Stay up to date on what is happening in Baldwin County School District by reading October's edition of the Baldwin Beat!
THE BEAT

October 31, 2020

In The News
Dr. Noris Price Selected as 2021 Georgia Superintendent of the Year Finalist
The Baldwin County School District is pleased to announce that Superintendent Dr. Noris Price has been named as a finalist for the 2021 Georgia Superintendent of the Year by the Georgia School Superintendents Association (GSSA). This is the second year in a row Dr. Price has been recognized by GSSA as a finalist for Superintendent of the Year.

The Board of Education staff pleasantly surprised her with a beautiful bouquet of flowers and thunderous applause as a way of congratulating her for being named as a finalist for this prestigious award.

Words cannot truly express how humbled I am to receive this incredible honor and recognition,” said Dr. Noris Price, “We are making progress as a school district and working hard to provide all of our students with a high-quality education that will prepare them for a bright future. I am thankful to have an exemplary school board, dedicated employees, great students, and supportive parents and community members.”

Each year, the Georgia School Superintendents Association calls for and accepts nominations from local school boards, Regional Education Service Agencies (RESA), business organizations and communities, and education colleagues from all over the state of Georgia. Dr. Price is one of four finalists for the title of Georgia Superintendent of the Year, which includes Michael Duncan of Pike County, Steve Smith of Bleckley County, and Jeff Bearden of Forsyth County. Georgia's four finalists have been singled out for their leadership abilities and their excellent skill set in working with their boards, staff, and local communities. Having outstanding communication skills seems to be a theme amongst this distinguished group of experienced educational leaders. They all face challenges and do so with high integrity and dynamic and supportive leadership styles. They have risen to the top of their profession for a very good reason. They all strive to create a kinetic and innovative educational environment for students to be successful.

The announcement for 2021 Georgia Superintendent of the Year will be made at the Georgia School Boards Association/GSSA Virtual Winter Conference in December. The Georgia Superintendent of the Year will compete for the National Superintendent of the Year, which will be announced in February 2021 at the AASA National Conference.
Baldwin County School District Named Charter System of the Year
The Baldwin County School District is pleased to announce that it has been named the 2020 Georgia Charter System of the Year by the Charter System Foundation. According to the Charter System Foundation, the recipient of the Charter System of the Year Award must demonstrate flexibility, innovation, commitment, and achievement.

Baldwin County Schools became a charter system in 2016 and has surpassed the criteria set forth for the recognition by demonstrating the following attributes: flexibility to change existing policies; practices and waivers to increase the academic level of students; innovation that encourages participation and collaboration by the Governance Team, Principal, Teachers, Students and Community; and achievement that demonstrates productive work of Local School Governance Teams that improves academics and student success.

In addition to the recognition as Charter System of the Year, the school district will also receive $10,000. Baldwin County Schools was recognized at the 2020 Virtual Awards Ceremony held on October 20, 2020. Click the link below to view a video highlighting the great attributes of the Baldwin County School District that has helped us become the Georgia Charter System of the Year.


Baldwin Students Selected for State School Superintendent's Student Advisory Council
BRAYLEN HOWELL
DAMIAN GARZA
Join us in congratulating Braylen Howell and Damian Garza for being selected to serve on the 2020-2021 State School Superintendent's Student Advisory Council. The Student Advisory Council is a group of students in grades 9-12 who discuss how decisions made at the state level are affecting students throughout Georgia. Members meet throughout the school year with State Superintendent Richard Woods and are advisors who act as liaisons between the Department of Education and the students of Georgia.

According to the Georgia Department of Education, more than 1,400 students applied to serve on the council. Superintendent Woods selected 64 students from across Georgia representing every Regional Education Service Agency district. Students were chosen based on the strength of their essay responses, which focused on their ideas for public education. The Baldwin County Schools has two representatives on the council out of the sixty-four students.

For Braylen Howell, a 10th grade Georgia College Early College student, this will be his second year in a row serving in this leadership role on behalf of Baldwin County. The topic for his essay submission was “Unfinished Business.” He expressed how he hoped to join Superintendent Woods and advocate for the testing waivers during the pandemic, develop a personal finance requirement for high school students, and promote mental health awareness in Baldwin and across the state.

This will be the first year that Damian Garza, a senior at Baldwin High School, will be joining the state student advisory council, and he sees it as a stepping stone to his future in politics. The main topic in his essay application for the State School Superintendent’s Student Advisory Council was on the under population of teachers in the classrooms and the overpopulation of students in the classroom.

Congratulations to Braylen and Damian. We are so proud of these two young men and their accomplishments!
BCSD has Second First Day of School for Remote Learning Students Returning to In-Person Instruction

The first day of school was so nice that we decided to do it twice! On Wednesday, October 21, a portion of our remote learning students returned to in-person instruction and experienced their first day of school in a traditional school setting for the 2020-2021 school year. Parents of virtual learners in Baldwin County's primaries, academies, and middle school grade levels were given the option to send their children to in-person instruction or remain in online learning at the end of the first nine weeks. The returning students found that classrooms looked a bit different from last year with extra safety precautions put in place, but they managed to settle into their class routines with help from their classmates and teachers. To view the gallery from the second first day of school, click the link below.


BCSD Celebrates Georgia Bus Drivers Appreciation Week with Tokens of Gratitude
The week of October 19-23 has been designated as School Bus Driver Appreciation Week and National Bus Safety Week. The Baldwin County School District spent the entire week showing our bus drivers, bus monitors, mechanics, and transportation office staff just how much we appreciate the tireless work and dedication they put into transporting our students safely to and from school every day of the school year. The school transportation department was treated with a hearty breakfast and custom made BCSD t-shirts.

The entire Baldwin County School Transportation Department is to be commended for its hard work during the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. When schools closed in the Spring and students were to finish the school year learning remotely, the transportation department, alongside the Baldwin County School Nutrition Department, continued to feed our students from the middle of March to the start of the school year in August. And our bus drivers rose to the challenge of making the school bus experience safer as the new school year began, installing hand sanitizing stations on buses, requiring mandatory masks, and making sure fewer direct contact between students was possible through seating arrangements, loading and unloading procedures. Also, our bus drivers are continuing to deliver meals to our students who are learning remotely on a daily basis.

Thank you all for what you do for our students! Our appreciation for you goes far beyond one week in October.

Midway Hills Academy Students
Stomp Out Bullying
Every October, schools, and organizations across the country join the STOMP OUT Bullying campaign by observing National Bullying Prevention Month. The goal of the initiative is to encourage schools, communities, and organizations to work together to stop bullying and cyberbullying and put an end to hatred and racism by increasing awareness of the prevalence and impact of all forms of bullying on all children of all ages. At Midway Hills Academy, students lead a campaign to stomp out bullying by organizing MHA's Unity Day, held Thursday, Oct. 22. Students and teachers wore purple, signed anti-bullying pledges, and lined the hallways with them in a show of solidarity against bullying.
BCSD Celebrates National School Lunch Week & National Farm to School Month
In observance of National School Lunch Week and National Farm to School Month, the Baldwin County School District found various ways to express our heartfelt gratitude to the Baldwin County School Nutrition Department for their continued commitment and dedication to providing healthy, nutritious meals to our students during the school year as well as throughout the summer months.


The COVID-19 pandemic has, without a doubt, shown just how incredibly important school meals are for students and their families. Our hardworking team of school nutrition workers have done a fantastic job keeping our children as well as area families fed amidst the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. When Baldwin County schools closed March 16th due to health precautions brought on by the coronavirus, the school district's nutrition department was faced with the challenge of creating alternative methods to provide meals to children; as a result, they implemented the summer meal program, which operates through delivery and on-site distribution process. Because of this resourcefulness, the school nutrition department was able to serve over 399,000 meals from March 17th through July 31st. This was an incredible feat and a success for both the school district and community during these uncertain times.

The Baldwin County School District commends the school nutrition staff for their efforts in overcoming the challenges brought on by the coronavirus outbreak to feed the children of the Baldwin County community.

Baldwin County Schools Celebrate Farm to School Month
Farm to School Month is an annual 31-day campaign to recognize, appreciate, and celebrate the connections happening across the country between kids, families and their community food systems. National Farm to School Month was designated by Congress in 2010, making this year’s campaign the 10th anniversary. This year’s theme is "It Takes a Community to Feed a Community". As schools, communities and food systems continue to be impacted by the pandemic, the national campaign encourages the community to use this year’s observance to honor all those individuals who contribute to feeding our kids and communities through these unprecedented times.

Aketi Mayweather, Wellness Coordinator for the Baldwin County School District created some fun and educational activities to help students celebrate Farm to School Month. From taste testing, virtual farm tours to farmer dress up day, Baldwin County Schools went above and beyond to celebrate Farm to School Month this year.
Farm to School Month Ends with Garden Tour
Farm to School Month ended with an official tour of the garden on Baldwin High School's campus. The objective of this event was to share with teachers how they can use the garden to promote learning. It is also served as an opportunity to invite the community and our partners to witness the progress that’s been made this year in the garden.
Midway Hills Primary Montessori Students
Work on Their Gardening Skills
The October weather has been perfect for the Montessori class at Midway Hills Primary to work on their gardening skills and tend to the class garden. Students watered plants and learned about what plants need in order to grow.
Baldwin High School Basketball Bravettes Lend Helping Hand to Local Church
While some students spent their Fall Break relaxing, the Baldwin High School Basketball Bravettes decided to use their break to help out in the community. The BHS Basketball Bravettes took time out of their fall break to assist the Union Baptist Church with their Farmers to Families food box distribution. Every Thursday, the local church gives away boxes of food to families in need. The BHS Basketball Bravettes helped out with the box distribution held at Walter B. Williams Jr. Park by placing large boxes of fresh produce into vehicles for people in the community who came out. Thank you, Bravettes, for being a supportive part of the Baldwin County community.
Oak Hill Middle School Shows Their Appreciation During
National School Lunch Week
In observance of National School Lunch Week, the school cafeteria staff of Oak Hill Middle School were treated with gift bags, sweet treats, and certificates of appreciation by Oak Hill Middle School administration, faculty and staff, PTO, and Junior Beta Club.

Lakeview Academy Students Learn More About School Resource Officer
School Resource Officer Deputy Holland stopped by the media center at Lakeview Academy to read "Police Officers are Our Friends" to Mrs. Jackson’s third grade class.
Lakeview Primary Student Demonstrates Positive Behavior
Lakeview Primary student Kaiden Caine was the school's first Positive Behavior Referral to the office. Students are recognized by their teacher for demonstrating the 3 Rs of Success: Be Respectful, Be Responsible, Be a Role Model. A shout out is given to students during the morning announcements, and Mrs. Clark, Lakeview Primary Principal, gives the parent a call to let them know what a great job they have done. Congratulations Kaiden. Thank you for demonstrating great positive behavior!
Georgia College Early College Kicks Off
Red Ribbon Week With Tik Tok Videos
For Red Ribbon Week, Georgia College Early College decided to make use of the social media video sensation of Tik Tok to begin their week of activities. In the Tik Tok video challenge, students were to submit videos and pictures with a message that encourages others to stay away from drugs. Activities held throughout Red Ribbon Week at GCEC also centered on various themes, such as a creative outfit challenge for Halloween that conveyed the message that students can't be tricked into taking drugs. All schools in the Baldwin County School District hosted different activities in observance of Red Ribbon Week, which is celebrated annually on October 23-31. It is the nation's oldest and largest drug prevention awareness program.
It's Harvest Time at the Early Learning Center
It's harvest time at the Baldwin County Early Learning Center and there's future shop owners among our students. The students in Mrs. Johnson and Ms. Pearson's class had buying and selling pumpkins in their new harvest center.
Donate Now to Support our Schools!
The Baldwin Charter School System Foundation serves as the primary fundraising tool to fund the REACH Scholars program, providing thousands in scholarship opportunities for students who represent the first of their families to have the opportunity to attend college. The foundation also supports employee and student recognition programs. Please support our schools, students, and teachers by making your tax- deductible contribution today.

Infinite Campus is the Baldwin County School District's new student information system and gaining access is easier than ever before. Simply follow the link to two videos that provide step by step instructions on how to create an account and login. You can also find this information by clicking the "Infinite Campus" link under the parents tab on www.baldwincountyschoolsga.org.

Download the MyStop App Today!
Never worry about where your child's bus is ever again! Thanks to the new and innovative technology that the Baldwin County School District has invested. As a result, parents of our students can now get real-time updates of their child's bus location through the MyStop app, which is available for download in the iTunes or Android marketplaces. 
MyStop provides parents, and parents only, a live look at their child's bus while in transit using GPS technology. Parents can see the exact location of the bus as it's moving along its route and can even provide an estimated time of arrival. 
District Social Media Links
Follow the links below to all of the social media networks for our respective schools in the district. Our Facebook and Twitter accounts are the best ways to stay up to date with the latest news and happenings in all of our schools. Give us a like or a follow and help share all the good news that is happening in the district every day!

Click the link below to access the Baldwin County Board of Education Board Meetings, Policies, Communications, and About Us. Our District Strategic Plan/School Improvement Plans are currently being revised for 2018-2023.     





BCSD
Baldwin High School
Early Learning Center
Georgia College Early College
Lakeview Academy
Lakeview Primary
Midway Hills Academy
Midway Hills Primary
Montessori Academy
Oak Hill Middle School