April 2022
Chestatee Elementary School
A Letter From Dr. Tennies, Our Principal
Dear Families,
Welcome Back from Spring Break! The older I get, the faster the school year goes. At year 35, it goes by in a flash. It is wonderful to see the progress that has been made this school year at Chestatee. The energy from having our students and community in the school building has been great. It is also exciting to see planning for the next year, 2022-2023, already in place. Spring is our hiring season, and we actively prepare by finding additional members to join the Chestatee family. Fun fact, Chestatee is growing!
Another way we prepare is in welcoming our future class of kindergarteners. Kindergarten Safari is less than a month away on Thursday, May 12th. This is a very informative evening for first-time parents to the “big school,” as well as for families that have done Kindergarten at the T in years past. Please join us.
Our Partnerships with families define our work together at Chestatee. I wanted to make sure you knew of the opportunity to provide input into our class placement for next school year. Classes are made with input from teachers and staff. If you would like to share, please use this link to do so. Family Input Form for 2022-23 The link will be active until May 1st.
Finally, I am thrilled to share that our playground equipment purchased with Boosterthon Fund Raising will be coming in the next few weeks. Thank you to our fantastic PTO and community for their support to make our facility even more engaging for kids.
Together we are Chestatee!
Kindly,
Dr. Polly Tennies
Principal
Chestatee Elementary School
770-887-2341 ext. 722004
Positive Office Referral Students Visit Dr. T's Office
Lunch Details and Times Below!
Please limit yourself to one date per month, as we give opportunity for everyone. Outside food is allowed.
The cost of a guest lunch is $3.85. The cafeteria can accept check or exact cash.
Some Guidelines for Lunch:
- Meet your child in the lunchroom.
- Sit at your assigned table. There are 4 chairs.
- Wave goodbye from the lunchroom at the end of the period.
Thank YOU!
Click Here for Milestones Testing Information for Grades 3-5
A Congratulations is in Order!
Congrats to Ellie from Mrs. Gomez's Class
Congrats to Fifth Grader, Joseph
Wow to Carley in Mrs. Davis' Class!
Chestatee had 4 of the 6 Fire Safety Poster Winners!
Dr. Tennies and Meg were Featured Presenters!
Kicking Off March Memories with Read Across America Week
Lunch Earned with Bravo Bucks
Celebrating Exceptional Children's Week
Teacher Appreciation Week
Taco Dragon with Our Pre-K Kids
Science Night was a Success!
Green for St. Patrick's Day
One East Technology Night for Parent Portal
Kindergarten Goes on a Bug Hunt
Riding into Kindness with a Bike Drawing!
2nd Grade Fun and Learning....
2nd Grade Movie Project
1st Grade Fairy Tale Ball
Car Line Fun
Building Community with Students
In building community, we often use the term, "Be a Buddy- Not a Bully." We were very excited to participate in our first, "Greatest Kindness Week Ever" in October to celebrate kindness at the T! The Kindness Grant funds our Buddy Benches on the playground. We had another week of kindness this month too! This was a One East Initiative and all schools in our cluster participated. We are thankful for our counselors and Mrs. Olear for working hard on wellness with students!
Save the Dates!
Every Tuesday
April 15
April 18
April 22: 6 PM
April 28
May 4 (Wednesday)
Order Your Field Day Shirts by 4/22
Dear Chestatee Families,
It’s that time of year again! The 2022 Play Like A Champion field day shirts are NOW on sale!!! You will be able to order your field day t-shirt online between April 11th – April 22nd . If you would like to purchase a Play Like A Champion t-shirt for your child, please use the link below on My Payments Plus. You will go to the Events and Activities. Orders close April 22, 2022 at 3:00 PM. Parents will need to access their mypaymentsplus account via computer and not their cell phone. If they do not have a mypaymentsplus account already set up, they will need to set up the account before being able to access the field day information and order. If you have any ordering issues, please contact Ansley Acuff at f39054@forsyth.k12.ga.us.
Here’s the online Play Like A Champion 2022 field day t-shirt order form link.
Thank You,
Mrs. Waters and Mrs. Grindle (Physical Education Department)
Congratulations is in Order!
Congratulations to our Staff Member of the Month for March, Ms. Theresa Carley!
We are proud to announce third grade teacher, Ms. Theresa Carley, as our March Staff Member of the Month!
This has been Mrs. Carley's 19th year teaching 3rd grade at Chestatee Elementary. She received her Bachelor's degree from Illinois State University and her Master's degree in educational technology from Lesley University. She also has her Specialist’s degree from Lincoln Memorial University in Curriculum and Instruction. Mrs. Carley has been nominated many times throughout the year. She is often recognized for the way she makes children feel and for her calm and kind demeanor. She also is an expert at addressing individual needs and collaborating with others. Her all-time favorite grade to teach is third grade!
Theresa and her husband Doug live in the Chestatee Community. They have 3 grown children- Ben, Annie, and Tess and 3 grandkids- Korn, Finley, and Daniel. Theresa is originally from Illinois and 2 of her kids and all of her grandkids still live there, so she enjoys making trips to visit them. Her youngest daughter, Tessa, went through Chestatee and will graduate in May with her Specialist Degree in School Psychology. Theresa enjoys reading, spending time outside, travelling, and going to the movies. Theresa also LOVES her dogs! If Theresa hadn’t become a teacher, we think she might have been a CSI detective as she finds that work intriguing!
Mrs. Carley will be retiring at the end of this school year. And we will miss her very much at the T but are also very excited for her next adventures in life. We think she will enjoy extra time sipping coffee, reading, and catching up on the news when she retires. We are very grateful that she is part of our amazing Chestatee staff. Congratulations to Mrs. Theresa Carley!
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!
Teacher and Staff Member of the Month Nominations
2021-22 PTO Information!
The Snowflake Ball was the Event of the Year!
Our PTO is a GREAT Way to Get Involved!
Our PTO board members raise money to help teachers and our school.
You can support our PTO through our fundraiser, events, and spirit wear.
There are no membership dues this year.
chestateeelementarypto@yahoo.com
What's Coming Up at the T?
Important Cafeteria Information
Our Communi-T-y is the BEST!
Thank You to Home Depot of Brookwood
Thank You Local Church Dawson
All Green Outdoor Center Donated Our New Rock
Buzz's Bobcat Work Picked Up, Delivered and Installed Eagles Rock
Rotary Club of Johns Creek and North Forsyth 400 Rotary Club
Reality Bikes in Cumming
First Baptist of Cumming and New Hope UMC are always there to help support our blessings in a bookbag program
Browns Bridge Church Donated Snacks
Partners in Ed- Faye and Rusty Tarsches from Mathnasium of Coal Mountain Support Our School!
Mathnasium Word Problems of the Month
Community Opportunities
Watch DOGS is Back!
We have 2 options for WDs:
Carline Help:
Wear a WD shirt (we have one to borrow if needed), and help on car line by smiling, greeting kids, and helping them get out of the car.
Spend the Day:
Wear a WD shirt. We'll have a schedule for you to follow helping students around the school. Enjoy lunch with your child, recess time, car or bus line, and helping small groups of students in classrooms.
Sign up here:
Questions? Contact Meg Killingsworth
770-887-2341 ext. 723002
A Few Words From our Family Engagement Coordinator
It is hard to believe that April is here! How this year is flying by quickly. We hope you had a great week away from school. Sometimes it is nice to have a break from the routine whether you travel or not on our school breaks. I was happy to get back and see our Chestatee family. There were lots of smiles all around!
Last month, we published a survey about our fundraisers. We value feedback and saw a trend in what families had to share.
Here were some of the main points shared by many.
- 61% of surveys said they would continue the Schoolstore.com fundraiser while 39% noted they would prefer a change.
- 96% of families said that their children enjoyed the hugger animals.
- 70% said the fundraiser was easy.
- Many families commented that they didn’t feel comfortable sharing emails of their loved ones.
- Many shared that the email updates seemed excessive.
- Another note was that we do a lot of fundraisers at our school and sometimes they hit around the same time.
- Some people suggested to do a flat donation to the school.
- Families would love to help raise money with restaurants and spirit nights. (Hello CFA biscuits in car line for now!)
- Teachers loved getting gift cards to purchase items they need for their classroom. The money made was astounding and that was exciting.
One thing that I know from my 7 years in this position is that feedback makes us better. We continue to improve and that is because we ask families for input and they give it to us. We appreciate the feedback about the fundraiser too and will continue to discuss all the possibilities as a team. Thank you for being involved and making us better. We appreciate you!
See you soon!
Meg
Meg Killingsworth, Family Engagement Coordinator
770-887-2341 ext. 723002
The FORCE is in the Partnership Between Home and School!
Parent Help Videos are on Our Website!
Families In Action!
We Love Seeing Families Together or Working at Home!
Bryce gets ready for Read Across America Day!
Lylah and Zoey are ready for Read Across America Day!
Don't Forget....
Box Tops/ Soup Labels
The procedure will be changing in the near future (we will keep you posted!)
For now, keep filling out your Box Top Sheets and turn them in to Ms. Donna in the front office.
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