Simonton Parent Newsletter
Friday, September 18, 2020
Every Student, Every Day, Deserves to Learn, Lead, & Excel!
A Message From Ms. Perkins
Today, first semester week 6 Interim Reports are being sent home. The report will provide detailed information about your child's assignments and their current grades in all subjects. Both digital and in-person students are responsible for completing assignments and tests and will be graded based upon their ability to demonstrate their understanding of the AKS. If your child is missing assignments or has a failing grade, please reach out to your child's classroom teacher.
Just a reminder that digital students are expected to attend ALL virtual classroom meetings and complete all teacher assignments. When your child does not attend a meeting they are missing out on time with their teacher and important lessons. We appreciate your support in setting your student up for success.
Our fabulous Simonton ES tech team will hold two help sessions for parents next Thursday, September 24, 2020 and Friday, September 25, 2020 from 9:00 - 2:00 pm. One on one appointments are available. More information, along with the link to sign up, can be found below.
Have a wonderful weekend!
Simonton ES Local School Council
You are invited to join us for our Simonton ES Local School Council meetings. This is a great opportunity to learn about Gwinnett County Public Schools and Simonton ES.
The purpose of the Council is three-fold:
I. To help the local board of education develop and nurture participation.
II. 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.
III. To share ideas for school improvement.
The Council will plan to meet four times this school year on the dates listed below. Our first two meetings will be held virtually. If conditions change, we will consider meeting in person for our future meetings.
·Monday, September 28, 2020 at 5:00 pm ~ Virtual Meeting
·Thursday, December 10, 2020 at 5:00 pm ~ Virtual Meeting
·Thursday, February 18, 2021 at 5:00 pm ~ TBD
·Thursday, May 13, 2021 at 5:00 pm ~ TBD
If you plan to attend please contact Mrs. Lani Skogen by Thursday, September 24, 2020, at 770-513-6637 or via email at Lani.Skogen@gcpsk12.org
A Zoom link to join the meeting will be shared in next week's parent newsletter.
Curbside Pick-up of Meals Expands to Monday-Friday
The school district has extended its curbside pick-up program for free meals to five days a week instead of four. Meals may be picked up at each school for digital learners and any child under the age of 18, Monday through Friday, between 11 a.m. and 1 p.m. The pick-up each day includes both breakfast and lunch. Families should check with their local school for specific curbside pick-up times and the location of the pick-up program. For safety reasons, individuals are not allowed to enter the school to pick up or eat meals.
We also would like to remind you that Gwinnett County Public Schools is offering meals at no charge at school sites to all students—both digital learners and those attending in-person—through December. These meals are provided at no cost to the individual through the federal School Nutrition Program. The school district encourages families who are eligible for the Free & Reduced Meal Program to fill out the annual application to ensure meal benefits continue after that time. The application is available on the GCPS website or at https://www.nlappscloud.com/.
A Glance Ahead:
Thursday, September 24
- Digital Learners Tech Help (by appointment)
Friday, September 25
- Digital Learners Tech Help (by appointment)
Tuesday, September 29
- IOWA Testing (2nd grade)
Wednesday, September 30
- IOWA Testing (2nd grade)
The Plan/The Promise
Thanks for your attention to this matter.
SES Parent/Student Handbook Highlight ~ School Communications
Free and Reduced Lunch
The application for free and reduced lunch is still available. Gwinnett County Public Schools encourages families who are eligible for the Free & Reduced Meal Program to complete the annual application to ensure meal benefits continue when this waiver expires.
If you received this service last year, and you feel you still qualify, you must complete an application again this year.
Free and Reduced Lunch Application
https://www.nlappscloud.com/Welcome.aspx?api=78f8fee54716f21218e523747d37a13c
Frequently Asked Questions about free and reduced lunch
Tech Help for our Digital Learners
- eCLASS
- Google Classroom
- Zoom
- SchoolNet
Healthy Habits While At School
IOWA Testing
Click on the following link to let us know if your child will be coming to school to take this test:
What is Google Classroom?
Click on the following link to read over the Parents' Ultimate Guide to Google Classroom: https://www.commonsensemedia.org/blog/parents-ultimate-guide-to-google-classroom
Digital Citizenship
Staying Focused
Keep them close.
- When it's hard for your kid to focus, try to keep them close. Consider setting up nonverbal or one-word cues to help get them back on track.
- Depending on your circumstances, it may not be possible to keep your kid in sight all the time, but it'll definitely be harder to keep them on track if they're completely unsupervised. Try to make sure you or another family member has eyeballs on them as much as possible.
Encourage self-regulation.
- Talk to kids about the connection between bodies and brains and what happens in their bodies when they feel frustrated, excited, or sad. This awareness helps kids recognize and manage their emotions.
- If you have other devices in your house, keep them out of your kid's workspace if possible. This can also mean shutting down phones, keeping phones in a designated place for the day, and putting away remotes if temptation takes over.
Play pretend.
- Little kids feeling at loose ends might respond to some role playing. Cast your kid in the role of work partner, teacher, or researcher to help them stick to a task (and let you stick to yours!).
- Though older kids won't want to play pretend, they may respond to an honest conversation about taking on more responsibility (like chores, self-regulation, etc.) because they're older and gaining maturity. You might be surprised how they rise to the challenge in response.
Encouraging Ownership & Effort
Follow kids' interests and get input.
- If there are gaps in your kid's school day, remember that whatever your kid is into -- animals, Minecraft, magic -- can be used for learning. Read books, create science experiments, and do math related to favorite topics. Wide Open School has great choices, too!
- When deciding how to structure the day, ask kids what they prefer. Try to incorporate their choices into the plan. For instance, if math is the hardest subject for your kid, would they rather do it first or last? Why? Check in with them regularly about how distance learning is going.
- Communicate with your kid's teacher, and encourage them to self-advocate for what they need. And model communication about your day, including the positives, challenges, and kindnesses.
Display work.
- Let kids hang up their drawings, writing, or other projects in your home. It shows them you're proud of their work and helps them value their learning.
- Even big kids like when you show pride in their work by bragging about their efforts and showing off their work. (But always ask before you post anything!)
Give detailed praise.
- Instead of saying "good job," try giving specific details about your kid's work. If they tried hard, let them know you noticed. Have they made progress? Used a new technique? In what ways are their efforts kind, clever, beautiful, or insightful?
- Also, encourage a growth mindset, which means reminding kids that it's not about being good or bad at something, but working toward getting better at it.
Managing Motivation
Start from strengths.
- Build a bridge from things your kid loves to school subjects they don't love -- yet. If they love sports but dislike reading, find a graphic novel about soccer to spark interest. Your kid's teacher can likely help with this, too, but they might need to communicate with you (and maybe your kid), to get the necessary information.
Presentation is everything.
- How you present an activity makes a huge difference in how kids feel about it. For little kids, whenever you can, frame tasks as games to make them more fun. Need to sort the laundry? Challenge your kid to a throwing contest of tossing clothes into the right pile. Or, let them use pieces of cereal as manipulatives for math problems and eat them when they've finished a problem.
- Sometimes tweens and teens seem to have a "bad attitude" that's really masking insecurity, boredom, or anxiety. They're often hoping we'll help them through it, even when it seems just the opposite. Staying calm, not taking things personally, and maintaining a sense of humor can go a long way.
Use natural consequences.
- While it might be tempting to "reward" your kid with screen use, that can set kids up to see screens as a coveted commodity. Instead, you can frame it as a timing issue: "We have three hours in the evening, so if you put strong effort into your work and finish, you'll have time to play your video game."
- If intrinsic motivation is hard to come by, you can incentivize effort and progress in a way that makes sense. Come up with ideas with your kid, set benchmarks, and praise the process along the way.
Disney & Pixar’s Soul
Ever wonder what makes you, YOU? In Pixar Animation Studio’s all-new feature film Soul, Joe, a middle school band teacher, explores the answer to this question. Encourage your child(ren) to think about this question and celebrate their individuality.
The engaging activities inspired by the film introduce students to jazz and some legendary musicians who inspire Joe, and encourage kids to reflect on the movie’s central theme of self-discovery. Download them below...
SES Parent/Student Handbook Highlight ~ Emergency Procedures
At all times, the safety of the student is of utmost importance. Fire, tornado and emergency lock down drills are held at intervals throughout the school year. Emergency instructions are posted in each classroom. The children will practice walking quickly and quietly to designated areas. If a child is injured on the playground, we also have procedures that are followed, and 911 is called as needed. Please be sure a current phone number is available so that we can reach you in an emergency. During an emergency, it may be necessary to transport your child by bus to another location. During inclement weather, students will remain at school until the county gives permission for dismissal.
Voting
Not sure? Check your voting status at USA.gov or Vote.org TODAY!!
2020 Census
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- Nicole Tomlinson
Assistant Principal- Emily Young
Website: gcpsk12.org/SimontonES
Location: 275 Simonton Road Southeast, Lawrenceville, GA, USA
Phone: (770) 513-6637