February
14-17: No School - Teacher Professional Day/President's Day
25: Geogia MileStone Family Prep Night, 6:00 pm -7:00 pm        

March    
2: Read Across America & Book Fair, 8:00 am - 1:00 pm   
3: Spring Individual and Classroom Photo (Lifetouch- NO Retake)
5: Exceptional Children's Week Program, 8:00am - 9:00am  
11: Dream Maker Picture Day
13: No School - Teacher Work Day

Ms. Ballard, College Park's media specialist, next to the Black History Month display she created.

	Mrs. Cassie Bush, School Improvement Coach

Greetings! My name is Cassie J. Bush. I serve as School Improvement Coach for grades 3-5 at College Park Elementary. This is my 4th year as a Coach and my 12th year as an educator.

Before becoming a coach I served as an ESOL teacher in Fulton County at Tubman and College Park Elementary. Prior to that, I was a 2nd and 3rd grade teacher at Hamilton E. Holmes Elementary in Fulton County. My "why" for the work I do is the ability to make positive impact. I love to see teachers and students grow as a result of the work I provide!

My educational background includes a Bachelors in Early Childhood Education from Georgia State, Masters in Reading and Math (K-5th) and a Specialist Degree in Curriculum & Instruction both from Waldon University. My hobbies include shopping and dining.

I am blessed to be married to my devoted husband and we have a wonderful son named Christian. I am proud to be your Professional of the Year for 2019-2020!

1. Cell phones are not allowed on the school campus. If students bring cell phones to school they must remain in their backpacks and remain off. Students using their cell phones on campus are breaking a FCS Board of Education policy and College Park ES policy.
2. Looking to increase your skills at home? Your child can practice their iReady Math and iReady Reading at home? Contact your child's teacher for access.
3. Class Dojo is the tool we use to communicate between teachers and parents. Be sure to sign up!

Ms. Brandon leans in to help a student in a small group setting. Please note the "Half Past" message on the whiteboard in the background (see teachable moment below).

I am actively engaged with students during Math small group instruction. I am building on previous lessons to assure that skills are retained and expanded. We are working on two standards which are MGSE1.MD.2 and MGSE1.MD.3. The first standard helps students recognize the importance of making sure that there are not any gaps or overlaps in order to get an accurate measurement.

Teachable Moment: While reteaching the standard MGSE.MD.3 a student asked me what time is lunch? I said "If you show me half past 10 I will buy you a snack of your choice during lunch. The student used all the strategies that were taught and connected it to the task. Of course he was correct and I ended up spending $6 on ice cream at lunch. This motivated the other students to complete their task. They understood that the hour hand needs to be between two numbers and the minute needs to be on the six to know that this is half past.

	Ms. Courtney Cunningham, 2nd grade, Teacher of the Year

Hi! My name is Courtney D. Cunningham and I am a 2nd Grade teacher here at College Park Elementary School. This is my 4th year all in 2nd grade.

Before teaching, I SEVERAL other jobs. The most recent being a Recreational Leader for the City of College Park. I love teaching. I love building relationships with the kids in our school. I enjoy allowing my kids to expand their thinking beyond what they're used to.

I'm a Fulton County kid. I received my B.S. in Education from the University of West Georgia and my Masters in Curriculum and Instruction- Technology from Grand Canyon University.  When I'm not in school I love to cook, travel, and watch tons of horror movies.

I am the youngest of four, sister to three, and aunt to five amazing nieces. I am so honored to be your Teacher of the Year for 2020-2021!

College Park Elementary School remembers Rosa Parks during her birthday month which coincides with Black History Month.

	Rosa Parks in 1955 with Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. in the background.

Rosa Parks (1913-2005), whose birthday is Feb. 4, grew up without her father in her life. Her mother, a teacher, worked such long hours during the week, Rosa was raised in part by her maternal grandparents, both former slaves.
 
She credited them with "giving me the spirit of freedom ... that I should do my very best to be a respectable person, to respect myself, to expect respect from others," Parks said, as quoted in "The Rebellious Life of Mrs. Rosa Parks" by Jeanne Theoharis.

Many of our families probably already know that on Dec. 1, 1955, after a long day at her seamstress job, Parks boarded a municipal bus in Montgomery, Ala., on Cleveland Avenue - later renamed Rosa Parks Avenue.

The city's segregation law gave its white armed bus drivers absolute power over passenger seating. When the man behind the wheel, James Blake, ordered Parks to yield her seat to a white passenger and move to the back of the bus, she refused.

"If I did stand up, it meant that I approved of the way I was being treated, and I did not approve," Parks once said.

Martin Luther King wrote in his autobiography that Parks was "not planted there by the NAACP. ... She was planted there by her sense of dignity and self-respect. Mrs. Parks was ideal for the role assigned to her by history. Her character was impeccable and her dedication deep-rooted."

Upon Parks' death at age 92, she lay in honor in the U.S. Capitol rotunda.

Parks received the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 1996 and the Congressional Gold Medal in 1999. The latter's citation read that her "quiet dignity ignited the most significant social movement in the history of the United States."

Parks' legacy also endures on a U.S. Postal Service stamp issued on her 100th birthday.

Maisha N. Otway - Principal - [email protected]
Shantara Whitaker-Crooks - Assistant Principal - [email protected]