On August 13th the doors of Johns Creek Elementary will open for the first time on the first day of the 2007-08 school year. Approximately 1,000 students - 600 students who formerly attended Sharon Elementary, 200 students from Settles Bridge, and 200 kindergartners - will fill the chairs in the classrooms of this state-of-the-art facility. Johns Creek Elementary is a prototype of the recently built Sharon and Shiloh Point Elementary Schools. It is a two-story building with wide hallways and spacious foyers, high ceilings and bright classrooms decorated in orange, purple and green. The Forsyth County School District's vision "Quality learning and superior performance for all" continues to be executed with the construction of Johns Creek Elementary as well as three other new schools that are opening in the county
this fall.

With the extreme rapid growth of the population in Forsyth County, the School District has been planning and building new schools to accommodate and provide the highest quality of education to all students in their system. With a projected county-wide enrollment of over 51,000 students by 2013, the Forsyth County School District will continue to plan for and build new schools that will provide the highest quality of education to students in grades kindergarten through the senior year of high school. As with all new schools in Forsyth County, the land for Johns Creek Elementary was purchased over four years ago, well in advance of construction. The name was also selected in advance by a committee of individuals who represent parents, business partners, and school administrators from feeder schools. According to Judi Jenkins, Business and Community Relations Facilitator for Forsyth County Schools, "Each school name is created to fit the area in which it is located. We are so fortunate in Forsyth County to work in a community with such commitment to a vision of top-notch education." The construction of Johns Creek Elementary began in April 2006 allowing a little more than a year to build the school in preparation for the opening on August 13, 2007. The School District, administrators, teachers and staff are committed to providing excellence in education at Johns Creek Elementary and all are excited about the opening of this new school.

The administrative team will be headed by Principal Debbie Smith who has worked within the Forsyth County School System since 1990 in various positions including: Assistant Principal of Sharon and Vickery Elementary Schools, Quality Work Facilitator at Vickery Creek Middle School, and teacher of both gifted and regular classes at the elementary and middle school level. Judi Jenkins describes Debbie as "a top-notch leader in our system and truly devoted and dedicated to our children." Debbie is experienced, very well-qualified and excited to work with the employees, parents and students of Johns Creek Elementary. The Assistant Principals will be Barbara Clement and Alyssa Degliumberto. Barbara joins the administrative team as Assistant Principal for first, third and fifth grades. She has worked within the Forsyth County School System for the past twenty-two years as an administrator at Cumming Elementary, a teacher at Big Creek Elementary for fourteen years and as Assistant Principal at Sharon Elementary since it opened in 2003. Alyssa Degliumberto will work in the capacity of Assistant Principal for grades kindergarten, second and fourth. She has been with the Forsyth County School System since 1998 and has held leadership positions at both the school and district level.

The excellent faculty who will be teaching all students from kindergartners through fifth graders are coming to Johns Creek Elementary from other schools in the Forsyth County District, other schools in Georgia, across the Nation and from around the world. Three of the teachers are participants in the "Visiting International Faculty" program which enables teachers from around the world to work for up to three years at a visiting school. All three visiting teachers are from Auckland, New Zealand and are thrilled to be working in Forsyth County and to be a part of the opening of Johns Creek Elementary. Debbie Smith is "most proud of the high-quality caliber of the teachers" who will be on staff and the numerous special programs that will be available to the staff and students. She is proud to bring the American School Counselors Association program to Johns Creek Elementary, which was developed over a three year period at Sharon Elementary. This program supports school counselors' efforts to help students to focus on academic, personal, social and career development and to help students achieve success in school in preparation for a successful life. Other "Specials" that will be provided to the students include: art, music, physical education and Spanish which will be taught for 45 minutes a week in all grade levels. The Horizons Program will provide special education classes for gifted and talented students and classes are available for special needs students, including classes for Developmentally Delayed Kindergartners.

Debbie Smith expresses her sentiments for both herself and others involved in the opening of Johns Creek Elementary when she says, "I am excited and delighted that Superintendent Gault and the Forsyth County Board of Education have given me the wonderful opportunity of opening Johns Creek Elementary School. Ms. Degliumberto, Ms. Clement, and I are looking forward to working with a great group of students from Settles Bridge Elementary and Sharon Elementary as well as a terrific group of involved parents and business partners. I have no doubt that we have wonderful opportunities and experiences ahead!"

Johns Creek Elementary will host an Open House on Friday, August 10 from 4:00-6:30pm. Because of traffic and parking concerns, families with the last name beginning with A-M are requested to visit between 4:00 and 5:15pm, and families with the last name beginning with N-Z are requested to visit between 5:15 and 6:30pm.

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Johns Creek Elementary is located at 6205 Old Atlanta Road. School hours will be 8:20am to 3pm.
For additional information, you may visit their website at www.forsyth.k12.ga.us, and select Johns Creek.