Abbotts Hill Hilltop Happenings
September 25, 2017
Abbotts Hill Elementary
Upcoming Events and Important Dates
9/5-9/29 Fall Box Tops Collection - Send in your Box Tops!
9/18-9/29 IOWA Assessments for 3rd and 5th Graders
9/29 - Reflections Entries Deadline
10/4 - SMILE! It's Picture Day
10/6 - Teacher Work Day (students off)
10/9 - Columbus Day (schools closed)
10/10 - Full Release Day (students off)
10/13 - Reflections Showcase 7:00 am
10/16 - Jaguar Fun Run Pep Rally
10/17 - Hearing and Vision Screening for Grades 1, 3 and 5 (rescheduled from 9/12)
10/16 - Jaguar Fun Run Event
10/31 - AHE PTA Members Meeting 8am
A Message from Dr. Stabler
Dear Parents,
The first semester is rapidly passing. Our students are off to an amazing start. I wanted to take the opportunity to remind parents about upcoming events and provide updated information on the School Governance Council.
The School Governance Council is beginning the process of reviewing the school strategic plan and will be revising the plan to align with the new Fulton County Strategic Plan that was recently adopted. More information about the school strategic plan will be available in the coming months.
This semester, our Enrichment Clusters will be held on Thursday mornings from 7:50 am through 8:50 am. The clusters will begin in October and will run through mid-December. Please check Ms. Parrish’s Curriculum Corner for additional cluster information. Please note, we will not have Enrichment Clusters the week of October 23 so that students may participate in the Boosterthon Fun Run on Thursday, October 26. The Fun Run is being hosted again this year by our Abbotts Hill PTA. I would like to thank Christine Parks, Fun Run Chair and our entire PTA Executive Board for organizing this event again this school year.
Until next time,
Dr. Stabler
Principal
A Message From Ms. Chan
Beginning the week of October 2nd, our 3rd, 4th, and 5th graders will be participating in WriteScore Reading and Writing in their classrooms. Write Score is a vendor that provides hand-scored reading and writing assessments that are formatted and aligned to Georgia Milestones and the ELAGSE standards. Write Score offers data analysis and reporting, as well as lesson plans, professional development, and resources for teachers to use throughout the year to help improve students' writing. This provides our students the opportunity to read and type on the computers and to gauge their proficiency on standards.
IOWA Assessments for 3rd and 5th Graders
IOWA Assessments for 3rd and 5th Graders
The final two days of Iowa Assessments™ for 3rd and 5th grader students are Tuesday, 9/26/2017 and Wednesday 9/27/2017.
Please mark your calendars so students arrive each day, on time ready for the assessment.
Reminder that Parent Volunteers are not allowed in the building prior to 11:00 am on testing days. You may still join your child for lunch in the cafeteria.
TAG Tidbits
- TAG Testing Results will be mailed home when all scores are recorded.
- We are waiting to take the IOWA assessment.
- The TTCT (Creativity Assessment) was mailed out to be scored and has not been sent back as of this date.
- We expect to mail the results home the week of October 23, 2017.
Thank you for your support!
PTA News
PTA Membership Popcorn Party Winners Announced!
Thank you to all of those who have joined the Abbotts Hill Elementary PTA so far this year! Mr. Calvert’s 1st grade and Mrs. Drumm’s 5th grade class have tied with 67% of the class having joined. Congratulations to Mr. Calvert and Mrs. Drumm's classes! There's still time this year to become a PTA member and support our school. Remember, the $60 and $80 levels include yearbooks! PTA Membership forms are located at the PTA desk in the lobby at school or join PTA online.
Get Involved: Research has shown that events and activities designed to engage families in supporting children’s learning lead to improved student achievement. Abbotts Hill PTA strongly urges parents to volunteer. Visit Abbotts Hill Volunteers to find volunteer opportunities and sign up!
Send in your Box Tops! This is a fun and easy way to support AHE! Box Tops can be found on many everyday household and food products such as Cheerios, Kleenex, Ziploc, Yoplait and over 300 other products. Click here for a complete list. Students can turn Box Tops in to their teachers all month, the class with the most on September 29 will get a treat. Questions? Contact Wendy Christerson: wchristerson@gmail.com.
The Fun Run is Coming on 10/26: This year’s main fundraiser is the Jaguar Fun Run! It’s a 9-day program that kicks off with a Pep Rally on October 16. Families will then gather pledges for every lap your student runs (30-35 laps), and we’ll celebrate at the Fun Run on October 26. Our goal is to raise $24,000 for personalized learning devices like iPads for your students. Students will also experience an amazing character theme, CASTLE QUEST! It’s an English castle theme where students will learn the “SIX VIRTUES of a TRUE HERO” from a cast of colorful characters. Families are invited to come out and cheer on your student at the Fun Run on October 26! Thank you for your support!
AHE Spirit Wear: Last week to order your spirit wear! You can still order girls, boys and adult sizes. Download the Spirit Wear Order Form and return the form with the payment no later than Friday, September 29. Questions? Contact Valli Balamurugan: vallibalamurugan@gmail.com
The PTA Reflections Program Theme: Within Reach
Students may submit works in any of six arts areas: Dance Choreography, Film Production, Literature, Musical Composition, Photography and Visual Arts. Student Entry Form and Official Rules can be found at the PTA desk in the school front office or can be downloaded. The deadline for entries is September 29. Reflections Showcase Reception and Awards Ceremony for student entrants and parents will be held on October 13 at 7am in the Media Center.
PTA Members Meeting 10/31 at 8am
Parents please join us for a quick PTA Members Meeting right before the 1st grade storybook parade on October 31st. We’ll share PTA news, details on upcoming events and get your approval on the budget.
PTA BUDGET NEWS: The AHE PTA proposed budget for the 2017-2018 school year is available for review. Click Here to view the proposed budget. This budget is subject to general approval at a PTA Members Meeting (October 31 at 8am). Contact PTA Treasurer, Caryn Young at caryn.young@gmail.com with any questions regarding the budget.
Curriculum Corner by Mrs. Parrish
Clinic News - What is a Concussion?
A concussion is an injury to the brain. It can be caused by a blow or bump to or around the head. This causes the brain to move inside the skull which can change how the brain works or processes information.
Every head injury or bump here at Abbotts Hill is sent to the school clinic for basic evaluation and monitoring. Almost all incidents here at school are not concussions, but caution is still taken. Each student will be sent home with a clinic slip to inform the parent of the clinic visit and parents will be contacted for significant head bumps or concerns.
It is important to remember anyone who suffers from even a mild head injury should be monitored for the next 24 hours.
Please follow this link for more specific symptoms of a concussion and when to contact a medical professional. https://www.choa.org/medical-services/concussion
PE News
Currently, students in grades 2-5 are learning and practicing, chasing, fleeing, and dodging activities. Students in grades K and 1 are practicing locomotor and nonlocomotor movements in a game situation. Students in grades 4 and 5 have already completed the pre assessment pacer test for Fitnessgram (FG) and will continue with the other parts of the FG assessment in October. They are push-ups, curl ups, and sit and reach. All students should be practicing these skills at home to improve their fitness and to prepare for the assessment. If you would like more information regarding the FG assessment please go to: www.FITNESSGRAM.net/faparents. All 4th and 5th grade students will receive a FG report with their scores at the end of the school year.
We will be implementing the use of Seesaw in PE this year, as a means of communication. You may receive a notification various times throughout the year regarding something your child has done in PE. It may include a skill they may need to work on, a group routine, or something they did an awesome job on.
Reminder, students need to wear sneakers and comfortable clothing on their PE days to participate safely and be able to enjoy the activities.
Lisa Johnston
Physical Education Teacher
Abbotts Hill Elementary
Learning Commons News
Fulton County has migrated MackinVia access to Launchpad, so to logon at home, please do one of the following:
Go to launchpad.fultonschools.org and then click on MackinVia and login using your child's student ID number and birthdate password (2 digit month, 2 digit date, and 4 digit year)
OR
go to abbottshillmc.weebly.com and click on "Catalog and Electronic Resources, and E-Books" and then click on the Launchpad hyperlink under MackinVia and login using your child's student ID number and birthdate password (2 digit month, 2 digit date, and 4 digit year)
We are no longer able to access MackinVia directly through mackinvia.com or through the MackinVia app.
Wednesday, September 27th is National Milk Day
Wednesday September 27th is National Milk Day and we will be serving Breakfast for lunch. Menu is:
Chicken Biscuit
Strawberry & Blueberry Parfait with cinnamon Toast crunch pack
Yogurt Pack
Tator Tots
News From Ms. Demons, School Counselor
Abbotts Hill Elementary would like to Recognize and Honor our Veterans.
Student Council Help for Houston $1 Dollar Donation Drive
Help for Houston Dollar Donation Drive!
With the recent devastation in Texas due to Hurricane Harvey, Student Council wanted to find a way to help. Our former Fulton County Deputy Superintendent, Dr. Scott Muri, leads Spring Branch Independent School District in Houston as the Superintendent. Many in his school district are suffering. Abbotts Hill will be collecting donations that will go directly to the SBI School District for aide and recovery. Please help us support families who have lost so much by bringing in single dollar bills. We could raise over $700 if each student just brought $1! Our “Dollar Donation Drive” ends on Friday, September 29th.
Mrs. Upchurch's class has brought in over $100!! The class who donates the most will win a special prize.
Bring your $1 to your teacher for collection.
Thank you from the AHE Student Council and on behalf of Dr. Muri and his schools.
Thank you for your help.
Abbotts Hill Student Council
English Coaches for English Conversation Class Needed
You need to:
- Be a Native English speaker
- Be Open-minded to other cultures
- Be able to spare about 2 hours once a Month (Wednesday from 10 to 12am)
- Complete volunteer registration
http://www.fultonschools.org/en/divisions/sup/comm/Pages/partnersvolunteers.aspx
Joy Kim
Bilingual Community Liaison (BCL)
Hearing and Vision Screening for 1st, 3rd and 5th Grade Rescheduled to October 17, 2017
The Fulton County School System recognizes the importance of hearing and vision to our children’s education. In an effort to identify children who may have a hearing or vision problem, the grades to be screened are as follows:
1st grade - Hearing
3rd grade - Hearing & Vision
5th grade - Vision
The screening in our school will take place on Tuesday, Otober 17, 2017. We are asking that you make a special effort to have your child attend school on this date. If your child wears glasses, we ask that you have your child bring his/her glasses to school on the screening date.