Meadowcreek Community Newsletter

January 26- STEAM Night 5:30-7:00PM

February 1- February 28- National Black History Month

February 3- Digital Learning Day

February 6- February 10- National School Counselor Week

February 9- Family-School Partnership Advisory Council (PAC) meeting. More information to come.

February 9- Valentine's Dance 5:30-7:00PM

February 16- February 20- Student/Staff Holiday (No School)

February 21- Spirit Night @ Stevi B's 5:00-7:00PM

February 28- Educational Effectiveness Survey (EES) for Parents Available on Parent Portal

February 28- ACCESS Testing Ends

March 1- March 2- Early Release/ Parent-Teacher Conferences

Each month, our teachers nominate a PBIS Star Student of the Month in their class. These students were nominated by their teachers because they consistently demonstrate positive behaviors that align to our school-wide PBIS expectations. Each student photographed is a responsible, respectful, problem solver. Way to go, Mustangs!!

Meadowcreek Elementary has been recognized as a PBIS Distinguished School for the 2021-22 school year! Only 8 GCPS Schools have received the PBIS Distinguished Schools Designation for the 2021-2022 School Year. Thank you to our teachers for their commitment to creating a positive school experience for the students and staff of Gwinnett County Public Schools!

Congratulations to the First Semester Perfect Attendance Bike Winners, Teresa Rodriguez from Ms. Gitau's class and Juan Pablo Robles Castillo from Ms. Alcantara's class!

Regular school attendance is vital to your student’s success. At Meadowcreek ES, our goal is to ensure that all students fully benefit from their education by getting to school on time (in class by 8:15) and attending school regularly. Attending school regularly helps children feel better about school—and themselves. You can help your student learn that going to school on time, every day is important. Consistent attendance will help children do well in high school, college, and at work.

Below are the times we expect students to be at school:

• Students arrive no earlier than 7:40 am
• The bell rings and instruction begins at 8:15 am. Attendance is taken in class.

WHAT WE NEED FROM YOU:

• Have your child ride the bus as this assures your child will get to school on time. If you have to drive your child to school, leave yourself extra time in case of traffic or inclement weather. Our doors open at 7:40, so you can drop your child off starting then.

• An unexcused tardy means your child arrived in class late (after 8:15) because of sleeping in, traffic, missing the bus, running late, etc. Examples of excused tardies are illness, health condition, medical appointment, and family emergency. You must come inside the building to sign-in your child with the reason why your child was tardy.
• Arriving late to school/class impacts a student’s learning as well as the classroom atmosphere. Being on time for school/class is a positive goal for each of our students. Research has shown that your child's attendance record may be the biggest factor influencing his/her academic success.

If your student is going to be absent or late, please contact your child’s teacher. If your student is absent, you will need to send in an excuse letter for the absence.

Meadowcreek is tracking students with perfect monthly attendance! Students with perfect attendance will receive a certificate of perfect attendance by the end of each month. If your student receives a perfect attendance certificate, their name will be entered in a drawing for a NEW BIKE! We will pick the winner at the end of the semester. Good luck!

Early Release and Parent-Teacher Conferences will be held on Wednesday, March 1 and Thursday, March 2. The Parent-Teacher Conference Sign Up link will be available on our school website on Monday, January 30 for parents to sign up for a conference!

The last day to register for Girls on the Run is Thursday, January 26. After January 26, students will be placed on a waiting list and notified if they are able to participate. Click here to register: https://www.pinwheel.us/register/index/spring-23?sid=e97ceceedefc41da87aa8d11ddefbafa

MES needs your help. We have our Valentine's Dance coming up (February 9th 5:00-7pm) and we need volunteers!

• Food Stations (pizza, drinks, candy, chips)
• Craft Stations (Valentine's Day cards, making a flower, face painting and tattoos)
• Dance chaperones
• Cleanup Crew
• Photo Booth

If you or your spouse are interested in assisting us with any of these positions, please click on the link below to fill out the Google Form. Someone from our school will contact you with the details.

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1RNeSOmwV9pHI8ynpCbuJvP3vYvtdYWqpPEcu-jlQkoc/

Thank you for all you do! We can't wait to see everyone at the dance on February 9th!

Between January 11, 2023 and February 28, 2023, some of our students will take the ACCESS for ELLs 2.0 Assessment™. The purpose of this letter is to inform you about the tests so that—with your support and encouragement—your student will do his or her best on the tests.

About the ACCESS for ELLs 2.0 Assessment

All English learners enrolled in K – 12th grade in the state of Georgia take the ACCESS for ELLs 2.0 each year. It assesses social and instructional English as well as the academic language associated with language arts, mathematics, science, and social studies. Students are tested in four different domains: speaking, listening, reading, and writing in order to determine the English language proficiency of the student. Your student’s school uses the information to ensure that your student is receiving appropriate academic support to achieve his/her best.

Because the ACCESS for ELLs 2.0 assessment is composed of several subtests, your student will complete the test over multiple school days.

How your student can prepare for test taking—and what you can do to help

A student who is well rested and well fed and has a positive attitude about testing is best prepared for testing. You can help your student do his or her best by considering these tips:

• Make sure that your student is in school and on time on test days.
• Make sure your student gets a good night’s sleep and eats a healthy breakfast before each day of testing.
• Emphasize that you have confidence in his or her ability to do the best job possible.
• Remind your student to listen to the directions and read each question carefully during testing.

Thank you very much for encouraging and supporting your student during testing. If you have any questions or concerns, please contact Haley Thompson at Haley.Thompson@gcpsk12.org.

• Do you ever look at your capable child’s less-than-stellar report card— or his messy room or half-finished project— and wonder how to motivate him to do his best? Here are a few ways to motivate, but, first, some myths:

Don’t believe these myths about motivation.

• “Nothing seems to motivate him.” Something does. You just may not have found it yet.
• “One day she’s motivated, and the next day…” Motivation isn’t a mood that comes and goes. It’s more complicated, and often tied to the situation at hand or the project of the moment. As children become self-motivated, they become more “consistent.”
• “Give him something. That will motivate him.” Outside motivators like rewards can work for awhile, but are no replacement for intrinsic motivators, such as personal pride, responsibility, etc.
• Competition is a great motivator. In fact, it can be a de-motivator. Instead, set up win-win situations.
• Punishment is an effective motivator. Actually, it can breed resentment and have the opposite effect.

Use statements that enhance independence.

• I’ll get the job started and you can finish it.
• Take a chance. See if you can do it.
• I know you can…
• Sounds like you have a problem. What solutions have you thought about?
• Let me teach you to do this yourself.

Practice the E and 4 P’s of motivation…

Encouragement: Unlike praise, encouragement is more of an observation that points out something your child can be proud of himself. For instance, say:

• You have really stayed focused on your project this evening. I know you’re getting a lot done!
• I noticed how helpful you were at Grandpa’s today. You should be proud of yourself.
• You’ve been working hard on that report. Keep it up!
• You were really helpful, working with me to clean out the garage. I really appreciate it.

Power: Set-up win-win situations that allow your child to develop self-motivation.

• Choose your battles.
• Offer choices.
• Give responsibility.
• Express interest instead of praising.
• Let your child generate a solution, rather than offering your own solution.
• Be willing to negotiate.
• Remind yourself you are grooming a leader.

Prestige: Kids are like everyone else. They just want a little recognition. Consider the following:

• “Kid awards,” lunchbox notes, and certificates of appreciation. Slip a note of encouragement next to her Juicebox or tape a “Hard Worker Award” or “Most Improved in Science” certificate to the bathroom mirror.
• Bragging rights to a neighbor or relative. Across the backyard fence or on the phone to Grandma (and overheard by your child): “Sally’s working so hard in class. Her teacher says she is doing much better in language arts. Isn’t that great!”
• A display on the most sought-after space in the house— the family refrigerator. Proudly display work that shows effort, improvement, or achievement. Include positive notes from school, items from the school newsletter, and pictures from award assemblies.

People: Many children crave interaction with others, so a promised social occasion can be a real motivator for them. Offer opportunities to…

• Play with friends.
• Visit with grandparents or favorite cousins.
• Have a special play date.
• Go to the concert of a favorite (and parent-approved) entertainer or a sporting event with mom or dad.
• Spend time with a person they admire.

Prizes: We’re not talking about “bribes” to elicit better grades. However, a reward for a job well-done might inspire a child to put in the extra effort to do his best every time.

• Social rewards— Parental attention and verbal reinforcement can be just the thing for a child who needs a little more attention in order to keep focused on his goals.
• Material rewards— Some consider prizes and rewards a bonus for going above and beyond what it expected, just as an employee might get a bonus for extra effort on the job. If you think about school as your child’s “job” then you might decide this approach has merit but it’s certainly a personal preference. Monetary rewards or prizes may not fit with your family’s philosophy. It’s up to you and just one of several tools in the motivational toolbox.
• Privileges— A motivational privilege might be anything from a later bedtime to a sleepover with friends to a trip to an amusement park.

Our next round of live virtual AKS at Home K-5 sessions will begin on January 30, 2023. AKS at Home provides math and language arts resources to support families of children in grades K-5. Through live virtual grade-specific Zoom sessions and helpful AKS tip sheets, families of students in grades K-5 can learn ways to help their children practice foundational skills in language arts and math.

Who: Families of all elementary school students

What: Zoom sessions and tip sheets to support student mastery of AKS foundational skills in Language Arts and Math

Where: AKS at Home webpage

When: Session 3 live Zoom sessions will be offered from January 30, 2023 to February 1, 2023, in English, Spanish, Korean, Chinese, and Vietnamese. Please see the attached flyers and advertisements for grade-level specific dates and times.

How: Register for Zoom sessions on the AKS at Home webpage

We are so proud of our Meadowcreek Robotics team for participating in the Lanier Longhorn Super Regionals! They did a wonderful job! Way to go, Mustangs! Thank you to our Robotics coaches, Ms. Wysocki and Ms. Ore for leading this awesome team!

On Digital Learning Days, students will access their teacher's eCLASS page and read their morning message for digital learning day instructions. Teachers will not hold live Zoom lessons on digital learning days.

• Friday, February 3
  
• Friday, March 17

To ensure that students have a nutritious breakfast and lunch to fuel their learning, our bus drivers will be on the road and at every bus stop to deliver meals prepared by the School Nutrition Program staff. Families should expect buses to run their routes from approximately 10:45 a.m. to noon, beginning at the first stops on the route. These delivered meals are provided at no cost to families and are available to anyone 18 years old and under.

Early childhood experiences are so important to lifelong learning. If you have a child between the ages of one month and 5 years old and are looking for ways to encourage him/her to play, learn, and grow; consider joining our FREE Play2Learn Program here at Meadowcreek Elementary. For more information, please contact Mrs. Pena-Perez at (770) 381-4248 or visit the school. There is a waiting list.

English: https://drive.google.com/file/d/12wJVMcF2u_eWl78IuRxVjkAUXrvrJ2c1/view

Spanish: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1eD4O6OOw8RAR-uZ37NuATOMAzsd82nqE/view

This year’s series is focused on our 1:1 initiative. Each week, a new video will be released which focuses on how to effectively use your Chromebook and other tips/tricks. Check out the entire playlist here. You may also visit the 1:1 Parent Support Site.

Please visit the GCPS Tech Tips YouTube Channel for more tech tips: GCPS Tech Tips Channel

Meadowcreek Elementary families have the opportunity to connect with the Parent Center in person, by phone, or Zoom to become familiar with:

• School procedures

• Checking out free educational games and resources to help your child at home

• Creating an email account

• Registering/navigating the Parent Portal

• Completing free/reduced lunch application online

• Supporting your child with eCLASS/Google classroom

• Making payments on MyPaymentsPlus (cafeteria, school field trips, spirit wear, etc.)

• Anything else that you may need support with!

In-Person: Parents may visit the Parent Center Tuesday - Friday 9:00am-11:00am

Virtual: Click on the following link from 1:00pm-2:00pm on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, & Thursdays: https://gcpsk12-org.zoom.us/j/92626367024

Phone: Mrs. Rosell: 770-638-2374 or Mrs.Pena-Perez: 770-381-4248

We look forward to serving you!

Parent Lunch

Parents are now welcome to have lunch with their children! Students can have no more than 2 visitors for lunch. Strollers are not allowed in the cafeteria. Parents may sit at the Parent Table with their students during your student's scheduled lunch time. Students are expected to return to their class and teacher when the class dismisses from the cafeteria. If a parent needs to check out a student after lunch; please go to the front office to request a student checkout with your ID. Parent visitation beyond the cafeteria is not allowed. Thank you for helping us to maintain a positive, safe, learning environment for our students.

Strollers

Please remember that strollers are not permitted in the cafeteria during lunch. Strollers have to be left in the hallway next to the cafeteria.

Outside food

Please refrain from bringing in birthday treats and outside food for a class. We want to remain sensitive to classroom allergies. Ice Cream is available to purchase for a class if you desire. Please no cupcakes, balloons, flowers, etc.

Car Rider

During morning arrival, please do not park in the parking lot and walk your child inside the school. Please remain in the car rider lane and drop your child off in line with a staff member. We do not want students and parents walking across the car rider lane. This slows the line and creates a safety concern.

Tardies

Please make sure your child arrives at school on time. Students should be in class and ready to begin instruction by 8:15 am every day. When students are late, it is disruptive to the learning environment. Please help us make sure our students are prepared for daily learning by being on time.