Bulloch County Schools welcomed nearly 300 new employees last week, and events held to prepare them for the new school year were planned to ensure they knew they were wanted and welcome.
With an old west theme, the school district’s human resources personnel wrangled up all of the important information the new faculty and staff need to begin the new school year, which officially begins for teachers on Tuesday, July 22, the first day of pre-planning. The day-long training was held at Statesboro High School.
Board of Education Chairman Elizabeth Williams and Superintendent of Schools Charles Wilson each opened the event with words of welcome. The remainder of the day featured sessions about the work of the Bulloch County Foundation of Public Education, school safety, mandated reporter training, the code of conduct for employees, workman’s compensation, and payroll and benefits. The new hires enjoyed a tradeshow with 20 state and local vendors to support their needs such as local banks and credit unions, medical and pharmacy services, financial and retirement planning, the Statesboro Family YMCA, professional education associations, and more. They also were treated to a catered lunch from Chick-fil-a.
New Teacher Boot Camp
Classroom teachers make up 84 of this year’s new hires. On Wednesday and Thursday, prior to the orientation event, 60 of the new teachers, who are first-time educators, met for a two-day bootcamp at Mattie Lively Elementary School. This group will continue to meet either monthly or quarterly throughout the school year, depending upon their experience, to receive mentoring and professional development.
The boot camp cohort is made up of educators who are either induction teachers with a degree in education, and they have completed student teaching, or provisional teachers who are either degreed professionals from other fields who have become certified to teach, or former paraprofessionals who have completed Georgia’s Teacher Academy for Preparation and Pedagogy (GaTAPP) program. The boot camp is led by teacher leaders Alison Hardin, who is a fifth-grade teacher at Brooklet Elementary School, Allison Dampier, who is a sixth-grade teacher at William James Middle School, Ashley Thompson, a career pathways teacher at Portal Middle High, and Millie Boykin, a school improvement director for the district.
The new teachers will gain experience with setting classroom expectations, building a positive climate for their students, classroom management, effective communication, discipline, and establishing a healthy work-life balance for themselves. They will also receive supplies and learning tools to help equip their classrooms.
Leading up to Thursday, August 1, the first day of school, other employees have been preparing for the new year as well. District directors and school administrators, 10 of whom are new to the school district, met for two days on July 11-12 for Camp Bulloch at the William James Educational Complex, as did other groups such as bus drivers and bookkeepers. The school district is Bulloch County’s largest employer with more than 2,400 full-time, part-time, seasonal, contracted service, and substitute employees.
