Carter G. Woodson Elementary students get warm for winter, with a little help from their friends

With the temperatures dipping lower and sooner this winter, the Atlanta Chapter of Continental Societies, Inc., provided 139 warm coats to students at Carter G. Woodson Elementary. President Jean Cooper asked members to donate winter outerwear as well as help fit the children in their new coats in the school media center.

Woodson Principal Dr. Viola Blackshear thanked the organization for its generosity. With its mission to create environments that empower children to reach their optimal potential, the Atlanta Chapter of Continental Societies, Inc. continues to serve Atlantans in general but in particular the children.

Providing ongoing tangible assistance to children is a priority for the non-profit service organization. The Coat Drive is an annual initiative and this is the 3rd year that the children of Woodson Elementary School have been chosen as recipients. While the coat drive was going on in the media center, Continental members gathered children in another area of the school and facilitated an Arts program. The children expressed their creativity and created hand-made Christmas cards.  The Atlanta Chapter of Continental Societies, Inc. has a 37-year history of providing support to children. In the 2009- 2010 calendar year alone, $7,500 was expended by the organization to 250 youth through various programs, services and scholarships.

Inside The Atlanta Educator: Grady High teacher Korri Ellis

Have you checked out the latest issue of The Atlanta Educator? It’s chock full of amazing features about the teachers, administrators, staffers, students, parents and community supporters who continue to enforce Atlanta Public Schools’ journey to excellence. You can read them one article at a time online here, or by clicking on www.issuu.com/atlantaeducator. We wanted to give you some examples before the break, starting with this feature on Grady High science teacher Korri Ellis. Here’s the intro; read the rest at the jump!

When Korri Ellis thinks about community engagement, she thinks green.

She thinks about trees her Grady High students planted on campus and throughout Midtown. She thinks about the school recycling program that began a couple years ago. She also thinks about harvesting organic produce from the school’s garden and creating meals for students to enjoy. 

As chair of the Grady High School Science Department and 2008 APS High School Teacher of the Year, Ellis has reinforced Georgia Performance Standards by creating partnerships with just about every environmental group in town. That list includes the Piedmont Park Conservancy, Georgia Conservancy, Trees Atlanta, Georgia Organics, Farmer D Organics, the Georgia Aquarium — and more.

Read more here.

Holiday concerts usher in season of good cheer

It’s hard to imagine celebrating the holidays without classic carols like, “Rudolph, the Red-Nosed Reindeer” or “Jingle Bells.” It’s also difficult to imagine elementary schools without music programs — and the talented teachers who help students embrace the arts.

While many districts have cut arts programs, the sound of music is alive and well throughout Atlanta Public Schools. Holiday concerts featuring jazz bands, orchestras, choruses and plays made this a busy week, but TalkUpAPS did peek in on a few performances, including the holiday show at Thomasville Heights Elementary.

Members of the school band, orchestra (above) and choir put on a rousing holiday show that kept parents smiling. Kudos to the music directors who kept everyone in tune and on key! Also, if you missed the amazing APS honors concert at Maynard H. Jackson High, watch highlights from the show on our Media Gallery.

Happy Holidays!

APS schools to close Dec. 20-Jan. 5 for winter break

Atlanta Public Schools will close from Dec. 20 to Jan. 5 for winter break. The last day of classes for schools on the APS traditional school calendar is Friday, Dec. 17. Classes resume after winter break on Wednesday, Jan. 5, 2011. APS administrative offices will be closed from Wednesday, Dec. 22 until Monday, Jan. 3.