CCSD stays busy over the summer break, as departments continue to serve students through special programs and work begins to prepare for the new school year.  This slideshow video and the information below represents just some of the many projects underway over the summer.

School Operations and Curriculum & Instruction together served 1,500 students in summer educational programs across grades K-12 including the newly expanded Summer Discovery enrichment program, traditional summer school remedial and course recovery programs, high school work-ahead health and PE classes, and the Summer Bridge program for rising freshmen.  Thirty-four more students graduated from high school this year by earning their final credits in summer school, with a commencement ceremony held for them and their families at Etowah High School.

Curriculum & Instruction’s Professional Development department provided training for 1,600 teachers and other staff, which will help kick off new initiatives in blended learning, social and emotional learning and STEM – and avoid some substitute costs had they left their classrooms for this training during the school year.  The Division’s leadership presented at the International Center for Leadership in Education’s Model Schools Conference, which was attended by CCSD leaders and Principals.  Numerous teachers and leaders attended other professional development over the summer, including 18 high school teachers tapped to participate in College Board Advanced Placement Institutes.

School Police Department officers trained in June on rifle skills and child exploitation investigations, and participated last week in a multi-jurisdictional “active shooter” drill at Creekview High School.  Safety and security upgrades also were made at every school using the new State safety grants, with projects proposed by Principals and vetted by CCSD staff.  The projects included the installation of additional external and internal security cameras; installation of additional badge-reader security systems at external doors; and construction of the last two security foyers (Ralph Bunche Center preschool and Free Home Elementary School) in the districtwide initiative. 

School Nutrition served more than 55,000 USDA-sponsored meals through its Seamless Summer feeding program, which this year expanded thanks to the Crusin’ Café -- a decommissioned school bus that was retrofitted by Transporation and Support Services staff to serve as a cafeteria on wheels.  The department’s staff also stayed busy with professional development including Farm to Table local farm tours and the State’s Cafeteria Confidential culinary program. 

Support Services completed a long list of major summer work projects with improvements at every school ranging from replacing ceiling tiles to installing new flooring and from replacing lighting with energy efficient LED lights to constructing exterior canopies.  Maintenance crews also closed out more than 300 work orders for repairs, and capital improvement staff continued work on the construction of additional classrooms at Mill Creek Middle School. 

Technology & Information Services opened CCSD’s first-ever Centralized Summer Registration center at the Educational Services Annex on Keeter Road.  This center offered the families of students new to CCSD the opportunity, once they completed online registration, to finish the process with their in-person meeting there over the summer break instead of waiting until schools re-opened in mid-July.  The center completed the registration process for 950 students over the four weeks!  This new service not only let families check this off their to-do list more quickly, it also prevented a back-log of appointments when schools re-opened.  Technology also continued its technology training for staff throughout CCSD including Microsoft Innovative Educator certification; and staff cleaned and prepared more than 10,000 devices, as well as made repairs and upgrades to devices and infrastructure, in order to begin the new school year with all systems go.

Transportation provided local and State professional development training for employees, and completed maintenance work to ensure all 450 school buses passed State inspections and earned permits needed for the new school year.  The Department has earned the prestigious National Institute for Automotive Service Excellence Blue Seal of Excellence, which is the National standard for outstanding transportation maintenance departments and companies.  Every CCSD school bus is inspected and undergoes maintenance at least once every 20 days by this staff of ASE-certified technicians.