Summer 2022
Chestatee Elementary
A Letter From Dr. Tennies, Our Principal
Dear Families,
As you drive by the school during the next few weeks, you will notice our parking lot is practically empty. Our teachers and staff are home for summer break, taking a well-deserved vacation. I am so grateful for all they contributed during the past 10 months of our school year. What an amazing, talented group we have working with our students! I am very proud of their efforts and all we accomplished this year at Chestatee.
A few essential people are still @ the T during the summer. Our custodian team is hard at work on summer deep cleaning, emptying rooms, moving furniture, waxing floors and prepping for our start for the 22-23 school year. Our front office staff are also busy completing tasks and already thinking about what comes next. Starting a new year takes a big effort.
There are some activities at the school this summer that I would like you to note. Check these events out over the next two months:
- The Hill Center assists parents with new students in registering. Here is a link with more details: https://www.forsyth.k12.ga.us/Page/45168 I can’t emphasize enough how important it is to get that registration complete now.
- The beautiful Forsyth County Bookmobile will be parked in front of our school two days in June, and two days in July this summer. It is a wonderful opportunity to get some great books for reading! Mark your calendar for June 14th and 28th and July 12th and 26th.
- Kindergarten Bus Round Up is Monday, July 25th . Ride the bus to Chestatee with other Kindergarteners and their Parents. Bus drivers have access to call their passengers who are FULLY REGISTERED for kindergarten.
- Phone Calls from Faculty are Monday, August 1st. This day you will get a call from your new teacher for the 2022-23 school year.
- Open House is Tuesday, August 2nd. More details to follow! We will be welcoming you into the school.
- The First Day of School is Thursday, August 4th.
I wish you and your family a safe and happy summer, and I look forward to seeing you con campus when we begin again.
Together we are Chestatee!
Kindly,
Dr. Polly Tennies
Principal
Chestatee Elementary School
770-887-2341 ext. 722004
Positive Office Referrals Came Flooding in....
We Love Lunch Guests in the Front Office
A Message From Our Superintendent
May 26, 2022
Dear FCS Families:
We made it! Thank you for another wonderful year. This year started out even more challenging than the year before. COVID cases were up and our team of professionals had to pivot often to keep classrooms and schools open. Once again, our staff met these challenges head-on and our parents and community worked with us to provide the best possible experience for our students.
I have often said that the best schools and the best school systems are the ones where home, school and community work as partners. I feel that we have always done that well in Forsyth County. I think we have done that exceptionally well since the pandemic began in March of 2020. Let’s move forward.
This year, we worked with our community to complete a new Strategic Plan. This plan will be our guide for the next five years. For those of you who took part in the process, whether in person or in the online surveys, thank you! I can sum up the entire plan in one word, “connection”. We want ALL members of our family: students, staff, parents and business partners to feel connected to FCS. Our goal is to offer our students an unparalleled education. How do we accomplish this?
We want ALL students to be safe, to be known, to have the resources and support they need to access their learning and experience success, to be respected, to be respectful and to have a sense of purpose and belonging. In short, we want ALL children to want to come to school. It’s our responsibility to create the conditions for success. When students feel connected, they achieve. Working together, we will make this happen. We must. Our children deserve to have us working in concert.
To the FCS Class of ’22 and your families, congratulations. To the incoming Class of ’23, let’s make it your best year yet. It will pass quickly. I wish you all a very safe and enjoyable summer recess.
With appreciation,
Jeff
Congrats are in Order for These Students!
Chestatee Students Win the Stock Market Game!
Congrats to Parker T, Evan S and Oliver G won The Stock Market Game for Georgia's 9th District. This is the second year that Chestatee has had a winning team!
Teams have the opportunity to invest a virtual $100,000 based on their research of actual companies on the stock exchange. The team with the highest portfolio value at the end of the 10 week game wins. Way to soar, Eagles!
Lots of Winners were Drawn for Showing Kindness!
Fifth Graders Graduated!
Waves of Fun in May
The Many Faces of the Rock!
May Car Line Days!
Academic Parent Teacher Teams Finished Up!
Fifth Grade Created a Living Museum
Kindergarten Celebrated Each Day with Different Themes... Here is Princess and Pirate Day!
Splash Away with Water Day, Pre-K!
A New Retaining Wall and Sitting Area on the Primary Playground
Career Week was a Success!
One East Concert at FoCAL
One East Field Day
Our Field Day was Amazing Thanks to Mrs. Waters and Mrs. Grindle!
Last Day Fun and the Tradition of Ringing the Bell
A Staff Celebration on Friday, May 26
Waves of Greatness With Our Staff
Congratulations to our Staff Member of the Month- Holly Mullinax
We are proud to announce second grade teacher, Holly Mullinax, as our May Staff Member of the Month!
This has been Mrs. Mullinax's 9th year at Chestatee and her 13th year teaching. Mrs. Mullinax graduated from the University of Georgia with a degree in Early Childhood Education, specializing in K-2 and a Math endorsement. She has taught 2nd grade for her whole career. She is very excited to continue as a 2nd grade teacher for the 2021-22 school year!
Holly and her husband, Erik, have one daughter named Reagan and live in the North Forsyth community. Reagan is in third grade here at the T. Holly and Erik enjoy watching Reagan play softball. They also enjoy pool and beach time and have been to Disney MANY, MANY times!
Mrs. Mullinax has received many nominations throughout the year. In March alone, five parents wrote nominations for her. And then again, this month, families had more encouraging things to say about Holly and the gifts she brings to Chestatee. One parent said that Mrs. Mullinax has exceptional classroom management and goes above and beyond to meet students’ individual needs. She works with her families and communicates well. Mrs. Mullinax is patient, kind and calm but also knows how to laugh and have a good time. We are so happy that Ms. Mullinax teaches at Chestatee!
A big thank you to our business partners, Ultimate Auto Glass and Electronics and Mathnasium of Coal Mountain, for sponsoring our Chestatee Staff Member of the Month Program!
We Celebrated National Nurses' Day!
Congratulations to Lindsay Rosebush, FCS Outstanding Teacher of the Month!
Yearbooks Were Delivered!
Congrats to our Retiree, Mrs. Carley!
Read Below for an Ocean of Information!
Get Ahead by Letting Us Know Your Transportation Needs
Next Year's Supply Lists
We will be offering supply boxes again this year that will be delivered to your child's class! Stay tuned for more information!
Middle School Band Info!
Save the Dates for Summer Fun at Chestatee!
Thank you to All Stars Pediatric Dentistry
Thank You, Modern Woodmen of America!
Thanks to Angel Wiley from Broker Builder in Cumming for dropping by goodies!
Thanks Jonathan Pittard Realty for Breakfast!
Bagwell Insurance Knows Snacks and Soda Keep Staff Fueled!
Browns Bridge Church Dropped These Beautiful Shelves.
Tractor Supply Helped Us Beautify Our Campus!
Thank You to Rusty and Faye from Mathnasium of Coal Mountain for Supporting Learning! Thanks for Coming to Both APTT Nights to Support Families.
Great Community Resources!
STEM Camp
The FCS Summer STEM Camp will be held on July 12-15, held at Lambert High School for rising 4th and 5th graders (current 3rd and 4th graders). Please visit the FCS Summer STEM Camp website for more information and to sign your child up!
We Love Our Watch DOGS Program!
Substitute Teachers are Getting a Pay Increase!
Would you like a part time job where you could pick your days, schools, and even grade levels? If so, we need you! The pay is $120 per day for non-certified subs and $145 for certified subs.
Substitute teaching is a great way to help the school. You do not have to be certified to substitute teach. Click here for the details: https://www.forsyth.k12.ga.us/page/478
Send Us Your Summer Learning Pictures!
We love seeing kids work on summer learning! Email Meg Killingsworth with pictures of your child and family that you are willing to share on social media or in our newsletter!
Thanks to Copeland's Mom for Showing Us His School Art Displayed!
Our Families are the Best!
Nicole Kozak and Lee-Ann Lamb Ran the CFA Biscuit Tuesdays!
We've had a Beautiful Rock Thanks to Stephanie Shroeder!
A Few Words From our Family Engagement Coordinator
Aww, those summer days! They are often slower and a bit more relaxed. There’s a little more time in the day to do things you might like to do. It’s a break from the routine and the pace of the school year. No packing lunches and snacks, no 7 AM car line, no homework. It’s a break from the routine.
With all that being said, it might be time to consider a summer routine for your child. Many families have mentioned camps and extra activities throughout the summer. Years ago, my family was lazy during the day…. late nights, late mornings, too much tech time, not doing much. We would leave the house around 1:00 PM.
I always wondered why my kids got irritable. Then I talked to the pediatrician. She encouraged a routine that included some brain work for my children. She explained they needed stimulating activities. It was great to relax, rest and recharge. We just needed to make sure we had a good routine in place. At APTT, teachers sent home a sample routine in your child's summer packet. There was a primary example and one for the older kids. Our PBIS team put that together because they know that sharing the expectation for children is really important. So in these first days of summer, here we are…. We have established our routine.
Here it is:
Get up around 9
Eat breakfast
Brush teeth and hair/ get dressed
Walk the dogs
Do some schoolwork
Go for an outing (pool, library, lunch, shopping, get out of the house etc.)
Rest/ tech time
Chores
Dinner
Outside
TV/ tech time
Bed
Take some time for some R and R this summer. Just don’t forget to add in another R for Routine. I think it will really benefit your family. Happy Summer, Families!
See you soon,
Meg
Meg Killingsworth
Family Engagement Coordinator
770-887-2341 ext. 722122
Our PTO Rocks!
We had a blast at the Boys Night Out Event! Contact our PTO here!
Next year's PTO Board:
President- Kandi Wetzel
Co-Vice Presidents- Emily Morgan and Jennifer Grindle
Secretary- Meg Killingsworth
Treasurer- Kim Ashe
Parliamentarian- Nicole Tierney
Don't Forget....
Kroger and Publix will donate money too...
Publix Partners with Chestatee also. You only need to put your phone number in as you checkout. Publix will donate a certain percentage of their profits to Chestatee from your purchase!
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