Simonton Parent Newsletter
Thursday, March 11, 2021
Every Student, Every Day, Deserves to Learn, Lead, & Excel!
Message from Ms. Perkins:
Congratulations to all of our students who were recognized as the PBIS Student of the Month, Character of the Month and our PBIS Class of the month. Our students are doing an outstanding job of serving as leaders and learners.
Tomorrow we will not be in school. It is a student and staff holiday. March 16, 2021 will also serve as our 3rd district wide Digital Learning Day. All students will complete assignments from home online.
Next Wednesday, March 17, 2021 our PTA will be sponsoring a Crazy Hair/Hat Day in celebration of St. Patrick's Day. Students are welcome to come to school wearing their craziest hair or their favorite hat. A $2.00 donation is requested.
Friday, March 19, 2021 students will take their spring pictures. Please be sure to check for more information in our newsletter or on our school website.
Have a wonderful weekend.
Tomorrow, Friday, March 12th is an Inclement Weather Day and therefore there will be no school! Enjoy your extended weekend!!
Daylight Savings Time is March 14, 2021.
Students Returning to In-Person Instruction
Please remember to send any devices back to school with your child(ren) when he/she/they return to in-person learning. This will include any Laptop, charger, and hotspot that was checked out to him/her.
Thank you for your diligence in this matter and your assistance in helping us ensure that ALL digital students are able to participate fully in their learning!
A Glance Ahead:
Tuesday, March 16
- Asynchronous Digital Learning Day #3
Wednesday, March 17
- PTA Crazy Hair/Hat Day ~ $2.00 donation
Friday, March 19
- Spring Picture Day
Child Safety Presentation:
*Please read the attached letter.
Spring Pictures
One camera will be devoted to Digital Learners. We ask that students wear their mask upon entering the Gym.
School Name: Simonton Elementary School
Picture Day Date: Friday, March 19
Picture Day ID: EVTHFTPB7
2020 5th Grade T-shirts
Show your 5th grade spirit with this year’s class t-shirt.
The shirts will have a unique logo on the front.
The cost of the t-shirts are $10.00 and payments can be made via MyPayments Plus, cash or check. Please make checks payable to SIMONTON ELEMENTARY SCHOOL.
***Digital Learners will be notified when t-shirts are available for pick-up.
The Deadline to place your order has been extended to March 22, 2021.
Parent Empowerment Conference - Hispanic Mentoring Priority
The Hispanic Mentoring Priority program is proud to announce their upcoming Parent Empowerment Conference. The virtual conference will take place Saturday, March 27 from 8:30-12:30 and will be available to families via YouTube. Families can register online in advance at Parent Empowerment Conference.
This annual event will host guest speakers on how to best support students in the areas of academics, as well as their emotional and mental well-being.
If you have any additional questions, please contact Nury Crawford, GCPS Director of Academic Support, either via email or by phone at (770) 277-4489. Additional resources to support Hispanic families can be found on YouTube at GCPS Hispanic Mentoring Priority.
March is National Nutrition Month
Food is Fuel! 10 Ways to Teach Healthy Eating (From We Are Teachers)
- Give them food for thought. Most kids think of food as either “good” or “bad” for you. Help them identify food as fuel instead.
- Eat this, not that. You are what you eat, so give kids plenty of information about healthy food choices.
- Rethink their drinks. So many of our so-called “kid-friendly” drinks are loaded with extra sugar. Just one sweetened 8 oz. glass adds up to over 20 pounds of sugar in one year! Remind students that the healthiest drinks are water and low-fat milk.
- Show where healthy food comes from. Take a field trip to a farmer’s market or a dairy farm and have the students meet the people who grow healthy food.
- But first, breakfast. Mornings are the perfect time to kick start your bodies with nutrients, but 58% of Americans don’t eat the most important meal of the day. Encourage students to make breakfast part of their morning routine and choose healthy options that will get their day off to a great start.
- Nutrition label know-how. Show students how to read a nutrition label, pointing out where to find carbohydrates and fat content as well as the number of calories and sugar.
- Get your read on. There are tons of great children’s titles out there about healthy eating. Classics such as Gregory, the Terrible Eater or Green Eggs and Ham are great to read aloud for your younger grades. Other fun books like The Boy Who Loved Broccoli or How Did That Get in My Lunchbox? The Story of Food can spark some conversation about where our food comes from.
- Talk about portion sizes. Help kids understand that the amount of food on our plates is just as important as the foods that are on it.
- Have a cooking demonstration. Find a healthy snack or recipe to share and prepare it in front of the kids—they’ll love having a teacher “cook” for them and will really love the part about eating it afterwards!
- Make healthy eating a game! Play Red Light, Green Light: Healthy Food Edition outside by calling out a name of a food and have kids go fast if it’s healthy; slow down if it’s so-so; and stop if it’s an unhealthy choice.
Family Engagement Tips:
Help your child learn to work as part of a team
Leadership is a positive trait, but students also need to know how to work with others without taking over. To encourage compromise, take turns making some family decisions, such as what toppings to put on a pizza. Discuss the need to consider everyone's tastes. Promote fairness by setting rules such as "If one person chooses the game, the other gets the first turn." Praise your child when he shows teamwork. http://niswc.com/17cHC326428
Point out the positive results of effort
When it comes to achieving in school, intelligence propels students only so far. It takes hard work to get the rest of the way. Let your child know you place a high value on effort. Then reinforce your message by showing her how effort pays off. When she gets a high grade on a test, for example, say, "I know how hard you studied, and this is the result. I'm proud of you." http://niswc.com/17cIC326428
Have your child create a sight word story
To help your child learn spelling or sight words, have him make them into a story. Make up two characters and a topic sentence for your child to start with, then have him keep going using words from his list. As he writes, he'll have to put the words into context. That will help him remember them. He'll also get writing practice and a sense of pride when he reads his story to you. http://niswc.com/17cJC326428
Talk about ways your child can handle anger
Feeling angry is normal. But children need to learn appropriate ways to express their anger.
Teach your child coping strategies she can use when she feels angry, such as taking deep
breaths. Encourage her to think for a minute before saying anything, or to get away from the
situation until her feelings are under control. Give your child options for different situations: If she's being teased, for example, she can walk away or tell an adult. http://niswc.com/17cKC326428
A few extra minutes can make a big difference
Often, children with poor study habits don't change them because they don't believe that a little extra effort can go a long way. To convince your child, try having him study one subject for 15 minutes longer than usual each day. He might use the time to rework math problems from class or make up a sample test, for example. Then watch how this small extra effort affects his progress in that subject. http://niswc.com/17cLC326428
D is for your child's own dictionary
To boost your child's early reading skills, help her make her own dictionary. Write a letter of the alphabet on a sheet of paper. Then ask your child to cut out pictures from junk mail or old
magazines of things that begin with that letter. Have her paste them to the sheet, and help her label them. Then pick another letter! This is a long-term project, so if it stops being fun, stop and come back to it another day. http://niswc.com/17cMC326428
Put your child's creativity on display
When you display your child's artwork, it encourages his creativity. Putting art on the refrigerator is great, but why not go a step farther? Try matting and framing a piece of your child's art that is particularly creative. Let him help you use an inexpensive ready-made mat and frame, then hang his masterpiece for all to see. Or use a copier to duplicate your child's art so he can share it with family and friends. http://niswc.com/17cNC326428
SIMONTON ELEMENTARY ~ WHAT WE STAND FOR
Vision
Simonton is committed to dynamic high quality instruction resulting in a passion for learning, leading and excelling.
Core Belief
Every Student Every Day, Deserves to Learn, Lead, and Excel
Commitments
We commit to giving our students a fresh start every day.
We commit to preparing quality and engaging lessons that will prepare our students to be successful in school.
We commit to teaching, modeling and holding our students accountable for appropriate school behavior.
We commit to providing our students with a structured and safe learning environment.
We commit to a great year of learning, leading, and excelling
Simonton Elementary School
Superintendent- Mr. J. Alvin Wilbanks
Assistant Superintendent- Dr. Terry Watlington
Board Member- Mr. Steven B. Knudsen
Principal- Tamara G. Perkins
Assistant Principal- Daphne Miles
Assistant Principal- Emily Young
Website: gcpsk12.org/SimontonES
Location: 275 Simonton Road Southeast, Lawrenceville, GA, USA
Phone: (770) 513-6637