Woodstock Elementary Awarded For Customer Service

Walk into a school and customer service is most likely the last thing on a parent's mind. 

However, it's something Woodstock Elementary School excels at and the school has been recognized for their family-friendly atmosphere. 

The school was named a 2013 winner of the Georgia Department of Education’s Family-Friendly Partnership School Award. 

Only four schools statewide were bestowed the honor, which recognizes the Title I schools – the schools with higher levels of students from low-income families – that maintain the best customer service statewide.

"In the Cherokee County School District, fostering positive and productive relationships with parents, volunteers, business partners and other supporters has been a Major System Priority for 15 years, and this honor recognizes how our organization lives up to that mission," Cherokee County Superintendent of Schools Dr. Frank R. Petruzielo said.  "Woodstock Elementary School, as a Title I school, is not without challenges, but its staff consistently rises above obstacles to create an environment of academic achievement and of family."

Schools were selected based on factors such as student and parent engagement, staff friendliness, community partnerships, easy-to-use websites, clear signage and comfortable waiting areas.  

As part of the selection process, Georgia DOE staff members visited finalist schools and conducted interviews with students, parents, staff and community members. Those staffers also called the school as “parents” to anonymously gauge customer service.

"The schools that won this award understand the importance of what welcoming environments bring to student success,"  said State School Superintendent Dr. John Barge. "Truly, they are models for the entire state on how to engage families and make parents feel welcome from the moment that they walk in the door."

Barge will visit Woodstock Elementary in the fall to present Principal Dr. Christy Bowling and her staff with a plaque and a special welcome mat. 

Teams from the winning schools also will be invited to attend a Succeed Through Service professional learning seminar hosted by The Ritz-Carlton Leadership Center.

The awards are sponsored by state Department of Education, Georgia Foundation for Public Education and The Ritz-Carlton hotels in Atlanta, Buckhead and Reynolds Plantation.

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