J A N U A R Y 2 0 1 4 V O L U M E 2 , I S S U E 2

W H A T ’ S I N S I D E :

Integrated Student Ser-

vices

CIS Graduation Coach

Corner

Inaugural Christmas Gala

Parent University

Middle School Matters

United Way Partnership

Georgia BEST

Georgia Gives Day

How to Help

www.CIS-Henry.org

678) 432 4499

70 Macon Street

McDonough, GA

Connect with

W H E R E T O F I N D I T

CIS Graduation

Coach Corner 2

Christmas Gala 3

United Way partner-

ship

4

Georgia BEST 6

How to help 7

© 2013 Communities In Schools - Henry | 70 Macon Street | McDonough, GA 30253

CIS-HENRY NEWS Communities In Schools

And, among the students monitored and

case managed by Communities In Schools

during the 2010-2011 school year:

77 percent improved attendance.

88 percent had fewer incidents of

discipline.

81 percent improved academic per-

formance.

84 percent were promoted to the

next grade.

88 percent of eligible seniors gradu-

ated.

97 percent of students remained in

school at the end of the 2010-2011

school year. Additionally, of the

graduates monitored post-

graduation, 81 percent went on to

some form of post-secondary educa-

tion.

Integrated Student Services are de-

fined as interventions that improve

student achievement by connecting

community resources with both the

academic and social services needs of

students. Such interventions focus

programmatic energy, resources, and

time of shared school and student

goals.

Communities In Schools is the largest

provider of Integrated Student Ser-

vices.

Through the efforts of a single point of

contact—the CIS site coordinator

(Middle School Graduation Coach) —

individual student and school wide

needs are assessed and researched

based connections made between the

school, the student and targeted

community resources.

For the CIS Model to work effectively,

a site coordinator must have a site

team in place along with several other

essential components.

1. CIS Site Team

2. Annual Needs Assessment

3. Annual Site Operations Planning

4. Delivery of Evidence-Based

Services

5. Monitoring and Adjusting Services

6. Evaluating the Effectiveness of

Services

7. Annual Reporting

Facts about the CIS Network

During the 2010-2011 school year:

More than 1.25 million students

and their families were directly

connected to resources through

Communities In Schools.

Nearly 200 local Communities In

Schools affiliates operated in 24

states and the District of Columbia.

Nearly 2,700 school and education

sites were served by Communities

In Schools.

Nearly 50,000 volunteers donat-

ed more than 1.7 million hours of

service to Communities In Schools

last year, at a dollar value of more

than $37 million.

Approximately 13,000 community

partners provided services

throughout the Communities In

Schools network.

The average annual cost per stu-

dent was $189.

CIS: Leader in Providing Integrated Student Services

Locust Grove Middle School CIS Gradua-

tion Coach Apryl Mullvain (Center) on a

field trip with 10 of her CIS Case man-

aged students. See the September, 2013

CIS-Henry Newsletter for more infor-

mation on her program.

CIS Grad Coach Corner—Iris Davis, Henry County Middle School

P A G E 2 V O L U M E 2 , I S S U E 2

Before becoming a

Graduation Coach,

Ms. Iris Davis was a

Parent Involvement

Professional (PIP) at Henry County

Middle School. Her passion for help-

ing kids and their families, coupled

with her ability to coordinate with

other members on her school team,

makes Mrs. Davis an ideal CIS Gradua-

tion Coach. She recently helped to

host an event sponsored by the Geor-

gia Lions Lighthouse Foundation that

allowed 110 7th grade students to be

tested for vision and hearing.

Ms. Davis , along with Principal Dr. Kimberly Anderson, school nurses Deborah Black and Jennifer Williams worked closely with Judith Kerr of the Georgia Lions Lighthouse Foundation, a CIS community partner, to make the event a success. Other members on Ms. Kerr’s team included S. Marie At-more, Stephanie Fisher, Tiffany M. Ellerbee, Caren Kaplan, and Morgan Alexander.

The screening (Phase I) took place in the morning of November 11, 2013. A significant number of the students showed signs of poor vision and were subsequently referred to a second screening session (Phase II) during the week of December 9, 2013.

Upon the completion of the second

screening, parents were then in-

formed of the results and instructed

to make individual appointments with

local Vision Centers for prescriptive

eyewear.

The event was originally designed so

that local Optometrists could perform

eye examinations on school premises

(Mobile Clinic), write prescriptions and

hand out eyewear to these students.

However, logistical challenges pre-

vented the team from executing

Phase III of the plan. Plans for a sec-

ond vision screening at another Mid-

dle School is currently underway

where all 3 Phases could be accommo-

dated.

This vision screening is an example of

a Level 1 Service. Communities In

Schools provides both Level 1 Services,

which are resources that are available

to all students, as well as Level 2 Ser-

vices, which are resources that are

targeted to students with specific

needs identified by the Graduation

Coach.

Of the five basics that CIS promotes,

vision screening falls under, providing:

A Healthy Start and a Healthy Future.

If a child cannot see, he or she is una-

ble to progress academically as com-

pared to a student with good vision.

Too often, parents are not aware that

their children are unable to see.

It is reported that 1 in 4 children has a

vision problem. Early gaps in educa-

tion are not easily closed and can per-

sist across a lifetime. An eye exam can

detect vision problems and remove

the barrier of vision from the learning

environment.

© 2013 Communities In Schools - Henry | 70 Macon Street| McDonough, GA 30253

P A G E 3

© 2013 Communities In Schools - Henry | 70 Macon Street | McDonough, GA 30253

V O L U M E 2 , I S S U E 2

Henry County Schools— Parent

University

Communities In Schools of Georgia believes that parents and close family members serve a critical role in a child’s education. By participating in their child’s educational process, this support team can position every stu-dent for long-term success in school and in life.

It has been proven that, overall, stu-dents with parents who are involved in their education:

Demonstrate fewer behavioral prob-lems

Perform better academically.

Are more likely to graduate from high school than students whose parents are not involved.

http://www.cisga.org/cisgawpress/parent-resource-center

On October 29, 2013 Communities In Schools of Henry County sponsored the Henry County Parent University at the Hen-ry County Board of Education.

The event “Tips & Treats”, organized by Anna Arnold, Henry County Family Resource Coordinator, offered parental involvement guidance to Henry County Families.

The event featured guest speaker Ms. Deanna Echols Hibbard, the Director of Pro-gram Initiatives at Bright from the Start and the Georgia Department of Early Care and Learning. Hibbard spoke to parents and community members in attendance and shared “tips” and strategies on how to get children ready for school academically and inspire them to improve their academic performance at school.

At the end of the presentation, Anna Arnold and volunteers offered hotdogs, snacks and candy in the parking lot of the Parent Resource Center. For more information about the Parent University, contact Anna Arnold, Family Resource Center and the programs it offers, call 770/957-6601, ext 107 or email Ms. Arnold at arnola@henry.k12.ga.us. For more information about the Georgia Depart-ment of Early Care and Learning, visit their website, http://decal.ga.gov/.

On December 7, 2013 Com-

munities In Schools of Hen-

ry County held its Inaugu-

ral Christmas Gala at Sea-

son’s Bistro. Approximately

50 people celebrated the

holidays and enjoyed deli-

cious hors d’oeuvres pre-

pared by Season’s Bistro,

owned by CIS Board Mem-

ber Sam Pagán.

Guests listened to a wide

variety of musical selec-

tions performed live by

Jason Fowler.

Many donated prizes

were auctioned off that

night, which helped CIS-

Henry to raise funds to

carry out our mission.

CIS Henry would like to

thank everyone who pur-

chased a ticket to the Ga-

la, attended the event,

bid, or provided donations

or auction items. Your

support helps us to con-

tinue our work here in

Inaugural Christmas Gala Henry County of surround-

ing students with a com-

munity of support, em-

powering them to stay in

school and achieve in life.

We hope that you will join

for our upcoming 2014

Christmas Gala. We are

always looking to form

new community partner-

ships, and for new volun-

teers. Feel free to email

us at info@cis-henry.org

or call (678) 432-4499.

Executive Director Shane Persaud

with Grad Coaches Iris Davis, Apryl

Mullvain, and Monique Pierce.

Board Chair Latrice Barlow with Site

Coordinator Crystal Cohen.

P A G E 4 V O L U M E 2 , I S S U E 2

© 2013 Communities In Schools - Henry | 70 Macon Street| McDonough, GA 30253

United Way of Greater Atlanta Partnership

As featured in the March 2013

newsletter, Communities in

Schools of Henry County and

United Way of Greater Atlanta

formed a partnership in support

of a Parent Leadership Institute

(PLI) program. Participants of

the PLI program were chosen

from parent leaders already in-

volved in their local schools, serv-

ing in roles such as tutors, men-

tors, and PTO members. Specifi-

cally, the PLI provided partici-

pants with additional information

and resources to better enable

them to engage within their cho-

sen schools, as well as to enable

them to share their skills and pas-

sion with other parents in the

community. Building upon princi-

ples that support families, the PLI

trained community school leaders

to assist in meeting the needs

and challenges faced by schools

that may hamper students’ suc-

cess. Through the information

that they acquired via the PLI

course, participants are able to

support students socially, emo-

tionally and academically, increas-

ing the opportunity for successful

outcomes.

The inaugural Vision and Voice

PLI class entered the program

in January 2013 and graduated

in May 2013.

In celebration of their success,

CIS-Henry and United Way of

Greater Atlanta hosted a PLI

Reunion event at Seasons Bis-

tro in McDonough, Georgia, on

November 19th. Pamela Ross

of United Way of Greater At-

lanta served as moderator at

the PLI Reunion and reiterated

the Principles of Family Sup-

port, which include family/staff

partnerships, shared power,

family strengths, cultural com-

petence, family choices, social

support, and hope and joy.

This was a “working reunion,”

with participants sharing their

current leadership roles, suc-

cesses within their chosen

schools, as well as brainstorm-

ing solutions to challenges pre-

sented within the school sys-

tem. Current and future goals

focused around increasing pa-

rental involvement, supporting

differentiated learning styles,

and increasing school infra-

structure in support of in-

creased technology use within

the classroom.

Finally, participants were treat-

ed to a tasty lunch prepared by

Sam Pagán, Seasons Bistro

owner and Primary Chef.

PLI Class of 2013:

Lanise Miller, Shellyann Gilpin Doris L. Brown Darryl Payton Carol L. Goodlow Lisa Harris Melissa Perrier Samantha Samuels John Rashied Kathryn Goddard Emily Bigby LaWanda Owens Tracey Felder Nakeya Thomas Vanessa Winkfield Congratulations to our class

of 2013! CIS-Henry and Unit-

ed Way of Greater Atlanta

look forward to a new batch

of parent leader partici-

pants next year!

Parent Leadership Institute (PLI) Reunion

P A G E 5 V O L U M E 2 , I S S U E 2

© 2013 Communities In Schools - Henry | 70 Macon Street| McDonough, GA 30253

PLI Corner—Samantha Samuels CIS-Henry would like to congratu-

late Samantha Samuels for her

fundraising efforts for Goodness

and Groceries. Ms. Samuels, a

graduate of the Parent Leader-

ship Institute class of 2013, orga-

nized and hosted a Talent and

Fashion show on September 14,

2013 at McDonough Christian

Church. CIS-Henry sponsored

the event by providing the

food, catered by Gezzo’s. Pro-

Middle School Matters Shane Persaud, Executive Direc-tor of CIS-Henry, along with Iris Davis, CIS Graduation Coach at Henry County Middle School, at-tended a Middle School Matters Conference on November 13 sponsored by the United Way of Greater Atlanta’s Grad Nation Community Summit. Guest speaker, Dr. Penny Bishop of the University of Wisconsin, discussed issues related to in-creasing family engagement and academic success at this level. Additionally, she explored how community partnerships can make a significant difference in helping students and families navigate the middle grade years. Since one of the missions of CIS-Henry and United Way of Greater Atlanta is to forge school and business partnerships to increase the likelihood of students’ suc-cess, Dr. Bishop’s presentation is indeed complementary and bene-ficial to the mission at hand.

Here is a brief synopsis of Dr. Bishop’s Presentation and the topics she gave some insight into. Why The Middle Grades Mat-ter National Drop Out Crisis

Loss of $3.2 Trillion Wages & Spending Power over 10 Years

Economic, Cultural and Personal Implications

Middle Grades: Critical Link to Drop Out Prevention

“Last Best Chance” to Reach Students

Declining Academic Perfor-mance, Engagement and Motivation

Clear Drop Out Predictors:

Attendance, Behavior, Course Performance

Other topics discussed:

What Young Adolescents

Need

The Challenge of “Fit” in

the 21st Century

Working Together

ceeds from the event went to

McDonough Presbyterian

Church’s Goodness and Grocer-

ies, an organization that pro-

vides backpacks with food for

children on the weekends. PLI

training in action!

Students’ Advice to Us Treat our ideas like they’re important Listen to what I have to say Let us be ourselves Sometimes we need to be alone Don’t talk down to us Be yourself Help us when we need it Please give us some time Don t and space Make our work more fun Recognize my activities out of the classroom Trust us sometimes Let us come to you for

help Spend more time together

sometimes we actually want to be with you!)

We are human beings too, so treat us like it

Don’t plan my future with-out me

In Summary We lose students during

the middle grades Increasing “fit” is one criti-

cal way to keep students As stakeholders, three key

focus areas: Identification Transition Advocacy

P A G E 6

© 2013 Communities In Schools - Henry | 70 Macon Street | McDonough, GA 30253

V O L U M E 2 , I S S U E 2

Georgia BEST—Luella Middle School

equipped with electricity, running

water, a stove and refrigerator. A

special thank you to Hudson Bridge

Storage for the rental truck. The

family received donations of house-

hold items including dishes, rugs,

lamps, beds, sofas, dinette table/

chairs and 2 televisions from Holi-

day Inn Express-McDonough, Big

Lots-Stockbridge, Black Tie Formal

Wear-McDonough and other gener-

ous citizens of Henry County.

A CIS Graduation Coach identifies

student needs and meets those

needs through community partner-

ships. CIS has identified five basic

needs that every child needs and

deserves, one of which is: A safe

place to learn and grow. A child

needs to grow up in a safe environ-

ment in order to have the resources

necessary to achieve in school and

in life.

Sonja Bowman-Gillison, CIS Gradua-

tion Coach at Dutchtown Middle

School, jumped into action and met

this need for three triplet girls on

her CIS caseload by finding them a

place to live. The three girls and

their family were displaced and in

dire need of a place to live, so Sonja

contacted several community re-

sources and received a donation

from McDonough Presbyterian

Church. She then used the donation

to purchase a mobile home

CIS Graduation Coach finds home for family

Thanks to the efforts of Com-

munities in School-Henry (CIS-

Henry)/Henry County Gradua-

tion Coach, Debbie Towsen,

along with the support of the

Principal and Business Tech-

nology Teacher, Luella Middle

School graduated its first

student participants in the

Georgia Business Ethics Stu-

dent Training Program

(“Georgia BEST”). Although

the Georgia BEST program

has been ongoing at approxi-

mately 200 high schools

around the state, the applica-

tion of the program at the

middle school level is new.

Luella Middle School has the

distinction of being the first

Georgia middle school to

incorporate the Georgia BEST

into its 8th grade Business

Technology curriculum, as

well as having its first middle

school graduating class.

Georgia BEST is a Georgia

Department of Labor pro-

gram that teaches work-

related “soft skills” in the

classroom. The program is

designed to produce a work-

force that is prepared to face

the challenges of a global

marketplace. Specifically,

Georgia BEST focuses on 10

"soft" workplace skills, name-

ly: Appearance & Profession-

al Image; Attendance & Punc-

tuality; Attitude and Respect;

Social Media Ethics; Discipline

& Character; Oral & Written

Business Communication

Skills; Productivity & Academ-

ic Performance; Responsibil-

ity & Organization; Self-

Management & Time Man-

agement; Teamwork& Work

Habits. Students are evaluat-

ed in the same manner in

which a supervisor would do

in the workplace.

Seeing that the skills taught

in the Georgia BEST program

were very much complimen-

tary to the skills to be mas-

tered by 8th graders enrolled

in her school’s Business Tech-

nology course Graduation

Coach Debbie Towsen imme-

diately recognized the long

term benefits of Georgia

BEST for Luella M.S. students.

Consequently, she quickly

approached Principal Walter

Buttler and Business Technol-

ogy Teacher Jon Steiner to

see if the program could be

incorporated into the 8th

grade Business Technology

curriculum for the 2013-2014

school year. Both Principal

Buttler and Mr. Steiner eager-

ly agreed and 72 8th grade

participants beginning their

joint Business Technology/

Georgia BEST program in the

2013 Fall Semester. Of the 72

student participants, 35 suc-

cessfully completed both the

requirements of their Busi-

ness Technology curriculum

and all of the requirements of

the Georgia BEST program.

In addition to Mrs. Townsen, Principal Buttler and Mr. Stei-ner, attendees of the Luella

Middle School Georgia BEST Program graduation included, Dr. Ethan Hildreth, Henry County Schools Superinten-dent, Mark Butler, Commis-sioner of the Georgia Depart-ment of Labor, and Crystal Cohen, Site Coordinator at Communities in Schools- Hen-ry. The rightfully proud Luella M.S. Georgia BEST graduates accepted Certificates of Com-pletion directly presented by GA Department of Labor Commissioner Mark Butler. Luella Middle School’s Geor-gia BEST program will resume with another batch of eager 8th grade students in January 2014, with their 2nd gradua-tion class expected in May, 2014. Congratulations Graduation

Coach Debbie Towsen, Busi-

ness Technology Teacher Jon

Steiner and Principal Mark

Butler for the successful im-

plementation of the Georgia

BEST program. Your team

truly understands that it is

the investment in students

today that will bring in divi-

dends for the workforce to-

morrow. Also, additional

congratulations are in order

Sonja and a team of volunteers on

moving day for the family.

P A G E 7

Kroger Community Rewards Step 5: Click on

My Account then

Account Set-

tings.

Step 6: In the

Community Rewards section, click

Edit.

Step 7: Type our Kroger ID number,

52054, or our name, Communities In

Schools of Henry County.

Step 8: Select Communities In

Schools of Henry County and click

Save.

Thank you to all who choose Com-

munities In Schools of Henry County

as the nonprofit you support with

Kroger Community Rewards.

Do you shop at Kroger? If so, Kroger

has a great opportunity for you to

help CIS-Henry earn rewards. We

have enrolled in the Kroger Commu-

nity Rewards program that allows

you, as a shopper at Kroger to help

earn money for a nonprofit. Follow

these easy steps to help CIS-Henry.

Step 1: Get a free Kroger Plus Card at

your local Kroger store if you don’t

already have one.

Step 2: Go to Kroger.com, then click

Sign In.

Step 3: Either create an account or

enter your account information if

you already have one.

Step 4: After creating an account,

sign into your account

© 2013

Communities In

Schools of Henry

County

70 Macon Street

McDonough, GA

678) 432 4499

To sign-up for our

email newsletter, visit

us at:

www.CIS-Henry.org

© 2013 Communities In Schools - Henry | 70 Macon Street | McDonough, GA 30253

V O L U M E 2 , I S S U E 2

Volunteer Mentors Needed We recently started a mentor-

ing program at Henry County

Middle School, and invite

members of the community

to get in touch with our office

if you are interested in making

a difference in a child’s life as

a mentor.

Mentoring is a great way to

build a relationship with stu-

dents who needs a positive

adult role model. Mentoring

only takes a small amount of

time each week but can make

a huge positive difference in

the life of children.

Research has shown that

students who have a mentor

are more likely to stay in

school. Additionally, the

mentee is 52% less likely to

skip a day of school and 37%

less likely to skip class. They

are also 46% less likely to

start using illegal drugs and

27% less likely to start drink-

ing.

In addition to helping the

child, mentoring is also bene-

ficial for the mentor. The

mentor-mentee relationship

will be meaningful for the

mentor as well as for the

child. By mentoring, mentors

gain skills in their dealings

with the child, which will

benefit the mentor both pro-

fessionally and personally,

and they meet many commu-

nity partners and learn about

resources available through-

out the community.

If you are interested in get-

ting involved by becoming a

mentor, call us at 678-432-

4499 or email us at

bill.simons@cis-henry.org.

Georgia Gives Day On November 13, 2013, Com-

munities In Schools of Henry

County participated in Geor-

gia Gives Day, which is an

annual online fundraiser for

people all across the state of

Georgia to donate to a non-

profit in whose cause they

believe. We had several do-

nors and are thankful for all

the donations we received.

Thank you to all of you who

helped to make this fundrais-

er a success.

There is still an opportunity to contribute to CIS-Henry’s mission by visiting our website, www.cis-henry.org and clicking “How to Help” and then clicking on “Donate Now.” Thank you for your support!

Communities In Schools of Henry County

70 Macon Street

McDonough, GA 30253

Fundraiser for Henry County Educational Programs

Our friends at Gezzo’s, Howard & Anita Hsu

have offered to include Communities In Schools

of Henry County as a beneficiary of their up-

coming fundraiser.

Please come out and support this great cause.