Sawnee Elementary
October 2021 Newsletter
A Note from Mr. Hershey
Welcome back from fall break! I hope that all of you got to spend some quality family time and were able to get some R & R.
I want to say thank you for the amazing contributions that you have made through our Sawnee SOARS PTO fundraiser. We can't say thank you enough to all of our PTO volunteers, staff, students, family, and friends for making it a huge success. Not only did we raise almost $80,000 to go towards shade structures, water filling stations, u-shaped tables, teacher grants, and much more, we also had a lot of fun in the process. Since this event, I have been asked many times "how did you like camping with the chickens?" It was truly an honor to bring a little excitement and entertainment your way!
This month, our teachers will be hosting conferences with our parents and students. We are excited to inform you that we will allow these to be done by phone, virtually, or face-to-face. We want to make sure we are doing everything we can to partner with you so that we can give our students the best opportunity to have a great year.
Please do not hesitate to reach out to me should you need anything. We are happy to serve you in any way to make a better experience for your child and your family.
Thank you again for partnering with us.
Let's make an amazing October!
#SawneeStrong #SawneeUnited
Derrick Hershey
Principal
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What's Happening at Sawnee?
7 Mindsets - 100% Accountable
The 100% Accountable Mindset teaches the importance of being responsible for our own happiness and success. Being 100% Accountable means deciding not to be victims of the past and recognizing that the future is not predetermined, so our lives are what we choose in the present moment and each moment moving forward. In these lessons, we help students focus on recognizing our fears and excuses. This mindset is about the importance of breaking down barriers and taking responsibility for our thoughts and actions. It also allows us to free our minds and focus our energy on taking the critical steps toward our goals.
The 4 critical components of 100% Accountable are:
1. Own your Life
2. Overcome Limiting Beliefs
3. Focus Your Energy
4. Grow through Life
Click here to learn more!
Veterans Day Program
Sawnee Family,
Our Veterans Day program will be virtual this year. We would love to recognize our Sawnee Veterans. If you have a Veteran you would like to recognize, please send the following to Farise Posey (fposey@forsyth.k12.ga.us):
*Veterans Name
*Branch of Service
*Rank
*Relationship to Sawnee student(s)
*Picture (can be current or from their time of service)
Veteran Information needs to be submitted by Monday, November 8th
Yearbook Information
Yearbooks are now on sale!!
You can go to www.balfour.com or scan the QR code to begin your order today! The price of the yearbook is $30 though January 31st. Starting February 1st the sale price will increase to $35. Online sales will close on March 7th. If you have any questions feel free to reach out to Coach McCormick (smccormick@forsyth.k12.ga.us).
Fall Picture Retakes
Fall Picture Re-takes will be held on November 5th in our back building Media Center. All Virtual students can get their pictures taken from 10a-11a. These will also be taken in the back Media Center.
Cafeteria News
October Harvest of the Month
Squash
(Winter & Summer)
Fun Facts
Winter Squash is actually grown in the summer and harvested in the fall.
Summer & Winter Squash has lots of vitamins and fiber.
The nutritional content of Squash help with digestion, blood pressure, healthy skin and hair.
Clinic News
Please visit our webpage here for reporting a positive Covid-19 test result and more information on Forsyth County Covid-19 guidelines.
Please continue to keep your children home with any signs of illness. If you have any questions on whether or not to send your student to school please call your nurse to discuss. Please click here for the current Covid Facts for Families. This is an excellent resource for all of our current Covid guidelines .
Counseling Information
Red Ribbon Week is October 23-31.
This year’s theme is “Drug Free Looks like Me.”
We will be doing some activities that focus on our healthy choices. Look for more information from your homeroom teacher when we get a little closer.
Starting in mid-October, we will be covering our “Think First & Stay Safe” childhood abuse prevention program. The curriculum will be taught in Guidance by our school counselors during our next specials rotation. We encourage all of our families to review this program information here: Think First & Stay Safe program information Please contact your student’s counselor if you have any questions.
Please check out our updated counseling page for lots of valuable information: Sawnee Counseling Page Link“ ?
Important Dates to Know
October 1 - PTO Board Meeting
October 1 - Custodian Appreciation Day
October 5 - PTO Takeout Tuesday - Zaxby's
October 7 - LSC Meeting
October 12 - Chief Leader Award Presentation
October 12 - PTO Takeout Tuesday - Marco's Pizza
October 13 - End of Q1 Grading Period
October 15 - CHOA's Cape Day
October 18-22 - Bus Driver Appreciation Week
October 19 - PTO Takeout Tuesday - Jim'n'Nicks
October 20 - Early Release
October 20 - West Family Connect Night (No HW)
October 21 - Early Release
October 21 - Book Fair Begins
October 22 - Prof. Dev./ Student Holiday (No School)
October 25 - Red Ribbon Week
October 26 - PTO Takeout Tuesday - Cheeky
October 28 - Sawnee's Spooktacular Drive Through (Relay for Life Event)
November 2 - PTO Takeout Tuesday - Moe's
November 2 - Chief Leader Award Presentation
November 5 - Fall Picture Retake
November 5 - PTO Board Meeting
November 9 - PTO Takeout Tuesday - Marco's Pizza
November 10 - West Family Connect Night (No HW)
November 11 - Veteran's Day
November 16 - PTO Takeout Tuesday - Jim'n'Nicks
November 18 - LSC Meeting
November 19 - Substitute Appreciation Day
November 22-26 - Student/Staff Holiday
November 30 - PTO Takeout Tuesday - Marco's Pizza
Quick Access Links
Birthday Ice Cream Treats - Birthday Ice Cream Packs have been a big hit so far this year! The packs are $25 for the entire class. Birthday Ice Cream Packs require 3 processing days from date of payment. You are also welcome to bring in your own store bought treats to celebrate your child's birthday. We will not allow homemade items due to student allergies. Thank you for your support with this.
Sawnee Zone Information - Our Sawnee Zone pick-up location remains to be in the front of our Back Building. Please make sure to bring your ID with you as we will follow all procedures that we do for student check-outs. For any questions about Sawnee Zone, please click here for more information.
PTO info: Take out Tuesdays: This is a way to support our families, raise money for our school, while stimulating our local economy. So take a break from making dinner and order from one of our business partners. We will be wearing spirit wear each Tuesday! * Spirit Wear is on sale all the time! And yes, it will be delivered straight to your house. Visit the spirit wear shop to view the awesome new Sawnee Swag options available this year!
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PARENT CORNER
PTO Information
Please join me in thanking our PTO for all of the support they provide to our school. Our new board has worked extremely hard to support our students and staff this year. We will continue to focus on staff appreciation, building upgrades, teacher grants for special projects, etc. We have many great things happening at Sawnee and want to continue with this great work! Any donation that you are able to contribute would be greatly appreciated. Click here to donate. This will take you directly to our new PTO website with all of their information. www.sawneepto.com
Take out Tuesdays: This is a way to support our families, raise money for our school, while stimulating our local economy. So take a break from making dinner and order from one of our business partners. We will be wearing spirit wear each Tuesday! * Spirit Wear is on sale all the time! And yes, it will be delivered straight to your house. Visit the spirit wear shop to view the awesome new Sawnee Swag options available this year!
Contact us: sawneeptoboard@gmail.com
Partners in Education
Business Partner Spotlight
Thank You World Champion Tae Kwon Do for your support! They are dedicated in creating family fun and helping build confidence and leadership. Call today for 2 Free Trial Classes!
770-886-9933 (Cumming) or 470-695-4110 (Sharon Springs)
Do you have a local business that would like to become a partner with Sawnee Elementary? Please contact Lauren King if interested.
In the Community....
**Support the WEST Marching Band by attending the Forsyth County Marching Exhibition:
Oct. 5th at Denmark High School @ 6:30pm
Click here to join the Pride of the West Marching Band for their First Annual Spin Clinic. For grades K-8 on Wednesday, October 27th: Practice from 5:30pm - 7:30pm.
Please help Military Families in Georgia have a wonderful Christmas season by donating money to Trees for Troops. Each $50 raised will purchase a 7-8 foot tree that will be cut, wrapped and delivered by FedEx to a Georgia Military Base. For more information click here.
Girl Scouts Information - Click here to watch a short video
We are also working on setting up our Instagram account and will be coming very soon!
Contact Sawnee Elementary
Website: http://forsyth.k12.ga.us/sawneeelementary
Location: 1616 Canton Highway, Cumming, GA, USA
Phone: 770-887-6161
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SawneeES/
Twitter: @SawneeElem