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The Braselton News
Wednesday, August 2, 2017
Braselton area schools
set eclipse plans
Local schools have announced plans for the Aug. 21
solar eclipse. Details include:
JACKSON COUNTY
Jackson County School System’s elementary schools
will have a delayed dismissal on Aug. 21 so students
can view the eclipse. Those schools will be dismissed
at 3:15 p.m.
Middle and high schools will dismiss on their regular
times.
District leaders have purchased 12,000 pairs of view
ing glasses for students, staff and volunteers “who will
help us ensure the safety of the students whose parents
give them permission to participate,’’ according to a
social media post.
GWINNETT COUNTY
Gwinnett County Public Schools plans to delay dis
missal by one hour on Aug. 21.
“On this day, all of North America will experience
an eclipse of the sun,” according to a press release.
“This means that Earth, the sun, and the moon, which
all orbit in space in predictable paths, will align. The
moon will move between the sun and Earth blocking
the light of the sun. Thus, the moon will cast a shadow
on Earth.”
GCPS leaders said the county is expected to see the
near total eclipse between 2:35-2:40 p.m. It will last
about two minutes.
“This alignment of the sun, the moon, and Earth
will mark the first time this phenomenon has occurred
coast-to-coast in our country in nearly 100 years,”
according to the release.
School leaders said they plan to delay dismissal both
for the learning experience and for the safety of stu
dents. NASA has issued guidelines for watching the
eclipse that advise that children should be carefully
supervised when using solar filters to view the eclipse,
according to the release.
“GCPS has made the decision to dismiss one hour
later than usual as a safety precaution,” said Jonathan
Patterson, associate superintendent for Curriculum and
Instructional Support. “It would be difficult to monitor
students who are being dismissed or those who are
riding on school buses during the eclipse. Ordinary
sunglasses, even very dark ones, are not safe for look
ing at the sun. In addition to addressing safety concerns
associated with the eclipse, the delay will provide more
time for us to make this a special educational event for
our students, allowing us to organize safe and engaging
viewing experiences for students.”
HALL COUNTY
The Hall County School System plans a one-hour
delay in dismissal for each school.
System leaders said Georgia’s first total solar eclipse
in 38 years “creates a great teachable moment for stu
dents in the Hall County School District, and teachers
across the district will be teaching students about the
solar eclipse.”
The eclipse is anticipated to occur between 1-4 p.m.
on Aug. 21, and the Hall County area is expected to
experience the greatest impact around 2:30 p.m.
“Because of the timing of the eclipse, we are con
cerned about the safety of our students,” according to
a news release. “Children on school buses and student
drivers may be intrigued by this unusual phenomenon
and be tempted to stare into the sun, which could cause
serious damage to the eyes. Therefore, on Aug. 21.
school dismissal will be delayed by one hour for each
school. All extracurricular activities will take place
after the designated dismissal times.”
The district plans to release students from school two
hours early on Dec. 15, the final day of class before
winter break. Information on adjusted bus transpor
tation drop-off times for Dec. 15 will be released in
November.
BARROW COUNTY
The Barrow County School system will be delaying
school 30 minutes that day for “both the safety of our
students and the educational opportunity associated
with this event,” according to superintendent Chris
McMichael.
NGHS has new CFO
Northeast Georgia Health System has appointed
Brian D. Steines, CPA. MBA. as its new chief financial
officer.
“Brian comes to NGHS with years of leadership and
expertise in healthcare finance.” said Carol Burrell,
president and CEO of NGHS. “We are fortunate to
have such an experienced and qualified leader - espe
cially in this time of change in healthcare.”
Steines holds a master’s degree in business and
healthcare administration from the University of Phoe
nix, Ariz. He also holds a bachelor’s degree in busi
ness and public administration. Accounting from the
University of Arizona, Tucson. Steines is also a certi
fied public accountant.
“I’m honored to join NGHS, which has a tremendous
national reputation, and continue its solid track record
of balancing margin and mission to meet the healthcare
needs of the community,” said Steines. “My wife and I,
along with our two youngest sons, are already enjoying
the area and calling it home.”
Most recently, Steines served as chief financial offi
cer for University of Missouri Health Care and the MU
School of Medicine in Columbia, Mo. In that role, he
oversaw all financial aspects of the state’s premiere
academic health system - which includes five facili
ties, a medical school, a Level 1 Trauma Center, 600
employed physicians and 500 residents providing ser
vices to all 114 counties in the state.
Prior to that, Steines served as the vice president
of financial operations for Scottsdale Lincoln Health
Network’s Arizona Market - an integrated delivery net
work that includes five acute care hospitals with 1,362
licensed beds and $1.5 billion in net revenue.
Steines has also held leadership roles with Vanguard
Health Care. Health Management Associates and Cath
olic Healthcare West.
Farmers Insurance
hosts ribbon cutting
Farmers Insurance agent
Keith Harmon recently
hosted a ribbon cut
ting with the Jackson
County Area Chamber
of Commerce. The new
location was opened at
55 Freedom Parkway
Suite 114, Hoschton. For
more information, call
706-658-0008.
NGMC has donor milk program for premature infants
Northeast Georgia Medical Center has a new donor milk
program for premature infants in its neonatal intensive care
unit in Gainesville and Braselton.
“The donor milk program is an easy and safe outlet for
mothers to donate their unused breast milk to babies who
need it most,” said Heather Standard, director of Women
and Children’s Services at NGMC. “Through a partner
ship with Prolacta Bioscience, we are now providing the
only available standardized donor milk that has a precise
amount of calories and protein, enabling targeted nutrition
to help ensure appropriate growth of our most fragile pre
mature infants.”
NGMC’s new program utilizes surplus breast milk of
nursing mothers in the community for human milk-based
neonatal nutritional products made by Prolacta Bioscience.
NGMC’s NICU will use Prolacta’s standardized donor
breast milk for its hospitalized premature infants.
Prolacta will manage the qualification process of moms
referred from NGMC with health screenings and blood
testing, along with streamlining the milk collection and
shipping process right from the moms’ homes.
Prolacta’s high-tech manufacturing facility will be used
to conduct the safety and quality testing before and after
formulation and pasteurizing the standardized human milk
products for in-hospital use.
“This program gives moms who have surplus breast milk
a rewarding way to put their excess milk to good use,” adds
Standard.
To learn more about the donor milk program, visit www.
nghs.com/prolacta or call 770-219-1476.
Only one position left open at JCSS
Jackson County School System leaders have filled
nearly all of their open job vacancies for the 2017-18
school year.
The Jackson County Board of Education approved a
handful of hires at its Friday meeting.
A half-time counselor position is the only remain
ing opening right now, but the district may need to
add some personnel later if it sees a huge jump in
enrollment (which is already up by 334 students).
Approved personnel moves included:
HIRES
•Dayna Drake, special education paraprofessional.
Gum Springs Elementary School
•William Ferguson, bus driver, system
•Allison Jones, special education paraprofessional,
West Jackson Middle School
•Mary Kelly, nutrition assistant, North Jackson Ele
mentary School
•Diana Mathis, nutrition assistant, East Jackson
Middle School
•Jenny Mealor. special education paraprofessional,
East Jackson Comprehensive High School
•Sara Mitchell, kindergarten paraprofessional,
North Jackson Elementary School
•Seth Thompson, social studies teacher, Jackson
County Comprehensive High School
•Rita Worley, special education paraprofessional.
South Jackson Elementary School
TRANSFERS
•Sharon Williamson, East Jackson Elementary
School, from EIP teacher (49%) to counselor (49%)
RESIGNATIONS/TERMINATIONS
•Tracey Carver, bus driver, system
•Shannon Comer, special education
paraprofessional, WJMS
•Jessica Jacobs, special education paraprofessional,
NJES
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Meet Dr. Walpert
Dr. Walpert is a fellow of the American Association of Neurosurgery
and a member of the Neurosurgical Society of America. She holds
an appointment to the NCAA Committee on Competitive Safeguards
and is an assistant clinical professor of neurosurgery at the University
of Georgia Health Sciences Campus. She has a special interest in
minimally invasive, microscopic treatment of spine disorders, head
injury and radiosurgery and image-guidance in surgery for brain tumors.
Medical Degree: Tulane University School of Medicine
Internship and Residency: University of Tennessee College of
Medicine
Learn more about Dr. Walpert by visiting
piedmont.org/DrWaipert
Kimberly Walpert, M.D.
Neurosurgery
242 King Avenue
Medical Services Building
2nd Floor
Athens, Georgia 30606
P: 706.475.1870
F: 706.475.1879
f T Piedmont
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