The Panther Press
Be the One to Communicate
March 16, 2020
We ARE Powers Ferry!
Website: http://www.cobbk12.org/powersferry/
Location: Powers Ferry Elementary School, Powers Ferry Road, Marietta, GA, USA
Phone: 770-578-7936
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/PantherPeeps
Twitter: @PowersferryES
Our Mission: Be the one to support, nurture, and empower every student, every day.
Dr. Jones will be at the Brumby ES location on Friday to greet Powers Ferry families, be sure to stop by to say hello. See you there.
Dr. Jones' Journal
Hello Panther Families,
These are unprecedented times upon us, but you are not alone. We are all experiencing challenges together. Let's just all take a deep breath and exhale slowly. Your kids are looking forward to spending some quality time with you and the rest of the family. So, while planning their schedule for academic and learning time, be sure to include some family time as well. Here are some tips to help.
If you can’t think of anything to do:
1. Have your children read a book for at least 20 minutes and tell you what they learned. You can read right alongside them. Your kids need to see you reading as well.
2. Sit and listen to your children. Every child has a story. (Be free of your laptop or phone and focus on them). Make eye contact to show them you are listening - This is great for mental health
3. Find a YouTube video and learn a dance with your kids. They will still need cardio/movement and so will you. (I've been using my stretch band all weekend and legs and gluts are sore - LOL -I will post some movement ideas on Facebook).
4. Have your children write about their best family memory ever. Read it and come up with ways you might be able to recreate it.
5. Pick out a TikTok with your kids and just do it. If you do it right, you’ll be laughing at yourselves.
6. Pull out a recipe or have your child find one based on the ingredients you have in your home and teach them how to cook (also helps kids learn how to follow directions) - Kids desperately need home living skills. They can also learn a valuable, real-life lesson about fractions.
7. Let your children sit with you while you pay bills and teach them the value of a dollar.
8. Talk to your kids about each bill you pay and talk through what it’s for. (Could even turn into a writing assignment).
9. Do laundry together. Everyone gets their own clothes and folds them and puts them away. Sing a song or play a game while you do it. Chores are ALWAYS on the list. School-age children can have responsibilities around the home.
10. Sit and talk to your children about the day they were born. Recreate the story to include the baby showers, who you told first, how you felt (excited, nervous, etc.) and tell them why they are so important to you. They need to hear how much they were and are loved. (**Someone needs to hear this - Talking about the conception part is NOT appropriate).
11. If you know how, teach your kids how to sew on a button or fix a hem. Again, a valuable skill that all children need in life. You could even purchase one of the cross stich patterns and let them work on it.
12. Pull out your old yearbook (yes, I said it...old) and have them pull one of theirs. Let them make comparisons between the two and write about it.
13. Sit and talk with your kids about hygiene and make sure they know how to appropriately wash their hands and their bodies. Being in an elementary school, some young kids, even in 1st and 2nd grades need deodorant. Older kids need to learn how to shave. All kids need to learn how to brush their teeth and floss, including adults.
14. Teach your kids how to tie a tie or paint nails together.
15. Get a scrapbook and finally put your photos away, organized just like you like them. Tell the history that goes with each photograph. Your children can learn so much of their history.
16. Have a talk with your kids about emergency drills in your home and practice drills. Do they know what to do if there is a fire? What will they do? Where is your meeting place? Make sure your kids have a code family word for safety. What do you do in case of severe weather? Tornado? Earthquake? Flooding?
17. If you have a collection or hobby, talk to your kids about it. Ex. You have a coin collection, talk to them about each coin. (My current hobby is candle and health/beauty care product making).
18. FACETIME with all the family members you can. There are probably already family members you don’t get to see regularly, so make sure your kids are connected to their family. After your talks, your children can make a family tree.
19. Look at the back of your food boxes and have your children review the nutrition labels. Talk to your kids about what all of the numbers mean. Are they eating healthy? Have them write about the healthiest and least healthy food product in your home.
20. Save toilet paper and/or paper towel rolls (or in my case Amazon boxes) and come together and make something out of it. Make sure you have tape and glue on hand. Educator tip: Have your children make a model drawing first and figure out what supplies they might need to carry out their masterpiece. Then help them make their creations.
21. Buy a puzzle with over 500 pieces and put it together as a family.
22. Draw a shape on a piece of paper and have your kids make something out of it. See just how creative they are.
23. Have a family story chain. Each family member tells part of a story and the next family member has to add to the story.
24. Find a picture of something (simple). Sit back to back with your kids and one at a time, giving the other directions on how to make the picture. Good lesson on following directions and you should laugh at what you’ve come up with.
25. Have your kids write how to make a peanut butter and jelly sandwich (or your favorite sandwich) and you follow their directions on how to make it. If the directions need editing, allow kids to do that.
26. Have your child create a schedule for the ideal day in with you. See what they come up with and try to implement some of them.
27. Play old school games: Simon Says; Mother May I?; Red Light, Green Light; etc. You get the picture.
28. Come up with special handshakes for each family member and video them with your phone.
29. Pull karaoke videos off YouTube and sing into a spatula or it won’t be legit. Sing your heart out!
30. If you’re handy, find something in your house that’s broken and fix it together.
31. Everyone take a nap! It’s a healthy habit to teach your children how to rest.
32. For those of you missing worship services, it’s a great opportunity to learn together (or attend services online).
Adapted from: Dr. Timeka Cline (my good friend)
With ❤,
~Dr. Jones~
#GameOnGameChangers
MARCH SELF-CARE (Remember to Take CARE of SELF)
Changes in Transportation
When you have a need to change your student's transportation, the change must be made in writing. It is our responsibility to ensure the safety of students, and having a note in writing avoids miscommunication about how students are getting home. Contacting teachers through ClassDoJo for transportation changes is not allowed, because the request will go unnoticed while teachers are conducting instruction in the classroom during the school day.
Changes to transportation must be a signed letter made by fax or as a scanned emailed to the front office through the cell phone or other scanning device from the enrolling adult. These changes should be made no later than 1:45pm so that the front office can have enough time to ensure students' safe departure.
Breakfast Program closes @ 7:45am
Parents, our breakfast program is from 7:15am - 7:45am each morning. Students should be in the breakfast line no later than 7:45am to avoid missing an opportunity to have breakfast. If your student is a car rider, please have them at school no later than 7:40am to avoid them missing breakfast.
The bell (late bell) to begin our instructional day rings at 7:50am and our cafeteria staff has removed breakfast items to prepare food for lunch. Students entering the building at 7:50am are considered tardy for school.