May 7, 2021
A Message from Superintendent North
As Teacher Appreciation Week draws to a close, I hope that our teachers and all those who work directly with children feel loved and valued. You are the glue that has held us together this year. In a year like no other, you forged ahead and made the best of dual teaching, social distancing and wearing masks in your classrooms. You ensured that learning took place every day, even though it looked different from any previous year. I applaud your resilience. You have made a difference in the lives of your students.

National School Nurse Day will be observed on May 12. In a normal year, I would honor you for caring for our children when they are sick or injured. This year, you did much more. Our school system could not have made it through COVID-19 without your dedication. You mastered the art of contact tracing, you kept our students and staff safe during a pandemic and you vaccinated our employees.

Thank you to our teachers and school nurses. I look forward to continuing our important work together in 2021-2022.
Ten Seniors Named GA Scholars
Ten students from Douglas County were among a total of 323 graduating seniors from across Georgia to be recognized as 2021 Georgia Scholars, State School Superintendent Richard Woods announced on April 29.

Through the Georgia Scholar program, the Georgia Department of Education identifies and honors high school seniors who have achieved excellence in school and community life. Students eligible for Georgia Scholar recognition are high school seniors who exhibit excellence in all phases of school life, in community activities and in the home.

For information about each honoree, please click here.
Turner Partners with NASA for STEM Project

Turner Middle School ASP students are making history! Turner was one of only nine schools in Georgia to win a NASA STEM Engineering Design Challenge Grant.

Students in the 21st Century Focus After School Program worked extremely hard every afternoon on the project. Their project challenge, "Parachuting onto Mars," required that they develop a drag device to slow a spacecraft for entry, descent and landing onto the planet. Students also had an opportunity to meet online with a NASA expert.

Turner students have submitted their project and look forward to hearing feedback from the NASA expert review team!

The team advisors are Dr. Pierre Williams (seated) and Amber Jones. Student team members, left to right are: Mekhi Clarke, Nelson Ehirim, Chloe Willis, Jaylen Mayden, Brayden Paige.
CHMS Boys and Girls: County Track Champs
Congratulations to the Chapel Hill Middle School boys and girls track teams! Both teams went undefeated this season with a 16-0 record.

CHMS track teams have won 23 of the last 24 years of the Douglas County Middle School Track Championships. (The track season was canceled in 2020 due to COVID.)

"We are extremely proud of how the athletes responded at the DCMS Championship," said Head Coach Wynne Lougher. "We had numerous personal records during the meet, and I couldn’t be more proud of the 8th graders who led all season! Wildcats4life!” 

Coach Lougher was assisted by Cheyenne Maske and Elijah Ross.
Students Commit to Teaching the Upcoming Generation
Students at Alexander, Douglas County and Lithia Springs High Schools declared their intention to pursue a career in education during Future Educators Signing Day on May 4. The event is designed to build excitement around the teaching profession and is sponsored each year by the Georgia Department of Education.

Brooke Morris, who teaches Early Childhood Education and Teaching as a Profession at Alexander High School, said, "I always hope students will learn from being with me that the most important part of this career is to love kids well and make relationships first and foremost. I cannot wait to watch these students become educators and hopefully join our school system one day!"

Amanda Burross teaches Early Childhood Education at Douglas County High School. ""I am so proud of these students for working hard and for committing to going into education. They have shown they have the drive and passion to not only make a difference in their students' lives, but to also help improve the quality of education." 

At Lithia Springs High School, Early Childhood Education teacher Janee Talps is proud of Audrey Ward, who will major in education at Point University. "It was a pleasure to honor Lithia's signee, Audrey Ward, on her commitment to becoming a Future Georgia Educator. Not only will she be attending Point University to become a future educator, but she will also be one of their newest softball scholar athletes, as she also signed her softball scholarship on this day."
Pictured on signing day from Alexander High School are Carrie Cochran, far left, teacher of Family and Consumer Sciences, and, far right, teacher Brooke Morris. Students and the colleges they will attend include, left to right, McKindsey Wasno, Georgia Highlands College; Jasmine James, Kennesaw State University; Brooke Hamilton, Brewton Parker College; Lacey Sexton, University of West Georgia; and Savannah Phillips, University of West Georgia. Not pictured is Brooklyn Morales, University of West Georgia.
At Douglas County High School, three students committed to becoming educators. Pictured left to right are Alexa Robles, University of Georgia; JoAnna Mobley, Valdosta State University; and Trevyon Brown, Norfolk State University.
Janee Talps, Early Childhood Education teacher at Lithia Springs, stands with her signee, Audrey Ward, on right. Audrey will major in education and play softball for Point University. Audrey's mother is also pictured.
An Important Message for Families of Children with Special Needs
Parents and guardians of children with disabilities may apply for reimbursement of expenses incurred while providing a quality education for their children during COVID-19.

For a press release about the Applications for Families of Children with Special Needs Reimbursement from Governor Brian Kemp, please click here.

For the application, please click here.
Foundation Awards Over $73,000 in Scholarships to Douglas County Students
The Douglas County School System (DCSS) announces the awarding of $73,100 in college scholarships by the Douglas County Education Foundation (DCEF). Scholarship winners include 51 students from all five DCSS high schools, as well as the College and Career Institute (CCI).
 
The Douglas County Education Foundation is honored to offer the Ashley & Mandy Eaton Scholarships this academic year. Their scholarships awarded nearly $30,000 to 11 scholarship awardees.  “My husband and I believe it is important to invest in our future leaders of America. We enjoy giving a helping hand to those who truly have smart, talented, driven kids, but just can’t afford to send them to school," says Mrs. Mandy Eaton. 

Criteria for consideration for DCEF scholarships include major, high school, volunteerism, financial need, participation in sports, and other holistic factors. Most scholarships require a minimum grade point average (GPA) of 3.0, but some scholarships have no minimum GPA requirement.
 
The mission of DCEF is to benefit student success through the generation and dispensing of funds in order to “encourage, recognize and reward excellence in the students and staff of the Douglas County School System.”  For more information about DCEF, as well as their annual scholarship program, click here.
We Need Your Opinion
We ask you, our parents, employees and community members, to please take a few moments to share your experiences and thoughts about the Douglas County School System.
Your answers are an important factor in helping to shape the future DCSS communications and to ultimately benefit the students, teachers, parents and community of Douglas County. The survey deadline is today, May 7.

Thank you in advance for your time!

It's Time to Register for Kindergarten and Kindergarten Camp!
Kindergarten registration is now open! For information on documents required and a link for registration, click here.

Kindergarten Camp

July 19 - 22, our incoming kindergartners have the opportunity to attend camp at their school for four days. They will learn their way around the school, participate in fun activities, enjoy breakfast and lunch and get to know the kindergarten teachers. They will be ready to learn on the first day of "real" school!

After you register your child for kindergarten and receive an application number, you may go to the Kindergarten Camp link below. You must be registered for kindergarten and have the application number before you can register for Kindergarten Camp.

We are very excited to welcome the Class of 2034 to the DCSS family!

School Nurses: Keeping Us Safe and Healthy
Thank you to our school nurses for your outstanding service to our students and staff. In a year like no other, you have been our guiding light through COVID-19.
Thank you School Lunch Heroes!
Today is School Lunch Hero Day, and we appreciate all our school nutrition employees do for our schools. You nourish the lives of our students with your meals and your positive influence.
Fifth-grade student Lexi Shearouse excels in all her endeavors at Winston Elementary School (WES). She has an unquenchable zest for learning and is a leader with a heart for others. Teachers describe her as having a heart of gold with the attitude of an angel. If you meet Lexi, the first things you notice are her beautiful smile, unwaveringly positive attitude and thoughtfulness.
 
Lexi is Junior Beta Club president, a member of the Math Team, and recently placed second for WES in the Douglas County Elementary Science Fair. She has won the Young Georgia Authors (YGA) writing competition every year from 2017 to 2021 for WES and was a county YGA winner in second grade. Additionally, she represents her school for Youth Art Month, District Honor Chorus, and Georgia State Honor Chorus. She is currently working on a book, which she hopes to have published.
 
Teacher Michelle Hill says, “Lexi always stands out, not just for her academic excellence, but for her positive attitude towards everything she does. She possesses an infectious enthusiasm that makes everyone she encounters want to do more and be better. And what is even more impressive, despite all of her achievements and accomplishments, Lexi remains one of the humblest students I have ever taught.”
 
Congratulations, Lexi!
Upcoming Events
May 13: 6th Grade Orientation (Changed from May 6)
May 17: BOE Meeting
May 25, 26: Half Days for All Students
May 26: Semester Ends
May 26: Report Cards, Elementary Schools
May 26: LSHS Graduation, 8:00 p.m., LSHS Stadium
May 27, 28: Post Planning
May 27: DCHS Graduation, 8:00 a.m., NMHS Stadium
May 27: CHHS Graduation, 8:00 p.m., CHHS Stadium
May 28: AHS Graduation, 8:00 a.m., AHS Stadium
May 28: NMHS Graduation, 8:00 p.m., NMHS Stadium
May 31: Holiday for All
June 1, 2: Professional Learning
June 2: COVID Memorial Pinwheel Garden Ceremony, 10:00
June 4: Report Cards Mailed, Middle and High Schools
June 21: BOE Work Session/Board Meeting
Check out opportunities that are available in our area by clicking the Community Bulletin Board below!
Douglas County School System |770-651-2000 | response@dcssga.org | dcssga.org