Partners In Education

School Flood Relief – Supplies Needed

   One month ago teachers welcomed back more than 100,000 smiling faces from grades K-12 to Cobb County and Marietta City schools. Students stepped off buses ready to get back into the swing of their studies and learn a new curriculum.
   Unfortunately the month of September brought rain and flooding, causing severe damage and devastation to Georgia residents. Flood victims continue to vacate their homes and students have been temporarily relocated to other schools in the area. Schools, such as Clarkdale Elementary School, have yet to reopen due to the extent of the flood damage.
   The Cobb Chamber of Commerce will be acting as one location drop off point for the donation of school supplies and gift cards from retailers such as The School Box, Kmart, Target, Walmart, Office Depot, Office Max, and Staples. The school districts ask that donations of household goods, clothing, and bedding be made at M.U.S.T. Ministries in Marietta. If your business would like to donate supplies to the schools, please visit the Cobb Chamber of Commerce located at 240 Interstate North Parkway, Atlanta, GA 30339 by October 27.
   Monetary donations for the Clarkdale Elementary School Relief Fund may be made through the Cobb Schools Foundation. Click here to make a credit/debit card donation on the secure donation Web site. Cash or check donations may be mailed to: Cobb Schools Foundation, 514 Glover Street. Marietta, GA 30060. All contributions are tax-deductible. If you would like to contribute monetarily to additional schools affected by the flood, please contact the schools directly.
   (above right) Clarkdale Elementary School in Austell, GA sits under water due to severe rain.
   Credit: Cobb County School District

Welcome New Partners!

Involvement of businesses like yours in our schools is key to their success. We are proud to have more than 900 partners helping in Cobb and Marietta, and the list just keeps on growing. Click here to view the new businesses that are now part of the PIE Program.
For a full list of Partners in Education Click here.

Activity Spotlight
Georgia Tech’s CEISMC and STEM Education in Cobb County Schools

Through Georgia Tech’s Center for Education Integrating Science, Mathematics and Computing (CEISMC), the university’s K-12 education outreach arm, educational groups, schools, corporations, and opinion leaders unite to ensure that K-12 students in Georgia receive the best possible preparation in science, technology engineering and mathematics (STEM) as they seek their place in the modern world. CEISMC and its partners are dedicated to igniting the spark that inspires children of all backgrounds to the possibility of STEM careers and to becoming involved and intrigued in the STEM issues of modern life. Georgia Tech’s K-12 partnerships in Cobb County include multiple programs ranging from fellowships for teachers to robotics competition teams that provide opportunities for students and teachers at schools such as Marietta High School, Pebblebrook High School, South Cobb High School, Wheeler High School, Daniel Middle School and East Cobb Middle School.
For more information on the specific programs, please click here.

Partner Signings

   More businesses and schools are making their partnerships official everyday.
   On August 18 the Marietta City School District held a signing ceremony for its newest Partner at Large, the Georgia Aquarium. Superintendent Dr. Emily Lembeck (right) poses for a photo with Kim Morris-Zarneke of the Georgia Aquarium. The Georgia Aquarium hosts teacher appreciation events, supports festivals and school programming with a focus on water and participates in career presentations. The Georgia Aquarium has also signed on as a Partner at Large with the Cobb County School District.

   Don’t forget to turn in your pictures for the next issue. E-mail the pictures to partners@cobbchamber.org. Please identify the people pictured and provide a brief description of what the partner is doing with the school. Please keep in mind that the quality of the photo and the space constraints of the issue will be taken into consideration.

Partners in Action

Businesses and schools come together to hold numerous events and fundraisers every year to provide for the school and promote community spirit. Click here to see the creative ways that businesses and schools have partnered together.

Schools in Action

Businesses and organizations participate in numerous activities and provide for their partner schools throughout the year. To thank them, schools hold a variety of activities ranging from appreciation celebrations and class projects to writing exercises devoted to their partners, such as writing thank you notes. Click here to see the creative ways that schools are showing appreciation for their partners.

School Needs

   Cobb Performance Learning Center and Marietta Performance Learning Center at Woods-Wilkins need volunteers to mentor students and businesses willing to provide Job Shadow opportunities and internships throughout the year. Please contact Ms. Alie Israel of the Cobb Performance Learning Center at 678-331-1098 or Ms. Shayla Jones of the Marietta Performance Learning Center at 770-429-0978 for the opportunity to mentor a student. Click here for more information.

What is a Performance Learning Center (PLC)?
   The PLC is a partnership between Communities in Schools of Marietta/Cobb County, Inc. and the Cobb County School System. It is a new learning center geared towards high school students who are not succeeding in traditional school settings and are at risk of dropping out.
   The PLC provides a self-paced (accelerated) learning environment for students who are not meeting their potential at a traditional high school by:
   n Helping students recover credits and graduate
   n Connecting students to community mentors and opportunities for internships
   n Helping students develop marketable skills and give them a chance to give back to the
   community
What makes the PLC different from a traditional high school?
   n Low student/teacher ratios
   n One-on-one attention for students
   n Computer-based curriculum
   n Project based/service learning
   n Mentoring Life Skills

   To help or submit your schools’ needs, contact the Cobb Chamber Education Department at partners@cobbchamber.org or 770-859-2366.

The Cobb Chamber Celebrates 21 Years of Give Our Schools a Hand

Give Our Schools a Hand (GOSH) is a celebration that honors more than 130 Teachers of the Year from Cobb County, Marietta City and post-secondary education systems. This salute to public education is one of the largest in the nation. Below are events for the month of October.

Teacher of the Year Pep Rally
All 2009-2010 Teachers of the Year will be honored at the Give Our Schools a Hand Pep Rally at the Roswell Street Baptist Church. The public is invited to attend the Pep Rally at 11 a.m. on October 27.

Outstanding Partners Honored at Cobb Chamber’s First Monday Breakfast

This year the Cobb Chamber Education Department will honor the 2009 Outstanding Partners in Education and Outstanding Partners in Education programs at the Cobb Chamber's November 2 First Monday Breakfast at the Atlanta Marriott at 7:30 a.m. Congratulations to the 2009 Outstanding Partners in Education and Schools with Outstanding Partners in Education Programs.

First Year Service Award Vivid Marketing	Golden Service Award-10 Years Presbyterian Village
Outstanding Partners Delta Community Credit Union Marietta (Dallas Highway) Branch Georgia Power Company Plant McDonough Atkinson East Cobb Huntington Learning Center	New Inductees into the Partners in Education Hall of Fame First Baptist Church of Smyrna Publix at Woodlawn
Outstanding Partners in Education Programs Birney Elementary School Marietta Sixth Grade Academy

Partners in Education Training Session – Success!

An enthusiastic group of school representatives and local businesses and community leaders attended the Partners in Education Training Session on August 26. The session detailed the Partners in Education program and addressed topics from the partnership process to how to make a partnership a two-way street. This year’s focus will be on ways schools can give back to partners and effectively communicating with your partner and school representatives and other ways of strengthening the relationship.
The Cobb Chamber Education Department would like to extend a special thank you to Cobb EMC for sponsoring the breakfast for the session and thank you to all who attended the session. We look forward to doing it again next year!

Attention Prospective Partners!

Do you want to join the small and large businesses, civic groups and non-profits that are instrumental in providing Cobb schools with volunteers, equipment, supplies, scholarships, in-kind services and cash donations? Click here for a list of opportunities for your business.