The Inside Scoop

Guest: Nick Parker, Senior Executive Director of Ed-SPLOST / Planning Click on a timecode to jump to the topic: [00:39] Ed-SPLOST Defined in Cobb Schools [01:09] Referendum Timing vs Projects Start [02:24] Cobb Schools is Not the Cobb County Government [03:03] Current Major Projects [05:41] Why Projects Don't Start Right Away [07:05] Benefits of the Short-term Note [08:34] How Projects are Priorit...

Guest: Robert John Connor, Director Click on a timecode to jump to the topic: [00:44] About Our Guest [02:21] Launching Pad for Careers of All Sorts [03:09] Born to Perform [04:23] Pathways at CCCEPA [06:36] More Than Just Center Stage [08:45] The Pebblebrook Community Connection [09:41] Academic Rigor [10:47] The Ideal Candidate [12:50] Getting Started [14:43] New Facilities and New Productions [...

Guest: Anjeannette Barker, Mentoring Coordinator Click on a timecode to jump to the topic: [00:58] Anjeannette Benefitted from Mentoring! [01:35] The Mentoring Matters Program [01:53] Student Needs Being Met [02:37] How Big is the Need in Cobb? [04:00] Data Shows It's Impactful [04:34] How to Get a Mentor [05:31] Consider Mentoring! [06:53] Elementary Group Mentoring in ASP [07:32] How Mentoring L...

Guest: Dominique Terens, Special Education Supervisor Click on a timecode to jump to the topic: [00:56] Challenges to Having Fun [01:47] Stressed Families Need a Break! [03:27] Community Connections are Important [05:02] Community Connections Resource Fair [07:10] It's a Big Deal! [07:27] Hosted at CITA [08:00] Examples of Vendors [08:29] Prospective Vendors [09:24] How to Attend [10:36] Therapeut...

Guests: George Morgan, Director of the Special Education Department Jessica Coleman, Director of Special Education Compliance Click on a timecode to jump to the topic: [00:49] Defining "Special" in the Strict Sense [01:07] Kinds of Needs Served [02:59] Parents' Initial Expectations [04:52] Parent Mentors are a Great Resource! [06:55] Types of Resources Available [08:49] Planning for Life After Hig...

Guest: Darryl York, Director of Policy and Planning Click on a timecode to jump to the topic: [00:29] How Attendance Zones Normally Work [02:24] Choosing a Different Cobb School [03:55] School Choice Defined [05:11] Cobb Goes Above and Beyond [06:00] The Process [09:03] Freedom to Choose [10:19] When and How to Apply [11:03] Conditions for Transfer [12:52] Sibling Transfers [16:58] Number of Appli...

Guest: Ryan Fuller, Director of Cobb Virtual Academy Click on a timecode to jump to the topic: [00:53] About Our Guest [02:03] CVA's Origin [03:14] Contrasted with Other Virtual Options [07:15] Leveling the Playing Field [09:24] The Alma Mater [10:15] When CVA is a Fit [12:16] The Ideal CVA Student [16:39] How to Get Started [19:17] New Support Resources Useful links from the podcast: Cobb Virtual...

Guest: Jameika Rice, Ed. S., Supervisor of Psychological Services Click on a timecode to jump to the topic: [00:44] About our guest [02:01] The Role of a School Psychologist [04:36] How They Relate to School Counselors [06:56] Who Gets Evaluated and Why [08:42] Student Age is Relevant [10:31] The Middle School Brain - What's Normal? [12:44] Tips for Helping at Home [15:35] Push Through the Finish...

Guest: Felicia Wagner, Executive Director of The Cobb Schools Foundation Felicia's Facebook page @cobbschoolsfdn on Instagram Felicia on YouTube Click on a timecode to jump to the topic: [00:32] About the Guest [01:05] Areas of Need Served [01:33] What is Family Stabilization? [03:26] Its Own Entity [04:56] Helping Through Crisis [06:10] Collaborating in Cobb [07:28] Joining Forces [07:54] Funding...

Guest: Dr. Missy Marsh, Supervisor of School Counseling, Advisement & Crisis Response Click on a timecode to jump to the topic: [01:28] Staying On-track to Graduate [04:43] In Case You Missed the Letter [05:14] Senioritis [06:08] Once Confirmed For Graduation [08:01] Is Fall Too Late to Plan? [09:30] Students Struggling to Find Life Direction [10:58] Taking a Gap Year [13:37] Start Making Plan...

Guest: Dr. Tiffany Barney Dr. Tiffany Barney is currently the Director of the Cobb Innovation & Technology Academy. Prior to her appointment in Cobb County, she served as the CTAE Program Specialist for healthcare science, law and public safety, and cosmetology for the Georgia Department of Education. In addition, she has a host of experience working at various levels of public education. She...

Guest: Chief Warrant Officer 4 Rodney Fagan Click on a timecode to jump to the topic: [02:04] Not just in high schools [03:00] Life skills development [03:43] Popularity of JROTC [04:43] ROTC is like a full ride scholarship to college! [05:54] It's an actual class [06:29] Award-winning program [08:37] Riflery & sabre teams [09:41] Character & self-discipline [11:33] Personal impact on stud...

Guest: Nancy Gospodareck, Employment Recruitment Coordinator Click on a timecode to jump to the topic: [00:45] Forbes shout out! [01:40] Two types of employees [02:13] Biggest areas of need [05:56] Synchronized work & school schedules [06:50] Why hesitate? [07:22] So many skills needed! [08:28] The Application process [10:53] Substitute teacher positions [14:45] Final advice [15:36] They don't...

Guest: Mr. David Chastain, Chairman of the Cobb County School Board Click on a timecode to jump to a topic: [00:29] The Chairman's Background [04:01] Reflections on This Year [06:46] Moving Forward [08:17] The Purpose of the Board [10:45] A Passionate Community [13:55] Standout Issues [16:31] Additional Comments [17:03] What is Forbes' Recognition Due To? Useful links from the podcast: Board Posts...

Guest: Darryl York, Director of Cobb's Policy & Planning Department Click on a timecode to jump to a topic: [01:07] The impact of rules and policies [03:14] Policies are different from rules [05:37] School Board policies and rules [06:25] Best practices and guidelines [08:14] Robert's Rules of Order [09:56] Schools' flexibility [12:33] Consistency across the District [16:28] How rules and poli...

Guest: Dr. Ashley Beasley, Director of Cobb's Elementary Virtual Program Click on a timecode to jump to a topic: [01:08] Why "program" and not "school"? [02:11] Where are the staff members? [03:17] Actual classrooms on camera [04:07] COLA Lite? [04:41] Keeping little ones engaged [07:18] Teachers' training and professional development [09:22] Teaching teams collaborate [10:22] Why choose EVP? [12:...

Guest: Dr. Melisa Marsh, Supervisor of School Counseling, Advisement and Crisis Response Click on a timecode to jump to a topic: [01:34] How big of an issue is suicide? [02:13] Could talking about it tempt someone to self harm? [03:26] The Common Thread [04:11] Difference of Perspectives [06:14] Coping Skills [08:01] Distinguishing Between Down Days and Despair [09:55] Cobb Teachers' Training [11:...

Guests: Don Baker, Athletics Director of Cobb Schools Eric Rauch, Editor of Cobb Sporting News Click the timecode to jump to a chapter: [00:58] How broad is sports in Cobb Schools? [02:32] Up & coming sport... flag football! [03:51] Last year's teaming continuing to climb [05:37] Sports diversity [06:45] Who is the GHSA and what do they do? [09:02] Cobb's Athletic Director's own history [11:33...

Guest: Dave Church, Cobb Online Learning Academy Assistant Principal Guest Bio: Before joining COLA, Mr. Church served as an assistant principal at Allatoona and Wheeler High in Cobb. Prior to moving to Georgia, Mr. Church worked at a charter school in Chicago and has experience teaching at international schools in Thailand, Australia, and South Korea. "I am excited to be part of this innovative m...

Guest: Janell McClure, Director of Applied Learning and Design Jump ahead by clicking on the timecode: 00:37 - How and why did CTLS come about? 04:22 - Building the system with users' input 05:54 - Teachers teaching better with less time 10:15 - Parents' and Students' benefits 14:14 - Data-proven student performance over other districts 15:52 - Simplifying a student's day 18:08 - New feature for p...

Guest: Emily Hanlin, MBA, RDN, LD, Executive Director, Food & Nutrition Services 01:18 What's Changed from Last Year? 02:19 Qualifying for Free or Reduced Lunch 04:14 Paying for Your Student's Lunch 05:47 Food Allergies 06:26 Employment Opportunities 10:26 More Info! 11:32 Follow Us on Social Media! Useful links from the podcast: My Payments Plus Menus Family Meal Application Information Aller...

Guest: Matt Sanders, Senior Executive Director of Transportation Click on the timecode to jump ahead: 01:52 How to Get Set to Ride the Bus 03:15 Special Needs Students 04:30 Track Your Students' Bus on Your Phone 06:55 Safely Pass a School Bus 07:44 School Bus Ride Along 09:50 Bus Behavior 10:40 Become a Bus Driver! FAQs https://www.cobbk12.org/page/19054/frequently-asked-questions Here Comes the...

Here's the link to let us know what you'd like to hear: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/VYTRCLG

Coordinator Christopher Walstead discusses the advanced educational opportunities available in The Center for Advanced Studies in Science, Mathematics, & Technology at Wheeler High School. 00:48 What Differentiates Wheeler's Magnet Program? 01:22 Distinction from Kennesaw Mountain's Magnet Program 04:10 Areas of Study 05:31 How Fine Arts Blends In 07:52 Career Trajectories 13:02 Candidates and...

Guest Emily Hanlin, the Executor Director of Cobb's Food & Nutrition Services department explains how Cobb is making sure students still have access to nutritious meals, even through the pandemic. 01:19 The Nutritional Impact of the Pandemic on Learning 03:34 Early Planning for the Fall 05:19 Lessons Learned from the Spring 08:22 Who Can Get School Meals 09:08 How to Order Meal Kits 10:45 More...