Sawnee Elementary
May 2021 Newsletter
A Note from Mr. Hershey
Dear Sawnee Families,
Can you believe that we are near the end of another school year? The old saying that the days are long, but the years are short continue to be true....especially during a pandemic! Whether your student has learned in a virtual setting, face-to-face setting, or both, we are so proud of the progress we have made. I couldn't be more proud of how hard our community has pulled together to support each other and are so incredibly grateful for our partnership.
During our last faculty meeting and on the morning news, we have been encouraging our staff and students to utilize each day to finish the school year out strong. Please continue to support your child by encouraging him/her to come to school every day with a great attitude to learn. We only have three weeks left and certainly want to make the most of it before heading out for summer break!
Thank you again for all of your support...we are grateful for our Sawnee Family. Let's finish the year out strong! We are very hopeful that we will have our parents back in the building soon and look forward to seeing you soon!
With much gratitude,
Derrick Hershey
Principal
Sawnee Elementary
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What's Happening at Sawnee?
Be the Difference - Staff Recognitions
Thank You PTO
Yearbook and Field Day Shirts - Limited Supplies
We are changing the process for purchasing an extra yearbook as well as field day t-shirts. We will have a Google Form Link for yearbooks and a separate form for t-shirts that will go LIVE this Thursday morning (May 6th) at 8:00am and remain live through Tuesday, May 11th. Parents will need to fill out the form if they wish to request a yearbook or field day t-shirt. The requests will be time stamped and we will then send payment information to parents whose requests we are able to fill. Parents will have the option to pay using MPP or cash. No checks will be accepted. Once payments have been made, we will distribute those orders to homerooms on Monday, the 17th. Unfortunately, supplies for both yearbooks and field day t-shirts are limited. We will give our 5th graders priority since it is their last year at Sawnee. The form links will be located on Sawnee’s Homepage. You will need your student's ID number to complete the form.
Reading WARRiors
It is with great sadness and tremendous honor Sawnee Elementary brings Reading WARRiors to our community. Former Media Specialist, Shannon Warr lost her battle to cancer in January of 2021. Mrs. Warr was a strong advocate for reading and getting books into children’s hands. Reading WARRiors has been established in order to honor her memory. Sawnee has created a bookshop area for students to be able to “shop” for a book of their choice. We have books from a variety of genres in both English and Spanish. This legacy will pass on her love of reading to our Sawnee students for many years to come. This year EVERY Sawnee student will receive a Reading WARRior book. In the future, we plan for every kindergartener entering Sawnee, every fifth grader leaving Sawnee, and all students with economic needs, who may not have access to their personal books, will receive a Reading WARRior book. It is our hope that by having their own book students will enjoy and value reading as they become lifelong readers.
If you would like to donate to the Reading WARRior program, click the button below.
5th Grade News
5th Grade Graduation and End of Year Events - be on the lookout for information about these events coming from your student's homeroom teachers.
Congratulations to our 5th Grade Winners:
Social Studies Fair - Siya and Riya, 1st Place
Technology Fair - Animita, 1st Place Multimedia Applications; Tvisha, 2nd Place 3D Modeling; Pranaya, 1st Place Mobile Apps; Ayden, 1st Place Video Production
Parents of Rising 6th Grade Students:
Please use the links below to access information about transition activities for both Otwell Middle School and Hendricks Middle School. If your child will be attending a different Forsyth County middle school, you will receive information directly from his/her homeroom teacher. You can also check the counseling page on the school website of any middle schools for additional information. If you have any questions, you can reach out to staff or administration at Sawnee or at the middle school level.
Letter from Otwell Middle School
Otwell Middle School 6th Grade Transition Page
Kindergarten Sneak Peek
We are so excited about the upcoming school year and seeing all your smiling faces! Please place on your calendar the dates and events listed below.
- April 30 – “Virtual” Kindergarten Sneak Peek
Please join us for a Virtual Kindergarten Sneak Peek, hear a special message from our Principal, Mr. Derrick Hershey, experience a virtual tour of our campus, and listen to what great things our Kindergarten Team has to share. https://tinyurl.com/SAWSneakPeek
- June 22 and July 8 Kindergarten Screening
To best serve our kindergarten student needs, we would like to collect a little information. We are asking that each child come in for a short screening. Please click on the link below and choose a date and time below that works best for your schedule.
Kindergarten Screening Sign Up
***These are the only available dates scheduled for kindergarten screening. If you cannot make it to one of the times below, your child's teacher will work with them at the beginning of next school year.
- August 2 - Bus Round Up
Bus Round UP is an excellent opportunity for new kindergarten students and one parent to meet the bus driver and experience their first bus ride. Look for more information to come from the Bus Transportation Dept. Feel free to go ahead and complete the Transportation Verification form: Bus Verification
- August 3 - Kindergarten Open House
Visit the classroom and meet the teacher. Look for more information to be posted later on and Sawnee Elementary Website and Facebook.
Clinic News
If you have medication in the clinic, please plan to stop by and pick it up before 2:00pm on Thursday, May 27th. A parent must pick these up as students are not allowed to carry any medications. Per protocols, all medication that is not picked up, must be destroyed/disposed of per FDA protocols. We are not permitted to store medication over the summer.
Also, the county requires new medical forms EVERY school year for every student that has a listed medical condition. The forms must be signed by a doctor and dated after Memorial Day 2021 to be valid for next school year. All forms can be found under School Nurse on the Sawnee Elementary webpage.
For up to date clinic information, please visit the school clinic webpage link below.
Counseling Information
As always, please feel free to reach out to any of us with questions or concerns!
Your Sawnee Counselors,
Bonnie O’Neil & Jansky, Zach Kissell, & Ruthie Urban
Cafeteria News
Harvest of the Month is Blueberries & Onions
Blueberries have powerful antioxidants that have been shown to increase memory and help the brain work.
One cup of blueberries provides 24 percent of a person recommended daily allowance of vitamin C.
Onions are some of the oldest vegetables that were used by first modern civilizations.
Onions are very healthy to eat. They are filled with complex sugars that keep our metabolism healthy.
Reminders:
- As of now, Free Breakfast & Lunch for ALL students, will continue into the 2021-2022 school year.
- Those students who bring lunch can also get fruits, vegetables and milk for free to supplement their lunch. Click here for more information.
Mrs. Hughes (Cafe 1) & Mrs. Silvers (Cafe 2)
Field Day Schedule
Birthday Celebrations
If you would like to order birthday ice cream packs for your child's birthday, please do so by May 17th. The My Payments Plus link will expire on May 17th at 11:00pm. We will not be able to accept any cash or check payments after this date either.
If you would like to celebrate your child's summer birthday, please see the flyer for more information.
Birthday Ice Cream Pack Instructions (English)
Birthday Ice Cream Pack Instructions (Spanish)
If you have any questions, please contact Sharon Hamilton at shamilton@forsyth.k12.ga.us.
Important Dates to Know
May 18 - Field Day KK & 1st grade
May 19 - Field Day 2nd & 3rd grade
May 20 - Field Day 4th & 5th grade
May 27 - Last Day of School - Early Release Dismissal starting at 12:30
August 2 - Kindergarten Round-up
August 3 - K-5 Open House
August 5 - First Day of 2021-2022 School Year
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PARENT CORNER
Sawnee PTO
2020-2021 Board Members
President- Emily Hawkins
VP Education - Emily Nelson
VP Hospitality-Taylor Milburn
VP Family Engagement - Sara Deal
Treasurer-Nicole Hale
Secretary-Sabrina Thomas
- Website: https://www.sawneepto.com/
- Contact us: sawneeptoboard@gmail.com
CONNECT WITH US: Be sure to follow Sawnee PTO on social media for updates on Staff Appreciation Week, Takeout Tuesdays and continued progress on our fundraising goals!
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Partners in Education
Business Partner Spotlight
World Champion Tae Kwon Do has a summer special for Sawnee Elementary. See below.
Do you have a local business that would like to become a partner with Sawnee Elementary? Please contact Derrick Hershey at dhershey@forsyth.k12.ga.us if interested.
Community Events & Information
Contact Sawnee Elementary
Website: http://forsyth.k12.ga.us/sawneeelementary
Location: 1616 Canton Highway, Cumming, GA, USA
Phone: 770-887-6161
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SawneeES/
Twitter: @SawneeElem