The Dunwoody Springs Dispatch
A Project Based Learning School
February 8, 2017
Ivy Goggins, Principal
Denise Haltrecht, Asst. Principal
Upcoming Events
- 2/9 PTA Apex Fun Run
- 2/10 Valentine's Dance Sponsored by 5th Grade 5:30 PM -7:30 PM
- 2/13-2/17 Teacher/Staff Appreciation Week
- 2/15 #DSESFamilynight on Twitter
- 2/17-2/20 NO SCHOOL
- 2/23 GA Milestones Information Parent Meeting 8:15am A Hall PBL Room
- 2/23 Black History Program 6-7 p.m.
- 2/24 New Parent Coffee 8 a.m.
Change of Transportation Update & Forms
Transportation changes will only be accepted in writing via fax using this form (http://school.fultonschools.org/es/dunwoodysprings/Documents/TRANSPORTATION%20CHANGE%20FORM.pdf) or via email to 981transportation@fultonschools.org by 12:30p.m. on the day of the change. Last minute changes will not be accepted. If you have questions regarding the changes, please contact the front office.
DSES 5th Grade Is Hosting The Annual Family Valentine’s Day Dance!
Bring your family and join us for a fun evening of live music, dancing, pizza, and sweet treats!
Admission: All students must be accompanied by an adult.
$8.00 (for 2 tickets)
$10.00 (for 3 or more tickets)
Friday, February 10th from 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m.
February 13 – 16th is DSES Teacher and Staff Appreciation Week
Attention Parents: Next week, February 13 – 16th is DSES Teacher and Staff Appreciation Week.
The PTA and Administrative Team have some fun activities planned for the staff.
Many of you have heard me say that, while technology and programs are GREAT, our incredibly caring and dedicated teachers and staff members truly make this school a wonderful place for our children. Please have your child(ren) to complete and return the PTA worksheet (in backpacks today) about why they love and appreciate their teacher. We work hard to hire and retain only the BEST for our children.
I would greatly appreciate anything you can do to support us in this effort. As a former teacher, I certainly appreciated the small tokens, but what I enjoyed most (and still have) are the encouraging notes from parents and students. Thank YOU for the pleasure of teaching your amazing children.
Dunwoody Springs ES – a Great School?
If you have concerns of any kind, please reach out to your child’s teacher. You should expect a response within 48 hours. For general school wide concerns, contact any member of the administrative team. If you are pleased with our performance, please tell Great Schools by logging on to www.greatschools.org and providing a review. This will assist us in sharing the positive things happening in our school and attracting more wonderful families like yours.
What is the Dunwoody Springs School Governance Council??
Have you heard of the School Governance Council and wondered what it was all about? Do you want to have your voice heard in the decision making here at DSES? Can you give yourself one 45 minute meeting a month to find out?
It is time for the election of new members to our School Governance Council. Parents or guardians of students who will be attending our school during both the 2017-2018 and 2018-2019 school years are eligible for the parent/guardian SGC positions. Please click on the link below to declare your intent to run for office.
http://www.fultonschools.org/en/about/charter/Pages/electionresources.aspx
Please click here to fill out the application. Our School Governance Council (SGC) plays a critical role in the success of our school. The SGC works with school leadership and the community to help determine the long-term direction of the school, design innovative solutions to increase academic achievement, and serve as school ambassadors to the local community. Specifically, the School Governance Council has the following powers:
Approve the school strategic plan and updates
Manage the Request for Flexibility process
Manage Seed Fund requests
Approve the annual budget recommendations and related allocations
Participate in the hiring of the principal, in the case of a vacancy
Provide annual feedback to the Area Superintendent on principal performance
We are very excited about the work and value-add of our SGC. Please consider adding your name to our growing list of possible parent candidates. More information will be posted both on our school website and the Dunwoody Dispatch. Any other questions please, contact Richard DiBartolo at dibartolo@fultonschools.org.
TAG Corner – Talented and Gifted Activities
Helping your child practice verbal reasoning at home
You can try the following tips to boost your child’s verbal reasoning skills:
Play word games and quizzes, for example, spotting the odd one out from a list of words, giving a synonym or antonym for a word, solving anagrams.
Encourage your child to do crosswords and word searches, and play games like Hangman.
Play word-based family games like Scrabble and Boggle.
Set your child spelling challenges, focusing particularly on commonly misspelled words (there/their/they’re) and homophones (words that sound the same but are spelled differently, like fair and fare).
- Become a family of culture vultures, taking your children to museums, shows and exhibitions to build their general knowledge.
The YMCA Program is RETURNING TO DSES in March!
Beginning Wednesday, March 1, 2017 we will no longer host the Generation InFocus afterschool program at Dunwoody Springs ES.
The YMCA afterschool program is under new leadership and will provide improved and more engaging programs for our students.
We are very excited to renew this partnership. Thank you to the parents who provided feedback to assist us with making this necessary change. The YMCA staff will be on site here at DSES next Wednesday, Feb. 15th from 3:30 – 6:30 with an information table in the lobby area.
They will also have an information meeting on Wed. Feb. 22nd for interested parents at 6pm. Plan to attend either session to learn about new program
activities. The cost will be the same as that of the Generation Infocus program which will end on Feb. 28, 2017. Please feel free to contact Ms. Haltrecht
at haltrechtd@fultonschools.org or Ms. Goggins at gogginsi@fultonschools.org if you have any questions or reach out to the Cowart Family (Ashford Dunwoody)
YMCA directly at 770.451.9622 and ask for Latasha Johnson latashaj@ymcaatlanta.org.Dunwoody Springs Elementary Needs A School Foundation!
The development of a school foundation would allow us to raise funds to further support our Project Based Learning (PBL) initiative.
Many schools have foundations which focus on fundraising through events, grant writing and community/business outreach for donations to support our goals.
The benefit of a foundation is that we can reach out to large companies, many of whom seek opportunities to invest in schools for ideas and programs they champion.
Unlike school and PTA funds, those generated by a foundation may be carried over from year to year for more expensive projects which may have a significant impact on our school.
If you have a desire to support us with the development of a foundation, if this aligns with what you do for your work, or if you have ideas to share, please contact Ms. Goggins, school principal at gogginsi@fultonschools.org.
Pasta For Pennies
February 1st - 29th, Student Council is collecting donations for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society.
Please gather any spare change around the house so your student can help support the fight against cancer. We also accept cash donations and checks made out to the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society.
The classroom with the greatest amount collected by the end of February will receive a catered pasta lunch courtesy of Olive Garden.
In addition, Student Council will be hosting weekly events to raise more funds, so stay tuned for more information!
Café Job Openings Here - At Dunwoody Springs
FOR INFORMATION:
Contact
School Nutrition Area Supervisor
Julie Knight-Brown at knightbrown@fultonschools.org or call 404.791.4772.
Please fill out an application, here are instructions:
Go to the Fulton County Schools website: https://www.fultonschools.org/en
Click on “Careers” at the top, then “Job Openings” in the drop down list.
Click on “Support Staff” in the column to the left.
Scroll down to “Food Service Worker” (two listings, either is fine) and click on the “Apply” button to the right to begin.
Please fill out your application with as much detail as possible, we also need 2 or more references completed. These can be from former supervisors, co-workers, volunteer work leaders, or character references (who are not family members).
Let us know when your application is complete. We will check it and then can arrange for an interview. Thank you!
This institution is an equal opportunity provider.
News From the PE Department
Dear Parents:
During the weeks of January 30th - February 10th, your physical education department will be conducting the annual Fitness-Gram Test for all 4th and 5th grades.
The four components are: 1). Pacer test (endurance), 2 and 3) Push-ups & Curl-ups (muscular strength), and 4) Flexibility. These tests are not so much a measure of athletic ability, as they are a reflection of wellness based on height and weight.
The scores are recorded and sent to the county. A Fitness-Gram printout is included in their exit package at the end of the school year for your review.
If you have any questions in this regard, please contact Coach Dennis Walsh at walshd@fultonschools.org.
Thank You,
Your PE Dept.
GA Milestones Test Parent Workshop
Dunwoody Springs Elementary School Presents:
A Parent’s Guide to the
GA Milestones Test
February 23rd at 8:15 am in the PBL room A169
What to expect:
¨ What exactly is GA Milestones?
¨ How will the test be administered?
¨ How can you can help your child(ren) to prepare?
Please follow the link below to fill out the RSVP portion if you plan to attend. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact me.
https://www.dropbox.com/s/rscof9bz284dwc0/MILESTONES%20FLYER%20for%20teachers%202.17.pdf?dl=0
Flor Mauricio
Bilingual Parent Liaison
470.254.4060
Survey
Every year, the state rates schools based on several data points. One of these data points is a survey that all staff, students, and parents complete about our school. You may complete the survey using your personal computer, smartphone or tablet. If you do not have access to the Internet, you are welcome to take the survey at DSES. We encourage all parents to take the survey because the data will be used as part of the calculation of the School Climate Star Rating. No parent participation or low parent participation will negatively impact our school's School Climate Star Rating from the state. Survey responses are anonymous and will be submitted directly to the Georgia Department of Education for analysis. Results from the survey will not be available to the public and will not be posted online. We greatly appreciate your time and effort!
CLICK BELOW FOR THE GEORGIA PARENT SURVEY LINK:
Exceptional Education
Did you know?
James Durbin was diagnosed with Asperger’s Syndrome at the age of 10. He was on American Idol season 10. He also recently released a new single called “Parachute”. He was given a guitar and chord book around the age of 10. He spoke with Autism Speaks and said, “I think music is like medicine and can be a benefit for anyone no matter what genre. There’s just so much you can learn. It’s all about focus and for me, not only on the Autism spectrum but also the Tourette’s spectrum, focus was something I needed help with. Music is my focus.”
Asperger’s Syndrome is one of several previously separated subtypes of autism that were folded into the single diagnosis of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) as of 2013. Individuals with Asperger’s exhibit deficiencies in social and communication skills. Their IQ’s are typically in the normal to very superior range.
Check out the links below for more information about Asperger’s Syndrome.
http://www.autism-society.org/what-is/aspergers-syndrome/
https://www.autismspeaks.org/what-autism/asperger-syndrome
http://aspennj.org/what-is-asperger-syndrome
http://healthland.time.com/2012/07/10/what-child-prodigies-and-autistic-people-have-in-common/
Family Twitter Night #DSESFamilyNight
It's that time again. Dunwoody Springs will once again be participating in #DSESfamilynight on Twitter. These special nights throughout the school year will allow you as a family to spend time together with NO HOMEWORK to increase family engagement time! The only thing we ask is that you “TWEET” about it on Twitter, use the hashtag #DSESFAMILYNIGHT and tag our school @DunwoodySprings with your pictures of the fun you are having!
The remaining DSES Twitter nights are: February 15th, March 15th, April 12th and May 17th. All families that participate will be entered into a drawing for a prize!
The Joyful Notes Children's Choral Group
The City of Sandy Springs Recreation and Parks Department offers an Afterschool Children’s Choral Group for Dunwoody Springs Elementary students in Grades 1-5!
● Learn music notations & symbols
● Learn about various music styles and instruments
● Learn about pitch, rhythm, tempo, and articulation
● Learn age-appropriate and beginner songs, to be sung in unison
● Prepare a presentation for family and friends
Min/max: 10/25
REGISTRATION INFORMATION
For registration forms please see Paula Geiss at Dunwoody Springs Elementary School Clinic or contact Deb Strycula
Sandy Springs Recreation Manager
770-206-2039
MAKE CHECKS PAYABLE TO CITY OF SANDY SPRINGS
MEETING DAY/TIME:
MONDAY 2:30-3:30
(GRADES 1-5)
FALL TERM (8 WEEKS):
MONDAY SEPTEMBER 19-NOVEMBER 14, 2016
(NO CLASS OCTOBER 10)
WINTER TERM (8 WEEKS):
MONDAY JANUARY 23-MARCH 20, 2017
(NO CLASS FEBRUARY 20 AND MARCH 13)
SPRING TERM (8 WEEKS):
MONDAY MARCH 27-MAY 22, 2017
(NO CLASS APRIL 3)
FEE: $35.00 PER TERM (8 CLASSES)
INSTRUCTOR:
RICARDO HURTADO
SCHOOL OF MUSIC
Clinic Corner
It’s cold & flu season. Always remember to WASH YOUR HANDS! It is the best way to prevent germs from spreading.
CHESTATEE COUNSELING CENTER is here throughout the School Year!
We specialize in supportive counseling and provide services at home as well as at DSES throughout the school year and over the summer. If you are interested in receiving counseling services, please call 706-344-8462 or 678-948-8390 and/or email sandee.chestateecounseling@gmail.com. We are a Medicaid Provider and accept Amerigroup, Centpatico and Wellcare at no cost to you.
We look forward to the opportunity to help you!
Dunwoody Springs Elementary Project Based Learning School
Email: gogginsi@fultonschools.org
Website: http://school.fultonschools.org/es/dunwoodysprings/Pages/default.aspx
Location: 8100 Roberts Drive, Sandy Springs, GA 30350, United States
Phone: 470-254-4060
Twitter: @DunwoodySprings