Sarah Smith Elementary School

 Sarah Smith GO Team Meetings are held throughout the year at the Intermediate Campus at 3:15 pm. Tentative dates for the 2020/2021 school year are as follows. All meeting are open for public comment except where noted. See the Go Team Overview page for details on making a public comment.  

Meeting Schedule

Katy Barnes is a community representative on the GOTeam, and she also serves as our Cluster Representative. She is a native Atlantan and has lived in the Sarah Smith district   for 15 years. She and her husband have three children; a son in 6th grade, a son in the 4th grade DLI Program, and a daughter in 1st. During her time as a Sarah Smith parent she has volunteered for many school wide and classroom events, served as a room parent for two years, and as the PTA Spirit Wear Committee Co-Chair. She spearheaded the establishment of the DLI Family Engagement Committee in 2018. She also serves as a student mentor at Woodson Park Academy in APS. Katy graduated from The University of Georgia. Her professional background includes working at the Savannah College of Art & Design- Atlanta as the Director of Events, Exhibitions and Community Outreach and as a Director with Stella & Dot. She is passionate about spending her time and energy working to make improvements that will benefit all of our students and giving SRS families a strong voice in the decisions made through the Go Team.  If you would like to email Katy Barnes, please click here.

Rebecca Blanchette is a GOTeam parent representative with two children in 2nd and 4th grades attending Sarah Smith. Rebecca has been involved in working toward the success of the school by serving on the PTA Board as Vice President of Operations and then as Co-President of the PTA, Advocacy and Enrichment. This year she is continuing her support of the PTO by serving on various school-wide committees. Rebecca grew up in Kennesaw, GA and attended the University of Georgia where she earned a B.A. in Geography. She followed her dreams and moved to New York upon graduation and worked for a fashion retailer in Human Resources. Rebecca and her family moved back to Atlanta in 2012. She is passionate about public school education and believes that Sarah Smith should be a top choice school for residents. Rebecca also serves as the Chairperson of the GOTeam.  If you would like to email Rebecca, please click here.

I am very fortunate to join this community as we build upon the strong tradition of Sarah Smith Elementary School.  Over the past 18 years, I have had the pleasure of working in different roles in a variety of schools, however my most important role has been as a champion of all learners.  Spending time getting to know students as individuals, sharing their achievements, and encouraging them when they need a boost, is the best part of my job.  I cannot wait for our students to return, filling both campuses with energy and enthusiasm for learning.  Additionally, I hold degrees from Kennesaw State University (Educational Specialist in Leadership), Georgia State University (Masters in Education) and Sweet Briar College (Bachelor of Arts in History and Government).  

My husband, Jim, and I met in college and moved to his hometown of Atlanta in 2003.  We live in Buckhead with our two children, Madeline, an 8th grader at The Atlanta Girls School, and Whitaker, a 7th grader at Sutton Middle School.  We consider ourselves lucky to be part of this vibrant city where there is always something new to discover, and spend our free time traveling within and outside of the city, as well as trying new restaurants.  When we decide to stay closer to home, we enjoy spending time with our pets: a dog, cat, and tortoise.  If you would like to email Emily Boatright, please click here.

Jane Bockel is a parent representative on the GOTeam, and she also serves as Secretary.  She and her husband have 2 daughters, one of whom is a current 4th grade DLI student at Sarah Smith.  Their older daughter is a graduate of Sarah Smith, and is now in 7th grade at Sutton Middle School.  During her time as a Sarah Smith parent, Jane has served as a Room Parent multiple times.  She has also served as Secretary of the PTO board, as well as Chair/Co-Chair of many different school-wide committees under the PTO.  Most recently, she served on the Foundation Board as Co-Chair of the Annual Fund and Co-Chair of our annual auction, Starstruck.  Jane has lived in Atlanta since 2001, and is a graduate of the Boston College Carroll School of Management.  Prior to becoming a stay at home mom and school volunteer, Jane worked for several executive search firms, as well as an in-house recruiter at The Coca-Cola Company.  If you would to email Jane, please click here.

Lane Guyer is a GOTeam staff representative.  If you would like to email Lane, please click here.

Samuel Jones is a GOTeam Staff representative who has proudly served the Sarah Smith community for eight years. During this time, he has served in a number of roles at Sarah Smith including serving on the Sarah Smith school leadership team, as well as staff liaison to the Sarah Smith PTA board. Samuel’s love for education as well as his extensive experience in the classroom have provided him a wealth of insight into the strength of school and community relationships, differentiated and rigorous approaches to instruction, as well as the importance of both staff and parent involvement in school decision making processes. Originally from Charlotte, North Carolina, Samuel holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Marketing and Business Management from Winston-Salem State University as well as a Bachelor of Arts in Elementary Education degree from Salem College, also located in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. He has taught both primary as well as intermediate grades in both Winston-Salem Forsyth County School as well as Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools prior to relocating to Atlanta to teach at Sarah Smith. Samuel is currently completing his Master of Education in Teaching and Learning at Clemson University and looks forward to continuing to support Sarah Smith Elementary as well as the Sarah Smith community in his new role.  If you would like to email Sam, please click here.

Ed Juline is a community representative on the GOTeam. A transplant to Atlanta since 2013 from many adventures, near and far, he brings a diverse knowledge of cultural differences between communities, cultures, and countries. He and his wife have two sons, a 7th grader at Atlanta International School, and a 2nd grader in the DLI program at Sarah Smith. His wife works as the parent liaison at Sarah Smith, providing services to the Hispanic community. His professional background includes work at large corporations and family owned companies.  If you would like to email Ed, please click here.

Annie May is a parent representative on the GOTeam.  If you would like to email Annie, please click here.

Bejay Osby is a GO Team Staff Representative and has been a teacher and community leader at Sarah Smith since 2009. He taught fourth grade for nine years and fifth grade math and science for two years. He now teaches K-2 Health and Physical Education at the Primary Campus. In his new role he also supports 2nd grade teachers and students in their math core curriculum and all grade levels in their Social Emotional Learning. In his tenure Bejay has served on the Leadership Team, lead numerous committees, and has served in a variety of clubs and on a variety of counsels. He has worked with hundreds of students, families, and community stakeholders. Bejay earned his teaching degrees from Georgia State University and is certified in Early Childhood Education (K-5), Health and Physical Education (K-12) and ESOL (K-12). As a GO Team member Bejay's role is to assist in developing a strategic plan and budget to increase student achievement and improve organizational effectiveness and efficiency at Sarah Smith Elementary. His vision is to work with school leadership, parents, and stakeholders to help determine the long-term direction of the school, design innovative solutions to identified problems, and serve as a school ambassador to the local community.  If you would like to email Bejay, please click here.

Jennifer Sand is the GOTeam swing seat representative and serves as our Vice Chair.  She has a 2nd grader attending Sarah Smith in the DLI program. Her educational experience includes earning a Bachelors degree in English Education from UGA, a Masters degree in Curriculum & Instruction from NC State, and working as a lead teacher in a public middle school in NYC before moving to Atlanta. These school experiences have helped her understand the importance of utilizing authentic evaluation to drive instruction as well as differentiating instruction to meet the needs of diverse learners. For the past two years at SRS, Jennifer has played a supportive role in helping to guide and grow the new DLI program, served as room parent and on various school-wide committees, and is an active supporter of the PTA and Foundation. She is passionate about helping to ensure the continued success of our school by promoting open communication, creating positive change, and advocating for the needs of all students and teachers. She looks forward to supporting and collaborating with parents, teachers, and administrators to ensure high quality instruction and raise student achievement. If you would like to email Jen, please click here.