Montessori School to hold fall festival

Meadowbrook Montessori School of Snellville will host a Community Fall Festival on Saturday, November 6,  2010.  This is a fundraising event to expand their Montessori-based educational programs.

Date: Saturday, November 6, 2010
Location: Meadowbrook Montessori School, 2125 North Road, Snellville, Ga 30078.
Time: 11 a.m.- 3 p.m.
Parking: Provided in the Snellville Village Shopping Center (Radio Shack) back parking lot, just steps away from all the excitement.  This parking lot is accessed from Hwy 124/Scenic Hwy.

Foundation helps support 6 local schools

Press Release

The South Gwinnett Cluster Foundation was formed in 2007 for the sole purpose of supporting academics and extra-curricular activities in the South Gwinnett cluster. The foundation raises and manages funds for the exclusive benefit of South Gwinnett High School, Snellville Middle School, Britt Elementary, Norton Elementary, Magill Elementary and Rosebud Elementary – the schools of the South Gwinnett Cluster.

The South Gwinnett Cluster Foundation has increased its efforts to support the six schools of the South Gwinnett cluster in 2010 through a concerted fundraising effort and communications with community leaders, school administrators, faculty, parents and students.

The fundraising effort was bolstered recently by two generous gifts to the foundation; one from a South Gwinnett graduate who is today a successful Snellville businessman and the other from the Walton Electric Trust.

“It is wonderful to see our South Gwinnett graduates, who have been part of the community for years, continue to support their alma mater and the schools that feed into it,” said Greg Bender, chairman of the foundation. “We are truly grateful for this gift and promise to put it, and all of the contributions we receive, to good use.”

The Walton Electric Trust funds it philanthropic efforts through contributions from participants in “Operation Round Up,” a program whereby Walton EMC members can choose to have their power bills rounded up to the next dollar with the difference going into the trust. When multiplied by tens of thousands of members, the dollars can add up quickly and enable the Walton Electric Trust to support a variety of organizations such as the South Gwinnett Cluster Foundation.

On the heels of those contributions, the foundation held its second annual fundraiser – a dinner with both live and silent auctions – at Summit Chase Country Club. The event was attended by approximately 100 elected officials, school administrators, teachers, parents and local residents interested in supporting the cluster schools.

To give the audience an idea of how their contributions have been used to date, Betsy Gresh, literacy coordinator at Britt Elementary, offered a presentation that focused on a school-wide reading program made possible by a grant from the South Gwinnett Cluster Foundation. Ms. Gresh’s program is reflective of the types of needs the foundation helps fill throughout the school year.

“We have a list of requests from every school in the cluster for the upcoming academic year and are reviewing those carefully to see which can be funded and which we can work to obtain funding for,” said Bender.

“We obviously would like to provide the dollars necessary to meet every request, but as a relatively new organization we aren’t yet to that point. What we have to do right now is prioritize and meet what our board feels are the most pressing needs first."

“However, we have enjoyed wonderful support from the community and hope that our friends will remember to include the South Gwinnett Cluster Foundation in their charitable giving this year.” Bender continued. “With continued support, we plan to build an endowment from which we will have the ability to fulfill every need that is within our purview.”

The foundation’s priorities are to provide funding for mentoring programs, academic support materials, extra-curricular needs, school safety programs, scholarships, educational grants and immediate needs for which public funds may not be available in a timely manner.

For more information on the foundation, visit www.southgwinnettcluster.org

New Principal of South Gwinnett High School

South Gwinnett High School has a new principal, Clay Hunter. The following was written by Mr. Hunter and comes from The Comet Courier, the South Gwinnett High School Newsletter.

"I am a graduate of Morehouse College and the University of Georgia. I have a passion for social studies and taught a myriad of courses at Milton High School in Alpharetta. I also taught social studies at Norcross High School. I have served as an assistant principal at Meadowcreek High School and McConnell Middle School. Just recently, I served as principal of Susan Stripling Elementary School in Norcross.

In total, this is my thirteenth year in education. When I am not working, I enjoy spending
time with my wife and three children ages 12, 8, and 3. I know South Gwinnett High School to be a great institution of learning. It has a long tradition of producing leaders in the region and the state. Love for this school runs deep. Having had a chance to talk with a number of leaders in the community, I can sense the pride that is associated with being a South Gwinnett Comet.

Over this past weekend, I had the opportunity to interact with a number of students. I have talked with our peer leaders, senior leadership cabinet, band members, football team, and theatre guild. Without a doubt our students are outstanding!

Having had a chance to talk to a number of students, parents, and community members, I have learned more about some of the expectations these stakeholders have for our school. First and foremost, we all want South Gwinnett High School to be a safe, orderly environment in which to learn and work. I am committed to working with students, teachers, and parents to help our students make the right choices in terms of behavior.

Gwinnett County Public Schools’ student management policies and procedures will be adhered to at South Gwinnett High School. It is also a community expectation that all of our students will graduate from high school in four years. We all know how challenging our world is in terms of jobs and the economy. Our students must have a diploma if they are to create and live the American Dream. In addition to a diploma, our students must be prepared to enter and be successful in college and the workforce. Whatever path they choose, they must have the academic knowledge and skills in order to be successful. The wonderful educators at South Gwinnett High School work day in and day out to make that happen. I look forward to working with and supporting them as we implement new and innovative techniques to help all students maximize their potential.

Finally, our community wants to know about the great things that are going on at South Gwinnett. To this end, we will expand our efforts to tell our story… making sure more know about the wonderful achievements of our students and staff. I know that perception can sometimes morph itself into reality.

We need to set the story straight when it comes to the “reality” at South Gwinnett High. The truth is that the majority of our students make the right choices every day, academically and behaviorally. As we move forward, we need to work together and talk about ways for us to help all students make the right choices. In the coming weeks, we will be organizing a meeting so that you can meet me formally. We must begin discussing how to build upon the great things already taking place at South Gwinnett. The challenge of making sure that our students are successful is one that we must all share. I look forward to talking with you in the coming months. Together we can find solutions that will help our students maximize their full potential."

Britt Elementary Among Nation's Healthiest Schools

Health Magazine ranks the top 10 schools across the United States for health initiatives.

Snellville's W.C. Britt Elementary has tied with South Elementary of Pinson, TN for 8th Place. The award listing will appear in the August 26th issue of Health Magazine.

".....The integration of innovative health initiatives is what put this large (900 students in grades K through 5) elementary school in the top 10. The school keeps its students engaged with taste-tests, farm visits, school gardening, community-health-related plays, annual visits from local dentists, and more."

...Health Magazine

If your PTA officers all have a Porsche...

No criminal charges filed (yet?) but Snellville Police have joined in on an investigation of the Shiloh Elementary School PTA...some major funds missing - somewhere between $12,000 and $14,000 estimated... read the story here

I'm going to hope it was just human errors of disorganization and nothing intentional.
But wow, that is a LOT of money.

What people are saying about this: LINK

October 9, 2007 Update on this story: LINK