Inspired by an article on literacy, a science teacher
at Holcomb Bridge brought the idea to the school three years ago, and it quickly evolved from there. “The One Book program continues to exceed our expectations,” said Principal Joy Schroerlucke. “The goal of the program is simple: to promote literacy and foster a community of readers, while creating a common experience as everyone reads the same book, yet the implications are far-reaching. The program provides us with a forum to engage students in meaningful academic instruction, as well as critical lessons in character and respect for all peoples. As a school of global classrooms, these discussions have an impact right here in our own community.”

During the two week period, students meet
daily in small groups with their G.A.T.E. mentor to discuss the book and follow key lesson plans. G.A.T.E., which stands for Gifts, Abilities, Talents, and Excellence, is a mentoring group established by HBMS for every student to help identify the special talents and gifts that every student possesses and how they might use them to excel.

The Breadwinner has been published around the world in seventeen languages, with more than a million dollars in royalties donated to Street Kids International and to Women for Women, an organization that supports health and education projects in Afghanistan. In 2006, author Deborah
Ellis was named to the Order of Ontario.

Pictured below:

6^th grade teacher Ashley Perry’s G.A.T.E. and One Book group: Front Row L-R: Omar Alhabbal, Eli Brogdon, Nyasia Bravo, Gabrielle Collins, Israel Aiyeola. Second Row L-R: Gustavo Guijosa-Gomez, Jackson Cordes, Mena Perry, Keyonna
Swanigan, DJ Thompson. Back Row L-R: Sebastian Sanchez, Samantha Hughes

Parents join students atluncheon to conclude the One Book project: L-R: Petie Armbruster, Matthew Armbruster, Sudi Larsen, Mandy Larsen, Camden Thompson, Kim
Thompson.

Our second new and improved program is an offshoot from our PREP (Positive, Responsible, Educated, & Prepared) Mentoring Program for boys established in 2004 whose mission was to develop academic and social growth in teen boys experiencing difficult situations/choices.  The exceptional success of PREP sparked an interest from our members to target career areas for those planning to enter the healthcare field.  From that discussion, a new direction was recognized and hence PREP 2.0 was born which now opens an opportunity for boys grades 6-8 interested in the areas of technology and medicine to participate and learn.  PREP 2.0 begins October 2013 and will include guest speakers, field outings, college tours, and interest-building activities. Meetings are scheduled for each 1^st and 3^rd Wednesday 8:00 AM – 8:50 AM.  While most boys are selected for membership invitation, other boys interested are encouraged to make inquiries to any PREP 2.0 staff member for participation. 

In an effort to celebrate the uniqueness of each student, we organized dress-up days which included Twin Day, Heritage/Culture Day, Support your Sports Day, No Sweat Day,  and TaCkY
Day. The Celebration will conclude with a School Team Spirit Day which will consist of a Pep Rally to build team spirit and celebrate being an adolescent.

Pictured below are Alexander Welch, Hailey Morash, Marcus Stephen, Campbell Auerbach and
Ananda Thomas as they collaborate with teachers and administrators.  

This Leader Academy brings a fresh approach to leadership, knowing that young people truly
can make a difference. Through a unique Engage-Expose-Equip approach, students will learn invaluable leadership lessons that culminate in an Impact Project.  Leader Academy engages students where they currently are, exposes them to leadership insights, and equips them with tools to make a difference in their community through a capstone Impact Project.

The Leader Academy involves 30 Centennial students in the seven-month curriculum, with an
opportunity for the entire student body to get involved in the project portion.  This program meets monthly throughout the school year,
and students create Impact Projects in the spring. Leadership education includes VISION AND VALUES, SERVANT, TEAMWORK, COMMUNICATION, INNOVATION, and IMPACT!

Each semester, ASP students will earn one full science credit in either Honors Biology or Honors Chemistry for a total of two science credits during their freshman year at Chattahoochee High School.  Ms. Kathryn Pierce will be teaching the Honors Biology course and Mr. Matt Mihordea will be teaching the Honors Chemistry course. These courses will be scheduled as a block. Upon completion of both Honors Biology and Honors Chemistry, students will have the opportunity to apply for AP science courses in the following fields: Biology, Chemistry, Physics and Environmental Science.
Successful completion of an above average number of AP courses will benefit our ASP students in the following ways:

-Receive a rigorous education not offered in
on-level science courses

·Increased readiness for college through critical
thinking and problem solving skills acquired through AP coursework

·Have a competitive edge during college
admissions as success in AP courses is a sign of college preparedness to admissions committees

-Earn accelerated placement in college courses OR
earn college credits - most universities grant credit or advanced placement to students earning 3 or higher on AP exams

·Higher qualification for scholarships

The Accelerated Science Program is intended for students whose intellectual capabilities, work ethic, interest, and motivation are markedly above average as indicated by their most recent CRCT scores.

All four high schools within the City of Johns Creek have been involved in the support of “Student Leadership Johns Creek” for two school years now.  The adult “Leadership Johns Creek “ created
this student opportunity in the spring of 2012. Eight students are selected as emerging leaders from Centennial HS, Chattahoochee HS, Johns Creek HS, and Northview HS.  The mission of the program is “To develop, energize, and activate community leaders in Johns Creek by
providing insight into and interaction with city, business, and government executives to affect positive change.”  This effort supports our
Northeast Learning Community strategic objective that “All schools provide continuous opportunities for all students to serve and to lead within their own community and beyond.”  This relationship creates a perfect fit.

Students selected for the program hold off-campus retreats as well as participate in field trips
covering areas such as the city government of Johns Creek, local non-profits, state government, community businesses, economic development, and public safety.  Each school team of students also carries out one community service project each school year.  Students participate for two years– one year as a new member learning, the second year as mentors for the new team members.  What a great real-world experience for our students.  Thank you Leadership Johns Creek!

Student Leadership Johns Creek web site: http://www.leadershipjohnscreek.com/student-leadership-program/

Yes, it is true, the Titans are lifelong learners!

This year at Northview High School we are embracing the concept of CPD-Continuing
Professional Development. We have started an initiative to embrace professional learning sessions and become lifelong learners. Our PD sessions are held during lunch and have become our new “Lunch and Learn” Professional Development initiative, many of the sessions lasting over a two-three day period. Yes, our teachers are eating and learning at the same time.

In all professions, trends, procedures, and
practices are forever changing. Research is always discovering new processes and learning strategies. Within our profession, it is of extreme importance to stay abreast of these changes. Continuing professional development raises the
standards of our skill set. The continuation of updating skills, developing knowledge, and exploring ways to do this is what makes Northview’s initiative unique. In order to feel more positive and confident about their profession, our teachers are taking a keen interest in supporting the initiative, which was developed as a result of our Organizational Scan. The teachers are inspired by new ideas and anxiously awaiting an opportunity to share at our upcoming “Best Practices” learning session. What’s even more unique about the Professional Development (PD) initiative is the concept that we are offering authentic learning experiences for our teachers, identical to what we expect our teachers to do for our students. We are encouraging our leaders in our community, teacher leaders, and aspiring teacher leaders to share and spread the wealth of knowledge. Thus far, we have received the encouraging words, leadership, and guidance of Amy Booms, Humanities Specialist, as she most recently led our Differentiation Lunch and Learn Session. We have also enjoyed the leadership and guidance of Abby May, STEM specialist, as she reminded us of how “Flipping a Classroom” can really make a world of difference for many students, as well as extend the class working period. Nevertheless, what makes the initiative distinctive is that, while we do utilize our outside resources, we also rely on our teacher leaders to share their best practices-proven to drive success. Northview is
determined to keep up with the latest teaching techniques, reviews of best practices, and current technology by using our resources. Our teachers are inspired by the new ideas and skills they inquire during the Lunch and Learn sessions, but most importantly is the benefit to our students' education; It means our students will always receive the most up to date and highest standards of teaching from the greatest teachers on Parsons Road.

Take a peek at our upcoming menu of Professional Learning Sessions:

The Barnwell PTA hosted our first annual Publix Math Night on Tuesday, September 17 from 5:00 PM - 7:00 PM at our favorite Publix store at Haynes Bridge Village at the corner of Haynes Bridge
& Old Alabama. We had a fantastic turnout, with all grade levels well-represented at the event. Our PTA worked with our school administration
and Publix management to facilitate inter-active math activities and math-themed grocery scavenger hunts throughout the store, coupled with fun treats for the whole family. The event was free of charge. The Publix crew is also sponsoring and serving treats at Barnwell Elementary School
on October 3 to the 1st grade class and 4th grade class that tied for the highest participation during the event. Thank you Barnwell PTA, and thank you, Publix! 

Friday, October 4th from 5:30pm—8:00pm

                    Save the Evening!

During a week- long Plastic and Recycling Awareness Week, Northwood students achieved the following objectives:

• They gained a greater understanding of threats facing a variety of organisms and understood how they can personally play a more important role in reducing plastic pollution and increasing recycling rates.
• Students became more aware of the effects of plastic pollution on living organisms and the simple changes that they can incorporate in their daily lives to reduce plastic consumption
• They gained a greater understanding of the different types of plastics.

Throughout the week, students brought in plastic trash from home.  The event culminated with a school pride assembly in which students constructed an art sculpture with plastic trash.  The students voted to build a sea turtle because it is truly endangered due to the amount of plastic trash we throw into our seas and oceans. 
The event was attended by officials from the City of Roswell and the Northwood Community. 

River Eves students will participate in their annual
Science Day on October 11.  Students have
a day dedicated to hands on science experiments.  The highlight of the day is the "egg drop."  In preparation for Science Day, each student or groups of students will use a limited number or materials to build a protective vessel for an egg. Each vessel will be dropped from the top of the school to test their durability.

(2) Develop Student Communication Skills
(3) Foster Student Leadership

We are now looking into ways to reorganize our
current resources or request "flexibility" from state/system rules to help us achieve these goals. In addition, our SGC will be applying for additional "Seed" funding which the state made available to Fulton County as part of the system charter initiative. We are excited to look at doing things differently and look forward to reshaping Shakerag over the next few years to meet our long-term goals. 

Looking for some outdoor fall fun? Shakerag's annual and amazing Fall Carnival is
October 19th from 3:00 - 7:00 PM. Take a break from the college football games and come out to Shakerag and join in the festivities! We'll have all the traditional carnival activities, including face-painting, cake-walk, bounce houses, pony rides, zip lines, as well as laser tag, human hamster balls, and our incredible raffle baskets! We also have lots of food, from traditional hamburgers and pizza to Korean and Indian favorites. Tickets are available at the gate - credit cards accepted!

Kindergarten, 2^nd, and 4^th graders participated in the Night Sky program during Science Force, a PTA volunteer program focused on providing students with hands-on learning.  The Science Lab was turned into a planetarium, and students explored topics such as astronaut food supplies and equipment, relative distances of planets,
classification systems for identifying moon rocks, and creating their own “candy” mini solar system.  Through the laboratory experience, students
experience inquiry based learning, thinking creatively, using scientific tools appropriately, reporting and recording data, and investigating the natural world around them.

With these results, we developed professional learning courses to support Hillside’s Title 1 School Improvement Plan/Goals in the areas of mathematics and reading for EL students.  These courses will be conducted once a month by level of integration and shared during grade level PLC meetings.  For teachers at the Infusion and Transformation levels, we will present a proposal to incorporate B.Y.O.T.  (Bring Your Own Technology) in mathematics and reading.  The purpose is for students to utilize their personal technology devices so they can learn new ways to use them for collaborating and interacting with their teachers and each other to research information, solve complex problems, create original products, and publish their work. 

Outline of Practice

1. The technology integration is embedded in the daily and weekly lesson plans.
2. The technology grade level team member will be conduct PLC learning opportunities once a month by level on integration and share best practices and instructional technology during grade level PLC meetings.

3. Technology Support person will support instructional technology as well as the mechanical support on a continual basis.

Over the next seven months, these students will continue to learn about leadership in Leader Labs which will focus on building the following core leadership principles: Vision and Values, Service Leadership, Teamwork, Communication, Innovation, Impact, and Next Steps. They will also work together to create
"impact community service projects" that will be implemented at each designated school site. The Humanities Department is looking forward to working
with these student leaders to transform our schools and our communities. We hope to expand the program and include more of our schools next year. For more informaiton check out their website: http://www.chickfilaleaderacademy.com/.

During these monthly sessions, we will cover the following topics (but not limited to): Writing Measureable Goals & Objectives, Preparing
Quality IEP’s, Instructional Strategies and Best Practices, Co-Teaching, Assistive Technology Resources for the classroom (co-taught and resource), Data Collection & Compliance, and Differentiate Instruction. We will also have time to break into “job alike roles” to brainstorm and support each other.

At Holcomb Bridge, I am supporting the math teachers with best practices based on the instructional strategies standard in TKES, as well as observing classrooms and collaboratively planning with teachers.

At Esther Jackson, I am working with the CST to support continuous achievement, conducting walkthroughs and collaboratively planning with teachers to most effectively work with two levels of students in one classroom.

Finally, at Hillside, I am  excited to support the school-based math coach in her work with data and improving the analysis and planning of student work to guide
instruction.

May 2013: http://padlet.com/wall/northeastlcmay13

June 2013: http://padlet.com/wall/northeastlcjune13

August 2013: http://padlet.com/wall/northeastlcaug13

September 2013: http://padlet.com/wall/northeastlcsept

Note the themes is this month’s edition:

Serving Community/Leadership-
River Eves, Northwood, River Trail Johns Creek & Centennial

College & Career Readiness-
Chattahoochee, Taylor Road, Abbotts Hill & Esther Jackson

Technology
Haynes Bridge, Autrey Mill

Connecting Content to the Real World-

Holcomb, Barnwell, Dolvin, Medlock, State Bridge & Wilson Creek

These are the questions our Cohort 1 principals have been discussing with their leadership teams and School Governance Councils for the past few months. By September 30^th, these schools will have finalized their School Strategic Plans, 3-year guiding documents that set the goals and direction for the future. They are turning their attention now to the Request for Flexibility (RFF) process, through which they can apply for waivers from state law or district policy in order to implement new or unique initiatives in their schools. All RFF proposals will be ready for public comment by November 11!

Coming soon to a Cohort 2 school near you: School Governance Councils! We have 11 Northeast schools joining Cohort 2. They are Chattahoochee High School, Dolvin ES, Haynes Bridge MS, Holcomb Bridge MS, Johns Creek HS, Medlock Bridge ES, Ocee ES, River Trail MS, State Bridge Crossing ES, Taylor Road MS and Wilson Creek ES. These schools have been hosting community information sessions to spread the word about what it means to be in the Charter System and how parents and teachers can run for positions on their School Governance Councils (SGC). Individuals interested in running for a SGC position must declare their candidacy by October 15. Elections will take place November 13-19. Spread the word and get out the vote!