Sunshine helped melt much of the snow, including at East Cobb Park, but icy roads are expected to freeze over again Thursday night. (East Cobb News photo by Wendy Parker)
The word’s just come down that for the third day in a row, Cobb schools will be closed on Friday.
The Cobb County School District cited “hazardous road and travel conditions throughout the county,” and that includes a number of areas of East Cobb.
The major roads are clear for the most part, but along roads without the direct sunshine that helped the melting process today, there’s still a lot of ice and slush. That’s expected to freeze over again tonight as temperatures drop down into the mid-to-low 20s.
When we went out earlier this afternoon, we noticed this too, especially along Robinson Road near Fullers Park, and along Robinson on either side of Old Canton Road.
That’s one of a couple dozen or so icy patches in East Cobb that remain treacherous. Earlier today, some social media postings included a lot of ice on Hembree Road near Pope High School, and around Walton High School.
Sandy Plains Road at Wigley Road and north on Wigley Road;
Several areas along Mabry Road;
Ebenezer Road;
Several spots along Bells Ferry Road;
Barnes Mill Road;
Roswell Road near Barnes Mill;
Post Oak Tritt near Johnson Ferry Road;
Shallowford Road east of Johnson Ferry;
Johnson Ferry Road at Oak Drive;
Sewell Mill Road near Old Canton Road;
Johnson Ferry at the Chattahoochee River;
Several areas along Powers Ferry Road.
Cobb County government will have normal working hours on Friday.
Mt. Bethel Christian Academy will be holding classes as normally scheduled on Friday.
The Walker School also announced it would be trying to make a go of classes on Friday, tweeting out this message not long after the Cobb announcement:
Due to lingering conditions from this week’s winter weather, we will have a delayed school start time of 10:30 a.m. on Friday, January 19. Carpool will begin in all divisions at 10 a.m. Middle & Upper School students will report to their E block class at 10:35 a.m.
On Friday, warmer weather is expected to stick around longer, with highs into the low 50s and lows in the high 20s, with the chance of ice returning again Friday night.
It’s going to get gradually warmer over the weekend, into the low 60s by Sunday.
It’s also expected to be mostly sunny, with partly cloudy skies on Sunday and rain on Monday.
Send us your weather news and photos, if you have them, to: editor@eastcobbnews.com and we’ll post them here.
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As temperatures climbed toward freezing this morning, Cobb County government offices and libraries opened, and road clean-up continued, aided by some very welcome sunshine.
Late last night, Cobb spokesman Ross Cavitt said that around 200 accident calls were reported to county 911 dispatchers within the first 24 hours of the storm, including 15 stranded motorists, 10 hit-and-run incidents and two needing fire extrication from their vehicles.
No serious injuries have been reported, but the roads are still icy and slushy in some places.
Earlier this morning Cobb DOT said there were 50 reports of black ice throughout the county overnight:
Most major roads in good shape but side streets, especially those in shade, remain problematic. Be safe if you are venturing out. Fortunately traffic is light.
If you’re a CobbLinc rider, local and paratransit service began at noon, but XPress bus services are cancelled today.
Temperatures could reach the high 30s or even 40 by mid afternoon, with lows tonight and overnight falling back into the mid-to-low 20s.
Then it’s getting warmer starting Friday, and for most of next week. Friday’s highs could get into the low 50s and by Sunday we could get into the high 60s.
We a few updates about openings, closings, cancellations and postponements from East Cobb businesses, faith communities and other organizations beyond what was posted on the link just above, but we’ll keep adding to this list below during the afternoon.
We’ll also update with news about whether Cobb schools will have classes Friday. They’re closed again today, and today’s school board meetings have been postponed to next Thursday.
We’ll also be catching up with some other news that we’ve been wanting to post here the last couple days—and there’s a lot going on to share in East Cobb—starting later today and tomorrow as well.
Thursday openings
Transfiguration Catholic Church
XenGo Fusion Kitchen & Sushi
The Avenue East Cobb
Ted’s Montana Grill
Johnny’s New York Pizza
Book Exchange
St. Andrew UMC, at 1 p.m.
Once and Again Books
The Art Place-Mountain View, at 1 p.m.
East Cobb and NE Cobb YMCA open until 7 p.m.
Thursday closings/cancellations
Tonight’s Walton PTSA open house and general meeting
All practices/activities for East Marietta Basketball
The Cobb Watershed Stewardship program’s Privet Pull Mob for this afternoon at Noonday Creek Park
Send your weather news and photos and we’ll post it here: editor@eastcobbnews.com.
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With a forecast of more sub-freezing temperatures tonight and overnight, Cobb schools will be closed again on Thursday.
The Cobb County School District said the closure is for students and staff for the second day in a row.
The Cobb Board of Education work session and regular meeting, both scheduled for Thursday, have been postponed to next Thursday, Jan. 25.
A state of emergency declared by Gov. Nathan Deal for 83 counties in Georgia, including Cobb, remains in effect.
Temperatures are expected to dip back into the teens tonight and overnight, as any snow and ice that melted today will refreeze and create black ice.
Weather conditions may not reach above freezing in Cobb until Thursday afternoon. Here’s what Cobb County government posted earlier Wednesday afternoon:
Bill Shelton, Cobb County DOT Road Maintenance Director, says crews are restocking supplies of gravel for what will be a long day and night of treating roads. “I don’t see conditions on the roads changing much overnight,” Shelton said. “Even when the temperature gets above freezing Thursday, shady spots and low-lying areas will not thaw out. So we will keep running routes and treat all those areas to make sure roads are safe.”
Shelton says so far Cobb DOT crews have; – Put down 3400 gallons of brine before the snow started, – Used 300 tons of salt and 1200 tons of gravel since the snow fell, – Eight trucks continuously running routes, with others restocking material.
Morning sessions at Studio 348 for Women cancelled. Afternoon sessions still scheduled;
Thursday Postponements
East Cobb Middle School PTSA meeting and volunteer appreciation scheduled for Thursday will be held Tuesday, Jan. 30, at 6 p.m. in the ECMS Media Center;
Primrose School at East Cobb’s parent information meeting tonight at 6:30, was scheduled for Camps Kitchen & Bar, rescheduled to Sunday, Jan. 28 at 3:30 p.m. at the same venue;
Thursday delayed openings
Cobb County Government, 10 a.m. Thursday; Cobb libraries 11 a.m.;
Johnson Ferry Baptist Church, 10 a.m. Thursday;
East Cobb and Northeast Cobb YMCA, 10 a.m. Thursday (tentative);
St. Ann Catholic Church parish office, 10 a.m. Thursday. No 6:30 a.m. or 9 a.m. Mass services;
Mansouri Family Dental Care, noon-5:30 p.m.;
Olde Towne Athletic Club, opening at noon;
Atlanta Swim Academy, opening at 1 p.m., all morning classes cancelled.
We’ll be continuously updating other closings, cancellations, postponements and road and weather news for the rest of your Wednesday afternoon and evening here.
Send your weather news and photos and we’ll post it here: editor@eastcobbnews.com.
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Many areas of East Cobb got a half-inch to an inch of snow Tuesday; temperatures are not expected to rise above freezing until Thursday.
Here’s your mid-day Wednesday Cobb winter weather update, and we’ll keep adding more information as we get it the rest of the afternoon:
Cobb County government offices will be closed all day today because of the icy road conditions, and with temperatures not expected to rise out of the 20s.
That includes courts, public libraries and all CobbLinc bus service. Late last night county officials had indicated a delayed starting time of 10 a.m., but road conditions have made it hazardous to travel, as ice is packed under snow.
Accidents are taking place in many areas; Marietta Police said this morning that at least 15 accidents have taken place in the city, and that number is expected to climb. There’s no word yet on major accidents in the East Cobb area, but we will update any information that becomes available.
Any roads with melting ice are expected to refreeze tonight, and crews will be back out treating major routes. The Cobb Commute link has updates on roads that have been treated.
Cobb government sent out this message via social media earlier this morning:
Cobb DOT crews spent the night treating roadways and crews continue to work the roads, now on their second run over their countywide routes. But as the snowfall moves out, the number of accidents in the county has increased, with police reporting some hills and bridges impassable.
County officials will get more updates from the DOT crews and make a determination later today when to resume operations.
After Tuesday’s snow, temperatures fell dramatically below freezing. Cobb DOT had work crews out all night and into the morning, but because of icy conditions and sub-freezing temperatures into Thursday afternoon, motorists are advised not to get out on to the roads unless they have to.
As of 11 a.m. Cobb schools have not communicated any new information, including whether there will be classes on Thursday.
As of this writing the temperatures are in the mid teens in East Cobb, with highs projected only in the low to mid-20s. Lows tonight are forecast to fall back into the teens, with highs in the 40s expected on Thursday, but not until the afternoon.
East Cobb News will continue to update this post during the day with the latest information about closures, cancellations, postponements and other weather-related news.
Send your weather news, and photos if you have them, to: editor@eastcobbnews.com and we’ll post them.
What follows below are the latest closings/delayed openings/cancellations/postponements from this morning, not including those we posted last night on the link above:
Closings
Mass and all activities at Holy Family Catholic Church
Dog City Bakery
Haven, The Dog Spot
Tritt Animal Hospital
Rescued Too
Johnny’s New York Pizza
Ronald Sachs Violins
East Cobb and Northeast Cobb YMCA
All activities at Emerson Unitarian Universalist Congregation
LGE Community Credit Union
All Fidelity Bank branches
Kids’ Zone Daycare and Learning Center
Club Pilates East Cobb
Lemon Grass Thai Restaurant
Montrose Animal Hospital
Studio 348 for Women
Book Nook Marietta
Office and activities at St. Andrew UMC
Peace Love and Pizza
All activities at St. Catherine’s Episcopal Church
Gigi’s Cupcakes
Once & Again Books Shallowford
Cat Clinic of Cobb
Book Exchange
Chick-fil-A Lassiter
All activities at Eastminster Presbyterian Church
Offices and all acitivities at Johnson Ferry Baptist Church
Intrigue Salon
Kids Kuts Salon
Atlanta Swim Academy
Three-13 Salon
Righteous Que
Free-Flite Bicycles
Mansouri Family Dental Care
All activities at Eastside Baptist Church
Parisian Nail Salon
Massage Heights East Cobb
Openings
Zaxby’s Lower Roswell Road, 11 a.m.
Muss & Turner East Cobb, noon
Frankie’s Italian restaurant, Roswell Road
Loyal Q, 11 a.m.
Winston’s Food and Spirits
Terrell Mill Animal Hospital, 10 a.m.
Chick-fil-A Woodlawn Square, open until 4 p.m.
Marietta Donuts, open until 5 p.m.
Marietta Fish Market, 4 p.m. depending on road conditions
Chick-fil-A East Lake
The Wing Cafe and Tap House
WellStar East Cobb Health Park
Marietta Ice Center revised schedule for public skating sessions: 1:15-3:15 p.m.; 3:30-6 p.m.; 6:15-8:45 p.m.
Cancellations
East Cobb UMC Wednesday Night Supper
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Shortly before 8:30 tonight, the Cobb County School District announced that Cobb schools will be closed on Wednesday, for students and staff, “due to road and travel conditions.”
Gov. Nathan Deal has declared a state of emergency for 83 counties in Georgia, including Cobb, and non-essential state government offices will be closed Wednesday.
Cobb DOT crews are working in 12-hour shifts, starting at 5 p.m. today, and switching to fresh crews at 5 a.m. Wednesday, to treat major roads with a salt and gravel mix as between a half-inch to an inch of snow is forecast to fall on Cobb, and turn to ice as temperatures reached freezing.
Cobb County government is on a delayed opening Wednesday until 10 a.m., including libraries.
With the wind chill, temperatures in the morning could feel as cold as several degrees below zero. A winter weather advisory is in effect for Cobb and most of north Georgia until 10 a.m. Wednesday and a wind chill advisory is in effect until 7 a.m.
CobbLinc will delay the start of all bus services until 10 a.m.
Snowfall began falling in East Cobb a little after 7 tonight, as temperatures fell to around the freezing mark.
The Walker School also is closed on Wednesday, as are Mt. Bethel Christian Academy, the Wood Acres School, Gracepoint School and Faith Lutheran School.
All campuses of Kennesaw State University are closed on Wednesday, but dining services will continue. All campuses of Chattahoochee Tech also will be closed Wednesday.
The Eastside Christian School open house scheduled for Wednesday has been postponed a week to Jan 24 at 9:30 a.m. All classes are cancelled Wednesday.
The St. Catherine’s Episcopal preschool is closed Wednesday, as is the St. Ann Catholic preschool.
At Transfiguration Catholic Church, preschool, PREP classes and Adult Education classes are cancelled Wednesday, and perpetual adoration will be closed until noon.
The Northeast Cobb Business Association luncheon Wednesday has been cancelled.
The East Cobb YMCA and Northeast Cobb YMCA are delaying opening until 10 a.m.
Olde Towne Athletic Club is opening at noon Wednesday.
More updates will posted here as they become available.
ORIGINAL REPORT, posted 4:55 p.m.:
With public and private schools already having cancelled Tuesday evening events, here’s the latest Cobb winter storm update. We’ll keep posting additional information as we have it, including any news about Cobb schools for Wednesday.
The Cobb County School District has been saying this afternoon that “a decision about school for Wednesday will be made either late tonight or early tomorrow morning.”
Send your news about cancellations/postponements to: editor@eastcobbnews.com and we’ll add it here.
Weather Conditions
From the National Weather Service, precipitation is expected to come through a line from Carrollton to Canton and into northeastern Georgia around 6 p.m. tonight (as shown in map above), and as temperatures plunge dramatically.
Temperatures were in the high 40s in the East Cobb area around 4:30 p.m., but dropping temperatures, along with the wind chill, could make it feel a few degrees below zero overnight and into early Wednesday morning.
Closings/cancellations/postponements
Cobb County government, including libraries, is closing at 6 tonight, and programs and events scheduled for tonight are cancelled or rescheduled. All government offices, agencies and facilities are slated to open on a delayed basis on Wednesday at 10 a.m.;
The East Cobb and Northeast Cobb YMCA branches are cancelling all after school activities, as well as paid programming. The branches plan to stay open until 7:30;
Transfiguration Catholic Church is cancelling all evening parish activities and meetings, PREP classes and adult ed classes, and Perpetual Adoration is closed from 6 tonight to noon Wednesday. Tonight’s 7 p.m. Mass will be held “as long as the weather holds up,” according to a social media post from around 1 p.m.;
St. Ann Catholic has cancelled Wednesday Mass services at 6:30 a.m. and 9 a.m.;
The Walker School is cancelling all after school-activities, including practices and games;
The Wood Acres After School Tree House is closing at 5 p.m.
After-school care at Mt. Bethel Christian Academy is closing at 5 p.m. and North campus athletics are cancelled;
All after-school activities at Eastside Christian Academy will conclude at 5:30, and pickup is required by that time. JV basketball games at Mt. Paran are cancelled;
All campuses of Kennesaw State University are closing at 5 p.m., and all night classes after that are cancelled;
The same goes for all campuses at Chattahoochee Tech, closing at 5 p.m.;
The Walton High School wrestling team’s picture day and senior night event scheduled for Wednesday has been postponed a week, to Jan. 24.
Cobb DOT/Roads
The Cobb DOT road maintenance division has been pretreating roads with brine this morning and is treating roads with salt and gravel mix on designated major routes this afternoon. Between a half-inch and an inch of snow is expected in Cobb. A total of 15 crews will be rolling out by 5 p.m., with another similar number of crews to follow at 5 a.m. Wednesday.
Emergency Information
The Cobb 911 office issued this information around 3 p.m. Tuesday:
Cobb County and much of North Georgia is preparing for the possibility of hazardous weather. Here are some numbers that you might need. Call these numbers instead of 911 if there is not an emergency. Call 911 if you need the fire department, an ambulance or the police. 911 is unable to give time frames on power outages.
Do Not Call 911 unless it is a life-threatening emergency. This would include someone who is utilizing life-sustaining equipment that requires electricity. 911 will not report your outage to any utility company.
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All afternoon and evening activities are canceled for Tuesday, January 16, except for ASP which will operate on a normal schedule. Parents are encouraged to pick up students from ASP as early as possible.
Classes resumed today in the Cobb County School District after Monday’s Martin Luther King holiday, but the system released this statement shortly before 9 a.m. regarding the winter weather advisory issued yesterday about the National Weather Service:
We are monitoring weather forecasts and temps for late Tuesday into Wednesday, January 17, and the impact the weather may have, if any, on Tuesday evening activities and Wednesday classes.
Marietta City Schools have cancelled all Tuesday evening exracurricular activities.
In East Cobb, the only postponement/cancellation we have thus far is Johnson Ferry Christian Academy delaying its scheduled open house tonight to next Monday, Jan. 22 at 7 p.m. in the chapel.
Some school districts in north Georgia, including Bartow County, are releasing early today, but thus far Cobb has not indicated that will be happening here.
Tuesday’s high temperatures in Cobb and metro Atlanta are expected to be in the high 40s.
The snow isn’t expected until late this afternoon, with very cold weather moving in this evening.
That winter weather advisory area includes Cobb and goes into effect from 5 p.m. tonight to 7 a.m. Wednesday. In addition, a wind chill advisory has been issued that also includes Cobb from 9 p.m. tonight to 1 p.m. Wednesday.
The NWS has extended its advisory area to include most of Georgia; the map below was issued earlier this morning.
More updates will be posted here when they become available.
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Teachers from three East Cobb schools have been awarded grant money for lab ideas pitched at the Cobb County School District’s annual “Cobb Tank” competition.
A total of $71,00 in grant money was handed out to teachers at 10 schools in the district. They include Zakary Jezequel and Amy Morris at Hightower Trail Middle School (above, all photos submitted by CCSD), who will receive $6,595 to develop a project in which students will race toward a healthy lifestyle using spin bikes.
At Kell High School, English teacher Lauren Forbes’ grant of $1,600 is for an “Escape from the Ordinary Classroom” program, as her students will take a true literary escape in their studies.
Dickerson Middle School teacher Lawton Willingham is receiving a Cobb Tank grant worth nearly $11,000 for a music prototyping and programming program.
The program is modeled after the TV program “Shark Tank.” All recipients pitched their “Cobb Tank” ideas at CCSD headquarters. Per a CCSD release, here’s how the competition went:
Through lively, creative, and effective presentations, many involving their students, the teachers appealed beneath TV camera lights for the sharks to fund their ideas to enhance classroom instruction.
A panel of judges, or “sharks,” included several school district teachers and administrators, including assistant superintendent David Chiprany, a former principal at East Cobb Middle School and Wheeler High School, as well as business and community leaders.
A video presentation of the entire competition will be made available later this month on Cobb edTV, the school district’s cable access channel.
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It’s one of the main projects of the non-profit foundation, which raises private funds to assist the Cobb County School District.
Next Saturday, Jan. 20, the foundation is holding a major fundraiser at SunTrust Park with a “Casino Night” theme, and tickets are still available, as well as sponsorships.
The event lasts from 7-11 p.m., and the attire is black tie optional.
Individual tickets cost $150, and sponsorships run between $1,000 and $10,000. To sign up, click here.
For information call 770-426-3390 or email natalie.rutledge@cobbschoolsfoundation.org.
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Around 7:20 p.m. Sunday, the Cobb County School District announced that the system will be completely closed on Monday, for students and staff, due to a forecast of freezing rain overnight and into the morning.
That follows a winter weather advisory from the Atlanta office of the National Weather Service issued earlier Sunday afternoon. It’s a tiered advisory, going into effect for Cobb and metro Atlanta and north central Georgia from 5 a.m. to 12 p.m. Monday.
The forecast calls for light freezing rain, with an accumulation of up to 1/10th of an inch possible. In its announcement, Cobb schools said the potential impact on roads and travel was enough to prompt a full closure.
UPDATED, 8:50 P.M.:
Here are the latest closings/delays we have for the East Cobb area. If you have closures to report, please e-mail us at editor@eastcobbnews.com and we’ll include it in future updates.
The Walker School will be closed on Monday, as will High Meadows School; Eastside Christian School; Eastminster Christian Preschool; St. Catherine’s Episcopal Preschool; St. Ann’s Catholic Preschool and Monday Masses; and Transfiguration Catholic Preschool, PREP classes and adult ed classes.
All campuses of Kennesaw State University and Chattahoochee Technical College also will be closed Monday.
Paid programming events (swimming lessons, etc.) at the McCleskey-East Cobb Family YMCA and the Northeast Cobb Family YMCA are being cancelled on Monday.
The Cobb Chamber of Commerce breakfast scheduled for Monday morning also has been postponed.
Cobb County government announced that its offices would be open on a delayed basis, at 11 a.m. Monday. That includes all public library branches.
The LGE Community Credit Union is delaying opening all branches until noon Monday.
Returning to original post:
The NWS forecast indicated that the possible icy conditions were likely to be enough to affect the Monday morning commute.
Over the weekend, City of Atlanta and Fulton County government announced they would be closing early Monday, in part because of the weather but also due to the national college football championship game tomorrow night between Georgia and Alabama at Mercedes-Benz Stadium.
Georgia and Cobb DOT trucks also were going out overnight to treat roads ahead of the freezing rain. Cobb trucks were slated to begin salt treatment of bridges and overpasses around 2 a.m. Monday.
Shortly after Cobb schools announced they would be closed the Marietta, Atlanta and Fulton school systems, and others around metro Atlanta, also said they would be closed Monday.
After a very cold first week of 2018, temperatures in Cobb and metro Atlanta are expected to climb into the low 40s by Monday afternoon. Highs are forecast to be in the 50s during the week and even into the 60s by the weekend.
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The Pope girls basketball team attacks the rim in the first game played in the new gym, which opened to the public Saturday. (East Cobb News photos by Wendy Parker)
After dignitaries, architects, construction engineers and school administrators were honored for their work making the new Pope High School gymnasium possible, the varsity girls basketball team made easy work of their opponent in the facility’s first event on Saturday.
The Lady Greyhounds trounced Chattahoochee 55-13, and the Greyhounds boys team also downed Chattahoochee 70-58, adding to the celebrations that brought out the Pope community.
From left, Pope principal Thomas Flugum, and Cobb County School District athletics directors Steve Jones and William Griggers.
The multi-level gym includes a running track on the top level, and peeking room at the floor down below.
Nick Parker, the executive director of the Cobb County School District SPLOST program, which oversees school construction, said the building of the new gym and adjoining theater (next to the existing gym) was one of the smoothest he’s experienced. He said the gym, which along with the theater cost nearly $24 million and took two years to build, will eventually have a capacity of 3,000, and will add 200 or so seats on the top level.
Representatives of the Pope PTSA were among those recognized at the gym opening.Pope parents and students applaud as the new court is ready for action.The Lady Greyhounds huddle up during pre-game warm-ups.
And it’s tipoff between Pope and Chattahoochee.Teya Holloman brings the ball up for Pope.The Lady Greyhounds’ defense didn’t allow a point in the first quarter.Cheyenne Holloman, who scored the first basket in the new gym, demonstrates her free throw form.Players on the Pope boys varsity team wait for their chance to play in the new gym.At halftime of the girls game, past Lady Greyhounds players took part in a 3-point shooting contest on Alumni Night.
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The Cobb County Board of Education met this morning in a special called organizational meeting to choose officers for 2018.
Cobb school board member David Chastain of NE Cobb
The new chairman is Brad Wheeler of Post 7 (Harrison, Hillgrove, McEachern). He is a former teacher, coach and administrator in Cobb schools, and has been on the school board since 2013.
Last year’s chairman, David Chastain of Post 4 in Northeast Cobb (Kell and Sprayberry), remains an officer and will serve as vice chairman for this year.
Chastain, a board member since 2015, attended Brumby Elementary School and East Cobb Middle School and is a graduate of Wheeler High School.
The seven-member Cobb school board annually elects officers for calendar year period. Wheeler and Chastain are among the six Republicans on the board, and they were elected with unanimous votes.
The Cobb school board also set its 2018 meeting schedule Tuesday, and has made some changes. Previously the board held work sessions on the second Wednesday and regular meetings on the third Thursday.
In 2018 the board be holding its monthly work session and regular meeting on the same day, either the second or third Thursday (see schedule below). From January through October, the work sessions start at 1 p.m., with regular meetings starting at 7 p.m. Both meetings will include public comment periods. Executive sessions will be held at 5:30 p.m.
In November and December, the work sessions begin at 9 a.m., followed by an executive session and regular meeting.
The meeting dates are as follows:
Jan. 18;
Feb. 15,
March 15;
April 19;
May 17;
June 21;
July 26;
Aug. 16;
Sept. 13;
Oct. 18;
Nov. 15;
Dec. 13.
All public meetings are held in the board meeting room of the Cobb County School District central office, 514 Glover St., Marietta.
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East Side Elementary School teacher Leslie Lyiak (center) is receiving a grant for her “Why Math Works” program. (Photos courtesy of Cobb County School District)
Eight East Cobb teachers have been named recipients of the Cobb Schools Foundation IMPACT grants, which are used to enhance classroom learning and other academic purposes.
According to information released Tuesday by the Cobb County School District, the foundation (which is independent from the school system) raised a record $40,000 for the grants, which are based on teacher “wish lists” for programs to help student success.
The money is raised from a variety of sources, including an upcoming fundraiser in January at SunTrust Park, as well as from several foundation partners, including the Cobb EMC Community Foundation, the Atlanta Braves Foundation, Gas South and the Credit Union of Georgia.
Sprayberry High School English Language Learner teacher Stacey Arnett (center) is using her grant to purchase Word-to-Word dictionaries to assist ELL students with test scores and graduation rates.Leigh Anna Engkaninan, who has already introduced chickens to her students at Daniell Middle School, will receive a $1,810 IMPACT grant to expand her teaching about the animals, including the use of a chicken coop.Charmagne Quenan, East Cobb Middle School, is receiving a $1,695 grant for PocketLab Voyager Probes to increase science engagement.Moniquea Willingham of Sedalia Park Elementary School is receiving a grant for her “Park Math Squad” program in the amount of $1,183.39.Kelley Davis of Keheley Elementary School has been awarded a grant of $1,834.94 for “Keheley Needs the Cube!”
Other East Cobb teachers receiving IMPACT grants include Susanne Smith, East Side Elementary School, who is receiving $2,500 for “Picture-Perfect STEM Books” and Debbi Snyder of Kincaid Elementary School, a $900 grant for “Extraordinary Gentlemen.”
A total of 23 teachers in the Cobb school system received IMPACT grants for the coming year.
In addition to the IMPACT grants, the Cobb Schools Foundation, a non-profit, helps raise money for SAT test prep, college scholarships and other academic and school-related programs.
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Just after 3 p.m. Monday, the Cobb County School District announced via social media that all classes and other school activities are back on for Tuesday:
All Cobb County schools will resume classes on Tuesday, December 12, on a normal schedule.
Cobb schools have been out of session since an early release on Friday, as a winter storm approached metro Atlanta and left in some areas nearly a foot of snow.
Some of those areas included portions of Cobb County, and resulted in power outages that includes some school facilities.
Cobb schools cancelled Monday classes for that reason, and because of icy roads, including school parking lots and driveways.
Temperatures reached above 50 degrees on Monday afternoon, and lows tonight aren’t expected to fall below 40.
As of 3 p.m. Monday, Cobb EMC said it was down to restoring power to 1,377 Cobb customers and working to repair a broken power pole on Ebenezer Road.
Georgia Power reported Monday afternoon that it has around 6,000 customers still without power, with a handful in Northeast Cobb.
Earlier Monday, Cobb DOT said that Davis Road between Holly Springs Road and Sandy Plains Road remained closed, due to downed trees and power lines that also cut off electric power.
All Cobb government offices reopened under regular hours on Monday, including libraries, which were closed all weekend due to the winter weather.
On Monday evening, Johnson Ferry Baptist Church (955 Johnson Ferry Road) is holding a Christmas Festival concert at 7 p.m. That was an addition to the schedule after two Saturday holiday concerts were cancelled due to the weather.
The forecast for Tuesday and Wednesday calls for mostly sunny skies and highs in the mid-40s and for the rest of the week, with highs in the low 50s projected for Thursday and for the weekend.
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Trees at the Marietta Campground covered with snow. (East Cobb News photos by Wendy Parker)
We did get out and around East Cobb Sunday afternoon, as did many other East Cobbers needing food and other provisions (including Christmas trees) and trying to get back to normal.
Many businesses and restaurants were also open, and most roads with downed trees and power lines had been cleared.
As was reported earlier today, Cobb schools will be closed Monday, due to icy roads expected in the morning, and because some schools still do not have electrical power.
We haven’t gotten details on which schools were without power, but icy road conditions across the county are expected for Monday; temperatures are expected to reach into the low 50s, along with the same sunny skies we’ve had since Saturday.
Send us your photos and news!
Share your winter weather pictures, and we’ll post them, as well as business or other closings or cancellations. E-mail editor@eastcobbnews.com.
As of 5:20 p.m. Sunday, Cobb EMC estimated that about 5,000 of its customers are still without power (outage map), and that a broken power line on Ebenezer Road in Northeast Cobb is still among those needing repair.
Earlier today we also noted that there was only one road in the county that was closed, and that was the roundabout at Holly Springs Road and Davis Road. It was open when we drove through there shortly after 3 p.m. (photo just below); if you’re heading north on Holly Springs you may notice a few tree limbs hanging close to a power line, which apparently had been the cause of the closure.
We then traveled eastbound on Shallowford Road, from Sandy Plains to Johnson Ferry, there were some patches of ice, since there wasn’t a lot of direct sunshine. In particular, there were icy spots in the right eastbound lane on Shallowford between Sandy Plains and Lassiter Road, so if you’re in that area, take precautions and slow down, especially at the intersections of Wesley Chapel Road, North Hembree Road and Old Suttons Way (just below).
Johnson Ferry Road was well traveled around 3:30 p.m., and as traffic increased for the Johnson Ferry Baptist Church Christmas Festival service that began at 4 p.m. There’s another service at 7 p.m., and there are police officers directing traffic.
Heading westbound on Lower Roswell Road was almost pure slush, especially between Indian Hills Parkway and Old Canton Road. Unlike Shallowford, this stretch of Lower Roswell was getting a lot of direct sunlight, but with temperatures freezing overnight it figures to be treacherous for Monday morning traffic.
Here’s what we have on openings/closings for Monday as of 5:30 p.m. Sunday. Please e-mail your news/photos to: editor@eastcobbnews.com:
Cobb public libraries will be open;
St. Catherine’s Episcopal Church preschool and St. Ann Catholic preschool are closed Monday;
Classes at The Walker School are closed Monday. The U.S. Science exam will start at 12pm, the campus will open to U.S. arrivals at 11:30am. This is the only exam tomorrow and includes 8th grade students taking the Biology exam. The Lower School chorus concert will occur as planned at 7 p.m.;
Ronald Sachs Violins will be open from 3-6 on Monday;
High Meadows Schools will be closed Monday;
East Cobb Pediatrics will be open on Monday;
A Monday holiday concert of the Sprayberry High School chorus also is cancelled since there will be no school tomorrow.
Students (and we hope some adults!) get to enjoy a continuation of a most unexpected winter wonderland in East Cobb, two weeks before Christmas.
The entrance to the Willow Ridge subdivision at Robinson Road.
Send news of opening/closing/cancellations and photos of the snow near you to: editor@eastcobbnews.com.
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The start of Friday’s snow in East Cobb, which got between 2-4 inches in two waves of storms. A winter storm warning is in effect for Cobb County, metro Atlanta and most of north Georgia until 10 a.m. Saturday. (East Cobb News photo by Wendy Parker)
UPDATED, 8 P.M. FRIDAY:
The National Weather Service has extended its winter storm warning that includes Cobb to 10 a.m. Saturday, as a second wave of snow and winter weather passed through metro Atlanta and north Georgia late Friday afternoon.
Cobb was expected to get between 2-4 inches of snow overall, but those amounts are likely to vary.
Roads in Cobb and elsewhere are becoming increasingly treacherous, as Cobb DOT, Georgia DOT and other crews work to brine roadways, bridges and overpasses overnight Friday. Temperatures have generally dropped below freezing in Cobb and Saturday’s high is expected to be only 40 degrees.
The chance of “black ice” is one of the major concerns, as well as the possibility of falling trees and reduced visibility on roads due to the unexpectedly heavy amounts of snow.
Cobb libraries will be closed on Saturday, after closing at noon on Friday along with other Cobb government offices and facilities.
The second blanket of snow came through metro Atlanta later Friday evening, behind early afternoon storms that prompted school, government, business and many other closures, and as commuters, buses and other vehicles created an early, messy rush hour.
Georgia DOT is urging motorists to treat an intersection with traffic light outages as a four-way stop. They should also call 511 to report outages when they reach a safe destination.
Georgia Power and Cobb EMC were reporting scattered outages. As of 6:30 p.m., Cobb EMC reported that its outage reporting channels were down and they’re working to fix the problem.
Cobb EMC customers who have lost power can download an outage on the Cobb EMC app or call 770-429-2100. The web link still wasn’t working as of 7:30 p.m. but an link can be found here that will link to detailed outage information when it’s available online.
(At 9 p.m. Friday an East Cobb News reader called to say that the Cobb EMC power outage phone number was down, and had been down for about an hour.)
Most of the estimated 5,500 Cobb EMC customers without power as of 8 p.m. were in western and north Cobb, with outages also being reported in several parts of Northeast Cobb.
Georgia Power is asking its customers to consult its outage map but has indicated it is not able to estimate when power may restored to an affected area.
Some closings for Saturday to report are below. E-mail us at: editor@eastcobbnews.com with your news of closings, and any weather photos to share. We’ll keep updating as long as we’re in a pre-Christmas Winter Wonderland:
Holy Trinity Lutheran Church has postponed Saturday’s Breakfast With Santa until next Saturday, Dec. 16, at 9 a.m.;
All events/classes at Studio 348 for Women have been cancelled for Saturday;
East Cobb Pediatrics will be closed Saturday;
Club Pilates East Cobb is closed Saturday;
St. Andrew UMC is postponing its Christmas concert to 6:30 p.m. Sunday (updating information below in this post about a 2 p.m. start);
All parish activities at Transfiguration Catholic Church will be postponed until noon Saturday. The Saturday 9 a.m. Mass will be held if weather permits.
Original report, with some updates from earlier Friday afternoon:
We’re keeping an updated tab on East Cobb weather closings for Friday, with the announcements earlier today of the early release of Cobb schools and the closing of Cobb government at noon.
Here’s what Cobb DOT sent out around 1:15 p.m. Friday:
“With conditions on Cobb County roadways deteriorating faster than expected, Cobb County Department of Transportation called in crews early and began treating trouble spots. By 12:30 traffic slowed to a crawl on many of the county’s roadways and crews manned trucks with salt to head out to the worse areas.
“DOT’s Road Maintenance Division planned on running full shifts until 2 pmSaturday, concerning falling temperatures could cause icing. Some crews concentrated at areas around schools where Cobb’s Elementary Schools, the last to dismiss early, would send buses out at 1:30 pm.
“The division’s full complement of trucks, 15 vehicles in all, will run predetermined routes treating much of the county’s 2500 miles of roadways, including state highways.
“Traffic maps at cobbcommute.org showed many of the county’s thoroughfares either running very slow or at a standstill. Officials urged people not already on the roads to avoid going out until the system moves away.”
Temperatures in Cobb and metro Atlanta are staying around freezing all day, and will be plummeting below that by Friday evening.
Information about closings is coming via e-mail, social media posts and other sources. If you know of closings (schools, businesses, churches, organizations, etc.), and especially planned activities, please let us know and we’ll share it with the community. E-mail news, photos, etc. to: editor@eastcobbnews.com.
Cobb schools are on early release, with the last phase elementary school students at 1:30 p.m. There will be NO extracurricular activities, including the ACT testing, which will be rescheduled
Most private schools in East Cobb are either under an early release or have closed.
Cobb government closed at 12 p.m., including libraries, which will be monitoring road conditions to determine whether to open on Saturday.
The Cobb government closures also include The Art Place-Mountain View (3330 Sandy Plains Road), and tonight’s Center Stage North performance of “A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum” has been cancelled.
Roswell Road at WellStar East Cobb Health Park, shortly after 12 p.m. Friday (From Georgia 511 camera)
Send us your photos and news!
Share your winter weather pictures, and we’ll post them! If you know of school, church, business or other closings or cancellations too! E-mail editor@eastcobbnews.com.
Here are the latest updates about openings/closings for local businesses, organizations, churches (especially for holiday events):
The Piedmont Church’s Christmas at Piedmont festival scheduled for 5-9 Friday has been cancelled; updates about Saturday’s 10-5 session will be posted on its Instagram account;
Mt. Zion United Methodist Church has postponed its Breakfast With Santa, which was to have been from 8:30 a.m.-10:30 a.m. Saturday;
All Fidelity bank branches were closing around noon Friday;
The Lockheed-Georgia Credit Union also closed Friday around noon;
Tonight’s Christmas concert at St. Andrew United Methodist Church (3455 Canton Road) is being postponed until Sunday at 2 p.m., with a reception to follow;
Friday’s Bethlehem Walk from 7-9 at Mountain View United Methodist Church is cancelled; the final session of the holiday event is still on for the same time on Saturday;
At The Avenue East Cobb, carriage rides from 4-7 have been cancelled, but Santa Claus will be in the Santa Suite next to J. Jill for visitors and photos during that time;
The Carols for Christmas program Friday at Mt. Bethel United Methodist Church has been cancelled. In its place will be a service at 6 p.m. Sunday
East Cobb Pediatrics closed at 1 p.m. Friday;
All J. Christopher’s locations closed before the normal 2 p.m. closing time;
Olde Towne Athletic Club has closed and will delay Saturday opening until 12 p.m.;
Chicago’s Steak & Seafood is closed Friday;
Seed, Stem Wine Bar and Drift are closed Friday;
The British Swim School of North Atlanta is cancelling Friday lessons and offering free makeup lessons;
Book Exchange is closing early Friday, but an author open house is still scheduled for 2 p.m. Saturday;
Righteous Que is closing at 3 p.m. and is not accepting any more phone orders Friday;
Johnson Ferry Baptist Church offices have closed for Friday, and all Friday activities are cancelled. As of 2 p.m. Friday, the Christmas Festival services at 4 and 7 Saturday and regular Sunday worship services are still scheduled;
Big Peach Running Co. closed at 2 p.m. Friday and will update Saturday opening based on weather conditions;
WellStar Medical Group offices closed by 2 p.m. Friday. All WellStar Urgent Care locations were closing at 3 p.m. and are scheduled to open at 10 a.m. Saturday;
All CobbLinc public transit services will be suspended at 8 p.m. Friday and will open Saturday, with service times TBA.
Cobb DOT is urging motorists not to get on the roads if they don’t have to. Conditions are deterioarating and crews will be working to treat the roads as the day continues. To monitor the latest conditions visit the Cobb Commute site.
Sandy Plains Road at East Piedmont Road, also around 12 p.m. Friday (Georgia 511 camera)
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Cobb County was placed a winter storm warning area early Friday morning by the National Weather Service.
The Cobb County School District announced right around 10 a.m. Friday that it will be releasing classes early today and cancelling all weekend activities, due to winter weather conditions.
The early release schedule is as follows:
High schools, 11:30 a.m.;
Middle schools, 12:30 p.m.;
Elementary schools; 1:30 p.m.
In addition, all after-school programs are cancelled on Friday, as are extracurricular events scheduled for Friday and Saturday.
Those activities include ACT test sites at Cobb schools, which will be rescheduled.
Not long before Cobb announced early release times, Paulding County schools also announced they would be releasing early. Marietta, Bartow County, Douglas County and Cherokee County schools also were releasing students early.
Here’s what we have thus far for private school closings in East Cobb:
Both campuses of Mt. Bethel Christian Academy will be releasing students at 12:30 p.m., although after-school programs will be operating. Extracurricular activities will operate at the discretion of the coach or sponsor;
The Walker School is closed Friday for all classes and activities;
Faith Lutheran School is releasing all students at 1:30 p.m. Friday;
The Catholic Church of St. Ann preschool is releasing at 11:30 a.m.;
All Cobb County government facilities are closing at noon today, including all public library branches.
The closures also include The Art Place-Mountain View (3330 Sandy Plains Road), and tonight’s Center Stage North performance of “A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum” has been cancelled.
A few church-related items to share:
The Piedmont Church (570 Piedmont Road) announced around 11 a.m. that its Christmas at Piedmont holiday festival is going on as scheduled from 5-9 tonight, and from 10-5 Saturday;
Tonight’s Christmas concert at St. Andrew United Methodist Church (3455 Canton Road) is being postponed until Sunday at 2 p.m., with a reception to follow.
Send us your photos and news!
Share your winter weather pictures, and we’ll post them! If you know of school, church, business or other closings or cancellations too! E-mail editor@eastcobbnews.com.
Cobb schools began as scheduled on Friday, although Cobb was placed in a winter storm warning area around 6 a.m. by the National Weather Service.
However, by mid-morning, what had been rain was turning into snow or snow mixed with rain, including some areas in East Cobb. Here’s a view of the football field at Lassiter High School, posted on the school’s Twitter feed:
Temperatures in Cobb and metro Atlanta are expected to reach only into the high 30s on Friday, with freezing temperatures forecast for the evening and into overnight. Accumulated snowfall is expected to be less than in inch in most of Cobb, but more in northern and western parts of the county.
The winter storm advisory, which includes Cobb, Paulding, Douglas, Cherokee and Bartow in metro Atlanta and most of mountainous north Georgia, where 1-2 inches of snow has been forecast.
Winter weather has stretched across unexpected areas of the South, with snow falling in San Antonio and parts of Texas, before that storm front headed toward Georgia.
Temperatures aren’t expected to get much warmer in metro Atlanta over the weekend, with Saturday and Sunday highs in the low 40s. There is a 30 percent chance of snow on Saturday, with lows in the low 20s, but the sun also is expected to come out.
Sunday’s high will be around 40, with clear skies. Lows are expected in the low 20s.
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The Cobb County School District posted the following message on its Twitter feed shortly after 6 a.m. Friday:“All Cobb County schools open as normal today, Friday, December 8. Temps forecast to remain above freezing throughout the day with road temps a few degrees warmer.”
After-school programs also will operate on schedule but extracurricular activities are cancelled for Friday and Saturday.
Schools in Marietta and most of metro Atlanta also are open as the line for winter weather notifications issued by the National Weather Service is running northwest of Marietta and Cobb.
The National Weather Service has revised the areas to be included in a winter storm warning, and that includes Cobb, Paulding, Douglas and Cherokee counties.
Being in the storm area means that “periods of snow” are expected during the designated warning period, through 7 a.m. Saturday.
A social media message issued by Cobb government around 6:30 a.m. Friday said that the Cobb Emergency Management Agency and Cobb DOT are “watching situation carefully” but offered no other information.
A number of school districts in north Georgia have cancelled classes due to freezing rain and snow, but they are well north of metro Atlanta.
Early Friday morning the precipitation in most of metro Atlanta was rain, with temperatures just above freezing. The highs in the area for Friday, including Cobb, are forecast to be in the high 30s, with freezing temperatures expected by Friday evening.
Cobb DOT reported early Friday morning, also around 6 a.m., that most road temperatures in the county along the Interstate 75 corridor were above freezing.
UPDATED, 7:12 a.m.: Shortly after 7, Cobb schools tweeted this information:
“We will continue to monitor conditions and confer with forecasters and public safety officials throughout the day. We will continue to keep you informed via our website.”
Cobb County was included in a winter storm warning issued by the National Weather Service shortly before 6 a.m. Friday.
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East Cobb high school graduation dates have been announced for the Class of 2018, with five of the six schools holding commencement exercises at the Kennesaw State University Convocation Center in May.
The KSU Convocation Center (590 Cobb Ave., Kennesaw) will be the venue for all but three of the 16 Cobb public high schools.
Among the exceptions is Wheeler High School, which will be holding graduation on campus (375 Holt Road).
Here’s the schedule for the East Cobb schools:
Walton: Tuesday, May 22, 7 p.m. (KSU);
Sprayberry: Wednesday, May 23, 3:30 p.m. (KSU);
Wheeler: Wednesday, May 23, 6:30 p.m. (Wheeler Gym);
Each school will announce separately its schedule for other graduation-related activities.
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A counselor at Timber Ridge Elementary School has created a program that provides informational sessions with parents on issues such as cyberbullying and digital citizenship.
Joslin Maxwell recently held a “Cyber Power” session that informs school staff as well as parents. Here’s more from the Cobb County School District, which also submitted the photo above:
According to Maxwell, elementary schools like Timber Ridge can help parents prevent their children from falling prey to the negative aspects of the digital world.
“The Cyber Power event gave parents the tools to go home and put a cell phone contract and an Internet safety contract in place,” Maxwell added.
The school provided both contracts to the parents so they could outline cyber safety rules for their children now.
“You want to make technology routines and expectations a priority from the very beginning, or else there will inevitably be push back when parents asks their high school students to let them look at their phones,” the Timber Ridge counselor cautioned.
Timber Ridge is also boosting cyber awareness among parents by encouraging families to take part in the “Stack Challenge” and put down their phones, tablets and laptops, and plug-in to quality family time.
The goal of the “Stack Challenge” is to remind parents that their use of technology is the greatest example to their children. Maxwell said parents should be part of creating the “balance is best” practice when using technology in the home.
Many of the students Maxwell talked to about the challenge feared it would be a difficult task for their parents.
“When I talked to one of my fourth grade classes about the challenge, I had a student tell me that their mom needed her phone at all times because they were remodeling the kitchen, and she needed to be able to always look at the pictures of the tiles,” Maxwell recalled. “The added awareness of just how much we are all using our screens is a valuable take-away.”
According to the district, Timber Ridge will be having another parent night called Cyber Power 2.0 in May with Jeff Dess, the CCSD’s coordinator of prevention and intervention.
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The following photos and story were submitted by the Cobb County School District after a birthday celebration at Rocky Mount Elementary School for Susie Raper, who lives near the Northeast Cobb school community and who just turned 97 years old.
She taught in Cobb schools for many years, including her final 18 years at Blackwell Elementary School, and after retirement was a guest reader at local schools and volunteered at her grandsons’ schools.
Rocky Mount students created birthday cards, and presented Raper with a tiara for the celebration:
Raper’s face brightened when Principal Peggy Fleming presented her with a basket full of handmade birthday cards from Rocky Mount students.
Her sons joked that their mom now has enough cards to read every day for the next year.
“It meant a whole lot to her,” her son Don Raper said. “She talks about her teaching career as much as she talks about anything in her life. This probably brought a lot of good memories for her. It is going to be a good memory for all of us.”
Her son remembers his mother as a very energetic teacher. He had difficulty keeping up with her as child when she taught at Green Acres Elementary School.
“She was relentless,” he added. “She would work whatever hours it took to do her job.”
Media paraprofessional Barb Evangelista, also known as Ms. E to the Rocky Mount students, didn’t want to miss an opportunity to take photos with Raper on her birthday.
“Ms. E.” still remembers Raper from when the veteran educator volunteered in her grandchildren’s class.
After her birthday surprises, Raper was able to visit a class of her beloved first graders, who serenaded her again with the “Happy Birthday to You” song.
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