Knightly News
Friday, August 12, 2022
Every Student, Every Day, Deserves to Learn, Lead, & Excel!
Message from Ms. Perkins ~ Simonton ES Principal
Our students in grades Pre-K through 2nd grade are bringing home a special announcement. Our PTA will be holding a special event for a movie and snack time on Friday, August 19, 2022 for students whose parents have joined the PTA for the 2022-2023 school year. If you have not joined the PTA there is still time. A PTA membership form is attached below. Stay tuned for our next event. A movie and snack time will be scheduled for students of PTA members in grades 3-5 on Friday, August 26, 2022.
Simonton ES is a Positive Behavior Intervention and Support (PBIS) school. Students are recognized daily for demonstrating positive behavior and making good choices. Here at Simonton, we award shields to students. I encourage you to check in with your student to find out how many shields they have earned and asked them to share the reasons they have earned their shields. As we move through the school year, students will be able to trade in their shields for treats and to attend our PBIS celebrations.
Safety is one of our top priorities. The person checking a student out from school must be listed on the student's emergency contact list and they must show a photo ID. A student will not be released if an ID is not provided to the front office team. We also have a visitor management system in place. All visitors must present a photo ID to enter the building and are required to wear their visitor sticker while in the building. Thank you for helping us to keep our students safe.
Have an awesome weekend!
Simonton ES Assistant Principals
Mr. Nicholas Gilmore
Assistant Principal ~ 2nd Grade, 5th Grade, ESOL, Gifted and Testing
Dr. Joe Sanfilippo
Mrs. Amy Steinberg
Assistant Principal ~ 1st Grade, 4th Grade, Title I, EIP and Title IX Investigator
Reminder for 2nd- 5th grade Parents...
If your child received a Chromebook and participated in digital learning for our staggered start this year, please remind them to bring both the Chromebook and the charger back to school as soon as possible!
A member of the tech team will be collecting these and placing them in a charging cart so they can be used in the classrooms.
Upcoming Event Dates
Friday, August 19
- PTA Movie & Snacks Membership Drive for any Pre-K-2nd grade students whose parents joined PTA this year
Monday, August 22
- Book Blast Kick-off
Tuesday, August 23
- ESOL Student Parent Meeting ~ 5:00 pm
- Curriculum Night (Pre-K - 2nd Grade) ~ 5:30-7:00 pm
Thursday, August 25
- Gifted Student Parent Meeting ~ 5:00 pm
- Curriculum Night (3rd - 5th Grade) ~ 5:30-7:00 pm
Friday, August 26
- PTA Movie & Snacks Membership Drive for any 3-5 students whose parents joined PTA this year
Thursday, September 1
- 5th Grade Pajama Day Fundraiser ($1.00)
Title IX Notice
If you believe you are being mistreated by school employees on the basis of race, color, religion, gender, national origin or handicap, please contact Joe Sanfalippo (Title IX Coordinator for Simonton ES) or Amy Steinberg (Title IX Investigator for Simonton ES) and inform them that you have a complaint about the manner in which you or your child were treated and why.
GEMS Oversight Committee Applications
Gwinnett County Public Schools is inviting parents and guardians, community members, and school district employees to apply for the GEMS Oversight Committee, a group of community and school system representatives charged with the annual review of the Academic Knowledge and Skills (AKS) curriculum standards. The next meeting is tentatively scheduled for Nov. 1, 2022. After the review, the committee recommends revisions and additions to the Superintendent for adoption by the Gwinnett County Board of Education. Committee members serve three-year terms. Those interested in serving should complete the online application no later than Aug. 12.
ATTENTION 4TH AND 5TH GRADERS WHO LOVE LEGO AND ROBOTS!
It is time to apply for our First LEGO League Challenge competition team! Students who are chosen for this team learn how to research real-world problems and design solutions. They use teamwork to build and code robots that complete missions and solve problems. Only 10 students can be chosen for this team, so make sure you do your best work on the application! Applications are due Monday, August 22nd and students will be notified by Wednesday, August 24th. Our first meeting will be on Friday, August 26th from 7:00am - 8:00am. The family of each student is asked to contribute $20.00 to cover the cost of a student shirt and supplies.
Simonton Spirit Wear
GEMS Oversight Committee Applications
Gwinnett County Public Schools is inviting parents and guardians, community members, and school district employees to apply for the GEMS Oversight Committee, a group of community and school system representatives charged with the annual review of the Academic Knowledge and Skills (AKS) curriculum standards. The next meeting is tentatively scheduled for Nov. 1, 2022. After the review, the committee recommends revisions and additions to the Superintendent for adoption by the Gwinnett County Board of Education. Committee members serve three-year terms. Those interested in serving should complete the online application no later than today, Aug. 12.
2022-2023 School Supply List
Clinic Card
Simonton ES Afternoon Transportation Form
*This form should be used each time a student has a change in transportation.
MyPaymentsPlus
We encourage all families to create a MPP account. No purchase is necessary to have a MPP account. You will be able to read and digitally sign documents and/or make necessary payments. It is a great way for you to manage and keep track of all of your student payments and forms in one place throughout the school year.
MyPaymentsPlus is linked directly to your school’s student information system (SIS), enabling us to show real-time balances and invoices, and eliminating the need to call or visit your school in search of information.
Whether you’re viewing what your 2nd grader ate for lunch, renting a locker for your middle schooler, or purchasing a parking permit for that new driver in your family, MyPaymentsPlus ensures you never miss a beat, from Pre-K to graduation day.
Simply create a free MyPaymentsPlus account to get started today: https://www.mypaymentsplus.com/welcome
SES Handbook Highlights ~ Birthdays
Birthday celebration snacks for the entire class should be left at the front office for the teacher and your child to give to the class. They should be store bought, ready to serve, require no refrigeration or cutting, and should not include colored drinks. Please be aware of allergies of students in the classroom and plan accordingly. No class birthday parties or birthday favors (balloons, goody bags, hats, etc.) will be permitted. Birthday invitations may not be sent to school unless every student in the class receives an invitation. Student phone numbers and addresses will not be shared with other families.
School Nutrition
In all, 135 school cafeterias will offer breakfast and lunch daily. Students and parents can check out menus using an app—search for “NutriSlice” on Google Play or the App Store—or they can find menus online at www.gwinnett.nutrislice.com.
Breakfast
- Title 1 schools – all students will receive breakfast at no charge
- Non-Title 1 schools – Free and Reduced-Price students will receive breakfast at no charge. Students with Full Pay eligibility will be charged $1.50
Lunch
- All students will be charged for lunch based on their current eligibility status (Free, Reduced, Full Pay)
- There have been no changes to meal prices. Meal Prices for lunch are as follows: Reduced - $.40 cents; ES Lunch - $2.25; MS/HS Lunch - $2.50
Free and Reduced Lunch Application
The application for free and reduced lunch is now available. There will be no waiver in place to offer free lunch for all students. Please complete the application if you feel this is a service your family will need. All students who have not been approved for free or reduced lunch service will be charged the full price each day.
Free and Reduced Lunch Application
https://www.nlappscloud.com/Welcome.aspx?api=78f8fee54716f21218e523747d37a13c
Frequently Asked Questions about free and reduced lunch
Parent Portal
SES Handbook Highlights ~ Check in/out procedures
Students are checked in and out through the school office ONLY. Students arriving after 8:15 am are considered tardy and must be accompanied by an adult into the office to check in. Children will not be released from school at any unscheduled time without written explanation from parents and a signed “release register” on file in the office. For security reasons, anyone checking out a student must show a picture ID (i.e. Driver’s License) prior to having a child released. CHILDREN ARE RELEASED ONLY TO PERSONS DESIGNATED BY PARENTS ON THE EMERGENCY CONTACT LIST. This is a safeguard for all children. Early checkouts should be reserved for special circumstances and not used on a regular basis. There will be no student check outs after 2:15 p.m. In order to provide a safe and timely dismissal for all students. Telephone, fax notes through Class Dojo or email requests for check-outs will not be honored.
SchoolMessenger
In addition to verifying that your cell phone number is accurate in the system, you also will need to subscribe to the text message service if you wish to receive emergency texts from the school system. You can do so by texting the word “SUBSCRIBE” to the number 67587. You will receive an immediate response by text. If you do not, please contact your wireless provider, as some providers do not accept texts that use short code (SMS) messages. (Note: If you subscribed to receive text messages last year, there is no need to resubscribe unless your number changed.)
SchoolMessenger messages from Gwinnett County Public Schools will come from the number 1-844-248-6644. Please add this phone number to your contacts so you can easily identify the call as coming from Gwinnett County Public Schools. If you miss a phone message, you can call this number back to retrieve and replay phone notifications.
Please note that an individual can opt out of receiving SchoolMessenger messages at any time. Press “5” on your phone while listening to a phone message broadcast through SchoolMessenger to initiate the opt-out process. Parents also can go to go.schoolmessenger.com, logging in with the email address they provided to the school, and select “Preferences” to make changes regarding the various types of messages that may be sent.
Simonton ES PTA
*Movie and snack celebration (Parents must be members)
*Fall Festival
*Halloween Hair Day
*Winter Holiday Shop
*Sprit nights
Print the attached membership form and return it to the Simonton ES PTA. Sign up for a membership and volunteer to support an event! Contact the Simonton ES PTA at Simontonespta@gmail.com for more information.
GCPS Blueprint for the Future
Blueprint for the Future: Building the Bridge from Empathy to Excellence is our district plan, outlining the transformational work of Gwinnett County Public Schools (GCPS) over the next five years.
Open the attached document to read more.
Department of Community Services Special Events
Family e-Tips
Interest your child in science with a disappearing penny
Try this science experiment with your child: On a table, place a penny on a sheet of paper. Fill a clear glass with water, and set it on top of the penny. Can your child see the penny? Next, cover the top of the glass with a saucer. Can your child see the penny now? Explain that we see objects when light rays reflect off them into our eyes. But the light reflecting off the penny has to pass through air, water and glass, which makes it bend. The saucer blocks the bent light from reaching your eyes, and that's why the penny seems to disappear. https://tpitip.com/?12hH18608
Set your child up to be a responsible learner
Students who take active responsibility for their own learning get more out of it. Explain to your child that this involves being prepared to learn, as well as asking questions, participating in class, and talking about school subjects at home. It also means staying organized, and continuing to try when facing learning challenges. Say that you expect your child to be a responsible learner, and you will help. https://tpitip.com/?12hI18608
Have a private conversation about public misbehavior
How do you discipline a child who misbehaves in front of friends? You don't want to embarrass your child, but you don't want to let the behavior go unchallenged, either. Look for a compromise: Say something brief at the time (That was rude, Kiddo). Later, in private, you can discuss the issue further. Role-play appropriate ways to handle the situation, and end by saying "I know you'll do better next time." https://tpitip.com/?12hJ18608
Pick up a newspaper for some fun with reading
The print edition of the newspaper offers an unexpected bonus: countless fun ways to inspire your child's interest in reading. For one, have your child hunt through the headlines and cut out the letters from A to Z to make an alphabet poster. Then challenge your student to find the letters needed to spell family members' names. Or have your child cut out foods from the grocery ads and make a menu of foods that would make a tasty or yucky sandwich, and write about why. https://tpitip.com/?12hK18608
Give your child a chance to make the right choice
When your child has to make a big decision, it may be tempting to take over and make it. But there are a few things you should do first: Listen as your child considers possible solutions. Restate what you hear, and ask follow-up questions to help your child think things through: "If you don't go to the game, how would your teammates feel?" Then be patient. Your child may come to the right conclusion independently, and will gain useful problem-solving skills. https://tpitip.com/?12hL18608
Egg your child on to practice math
Here's a fun game to help your child practice math facts. Get an empty egg carton. Inside each cup, write a number from 0 to 11. Now cut out several egg-shaped pieces of paper. On each, write a math problem with a solution from 0 to 11. Have your child solve the problem on each egg, and put it in the cup with the matching answer. For an older child, try writing fractions in the cups and equivalent fractions on the eggs. https://tpitip.com/?12hM18608
A good mystery is fun for the whole family
Detective novels are great for reading aloud. Add to the fun by challenging family members to "out-detect" the detectives. Assign each person a different character. As you read, everyone can take notes on their characters. Before you read the last chapter, have family members tell their characters' stories. Then be detectives and try to solve the crime together. https://tpitip.com/?12hN18608
SIMONTON ELEMENTARY- 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
Deputy Superintendent ~ Dr. T. Nakia Towns
Board Member ~ Mr. Steven B. Knudsen
Principal ~ Ms. Tamara G. Perkins
Assistant Principal ~ Mr. Nicholas Gilmore
Assistant Principal ~ Dr. Joe Sanfilippo
Assistant Principal ~ Mrs. Amy Steinberg
Website: https://www.gcpsk12.org/SimontonES
Location: 275 Simonton Road Southeast, Lawrenceville, GA, USA
Phone: 770-513-6637
Twitter: @SimontonPride