Fulton Schools Prepare to Open Aug. 13

At A Glance:

The Fulton County School System continues to be the fourth largest school district in Georgia with a projected 2012-2013 enrollment of nearly 93,200 students – an expected increase of nearly 700 students from the previous school year. The system includes 100 schools – 58 elementary schools, 19 middle schools, 17 high schools and six start-up charter schools.

Bus Driver Preparation: 

School bus drivers met Aug. 7 and 8 for bus readiness checks and test runs of their assigned 2012-13 bus routes. This year, all 850-plus school bus drivers will be certified in CPR to be prepared to render a faster life-saving response in the event of a medical emergency. In addition, the entire bus fleet has completed the six-hour Green Cross Defensive Driving training program. The national program is considered one of the best driver trainings for organizations with large vehicle fleets. 

Teachers’ Pre-Planning Week: 

From August 7-10, Fulton’s 6,800 teachers are reporting back to school to prepare for the new year. Teachers will meet with their leadership teams, receive school-specific training, prepare class rolls and decorate their classrooms.

School Leadership Changes:

As veteran principals have retired or moved to different posts, it’s inevitable that school leaders will shift in Fulton County. The following schools have new principals this year:

• - Norman Sauce
• Creek View Elementary School - Debra Doss
• Feldwood Elementary School - Trici Smith
• Hapeville Elementary School - Jennifer Couch
• Hillside Elementary School - Maisha Otway
• Lake Forest Elementary School - Harvey Oaxaca
• Langston Hughes High School - Eric Hollinhead
• McNair Middle School - Lori Bolds
• - Tiffany Hutchens
• New Prospect Elementary School - Rako Morrissey
• Woodland Middle School - Richard Fowler

New Schools:

Cambridge High School (2845 Bethany Bend, Milton). Located in the city of Milton in North Fulton, Cambridge High School will open its doors this August. The 320,000-square-foot school resembles the design of Johns Creek High School and will house almost 1,200 students. 

The “C” in the school’s name is in honor of the Cogburn family, the original owners of the school site. The “A” represents the students rezoned from Alpharetta High School and the “M” represents the students coming from Milton High School. The “bridge” is both metaphorical and physical, representing how students will come together to form a new school community as well as for the 126-foot bridge on the property.

Banneker High School (5935 Feldwood Road, College Park). Replacing an older, outdated structure, the new 340,000-square-foot Banneker High School opens to students on Aug. 13. The school will be home to 1,300 students more than five academic and administrative wings.

While the interior of the school is substantially complete, finishing touches are occurring outside of the school. During the summer, the old school was demolished to create student parking, multi-use fields and tennis courts. 

New Meal Offerings/Price Changes:

 School cafeterias will serve school meals that meet tough new federal nutrition standards, ensuring that meals are healthy, well-balanced and provide students all the nutrition they need to succeed at school.  

School meals offer students all five food groups including milk, fruits, vegetables, proteins and grains, and they must meet strict limits for saturated fat and portion size. Starting this year, school lunches will meet additional standards requiring:

• Age-appropriate calorie limits
• Larger servings of vegetables and fruits (students must take at least one serving of produce)
• A wider variety of vegetables, including dark green and red/orange vegetables and legumes
• Fat-free or 1 percent milk (flavored milk must be fat-free)
• More whole grains
• No trans fats and less sodium

Lunch prices will be $0.10 higher from last year. In elementary schools, breakfast continues to be priced at $1.05 while lunch is $2.20. At middle schools and high schools, breakfast is $1.20 and lunch is $2.45.

Charter System: 

Fulton County Schools became Georgia’s largest charter system in July. Over the next five years, its charter status will strengthen the district’s ability to provide flexibility in its operations with the result of increased student achievement.  

The first year – 2012-2013 – of the five-year charter will focus on developing School Governance Councils for 20 schools (called “Cohort 1”) throughout the school system. These schools will be a model for others to observe as they elect students, parents, teachers and staff, and community members to serve on their governance councils. Elections for the Cohort 1 schools will be held in late fall and training for members will occur in the winter.

Cohort 1 Schools:

Paul D. West Middle School

Randolph Elementary School

Camp Creek Middle School

Riverwood International Charter School

Centennial High School

Roswell North Elementary School

Heards Ferry Elementary School

Sandtown Middle School

Hembree Springs Elementary School

Milton High School

Spalding Drive Charter Elementary School

Mountain Park Elementary School

Stonewall Tell Elementary School

Westlake High School

Oakley Elementary School

Woodland Elementary School