Enjoy Your Long Holiday Weekend!
Georgia School for the Deaf • Title I School
Weekly Wrap
Volume 3, Issue 4 • Week of Monday, August 29, 2014
www.gsdweb.org • Find us (GSD Tigers) on Facebook!
A Look Ahead
Friday, August 29
• Homegoing
Sunday, August 31
• Residential students DO NOT
return to GSD due to holiday
Monday, September 1
• HOLIDAY: Labor Day
Tuesday, September 2
• Residential students return
Wednesday,
September 3
• Classes resume
• Hoodie orders
due; questions?
Contact Angela
Easter at aeaster@
doe.k12.ga.us.
Thursday, September 4
• DORM FIELD TRIP: Rome
International Film Festival, “No
Ordinary Hero: The SuperDeafy
Movie”, Movie begins at 7 p.m.,
DeSoto Theater, Rome, Ga.
See attached flyer for more
information.
Friday, September 5
• Actor John Maucere, star
of “No Ordinary Hero: The
SuperDeafy Movie” will visit
GSD’s campus, 11 a.m.
• Homegoing
Sunday, September 7
• Residential students return
This SACS CASI certificate will be proudly displayed in the front lobby of the
Kennard Building on the GSD campus.
GSD Earns SACS CASI
Accreditation
Principal Leslie Jackson announced
that the Georgia School for the
Deaf earned accreditation from the
Southern Association of Colleges and
Schools Council on Accreditation and
School Improvement (SACS CASI), an
accreditation division of AdvancED.
This action was taken at the
AdvancED Accreditation Commission
meeting held in Tempe, Arizona on
June 26, 2014.
SACS CASI provides nationallyrecognized accreditation, the
Benefits of SACS CASI
accreditation
How does accreditation help
you, our families? Find more
information on page 2!
purpose of which is continuous
school improvement focused on
increasing student performance. To
earn accreditation, schools must
meet SACS CASI’s high standards, be
... CONTINUED
ACCREDITATION Continued
evaluated by a team of professionals from outside the
school and implement a continuous process of school
improvement.
“Accreditation demonstrates to our students, parents
and community that we are focused on raising student
achievement, providing a safe and enriching learning
environment, and maintaining an efficient and effective
operation staffed by highly qualified educators,” stated
Principal Leslie Jackson. “GSD is proud to have
received full accreditation as recognition for our efforts
to accomplish the GSD mission: All GSD students will
graduate with a positive Deaf identity as bilinguals in
American Sign Language and written English, and will
be prepared to make successful life choices.”
GSD was rated on 5 standards with 33 indicators.
The evaluation team evaluates the degree to which the
school meets each indicator on a scale of 1 to 4. GSD’s
average indicator score was a 3.75.
The evaluators also provide Powerful Practices for
each school as well as Required Actions. GSD had 21
Powerful Practices noted, and only 2 required actions.
SACS CASI accreditation is recognized across state
lines, which not only eases the transfer process as
students move from accredited school to accredited
school but also assures parents that the school is
meeting nationally accepted standards for quality and
successful professional practice.
Dr. Mark Elgart, President/CEO of AdvancED,
the parent organization of SACS CASI, stated,
“SACS CASI Accreditation is a rigorous process
that focuses the entire school on the primary goal
of creating lifelong learners. Georgia School for the
Deaf is to be commended for engaging in this process
and demonstrating a commitment to continuous
improvement.”
Parents and interested community members can
learn more about accreditation at www.advanc-ed.org.
GSD families can learn more about how accreditation
benefits their students by clicking here.
About AdvancED and SACS CASI
Dedicated to advancing excellence in education through
accreditation, research and professional services, AdvancED
is the world’s largest education community, serving and
engaging 30,000 public and private schools and school
systems in more than 70 countries and serving over 16
million students. AdvancED is the parent organization
of the North Central Association Commission on
Accreditation and School Improvement (NCA CASI),
Northwest Accreditation Commission (NWAC) and the
Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Council on
Accreditation and School Improvement (SACS CASI).
Accreditation and You
A Parent’s Guide to the Importance of Accreditation
Accreditation lays the groundwork for
success for schools and students…
Parents have long held education as a key to their
child’s preparation and success in life. Equally, educators
have known that a quality education is of the utmost
importance for a child’s future. Quality and success are
not mutually exclusive in the education process. Quality
and student success go hand-in-hand and are why many
schools seek accreditation. Accreditation benefits parents and students…
When a school or school system achieves
accreditation, parents and the community can be
assured that the top priorities are:
• increasing student achievement
• providing a safe and enriching learning environment
• running an efficient operation Students benefit from accreditation as well. Students
are assured:
• qualified teachers who are working to improve their
methods
• more focus on student learning
• better transition from grade to grade
• a rigorous, diverse, and sound curriculum based on
quality standards
• a range of student activities and support services
• smoother transfer of credits from school to school • eligibility for special programs, grants, and scholarships
Parents play an important role
in accreditation…
Schools want parents to be actively involved in the
improvement process. Parents need to:
• stay informed about what’s going on at their child’s
school
• talk to other parents about the importance of
education
• join the school’s improvement team and/or Parent
Teacher Association (PTA)
• give feedback to the school through surveys, focus
groups, and parent meetings.
Your school is accredited by the Southern Association
of Colleges and Schools Council on Accreditation and
School Improvement (SACS CASI). SACS CASI is an
accreditation division of AdvancED. AdvancED has access
to over 100 years of expertise in accreditation and school
improvement. You can visit www.advanc-ed.org to learn
more. Feel free to also contact your school directly to
learn more about their accreditation efforts.
Learn more about the movie at noordinaryheromovie.com.
To learn more about actor John Maucere,
visit johnmaucere.com.
Special
Event!!!
Actor John Maucere will visit on Friday, Sept. 5 @ 11 a.m. This is an
incredible opportunity for students to meet an accomplished deaf role model.
SuperDeafy Actor To Visit GSD!
Discount tickets ($4 each) can be purchased at http://www.romeinternationalfilmfestival.
org/ using the following discount code: GASD4
For Local Families, Staff & Friends of Students
According to the RIFF website, “No Ordinary Hero: The SuperDeafy Movie” is the first
commercial feature film made exclusively by deaf executive producers and a deaf director.
The film will be 100 percent open captioned. Award-winning actress Marlee Matlin headlines.
The film centers around the man behind the beloved SuperDeafy character as he sets out to
teach a young deaf boy how to redefine what being “normal” means.
The Rome International Film has provided FREE admission for GSD’s residential middle and
high school students as well as the dorm staff for the Sept. 4 event. The group will attend Red
Carpet activities and watch the 79-minute movie, starring John Maucere, a celebrated Deaf
actor. Students are encouraged to dress appropriately for the event.
DeSoto Theater (530 Broad St, Rome, GA 30161)
Thursday, Sept. 4, 2014 • 7 p.m.
Opening Night
at the
Rome International
Film Festival!
An Exciting Opportunity for Our School and Our GSD Families!
Georgia
High School
Graduation Tests
The GHSGT will be
administered at GSD
from Sept. 8-11,
while the Georgia
High School
Writing Test will
take place on Sept. 24,
If you have any
questions about these
tests, please contact
Connie Morris at
cmorris@doe.k12.ga.us
or 706-766-7177.
Positive Behavioral Interventions & Supports
PBIS in the Halls
I will be RESPECTFUL!
I will be RESPONSIBLE!
I will be RESILIENT!
GSD has a lesson plan — a list of appropriate behaviors – for each area of the
campus. This week we are sharing the expectations for the halls/sidewalks.
Objective: Students will be able to walk through the hallways safely
without disturbing other students.
Respectful
• Walk
• Keep hands and
feet to self
Progress Reports
Are Coming Soon
1st Nine Weeks
Ends Oct. 8
Remember, it is never
too early to contact
your child’s teacher(s)
if you have questions/
concerns about grades.
Responsible
Resilient
• Stay on the
right side of the
hallway/sidewalk
• Be on time for
next class
GSD staff members have been provided huge quantities of Tiger Tickets.
When a student demonstrates one of these positive behaviors, they are
presented with a ticket. Tickets can be redeemed at the Tiger Store in the
cafeteria.
The Tiger Store hours are: middle school, Thursdays at lunch; high school,
Fridays at breakfast; and elementary school, Fridays at 11 a.m. The store will
also be open during homegoing.
To learn more about the PBIS program, visit www.pbis.org.
For more information about PBIS at GSD, contact Connie Morris at
cmorris@doe.k12.ga.us or 706-766-7177.
Upcoming Regional Parent Meetings
Please RSVP As Soon As Possible!
Fulton County
Church of the Good Shepherd
6216 Love St., Austell, GA 30168
Tuesday, September 9 from 7-8:30 p.m.
Fall 2014: Revving Up
For A Successful School Year
Free and Open to the Public
Dougherty County
Dougherty Schools, Exceptional Students Program
722 Corn Ave, Albany, GA 31702
Tuesday, September 16 from 6:30-8 p.m.
Questions? Contact Katherine Kennedy
at kakennedy@doe.k12.ga.us or 912-486-0923.