Eagle Wings Newsletter
September 28th through October 2nd
Upcoming Dates
September is Hispanic Heritage Month
- September 28- 7:40 am- Motivational Monday with Ms. Stamper and Ms. Crawford https://teams.microsoft.com/l/meetup-join/19%3ameeting_MTlkYmJiYTItMGZiZC00ZTE5LTllZDItMDdmOWI2Njc1YWUz%40thread.v2/0?context=%7b%22Tid%22%3a%220cdcb198-8169-4b70-ba9f-da7e3ba700c2%22%2c%22Oid%22%3a%22cd5ae617-7835-4c91-9b0b-395507b608f5%22%2c%22IsBroadcastMeeting%22%3atrue%7d
- October 5- Phase 4 Begins- Students can attend two days weekly on their assigned days
- Monday & Thursday- Last names A through E & students last L through P
- Tuesday & Friday- Last names F through K & students Q through Z
- October 9 - Normal Operating Day
- October 12 - School Closed - Columbus Day
- October 13 - School Closed - Teacher Workday
- October 14 - Full Face to Face begins- Students will begin attending the full week a school.
- October 15- School Governance Council Meeting 3:00-5:00 pm. Click to join at https://teams.microsoft.com/l/meetup-join/19%3ameeting_ZjMzNmQ4NzEtNWUxNy00MGJhLTgwN2EtMjU4ZDJiYThlYWI3%40thread.v2/0?context=%7b%22Tid%22%3a%220cdcb198-8169-4b70-ba9f-da7e3ba700c2%22%2c%22Oid%22%3a%22cd5ae617-7835-4c91-9b0b-395507b608f5%22%2c%22IsBroadcastMeeting%22%3atrue%7d
Principal's Message
Happy Sunday to all! It has been a nice restful weekend after an exciting and eventful week! As you know, last week we, welcomed back our students in grades 3-5 with the beginning of Phase 3. Our students, whose families chose to send them, attended school for a full day weekly. It was absolutely fantastic! Students became acclimated to the new safety procedures, developed relationships with their teachers and peers, and engaged in simultaneous learning with classmates both here and virtual. It was outstanding to see.
Additionally, I am happy to report that we did not have any students fall ill while at school. Parents and families did a FANTASTIC job of making the right decisions to keep students home even for colds or minor aliments, which helps mitigate the risk of illness and ensure everyone's safety. Thank you for that!
Last week, our first grade students developed good reading behaviors while our second graders fine-tuned their super writers' skills. Our third graders learned new strategies for summarizing texts, all while every student throughout the building worked on respecting everyone, no matter their differences, during their SEL lessons. It was a jammed pack week of learning for all! I am eagerly awaiting to see what next week brings for our students.
Of course, I would be remiss if I didn't mention our awesome ending to last week, our official ribbon cutting on Alpharetta Elementary School Park! Friday afternoon, we welcomed (in a very socially distanced manner) our superintendent of schools, Dr. Mike Looney, our school board representative Ms. Katie Reeves, our Zone Superintendent, Ms. Kibbey Crumbley, along with elected City of Alpharetta Officials, and honored guests to celebrate the official ribbon cutting for our new park! It was a fantastic culmination of a project two years in the making. The initial investment that the City of Alpharetta and our two donors Resurgence and Northside, made to our school exceeded $175,000. This partnership will continue for the next ten years, ensuring this area will remain maintained and open for use for our students and the community at large. Below you will find all the wonderful pictures which captured this event!
This week, we are ready to continue welcoming back our students as we continue progressing through Phase 3! I wanted to keep the highlights of the major changes families need to be aware of as we move through this phase.
- Masks- All students will be required to wear masks throughout the school day. We will be providing lanyards to hook on to masks for ease of taking off for meals, recess, PE, and breaks. This will also keep masks from going missing or picking up additional germs. Gaiter and vented masks are no longer allowed per the CDC recommendation.
- Recess- All students will attend recess with their individual class. They will wash their hands upon returning into the building to ensure their safety.
- Specials- This is the biggest change of our school for this phase. Students who are virtual will not need to log on for live specials. In order to provide face to face specials for all students, we have decided to allow virtual students to access pre-recorded (asynchronous) lessons in TEAMS. These lessons can be accessed every Monday afternoon. Students can also choose to email their Art, Music, and PE teacher explaining how they engaged in those type of activities for the week which will ALSO serve as attendance and assignment grades. We want to make this transition as easy as possible and feel that this is one area we can provide options for.
- Virtual Learning- Throughout Phase 3, students who have elected to remain virtual and all students on their non-report days will be expected to attend their regularly scheduled virtual classes via Teams.
- Meals- All meals will be free for all students! This means that all students can choose to have breakfast and lunch at no cost to our families. Of course, families can also send lunches from home for their children. During this phase, students will eat in their classrooms and will not be required to wear masks while they eat. During this phase, snacks will not be provided but all students are encouraged to bring a snack and a personal water bottle daily.
- Transportation- With this phase, students will either utilize buses, carpool, or daycare. At this time, we have confirmed that Tutor Shop will be on-site for after school options. Families can also arrange outside daycare to pick up. We will not have walkers during this phase to ensure social distancing can be maintained outside of our doorways and on our walkways.
In addition, this week we are transitioning our morning announcements to be live for all face to face and virtual students. Morning announcements will run every morning at 7:40 through Teams. To get the daily links please click, https://www.fultonschools.org/Page/20104
For Phase 4, our targeted date to begin is nearly upon us ( October 5th ). At the beginning of this phase, next Monday (10/5), we will implement a schedule change. This will be the only time, as a school, we will modify our schedules. The schedule shift is planned to begin on October 5th. This switch will impact both face to face and virtual students. It is imperative that families review these schedules and begin planning for this change. The updated schedules can be found below.
As always, thank you for your continued support for our school and students! Of course, please don’t hesitate to reach out to me with any questions or concerns at stamperk@fultonschools.org. You can also follow me on Twitter @PrincipalofAES!
Your Proud Principal,
Mrs. Katie Stamper
Alpharetta Elementary School Park is Officially Open!
Updated FCS Mask Guidance
Updated Schedules-Beginning October 5th
Students will access their virtual classes through logging on to Classlink, opening teams, and clicking into their teams meetings.
AES Media Center book checkouts
Students will be able to choose books online and put them on hold starting Sept 21st. Books put on hold will be delivered to the student’s classroom if they are attending school face to face. If they are attending remotely only, books will be ready for pickup in the school office the next school day after noon. To put a book on hold for pickup or delivery to your student’s classroom, watch this video or follow the steps below:
1. Login to Classlink, go to the “e-Library” folder, click on “Follett Destiny”, click on “Destiny Discover”.
2. Search for a book using the search bar, or the featured categories.
3. Click the “Hold” button once you choose a book. (Be sure you want the book before choosing the “Hold” button. If you change your mind the media specialist will have to “unhold” it.)
Holds/checkouts per grade level:
K – 1 book
1st, 2nd – 2 books
3rd – 5th – 3 books
Book returns: Face to face students will return books to their homerooms, remote only students will return books to bins at the front office.
Greetings Families,
Thanks to the temporary expansion of Child Nutrition Waivers, USDA has approved flexibilities to support meal distribution due to COVID-19. Fulton County Schools will continue to provide free meals to all children 18 & under, or under the age of 21 for youth with special needs. All children, regardless of school enrollment or meal eligibility status, can receive free meals.
Students attending school face-to-face will receive free meals during their school’s scheduled mealtimes. Nutritious and delicious student favorites will be provided at breakfast and lunch. At breakfast, this includes one entrée, one fruit, one juice, and/or milk. At lunch, this includes one entrée, two vegetables, one fruit, and/or milk. Meals will be accounted for using a no-contact cashiering method. Breakfast and lunch meals at school, do NOT need to be pre-ordered. To view the breakfast and lunch menus, visit www.fcsnutrition.com.
Students will be charged for any extra sale items they order such as additional entrees, additional sides, or bottled water. For contactless transactions, families are encouraged to load funds to their student’s account through MyPaymentsPlus. Student Meal Barcodes will be used to purchase extra sale items. Visit https://nutrition.fultonschools.org/BarCode and follow the on-screen instructions to receive your Student Meal Barcode.
There are two ways of picking up grab & go meal kits: Curbside Pick-Up OR Bus Stop Pick-Up.
- Curbside Pick-Up will be available at 95 Fulton County Schools on Wednesdays from 11:00-1:00. Curbside Pick-Up provides an opportunity for families to drive-thru and pick-up free grab & go meal kits for all children 18 & under. Pick-up a free grab & go meal kit from any Fulton County School near you. Children do not have to be present to receive a free grab & go meal kit. A student’s ID number is not needed to receive a free grab & go meal kit. To maximize social distancing, drivers are not to leave their vehicles; however, walk-ups are allowed. For a full listing of Curbside Pick-Up Locations please visit HERE.
- Bus Stop Pick-Up is available at designated locations on Wednesdays from 10:45-12:00. For families unable to pick-up grab & go meal kits at a school, Bus Stop locations serve as another option to pick-up free grab & go meal kits. Pick-up a free grab & go meal kit from any of the designated Bus Stop locations near you. Children do not have to be present to receive a free grab & go meal kit. A student’s ID number is not needed to receive a free grab & go meal kit. Due to the amount of food provided, please bring something to help you carry the meal kit(s) home. For a full listing of designated Bus Stop Pick-Up Locations please visit HERE.
Families need to pre-order grab & go meal kits each week. Grab & go meal kits need to be pre-ordered online by Tuesday at 11:59 p.m. Non-FCS students must also complete the pre-order form to help with order forecasting. Grab & go meal kits will continue to be free for all children 18 & under. Families will provide the number of requested grab & go meal kits and choose from a list of pick-up locations, Curbside from a Fulton County School OR at a designated Bus Stop. CLICK HERE for the online pre-order form.
Each grab & go meal kit will contain 10 meals - five breakfasts and five lunches - to feed students until the next meal kit distribution. Grab & go meal kits contain a variety of kid-friendly choices such as whole-grain rich breakfast cereals, 100% fruit juice, and assorted fresh fruits and vegetables. Grab & go meal kits also include reheat-ready choices such as whole-grain rich grilled cheese sandwiches. Meal safety, reheating instructions, and a menu are provided in the meal kit.
Even though all students will temporarily receive free meals, households are strongly encouraged to complete a Free & Reduced Meal application. If there is an interruption in benefits or the household does not reapply, the household is responsible for payment of meals until the application is approved. Once the extension of USDA waivers expires, students will be charged for their meals based on their meal eligibility status (free, reduced, or full pay). A new application must be completed every school year. The application deadline is September 28th, 2020. Visit www.fulton.schoollunchapp.com to begin the online Free & Reduced Meal application.
We appreciate your assistance and will coordinate this effort as efficiently as possible, but our goal remains to feed the students while keeping potential exposure to the community as limited as possible. For more information regarding Fulton County School Nutrition please visit www.fcsnutrition.com.
If you have any questions or need assistance, please contact the Fulton County School Nutrition Program at 470-254-8960 or schoolnutrition@fultonschools.org.
Fulton School Nutrition Program | Fulton County Schools
6201 Powers Ferry Road NW | Atlanta, GA 30339
Phone: 470-254-8960
Fax: 470-254-1241
www.fcsnutrition.com
Phased Re-Opening Information
- October 5th - Phase 4 is targeted to begin.
- 50% of students are in attendance Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday.
- Monday & Thursday students will attend school together. Students with the last name A-E and students with the last names L- P.
- Tuesday & Friday students will attend school together. Students with the last name F-K and Q-Z.
- During this phase, all students will attend virtually on Wednesdays and the days they are not scheduled to attend face to face.
- Master schedule will change.
- October 14th- Full Face to Face or Virtual is targeted to begin.
- All students will attend class daily following the master schedule ( rolled out in Phase 4), either attending full face to face or fully virtually.
Please remember that all dates are targeted, not guaranteed. Movement through phases is dependent on the number of cases and decrease in cases.
Breakfast and Lunch Menu for the Week of September 28th
- Assorted Cereals
- Pancake on a Stick
Lunch
- Southern Breaded Chicken w/Texas Toast
- Jamwich
- Both with a choice of fries or baked beans
Message from Your School Counselor
Hello AES Family,
I wanted to bring your attention to a mental health awareness campaign called "Free Your Feels". The campaign was started by Georgia’s Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Disabilities and Voices for Georgia’s Children in partnership with countless incredible organizations that support youth to encourage Georgia’s young people to explore their real feelings and share them fearlessly.
"Free Your Feels" is a quick and easy resource list for youths and caregivers. You can click the button below to access that resource now. I have also included these resources in our counseling website on our "Family Resources" tab.
Positive Behavior Intervention and Support (PBIS)
You can also give a SOAR Shout Out to a student or staff member that you see demonstrating our SOAR URL Matrix traits. Click here for the form. Shout Outs are read throughout the week on our Morning Announcements. Be on the lookout for an upcoming Parent University to learn more about this. If you have any questions, please reach out to Ms. Crawford (crawfordce@fultonschools.org).
Community Input and Informational Weekly Meetings
Our focus for this week will be discussing Phase 4/5 implementation, as well as, answering questions and addressing concerns.
These meetings are held every Tuesday from 5:00 pm -6:00 pm via MS Teams.
Look forward to seeing you there!
Technology Information
Photo Finish Friday
After School Options
The Tutor Shop
Business Partners
The PTO typically highlights business partners each week in the take home Friday folders. Due to remote learning and an effort to limit sending home paper, we will be spotlighting different partners each week in the digital newsletter. These are businesses that have donated to AES. The PTO could not reach their fundraising goals without the help of our business partners!
Business Partner Spotlight
Upward (Alpharetta First Baptist League), is a youth basketball league for K-5th grade. The program is for boys and girls (not co-ed). Registration deadline is October 24th.
AES Spritwear
We anticipate having new spirit wear orders in the first week of October. We will disseminate information of how we will get the spirit wear shortly. If you have not placed an order, the PTO did order a limited number of extras.
Get Social with the AES PTO!
Like the AES PTO Facebook page and follow aes_pto on Instagram to stay in the know on PTO events, volunteer opportunities, and general AES goings on so you can be ready for next year.
@ AES all means ALL
Email: stamperk@fultonschools.org
Website: https://school.fultonschools.org/es/alpharetta/Pages/default.aspx
Location: 192 Mayfield Road, Alpharetta, GA, USA
Phone: 470-254-7015
Twitter: @PrincipalofAES