THE NORCROSS ELEMENTARY EAGLE
April 2023 - Family Newsletter
Dear Families,
I love APRIL. Spring time brings crazy schedules for myself and many of you. However, I am determinded to enjoy these precious moments with later sunsets, the blooming flowers, the birds chirping, and evenings on the back deck. All of these beautiful things make me smile. April is also a sign we are close to the end of the school year. I am reminded that the goal is to finish strong. We will continue to press on with TEACHING and LEARNING.
Families, we thank you for your continued support. It is us working together that makes the difference.
Sincerely,
Kassia Sutton
Proud Principal of Norcross Elementary
Amazing Work is Happening on our Campus
PBIS Magic Show
PBIS Magic Show
Mindfullness: Students Preparing for a Great Day
Robotics Team
Montage
On Monday, March 27 our Fine Arts department presented Montage to the communit. The SEL theme, 'Cover Me In Sunshine', is all about feelings and expression. About 600 hundred students in our school had artwork on display and there were incredible musical and PE performances from all grade levels. They also held our first Empty Bowls sale since COVID. Art Club creates and sells empty ceramic bowls to help buy food to fill the bowls of our neighbors!
1st Grade 100 Book Club Celebration
Thank you to our 1st Grade Team for operating in EXCELLENCE
The Kids Heart Challenge
CONGRATULATIONS TO DYLEN CROSS WINNING THE TOP STUDENT DONATIONS FOR THE KIDS HEART CHALLENGE!!
DYLEN HELPED HIS CLASS (DR. PARKER'S 5TH GRADE CLASS) WIN THE AWESOME GLOW PARTY!!
SUPER JOB!!
Level Up Reading Program
Sunny Shen, 3rd Grade
Mary Shen, 4th Grade
Camilia Gonzalez, 5th Grade
The grade level winners for reading the most minutes.
Our Staff Professional Learning
NES Artists Regongnized by State Superintendent Richard Woods!
Kindergarten Registration for the 2023-2024 School Year - Begins April 10, 2023
It’s an easy, process…
First— Starting April 10th, complete online registration on the GCPS website. (https://www.gcpsk12.org/Page/26080)
Then—Between April 10th and May 19th, schedule an appointment here at the school to verify information, pick up materials, complete activities, and learn about exciting summer enrichment opportunities for your child!
OR attend NES Kindergarten Registration Day in our media center on May 4th from 9:00 am-1:00pm.
Model Stress-Relief Techniques
Model Stress-Relief Techniques
Today’s busy families often face stressful situations. Here are some time-tested stress-busters that will help you laugh—and teach your child positive ways to deal with stress.
- Sing. Develop a collection of funny songs. Teach your child such old favorites as “On Top of Spaghetti” and “Five Little Monkeys.” If you’re stuck in traffic or waiting for an appointment, a rousing chorus of one of these songs may help the time—and the frustration—pass.
- Exercise. If your family is facing a stressful time, encourage family members to get moving. Exercise helps work out the tension. It also gives you more energy and makes you feel better.
- Share funny cartoons, comics, and memes. Cut or print out cartoons that will appeal to others in the family. Leave them at the breakfast table, tuck them into lunch boxes, or post them on the refrigerator for all to see.
- Help someone else. When you think you’ve got problems, volunteer even a little time working to improve life for others. Helping others provides perspective—and helps people realize they are not the only ones facing challenges.
Modelo de técnicas para aliviar el estrés
Las familias ocupadas de hoy a menudo enfrentan situaciones estresantes. Aquí hay algunos antiestrés comprobados que lo ayudarán a reírse y le enseñarán a su hijo formas positivas de lidiar con el estrés.
Cantar. Desarrolle una colección de canciones divertidas. Enséñele a su hijo viejos favoritos como "Sobre espagueti" y "Cinco monitos". Si está atascado en el tráfico o esperando una cita, un coro entusiasta de una de estas canciones puede ayudar a que el tiempo y la frustración pasen.
Ejercicio. Si su familia se enfrenta a un momento estresante, anime a los miembros de la familia a ponerse en movimiento. El ejercicio ayuda a resolver la tensión. También te da más energía y te hace sentir mejor.
Comparte caricaturas divertidas, cómics y memes. Recorte o imprima caricaturas que atraigan a otros miembros de la familia. Déjalos en la mesa del desayuno, mételos en las loncheras o colócalos en el refrigerador para que todos los vean.
Ayuda a alguien más. Cuando creas que tienes problemas, ofrécete aunque sea un poco de tiempo trabajando para mejorar la vida de los demás. Ayudar a los demás brinda perspectiva y ayuda a las personas a darse cuenta de que no son las únicas que enfrentan desafíos.
Book Blast
English:
Our voyage starts April 18 when we’ll cast off in search of Book Blast treasure. Once you receive your Treasure Map, the treasure hunt begins! Be sure to complete it for a chance to win one of 4 Treasure Chests stuffed with cash and even an Apple iPad! But even better, you’ll be starting the journey to earning all 10 books on the Treasure Map book list. Heave ho, let’s go readers!
Spanish:
Nuestro viaje comienza 18 de abril de 2023 semana cuando partiremos en busca del tesoro de Book Blast. Una vez que reciba su mapa del tesoro la próxima semana, ¡comienza la búsqueda del tesoro! ¡Asegúrate de completarlo para tener la oportunidad de ganar uno de los 4 cofres del tesoro llenos de dinero en efectivo e incluso un iPad de Apple! Pero aún mejor, comenzará el viaje para ganar los 10 libros en la lista de libros del Mapa del Tesoro. Heave ho, ¡vamos lectores!
5th Grade Sponshorship
Our fabulous 5th graders have their end of year ceremony and activities coming up soon, and we are in need of families to sponsor a child for their end of year dues. The dues are $25 and will cover materials for the end of year ceremony, graduation gifts, refreshments and more. If you can help sponsor a child, please reach out to Eduardina_Checo@gcpsk12.org
-Fifth grade team
Autism Awarennes Month Spirit Dress Up Days (Each Friday in April)
World Autism Awareness Day (WAAD) aims to put a spotlight on the hurdles that people with autism and others living with autism face every day. As a growing global health issue owing to its increasing exposure in the press and common knowledge, autism is an issue that is only gaining more understanding and WAAD activities are planned every year to further increase and develop world knowledge of children and adults who have autism spectrum disorder (ASD). What’s more, World Autism Awareness Day goes one step further to celebrate the unique talents of those with autism, while putting a huge focus on the warm embrace and welcome that these skills https://www.awarenessdays.com/awareness-days-calendar/world-autism-awareness-day-2023/deserve through community events around the globe.
4/14 - Wear blue-celebration of people on the spectrum
4/21- Tie-dye-blend together for Autism
4/28- Crazy sock day- be an individual and show your flair
April Dates and Events
April 1 - April 9 Spring Break
April 11 - Field Day K, 1
April 12 - Field Day 2,3
April 12 - 5th Grade to Summerour MS
April 13 - Field Day 4, 5
April 21 - Progress Reports
April 24 - GMAS begins
April 27 - Norcross Cluster Innovation (see flyer below)
April 28 - Student of the Month
The GCPS Bookmobile came to our school on March 3rd and every child that was here that day got a free book to keep! In the summertime, the bookmobile drives around to areas in our cluster for the students to check out books, your support & donations help keep us going! Thank you in advance!
The Book Mobile 5K is just 2 months away. The 5K is our only fundraiser of the year to put new books into kids' hands!
Let’s top last year’s number of 766 registrations and make this an even greater day to support literacy!
The Book Mobile 5K will be held on Saturday, May 6, 2023, at the ISC.
Early bird registration is only $25 until April 1, 2023.
Remember: the school with the most 5K registrations wins a visit from the GCPS Book Mobile!
Register at bookmobile5k.com and get the awesome shirt below!
Mitchell Wall Project Volunteer Sign Up
Hi friends! Please sign up if you would like to volunteer 🙂 (You are the ones who have responded to messages about the wall.) If we do not fill all of the slots with you, the high school, and community volunteers, I will send it out to the entire staff. Until then, please let me know if you have any questions!
https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10c0945adac22a4f8cf8-mitchell#/
Norcross Public Library - Message from Laura Dobbins
What to do if your child is sick?
1. Keep your child at home if he/she is sick.
2. If your child has tested positive for COVID, please contact Contacia.Cross, assistant principal, at contacia.cross@gcpsk12.org. who will provide additional guidance.
·
Clinic Updates
1. If your child has a medical alert/medical health management plan, please contact Sergio Castro as soon as possible, and complete and return applicable forms to her in a timely manner.
2. We want our students to have a full day of learning, but sometimes illness(es) may interrupt their day. For the safety and health of your child and others, if your child gets ill at school and needs to go home, please do so promptly. If you’re unable to pick them up, please be sure that we have a current list of emergency contact(s) that we may reach out to.
Ready to learn with the GCPS Virtual Backpack!
Please visit the website below to access important Back to School Information.
https://www.gcpsk12.org/Page/33374
Also, acknowledgement of required documents must be signed off through My Payments Plus. Parents must sign off on the required documents. Below is the website address to create an account and access the forms:
https://www.mypaymentsplus.com/welcome
If you need help with signing off on important documents, please contact eduardina.checo@gcpsk12.org, our part liasion.
My Payments Plus Instructions for Set-Up
Free/Reduced Lunch Applications
Local School Plan for Improvement (LSPI Goals)
Empathy:
- Goal 1.B—Staff and student wellbeing. Promote student and staff wellbeing through prioritizing self-care, physical and mental health, and social emotional learning.
Equity:
- Goal 2.A—Multi-tiered system of supports. Implement a comprehensive framework to fully operationalize a multi-tiered system of supports to address academic and non-academic student needs and remove barriers to success.
- Goal 2.B—Opportunity and access. Expand student opportunities to engage in and access high-quality, rigorous, and culturally relevant curriculum, advanced coursework (e.g., Advanced Placement and dual enrollment), and enrichment activities (e.g., the arts, gifted, STEM, career technical education).
Effectiveness:
- Goal 3.A—Results-Based Evaluation System. Redefine the inputs, behaviors, and outcomes that determine the standards for student success as measured by the Results-Based Evaluation System (RBES) to support school improvement and student growth.
Excellence:
- Goal 4.C—World-class communication and engagement. Demonstrate world-class communication and engagement through modeling the value GCPS leadership places on transparent, two-way communication to build stakeholder trust and confidence.
Multi-Tiered System of Supports (MTSS) Supporting the Whole Child
We will continue our focus on the Whole Child through MTSS by using Supportive Community and Academic Press (see picture below). An example of Supportive Community is our Positive Behaviors Interventions and Supports (PBIS) Program and an example of Academic Press is the implementation of the EL Education literacy pilot for Language Arts.
Implementation of MTSS is one of our LSPI goals.
Early Check-out Procedures
A student who leaves school before the official ending time must be signed out in the office by his/her parent or guardian. Parents must report to the receptionist, not the classroom. The receptionist will call the room for the child after a photo ID (government issued) has been shown. Please remember that each time a child checks out early, we must call the classroom and disrupt instruction for everyone. Children will be called to the Front Office where they will be released to the parent/guardian. The office will not check out students after 2:30 P.M. (11:30 A.M. on early release days). Please do not ask school personnel to make exceptions.
A child will not be permitted to leave the school in the custody of any person other than the child's parent unless that person is listed as a parent/guardian or emergency contact in the school’s database. As telephone numbers and situations change, please make sure you report this information to the school so we have the most accurate information.
School Hours
- Doors open at 8:20am
- Classes begin at 8:50am
Dismissal
- The Day ends at 3:20pm
Parent Center Updates
Check out our Parent Page in our School Website to find more information regarding Title 1 and what happens at Norcross Elementary. It’s important to stay informed about your child’s education. The Powerpoint Presentation of the Title 1 Annual Meeting is posted there for your review. https://www.gcpsk12.org/domain/1603
We are looking for volunteers to participate in our Local School Council and Parent Teacher Association (PTA). Reach out to our Parent Center team, Robert Fortenbery Robert.fortenbery@gcpsk12.org or Eduardina Checo Eduardina.checo@gcpsk12.org for more information.
Ways for you to Get Involved
The purpose of the LSC is:
- To help the local board of education develop and nurture participation
- To bring parents and the community together with teachers and school administrators to create a better understanding of and mutual respect for each other’s concerns
- To share ideas for school improvement
If you are interested in being a member of our Local School council, please contact Robert Fortenbery (robert.fortenbery@gcpsk12.org).
The tentative meeting dates are as follows:
September 23, November 11, January 27, and March 10 at 7:30amj.
PARENT TEACHER ASSOCIATION (PTA)
We are in need of a PTA board to support our school, our students, and our faculty. The board consists of a president/co-president, vice president, treasurer and secretary. Please contact me at kassia.morris.sutton@gcpsk12.org if you are interested.
https://www.pta.org/home/About-National-Parent-Teacher-Association/Mission-Values
Volunteer
Please partner with us and commit to volunteering at our school. Volunteer activites may include: working in the media center, laminating materials, counting out documents, cutting, and filing. Please contact Robert Fortenbery (robert.fortenbery@gcpsk12.org) or Eduardina Checon (eduardina.checo@gcpsk12.org) for volunteer opportunities.
Previous Newsletters
March 2023 - https://www.smore.com/vkg0z
How to Stay Connected
Principal – Kassia Sutton (kassia.morris.sutton@gcpsk12.org)
Assistant Principal - Gr. K, 1, 2 – Jamie Elsey (jamie.elsey@gcpsk12.org)
Assistant Principal – Gr. 3, 4, 5 – Contacia Cross (contacia.cross@gcpsk12.org)
Assistan Principal - Special Education - Alicia Lapinsky (alicia.lapinsky@gcpsk12.org)
Counselor - Gr. K, 1 - Kortnie Smith (kortnie.smith@gcpsk12.org)
Counselor Gr. 2, 3 - Amy Crapo (amy.crapo.@gcps12.org)
Counselor Gr. 4, 5 - Matt Ho (matt.ho@gcpsk12.org)
Website: https://www.gcpsk12.org/NorcrossES
Location: 150 Hunt Street, Norcross, GA, USA
Phone: 770-448-2188
Facebook: facebook.com/NorcrossElementarySchool-GCPS