(Gulf Shores)

Baldwin County Schools has put out the following three announcements.

 

Three important reminders:

1.  School will dismiss Thursday (11/10) at noon for Teacher Professional Development.

2.  Schools and administrative offices will be closed Friday (11/11) for Veterans Day.

3. On Wednesday, (11/9) at 1:00 p.m., the Federal government will conduct the first nationwide test of the Emergency Alert System. The test will last up to 30 seconds. During this period, regularly scheduled television, radio, cable, and satellite shows will be interrupted as the system is being tested. It is only a test.

(Baldwin County)

 

Baldwin County School Board President Angie Swiger was the featured speaker at a Sept. 19 fundraising lunch sponsored by the Coastal Baldwin Educational Enrichment Foundation, Inc. Held at Gulf Island Grill in Gulf Shores, Swiger presented a program entitled “Learning for Life.”

Swiger said the program is a broad program consisting of both countywide and local initiatives. According to Swiger, the “Learning for Life” program in local schools is part of the larger “21st Century Learning” initiative being implemented throughout the county.

“Our ‘Learning for Life’ program will allow us to implement the technology upgrades of the county’s ‘Digital Renaissance’ at a much faster rate for our schools in Gulf Shores and Orange Beach than originally slated,” she said. “The ‘Digital Renaissance’ program will place a MacBook laptop computer in the hands of each of our students from fourth through twelfth grade and an iPad in the hands of each student from kindergarten through third grade. However, through the assistance of some private donors, we will be able to increase and upgrade the technology placed in the hands of our students and teachers much more quickly than if we waited solely on funding from the school system.”

Swiger introduced Gulf Shores High School Business Technology Teacher Charlene Hoffman to those at the luncheon. Hoffman has been chosen to be the technology facilitator with teachers on the island. “Her job is to teach our teachers how the technology can be used to create a project-based and collaborative classroom as opposed to the traditional classroom where teachers are lecturers rather than facilitators of knowledge,” Swiger said.

Along with the technology initiatives, “Learning for Life” also consists of tailor-made career academies for high school students to get them on a career path in which they have both interest and abilities. Swiger introduced GSHS Social Studies Teacher Ryan Moss as the Career Academy Coordinator for the “Learning for Life” program. “Ryan’s job is important because it is his responsibility to implement the career academies we envision for our students on the island,” Swiger said. “We’ve just started this and in just a few weeks he’s done a great job of lining up 11 internships for us with local businesses. It’s his job to get the students into the business world and get the businesses into the schools.”

The CBEE Foundation is the conduit for corporate sponsors to make donations to assist in the “Learning for Life” funding. “We’re thrilled to be a part of this program and can’t wait to see it implemented,” CBEE Foundation President Yolanda Devine Johnson said.

According to Swiger, individuals may also donate through the individual schools by contacting school principals. Swiger said anyone, or any civic organization, interested in learning more about the program can contact her at 251-609-2873 or This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .

Formerly known as the Alabama Gulf Coast Area Educational Foundation, the CBEE Foundation has awarded scholarships to graduating seniors from Gulf Shores High School and grants to teachers in Orange Beach and Gulf Shores public schools for more than a decade. Anyone who is interested in making a difference in our schools is welcome to become a part of CBEE. For more information on the foundation, see its website at cbee.la, or contact Johnson at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it , or 205-613-0001

 

With the new school year only weeks away, the Coastal Baldwin Educational Enrichment Foundation, Inc. started off a new year with a new name, new leadership and new members at its July meeting.

Formerly known as the Alabama Gulf Coast Area Educational Foundation, the organization has awarded scholarships to graduating seniors from Gulf Shores High School and grants to teachers in Orange Beach and Gulf Shores public schools for more than a decade. “We wanted to start off a new year with a fresh new attitude along with our new members,” New CBEE Foundation Chairman Yolanda Devine Johnson said. “Our new name goes right along with that attitude.”

CBEE Foundation member Jason Holt said he thought the new name had meaning on several different levels. “Its acronym can be stated as ‘Seabee’.  This fits great with the location and purpose of our foundation,” he said. “The Seabees stand for the Construction Battalions of the Navy.  They are responsible for building and improving bases, hospitals and other construction projects after the U.S. military has landed. Of course we are on the coast and the foundation is here to improve and build on the success of the island’s schools.”

The new slate of board members includes Johnson, Vice-Chairman Fred Peninger, Recording Secretary Renee Eberly, Corresponding Secretary Christie Shannon, Treasurer Bob Grant, Scholarship Chairman Iris Ethridge and Past Chairman Mike Diehl. “I look forward to another successful year for our foundation,” Diehl said. “Now I have the best title of all - past chairman.”

 

New foundation members include Elizabeth Jones, Traci Fisher, John Knight, Dr. Rachel McDaniel, Tracie Sweat, John Marcus Price and Robin Nelson.

 

“I’m excited about this new year,” Johnson said. “I look forward to working with our new and returning board members along with the other educational foundations in the county to help make our schools the best anywhere.”

Photo by Clayton Wallace

Anyone who is interested in making a difference in our schools is welcome to become a part of CBEE. For more information on the foundation, see its website at cbee.la, or contact Johnson at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it , or 205-613-0001.

 

 

 

(Baldwin County)

Kindergarten Registration for Baldwin County Public Schools is scheduled for Tuesday, April 26, 2011, 8:00 a.m.-2:30 p.m.

Students must be five years old, on or before September 2, to be eligible to attend public kindergarten. Parents should register their child at the school serving their attendance zone. Parents or guardians are encouraged to bring their child when they register so that new kindergarten students may be given a readiness survey.

Records needed for registration include:

Certified Birth Certificate Social Security Card Proof of Residency State of Alabama Certificate of Immunization (IMM-50) and (IMM-90) Measles Immunization Certificate or an IMM-52 Certificate of Religious Exemption. Forms may be obtained from local physicians or from the Baldwin County Health Department (BCHD). The Baldwin County Health Department is located at 23280 Gilbert Drive, Robertsdale, Alabama.

To assist parents in obtaining the immunizations their children need prior to Kindergarten Registration, the Baldwin County Health Department will be making appointments for immunizations required for Kindergarten on April 6th, 13th, 26th and 27th at the BCHD located in Robertsdale. The charge for immunizations is $15.00 per child.  The Health Department will be updating vaccinations and providing immunization blue slips if shots have been given by another health care provider. To schedule an appointment or if additional information is needed, please contact the Baldwin County Health Department at 251/947-1910, Monday through Friday between the hours of 8:00 a.m.-5:00 p.m.  “Blue Cards” can also be obtained in the BCHD Bay Minette location (212 Courthouse Sq.) ph 937-6935 and South Baldwin WIC Clinic in the Foley location, 8158 Hwy 59 Unit 108 (Mid Pointe Plaza) ph 943-7260.  Parents should bring immunization records/history with their child for appointments.

Kindergarten registration helps provide the local schools with an accurate count of children planning to attend classes in the fall. Late registrations, if necessary, will be processed at the local school.

If you have questions, please contact Dr. Phyllis French at 972-6866.

 

(Orange Beach)

 

Students at Orange Beach Elementary School have 60 new technology tools courtesy of Coastal Baldwin Education Enrichment, Inc. The organization, formerly known as the Alabama Gulf Coast Educational Foundation, voted to fund almost $9,000 to purchase 60 Neo2 boards, software and mobile labs at it February meeting.

“This is the culmination of a year of studying what specific needs we had in first, second and third grades, and which technology would best fit these needs,” OBES Principal Jonathan Ellis said. “Neo2 Boards were chosen to best fit the needs of our classrooms. Teachers and I attended professional development sessions and visited other classrooms in the county to understand this product more and how it would suit us.”

The Neo2 appears to be a computer keyboard with several lines of an LCD screen at the top. According to Ellis, each teacher has a wireless receiver for the boards integrated into their classroom computer, and students send their work directly to the teacher’s computer via the receiver. There is no worry about lost data either because NEO 2 saves students’ work instantly.

Photo by: Clayton Wallace

 

Ellis said the company that produces the Neo2 boards, Renaissance Learning, is the company that produces Accelerated Reader and other programs the school already utilizes. The Neo2 boards integrate with these programs seamlessly. At a March 10 training seminar for OBES teachers, a Renaissance representative also touted keyboarding programs, math programs and interactivity with the Promethean boards – today’s chalk boards - already in classroom use at the school. As a sign of the changing classroom, the boards also allow students to save documents online at Google Docs.

Ellis said the boards are incredibly rugged to withstand virtually any abuse students may inflict on the machine. “When I went to the first professional development seminar on the boards the first thing the presenter did was to throw the machine across the room,” he said. “We all held our breath, but it worked fine after that.”

Ellis said the boards are energy efficient and weigh only two pounds. Three AA batteries can provide up to 700 hours of use, which should be enough for a full school year for most students, and the light weight makes for easy portability from classroom to classroom.

“We were thrilled to be able to fund these boards for the students at Orange Beach Elementary,” CBEE President Mike Diehl said. “Anytime we can give some of our students here on the island an advantage in the classroom, we look at it as a prudent investment in their future.”

Ellis expressed his thanks for the machines to board members. “I want to let the foundation members know how much this means to our teachers and students,” he said. “We had two teachers that implemented the machines into their classrooms even before we had official training. Everyone is thrilled to have them.”

For more information on CBEE, go to their website www.agcaef.com or contact Diehl at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .

 

(Gulf Shores)

Hobnob Gulf Shores has always tried to add some new ammunition to all of our vocabulary with an unusual "Word of the Week"  This weeks word is:

risorial (rye-sor'-ee-al) adj. pertaining to laughter; causing laughter; risible (rizz'-ibb-ul)

(Gulf Shores)

Many of the area’s top business leaders turned out Friday as the Alabama Gulf Coast Area Educational Foundation honored the recipients of its annual Teachers of the Year awards at the monthly Alabama Gulf Coast Area Chamber of Commerce’s First Friday Forum. Winners come from the four public schools in Gulf Shores and Orange Beach and are nominated by their peers.

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“These teachers represent the best of the best in their chosen schools,” said Educational Foundation President Mike Diehl. “We believe our schools are home to the best teachers anywhere, and our winners were picked by their fellow teachers. Congratulations to them all.”

This year’s winners include Kristen Siegel of Orange Beach Elementary, Jalene Dennard of Gulf Shores Elementary, Pamela Tucker of Gulf Shores Middle and Will Randolph on Gulf Shores High.

Siegel, a sixth grade teacher who has been at OBES since 2008, holds both a bachelor’s and master’s degree from Auburn University. She is a member of the National Science Teachers Association, the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics, and the International Reading Association. She is also the school’s yearbook advisor.

“She is a teacher that goes above and beyond to provide her students with relevant, exciting learning opportunities in math, science, and technology,” OBES Principal Jonathan Ellis said. “She is a credit to the school both inside and outside the classroom.”

Dennard, a first-grade teacher, has taught school for almost 25 years all over the world. “My first teaching position was with the Department of Defense School System in Misawa, Japan,” she said. “I taught first grade there for five years. Then we moved to Baldwin County where I taught at Robertsdale Elementary for a short time, then moved to Foley Elementary and taught there for a little over three years.” She then transferred to Gulf Shores Elementary where she is in her 17th year.

“Teachers at the first-grade level prepare students for the rest of their educational endeavors, and she is one of the best,” GSES Principal Julie Pierce said. “That distinction doesn’t just come from me, as she was awarded Teacher of the Year by her fellow teachers. They undoubtedly share my respect and admiration for her.”

Tucker, in her 17th year of teaching, is an eighth grade language arts teacher at GSMS, where she is the sponsor of the National Junior Honor Society. She has been at GSMS for 10 years and serves on the Building Leadership Team and the Making Middle Grades Work program.

“It is my privilege and an honor to present Pam Tucker as GSMS Teacher of the Year,” GSMS Principal Phillip Fountain said. “She is a dedicated teacher and staff member who goes above and beyond for both her students and peers. We are very blessed to have Mrs. Tucker as a teacher at our school.”

Randolph, a world history teacher, has been teaching for 22 years, the past two at GSHS. Randolph not only teaches history, but is heavily involved in the school’s athletic programs as the track coach and an assistant football coach.

“Will has been at GSHS for only two years, but he brings a wealth of 22 years of teaching to his classroom,” GSHS Principal Dr. Ernie Rosado said. “It has been my pleasure to be his principal. He makes world history fun and meaningful for his students. His dedication to his students and profession are to be commended.”

Diehl announced the award recipients at First Friday Forum, which was sponsored by Krebs Architecture and Engineering. Diehl said he wanted to thank Krebs for their support of the foundation, and said the foundation membership hopes to do more for teachers in the future. “We've been able to fund projects for several teachers of the year through the foundation,” Diehl said. “We look forward to working with our teachers - including future teachers of the year - closely as we move forward in pursuit of excellence in education on the island.”

For more information on the foundation, go to their website www.agcaef.com or contact Diehl at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .

 

Photo by: Clayton Wallace

(Baldwin County)

An Open Letter to the Baldwin County Legislative Delegation:

Thank you for your selfless dedication to our schools and our communities in Baldwin County.  As the new legislative session approaches, I want to share some thoughts on proposed actions that I judge to have the most potential for improving education for the children of Alabama.  

The Virginia school system that I left had an equivalent rate of poverty to that of Baldwin County. Yet the dropout rate in that county is roughly 16%, while Baldwin County’s is approximately 34% as calculated on the National Governor’s Association formula.  I know that our children are just as smart, that our teachers are just as competent, and that Baldwin County’s kids are just as resilient. The only variable that I have been able to identify that could account for the higher drop out rate is the lack of a compulsory attendance law that mandates staying in school until one turns 18.  I recommend that an effort be made to increase the age of mandatory school attendance to 18.

I intend for our schools to be service oriented and to provide substantive learning to every child, every instructional period, every day; and the vast majority of Baldwin County’s teachers, support staff and administrators are professionals who make that happen. Our schools cannot function without them and they can without protection expect a career for a lifetime through the merit of their work. However, there are a few employees who for various reasons lack the motivation to be an asset to our children.  Under current law, mere low quality performance is insufficient to terminate an employee, and I am not able to assign staff to areas of need without their agreement. It is my contention that all employees deserve due process, but that the scope of ending employment and changing assignments needs to be broadened so that good decisions in regard to the education of our children can be made without onerous legal and fiscal consequences.

I anticipate that charter schools will be a topic for the session. I ask that any legislation fostering charter schools include provisions to “level the playing field” for public schools. Charter schools are often touted to be better because the principal can hire and fire in the best interest of the students, and that there is less bureaucracy in the operation of the charter school.  I want that same latitude for Baldwin County Schools, as we will then be able to demonstrate just how great they can become.

Being hired to work in Baldwin County is one of the most invigorating experiences of my career.  I truly came to Alabama because of the people I met here, the Board, the teachers, the parents, and the students. As I have attended meetings with fellow superintendents new to Alabama, I have listened to the protests of bona fide credentials and educational programs being disregarded for their merit. Alabama could do much to lure highly skilled professionals to work here by reducing the degree of bureaucracy in the professional credentialing process.

Lastly, I hope that the new leadership and political configuration will pass realistic education budgets.  There is no question that more money needs to be infused into the school system so that we can provide the programs that students in the 21st century need. But even more important is that the budget set at the beginning of the fiscal year is one that gets fully funded.  School systems are like cruise ships. We anticipate the needs of our clientele, order our supplies, hire our staff, and leave the dock. Funds are obligated through contracts and encumbered for identifiable needs. But once we start the fiscal year, or leave the dock if you will, we have little ability/flexibility to adjust once the year is underway.

Again, thank you for your dedication to the children of Alabama and to Baldwin County.  Please call if I can be of assistance to you in any manner.

Respectfully,

Alan T. Lee, Ph. D.
Superintendent

Baldwin County Public Schools

 

(Hobnob)

In an effort to further educate this writer and Hobnob readers we bring you the Hobnob "Word of the Week".  This weeks word is:

algid (al'-jid) adj. chilly, cold. [from Latin algidus, from algere "to be cold."]
Very fitting considering the weather we have seen on the Alabama Gulf Coast.