Elm Street Elementary
Report Card Newsletter, March 2017
Did you hear?
It is really big.
REALLY, REALLY, RE-E-A-A-L-L-LY BIG!
ELM STREET IS A TITLE I REWARD SCHOOL AGAIN!
Title I Reward School: Highest Performance
Top 5% of All Title I Schools In Georgia!
Elm Street was recently named a Title I Reward School for Highest Performance by Georgia school officials. This honor was earned through top-notch student achievement on 2013, 2014, and 2015 Milestones Assessments. Elm Street earned this honor by being in the top 5% of overall student performance for a Title I School across the entire state of Georgia.
As you may recall, we were named Title I Reward School for High Progress for 2014 and then again in 2015. That honor was earned by being in the top 10% of Title I schools making progress with achievement among all student groups. Now, we have earned the 2017 reward status for being in the top five percent of highest achieving schools for overall performance - an even bigger honor and accomplishment!
This recognition is a great reminder of how important it is for students to do their very best work on the upcoming Georgia Milestones Assessments. People notice the hard work of the students, staff, and families of our school. What we are learning matters, and showing off what we know during Milestones matters too!
The day we got the news, we interrupted classwork with an intercom announcement to share the good news! We asked students to put their pencils down, stand up tall and proud, and get ready for a celebration dance. With a drum roll on the desk, Dr. Hildebrand announced the big honor and then we let the music play for a victory dance! More comprehensive celebration plans are in the works to help all students and staff really revel in the significance of the honor they have worked hard to earn over these past three years.
Now that you know more details about the honor we earned and just how big it really is, I am sure you can see why this is indeed news that is worthy of three bold headlines! If you would like to make a suggestion for ways to celebrate the big news together, please reach out to Dr. Hildebrand and share your thoughts.
Congrats on AWESOME WALKATHON! $10,115
Art Walk: a big success last month!
Museum wings included:
The Natural World
A Piece of Americana
Kindness of Heart
Black History Tribute
Modern Art
The Final Frontier
Self-Portraits
Art of Ancient Worlds
Parents, students, and other guests walked the halls on the evening of February 16 taking in the various pieces on display. Sounds of instrumental jazz filled the hallways and many students could be overheard telling their parents what they know about various elements of art. If you missed seeing the display on the big night, it remains on display through Friday, March 31. Please sign in at the front office if you choose to come take a look one day next week.
End of Year Awards Ceremonies
Even though we are only at the end of third nine weeks, mark your calendars now for our end of year awards ceremonies! These are important memories, and we look forward to having you join us!
1st Grade Program 8:15 a.m.
2nd Grade Program 9:45 a.m.
4th Grade Program 12:30 p.m.
Thursday, May 25:
5th Grade Breakfast 8:30 (invitation), Awards immediately to follow (approx 9:00 a.m.)
3rd Grade Program 12:30 p.m.
Friday, May 26:
Kindergarten Program 8:30 a.m.
Milestones Assessments coming soon!
April 17-27, 2017 (3rd-5th)
Parents, we need your help in ensuring your child is best prepared for top-notch performance during testing. It is important for your child to take the tests seriously as the results are important and have many implications. However, we also want students to know that they are prepared. We know students and teachers have been working hard all year long learning important concepts and skills - these assessments are our chance to show off all that we have accomplished! We want students to approach the tests with a serious mindset, but we also do not want them building up anxiety as test time draws near. Please help support your child by talking to him or her about the importance of reading carefully and thinking through each item and giving his or her best effort. At the same time, please help reassure your child that he or she is ready! Please feel free to reach out to any school staff member if you'd like to learn more about Milestones and how to help your child be prepared for his or her best!
Here are some links to some resources in case you would like to learn more about what is ahead as well:
Resources/EOG "Study Guides" for each grade level:
While there is really no way to "study" for the Milestones Assessments, parents and students can learn more about the types of items by using these practice materials and completing the sample items. There is one for each grade level (3rd-5th).
3rd and 5th graders will take the Georgia Milestones Assessments beginning on Monday, April 17. 4th graders will begin on Monday, April 24. Students will take English Language Arts assessments on days one and two, Mathematics on day three. Students in fifth grade will also take Science and Social Studies on days four and five.
Lexile Levels - Want to learn more?
Parents, have you asked your child about his or her Lexile level?
Please do! Each of our 1st-5th graders should know their Lexile level and their growth goal.
A Lexile is a metric that matches readers to text in order to help readers find books they can read with good comprehension. Here are some links to help you learn about Lexiles and how to use them to support your child's reading growth: https://lexile.com/about-lexile/lexile-overview/lexile-infographic and https://lexile.com/using-lexile/lexile-at-home. There is also a great book finder tool to help find books at your child's Lexile level: https://lexile.com/fab.
Parent Conference Opportunities
Science Olympiad Competition Tomorrow!
Our team has worked hard all year long with study sessions and build sessions afterschool in preparation for tomorrow's big event. We have confidence that our Science Olympiads will represent our school with integrity and good sportsmanship during tomorrow's competition.
Read Across America Day Held 3/2
Elm Street celebrated Read Across America in honor of Dr. Seuss's birthday on Thursday, March 2. Read Across America is sponsored annually by The National Education Association. Volunteers from the school and community came together to read Dr. Seuss books to students and participate in classroom activities.
This year, we had new technology play a part in our celebration! Mr. Cahlink and Mrs. Ulinksi's fifth grade classes participated in a Google hangout with Mrs. Whitehead's Kindergarten and Mrs. Springfield's first grade class. Our fifth graders loved sharing stories with their younger friends! Mrs. Hooper's fourth grade class had a special guest reader via the internet from China!
Thank you to all of our participants and volunteers!
Birthday Book Club
Thank you for donating over 50 new books to our Elm Street Media Center through Birthday Book Club! The birthday book club is an opportunity for loved ones to honor their child's special day by donating a book to our media center. On Friday, March 10 students selected their birthday book and were the first to check it out. These books will become a part of our circulation for all students to enjoy! Thank you for supporting the love of reading.
Academic Team earned 5th at Finals!
Congratulations to our Elm Street Academic Team, who finished 2nd in the last meet of the season, securing themselves a spot in the regional finals competition! The team won the first two rounds of play during the meet. The team then faced the #1 ranked team in our division during the final round and took them on with courage and confidence, with a close scoring meet. The final score of the round was 150-190, showing our team's fierce perseverance, even in the face of tough competition. Overall, Elm Street earned 550 points during the final meet of the regular season.
The team competed proudly at Finals, hosted here at Elm Street, on Tuesday, February 28. Student Council and other school ambassadors served as guides for competing teams, escorting them from one location to the next on campus. Finals competition was tough, but our team persevered and performed well under pressure. The team earned a final standing of 5th place at the competition.
Special thanks to the staff members who stayed late to serve as readers, timers, spotters, and more for the meet! Special thanks to the families and businesses who are sponsored the event as well.
The following sponsors made it possible for our school to welcome finals guests in style:
Rosenzweig, Jones, Horne, & Griffis Law Firm
Higgins and Smith CPA Firm
Brooke Barnes, State Farm Agent
Ashley Roberts, Beachbody Coach
Elm Street PTO
Congratulations, once again, Elm Street Academic Team Members and Coaches, Laura Bass and Elizabeth Rance! So proud of the way you represent our school!
Academic Team invited to Nationals in Washington, D.C.
Top TEN (Traits Eagles Need)
February Trait, part of our Top TEN (Traits Eagles Need)
Courage - How we cope with fear in the face of a challenge
A few questions to consider and perhaps discuss: How do you help your child display courage? What role does courage play in your life as a parent? Which individuals shaped history with their courage?
March Trait
Integrity - Doing the right thing even when no one is watching you
Eagles of the Month for March will be recorded on Thursday, March 30 at 7:35 a.m. in the Media Center (student) and the ESN Viewing Celebration will be held on Friday, March 31 beginning at 7:45 a.m. in the Media Center (students, parents). Looking forward to cheering for our Eagles of the Month for Integrity!
1st Graders Make Sound Sandwiches
Filming on Powell Place next week
Not on twitter yet? You're missing out!
Elm Street has a few great twitter feeds to follow:
@ElmStreetELM - school twitter feed
@ElmStMedia - media center twitter feed
@ElmSt5th - fifth grade twitter feed
The QR code to the right will take you to @ElmStreetELM so you can keep up with our school tweets!
Never miss an important reminder from school! Sign up for Remind!
Want to receive the informational text reminders from Elm Street about school events?Be sure you have signed up for our Elm Street Eagles Remind group (formerly Remind 101). If you are one of the 242 current subscribers, thanks for taking action to stay well-informed of school activities and updates.
About Elm Street
Email: christi.hildebrand@cowetaschools.org
Website: cowetaschools.org/eses
Location: 46 Elm Street, Newnan, GA, United States
Phone: 770-254-2865
Twitter: @ElmStreetELM