We Are Trojan Youth Lacrosse!

Sports A Rama East Cobb - Sport Specific Instruction

East Cobb Baseball

East Marietta Basketball

Top Dog Sports

Cobb County Parks, Recreation, Cultural Affairs Department

McCleskey-East Cobb Family YMCA

East Cobb Stables

East Cobb Swim & Tennis

Mountain View Aquatic Center

Rhythm Dance Center

Modern Gymnastics

Upward Sports

East Cobb Vikings Football & Cheerleading

USTBA East Spring Nationals

Youth Sports In East Cobb is a post from: Your East Cobb Realtor®

©2010 Your East Cobb Realtor®. All Rights Reserved.

if you like to dance, eat dessert and hang out with your daughter(s) then now is the time to register for the Alpharetta Recreation and Parks Department Father/Daughter Valentine’s Day Dance! This year’s annual event will be held on Friday, February 12, 2009, from 7pm-9pm at the Alpharetta Community Center, 175 Roswell Street, Alpharetta, GA 30009. You must pre-register for this event as space is limited and will fill up! Registration must be done at the Alpharetta Community Center. Cost is $20 per person or $40 per couple (dad & daughter) for City of Alpharetta Residents and $30 per person or $60 per couple (dad & daughter) for all Non-Residents. For further information please contact 678-297-6100 or e-mail accprograms@alpharetta.ga.us.

Call or Email me today for all of your Real Estate needs! Jodi Smith, East Cobb Realtor with Keller Williams Realty Consultants.  Helping you find Homes in East Cobb, Homes in Marietta, Homes in Roswell and Homes in Alpharetta.  CELL:  678-763-6025 or EMAIL: jodismith@kw.com

Alpharetta Father/Daughter Valentine’s Day Dance is a post from: Your East Cobb Realtor®

©2010 Your East Cobb Realtor®. All Rights Reserved.

Faith plays a central role in the lives of many families. Often one of the top priorities for a family that is relocating to a new area is finding a new ‘Church Family’ that is right for them. Your East Cobb Realtor® understands this and has put together a handy list of many of the churches in East Cobb. Each of the churches listed are linked to their website. If you are relocating to East Cobb why not try out one of these compassionate and welcoming churches. If you don’t see a house of worship listed below that fits your family’s spiritual needs please don’t hesitate to contact me. I will be happy to supply other options.

Mt. Bethel United Methodist Church http://www.mtbethel.org/

East Cobb Presbyterian Church http://www.ecpca.org/

East Cobb United Methodist Church http://eastcobbumc.org/

East Cobb Church of Christ http://www.eastcobbcoc.org/drupal/

East Cobb Baptist Church http://www.merchantcircle.com/business/East.Cobb.Baptist.Church.770-928-2233

CrossBridge Church http://www.crossbridgechurch.cc/

The Episcopal Church of St. Peter and St. Paul http://www.peterandpaul.org/

Crossview Baptist Church http://www.crossviewbaptist.org/

First Baptist Church Roswell http://aroundtowncommunity.com/eastcobb/2008/12/first-baptist-church-roswell

Johnson Ferry Baptist Church http://www.johnsonferry.org/

For more churches in the East Cobb/Marietta Area: http://www.churchangel.com/WEBGA/marietta.htm

Churches in East Cobb is a post from: Your East Cobb Realtor®

©2010 Your East Cobb Realtor®. All Rights Reserved.

The Cobb County Board of Education approved a balanced calendar for the 2010-2011, 2011-2012 and 2012-2013 school years during its Nov. 11, 2009 meeting. Each school year will begin the first week of August and end the Friday prior to Memorial Day in May. The 180-day balanced calendar includes one-week mid-term breaks for students and teachers in September and February and a full week of Thanksgiving holidays. The first semester of each school year will conclude before the winter holidays in December.

In September 2009, the Board requested that Superintendent Fred Sanderson develop different calendar options for the Board to review. Four options were presented during the October 14 work session with varying start dates and breaks. These options were posted for review on the District Web site and all school Web sites, along with contact information for the seven Board members. The District used its automated calling system to notify 63,000 student households of the calendar options, and also included calendar information in its regular Board of Education e-mail newsletter, which reaches more than 24,000 community members. More than 8,400 Cobb County teachers and employees responded to a District survey asking which survey option they preferred. More than 50 percent voted in favor of the balanced calendar option.

The Cobb County School District will monitor the impact of a balanced calendar on key operational areas, including student achievement, attendance, and discipline, as well as teacher morale and retention. Evidence and data from some districts that have adopted balanced calendars appear to support at least some correlation between the calendar change and improvements in these areas. The District also will track potential impacts on maintenance and utility costs.

Conference weeks and any early release days for the approved calendars will be determined at a later date.

2010-2011 School Year Calendars

• 2010-11 School Year at a Glance Calendar

2011-2012 School Year Calendars

• 2011-12 School Year at a Glance Calendar

2012-2013 School Year Calendars

2012-13 School Year at a Glance Calendar

Cobb Co. School Board Approves 3 Year Balanced Calendar is a post from: Your East Cobb Realtor®

©2010 Your East Cobb Realtor®. All Rights Reserved.

ROUNDABOUTS IN ROSWELL

The City of Roswell is preparing to begin construction on the City’s first roundabout at the intersection of Grimes Bridge Road and Norcross Street/Warsaw Road.  The five-leg roundabout will allow the removal of the traffic signal and allow traffic to move freely through the intersection.

Roswell DOT has prepared material to inform you about how roundabouts work and how to travel through them.  There is strong evidence from across the United States and in Georgia that confirms roundabouts:

• reduce accidents and injury crashes
• provide increased pedestrian and bicycle safety
• reduce vehicle speeds
• reduced vehicle delay and fuel consumption
• improve air quality by reduced vehicle idling
• reduce electricity usage (by removing existing traffic signal) therefore less cost to the city
• reduce road noise
• provide a sustainable, aesthetically pleasing improvement

In terms of the Grimes Bridge/Warsaw/Norcross roundabout project, it is important to note that:

• Modern roundabouts are safer than a traditional intersection with a traffic signal
• No houses will be taken or demolished as a result of this project
• No significant specimen trees will be removed or harmed due to this intersection improvement project
• The construction of this project requires no road closures
• The construction cost is estimated to be $950,000

Additional information is available in the Roundabout FAQs including City responses to misinformation being distributed in the community

Read a two-page Fact Sheet about the Grimes Bridge/Warsaw/Norcross roundabout project

Review the conceptual drawing of the Grimes Bridge/Warsaw/Norcross roundabout.

Review a two-page brochure discussing the navigation of a roundabout and the safety benefits of roundabout installation.

Watch a video produced by the Insurance Institute of Highway Safety.

Several web pages specifically discussing roundabouts are listed below:

Insurance Institute of Highway Safety (IIHS)
Maryland Department of Transportation (MDOT)
Georgia Department of Transportation (GDOT)
Arizona Department of Transportation (AzDOT)
University of Minnesota Center for Transportation Studies

If you have questions or need additional information, contact the Roswell DOT.

Call or Email me today for all of your Real Estate needs! Jodi Smith, East Cobb Realtor with Keller Williams Realty Consultants.  Helping you find Homes in East Cobb, Homes in Marietta, Homes in Roswell and Homes in Alpharetta.  CELL:  678-763-6025 or EMAIL: jodismith@kw.com

Roundabouts in Roswell is a post from: Your East Cobb Realtor®

©2010 Your East Cobb Realtor®. All Rights Reserved.

Your Roswell Realtor is Proud to Share this Important Information with YOU!

Presbyterian Church, 755 Mimosa Blvd, Roswell GA, in their gorgeous 1,000 seat sanctuary. Concert begins at 7:30, and seating begins at 7:00. 100% of ticket proceeds benefit four different programs that focus on disadvantaged children, one in our city, one in our state, one national, and one international !!! Tickets are $10, and can be purchased in advance (770-993-6316) or at the door. The perfect music to get you in the Christmas spirit !!!

Click here to view the embedded video.

Call or Email me today for all of your Real Estate needs! Jodi Smith, East Cobb Realtor with Keller Williams Realty Consultants.  Helping you find Homes in East Cobb, Homes in Marietta, Homes in Roswell and Homes in Alpharetta.  CELL:  678-763-6025 or EMAIL: jodismith@kw.com

ROSWELL CHRISTMAS CONCERT Benefiting Children Around The World is a post from: Your East Cobb Realtor®

©2010 Your East Cobb Realtor®. All Rights Reserved.

Improving your FICO® credit score

It’s important to note that raising your FICO credit score is a bit like losing weight: It takes time and there is no quick fix. In fact, quick-fix efforts can backfire. The best advice is to manage credit responsibly over time. See how much money you can save by just following these tips and raising your credit score.

Payment History Tips

• Pay your bills on time.
  Delinquent payments and collections can have a major negative impact on your FICO score.
• If you have missed payments, get current and stay current.
  The longer you pay your bills on time, the better your credit score.
• Be aware that paying off a collection account will not remove it from your credit report.
  It will stay on your report for seven years.
• If you are having trouble making ends meet, contact your creditors or see a legitimate credit counselor.
  This won’t improve your credit score immediately, but if you can begin to manage your credit and pay on time, your score will get better over time.

Amounts Owed Tips

• Keep balances low on credit cards and other “revolving credit”.
  High outstanding debt can affect a credit score.
• Pay off debt rather than moving it around.
  The most effective way to improve your credit score in this area is by paying down your revolving credit. In fact, owing the same amount but having fewer open accounts may lower your score.
• Don’t close unused credit cards as a short-term strategy to raise your score.
• Don’t open a number of new credit cards that you don’t need, just to increase your available credit.
  This approach could backfire and actually lower your credit score.

Length of Credit History Tips

• If you have been managing credit for a short time, don’t open a lot of new accounts too rapidly.
  New accounts will lower your average account age, which will have a larger effect on your score if you don’t have a lot of other credit information. Also, rapid account buildup can look risky if you are a new credit user.

New Credit Tips

• Do your rate shopping for a given loan within a focused period of time.
  FICO scores distinguish between a search for a single loan and a search for many new credit lines, in part by the length of time over which inquiries occur.
• Re-establish your credit history if you have had problems.
  Opening new accounts responsibly and paying them off on time will raise your credit score in the long term.
• Note that it’s OK to request and check your own credit report.
  This won’t affect your score, as long as you order your credit report directly from the credit reporting agency or through an organization authorized to provide credit reports to consumers.

Types of Credit Use Tips

• Apply for and open new credit accounts only as needed.
  Don’t open accounts just to have a better credit mix – it probably won’t raise your credit score.
• Have credit cards – but manage them responsibly.
  In general, having credit cards and installment loans (and paying timely payments) will raise your credit score. Someone with no credit cards, for example, tends to be higher risk than someone who has managed credit cards responsibly.
• Note that closing an account doesn’t make it go away.
  A closed account will still show up on your credit report, and may be considered by the score.

Provided by Bank of America Senior Home Loan Consultants:

Kathy Vitali and Bragg Boyd

Call or Email me today for all of your Real Estate needs! Jodi Smith, East Cobb Realtor with Keller Williams Realty Consultants.  Helping you find Homes in East Cobb, Homes in Marietta, Homes in Roswell and Homes in Alpharetta.  CELL:  678-763-6025 or EMAIL: jodismith@kw.com

Improving Your FICO® Credit Score is a post from: Your East Cobb Realtor®

©2010 Your East Cobb Realtor®. All Rights Reserved.

Ninety-four percent of Cobb County 11th graders met or exceeded standards on the 2009 Georgia High School Writing Test. Cobb students’ average scale score of 224 remains higher than average scale scores for metropolitan Atlanta and Georgia. The scale used to measure achievement ranges from 100 to 350, with a score of 200 as “meets expectations,” and 250 as “exceeds expectations.” Administered in September to 7,496 students, the writing test requires students to write a persuasive paper on an assigned topic in a limited time window. The assessment is the part of the Georgia High School Graduation Test, a requirement for all students pursuing a high school diploma.

Cobb’s population of Students with Disabilities (SWD) and English Language Learners (ELL) also performed well on the writing test. The percentage of Cobb’s Students with Disabilities meeting or exceeding expectations was 75 percent, compared to just 62 percent of their peers statewide (see Table III). Sixty-nine percent of ELL students tested in the district met or exceeded expectations, compared to sixty-six percent across the state.

Individual schools across the district fared well on the writing test. At 13 of the district’s 17 high schools, 90 percent or more of the students met or exceeded expectations. Seven schools – Allatoona, Harrison, Hillgrove, Kell, Lassiter, Pope and Walton - led all others with 95 percent or more of students scoring at or above expectations, with Lassiter and Pope students topping the district at 98 percent meeting or exceeding expectations.

The Georgia Performance Standards (GPS) domains, or broad themes, covered by the writing test include Ideas, Organization, Style, and Convention. The Ideas domain measures the degree to which the writer establishes a controlling idea and elaborates the main points with examples, illustrations, facts or details. In the Organization domain, students are assessed on their ability to arrange ideas in a clear order consistent with the persuasive genre. Style points are awarded based on the writer’s ability to control language and engage the reader. The Conventions domain measures the degree to which the writer demonstrates control of sentence formation, usage, and mechanics. Test scores are ranked on a scale of 1 to 5, where 1 is the lowest and 5 is the highest. In each domain, Cobb 11th graders scored higher than their peers across the state. Three of the high schools across the district had domain scores that were consistently higher than averages for both the district, metro area and state.

Superintendent Fred Sanderson said, “Writing is an essential skill for high school and beyond. We are pleased that these scores reflect the competitive ability of our students, especially for our special populations.”

In March 2010, Cobb 11th graders will be assessed on the language arts, mathematics, social studies, and science portions of the Georgia High School Graduation Test (GHSGT).

For more information, click here.

Call or Email me today for all of your Real Estate needs! Jodi Smith, East Cobb Realtor with Keller Williams Realty Consultants.  Helping you find Homes in East Cobb, Homes in Marietta, Homes in Roswell and Homes in Alpharetta.  CELL:  678-763-6025 or EMAIL: jodismith@kw.com

Georgia High School Writing Test Scores Show COBB STUDENTS TOP State, Metro Schools is a post from: Your East Cobb Realtor®

©2010 Your East Cobb Realtor®. All Rights Reserved.

Cookie Walk in Downtown Alpharetta Historic District

Saturday, December 5, 2009 12:00 PM

Start your holiday blessings by shopping and visiting the Alpharetta Historic District.  The Downtown Alpharetta Trade Association is hosting a Cookie Walk on December 5th from 12:00-6:00.  Each store will have wonderful cookies.  A $100.00 dollar gift certificate will be rewarded to a lucky guest!

For directions use the centralized downtown address: 1 South Main Street, Alpharetta, GA 30009.  If you need further information call 770-365-0840.

Call or Email me today for all of your Real Estate needs! Jodi Smith, East Cobb Realtor with Keller Williams Realty Consultants.  Helping you find Homes in East Cobb, Homes in Marietta, Homes in Roswell and Homes in Alpharetta.  CELL:  678-763-6025 or EMAIL: jodismith@kw.com

Downtown Cookie Walk in Alpharetta, GeorgiaDown is a post from: Your East Cobb Realtor®

©2010 Your East Cobb Realtor®. All Rights Reserved.

Alpharetta Honors the Tradition of the Tree Lighting

Released on: Thursday, November 12, 2009 4:00 PM

Alpharetta Downtown Historic District will light up at the 32nd Annual Christmas Tree Lighting at 5 pm on Sunday, December 6, 2009. The celebration will take place in the Milton Square City Park at Milton Avenue and Main Street.

Creating special memories for area families for over 30 years, the celebration began in 1977 with about 100 people gathered around a 6-foot live blue spruce tree. Alpharetta’s annual holiday event has grown to approximately 3,000 people celebrating the lighting of the 45-foot tree.

“The Christmas Tree Lighting has brought the Alpharetta community together for years,” said Mayor Arthur Letchas. “It is a perfect time to enjoy the simple traditions of holiday season.” The children’s classic book, ’Twas the Night Before Christmas, will be read on the main stage by Mayor Letchas and his wife Sally.

An entertainment program will feature live music and caroling with James Casto. Plus enjoy holiday performances by City of Alpharetta Recreation and Parks Department Rhythm n’ Shoes Dance Program, and Alpharetta Christian Academy Children’s Chorus.

Alpharetta’s Christmas tree will come aglow with 10,000 twinkling lights at approximately 5:40 pm, just before the arrival of Santa and Mrs. Claus on a City of Alpharetta fire truck, which has been a local tradition since the first event thirty-two years ago. The Christmas Tree Lighting will offer the opportunity for children to talk with Santa and Mrs. Claus in the park gazebo. A North Fulton Jaycee’s volunteer will be on hand to help take FREE online photos, or parents may bring their cameras to take photos.

On Milton Square City Park, entertainment will consist of strolling elves creating FREE balloon sculptures, bubbles, glow necklaces and holiday crafts provided by City of Alpharetta; and FREE face painting provided by Milton High School’s Interact Club. Dancing candy canes, marching soldiers, and the beautiful ballerina Clara from the Metropolitan Ballet Theatre’s Nutcracker will also entertain guests. Beware of the evil mice as they may make an appearance!

Black Magic Carriage horse drawn trolley rides are FREE and will take you to the 1935 Future Farmers of America Log Cabin where you will be greeted by the Alpharetta Historical Society volunteers available to give a tour of the historic site. The shops and restaurants of Historic Downtown Alpharetta will also feature holiday activities so make sure to visit the local businesses.

Starbucks will warm the evening with complimentary hot chocolate and coffee drinks. Smokejack, A Southern Grill will be available for dinner fare. Philly Pretzel Factory will be providing assorted savory and sweet pretzel creations with fifty percent of the proceeds from the evening donated to Toys for Tots!

The 32nd Annual Christmas Tree Lighting is free to the public. Free parking is available at City Hall and Milton Center (the old Milton High School). The event owes its success, in part, to the generous volunteerism of the Dr. James J. Awbrey IV, D.M.D and Staff, Milton High School Interact Club, Milton High School Key Club, North Fulton Jaycees, and Hopewell Middle School Jr. Beta Club. For more information, visit www.alpharetta.ga.us or phone 678-297-6078.

Call or Email me today for all of your Real Estate needs! Jodi Smith, East Cobb Realtor with Keller Williams Realty Consultants.  Helping you find Homes in East Cobb, Homes in Marietta, Homes in Roswell and Homes in Alpharetta.  CELL:  678-763-6025 or EMAIL: jodismith@kw.com

Christmas Tree Lighting in Alpharetta, Georgia is a post from: Your East Cobb Realtor®

©2010 Your East Cobb Realtor®. All Rights Reserved.