Mr. Daryl Holman, Coordinator
H.A.V.E.N. Academy
Coordinator's Message.pdf
Welcome to the H.A.V.E.N Academy,
It is my honor to be named the coordinator of Georgia Network for Educational and Therapeutic Support (GNETS) for the Douglas County School System. I have served in the education arena for nearly 20 years as a teacher, coach, and assistant principal. I am truly excited to start the next phase of my educational journey at GNETS by partnering with all the stakeholders: students, parents, guardians and staff. I can assure you that safety and a positive culture of learning are two of the priorities on the top of my list. I am excited to serve while wholeheartedly leading with high expectations for myself and every member of the GNETS family.
H.A.V.E.N. Academy is part of GNETS and is one of 24 departments statewide that supports students with identified disabilities from every school system in Georgia. GNETS provides comprehensive educational and therapeutic support services to students who exhibit intense social, emotional and/or behavioral challenges with a severity, frequency or duration such that the provision of education and related services in the general education environment has not enabled him or her to benefit educationally based on the IEP. (From the GDOE Georgia-Network-for-Special-Education-and-Supports)
H.A.V.E.N is the acronym for Hope, Achievement, Victory, Encouragement and Nobility and they are our beliefs. Our staff is dedicated to our beliefs and to providing behavioral support, therapeutic support and high-quality standards based educational services to our students. In addition, we will uphold the program theme for the 2022-2023 school year, “A Better Me”. We will have two primary areas of focus this school year: Positive Behavior Interventions and Supports (PBIS) and Restorative Practices for students. They are researched/evidence-based frameworks that will strengthen the GNETS family. The staff will reinforce positive behavior and restorative decision making all school year. We will model and teach socially appropriate behaviors all while providing and embedding opportunities for students to excel beyond the classroom.
I strongly support our mission and vision as they align with my personal beliefs as an educator to enhance and uplift others.
Mission: We will empower, motivate, and prepare students to become successful and productive citizens by:
• Providing therapeutic supports while maintaining high educational and behavioral standards
• Providing opportunities for continued collaborations among stakeholders to promote overall student growth and increased confidence
• Providing a safe environment that promotes respect and dignity
• Providing an environment where the well-being of all stakeholders is valued
Vision: To equip students with strategies and coping skills that will foster more self-awareness, better emotional management, effective conflict resolution methods and improve overall self-esteem.
“A Better Me”, our theme for the 2022-2023 school year will help guide all we do for our students:
• We all will continually self-reflect and take ownership in improving the social-emotional well-being of the GNETS family.
• We will create behavioral and academic goals for our students.
• We will work as a team to assist students to achieve these goals.
In all we do at H.A.V.E.N., our hope is to ultimately enhance student achievement, foster better citizenship, and build skills that improve each student’s overall way of life. At H. A. V. E. N., each student will be actively involved in the development of his or her own path to success. Again, I am grateful for the opportunity to serve.
Sincerely,
Daryl Holman, GNETS Coordinator