The opportunity to make changes to your existing benefits ends Friday, November 9.

Even if you plan to make no changes to your coverage, you still need to log in to the State's web site, and answer a few quick questions.

The first day of SAP -- October 1 -- was declared a success by the SAP management team and many users of the system. A few bugs and hiccups were expected, but overall the first day of using the new requisitioning (formerly ADPICS), facilities management (formerly ACT), and funds management (formerly FAMIS) features went very well.

"Human Capital Management" (HCM, for short) will be implemented in January, with training beginning in November.

River Trail Middle School is one of eight schools in Georgia to be named a national No Child Left Behind - Blue Ribbon School by the U.S. Department of Education.

Next month Principal Dawn Melin and other staff members will attend an awards ceremony in Washington D.C. hosted by the U.S. Department of Education.

The Fulton County School System is home to the brightest and most talented educators in Georgia -- and the nation!

Each month teachers and staff members receive awards or other honors that bring pride and recognition to their schools as well as the school system.

For a third year, one-third of all Fulton County schools have been recognized for their continuing high achievement or for impressive improvement.

The Single Statewide Accountability System (SSAS) recognition program, which is co-sponsored by the Georgia Department of Education and the Governor's Office of Student Achievement, annually bestows awards on schools that have either (1) Greatest Gains in meeting and exceeding academic standards, or (2) Highest Percentage of students meeting and exceeding academic standards.

In Fulton, 31 schools earned awards this year.

Paul D. West Middle School and Woodland Middle School have been named to the list of Georgia's Distinguished Title I schools. The two schools are part of a list of 24 schools in Fulton that serve as a model for improvement for schools of similar demographics throughout the state.

In October, the Fulton County Schools Curriculum and Instruction Division hosted seven forums to address questions about the new math curriculum. The forums were well attended, a positive sign that our staff, parents, and community care deeply about what children are learning.

Information is routinely posted to the Fulton County Schools web site, so if you weren't able to attend the forums, take a look and see if the FAQ documents answer any questions you may have.

Staph infections are all over the news lately, making it sound like Georgia is a hotspot for these bacterial infections. In reality, staph infections are hardly new and are among the most common skin infections in the United States.

One of the most responsible things we can do is to educate ourselves so we can share accurate information with others. That, and to practice good hygiene and encourage our students to do the same. Not only will this help prevent staph infections but it might help you avoid the common cold and flu this winter!

We always celebrate our school nutrition workers and school bus drivers, but in October we were able to give special recognition to those who feed our students healthy, delicious meals and those who safely transport them to and from school. National School Lunch Week was celebrated October 15-19 and October 22-26 was National School Bus Safety Week.

In November -- specifically November 12-17 -- we celebrate National School Psychology Awareness Week as well as American Education Week. This week will be full of local recognitions and celebrations of those who serve our children -- both inside and outside of the classroom.

The Metro Atlanta Chamber of Commerce and the Fulton County School System have partnered with Sparkfly, a unique employee discount program. This wonderful benefit will save you and your family time and money on things like travel, restaurants, electronics, movie and event tickets, shopping, and more!