February 2018
SC Elementary School Counselor of the Year
Paris Elementary School Counselor Lori Nelson has been named the 2018 South Carolina Elementary School Counselor of the Year! Lori has been instrumental in providing students with programs and services to meet their individual needs. She maintains a “bully box” for students to report instances of bullying, and teaches students strategies to promote healthy interactions. She works with PTA to maintain a Paris Clothes Closet, and has developed a partnership with a local church to provide backpacks filled with non-perishable food as part of their “backpack buddy” program. Read more.
Recruit a Bus Driver and Earn a $500 Bonus!
Text, post, tweet, or talk to your friends and family about becoming a school bus driver, and you could earn a $500 bonus!
*During the month of March, GCS is offering employees a $500 bonus for every bus driver they recruit who is hired and continues to drive through November 30, 2018. See flyer for details.
* Only first 50 applicants hired during March 2018 when referred by a current employee are eligible for 30 Drivers in 30 Days program. Current employees eligible for $500 bonus for each referred driver who maintains employment through November 30, 2018. Bonus checks issued in December 2018.
National Board Certification
Six educators have earned 2018 National Board Certification, bringing the district’s total number of National Board Certified teachers to 690. National Board Certification is one of the teaching profession’s most respected achievements.
Betsy Brown, Third Grade, Pelham Road Elementary School
Ashlee Corbin, Fourth Grade, Monarch Elementary School
Katherine Drennon Dell’Oso, Instructional Coach, Gateway Elementary School
Saskia LoVine, Second Grade, Pelham Road Elementary School
Ashley Nettles, Kindergarten, Oakview Elementary School
Amelia Sinclair, Media Specialist, Greer Middle School
Public Safety Telecommunicators
Twelve security employees have earned certification as Public Safety Telecommunicators. Earning certification means that they are proficient in topics such as communication skills, call taking, and radio techniques. PST certification course incorporates the most up-to-date information on technology and work-related issues in public safety communications centers such as NextGen 9-1-1 and emerging technologies.
Congratulations to Shanoah Benson, Jody Brown, Kelly Dittrich, Beata Dowell, Chris Fraley, Marshall Hinson, Linda Moody, Kim Jones, Phil Plumley, Gene Smith, Dawn Vanbuhler, and Lois Whiteside.
We're Hiring Teachers!
Greenville County Schools and the business community will host a Shining Stars Teacher Recruitment event at the TD Convention Center in Greenville on Monday, March 5 from 8:00 a.m. until 12:30 p.m. Prospective candidates can register online through Wednesday, February 28. Read more.
United Way Donations Increase by $10K
Greenville County Schools' 2017 United Way contribution was an amazing $623,827, breaking last year's record of $612,917. This reflects an increase of more than $10,000 over last year!
While we are the nation's 44th largest school district, Greenville County Schools ranks number eight among the nation's 14,000 school districts for employee United Way contributions.
Your generosity will help individuals and families across Greenville County achieve United Way’s primary goals of school readiness, high school graduation, and financial stability. Thank you!
Energy Management Tips and Reminders
· Energy Saving Tip - Please remember that the use of personal heaters is against district policy.
· Reminder - Please remember to notify your plant engineer of any temperature issues in your classroom or office.
· Fun Fact - Using our annual energy savings of $6 million, GCS could send a Valentine to every person in Florida, Georgia, South Carolina, North Carolina, Tennessee, Alabama, Mississippi, Virginia, Kentucky, West Virginia, Arkansas, Louisiana, and the District of Columbia combined!
· Website - Visit our department website for contacts, policies, news, downloads and other information. https://www.greenville.k12.sc.us/Departments/main.asp?titleid=em
· Twitter - https://twitter.com/GCSEnergyMGMT
Dates to Remember
Friday, February 16 - Teacher Workday - Students Do Not Attend
Monday, February 19 - Presidents' Day - Schools and Offices Closed
Monday, March 19 and Friday, March 30 - Makeup Days - Required Attendance (Also, third required makeup day will be Friday, April 27)
Monday - Friday, April 2-6 - Spring Break
