Cowan Road Elementary School

Please read the letter concerning 2025-26 GSCS Illness Guidelines for students. Thank you!

GSCS is producing its first-ever district-wide musical! Auditions are open to all GSCS students in grades K–12. Auditions will be held this Saturday, August 16th. For more information, contact jennifer.wilson@gscs.org.

Carver Road Baptist always takes care of us! This time, they provided us with beautiful flowers in the office. #PIE

First grade classes became "noun hounds" today, hunting through the halls for nouns and deciding if each word was a person, place, or thing! #ColtsCan #LeadersAreLearning

GSCS is excited to announce the District Literacy Kickoff, launching a new year of learning with a strong focus on reading! As part of our RISE (Read Inspire Succeed Everyday) reading initiative, student-athletes from across the district have showcased books to inspire younger readers and promote the importance of literacy both on and off the field. Join us as we celebrate a community-wide commitment to building strong readers and lifelong learners!

A generous donation of classroom goodies was made to one of our teachers! We put every teacher’s name into a drawing, and we’re excited to announce that Ms. Cheryl Jones is the lucky winner! 👏

Thank you to our amazing community for supporting our staff and students—it truly makes a difference!

On July 28 & 29, GSCS teamed up with Wellstar EMS, Spalding County Fire, Spalding EMA, and Griffin-Fire Rescue to provide Cardiac Emergency Response training for teams from every school/campus in the district. Each team member received their CPR/AED certification and an invaluable experience in scenario-based drills. We aim to equip staff with the knowledge, skills, and confidence to respond decisively in emergency situations. Special thanks to Adam Marat, Glenn Polk, and Matthew Perry for their instrumental roles in these sessions.

We’re moving the car line much faster now—THANK YOU! To keep things running smoothly:

🚗 Be in line by 2:50 PM or earlier (we'll be faster than this is another week).
🏷️ Place your car tag in the front window, hanging from the rearview mirror (not the side window, sun visor, or flat on the dash).
✅ Keep your tag visible until your student is in the car.
📅 Only this year’s tags will be called.
👖 Use a pants coat hanger to hang your tag from the mirror—if you have extras to share, feel free to drop them off at the car rider line!

Thanks for helping us keep dismissal safe and efficient!

2026 GSCS Fall Parent Survey - Your voice is needed! Help us make it a great year!

English Survey Link:
https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/NDQ9B3R

Spanish Survey Link:
https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/MM76X6F

Just a quick reminder from Mr. Hawkins:
If your child arrives after 7:45 AM, a parent or guardian must park and walk them in to sign in. Thanks for helping us keep everyone safe and accounted for!

Just a friendly reminder for our returning students from last year: Our Summer Bucket Reading List is due this coming Tuesday, August 5! Make sure you have the completed challenge page and booklist completely filled out. Return it to your teacher or Mrs. Baker in the media center.
#ColtsCan #ReadersAreLeaders #WalkTheWalk

First day dismissal: buses, walkers, and car riders!
Thanks for a great day!

Day one at lunchtime - a few minutes of break, time with classmates, and food!

Today is Day One in the District! Thank you to all of the Partners In Education, volunteers and community members who welcomed back our students and staff this morning. We had over 260 volunteer greeters representing over 55 businesses, organizations, civic groups, municipalities and churches! We are off to a successful 2025-2026 school year! Thank you for supporting GSCS! #GSCSDayOne2025

We are off to an amazing first day of school! Thanks for making our start of the 2025-26 school year so successful. We look forward to many more great days. Thanks to Carver Road Baptist, Griffin Mason Lodge, Spalding County Public Works, Spalding County Sheriff's Office, Spalding County Manager, and several of our GSCS district office employees for helping make sure everyone was greeted with a smile! #ColtsCan #WalkTheWalk #LeadersAreBackInTheBuilding

Tomorrow is GSCS Day One in the District! Use this link https://boothpics.com/booth/0coy8l tomorrow to show us your Day One smiles with our virtual Day One in the District photo booth!

Spalding County Leisure services is hosting the Splash-a Palooza THIS Saturday, August 2 from 12 -4pm at the Spalding Aquatic Center at 561 Rehoboth Rd, Griffin.

We enjoyed meeting so many of you last night at Open House. Please take a few minutes to access our student handbook at the below link AND complete the form that you have received it. You will need to complete the form separetely for EACH student you have at Griffin-Spalding schools. Thanks for your assistance!
Pre-K Students Handbook:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1hatvawOCC8D-2DILpP5pH5dTXw6FQK7Y/view?usp=sharing
K-5 Student Handbooks:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1QJFeV8jW5x4Z4VNk7livFNpL2My-p1VM/view?usp=sharing

As we prepare to begin the 2025-2026 school year, the safety and well-being of our students and staff remain our top priority. The Griffin-Spalding County School System (GSCS) is committed to creating a secure and supportive environment in all of our schools. We are implementing several important safety enhancements across our district.

Classroom Emergency Bags:
All classrooms in GSCS will be equipped with a standard emergency Go-Kit to help ensure staff are prepared in case of an emergency.

Security Monitors in Elementary Schools:
Beginning this school year, all elementary schools will have Security Monitors provided by Synergy Security Services. They will work closely with our staff to maintain a safe school environment.

Open Gate Metal Detectors in Middle and High Schools:
To enhance school safety, we will be using Open Gate Metal Detectors in all our middle and high schools. These devices will replace the previous Evolv system and are designed to improve efficiency. All students will be screened using the Open Gate system upon arrival on campus.

Increased School Resource Officer Presence:
Each high school in our district will now be staffed with two School Resource Officers (SROs). These officers play a critical role in promoting safety, building relationships with students and responding swiftly to any security concerns that may occur.

We appreciate your support and cooperation as we take these steps to ensure a safe learning environment for every student.

On July 24, the Griffin-Spalding County School System (GSCS) Back to School Celebration brought all 1400+ staff together for a motivational kick-off to the 2025-26 school year at Oak Hill Church. Read the news release at https://5il.co/3mkym