Dear Community Leaders

This is a reminder about the Open House at the Berrien County Elementary School this Wednesday, June 30th, from 9:00 to 9:30 AM. If there are any questions please feel free to contact me through email or phone.

I'm looking forward to a great morning!

Thanks,
--
Constance P. Thomas

Berrien County Students Staying Active Throughout June

The Berrien County Board of Education, Berrien County Collaborative, Boys and Girls Club, and 21^st Century Community Learning Center have teamed up to create an activity filled summer program for children in grades Pre-K through 12. Primary and Elementary students are taking classes at the Elementary School while Middle and High School students are located at the high school. The program is offering a variety of classes some of which include driver’s education, video production, creative writing, and personal fitness. Nearly 400 Berrien County students are enrolled in all levels of the summer program. At the middle school level, boys are learning taekwondo, fitness, rocket building, and are spending time developing computer skills while the girls are being taught cooking, etiquette, and art in addition to taekwondo.

The Elementary and Primary students are also loaded with great activities throughout the month, with one of the most popular being their weekly swimming day at the Tifton YMCA. In addition to swimming, students are cooking, working with science kits, going on field trips around the community, giving presentations, and also working on computer skills. Due to small class sizes and an excellent staff, students have been very well behaved and focused on their daily tasks.

A few field trips and guest speakers have been scheduled throughout the month long summer program to keep the students interested and engaged. Florida State University football star and Valdosta native, Greg Reid recently visited the Elementary school to share his own story of the benefits of hard work and determination. Primary, Elementary, and Middle School students were also able to attend a BMX bike exhibit which encouraged character building and drug prevention. In addition to the great message, the stunt team included a number of different jumps and freestyle tricks leaving the crowd amazed.

Communities In Schools Announces 2010 Wal-Mart Scholars

ARLINGTON, Va., June 15 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Communities In Schools, the nation's largest dropout prevention organization, is pleased to announce that 13 new students have been selected as recipients of the 2010 Wal-Mart Foundation Communities In Schools Scholarship Program. The scholars, graduating seniors from Georgia, North Carolina, Virginia, and Washington, were awarded prizes ranging from $2,000 to $8,000 dollars to apply to pursuing a higher education. Recipients were chosen based on their financial need, academic performance, and demonstrated leadership abilities.

The scholarships were set up to promote non-traditional academic excellence and provide an opportunity for promising students who have experienced significant educational challenges and financial need to reach their highest potential. Students from across the Performance Learning Centers (PLC) Network were eligible for the scholarships. The money was made available through a two year grant from the Wal-Mart Foundation, totaling $120,000 dollars.

"Through this grant we are pleased to have the funds available to help these students pursue a higher education that otherwise may not have been available to them," said Joseph Santucci of the Communities In Schools Leadership Council. The scholarships help support the cost of higher education, reducing the financial barriers that students who maintain satisfactory academic progress often encounter. In addition, through the scholarship program a diverse group of future leaders will be identified who exemplify the core values of the Communities In Schools Mission.

The 2010 Wal-Mart Foundation Communities In Schools Scholars are:

• Emma Ayala (Marietta PLC)
• Erin Bowers (Candler County PLC)
• Haley Carroll (Berrien County PLC)
• Lynsey Farnsworth (Charlotte PLC)
• Taylor Goudy (Charlotte PLC)
• Erika Randolph (Hampton PLC)
• Rubi Romero (Marietta PLC)
• Cameron Stella (Mary Mosley PLC)
• Tania Tenery (Kent PLC)
• Devontay Vickers (Laurens County PLC)
• Shane Waddy (Marietta PLC)
• Ariana Walker (Marietta PLC)
• William Washington (ACDC PLC)

Communities In Schools surrounds students with a community of support, empowering them to stay in school and achieve in life. Through a school-based coordinator, Communities In Schools connects students and their families to critical community resources tailored to local needs. Working in nearly 3,300 schools in the most challenged communities, in 26 states and theDistrict of Columbia, Communities In Schools serves more than 1.3 million young people and their families. It has become the nation's leading dropout prevention organization, and the only one proven to increase graduation rates and decrease dropout rates.

Visit our website at www.communitiesinschools.org.

Emory University's Urban Health Program funds MED project in Berrien County

The Berrien County Collaborative recently received support from Emory University's Urban Health program. This funding will assist in the start-up, public relations, and marketing of the MED. The MED is a school-based health clinic designed to bridge the gaps in health care services for students. This is a combined effort that uniquely links pediatricians, general practitioners, psychiatrists, nurses, and other health care professionals through onsite and telehealth delivered services.

State of Our Union

According to the 2009 KIDS COUNT Data Book, a national report on the well-being of America’s children by the Annie E. Casey Foundation, Georgia ranks 42nd in the nation. Georgia ranks in the bottom 10 in five categories: high-school dropouts; teens not attending school and not working; low-birthweight babies; children in single-parent families; and infant mortality. Georgia has the second-highest percentage of high-school dropouts in the country. In addition, more than 300,000 of Georgia’s children are uninsured, and as a result do not have a medical home and have limited access to routine health care.

Goal of the Comprehensive School Based Health Clinic Program:

• To increase access to quality health care, improve the delivery of health services, and improve the health of Georgia’s children.
• To facilitate the expansion of school-based health clinics throughout the state from two to 12 over the next five years.
• To organize a state association for school-based health programs.

Through the expansion of school-based clinic services, children in Georgia will benefit from improved access to primary health care, improved health outcomes, and improved school attendance. The state will benefit from reduced costs to the Medicaid system through the reduction in inappropriate emergency room visits, hospitalizations for chronic illnesses
(i.e., asthma and diabetes), and transportation costs.