Polk School District

✨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.

In observance of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day, Polk School District would like to take today to honor the legacy and accomplishments of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Let us all strive to embody the spirit of Dr. King in our daily lives.

CONGRATULATIONS to our Rockmart High School Wrestling team! 4X STATE CHAMPIONS!🐝🏆 #BacktoBacktoBacktoBack We are #PSDProud! 💛🖤❤️

🛎📍UPCOMING REMINDERS!📍🛎

🛎🌨❄️IMPORTANT - WINTER WEATHER SCHOOL CLOSURE❄️🌨🛎 Based on conversations with state and local emergency management agencies regarding the incoming winter storm, all Polk School District campuses will transition to a Learn-from-Home day for Friday, January 10, 2025. Please refer to communication channels from your student’s respective school/teacher for guidance and expectations regarding assignments. All extracurricular activities/sporting events for Friday and Saturday are cancelled and will be rescheduled at a later date. We apologize for any inconvenience, but will always make decisions in the best interest of our students and staff, keeping safety our first priority. Thank you for your continued support. Stay safe and warm!

🌨❄️ WEATHER UPDATE 🌨❄️ As part of our commitment to ensuring the safety and well-being of our students and staff, we are continually monitoring updates from state and local emergency management agencies on the forecasted winter weather that has the potential to affect our area in the coming days. In an effort to help you best plan and prepare, we will provide an update regarding any potential delays or cancellations after 2:00 p.m., Wednesday, January 8th. We appreciate your understanding and continued partnership. PLEASE NOTE: Our THRIVE in 2025 event originally planned for this Saturday has been rescheduled for January 25, 2025, at Polk County College and Career Academy-Cedartown High School campus from 10:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m.

We hope all of our Polk School District families had a rejuvenating Christmas break! We are so excited to welcome our students back TOMORROW, January 7, 2025! LET'S DO THIS! 💛🖤❤️ #WhateverItTakes #makeithappen #PSDProud #psdtheplacetobe

RESCHEDULED FOR JANUARY 25TH! 🎉📆SAVE THE DATE!📆🎉 We have been planning something EXTRA special to WELCOME our students back in 2025!!! DO NOT MISS out on our THRIVE IN 2025 back-to-school event on Saturday, January 25th! FREE haircuts, FREE school supplies, games, and prizes for the whole family! Everyone is welcome! Come stock up on supplies for the rest of the school year for FREE! 📗✂️🖍📓✏️ #PSDProud #psdtheplacetobe #FamilyEngagement

🎅🎄🎉IT'S CHRISTMAS BREAK! 🎅🎄🎉 We would like to wish all of our Polk School District families a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year! We hope everyone has a safe and rejuvenating break! ❤️🖤💛

🎶🐾 Cedartown High School Bulldog Band students accepted to participate in UGA JanFest! 🐾🎶 We are thrilled to announce that six talented students from the Cedartown High School Bulldog Band have been accepted to participate in the prestigious University of Georgia JanFest Honor Band! 🎺 Congratulations to: Denise Ortiz Zoey Harper Destiny Johnson Daisy Hernandez Josh Legault Logan Legault ✨ What is JanFest? JanFest, hosted by the University of Georgia, is an annual honor band festival that brings together the most skilled high school musicians from across the Southeast. Students have the incredible opportunity to learn from UGA faculty, participate in clinics with renowned conductors, and perform alongside other top-tier musicians. This is an amazing achievement, and we are so proud of these students for their hard work and dedication to their craft. 🎵 We can't wait to see how they represent Polk School District and continue to grow as musicians! Let’s hear it for these outstanding students! 👏 #BulldogBand #JanFestUGA #PSDProud #PSDThePlaceToBe

🚍Join Our Team at Polk School District!🚍 The Polk School District Transportation Department is on the lookout for skilled and dedicated Bus Drivers to join our team! You can view the detailed job description and APPLY today using the link below OR scan the attached QR Code! https://www.applitrack.com/polkk12/onlineapp/default.aspx?Category=Transportation&internal=internal&fbclid=IwY2xjawHFRP9leHRuA2FlbQIxMAABHaoBkuJ8ltqMoOKRPC5OpMC3qW6mbrO-lFngormjoAE-9jW-7r-HcJQXBA_aem_vLc1nxpoIETSs3WlwekYVA You can also call our Transportation Department at 770-684-8308!

📱Notice for PowerSchool Mobile App Users📱 We have recently been made aware that some users of the PowerSchool mobile app may have received unexpected "Test" push notifications early this morning. These notifications were part of PowerSchool's testing and updates to the app and do not reflect any changes or updates in your student's information. Official statement from PowerSchool: "We apologize for any inconvenience caused by recent testing activities. Some unintended notifications were sent to parents and students during this period. We understand this may have been confusing and regret any disturbance it may have caused." Thank you for your understanding and please let us know if you have any questions.

📣 Happy Parent Involvement Day! Today, we celebrate the incredible parents, guardians, and caregivers who play such an essential role in our students' success. Your dedication, encouragement, and support make all the difference, whether you're helping with homework, attending school events, or simply cheering your child on. Thank you for being partners in education and for the love and guidance you provide every day. Together, we create a brighter future for our children! We are #PSDProud! ❤️🖤💛 #psdtheplacetobe #ParentInvolvementDay #GratefulForOurFamilies

🎨📸 Rockmart High School Advanced Art Students Take on the Ice! 🏒🎉 Our talented Advanced Art students had an unforgettable experience at the latest Atlanta Gladiators game! They got first-class seating and some serious love from the Gladiators, all in the name of capturing the perfect action shots for an upcoming art project. Over the course of the game, our students snapped more than 1,100 photos—each one filled with energy and excitement! This experience wasn't just about photography—it was about connecting with the sport, channeling their creativity, and embracing the challenge of capturing the thrill of hockey on camera. A special thank you to RHS Art Teacher Mrs. Kristain Branham for providing these kind of opportunities for our students to extend the knowledge and skills they are learning in the classroom and apply them in real-life scenarios. We can't wait to see the artwork that comes from this amazing adventure. 🎨👏 We are #PSDProud! 💛🖤❤️ #RHSArts #AtlantaGladiators #PSDThePlaceToBe

IT'S NATIONAL SCHOOL PSYCHOLOGY WEEK! Help us celebrate our Polk School District School Psychologist, Catherine Peterson and School Diagnostician, Missy Dooley. We appreciate all you do to serve the students and families of Polk County! ❤️🖤💛 Schools nationwide will celebrate National School Psychology Week (NSPW) to highlight the critical work school psychologists do to help students thrive. This is a time to recognize and show appreciation for school psychologists, who support students' learning and mental and behavioral health, promote positive and inclusive school climates, serve on school safety and crisis teams, and collaborate with families, teachers, and administrators to improve student outcomes. We are #PSDProud! ❤️🖤💛 #psdtheplacetobe #NationalSchoolPsychologyWeek #LetsGrowTogether