November Newsletter 2019
Chestatee Elementary School
A Letter From Dr. Tennies, Our Principal
Welcome November!
Happy Family Engagement Month!
Who knew family engagement in school can happen in multiple ways? It used to be parent involvement only happened at school. Many people want to be involved in their child’s education, but barriers can stand in the way of participating. Timing of activities, work commitments, transportation, and more can create road blocks, but communities are exploring a variety of ways to come together for education. Video messaging and social media helps bring school to families where ever they are located. Being engaged in your school is as easy as logging into Facebook!
Another very important way to be engaged in school is with encouraging school work at home. For us it is reading with your child or setting a quiet environment for independent time with books. Reading outside of school strengthens “reading muscles” for our students. Families supporting the reading goals of Chestatee students are making school work a top priority. We appreciate when you tell your kids how important it is to be reading. Thank you for your engagement!
The easiest way to show engagement is to talk with your child at the end of the day about their time away from you at school. You don’t have to be at school to accomplish this one either, although I do like a good car conversation (So maybe this happens on the way home from carline, or when you are heading out to a ball practice.) One of my favorite questions is pretty open-ended, “What was the best part of your day?” Another good one, “If you could change one thing about today, what would it be?” Talking shows support for learning, and lets kids know how much you value their day at school.
Thank you for your partnership. We look forward to seeing you “@ the T” this month!
Kindly,
Dr. Polly Tennies
Principal
Amazing things Happen at the T!
TOP DREAMBOX USERS!
Congrats to these top Dreambox Users for each grade level. They were recognized on the news and received an award and a Speed Cube from Dr. Tennies! Impressive math skills!
Red Ribbon Week
Kindergarten Farm Day
1st Grade Wizard of Oz
Happy 50th Day
Door or Treat FUN!
What's New at the T?
New Playground Equipment!
VOLUNTEER CORNER
Highlighted Volunteer Group for the Month
OUR SCHOOL STORE!
Students get to shop twice a month in the mornings, but volunteers often come with small groups of kids from their children’s classrooms throughout the day.
If you would like to make a child’s day by helping him or her to shop, contact Amanda Pruitt at apruitt@forsyth.k12.ga.us for early morning help or your child’s teacher to help that class on various days.
Teacher/Staff Member of the Month Nominations
Do you want to recognize and celebrate the exemplary teaching and contributions by Chestatee Elementary teachers and staff? Click here to write a nomination.
Congratulations to our November Staff Member of the Month-Rhonda McWhorter
We are proud to announce our October Teacher of the Month- Rhonda McWhorter!
Last year Mrs. McWhorter was a fifth-grade teacher. This year, she splits her time between resource and the gifted program. She has a passion for making sure she meets students at their level. Parents, students, and co-workers all say that she is extremely supportive and encouraging and that she makes learning fun. She is a team player and is always willing to help others in any way that she can. We love Rhonda’s flexibility this year at Chestatee, and she is admired and appreciated.
This is Rhonda McWhorter's 16th year teaching and her 4th year at Chestatee Elementary. Mrs. McWhorter received her Master's degree in Middle School Education from University of North Georgia, and she received her Specialist Degree in Curriculum and Instruction from Piedmont College. She has enjoyed three amazing years at Chestatee teaching 5th grade math and science. This year, Mrs. McWhorter is excited to challenge students by incorporating real-world problem-solving into all academic areas.
Outside of school, Rhonda is a wife and mother. She also has a passion for caring for animals. Rhonda has a dog named Caesar, chickens, and goats! An interesting fact about Mrs. McWhorter is that she spent 7 years as an industrial engineer before starting her career as a teacher.
We are Connected
Free and Reduced Lunch
Would your family benefit from Free or Reduced Lunch? It takes 10 minutes to apply!
There are 2 ways to see if you qualify:
1. Fill out a paper application, and return it to the school.
2. Apply online at this link: https;//frapps.horizonsolana.com/FORC01
If you would like help filling out an application, please contact Deb Mason or Meg Killingsworth. They will be happy to assist you!
Deb Mason
770-887-2341 ext. 722131
Meg Killingsworth
770-887-2341 ext. 722302
What's Coming up at the T?
Save the Date!
All of November is Family Engagement Month- We will be celebrating families all month. We would love if you would add pictures of how you support your child’s learning. We love hearing from you! https://padlet.com/lbruce12/wezworuw4zts
November 21
Come have coffee with Dr. Tennies, Meg, and other parents and grandparents in the Family Resource Room (122) right inside the cafeteria.
November 22
Our Communi-T-y is the BEST!
Our PTO is a GREAT Way to Get Involved!
Our PTO board members raise money to help teachers and our school.
You can support our PTO in 3 different ways.
1. Look for sign-ups throughout the year to help at events.
2. Become a member by joining PTO with your membership dues.
3. Support a school fundraiser!
A Few Words From our Family Engagement Coordinator
November is my favorite month of the year! I’m feeling so happy to see it finally here. November brings my #1 holiday, Thanksgiving! This special day reminds me of all the things I’m grateful for in my life and brings my closest people together to celebrate. The hustle and bustle of the holidays hasn’t quite started, and we are surrounded with delicious foods and good company.
The second reason I love November is because it is Family Engagement Month! This is the month that we get to celebrate our families and all they do to support student success in school. We will be sharing pictures and posts throughout the month to honor this engagement. To me, there’s no better school than Chestatee, and one of the main reasons is because we have the best families!
Some of our best ideas come from others, so this month we would love for you to share pictures of how you support your child’s education. We created a padlet if you are willing to post! It is super easy: https://padlet.com/lbruce12/wezworuw4zts
We will also be posting pictures on our Facebook Page throughout the month of family engagement within the school. If you aren’t on Facebook, no worries. You can see our posts here: https://www.facebook.com/ChestateeES/
Sometimes parents reach out to me because they can’t get to the school. Work or younger siblings keep them busy. I find myself explaining that folks don’t even have to step foot into our building to be engaged! Here are 5 easy ways to be involved right from home!
1. Read together. Listen to your child read and/ or read stories to him/ her at bedtime. My fifth grader is past that, so when we can, I curl up next to her and read my own book while she reads hers.
2. Ask. Ask how your child’s day was. If you get a “I don’t know” or “We did nothing,” get more specific. Try, “Tell me one thing you did today that you liked.”
3. Stay in touch. I must brag about our teachers’ communication skills. Emails, newsletters, Remind 101, notes…. It’s amazing to see all the ways our teachers work to keep families informed. Using those tools helps keep you in the loop. Don’t hesitate to ask or write back with questions or comments.
4. Help with work. I’ll have to admit that I’m having a difficult time helping my fifth grader this year. The content gets hard! But I ask if she needs me to quiz her with the study guide or if she needs help with anything. Even if I don’t know the answer, I can usually google or reach out to someone who knows. She loves when she must teach me something!
Bonus Way!!
5. Come for lunch. Your child loves when you visit. I see kids light up when a family member comes to the school. Lunch is a great opportunity to show you off and have some fun time during the school day together.
So happy Family Engagement Month, Families! Thank you for all you do to support your students. You make my job a joy, and I am so grateful for all of you!
Kindly,
Meg
Family Resource Room (122- right inside the cafeteria)
770-887-2341 ext 722122
Don't Forget....
Box Tops/ Soup Labels
The procedure will be changing in the near future (we will keep you posted!)
For now, keep filling out your Box Top Sheets and turn them in to Ms. Donna in the front office.
Kroger and Publix will donate money too...
Publix Partners with Chestatee also. You only need to put your phone number in as you checkout. Publix will donate a certain percentage of their profits to Chestatee from your purchase!
We love our Partners in Education!
Chestatee Elementary School
Email: chestateees@gmail.com
Website: http://www.forsyth.k12.ga.us/site/default.aspx?domainid=260
Location: 6945 Keith Bridge Road, Gainesville, GA, United States
Phone: 770-887-2341
Facebook: facebook.com/ChestateeES
Twitter: @chestateees