To: Superintendent From: The best gift givers – Teacher Rita Simmons, her students, GADOE and GA Aquarium

Imagine my surprise to find a fun email today (so I had to do a quick post) from our beloved Cleveland Avenue Elementary School teacher AND 2013-2014 Atlanta Public Schools’ District-wide Teacher of the Year AND 2015 Georgia Teacher of the Year Top-Ten Finalist – Rita Simmons! She was awarded an opportunity to take students…

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Proud of the Posses!

I am so proud of our fourteen seniors who were awarded four-year, full-tuition leadership scholarships worth approximately $100,000 each by The Posse Foundation, Inc. to attend some of the top college and universities in the country – including Boston University, Syracuse University and Texas A&M University. The Posse Foundation, Inc. is a college access and…

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Our CCRPI Results, Our Schools and the Power of ‘Hope’

Yesterday, the Georgia Department of Education released the results of the College and Career Ready Performance Index (CCRPI).  I’m still learning Georgia accountability too so for folks who are in need of some basic guidance, here are my cliff notes on how it breaks down: For background, you may remember, (but I wasn’t here), that…

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Clarifying Class Size Waivers

Following the last two Board votes on class size waivers, I have spent a great deal of time reflecting and talking with staff and community members and listening to feedback on whether the district should continue to request flexibility from the state on class sizes.  My recommendation to continue these waivers was so that our…

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Go! Raiders Go! The Benjamin E. Mays football team is history in the making

A big congratulations to the Benjamin E. Mays football team after a big win last Friday. Tonight the Mays Raiders take on the Northside Eagles of Warner Robbins in the GHSA Class AAAAA State Championship. These talented students, coaches and staff are making history! Not only is this the first Mays football team ever to…

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My Adventures with Backpack Bear – The Final Chapter

My week with Backpack Bear was so much fun! We worked, we played and even gave back to the community. I’m so sad to say good-bye, but it’s time to hand him back over to the kids at Jackson Primary in Ms. Swalm’s kindergarten class. Thank you guys for introducing us, we are sure to…

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My Adventures with Backpack Bear Part II

What a busy week for our friend Backpack Bear from Jackson Primary!  Take a look at a few of his (our) adventures. Monday I learned that Backpack Bear is REALLY GOOD at putting labels on holiday cards!  We are sending out cards to our friends throughout the district, featuring the winning designs from our Winter…

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APS Employees Help Fill Over 2,400 Empty Stockings!

Lt. Col. Rooker led me into Santa’s Village on APS volunteer day. It was great to see our staff helping families in need. Last month many of them donated money towards this cause, so it was cool to see how that donation manifested into this event.  All 30,000 square feet of this once-vacant retail space…

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A Great Day at Jackson Intermediate

The mood was festive at Jackson Intermediate as Dr. Lorraine Reich greeted me along with members of the Jackson Intermediate PTA and Local School Council. A school with an enrollment of approximately 850 students, school leaders have done a great job of making the school feel small and intimate.  One of the first things I…

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My Adventures with BackPack Bear – Part I

Yesterday I blogged about my new friend Backpack Bear from Ms. Swalm’s kindergarten class at Jackson Primary.  As the class Star of the Week I am responsible for taking the bear home, introducing him to my family, friends and co-workers and taking photos of our adventures.  Take a look at how we spent our weekend!…

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