Polk School District

🌟 Young Georgia Authors 🌟 Polk School District is proud to announce that two talented students have been selected in the 2024-2025 Young Georgia Authors regional competition, hosted by Northwest Georgia RESA. 🎉 Congratulations to Jud Forsyth and Isaac Reynoso! 🎉 Jud Forsyth is a 5th grade student at Eastside Elementary School. Isaac Reynoso attends Cedartown Middle and is in the 6th grade. The purpose of the Young Georgia Authors (YGA) writing competition is to encourage students to develop an enthusiasm for and expertise in their writing, to provide a context to celebrate their writing successes, and to recognize student achievement in arts and academics. This prestigious competition has been engaging Georgia students for over two decades and is open to any student currently enrolled in Georgia public schools, grades K-12. The competition is sponsored by the Georgia Language Arts Supervisors (GLAS) and the Georgia RESA Network. #psdproud #nwgaresa #younggeorgiaauthors

Happy School Board Appreciation Week to the PSD Board of Education! We appreciate your continued commitment and passion to serve the students and families of Polk County! 💛🖤❤️ #gaschoolboardappreciationweek

📢 Polk School District Proposed Bond Referendum – Early Voting Starts Today! 🗳️ Polk School District is committed to ensuring that our students and teachers have the resources and facilities they need to succeed. As part of that commitment, a bond referendum has been proposed to address critical facility projects across the district. Early voting begins today, and the special election will take place on March 18th. Our goal is to provide accurate, transparent information so that voters can make an informed decision. We encourage our community to review official resources and ask questions. For a full understanding of the proposed bond referendum, we are providing the following materials: 📄 FAQ Sheet – Answers to common questions 📢 Press Release – Overview of the bond referendum 📌 Informational Flyer – Key details at a glance We urge all eligible voters to take the time to learn the facts, ask questions, and participate in this important decision for our schools and community. Your voice matters! 📅 Early Voting: Now through March 14th 🗳 Special Election: Tuesday, March 18th For more information, visit our website: 🌐 https://www.polk.k12.ga.us/page/taxdigest Have questions? 📩 Email us at questions@polk.k12.ga.us Thank you for staying informed and engaged! We are #PSDProud 💛🖤❤️ #YourVoteMatters #InvestingInOurFuture

Join us in congratulating our 2024-2025 STAR students and teachers! The STAR Program is designed to recognize high school seniors who have the highest SAT score in their graduating class and meet all the other program requirements. The STAR Student chooses a STAR Teacher to recognize the educator who has had the biggest influence on their academic career. Congratulations to Maddox Minge (CHS) and Colby Wilson (RHS) for this distinguished achievement! We are #PSDProud 💛🖤❤️ Cedartown High School: Student - Maddox Minge Teacher - Jennifer Cupp Rockmart High School: Student - Colby Wilson Teacher - Nikki Worrell

❄️ Winter Weather Update & Safety Reminder ❄️ As part of our commitment to ensuring the safety and well-being of our students and staff, we are closely monitoring updates from state and local emergency management agencies regarding the forecasted winter weather that could impact our area tomorrow, Wednesday, February 19, 2025. We will provide updates if any developments occur. With extremely cold temperatures expected in the coming days, we encourage everyone to dress appropriately for the weather by wearing warm layers, coats, hats, and gloves to stay safe from the cold. Please take precautions to protect yourself and your family from the frigid temperatures. We appreciate your understanding and continued partnership. Stay warm and stay safe! ❄️🧣🧤

📚✨ Sweet Treats & Young Authors Celebration! ✨📚 The Ferst Readers of Polk County is excited to host a Sweet Treats & Young Authors Celebration to recognize our Polk School District Young Georgia Authors winners! 🎉🏆 🍰 Silent Cake Auction & Gift Basket Raffles! Join us for an afternoon of celebration, delicious treats, and community fun as we honor these talented student writers! Everyone is welcome! 📅 Date: Tuesday, April 1, 2025 📍 Location: PCCCA Cedartown Campus - HON Room Let's come together to celebrate our young authors and support literacy in Polk County! 💛🖤❤️ #YoungGeorgiaAuthors #FerstReaders #PSDProud

Happy School Resource Officer Appreciation Day to our phenomenal Polk School District Police officers that work tirelessly to serve the students and families of Polk County. Thank you for everything you do to ensure the safety and security of our students, staff, schools, and community! 💛🖤❤️

🌟 Empowering Educators, Supporting Students! 🌟 Polk School District is proud to partner with Pathways to Partnerships (P2P), Georgia Vocational Rehabilitation Agency (GVRA) District Manager Scott Hendrix, and his exceptional team to provide valuable professional learning opportunities for our Exceptional Students Staff at Cedartown Middle, Cedartown High, Rockmart Middle, and Rockmart High School. During this impactful session, educators: ✅ Reflected on and discussed their dreams for students with disabilities. ✅ Gained insight into the Pathway to Dreams initiative, providing early intervention in soft skills, career exploration, and transition planning for 8th graders. ✅ Explored GVRA services from middle school through high school, ensuring students receive support every step of the way. ✅ Engaged with GVRA and NWGACIL to better understand the resources available to students and families. ✅ Left with valuable tools to assist families in accessing support for their children’s future success. This session strengthened our mission to equip students with disabilities with the skills and resources they need for a seamless transition into high school and beyond. 📚🎓 We are #PSDProud! 💛🖤❤️ #SupportingStudents #EmpoweringEducators #PathwaysToSuccess

Polk School District Opts In to Georgia House Bill 581 Please see the attached release and check out some key facts about HB 581. 💛🖤❤️ This information can also be found on our website at https://www.polk.k12.ga.us/page/taxdigest

📚 Free Online Tutoring for Students! 📚 Polk School District is excited to share that Varsity Tutors, in partnership with the Georgia Department of Education, is offering free online tutoring sessions to help students prepare for the upcoming Georgia Milestones or receive additional academic support. 🔹 Get ready for Georgia Milestones testing 🔹 Strengthen skills in challenging subjects 🔹 Access free, high-quality tutoring 💡 Upcoming Sessions: 📝 Habits of Successful Test Takers – Register Here https://info.varsitytutors.com/habits-of-successful-test-takers 📖 Efficient, Effective Reading Strategies – Register Here https://info.varsitytutors.com/efficient-effective-reading-strategies 📌 Additional Resources: 📖 GA Milestones Parent Resources: https://lor2.gadoe.org/gadoe/file/65da261d-7393-457b-bd7e-b7721b2f15cf/1/GM_Parent_Resources.pdf 📝 GA Milestones Test Practice & Online Guides: Click Here https://wbte.drcedirect.com/GA/portals/ga Take advantage of this fantastic opportunity to support student success! 🎯 #PSDProud #MilestonesReady #StudentSuccess

🎉IT'S TIME TO CELEBRATE CTAE!🎉 The month of February celebrates Career, Technical and Agricultural Education (CTAE). CTAE Month is a public awareness campaign designed to recognize the value, achievements and accomplishments of CTAE programs across the country. CTAE directly prepares students for high-wage, high-demand professions through real-world experience and training throughout their high school career. Our programs offered through Polk County College and Career Academy cover various fields, including health care, agriculture, construction, welding, automotive technology, engineering, and more! “The mission of CTAE is to educate Georgia’s future workforce by engaging students in experiences that will prepare them for workplace success,” The Georgia Department of Education states. “Through CTAE, students see the relevance of their high school efforts to their future career goals.” The curriculum is preparing Georgia’s students for their future, whether that is college, beginning a career, registered apprenticeships or the military. Each Program Concentration has Career Pathways with three or four specialized courses developed to provide students with rigorous core elements, performance standards and skills necessary after high school graduation. 📌 CTAE delivers: ✅ Hands-on experience & workforce skills ✅ Real high school experiences with added value ✅ Opportunities for college & rewarding careers Another key part of CTAE Month is recognizing our Career and Technical Student Organizations (CTSOs)! These organizations play a vital role in preparing students for leadership and success in their chosen careers. Through competitions, leadership training, service projects, and conferences, students gain invaluable skills that help shape their futures. Join us in celebrating CTAE Month and the amazing students, teachers, and industry partners who make these opportunities possible! 👏 We are #PSDProud! ❤️🖤💛 #CTAEDelivers #PCCCAProud #psdtheplacetobe

📣📣MARK YOUR CALENDARS!📣📣 Polk School District is excited to announce our Pre-K/Kindergarten registration dates for the 2025-2026 school year! Please be sure to carefully review document requirements listed on the attached flyer. *Students will not be able to register without a legal parent/guardian present* **Legal parent/guardian MUST have a valid photo ID** ***Students MUST register at their zoned elementary school*** Please contact the school for which you are zoned if you have any questions.

📚✨ Get Ready for Read Across Polk! ✨📚 Polk School District is excited to celebrate Read Across America Week with Read Across Polk! 🎉 This annual celebration is all about inspiring a love for reading in our students and highlighting the power of literacy in shaping their futures. Read Across Polk will take place March 4th - March 7th! During Read Across Polk, our schools will be bringing stories to life with special guest readers, themed activities, and engaging literacy events to make reading fun and exciting for all! From classrooms to libraries, we’ll be turning the pages together and celebrating the magic of books. 📖💡 Join us as we build a community of readers and encourage students to discover new adventures, knowledge, and creativity through books! #ReadAcrossPolk #ReadAcrossAmerica #PSDProud #ReadersAreLeaders

🐾🏈 Welcome Coach Tommy Atha to Cedartown High School! 🏈🐾 Polk School District is excited to introduce Coach Tommy Atha as the new Head Football Coach at Cedartown High School! 🎉 Coach Atha brings a wealth of experience and leadership to the Bulldogs. He spent 21 seasons as the head coach at Darlington, where he led his teams to 17 state playoff appearances and secured three consecutive region championships from 2009-2011. After stepping away from coaching to pursue real estate, he returned to the sidelines as the offensive coordinator at Calhoun High School, where they captured the AAA State Championship this season! 🏆 Beyond football, Coach Atha has coached track and middle school girls' basketball and taught civics, world geography, and American history. His experience both on and off the field makes him a tremendous addition to CHS! Coach Atha shared his excitement about joining the Bulldogs: 💬 “I am tremendously excited to be the next head football coach at Cedartown High School. There are very few programs and communities with such a rich tradition in the state of Georgia. To be the head coach of the Cedartown Bulldogs is an extreme honor, and I can’t wait to get started. Go Dawgs!” 🐾 Coach Atha and his wife, Cathe, have four children: Maggie Beth, Anna Claire, Tommy, and Katherine. Join us in welcoming Coach Atha to the Bulldog family! We can’t wait to see all that he brings to our program, school, and community! 🔴⚫🐶

✨Polk School District Celebrates Black History Month!✨ February is Black History Month, and this year’s 2025 theme—"African Americans in Labor"—honors the incredible contributions of African Americans in the workforce throughout history. 📚 Throughout the month, we will be highlighting African American leaders, innovators, and trailblazers who have made a lasting impact in various industries, from education and medicine to business, technology, and beyond. Join us as we celebrate their achievements, resilience, and influence in shaping the workforce and our nation! Stay tuned for spotlights, stories, and learning opportunities throughout February!

📢 Polk School District will Resume Classes on Tuesday, February 4th 📢 Polk School District will resume classes as scheduled on Tuesday, February 4th. All schools and campus locations have been thoroughly sanitized to ensure a clean and safe learning environment for our students and staff. This brief pause has allowed time for students and employees to recover and return, and we appreciate everyone’s cooperation in prioritizing health and wellness. A huge THANK YOU to our phenomenal custodial team for their tireless efforts in preparing our facilities for students to return. Their dedication and hard work help keep our schools safe and ready for learning every day! 🏫 Please see the attached document for wellness guidance to help keep our schools healthy. We look forward to welcoming everyone back tomorrow! ❤️🖤💛

Polk School District leads session on how we have leveraged GaMTSS to drive district and school improvement during the Promising Practices Conference for the Student Support Team Association for Georgia Educators (SSTAGE). Polk School District was honored to present the incredible work taking place in the district using the Georgia Multi-Tiered Systems of Support (GaMTSS). Mr. Chris Loveless (Principal, RMS), Mr. Wesley Cupp (Principal, CMS), Ms. LeAnne Shelton (Executive Director of Academic Supports and Interventions) and Ms. Julie Moilanen (Chief Officer of Academic and Behavior Supports) joined GaDOE Program Specialist, Ms. Aimee Hays to provide a special interest session showcasing how PSD has leveraged GaMTSS to drive district and school improvement. This presentation took place during the Promising Practices Conference for the Student Support Team Association for Georgia Educators (SSTAGE). GaDOE Program Specialist Aimee Hays stated, "I am extremely proud of the leadership and the work of PSD. Our office is still talking about the excellent presentation you all gave this week at SSTAGE. Wow! I hope everyone in PSD knows just how proud GaDOE is of the work taking place in your school district! Keep shining because you are doing whatever it takes, and it WILL pay off!" GaMTSS is a data-driven, multi-level prevention system designed to meet the needs of the whole child by implementing curriculum of tiered supports. GaMTSS is grounded in the belief that academics, behavior, and wellbeing are interconnected and impact student success. By integrating academic, behavior, and wellbeing data, systems, and practices, district and school teams can align efforts to address barriers to learning and improve outcomes for students. Rockmart Middle, Cedartown Middle and Youngs Grove Elementary were part of the initial cohort that began during the 2023-2024 school year as part of the three-year GaDOE State Personnel Development Grant. Ongoing professional learning and coaching sessions focused primarily on the area of adolescent literacy and supported these schools in strengthening Tier 1 instruction, establishing written processes, analyzing student data and using fidelity tools to evaluate effectiveness. While coaching was extensive for the cohort schools, all PSD schools were provided professional learning emphasizing High Leverage Practices and Evidence Based Practices for Tier 1 effectiveness. The focus for year two has been on the five essential components of GaMTSS: Infrastructure, Teaming, Data-Based Decision Making, Multi-Levels of Prevention and Evaluation. Even though cohort schools have received additional coaching support, PSD has continued to provide professional learning to all schools on the importance of these essential components. The establishment of a District Leadership Team provides the infrastructure for all schools. The alignment of district and school improvement plans to these essential components will ensure the district and all schools are gathering, analyzing and using data for academics, behavior and wellbeing to make decisions at each monthly district and school Leadership Team meeting. Chief Officer of Academic and Behavior Supports, Julie Moilanen stated “I am impressed with what we are seeing in our cohort schools. The use of the tools developed by GaDOE has provided a structure for school leadership teams to establish written processes and procedures at the school level and focus their attention on the areas that need to be addressed. It is exciting to see the school leadership teams using data related to academics, behavior and well-being to develop short term goals that are individualized to their school needs. Each school leadership team meeting starts with a review of the school improvement goals and those goals drive the entire meeting. We look forward to seeing our cohort schools move into full implementation in year three. We are also excited about coaching additional PSD schools in the next few years as the district continues to grow in our understanding of the five essential components.” We are #PSDProud! 💛🖤❤️

📢 Important Announcement: School Closure for Deep Cleaning & Illness Prevention Due to the widespread impact of flu and norovirus across our schools resulting in excessive student and staff absences, Polk School District will be closing all schools and facilities and transitioning to a Learn-From-Home day on Friday, January 31, 2025, to allow for deep cleaning of our buildings and additional recovery time for those affected. We currently have 761 students and 63 school-level staff members with illnesses reported which amounts to 10% or more of our student population at each school and a shortage of necessary staff to operate effectively. This decision is not made lightly and as always we will continue to prioritize the health and safety of our students, staff, and community. Extra-curricular activities and after-school events will not be affected. All of our facilities will undergo a comprehensive deep cleaning to help reduce the spread of illness and ensure a sanitized environment for everyone upon reopening. We encourage families to take necessary precautions, including: ✅ Monitoring for symptoms of illness ✅ Practicing good hand hygiene ✅ Keeping sick students at home until they are symptom/fever-free We appreciate your understanding and partnership as we work to maintain a healthy learning environment.

🌨❄️ WEATHER UPDATE 🌨❄️ Polk School District will open with a delayed start on Wednesday, January 22, 2025. The additional time will ensure our buses and facilities are fully operational and warm. This means all bus routes, school openings, and start times will be shifted forward two hours from the regularly scheduled times. For example, a 7:00 AM bus pickup will now be a 9:00 AM pickup, etc. There will be no change in dismissal procedures. We encourage all students to dress warmly for tomorrow's frigid temperatures. Wear layers, hats, gloves, and scarves. Additionally, we urge all of our bus riders to utilize our Here Comes the Bus app to minimize time outside waiting for the bus to arrive. We appreciate your continued understanding and partnership as we take these precautions to ensure the safety of our students and staff during these extreme winter conditions.

🌨❄️ WEATHER UPDATE 🌨❄️ Due to the State of Emergency now in effect and the uncertainty surrounding the possibility for winter weather conditions to develop during the school day, Polk School District will be closed Tuesday, January 21, 2025, as part of our commitment to ensuring the safety of our students and staff. We appreciate your understanding and partnership. Stay safe and warm.