Simonton Parent Newsletter
August 16, 2019
Every Student Every Day, Deserves to Learn, Lead, and Excel!
Message from Ms. Perkins
Last week we conducted our first fire drill for the school year. We were so proud of all of our students. They did a great job of exiting the building quickly and following the directions of their teachers. Each month we will be conducting several safety drills including a severe weather drill and a hard lock down drill. Our teachers and administrators have been reviewing safety procedures with the students since the first day of school. While we do not want to alarm or frighten our students, it is important that they are aware of the sound of the safety signals and how to keep themselves safe in an emergency. If you have any questions, please feel free to reach out to us here at the school.
If you have not had a chance to join the Simonton ES PTA, I encourage you to do so. We have a great group of parents who are dedicated to supporting our school community. Membership is $6.00. The first meeting will be held on Wednesday, August 20, 2019 at 12:30 pm and you are welcome to attend and learn more about our PTA.
Have an awesome weekend!
Mark Your Calendars...
August 22- Curriculum Night (K-2) 6:00 & 6:45 pm
August 24- Saturday Intervention (2-5) 9:00-11:00 am
August 26- PTA Fall Fundraiser begins
August 28- PTA Board Meeting ~ 12:30 pm
September 2, 2019 - No School/Labor Day
September 6, 2019 - Grandparents Day ~ See flyer in the Friday folder
Don't forget to sign up for MyPaymentsPlus
Please take a moment to sign-up for a MyPaymentsPlus account by going to the following link: MyPaymentsPlus
Creating an account will allow you to keep up with your student(s)’ lunch status, acknowledge and sign Title 1 forms, and see events that are available for your cluster.
SES Student Handbook Highlight
SNACKS
Students may bring a nutritious snack to school. In compliance with state standards, students are not to bring food from “fast food” restaurants. This includes carbonated drinks such as sodas. Please make use of the cafeteria menu when eating lunch with your child.Breakfast and Lunch Charges:
Students will be allowed to charge their meals when they do not have cash or money in their account. When a student has charged meal(s), parents will be informed of the account status at least once a month by a letter printed from the computer and/or a phone call. If a child’s account exceeds $11.25 in charges, they will no longer be allowed to charge breakfast or lunch. The current register program will allow charges to be paid on the line. Charges will be deducted from the new payment received from the student and the balance made available for future meals. Students who bring their own meals are allowed to purchase milk or water to go with their meal.
Clubs that are new to Simonton:
Girls on the Run
A new Club will be coming to Simonton this year. It is called Girls on the Run, or GOTR. One teacher from each grade level will be involved as coaches. Our mission is to inspire girls to be joyful, healthy and confident using a fun, experience-based curriculum which creatively integrates running. If you are interested in being apart of this club, you will need to register on-line. At that time, you will be put into a lottery and 16 girls will randomly be chosen from the selection.
Lottery Registration Opens August 14-21.
Parents/Guardians you can register your girl any time during this period. Registration will close at 11:59 pm on August 21.
Lottery Run August 22
A computer-generated lottery will randomly choose participates to fill the available spots for each team and parents/guardians will receive an email regarding your girl's status. Our team limit is 16 girls.
Register Here: Girls on the Run program registration
Chess Adventures
Chess Adventures Club was developed to explore the fun side of chess. Scientific facts prove chess helps develop mental stimulation and increases brain power. Chess Adventures focuses on keeping kids wanting to learn. We provide silly sets, animated chess video cartoons, fun clocks and chess computer games via our netbooks and laptops in each one of our classes.
Chess Adventures Club is for students ages 6 and up. To register your student for this wonderful enrichment program call: 470-363-4780 or simply fill out a registration form at the front desk and fax it into the chess adventures office or visit www.chessadventures.org and click on ENROLLMENT. Click the tab for "Simonton Elementary School" and fill out the form online from the convenience of your home.
Our first meeting will be Thursday, September 5, 2019. We will meet from 3:00-4:00 pm. Sessions will be held weekly thru May 2019.
Young Rembrandts
Young Rembrandts offers art classes for kids. Local drawing lessons are available after school in Suwanee, Norcross, Lawrenceville, Buford, Sugar Hill, Duluth and Cumming. Our preschool drawing, elementary drawing and cartoon drawing classes complement and expand existing art programs in local Gwinnett and Forsyth County schools. Young Rembrandts provides all materials, top-quality instructors and curriculum for weekly drawing classes. Our classes are built to be fun, but children who participate in Young Rembrandts local art classes increase overall academic skills, fine motor skills, social skills and confidence.
The Young Rembrandts Art Club is open to students grades K-5th. This is a 14 week session. You can pay in full ($150) or choose 2 payments of $75. If the second option is chosen, the 2nd installment is automatically charged on October 4, 2019. Enroll online at www.youngrembrandts.com/neatlanta
Our first meeting will be Thursday, August 22, 2019 from 3:00-4:00 pm. (Date subject to change.) After that, we will meet Thursday afternoons with the exception of 10/10, 10/24 & 11/28.
Message from the Gwinnett Environmental & Heritage Center
There are two upcoming events at the Gwinnett Environmental and Heritage Center that we would like to point out to all parents: (see flyers below)
Prehistoric Extinction Party: FREE!
Saturday, August 24 5:00pm-9:00pm
Dino-Mite 3K Glow Run: $10/person (Proceeds to benefit Gwinnett Parks Foundation Scholarship Program)
Saturday, August 24 8:00pm
These are events that your students are sure to enjoy!
Lawrenceville Youth Association
PTA Membership
We hope you find it easy to get involved and support our school. Our goal is one membership per child. Remember, no support is too small! A $6.00 membership or even a little bit of your time goes a long way to help the Simonton PTA provide fun and educational experiences for our wonderful school.
For just $6.00, your membership fee will support programs like these :
- Fall Movie Night
- Fall Festival
- BINGO Night
To purchase your membership, please visit mypaymentsplus.com and select the PTA option.
Family Engagement Tips
1. Give Your Child a Chance to Make the Right Choice
When your child has to make a big decision, it may be tempting to make it for him. But there are a few things you should do first: Listen to your child as he looks for a solution. Rephrase what you hear him say. Ask thought-provoking questions: "If you don't go to the game, how would your teammates feel?" Then be patient. Your child may come to the right conclusion, and he'll gain useful problem-solving skills.
2. Turn an Egg Carton into a Fun Math Game
Here's a fun game to help your child practice math facts. Get an empty egg carton. Inside each cup, write a number from 0 to 11. Now cut out several egg-shaped pieces of paper. On each, write a math problem with a solution from 0 to 11. Have your child solve the problem on each egg, and put it in the cup with the matching answer. For an older child, try writing fractions in the cups and equivalent fractions on the eggs.
3. A Mystery is Fun for the Whole Family
Detective novels are great for reading aloud. Add to the fun by challenging family members to "out-detect" the detectives. Assign each person a different character. As you read, they can take notes on their characters. Before you read the last chapter, have family members tell their characters' stories. Then try to solve the crime together.
4. To Encourage Reading in New Ways, Pick up a Newspaper
Newspaper articles may not interest your child, but you can still use the paper to interest her in reading. Have her hunt through the headlines and cut out the letters from A to Z to make an alphabet poster. Can she find letters to spell family members' names? Or show your child the grocery store ads. Have her choose foods that would make a tasty (or yucky) sandwich, and help her make a list of the ingredients.
5. Create a Routine that Gets Your Family Ready for School
The start of a new school year is exciting, but it often means families must make a few adjustments. This year, decide on some basics for your school-year routine. Set a regular homework time. Create a chart of your child's daily tasks that he can use as a reminder until they become habits. Post a calendar and have everyone write down their activities. Then review it each week with your child and plan ahead.
6. Teach Your Child to Take 'No' for an Answer
Kids who understand that they can't always get their own way have a much easier time in school. And the way you say "no" can help your child manage disappointment. For example, pause and say "Let me think about this for a minute," before answering her request. This shows you are listening to her. Then think out loud. "If I let you go to Maya's house, we won't have time to eat dinner together, so I have to say no."
7. Have You Seen These Signs of Reading Difficulty?
When children encounter words they can't read, many squirm, get sleepy, look anxious or act up. If you see any of these signs, ask your child if there's a word he doesn't understand. Help him look it up in the dictionary. Then check his understanding by asking him to use the word in a sentence. If he says he knows all the words, do some spot checks. Ask, "What does this word mean?"
Labor Day ~ No School
Play to Learn (P2L)
How does this work?
Parents bring their child(ren) (ages birth to five) to a 90 minute session each week.
Activities are modeled and facilitated by a certified staff member utilizing best practices for readiness skills in Communication, Language and Literacy, Cognitive Development, Social Emotional Development, Approaches to Play and Learning and Motor Skill Development.
Approximately 20 students are in the class.
Parent remain with children for the entire session.
Join us on Thursday, August 22, 2019 at 9:00 am for the Simonton ES Play to Learn Orientation.
Simonton Elementary School
Tamara Perkins- Principal
Daphne Miles- Assistant Principal
Nicole Tomlinson- Assistant Principal
Emily Young- Assistant Principal
Superintendent: Mr. Alvin Wilbanks
Assistant Superintendent: Dr. Terry Watlington
School Board Member: Mr. Steven B. Knudsen
Website: https://www.gcpsk12.org/SimontonES
Location: 275 Simonton Road Southeast, Lawrenceville, GA, USA
Phone: 770-513-6637