The Parsons Happenings
February 11, 2021
In this edition...
Administrative Message
Lunar New Year information
Presidents' Day
Parent-Teacher Conferences/Early Release Information
Dual Language Immersion Parent Information Zoom Meetings
Child Lures Prevention Information
Parent Survey
Attendance Reminders and Updates
2021-2022 GCPS Calendar and Calendar Adjustments
Music in Our Schools Month
Spring Book Fair Information
Weekly Events
COVID Guidelines
Media Center Updates
PRYAA Youth Spring Baseball Registration
PTA News
Business Partners
Message from Your Proud Principal
The month of February is a busy month full of celebration. As we continue celebrating Black History Month, I can't wait to reveal the grade level winners of our Black History Door Contest. We have three judges coming to Parsons on Tuesday, February 16th, to determine the winners. The winning classrooms will receive a prize!
Don't forget we have Early Release this Wednesday and Thursday for parent-teacher conferences. Dismissal for in-person students will begin at 12:50pm. I love the fact that our district provides parents and teachers the time to conference and work together to ensure our students are successful. It is this partnership that makes the difference!
As we go into Valentine's Day weekend, I want you to know how much I love serving as principal in this wonderful community! Each and every day I get to come to school and work alongside the hardest working, most caring teachers and supportive parents. Our 757 students are the reason we do what we do each and every day. The work we do together fills my heart!
Have a great long weekend with your kiddos making wonderful memories.
Proud to be your Principal,
Mrs. Clark
Happy Lunar New Year!
Mrs. Jennifer Kim and Mr. David Yi dressed up for the Korean Lunar New Year!
Presidents' Day is on Monday, February 15, 2021
Dual Language Immersion Parent Meetings
Child Lures Prevention
RBES Parent Survey
Attendance Updates and Reminders
https://docs.google.com/document/d/17rrvfvlZb8jhD7vioGsN6E0KxEMOY3DclXCgez0CVU8/edit?usp=sharing
We've also had a few parents ask the following question about attendance, so we wanted to share with everyone just in case you had the same question...Why was my child, who is an in person student, marked absent from school even though they completed the work digitally on the day they stayed home? For students who are "in person" learners, their classroom teacher takes attendance based on if they are "in person" in the classroom. If the student is not present in the classroom, they will be marked as absent even if they complete the work from home digitally. Make up work is expected from all students when they miss a day.
We encourage all parents who have questions about their child's attendance to speak with the teacher at their upcoming conference.
District shares 2021-2022 Calendar and Calendar Adjustments for Spring 2021
Second semester calendar changes: all students will learn at home on digital learning days (January 26, March 2, March 16 and April 20). GCPS School Nutrition Program will provide lunches through curbside pick up on January 26, March 2, March 16, and April 20th from 11:15am to 12:30pm.
The new 2021-2022 calendar features an August 4th start, staggered return of students, and digital learning days throughout the year.
Music in Our Schools Month
During the month of March, schools across the nation celebrate "Music in Our Schools Month" (MIOSM) as an opportunity to bring awareness to school music programs. "The purpose of MIOSM is to raise awareness of the importance of music education for all children...MIOSM is an opportunity for music teachers to bring their music programs to the attention of the school and the community, and to display the benefits that school music brings to students of all ages." - from the National Association for Music Education.
Survey Link: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfr9Wl_X03vQFjvwZSx9f-nlTjfbeeYPbPDn4NDZncqzJMc1Q/viewform?usp=sf_link
Parsons Spring Book Fair
The Scholastic Book Fair is coming to Parsons Tuesday, February 16 - Monday, March 1! We have many shopping options for you including:
- Sidewalk Shopping in the Car Rider Lane on Wednesday, February 17th from 10AM - 6PM (except during Early Release dismissal) for all our parents, students, and digital learners.
- You can shop online from Scholastic and have the books delivered to your home
- You can shop using the flyer or Google Form and have books ready to pick up at our regular Curbside Checkout or delivered to your child's classroom
- Your child can shop in person if they are currently at school.
The following in-person classes will have the opportunity to shop at the Book Fair on the following days. Please either send in a check or load money using the Scholastic eWallet option if your child would like to purchase items from the Book Fair. Note: Any remaining funds on the Scholastic eWallet can be used at the Scholastic Online Store or at a future Scholastic Book Fair.
- Melts, Lawson, Arrington, Simpson, Isom-Jones, Yoo --- February 22 & March 1
- Bradley, Pipe, Lee (1st), Davis, Perkerson, Kuny, Down, Vengurlekar, Russell --- February 16 & 23
- Na, Rogers, Cummings, Cline, Kim (2nd) --- February 24
- Wren, Sheppard, Vickers --- February 18 & 25
- Cisic, Bonds, Bell --- February 25
- Kim (KK), Gambrell, Lee (5th), Austin, Turk, Piper, Miller, Monaco, Park --- February 19 & 26
Monday, 2/15/21
- Student Holiday ~ Presidents' Day
Tuesday, 2/16/21
- Book Fair Purchasing
- Shrove Tuesday (Mardi Gras)
Wednesday, 2/17/21
- Book Fair Purchasing
- Ash Wednesday (Lent begins)
- National PTA Founders Day
- 12:50 pm ~ Early Release
- 10:00 am - 6:00 pm ~ Book Fair late day purchasing curbside (Car Rider Area)
Thursday, 2/18/21
- Book Fair Purchasing
- 12:50 pm ~ Early Release
Friday, 2/19/21
- Book Fair Purchasing
- Crazy Hair/Hat Day
- Staff Goody Day Provided by our 2nd Grade Parents
Doing our part to stop the spread of Covid-19
Please use the COVID-19 Morning Checklist to help reduce the spread of Covid-19. Please continue to follow the guidelines each morning when sending your in person student to school. We have seen a slight increase of cases in Gwinnett and we want to make sure we are ALL doing our part.
Each school in our district has a trained Health Response Team (HRT). If a suspected case of Covid-19 is reported at our school, the team follows set guidelines and procedures. Please be assured that you will be contacted by an HRT member if your child has been identified as 'close contact' to someone in our school who has tested positive for COVID-19.
The most important thing we can do is continue to wear our masks, practice social distancing, and wash hands regularly. We are #STRONGERTOGETHER when we all do our part.
No Curbside Pick Up
Media Center Information
All students can still get library books during digital days using curbside checkout. When ANY student is digital, curbside checkout is available. Curbside is not available for in-person students when they are actually in the school building. The Media Center staff always wears gloves and a mask when they handle books and also quarantine books based on GCPS guidelines. It is easy to check out books even if students are at home learning digitally. Here are some guidelines:
- Books must be placed on hold by midnight each Sunday night for pickup that week. They will go off hold if they are not picked up. All books are shelved each Friday and not held over to the following week. Students should only place books on hold if their parent/ neighbor/relative is able to pick up the books that particular week.
- Parents will receive an email on Monday morning letting them know the books are ready to pick up.
- Parents drive through the car rider lane on Wednesday or Thursday between 11:30 - 1:00 based on the first letter of their last name. A-M come on Wednesday & N-Z come on Thursday. Library books will be given through the window or placed in the trunk as requested. Parents will not exit their car.
- Students should place only one graphic novel and one book from a series on hold at a time so others can enjoy these books too.
Library books can be kept for 2 weeks before they need to be returned. When students are finished with a library book, they can return it either to curbside checkout or to the book return outside the front of the school. Books must be returned before new books are checked out. If students checked out books this week at school, those books need to be returned before getting new books.
- Students who are digital get to place one extra book on hold since they might not be able to get library books as often as in-person students. When students are learning from home, they are all considered digital learners for library curbside pickup.
- The Gwinnett County Public Library also offers curbside pickup with later hours and weekend pickup options. Students can login to the Public Library using their student number and 4-digit birthday as their pin just as they use for Beanstack to log reading minutes for the Parsons Schoolwide Reading Challenge.
- Visit Ms. Britt's eCLASS page for more information about curbside checkout along with videos to learn how to place a book on hold.
Peachtree Ridge Youth Spring Baseball Registration
PTA News
ATTENTION DIGITAL STUDENTS: We need your portrait pictures for the Parsons Yearbook.
Please use your cell phone to snap a photo of your student in front of a neutral colored wall and e-mail it to yearbook.parsons@gmail.com with the student's name and the teacher's name. Please send in pictures by February 20th.
Get Involved in PTA
It is time to nominate the PTA board members for Parsons Elementary for the 2021-2022 school year. If you are interested in being on the board or if you are interested in nominating someone for a position, please email Jenni Yoon jenni1234@gmail.com by February 17th, 2021.
We are also looking for people who want to get more involved by volunteering for Clean & Beautiful, the Fifth Grade Finale and Virtual PTA Event Planning. Let us know if you are interested in getting more involved by emailing parsonsespta@gmail.com
PTA hosts Crazy Hat/Hair Day – next Friday, February 19th, all students can share their crazy hat/hair and have some fun during school.
Staff Goody Day - The parents of 2nd grade students are invited to do something nice for our school staff and teachers. Please send in individually wrapped snacks with your student or drop off individually packaged snacks in the car rider lane before school. Teachers love healthy options and sweet treats too.
Parsons Business Partners 2020-2021
Proud Principal Laura Clark
Email: laura.j.clark@gcpsk12.org
Website: https://www.gcpsk12.org
Location: 1615 Old Peachtree Road Northwest, Suwanee, GA, USA
Phone: 678-957-3050