The Coweta County School System and school board members welcomed 129 new teachers to Coweta’s classrooms on July 30.
The teachers were introduced by their principals and attended a breakfast the Centre for Performing and Visual Arts Thursday morning, before being given an overview of the school system and returning to their schools for additional training.
Coweta’s new school year begins Friday, August 7. School faculty report to schools for pre-planning on Monday, August 3, and new teachers attend two additional days of orientation and training before the start of pre-planning.
Superintendent Steve Barker and Coweta Board of Education members thanked the new teachers for coming to Coweta schools. Barker reminded them of the “tremendous responsibility” that comes with being entrusted to teach.
Barker said that a teacher’s top responsibility was to “love kids, first,” and to enter their classrooms every day well-prepared to teach their students. That sense of dedication and hard work is crucial to fulfilling county schools’ vision to “ensure the success of each student,” said Barker.
“Welcome to Coweta County. It is a great place to work and teach,” said Barker. “Take it seriously. Enjoy it. We are glad you’re here. ”
Coweta County curriculum directors Karen Barker and Therese Reddekopp covered Coweta County School’s Mission, Vision and Beliefs, and the county’s academic trends and priorities. Public Policy Director Mark Whitlock gave teachers an overview of the county school system and its major initiatives. Teachers and their principals then returned to their schools for further training..
“We actually have quite a bit to cover with new faculty,” said White Oak Elementary School Principal Andy Clarke, who is training two new first grade teachers and a new fifth grade teacher this year.
Clarke said that he and the three new teachers covered system policy and the teacher handbook, school safety protocols, school evacuation and emergency plans, student information systems, student confidentiality, and teacher evaluations, among other topics on Thursday. The goal is to give the new faculty “a good foundation for when all staff report on Monday,” said Clarke.
“We also had time for just collegial conversations, getting to know one another,” he said. “We talked a lot about our system’s Mission, Vision and Beliefs and how it drives what we do and how we improve as a school. We talked about developing lesson plans and their approach to classroom teaching, preparing for the school day, and how so much falls into place after that.”
Thursday’s Induction program was organized by the Coweta County School System’s Human Resources Department and hosted by Assistant Superintendent Vince Bass.
The breakfast for the new teachers at the Centre Thursday was provided by several exhibiting sponsors, including Bank of Georgia, bank of North Georgia, BB&T Bank, Coweta Cities and County EFCU, the Georgia Association of Educators, PNC Bank, the Professional Association of Georgia Educators, Southern Credit Union, United Bank, VALIC, ValuTeachers, and Wells Fargo Bank.
Coweta County Schools Press Release
Dean Jackson
Release Date July 30th
