We join Bright from the Start: Georgia Department of Early Care and Learning (DECAL) in welcoming Amy Jacobs as interim commissioner. Gov. Nathan Deal appointed Jacobs to replace Bobby Cagle, who now serves as interim director for the Department of Family and Children Services (DFCS).
In many ways, Newton County faces a challenge at every turn in its battle against childhood obesity. The county has few recreational facilities, easy access to fast food, the poverty rate is high, and studies show that most children lead a sedentary lifestyle. And while Newton is faring better than the state, which has the nation’s second highest childhood obesity rate, that provides little solace to the Newton County Community Partnership.
Local leaders in Newton County are combating obesity by luring more students away from the TV and onto the Yellow River Water Trail. The goal is to engage the community to get active by getting people out on kayaks and paddleboards to enjoy the river. It’s a fun, healthy form of recreation.
“The purpose of our community Play Day is to encourage children and families to exercise, get outside and play, and think about food choices in a new and different way,” said Zoe Myers, Cook County Family Connection executive director.
Calling all teachers, counselors, parents, caregivers, and advocates: Synchronize your watches for 10 a.m., June 20. That’s when representatives from summer learning programs, recreation centers, day care centers, schools, libraries, and camps across Georgia will read to kids at the same time to mark Summer Learning Day.
The percentage of Georgia’s eighth graders exceeding standards in all content-area Criterion-Referenced Competency Tests (CRCT) increased this year, including an 8-percent increase in reading. Grade eight students showed a 2-percent increase in English language arts, a 3-percent increase in mathematics, a 3-percent increase in science, and a 2-percent increase in social studies.
The School Nutrition Program in Newton County received a grant from the Newton County Community Partnership to conduct the Fruit and Vegetable Challenge. The Arthur M. Blank Family Foundation and the Annie E. Casey Foundation funded the grant.
The City of Cedartown is positioned to become a model throughout Georgia and the nation regarding resourceful combination of key social and health services through the creation of a landmark concept called “One Door Polk Network, which will offer a full spectrum of social services under one roof.” The City of Cedartown and the Polk Family Connection provided leadership and vision to help make the One Door Polk Network a reality.
The Georgia Dept. of Education is replacing the CRCT and the EOCT with a new testing system—the Georgia Milestones Assessment System—during the 2014-2015 academic year.
myON reader is collaborating with Get Georgia Reading—Campaign for Grade-Level Reading to give every k – 12 student, parent, educator, and librarian, in Georgia free access to more than 5,000 enhanced digital books this summer through August 30.
“As we began talking about things we could do to make a difference in our county, the one thing that kept coming up was our grade-level reading scores, ” said Beth Capuson, chair of the Seminole County Family Connection Collaborative. “We had several meetings, and at the end it was clear to everyone that we needed to do something that focused on helping our children read better.”
BY DIANA ST. LIFER Helping students achieve their full potential is in Martha Register’s blood, and that’s a good thing… Read More