Wilkes County schools are beginning the 2009-10 school year extremely proud of the 2008-09 progress and expecting "Excellence without Exception" again in 2009-10! Wilkes County schools individually and collectively made AYP (Adequate Yearly Progress) during 2008-09 - an accomplishment which earns bragging rights. AYP, one of the cornerstones of the federal No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 (NCLB), serves as an annual accountability measure of student participation and achievement on statewide assessments and other academic indicators. "The children of Wilkes County are so fortunate to have four such wonderful schools," says Florence Sandifer, principal of Washington-Wilkes Primary School. "With the addition of the beautiful new middle and high school facility, equipped with the most current technologies and materials, Wilkes County public schools really stand out in the education realm."

Washington-Wilkes Primary School, a Title I Distinguished School and one of only 31 schools in Georgia who have made AYP eleven consecutive years, is extremely proud of its individual success as well. School opened on August 7 with 95 percent of its current second and third graders meeting or exceeding reading standards on the 2008-09 Georgia Criterion Referenced Competency Test (CRCT).

As W-WPS completes its third week of the new school year, the teachers, students and parents are back in the groove and working hard. The teachers and students are particularly excited about the additional technology they will utilize in the classrooms. Understanding the importance of becoming masters of technology, Washington-Wilkes Primary School is using advanced, innovative technology on a daily basis to help prepare students for the challenges they will meet in the workplace of the future. Students at W-WPS have access to Smart Board interactive whiteboards, laptops, multi-media projectors, as well as desktops and other 21st Century technology. Smart Boards are large white boards with touch sensitive technology that connect to a computer to produce a multitude of interactive lessons. Utilizing various technologies enables teachers to reach a diverse population and provide differentiated teaching and learning.

W-WPS is also excited about the new Fine Arts program that will be implemented this year. Mrs. Melanie Stokes, certified Fine Arts teacher, is presently teaching Fine Arts at W-WES and W-WMS but will be joining the W-WPS staff in January as she implements the Primary School's first Fine Arts program. The Wilkes County Arts Foundation and the Washington Little Theater join the schools in supporting the implementation of this program. W-WPS students are scheduled to attend the Little Theater production of "Aladdin" on September 10. As W-WPS believes strongly in the importance of the school-home partnership, the September 8 PTG meeting scheduled for 6:30 p.m. will provide the opportunity for parents and teachers to join efforts in assuring academic success in 2009-10. The meeting will consist of a thirty minute session in individual classrooms, following by the regular PTG meeting.

The 2009-10 school is off to a great start. Join us here in the "Academic Corner" each week to hear the exciting things going on in our public schools.