Simonton Parent Newsletter
Friday, February 28. 2020
Every Student, Every Day, Deserves to Learn, Lead, & Excel!
We had a great turn-out for our Black History Night this past Thursday!
A few of our Sweetheart Dance Photos:
Congratulations to our Reader's Rally Team!!
This past Saturday, February 22, 2020, the county's Reader's Rally competition was held at Peachtree Ridge High School. We placed 5th in our division!!
The following are members of our team:
Lyanne Osei-Apponkuo, Sedia Jaleiba, Michael Morgan, Morry Mondesir, Kendyl Watts, Jenique Mondesir, and Arfaan Saadut (was not able to attend competition).
PTA's Read-a-thon:
This year, we are excited to announce that we will hold a Read-a-thon fundraiser. Our Read-a-thon is a program that brings students together with family and friends to encourage reading and to build literacy skills.
The main focus of the Read-a-thon is for everyone to know we are committed to improving reading skills. To that end, the Read-a-thon promises to be a fun, exciting journey for all participants as they begin a personal Reading Adventure that challenges each reader to complete 10 reading sessions over our 2-week event.
Our Read-a-thon will start March 2, 2020.
Today in your child’s folder you will find paperwork explaining how you will activate their personal Read-a-thon page.
We understand that, as parents, you have high expectations for the quality of your child’s education but also have limited time.
That’s why we chose to hold a Read-a-thon.
You will find this to be the easiest fundraiser possible. By simply activating your reader’s personal page and using the promotional tools found there, friends and family anywhere in the world can show their support for your reader by making a donation to our Read-a-thon.
Your involvement in the Read-a-thon will help your child develop a lasting love of reading.
We hope each one of you will activate your child’s personal page the day your child brings home their paperwork.
Simonton ES PTA
simontonpta@gmail.com
Read Across America Day:
On Monday, March 2, 2020, we will be celebrating Read Across America Day in honor of the late Dr. Seuss.
This year's theme is "My Many Colored Days", so please wear as many bright colors as possible next Monday.
The Media Center will be hosting read alouds, with guest speakers from the Public Library, as well as a few games inspired by Dr. Seuss himself.
There will also be a Book Page Challenge set for that day. For this, each class will record their total number of book pages read, turn that number into the Media Center, and a school total will be calculated. Last year, Simonton students read a total of 134,000 pages. We hope to beat this year!
Kids Heart Challenge:
Simonton Elementary is kicking off our American Heart Association’s, Kids Heart Challenge and we want your student to take a heart healthy challenge! This program is happening in schools all over Georgia in effort to teach our students about being heart healthy and saving lives who need our help. Please join us in the fight against heart disease, and help your student go online and register for a heart healthy challenge and earn your FREE WRISTBAND & 2 heart heroes after your first $10 donation at our school’s page at http://www2.heart.org/goto/simonton or download the Kids Heart Challenge mobile app to make a pledge to: be kind, be ready, or move more to earn a FREE power wristband!
Our goal is to have 100% of our students take their heart healthy challenge online! When your child takes their challenge, they will become a Heart Hero with the opportunity to help save lives of those with heart disease!
Thank you all for joining the mission!
GCPS response to the Coronavirus (COVID-19):
Given recent news reports about cases of Coronavirus (COVID-19) spreading in other countries, we wanted to provide our families with an update. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) website, “For the general American public, who are unlikely to be exposed to this virus at this time, the immediate health risk from COVID-19 is considered low.”
Next Week's Lunch Menu:
Spring Pictures:
Next Week at Simonton:
Monday, March 2
- Read Across America Day
- Kids Heart Challenge Begins
- 5th Grade visit to Jordan Middle ~ 9:30-10:30 am
Wednesday, March 4
- SPED Special Olympics Field Trip ~ 9:30 am
- Conversational English Class ~ 10:00 am
Thursday, March 5
- Spring Picture Day (Individual and Class Pictures)
- Rising 6th grade Parent Meeting @ Jordan Middle ~ 5:30-6:30 pm
Friday, March 6
- Local School Council Meeting ~ 10:00-11:00 am
Saturday, March 7
- Saturday Intervention (2nd-5th grade) ~ 9:00- 11:00 am
A Glance Ahead:
- 2nd Semester Interims begin
Wednesday, March 11
- Parent Workshop
- Conversational English Class ~ 10:00 am
Thursday, March 12
- 10 Weeks Progress Reports sent home
- Sonic Spirit Night ~ 5:00- 9:00 pm
Friday, March 13
- Inclement Weather Makeup -or- Student/Teacher Holiday
Conversational English Classes offered at Simonton:
4 Wednesday sessions offered during the month of March:
March 4, March 11, March 18, & March 25
10:00-11:00 am
Simonton Parent Center
Don't Forget to Order the 2019-2020 Yearbook ~
This year's yearbook will be printed in hardcover. The cover is shown here, to the left. Your copy can be ordered through MyPaymentsPlus for $23.00.
**If you do not have a MPP account, you can still purchase one by sending in money.
LEGO Robotics for 3rd, 4th, & 5th Graders:
Meetings will be held for 8 weeks in March and April 2020.
There is a $10 club fee for membership.
5th grade Robotics will meet on Thursday afternoons from 3-4 pm.
3rd & 4th grade Robotics will meet on Friday mornings from 7- 8 am.
Georgia Milestones Assessment System:
The Georgia Milestones Assessment System (Georgia Milestones) is a comprehensive summative assessment program spanning grades 3 through high school.
Georgia Milestones measures how well students have learned the knowledge and skills outlined in the state-adopted content standards in English Language Arts, mathematics, science, and social studies.
Students in grades 3 through 8 take an end-of-grade assessment in English Language Arts and mathematics while students in grades 5 and 8 are also assessed in science and social studies. High school students take an end-of-course assessment for each of the ten courses designated by the State Board of Education.
Features the Georgia Milestone Assessment System include:
- open-ended (constructed-response) items in English Language Arts and mathematics (all grades and courses);
- a writing component (in response to passages read by students) at every grade level and course within the English Language Arts assessment;
- norm-referenced items in all content areas and courses, to complement the criterion-referenced information and to provide a national comparison;
- technology-enhanced items including multiple part/multiple answer, graphing, drag and drop; and
- online administration considered the primary mode of administration and paper-pencil as back-up for those students with disabilities identified through the IEP or IAP process that do not allow them to access a computer or device.
Georgia Milestones End of Grade Study/Resource Guides:
Weekly Parent Engagement Tips:
Working parents are experts at juggling the demands of jobs and families. But to be the best help to your child, you must meet your own needs, too. Think of ways you can preserve your energy. You might relax for 15 minutes with a book or pursue a hobby. Getting enough sleep and regular exercise helps, too. And try to stay in touch with friends who can give you a listening ear when you need it.
The COPS checklist helps kids catch writing errors
Before your child hands in a writing assignment, help him use the COPS checklist to proofread it. C is for capitalization. Does every sentence start with a capital letter? Are all the proper names capitalized? O is for overall appearance. Is the paper neat and easy to read? P is for punctuation. Are the sentences punctuated correctly? S is for spelling. Has your child checked any word he's unsure of in a dictionary?
Use a take-home folder for papers on the go
Schools send lots of papers home with students. To make sure you see everything, have your child use a two-pocket take-home folder. At school, she should load papers that she needs take home into the lefthand pocket. At home, set aside a daily time to look through the folder. Then, have your child put completed homework and other papers that must go back to school in the right-hand pocket.
Try a silent solution to encourage tidy habits
Help your child learn that completing a task includes cleaning up afterward. If his messes get out of hand, announce that you are expecting a visit from the silent custodian. Your child should prepare by tidying up. Whatever isn't picked up by a time you set goes into a box marked "silent custodian." In order to get an item back, your child must complete a chore of your choice.
When you don't know the answer, help your child find out
Parents sometimes worry that their children won't respect them if they don't have all the answers. But kids respect parents more when they admit they don't know and say, "Let's find out." You don't have to answer your child's questions immediately, either. If she asks a difficult question when you are too busy to answer, say, "That's a good question. I'd like to think about it and get back to you at dinner." Then do.
Simonton elementary School ~ What We Stand For:
Vision
Simonton is committed to dynamic high quality instruction resulting in a passion for learning, leading and excelling.
Core Belief
Every Student Every Day, Deserves to Learn, Lead, and Excel
Commitments
We commit to giving our students a fresh start every day.
We commit to preparing quality and engaging lessons that will prepare our students to be successful in school.
We commit to teaching, modeling and holding our students accountable for appropriate school behavior.
We commit to providing our students with a structured and safe learning environment.
We commit to a great year of learning, leading, and excelling.
Simonton Elementary School:
Assistant Superintendent- Dr. Terry Watlington
Board Member- Mr. Steven B. Knudsen
Principal- Tamara G. Perkins
Assistant Principal- Daphne Miles
Assistant Principal- Nicole Tomlinson
Assistant Principal- Emily Young
Website: gcpsk12.org/SimontonES
Location: 275 Simonton Road Southeast, Lawrenceville, GA, USA
Phone: (770) 513- 6637