Titan Talk Newsletter
November 22, 2019
Upcoming
NOVEMBER IS FAMILY ENGAGEMENT MONTH!
THANKSGIVING BREAK - NO SCHOOL
November 25th to November 29th
Enjoy your holiday!
The Week After Break...
- 12/2 - PTSA Board Meeting @ 8:00 a.m. in Teacher Lunchroom
- 12/2 - 8th grade Orchestra Field Trip @ 9:35 a.m. - Report to the Orchestra room in the morning
- 12/3 - All Day Voting - EPMS is a polling location
- 12/3 - Hampton Film Academy from 4:05 PM - 5:30 PM in the Media Center
- 12/3 - Rising 9th Grade Parent Meeting @ 6 p.m. (English)
- 12/3 - Orchestra Concert @ Roswell High School
- 12/4 - Boys Basketball Tryouts from 4:15 PM - 5:15 PM in the Gym
- 12/5 - FCA @ 7:45 a.m. in the Media Center - Bring $$$ for a chicken biscuit
- 12/5 - Student Council @ 8:00 a.m. in room E-106 - All students from All grades welcome!
- 12/5 - Girls Basketball Meet and Greet Tryouts from 4:15 PM - 5:15 PM in the Gym
- 12/5 - Hampton Film Academy from 4:05 PM - 5:30 PM in the Media Center
- 12/5 - Rising 9th Grade Parent Meeting @ 6 p.m. (Spanish)
- 12/6 - PJ Day sponsored Jr. Beta - Pay $1 and YOU get to wear PJs!
- 12/6 - Interact Club Meeting @ 8:00 AM - 8:30 AM in room E-114
- 12/7 - Titan Advantage from 9:00 AM - 12:00 PM
IMPORTANT DATES:
TOY DRIVE SPONSORED BY JR. BETA
December 2nd to December 18th
Bring an unwrapped toy for Toys for Tots to school!
8TH GRADE ORCHESTRA FIELD TRIP
Monday, Dec. 2nd @ 9:35 AM
Report to the Orchestra room in the morning.
RISING 9TH GRADE TRANSITION MEETING
English Meeting is Tuesday, December 3rd @ 6 PM
* Orchestra parents, to sign-up for the alternate date, click HERE
REUNIÓN DE TRANSICIÓN DE NOVENO GRADO EN ASCENSO
Español es el 5 de diciembre a las 6 p.m.* 8vo grado
BASKETBALL TRYOUTS
* Boys on Wednesday, December 4th @ 4:15 -5:15 p.m.
* Girls on Thursday, December 5th @ 4:15 - 5:15 p.m.
NOTE: All FCS Athletic forms must be completed to participate.
PAJAMA DAY @ THE POINTE FUNDRAISER
Pay $1 and YOU get to wear PJs for the Day - YAY!
Friday, December 6th - All Day
* Sponsored by the EPMS Jr. Beta Club *
All proceeds benefit Jr. Beta philanthropies
INVENTION CONVENTION & STEM NIGHT
December 11th @ 5:30 PM
All parents & families invited to this NEW and exciting event!
All parents & families from Elkins Pointe, Hembree Springs, Mimosa, Sweet Apple, and Vickery Mill are invited to come to the EPMS Invention Convention & STEM Night on Wednesday, Dec. 11th from 5:30 to 7:00 PM. * If you have a question regarding transportation or childcare, please contact Parent Liaison, Lisa O'Hanlon Cowles, at ohanlon@fultonschools.org or 470-254-2892.
Todos los padres y familias de Elkins Pointe, Hembree Springs, Mimosa, Sweet Apple y Vickery Mill están invitados a asistir a la Convención de Invención EPMS y Noche STEM el miércoles 11 de diciembre de 5:30 a 7:00 PM. * Si tiene alguna pregunta sobre el transporte o el cuidado de niños, comuníquese con el Enlace de Padres, Koritza Rodriguez, en rodriguezk@fultonschools.org o 470-254-2892.
Message from the Principal
Happy Thanksgiving Titans,
Today I had the pleasure of celebrating a Thanksgiving meal with the staff. It is a tradition at Elkins Pointe for the administration to serve our teachers and staff. I am thankful for the love the teachers and staff pour into their students every single day.
I am grateful to be a part of the Titan Family. I am thankful for the support our parents give to our school community. Enjoy your break and the time spent with family and friends. I wish you all a very Happy Thanksgiving!
Thank you for all that you do!
Damian Bounds
Principal
Elkins Pointe Middle School
"Every Day, Every Student, College & Career Bound: Go Titans!"
School Climate Survey Links:
The Georgia Parent Survey contains 24 questions. We need 200 parents to take the survey to show that we are an engaged school.
- CLICK ON LINK TO TAKE THE PARENT SURVEY: https://gshs.gadoe.org/parents
If you would like to keep track of our school's participation, click this link: https://portal.doe.k12.ga.us/GSHSReports/. To view the student survey questions, and parent opt-out form, https://www.gadoe.org/schoolsafetyclimate/GSHS-II/Pages/Georgia-Student-Health-Survey-II.aspx.
CELEBRATE ACADEMICS!
Something to DATA TALK About!
1) DATA TALK LESSONS IN WINN: This school-wide academic clinic lasted three days. Students learned how to interpret their data in WINN classes to be ready for the Student-Led Data Talks.
2) DATA TALK AWARDS: To recognize Very High Growth on the GA Milestones in ELA and Math, the administrators called the names of students during lunch on Wednesday. Students received a treat, and the WINN teachers gave out certificates.
- Click HERE to see the students who were recognized.
3) STUDENT-LED DATA TALKS WITH PARENTS: Thank you to all the parents, students, teachers, and staff who came out for the Data Talks. Assistant Principal Ida Ward and Admin Assitant Rawlings Johnson presented on growth and progress to parents. A special thank you to Mrs. Meredith Tongue for providing the WINN lessons for the Student-Led Data Talks.
Professional Development: Pumpkin Pie vs. Sweet Potato Pie
QUESTION: "Is pumpkin pie OR sweet potato pie the best Thanksgiving pie?"
Mrs. Streeter led a very timely and thematic Professional Development session on Friday, Nov. 22nd. Elkins Pointe teachers trained on how to utilize Socratic Seminars in their classes. Socratic Seminars are an AVID tool that teaches students to collaborate, summarize, and practice accountable talk. Socratic Seminars support critical thinking skills by requiring students to present their position through research and citing textual evidence.
ANSWER: We can't reveal the answer, but maybe your family can conduct your very own Socratic Seminar and tell us if your answer is pumpkin or sweet potato!
Escape Room!
CELEBRATE TITANS-GIVING!
Thanks for the PJs!
Our Media Specialists, Mrs. Newman and Ms.Rickson, are feeling warm and fuzzy from the generous participation in the Atlanta Pajama Project. Thank you to all the parents, students, and staff who sent in PJs and books. Your kindness in supporting literacy and a goodnight's sleep warms our hearts.
Titans Can-Can Do It!
Jr. Beta Club would like to thank all the students, parents, families, teachers, administrators, and staff that came together to donate meals, goods, and other items to North Fulton Community Charities. As a school, we collected over 700 cans/non-perishable items! You all are awesome!
And now for the winning WINN classes:
- 1st Place is Ms. Gee's WINN, with 218 total cans donated. They have won a pizza party!
- 2nd Place is Mrs. Suckow's WINN, who donated 102 cans. They have won a donut party!
Here is the breakdown per grade level:
- 6th grade - 158 cans
- 7th grade - 264 cans
- 8th grade - 269 cans
Now for some WINN class Can-Can honorable mentions:
- 20+ cans - Ms. Dismer & Ms. Thompson
- 30+ cans - Ms. Sneed, Mr. Welsowski, Ms. Taylor
- 50+ cans - Ms. Rankin & Ms. Outland,
- 60+ cans - Ms. Ingram - WOW!
- Other honorable mentions go to the WINN classes of Ms. Daniel, Adamczyk, Hawke, Rusell, Colquitt, White, Williams, Bickel, and Tempske.
Lost & Found Shelf
Thank you, the Boy Scouts, Elkins PTSA, and student volunteers for making our school better on a Saturday morning. Thank you PTSA Co-President, Howard Poppel, for your leadership. This Lost & Found shelf, located in the front office, has helped students to see and recover their items.
Breast Cancer Research Donation
Future Business Leaders of America and Elkins Pointe Middle School, thank you so much for your support during our Breast Cancer Awareness Month Fundraiser! We were able to raise $297 for the Breast Cancer Research Foundation. Most of the donations came from our students. Keep supporting each other and showing how much you care for our community throughout the holidays and into the new year.
Congratulations to Jacky F.-A. for supporting our cause and guessing the closest to the number of gumballs that were in the jar without going over! She said that she was going to win it and she did.
Celebrate Excellence!
212° Awards for November
Each month the 212° Awards are passed from one recipient to the next at our monthly staff meetings. These awards are a way for us to appreciate our colleagues who go that extra degree.
Congratulations to the November recipients, and thank you to the October recipients for keeping the torch going!
- Coach Isaiah Tyus, P.E./Health Teacher, was presented with the PBIS Champ Award by Mr. Aldarius McClaney, Sped-Ed Teacher.
- Johnson Sensei, Japanese Wolrd Language Teacher, was presented the Instructional Guru Award by Ms. Rankin, Math Teacher.
- Ms. Edith Woodruff, Custodian, was presented with the Team Player Award by Ms. Ainara Sorozabal from the front office.
- Ms. Elnora Hawkins, ESOL Teacher, was presented the AVID Ambassador Award by
Isabella Alfaro, 8th grade Social Studies Teacher.
- Monsieur Mendy, French World Language Teacher, was presented with the Leadership Extraordinaire Award by Ms. Micheaux White, 7th grade Social Studies Teacher and Jr. Beta Chair.
Anime Art Exhibit @ the Pointe
AVID Day @ GA Tech
AVID FIELD TRIP TO GA TECH: AVID teacher, Mrs. Tongue, brought her students to GA Tech for a college visit on Saturday, November 17th. The students were treated to a tour of the campus and attended GA Tech vs. VA Tech game. Although the Yellow Jackets took a major swatting by Hokies, the students enjoyed perfect weather!
Elkins and the Bee!
Congratulations to all the participants of the Schoolwide Spelling Bee. We started the competition off with 70+ contestants. The Spelling Bee lasted four hours and was hard-fought. In the end, it came down to two 6th grade contestants, both pupils of Ms. Daniel's ELA class.
Congratulations to our Spelling Bee Winners!
- 1st Place - Madison Williams, 6th grade
- 2nd Place - Freya Thomas, 6th grade
A special thank you to the judges, Ms. Dease, Ms. Rachel Ward, Ms. Stevenson, and thank you to Ms. Stone for being the announcer. Thank you to Principal Bounds and Assistant Principal Ida Ward for watching the Spelling Bee and supporting the contestants!
THINGS TO KNOW
Transition Meetings for 8th Grade Parents & Families - 12/3 & 12/5
* Save the Date and Don't Be Late! We cover a lot of information, and we will be starting promptly at 6 PM!
** 8th Orchestra parents who have a child playing at Roswell High School on Tuesday, December 3rd, please click HERE.
Buy a Yearbook for $55 before 12/20!
HOLIDAY PHOTOCARD PROMOTION - November 18th through December 6th
When students purchase a yearbook online at www.jostens.com/holidayspecial, they’ll additionally receive 20 FREE Holiday Photo Cards ($25 value). They will receive a promotional code in their yearbook email receipt with instructions on how to order their FREE cards. They will have from November 18th through January 31st to go online and redeem their FREE photo card promotional code. The holiday card website link for ordering will be provided in their email receipt.
** Yearbooks are $55 each now, but they will be $60 after Dec. 20th.
Yearbook @ EPMS Asks for BFF Pictures!
Do you have a picture of you and your friend when you were younger and a picture of the both of you now? Well, send it right away to our Yearbook Staf at Lindesay@fultonschools.org.
We are also accepting pictures of best friends who didn't know each other when they were younger, but are inseparable now.
SAVE THE DATE for the Invention Convention STEM Night - 12/11
Question: What is an Invention Convention STEM Night?
Answer: This NEW to the school event will be jointly run by the 6th grade Science Department and the PTSA!
Here are some of the awesome activities planned!
1) INVENTION CONVENTION: Inventions from 6th grade science classes will be on display in the cafeteria. Inventions will be judged during the school day, but the awards will be issued at the event.
2) STEM STATIONS: We will have different stations for guests to participate in STEM activities:
- Math-Estimation Table
- STEM activities with Q-Tips and Aluminum Foil
- An Eiffel Tower Building Challenge with Pipe Cleaners
- Designing cars with cards, mints, balloons, straws, tape - Then rest in a racetrack
- Catapults- marshmallow launchers...have a starting line for the launcher and see whose goes the farthest
- Rock quarry challenge to invent a device that will lift a rock out of a quarry
- "ProBot" racecars with LifeSaver wheels
- Squishy Circuits uses playdough to create circuits
- Magnatizes circuit boards using Little Bits
- 3D Doodler and 3D printing pen
- Stop-Motion Video with iPads
- Greenscreen Station
3) RAFFLE - RAFFLE - RAFFLE!!! The BIG Prize is a Tello EDU Drone to raffle at STEM night. All proceeds go to 6th grade TAG science.
4) REFRESHMENTS: PTSA will be providing food items to give our STEM-goers fuel for their brains!
Cotillion - Registration Now Open!
The Bridges/North Atlanta Cotillion is coming January 2020! Registration opened on November 1st. We are excited to start our classes on Sunday, January 5, at The Country Club of Roswell. This is not your Grandmother's cotillion...Have fun with us while learning dance and etiquette!
Seventh Graders will learn basic ballroom dancing and popular dance (Shag, Swing, Free-Style, Line, and Slow), as well as many relevant social and professional skills the students will need to know now and throughout their lives. The Seventh Grade class will culminate in a Parents Showcase displaying the Program as parents observe all their child has learned. Students will also enjoy a 50's Party filled with games, contests, dancing, and pizza!
For Eighth Graders, the classes will review the basics taught in year one, and the students will learn many new dances, including Latin, Swing, and Hustle. An extensive Table Manners segment will further develop your child’s social graces. Dating, interviews and making conversation will also be covered. The Eighth Grade Program will culminate in a Dinner Dance that brings all of the students’ new skills into practice. New students are always welcome in 8th grade.
You can expect your child to gain confidence in our classes, and learn how to greet, shake hands and converse with adults - an all-important skill as the dating years approach. They will also discuss social media etiquette! But most of all, your teen will have fun!
For more information, please contact:
Valerie Macdonald
Director of The Cotillion Group
770-781-5580
Valerie.cotillion@yahoo.com
www.thecotilliongroup.com
Thank You for Turning in Box Tops
EPMS will receive a check for nearly $85 thanks to everyone who submitted Box Tops. Keep sending them in! And, remember to download the Box Tops app and scan your receipts to earn money that way.
Eventually, the Box Tops program will become digital-only. Participating brands are starting to change their packaging from a traditional Box Tops clip to the new Box Top label.
If you see this label, use the new Box Tops app to scan your receipt. Box Tops are still worth 10¢ each for the school.
The app will find participating products purchased at any store and instantly add cash to our earnings online. It adds up fast!
- Box Tops App on Apple store: https://apps.apple.com/app/apple-store/id1150038564
- Box Tops App Google Play: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.generalmills.btfe
Calendar Dates
DECEMBER 2019
- 12/9 - Girls Basketball practice from 4:15 PM - 5:15 PM in the Gym
- 12/9 to 12/13 - Come make a seasonal decoration in the Media Center during WINN time! Sign-up coming soon!
- 12/10 - Club-Group Photos - ALL Day @ EPMS
- 12/10 - Hampton Film Academy from 4:05 PM - 5:30 PM in the Media Center
- 12/10 - Band Holiday Concert @ EPMS 6:30 p.m. ALL grades
- 12/11 - Band, Chorus, and Orchestra Tour (off campus)
- 12/11 - Katha Stuart Meeting: VMES @ 9:30 a.m.
- 12/11 - Invention Convention & STEM Night @ 5:30 pm to 7 pm - ALL Families Invited!
- 12/11 - Jr. Beta Club Meeting @ 4:15 in the Media Center
- 12/12 - FCA @ 7:45 a.m. in the Media Center - Bring $$$ for a chicken biscuit
- 12/12 - Hampton Film Academy from 4:05 PM - 5:30 PM in the Media Center
- 12/12 - Chorus Holiday Concert @ EPMS 6:30 p.m.
- 12/13 - Winter Holiday Sweater Day! Wear a seasonal sweater and earn points for your college.
- 12/16 - 12/20 - 8th grade exam window (Exam schedule will be published when finalized)
- 12/16 - Girls Basketball from 4:15 PM - 5:15 PM in the Gym
- 12/17 - Boys Basketball Practice from 4:15 PM - 4:45 PM in the Gym
- 12/18 - Boys Basketball Practice from 4:15 PM - 4:45 PM in the Gym
- 12/19 - FCA @ 7:45 a.m. in the Media Center - Bring $$$ for a chicken biscuit
- 12/19 - Student Council @ 8:00 a.m. in room E-106 - All students from all grades welcome!
- 12/20 - SGC Meeting from 7:30 AM - 8:30 AM
- 12/20 - Interact Club @ 8:00 AM in room E-114 - All Welcome!
- 12/20 - Lost & Found donated at end of the school day
- 12/20 - Last Day of First Semester
- 12/23 to 12/31 – Winter Break (schools closed)