March Newsletter 2019
Chestatee Elementary School
A Letter From Dr. Tennies, Our Principal
March 1st, was an amazing day at Chestatee! We celebrated our love of reading with Read Across America Day. The origins of the day are centered with a famous children’s author, Dr. Seuss’ birthday. Several students and many adults dressed up as their favorite book character. The energy and excitement in the hallways was electric! Part of the fun is seeing the costumes and making the connections, “Do I know that one?” Several students were carrying their favorite book around the hallways. Big smiles and plenty of stories were present. The day was rich with storytellers!
Other joyful parts included “Bookworm Beginnings”- a special treat, when an unexpected block of uninterrupted reading time is given. Being able to relax into a book for 30 minutes is a reward our students enjoy. Part of cultivating reading enjoyment is building stamina for reading and sharing our love of reading as adults. For kindergarten students, this might be reading for 10 minutes, and then a little dancing!
We continue to share our Chestatee reading celebrations on Facebook. If you have some readers at home, feel free to share a photo to #CHESreads on Twitter. Growing students who love books is a goal for our school!
Kindly,
Dr. Polly Tennies
Principal
INCREDIBLE Things Happen at the "T"!
Read Across America Day
Science Night
Mother/Son Night
Watch Dog Burgers and Builders
World Read Aloud Day February 1
Oratorical Winner
Science Olympiad Winners!
Congratulations Carter!
Live to Give Club Highlighted in 7 Mindsets Newsletter
International Night: April 11
Chestatee's 2nd Annual International Night will be April 11th, 2019 from 6-7:30pm. The night is filled with exciting performances, food tasting, arts and crafts! The best of all is our student's country boards. The boards are the highlight of the evening. Students and their families work together to create a small presentation about a specific country. If you have any questions or would like to help out, email Vianna Perez at vperez@forsyth.k12.ga.us.
What's New At the T?
LSC Nomination Form
March 31.
7:45 am-9:15 am
10:00 am -10:50 am
11:45 am-12:30 pm
Before you are able to come and read to students, you MUST watch the mandated reporter video here. You will also need to sign the Volunteer Agreement attached below.
Teacher/ Staff Member of the Month Nominations
Congratulations to February Teacher of the Month-Lexie Wilkinson
Ms. Lexy Wilkinson was nominated by students, staff, and parents, and her nominations all stated that she is caring, fun, and holds high expectations for all. Her team is thankful for her, and her students adore her. Parents stated that she partners with them to help their children reach their goals. They also noted that she truly loves what she does and literally shines when she talks about her work, her students, and student success. Lexy works hard and shows great dedication in her classroom.
This will be Ms. Wilkinson’s fifth year teaching kindergarten but her first year at Chestatee. She graduated from Neumann University with a dual degree in Early Childhood and Special Education and just moved to Georgia from New Jersey this past year. We are so glad that Ms. Wilkinson came to Chestatee!
The Time is Now
What's Coming up at the T?
Kids Heart Challenge ends March 15
Coffee Chat March 28
Don't miss our next Coffee Chat on Thursday, March 28 9:00-10:00 in the Family Resource Room!
Family Fest March 21
Fine Arts Night: Tuesday, March 26
Our Communi-T-y is the BEST!
Thank you to our business partner at The Peter Moseley Agency of Farmers' Insurance. This company is sponsoring our Teacher of the Month Program and our food pantry. Their agency has become a food/ needs drop-off location for our community to provide help to both Chestatee Elementary and Chattahoochee Elementary. Thank you, Alisha, for the visit!
4730 Hammond Industrial Dr. Ste 100
Cumming, GA 30041
770-904-9034
Want to Join PTO?
A Few Words From our Family Engagement Coordinator
March is the month of luck, and I admit that I feel lucky!
We have the best students, staff, and families in town! I feel lucky to get to work with each group every day at Chestatee. I also feel lucky about Title I and the additional funding we will have next year because of this program.
With Title I, we will have additional resources for instruction. This money is spent on extra staff, programs, and materials. It’s going to be amazing! I feel lucky because Title I has made us a better school in many ways. We have gotten better because of the practices required of Title I.
Through Title I, we have learned many valuable lessons.
These include:
· Best practices for teaching students
· The power of school-family partnerships
· Flexible times for meetings- not everyone can come at the same time or day
· Parent input is extremely important
Chestatee does Title I very well. We use these extra resources to benefit all students.
As we head into the spring, there will be many opportunities for your feedback and input. Quick surveys are a nice way for you to tell us your thoughts. These surveys will include questions about how we should spend funds, what you would like to see for families, what programs you find meaningful and tweaks that you feel should be made. We will also have input meetings in April and May to get your input for next year. Your opinion matters to us! Thank you in advance for sharing your thoughts.
If you have Title I questions, input to offer, or need anything, stop by and see me. I love seeing our families! I’m here to assist you!
See you soon,
Meg
Free and Reduced Lunch
Click here to apply. Need help filling out the form? Stop by and see Meg Killingsworth in the Family Resource Room (302). Or give her a call or email. She’s glad to help! Can't come in?
Here's a video with directions!
770-887-2341 ext 722302
Don't Forget....
Box Tops/ Soup Labels
Remember if you full up a box tops page, Ms. Donna has a prize you can earn!
Publix will donate money too...
See Ms. Donna in the front office for one of these cards, or send a letter with your child asking for one, and we will send one home for you!
We love our Partners in Education!
Chestatee Elementary School
Email: chestateees@gmail.com
Website: http://www.forsyth.k12.ga.us/site/default.aspx?domainid=260
Location: 6945 Keith Bridge Road, Gainesville, GA, United States
Phone: 770-887-2341
Facebook: facebook.com/ChestateeES
Twitter: @chestateees