Comet Connection
Keeping you connected with Silver City ES!
ADMIN UNIVERSE
Students and families,
Since our last update before Spring Break, much has changed in our world and community. We have since found out that we will be continuing online learning for the remainder of this school year and we are living in a state of "shelter in place" until at least the end of April. I must tell you that when I heard that we were not coming back to school this year, my heart was deeply saddened. The teachers and staff at Silver City miss each of you deeply and we are experiencing firsthand how difficult our job is when we don't get to interact with you face-to-face.
The joy of teaching and the heart of the school is you...each of you...our Comets. For this reason, we are going to continue hosting classroom meetings, small group sessions and one-on-one conferencing because we need to see your faces, we need to interact with you and we need to connect with you. Each of YOU are what we love about Silver City. Each of you, each of our families, and each of our staff members are what make Silver City an amazing place to be...WE are Silver City. We are in this together, my friends, and we will continue to care for, connect with, and support each of you every day.
Thank you, Comets, for making Silver City a truly outstanding school and a place each one of us loves! We are ready to continue to learn and grow together for the next 5 weeks. We can do this!
Sincerely,
Mr. Sloop
FCS Grading Guidelines for Online Learning
By now, I hope you have had a chance to read the District’s grading guidelines that were shared earlier this week. If you have not, please take a minute to read them here.
I am so glad the District has shared this with everyone because it, once again, shows our commitment to LEARNING and not just grading and assessment. Although those things are extremely important, the learning and growth of our students is the most important piece. The new guidelines give us flexibility to not focus on grades, but focus on the simple joy of learning. It also gives us the opportunity to slow things down a little bit and only provide 90 minutes of instruction for grades K-2 and 120 minutes of instruction for grades 3-5. In addition to these times, we ask that students in all grades continue to read 30 minutes each day.
With all my heart, I ask our students and families to please stay committed to digital learning. I know it is hard, I know it is taxing, and I know it is different. But, our students still have much to learn and experience in these next 5 weeks and our goals, in spite of these difficult times, are to support them socially, emotionally and academically and continue to see them learn and grow. Your child's time, effort and learning over the next 5 weeks will impact their preparedness for next school year, so the learning we achieve from now until May really does matter!
Thank you for continuing to partner with us and please know we will continue to be understanding. If you or your child are feeling overwhelmed by the workload and need a break, please reach out directly to your child's teacher and give them that feedback. I promise they will understand. We are committed to addressing each student’s individual learning goals and seeing as much growth as possible in the coming weeks. School is not over for us and we will continue to be here for you.
Thank you Silver City families for your perseverance, you positivity and your resilience during these difficult times. We are in this together!
Kindergarten Registration Info
NEW! If you have a rising Kindergarten student , we will gather information from you on them through an online survey we will send out on May 14, so please be on the lookout for that. We will also provide an online kindergarten orientation, tour, and live Q&A sessions starting in mid-May. Kindergarten screening dates have been postponed until July 27 and 28 and we will resend those Sign-up Genius links closer to those dates.
We are still registering students using a virtual process and will use that for rising 2020-21 Kindergarten students. You can begin the registration process even without all of the required forms, but your child(ren) cannot start the first day of school until all of the forms are turned in. Any forms needed from a doctor can be turned in at a later day through the upload process. After registering, you will receive an email indicating any forms that are missing and the upload link is also provided.
PROVIDING A GALAXY OF SUPPORT
UPDATED...Need a Chromebook? If you still are in need of a chromebook or hot spot, please reach out to your child's homeroom teacher and let them know.
Check out these Community Resources...Whether you are able to serve or if you are in need, check out The Place of Forsyth County. They offer a wealth of resources to families in our county.
Coronavirus Resources for Parents - FCS Schools has put together a list of resources for you as a parent, so check them out here.
Helping Other Families?
If you are looking for a way to support families in our County, we have heard that you can donate specific items or financial resources through The Place of Forsyth County and the United Way of Forsyth County. Both of these wonderful organizations are in the "front lines" of meeting the needs of our community.
As always, use our district website as a resource to keep up with what is going on with Forsyth County Schools.
Freya wanted to say "Hello" to all the Comets!
Virtual Field Day - Friday, May 8
We’re excited to announce that Chestatee, Chattahoochee, Coal Mountain, Matt, and Silver City Elementary will be participating in our first online North Cluster Schools Field Day event on Friday, May 8th!
Field Day is an important tradition in each of our elementary schools. It is a significant day for our students and our staff, and we feel that in these incredibly challenging times this event is a unique way that we can stay connected as a community and support one another in a fun and meaningful way.
So, Virtual Field Day will be Friday, May 8, which means our Catch Up Day that week will be Thursday, May 7.
More info will be coming soon!
End-of-Year Plans
We are investigating the option of having our end-of-year parties and 5th grade Honors Day celebration in late July. Again, we have to wait to hear what the Governor tells us about when students and families can be back on campus, but we hope to make something happen in late July.
Thanks for your patience as we figure all of this out!
Offers from FCS Business Partners
Silver City Elementary School
Website: https://www.forsyth.k12.ga.us/silvercity
Location: 6200 Dahlonega Hwy, Cumming, GA 30028
Phone: (678) 965-5020
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SilverCityES/
Twitter: @SilverCityES