New Outdoor Learning Space at NMES!

October 16, 2020

New Picnic Tables Allow for Outside Learning

Donations of Time, Money Make Outdoor Classroom a Reality

New picnic tables at New Manchester Elementary School are making outside learning more enjoyable for students. The 12 new wooden picnic tables are now available for students to enjoy during lunchtime or lesson time.

Principal Keith Racine says after reviewing the COVID safety protocols with NMES leadership, they decided that picnic tables would make parts of the school day more enjoyable. The school’s Parent Teacher Association quickly moved into action by researching and purchasing additional picnic tables. The PTA coordinated with volunteers from the Tributary Community, who graciously came in one weekend to assemble the eight feet long picnic tables. The tables are a welcome addition for students, who enjoy using them during the school day.

“During this unprecedented time, it is a blessing to have community members always ready and willing to support our Eagle students and staff in any way that they can,” Principal Racine says. “I am truly grateful to be a New Manchester Elementary Eagle.”

Anatomage Virtual Technology Launches in Douglas County Classrooms

Teachers Bring Anatomy to Life Through Virtual Technology

Anatomage virtual dissection tables have launched in four high schools, making Douglas County students among the first in the state to embrace the cutting edge technology. The state-of-the-art technology has quickly become a valuable tool in medical schools, hospitals, and institutions around the globe. Only two other high schools in Georgia have access to this tool.

The tables allow students to interact with life-size, three-dimensional representations of human organs and body systems. Students can manipulate the images and zoom, rotate, dissect, and overlay multiple systems at once.

Healthcare Science Teacher Rebecca Lee has recently been using the tables at Douglas County High School to demonstrate the reproductive system and an ectopic pregnancy. Lee says it allows her to teach important concepts to students. “The students love the Anatomage table. It really brings our lessons to life. I am excited because this demonstrates Douglas County School System's commitment to embracing cutting edge technology and advancing quality instruction.”

K-12 Science, STEM & Computer Science Coordinator Casey Bethel says Douglas County students are already reaping the benefits of increased student engagement. “The Anatomage tables are bringing Anatomy and Physiology to life for the first time. It is even better than having The Bodies Exhibit right there in the classroom because students can peel back the layers of the body and zoom, rotate or dissect various organ systems themselves. DCSS is going above and beyond to create the health care professionals of the future.”

Not only will students use Anatomage this school year to explore human anatomy, they can also explore the anatomy of over 270 animals. Teachers are embracing the technology for students in healthcare-related career paths, where they can use more advanced features of the table like surgical technique and radiology. Because Anatomage’s content can be delivered virtually, students in all classes can benefit through virtualizations.

The four life-sized tables are available at Alexander, Chapel Hill, Douglas County and New Manchester High Schools. An additional table is anticipated for Lithia Springs High School this fall.

Click the video to see a segment of a recent lesson at Douglas County High School. In addition to showing features of the Anatomage table, the video also highlights the way our teachers are interacting with students in person and online simultaneously.

Help Kids Grow: Plant a Garden

MLES Golden Garden Is About Much More Than Growing Vegetables

“There are no gardening mistakes, only experiments.” Janet Kilburn Phillips

Garden coordinator and music teacher Natalie Murray and several MLES students were delighted by their morning’s discovery in the Golden Garden last year, prior to the pandemic and the mask mandate. Students pictured below were closely watching to see if the Monarch butterfly would emerge from the chrysalis during their class time.

Over six years ago, an overachieving Mirror Lake Elementary School (MLES) music teacher and art teacher visited a certified STEAM (science, technology, engineering, arts and math) school in Atlanta to learn innovative ways to incorporate STEM elements into their arts-abundant classrooms. Upon returning to MLES, they shared great ideas with the School Council and PTA, only briefly mentioning that the school they visited also had a garden. It was the garden, though, that struck a chord with the principal and PTA, and next thing you know, that music teacher, Natalie Murray, was transforming a grassy courtyard area outside her classroom door into a garden.

The Golden Garden name pays tribute to the region’s gold mining history. In the years since the first soil was tilled and seeds were planted, the Golden Garden has grown and blossomed in many unexpected ways!

Science is taught as seeds grow into flowers and food. Art is taught as students make stepping stones, bird houses and other garden adornments. English and language arts are taught as books are read in the garden. PE is taught as yoga is practiced and outdoor sports games are played. Music is taught as students parade through the garden playing instruments or singing. “We try to make it as interactive and fun as possible,” says Murray. “The students really enjoy learning through the garden program.” She notes that taste tests are a fun and important part of the program, too!

MLES has “Garden Fridays” when every grade level receives some type of instruction related to the garden. Lessons might include actual gardening concepts or teaching students about environmental stewardship, agriculture, pollination, healthy eating, etc. Guest speakers – before the coronavirus pandemic limited school visitors – included farmers, bee keepers and chefs.

Different community partners and donors have helped make the garden grow. Locally, the Master Gardener Association, Georgia Farm Bureau and Turner Feed & Seed have contributed to the Golden Garden. Their support, along with grants from Georgia Shape and Whole Kids Foundation, have added more garden beds, built a greenhouse, and ensured all students have access to basic gardening tools. The latest addition to the garden program is a hydroponic garden in the Media Center. “Currently, we are growing cherry tomatoes and herbs in the hydroponic garden,” says Murray. “This part of our program shows an alternative to outdoor gardening and how food can be grown year-round without using soil. All students can observe what is growing each time they enter the Media Center!”

The growth of the garden has come with some deserved renown for the school. “We’re on the Rosalyn Carter Butterfly Trail because of our conservation efforts for the endangered Monarch butterfly,” explains Murray. “We are also active with the Georgia Organics program, and we participate with the Douglas County School System School Nutrition program’s farm-to-school teaching efforts.” The farm-to-school efforts, according to Murray, helped School Nutrition win the prestigious platinum-level Golden Radish award last school year.

A lot of school gardens suffer during the summer months when students and staff are out of school, but not the Golden Garden. Interested families sign up to take a week to tend the garden. Watering is the minimum required, but most families enjoy the project time together and handle weeding and pruning, too.

“My favorite thing about the garden is seeing the beautiful butterflies and finding eggs and caterpillars on the milkweed,” says Kyle Roque, a 5th grader at MLES.

Paisley Nicholson, 3rd grade, says, “I love to go outside in the breeze and look for caterpillars!”

To keep up with the garden’s growth, “Like” The Golden Garden of Mirror Lake Elementary School Facebook page.

Douglas County Education Foundation Gives $14,000 Grant to Special Education Program

Grant Made Possible Through Support from

The John and Mary Franklin Foundation

The Douglas County Education Foundation (DCEF) awarded a $14,000 grant to Douglas County School System’s Special Education program. The grant will purchase a braille embosser and printer to be used by visually impaired students at Mason Creek Middle School.

The new equipment will allow students who are visually impaired to do all the assignments and read the same handouts as their peers. Embossers can print graphics, including pictures, maps, graphs, diagrams and other images. A student with a visual impairment can feel the raised lines and surfaces to sensorially process the same information that students who are sighted get through looking at the visual image.

DCEF was able to make the donation to Special Education through a grant received from The John and Mary Franklin Foundation of Atlanta. The Franklin Foundation has provided annual grants to DCEF for the past six years to sponsor assistive technology, also for the Special Education program, and Classroom Impact Grants for teachers across all grade levels.

“We are grateful to The Franklin Foundation for enabling us to support visually impaired students at Mason Creek Middle School,” said Tonya Jackson, DCEF board chair from 2018-2020. “The braille embosser and printer will last for a number of years, serving many classes of students. We also appreciate all The Franklin Foundation has done in many others areas for our school system.”

DCEF is a non-profit organization that raises funds from the private sector for the school system.

Pictured left to right are: DCEF Executive Director Angelia O’Neal, DCEF Immediate Past Board Chair Tonya Jackson; Assistive Technology Supervisor Melissa Mitcham; Special Education Director Cheryl Handley; DCEF Board Chair Rocky Clay; and Mason Creek Principal Dr. Tiffany Boyle.

Meet Our SRO: Taylor Neufeld

Taylor Neufeld, a police officer for over 10 years, serves as the SRO at South Douglas Elementary and Fairplay Middle School.

While working as an officer with the Atlanta Police Department, Officer Neufeld had the opportunity to work with the Atlanta Public Schools as an SRO.

"It was while working in that setting that I realized the need students had for a positive influence in their life," said Neufeld. "I wanted to be that positive influence and have a positive impact, specifically with the students. My goal is to help kids think for themselves and make positive decisions. My hope is that through my career, I can help every student be successful."

Officer Neufeld holds an associate degree in human relations from Point University. In his spare time, he enjoys spending time with his wife and children, hunting, woodworking, doing construction projects, and any other activity that involves being outdoors.

Just this week Officer Neufeld started a new program called "Helping Hands" at South Douglas Elementary. Students who are observed helping others are entered into a drawing. Officer Neufeld will draw names weekly and those students will receive a prize. Pictured are the first winners, Penelope and Trinitee!

Would You Like to Know Your Child's Teacher's Professional Qualifications?

Did you know that you may request information about the professional qualifications of your child's teachers and paraprofessionals? For information, please contact kim.johnson@dcssga.org. For the full letter outlining the information you may request, please go to link below.

Right to Know Professional Qualifications of Teachers and Paraprofessionals

Thank You to Our Bus Drivers!

School Bus Safety Week is October 19-23. Thank you to the approximately 220 bus drivers who keep our students safe every day!

The Magnet Application for 2021-2022

Is Now Ready!

ATTENTION 8th GRADERS AND PARENTS:

This year, 8th grade students may apply for any of the magnet programs at the five traditional high schools through one link:

Magnet Program Application for All Schools

As you fill out the application, if fields are not appearing, please refresh the application. If you run into problems, please reach out to the coordinator of the magnet program for which you are applying. You will find the contact information for the coordinator at each school in the timeline at the end of this article.

Information sessions about the magnet programs in all five high schools plus the CCI will take place in October and November. Please see the timeline for dates and times.

Timeline for Magnet Application Process

Podcasts about each program are available on the dcssga.org website. Look for the magnet news article on the home page. The deadline to apply is December 14.

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When a teacher interrupts instruction and asks the principal to come to the classroom, it usually indicates a problem. Turner Middle School (TMS) Principal Darron Franklin was recently asked to come to a classroom, but it was for a time of celebration! Angie Arita entered the Newcomers program last year and knew very little English. Now, she is fully engaged and communicates well both verbally and in writing! Angie even emailed Principal Franklin multiple times over the summer! Principal Franklin says Angie is a brilliant example of the effectiveness of the Newcomers program and the well-documented impact of the EL teacher, and other great teachers, at TMS. Angie’s desire and determination, in conjunction with caring and competent instructors, have put her on a path to much success!

Children enrolled in school in Douglas County and their younger siblings may once again receive a free Christmas gift through the generosity of the folks at Operation Christmas Douglas County.

To qualify, children must reside in Douglas County, be age 16 or younger, and receive free or reduced price lunch. This is a community effort and is not sponsored by the school system.

To register for this opportunity, please go to one of the links below. The deadline to register is November 6.

Registration in English

Registration in Spanish