SCHOOL NOTES
March/April 2023
Whatawonderfulschoolyearithas been!Itisdifficulttobelieve graduationisalmosthereand anothergroupofamazingseniors willbeleavingthehallsofCamden CountyHighSchool.Asaformer principalofCCHS,Ihavehadthe pleasureofseeingmanymembersof theClassof2023growupinour schools.Theseoutstandingyoung menandwomenhavenotonly madetheirmarkonourschool systembutalsoonourcommunity
IsalutethemembersoftheClassof 2023whohavechosenapathof servicebyjoiningthearmedforces. Icongratulatethestudentswho havechosentopursuehigher educationaftergraduation.I applaudthestudentswhohave workedduringtheirhighschool yearstogainvaluabletradeskills thatwillservethemwellasthey begintheircareersinour community. Thepathofeachofourgraduates maybedifferent,butthevery importantroletheywillplayin forgingthefutureofour communityandnationareequally important
Congratulationsonajobwelldone!
SCHOOL NOTES MAGAZINE 01
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A M E S S A G E F R O M T H E S U P E R I N T
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Dr. John Tucker
CCS Website UPCOMING EVENTS May CONTACTS AT A GLANCE Central Administrative Offices Social Media 5 - School Lunch Hero Day 8-12 - Teacher Appreciation Week 10 - National School Nurse Day Follow us! www.camden.k12.ga.us 311 South East Street Kingsland, Georgia 31548 Phone: (912) 729-5687 Hours: 8:00 am - 4:30 pm 02
Regular meetings of the Board of Education are held at 6:00 p.m. on the second Tuesday of each month in the Board Conference Room of the Camden County Schools Administrative Office located at 311 South East Street in Kingsland, Georgia A work session may be held on the Thursday preceding the regular meeting, starting at 6:00 p m Visit www camden k12 ga us to view the Board of Education meeting agendas and minutes.
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O A R D O F E D U C A T I O N
Jimmy Coffel Vice - Chairman District 3
Jonathon Blount Chairman District 4
Allison Murray District 2
Mark Giddens District 5
Jason Chance District 1
B O A R D O F E D U C A T I O N
At our March Board meeting, Camden County High School's Chorus serenaded our Board members as a thank you for all of their hard work and dedication to Camden County Schools We recognized the CCHS All State Chorus, the Camden County System winners for Young Georgia Authors, CCHS FCCLA top place finishers, and our February Teachers of the Month Students from Kingsland Elementary presented our Board members with gifts for School Boards Appreciation Week and also presented the Character Education Word of the Month, which is FORGIVE!
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M A R C H M E E T I N G
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AtourMarchBoardmeeting,werecognizedmanyamazingstudentsandteachers Camden CountyHighSchool'sHelenRuffinReadingBowlTeamwasrecognizedforwinning1stPlacein theregioncompetitioninValdosta,theCCHSFBLAClubontheirregionalcompetition winnings,andtheCCHSDECAprogramstudentsontheirstatecompetitionwinnings. CamdenMiddleSchoolwasrecognizedforbeingselectedas1of8schoolsinthestatetoreceive theMilitaryFlagshipSchoolAward TeachersoftheMonthwererecognizedforalloftheir hardworkanddedicationtoCamdenCountySchools StudentsfromCrookedRiverElementarySchooldidagreatjobpresentingtheCharacterWord oftheMonth-HUMILITY!
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L M E E T I N G
P R I
PURPLE UP!
FOR MONTH OF THE MILITARY CHILD "TakingCareofOurMilitaryChildren"
"Celebrating
– @nsfamilyline
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children who bloom where they are planted."
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NATIONAL CHAMPION
CAMDEN COUNTY HIGH SCHOOL NJROTC RIFLE TEAM
CamdenCountyHighSchoolNJROTCRifle
TeamtraveledtoCampPerry,Ohiotocompete inthe2023JROTCNationalAirRifle
ChampionshipAfteranexcitingandeventfultwo daycompetition,theteamfinishedin3rdplace.
JordanDeJesusfinishedin1stplaceforthe individualNationalChampionshipThisisthe firsttimein15yearsacadetfromaNavyschool haswontheindividualchampionship
This tournament began in the fall of 2022 with over 6,500 cadets from all services participating in the preliminary round. Eight hundred athletes qualified for their service championships - Army, Navy, Air Force, and Marines. Championships were in three locations - Alabama, Ohio, and Utah. Two hundred athletes qualified for the National Championship in Camp Perry
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MAMIE LOU GROSS CELEBRATES ONE SCHOOL, ONE BOOK
MamieLouGrossfollowedtheReadtoThem organizationprogramOneSchool,OneBook, whereabookisselectedandeachstudentinthe schoolreceivedacopytoreadathomeasa family.Whenstudentswereatschool,they celebratesandexploredTheAdventuresofa SouthPolePig withtheirteachersand classmates Thisstrategywasdesignedto reinforcereadinginstruction,increaseparental involvement,bridgethehome-school connection,andbuildatruecommunityof readers.
Incelebrationoffinishingtheirnovel,Camden MiddleSchool'sFFAprogramsponsoredbyMrs. KarynChester,broughtgoats,bunnies,chicks, andapigforthestudentstosee!
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SUGARMILL ELEMENTARY CELEBRATES SPRING FEST 2023
Matilda Harris Elementary first graders had a blast on their trip to the Jacksonville Zoo! These students worked very hard researching animals and animal needs. After their research was completed, their culminating activity was to see the animals in person that they researched
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L I O N S & T I G E R S & F I R S T G R A D E R S O H M Y !
CROOKED RIVER TEACHER MAKES A DIFFERENCE
JulieKleinisa3rdgrademathandscienceteacher atCrookedRiverElementarySchool,but studentsaren'ttheonlyonessheisteaching.In herfreetime,shealsovolunteersatSoutheastern GuideDogs,wheresheraisesservicepuppiesto onedayhelpsomeoneinneed.
Herfirstdogtoraise,Shasta,wastrainedasa guidedogandthenasanursingdog.Crooked RiverhadherheartSheloveditsomuchthatshe decidedtocomeback.Shenowhasapermanent placeasatherapydogandisalwayshereforlove andcuddles
ThentherewasShadow,hewasMrsKlein’s secondpuppytoraise.Hewaswithherforjusta shorttimeandisnowabreederforSEGD.This meanshispuppieswillberaisedtoonedaytobe
aguidedogorservicedogforsomeoneinneed. Henrywasthesweetestpuppytoraise.He returnedtoSEGDtoreceivehisformaltrainingto beaguideorservicedog.Hewillbeamazingat whateverpathhechooses.
ThenMrs.Kleinpickeduppuppynumberfour. LastyearCrookedRiverElementarystaff, students,andtheirfamiliesraisedmoneyfor SEGDwiththehelpoftwogenerousdonorswho matchedwhattheyraisedTheyendedupraisinga totalamountof$5,000forSEGD.Becauseofthe amounttheyraised,theyweregiventheprivilege ofnamingpuppynumberfourCrookedRiver studentsvotedonthenameRiver.Thispuppy,no matterwhatpathhechooses,willalwaysrepresent theCrookedRiverElementaryfamily
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"CHANGING THE WORLD, ONE DOG AND ONE LIFE AT A TIME."
R E A D A C R O S S D A Y
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MATILDA HARRIS SHAMROCKED QUARTERLY READING GOALS
Matilda Harris Elementary students reached their quarterly reading goals and celebrated with a St. Patrick's Day parade!
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Georgia School Nutrition Program Showcases 2021 Fueling Georgia's Future Student Chef Competition
Winners'
Recipe
St.MarysMiddleSchoolandthe CamdenCountySchoolNutrition ProgramwelcomedChefRachel Petraglia,ChefMichaelDuBose,and FarmtoSchoolSpecialist,Dorothy Dupree,fromtheGeorgiaSchool NutritionProgramintothekitchenon April19thtorecognizeSMMS8th graders,MadelineDixonand CharmaineWestcottandalsoshowcase theirwinningrecipe-Blueberry CapreseSalad-whichisasoontobe USDAapprovedrecipe
Atthetimeofthecompetition, MadelineandCharmainewerejust6th gradersatSMMS Sincewinningthe competition,theUSDAbeganthe approvalprocess.
Tryoutyourownchefskillsand MadelineandCharmaine'sdelicious BlueberryCapreseSaladrecipe
TEACHERS OF
EVERYDAY IN CLASSROOMS ACROSS TEACHERS WORK TIRELESSLY TO STUDENT IN OUR SCHOOLS. LET'S AND APPLAUD OUR MARCH
Debbie Tennyson Lisa Silveous
Jennifer Hutchinson
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Patrice Jackson Tiffany Schwarting Latonya Belton
St. Marys Elementary School Mary Lee Clark Elementary School Sugarmill Elementary School
March
Matilda Harris Elementary School Crooked River Elementary School David L. Rainer Elementary School
THE MONTH
CAMDEN COUNTY, OUR ENSURE THE SUCCESS OF EVERY TAKE A MOMENT TO RECOGNIZE TEACHERS OF THE MONTH!
Juanita Clark Jenny Jackson
Terrie Walker
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Leigh Van Osdol Lindsey DiLeo Sara Evans
Kingsland Elementary School
Mamie Lou Gross Elementary School Woodbine Elementary School
St. Marys Middle School Camden Middle School
Camden County High School
TEACHERS OF
EVERYDAY IN CLASSROOMS ACROSS TEACHERS WORK TIRELESSLY TO STUDENT IN OUR SCHOOLS. LET'S AND APPLAUD OUR APRIL
Danielle Blomely
Diana Crews
Jordan Rieling
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Laura Curtis Ashley Cribbs
Abigail Williams
St. Marys Elementary School
Mary Lee Clark Elementary School Sugarmill Elementary School
April
Matilda Harris Elementary School Crooked River Elementary School David L. Rainer Elementary School
THE MONTH
CAMDEN COUNTY, OUR ENSURE THE SUCCESS OF EVERY TAKE A MOMENT TO RECOGNIZE TEACHERS OF THE MONTH!
Jamie Kilpatrick
Brianna Harris
Julia Williams
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Chris Dougherty Zachary Marx
Wendy Pheil
Kingsland Elementary School
Mamie Lou Gross Elementary School Woodbine Elementary School
St. Marys Middle School
Camden Middle School
Camden County High School
WOODBINE ELEMENTARY CAREER DAY
On March 30th, Woodbine Elementary School buzzed with excitement, and it wasn't because spring break was just two days away A variety of community members shared their time and talents with the students and staff at the school as Woodbine Elementary hosted Career Day.
Studentshadtheopportunitytoparticipatein presentationsfromlocallawenforcementagency representativesfromtheDepartmentofNatural Resources GameWardenErrollHallallowedstudentsto climbaboardaboatthatMarineeducatorCateWilliams sharedwithstudentsandteachersexamplesoflocal marineanimals,includingalivehorseshoecrab.
TheCamdenCountySheriff'sofficegavestudents insightabouttheirvariouscareersinlawenforcement withpresentationsfromSheriffJimProctor,theCamden CountyK-9unit,theEmergencyResponseTeam,and theSearchandRescueunit.Severallocalresource officers,includingLt.KizziKnight,OfficerAnita Chavez,OfficerDavidMills,andOfficerChrisKessler allowedstudentstotakeatouroftheCHAMPStruck whichisusedtoeducateandpromotewaystodealwith peerpressureandbullying.CaptainCedricBrown, MajorKevinChaney,OfficerMickBlaquiere,Officer JoshHarman,andOfficerRobDuckworth demonstratedsomeofthevehiclesandequipmentthey useineachoftheirlawenforcementcareers
TylerMurrayfromtheagriculturedepartmentat CamdenCountyHighSchooldelightedstudentsand staffalikewithsomeofhisfarmanimals,includingtwo hogs,acalf,asheep,andtheadorabletwo-month-old goatnamedElvis.Heexplainedtostudentsaboutthe carethatisrequiredforthedifferentanimals
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AdariusJonesandShellySimpsonfromCut MastersinKingslandshowedstudentssomeof thetoolsoftheirtradeandquizzedstudentson somebarberhistory Theyexplainedhowtheir careersallowsthemtointeractwithclients whilestillhavingfun.Localsalonownerof SouthernRootsandhairstylistAshleyKelley explainedhowshechosehercareerandthe coursesshehadtocompletetobeastylist TamaraFry,aWoodbineElementaryteacher, thirdgradestudentSloaneWalker,andfourth gradestudentAvaWhitleyreceivedhaircutsin frontclassesofstudentstodemonstrateAshley's talents.
AngieHalliwellfromtheMakeryonLeeStreet demonstratedforstudentshowmaterialscanbe repurposedandturnedintoart.Studentsgotto sharetheirownwishesfortheirfuturecareers bydecoratingawoodenpaintedcrawfishwith Mrs.Halliwell.Theyalsogotseesomesomeof thetoolssheusesandfinishedartprojectsfrom hershopinKingsland
Studentslearnedabouttheresponsibilitiesand benefitsofbeingaflightattendantwhenLauren WalkerfromFrontierAirlinessharedher experiencewithstudents Theyhadachanceto learnaboutsomeoftheproceduresshehasto followtoensurepassengersafety.Inaddition, studentswereabletoseesomeofherfavorite placesthatshehasbeenabletovisitthankstoher career
AssistantCamdenCountyHighSchoolfootball coachDanielMockpumpedupstudentsby sharinghispassionforfootballandcoaching.He hadstudentspracticesomeofthetechniqueshe usesformotivatinghisfootballplayers Students alsogottoseehisfivefootballchampionship ringsfromhisdaysofcoachingatUniversityof CumberlandinKentuckyandMiddleGeorgia StateUniversity
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LocalpharmacistandownerofWoodbine Pharmacy,RyanManning,sharedwhateducational backgroundwasrequiredandthecharactertraitsit takestobeapharmacist.SheisaformerCCHS graduateandearnedherundergraduatedegreefrom UniversityofGeorgia,andsheattendedpharmacy schoolatMercerUniversity.
Studentsgottoseesomeofthesafetyequipment
U.S.Navysubmarinersuseintheircareers.Executive OfficerLt AaronKalfusandChiefKaylieChandler ofKingsBayNavalBaseTridentTrainingFacility sharedtheirexperiencesinthemilitarywith students.RetiredMasterChapmangavestudents insightintoacareerintheUS Navy,aswellas,his timeasaROTCinstructoratCamdenCountyHigh School.
FirstrespondersfromtheCamdenCountyFireand Rescuedepartmentgavestudentstheopportunityto seesomeofthelifesavingsafetyequipmenttheyuse daily Firefightersandemergencymedical techniciansallowedstudentstoexperienceallofthe elementsofafirerescuetruckandanambulance.
Studentsgottolearnaboutdifferentaspectsof thehealthcareindustrybyhearing presentationsfromdifferentworkers.RNGina Copeland,DirectorofEmergencyDepartment attheBrunswickandCamdencampusesof SoutheastGeorgiaHealthSystem,explained abouthowhercareerallowshertoworkwith peopleandtakecareofpatientswhichshe loves Becauseofherleadershiprole,shegetsto takecareofherteamofnurses,andshefeels privilegedtogettohaveacareerinnursing.
Adentistof41years,Dr.RobertBairdshared withdifferentclassesabouthiscareerandthe importanceofdentalhygiene Dr Bairdhas beenadentistinWoodbineforalmost41years afterheandhiswifemovedtotheareawhen hegraduatedfromdentistryschoolfrom EmoryUniversity
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Fourthandfifthgradestudentswereexcited tolearnaboutwhatittakestobeaYouTuber withapresentationfromtechnology instructionalspecialistDr SabrinaSterling Shesharedhowitispossibletomakemoneyas aYouTuberandhowmuchworkand dedicationittakes.Shesharedwithstudents someoftheeye-catchingfeaturesthatare usuallycommonamongsuccessfulYouTube channels Theyevenhadtheopportunityto learnaboutdifferentwayspeoplemakemoney andseehowmanyclicksonaYouTube channelitwouldtakeforthemtomakea significantincome
Former Woodbine Elementary school student, florist, and business owner of Southern Bouquet Tia Sanchez delighted students and teachers by demonstrating how she selects flowers and greenery of different colors and sizes to make an appealing arrangement. She created a gorgeous floral arrangement using the color scheme of Woodbine Elementary School which the office proudly displayed in the front office
Thank you to all of the guest presenters who gave their time to share their careers. Additionally, Woodbine Elementary would like to express their gratitude to Samantha Dixon and Melanie Sutton from Camden County High School for helping coordinate this career day!
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On Wednesday, April 12th, State Superintendent Richard Woods traveled to Camden County to recognize Camden Middle School as one of eight schools in the state of Georgia to win the 2022-2023 Military Flagship School Award. The Military Flagship School Award recognizes schools going above and beyond to provide a supportive environment for military students and families. Military Flagship Schools provide specific outreach to military families and recognize and accommodate their unique needs "Here in Georgia, we are committed to supporting our military families and having the most military-friendly schools in the nation," Superintendent Woods said "The Military Flagship School Award shines a light on those schools that go above and beyond to serve and support militaryconnected students and their families -
C A M D E N M I D D L E
I offer each school my sincere thanks and congratulations."
At Camden Middle School, a full-time Military Family Life Counselor is available to assist with the stressors and concerns that are often unique to military families. A Connections Club is in place to welcome new students, support military families, and make the school a friendlier place - members trained as ambassadors give school tours and distribute welcome kits to students. The School Liaison Officer offers a military family school tour each year, offering services including school communication, transition services, special needs navigation, deployment support, and more.
Additionally, the Kings Bay command at the Strategic Weapons Facility Atlantic (SWFLANT) has adopted CMS as their school for the 2022-2023 school year. They volunteer with robotics, tutoring, mentoring, and special events.
CTAE SPOTLIGHT
On April 12th, Camden County Fire and Rescue Deputy Chief Boyett presented Camden County High School/CTAE Department with a fully functioning, fully stocked ambulance for instructional use in the Health Occupations Pathways. Camden County High School CTAE and Camden County Fire and Rescue developed a working partnership two years ago to train students to become future EMTs Camden County Fire and Rescue personnel volunteers instructional time three days per week during the spring
semester to help prepare students for the EMT Certification This partnership has grown over the past two years and students at Camden County High School are now able to sit for the NREMT and Georgia State EMT B certification exam if they meet qualifications at the end of their Emergency Medical Responder class. This generous donation will give students the opportunity to learn hands on in a real world setting Thank you Camden County Fire and Rescue for investing in our students!
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St. Marys Elementary Introduces Bookworm Vending Machine
Candyorchipsarenottheoptionforthis vendingmachine!StudentsatSt.Marys ElementarySchoolhavetheopportunitytoearn "BookWorm"coinstoshopforabookoftheir choiceinthenewBookwormVendingMachine.
Eachmonthfortheremainderofthisschoolyear, teachersineachgradelevelnominateastudent whohasshowngreatPBISbehaviorsintheir classrooms.Thosebehaviorsincludebeing responsible,beingrespectful,andbeingsafe throughouttheschoolbuilding.InMarch,the firstrecipientsofbooksincluded12students,and theAprilcountwillbeevenmore!
ThisopportunitywasprovidedthroughCamden CountySchools'TitleIprogramtoimpactall studentsinSt MarysElementarySchool!
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WE ALL HAVE A PART TO PLAY IN KEEPING OUR SCHOOLS SAFE THERE IS A SAFE AND ANONYMOUS WAY FOR YOU TO REPORT CONCERNS ABOUT BULLYING, WEAPONS, SCHOOL VIOLENCE, OR A FRIEND'S WELLBEING. 35 THE CARE TEAM AT SECURLY IS AVAILABLE 24 HOURS A DAY. 1-833-300-STOP WWW.SECURLY.COM/TIP TIPLINE@SECURLY.COM SCHOOL NOTES MAGAZINE
PowerSchool MobileApp
GetGrades,Assignments, andParentAlerts SentStraighttoYour Phone.
CountyCode: HJCG
Free Download for Apple and Android Devices.
SMILING FACES WANTED (We will train you to do the rest.) Visit www.camden.k12.ga.us to learn more. The Camden County School System makes all employment decisions without regard to race, creed, color, national origin, sex, age, religion, or disability.
