for ASA will be the governing rules unless superseded by our “league/park” rules.

Registration dates: July 6 through July 30
Season begins: Week of August 9
Fee: $415 per team with the following exception: If 50% or more of your players are not Fayette County residents, the registration fee is $465.


TITLE OF LEAGUE: Adult (18 & Over) Reverse Coed Volleyball League

Each team will play ten matches. All matches will be played on Friday nights at LaFayette Educational Center Gym.

Registration dates: July 19 through August 13
Season begins: August 20
Fee: $205 per team with the following exception: If 50% or more of your players are not Fayette County residents, the registration fee is $235.


Kenny Wallace
Athletic Coordinator
Fayette County Parks & Recreation Department
140 Stonewall Avenue West
Fayetteville, Georgia 30214
Phone: 770-716-4323
Fax: 770-460-1931 kwallace@fayettecountyga.gov

Charity Sale Benefits Fayette County After School Scholarship Program

From left, Kim Jones, store manager of Belk in Fayetteville; Karen Spangler, CARE (Children at Risk in Education) coordinator; Julia Simpson, after school program director; and Cheryl Bellinger, human resources manager of Belk in Fayetteville.

Struggling families will be able to get some assistance with after school care this school year thanks to those who bought tickets to the Belk Store Charity Sale in May.

Over $1,200 was raised for the Fayette County Public School System’s After School Program. The proceeds will help offset after school scholarships for 80 needy children.

The scholarships are for working families who have had financial reversals due to unforeseen circumstances such as medial, environmental or family emergencies. Families who meet the requirements for the free and reduced lunch program may apply for scholarships. Recipients are required to pay 25 percent of the after school program tuition.

“It is important for children to have a safe, fun place during the hours of three to six in the afternoon because that is when studies show that they can be the most vulnerable to predators or delinquency,” says Julia Simpson, director of the after school program. “It is crucial for children whose families may be in crisis to have a caring environment, and nothing can meet that need like the safety of their own school.”

Belk’s Charity Sale is held twice a year, providing an opportunity for local organizations to raise money and educate the community about their services. In exchange for a $5 donation, customers receive a ticket admitting them to the sale and entitling them to merchandise discounts. Proceeds from the ticket sales are retained by the charities.

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Honor Flight Board Member Receives U.S. Flag

When Honor Flight Fayette Board member Fred Smith went with friends to the Talladega race track to test his driving skills, he received a pleasant but unexpected surprise.

Since he was the only veteran in the group, he was presented with the United States flag that was flown on the pace car that day. As a retired pilot in the Air Force who is now working with World War II veterans, this gesture was especially meaningful and significant to him.

Honor Flight Fayette will make its 7th and last flight in September, making a total of almost 500 veterans that have gone on the one day trip to D.C. to see their memorial.

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McIntosh Grad Among Latest Winners of National Merit Scholarships

The names of more than 1,900 additional winners of National Merit Scholarships financed by colleges and universities have been announced with a recent McIntosh High graduate among them.

Matthew J. Winn, who graduated this spring, received a scholarship financed by the University of Georgia. He will attend the university in the fall; he has not decided on a major.

College-sponsored awards provide between $500 and $2,000 annually for up to four years of undergraduate study at the institution financing the scholarship. This final group of winners brings the number of 2010 National Merit Scholars to approximately 8,400.

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Meet and Greet Karen Handel, Republican Candidate for Governor in Fayetteville July 15

Meet and Greet with Karen Handel Republican Candidate for Governor Thursday, July 15 10:00-10:45am Fayette County GOP Office 111 Glynn Street South Fayetteville, GA 30214

Please come out and join Karen for a meet and greet on one of her many stops of the "Bring It On" Bus Tour. We will be stopping at the Fayette County GOP Office on the morning of Thursday, July 15th. Karen will be mingling and speaking to the crowd, and also speaking with local business owners and customers.

If you are able to attend, please RSVP to DanR@karenhandel.com or 770-740-0010. We hope to see you there, and thank you for your continued support.

Sandy Creek Student Gets Trip to Washington with Winning Essay

This summer was not the typical break from school for Anthony Taijeron-John, a rising senior at Sandy Creek High.

Anthony spent part of his summer vacation touring the nation’s capital with nearly 100 students from across Georgia as one of the essay winners selected to attend the 45th Washington Youth Tour, a prestigious, all-expense paid leadership experience sponsored by Georgia’s electric membership corporations.

Selected by Coweta-Fayette EMC, Anthony spent nine days in Washington, DC in June touring memorials, monuments, Mount Vernon, Ford’s Theater and the U.S. Supreme Court, and visiting with Georgia’s U.S. senators and representatives.

The program is designed to give students a taste of democracy in action, expose them to the nation’s rich history and encourage them to become politically aware citizens.

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Sandy Creek Students Nearly Sweep Writing Competition

Pictured (l-r) are Nia Decaille, English teacher Monica Dorner, Linda Wilkins, Principal Roy Rabold, Camara Carter and former Georgia School Superintendent Kathy Cox.

Three rising seniors at Sandy Creek High took the top three placements in the 14th Georgia History Day Essay Contest, nearly sweeping the entire competition sponsored by “Georgia Voyager” magazine and the Brunswick-Golden Isles Visitors Bureau.

The winners are (first place) Linda Wilkins; (second place) Nia Decaille and (third place) Camara Carter. Their winning essays will be published in the “Georgia Voyager” magazine. Over 2,000 Georgia students wrote essays on this year’s theme, “Georgia Authors.”

The winners were recognized at a special Georgia History Day ceremony held at the Georgia Department of Education in May. Awards are given to first, second, third and fourth place winners at the middle and high school levels. The competition is open to all Georgia students in grades 6-12.

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Fayette County School FY2011 Budget Approved, No Cuts to Employees or Students

The Fayette County Board of Education unanimously approved the budget for fiscal year 2011, but with less in the way of reductions compared to what other school systems around the state are implementing.

The approved budget maintains staff benefits, programs for students, a full 180-day school year, and no employee furloughs. In addition, the board voted to restore the equivalent of up to three furlough days of pay to all employees who took them this past year.

While the school system is maintaining its operations without reducing what it offers to students and employees, it is doing so with $12,281,410 less in state and local revenue.

Employees and students are not the only ones benefitting, homeowners are getting some relief as well. A 1.7 mill reduction in the tax/millage rate for bonded indebtedness could result in a $200 savings in taxes for the average home. The millage rate reduction is made possible thanks to the ESPLOST voters approved in November 2008.

“We also have to thank our employees, students and parents for the sacrifices they made this past year. Due to their efforts, our budget for 2011 is in good shape heading into the new school year. Our staff did an outstanding job in cutting expenses and saving money where possible. It is because of strategic planning and the efforts and sacrifices of our school community that we have a sound budget for next year,” says Superintendent John DeCotis.

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Fayette County CRCT Scores Among Top in Georgia

The 2010 CRCT results show Fayette County students are among the top statewide in subjects tested at all grade levels.

In comparison to the critical grade levels where students must pass reading in third grade and both reading and math in fifth and eighth grades to get promoted, only Forsyth County and a handful of smaller school systems posted higher scores in some subjects.

Overall, test scores remain high across all subjects and grade levels, soaring well above state averages. Students showed the greatest gains in math in grades 3, 5 and 8, posting 1.6, 1.9 and 6.3 points, respectively, above last year’s scores. Likewise, eighth graders also posted significant gains in both science and social studies with increased scores of 1.3 and 4.5 points, respectively.

The CRCT is a curriculum-based test given to students in grades 1-8 in the subjects of reading, English Language Arts and mathematics. In grades 3-8, science and social students are added.

It is projected that all schools will have all groups make AYP (Adequate Yearly Progress) this year with the exception of one sub-group at Sandy Creek High and one sub-group at Fayette County High. A small sub-group at Sandy Creek did not have enough students make the AYP cut score on the English Language Arts portion of the GHSGT (Georgia High School Graduation Test); a small sub-group at Fayette County did not have enough students make the AYP cut score on the math portion of the GHSGT. Both schools are working with their groups during the next few weeks to help them prepare for a retest in July. The outcome of the retest could change both schools’ status to passing in these categories.

The Fayette County Public School System thanks its teachers and students for their hard work and will continue to address areas of improvement with additional strategies.

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Let Freedom Ring July 4 in Fayetteville

The Annual Let Freedom Ring Ceremony will take place at 2:00 PM on Sunday, 4 July 2010, at the Old Courthouse Lawn in Fayetteville, Georgia.  During this short but meaningful ceremony, the signers of the Declaration of Independence will be read, and a bell will be rung in their honor. The event is free and open to the public.  Bring lawn chairs for seating.  

 

The James Waldrop Chapter Daughters of the American Revolution and the Marquis de Lafayette Chapter Sons of the American Revolution sponsor this event. For additional information contact Susan Sloan, Commemorative Events Chairman for James Waldrop Chapter DAR, at 770-461-2458 or jandssloan@mindspring.com. 

PTC Sees Rise in Number of 'Entering Auto' Offenses

Peachtree City Police remind all residents to lock their vehicles and remove all valuables. See email for full info.

Over the past few weeks, the Peachtree City Police Department has seen a rise the number of entering auto offenses. Once again, subjects are targeting vehicles that have been left unlocked, and those that have valuables visible inside them.

Whether parking your vehicle at your residence, at a public facility, or in a shopping center, please remember the following so as to minimize the risk of becoming a victim:

•Always lock your vehicle.

•Always remove valuables, such as purses, GPS devices, cell phones, laptops, among other items.

•Do not leave your keys in your vehicle.

•Do not program “home” into your GPS device. If a subject steals your keys and your GPS, it is easy for them to progress to burglarizing your home.

•Always be alert to suspicious people who are waiting in parking lots and watching where you are hiding or placing your valuables.

•Keep a record of all serial numbers and account numbers to aid law enforcement in recovering your items.

•If you see something suspicious, call 911 immediately.