October 2023
Chestatee Elementary: Serving the Community Since 1931
A Letter From Dr. Tennies, Our Principal
Hello Families,
We have almost completed our first quarter of the school year and are gearing up for October Parent Teacher Conferences. We are looking forward to seeing you on campus and sharing important information.
What can you expect?
We like to provide options. One positive we learned through our pandemic experience is one size does not fit all. Expect your teacher to be able to provide face to face, virtual, or phone conference options.
Expect to talk about the standards. Forsyth County issues a standards-based report card which judges students on a 4-point scale with 3 being proficient, and 4 exceeding the expectation. Fourth and fifth graders also receive numeric grades.
Expect you will have time for questions. You might want to jot a few down ahead of time, knowing that conference time is limited.
Know we are keeping a schedule, so if you need more time, it is possible to connect again later. We will do our best to be timely for all concerned.
While you are on campus, you may want to stop by the front office to sign up for a Parent Portal account. You can also reset your password if needed with assistance. This platform gives you access to valuable information such as test reports and the quarterly report card.
Together we are Chestatee!
Kindly,
Dr. Polly Tennies
Principal
Chestatee Elementary
Important Reminders
- Please remember to send in your child’s excuse within 5 days.
- Families can send up to 10 notes from home for absences before doctor notes are required.
- On email excuses to the teacher, it’s easy to add Ms. Stacey (Sholbrook@forsyth.k12.ga.us) to make sure she gets the excuse.
- Any time you go to see the doctor, please ask for a school excuse. If you forget, contact the doctor and ask them to email or fax the excuse. Fax: 770-781-2281.
- Georgia law requires the school to send attendance letters after 5 or more unexcused absences.
- If your child is checking out from the clinic, the absence is excused.
- When you check your child in/ out on Checkmate, the absence will be unexcused. Please provide a medical excuse if you'd like the absence excused.
School Pay
School Pay is a new program we will use for all payments EXCEPT meals. My Payments Plus will still be used for cafeteria accounts. Click here.
Let's Give a Round of Applause!
Our Families are Amazing!
Thank you for your support with Boosterthon! Our results were amazing, and we are so excited to make school improvements with these funds. Because our families met the goal (actually surpassed), Dr. Tennies traveled to Warbington Farms to kiss a pig! Check out the fun video and results!
Dr. Tennies Visits Warbington Farms!
Game Changers are Making a Difference!
We are Grateful for our Mentor Teachers
Congrats to Students Who Received Positive Office Referrals
A Look Back at September!
Car Line Fun
Boosterthon
Constitution Day on September 18th
Boosterthon Fun Run
Fifth Grade Idiom Day
Congratulations to the Staff Member of the Month for September- Sarah Wiggins!
We are proud to announce Sarah Wiggins as our September Staff Member of the Month!
Mrs. Wiggins is our Media Specialist. This is her 21st year at Chestatee and 31st year teaching. She taught third, fourth, and fifth grades and was our school’s writing teacher before becoming the Media Specialist. She has a passion for reading, writing, and research which serves her well in the media center.
Sarah and her husband, Todd, have been married for 26 years. They have two children, Preston and Logan, who are both in college. Sarah loves reading and sitting by her pool in her spare time. She also loves beach trips and watching the Braves. You will often see Sarah with a Chick-fil-A sweet tea in her hand!
Sarah was nominated several times this year. She has been very impactful with our Game Changers program and Pathways classes. She also serves as our After School Program Director. Sarah has brought many new ideas to the program this year! One nomination read, “Sarah has shown herself as a real leader.” Another stated, “Sarah is doing so great with after school, and the kids are having so much fun. Her communication with parents is incredible.”
Sarah, we are very thankful you are a Chestatee Eagle! Thank you for all you do to make Chestatee a better place. Congratulations on this great honor. A big thank you to our PTO and Mathnasium of Coal Mountain for sponsoring our Chestatee Staff Member of the Month Program!
Teacher and Staff Member of the Month Nominations
What's Coming up at the T?
Important Dates this Month!
October 2- Welcome back from Fall Break. Begin Candy Contest.
October 4- Enrichment after school/ Please send a snack. Students will dismiss in carline at 4:00.
October 11- Enrichment after school
October 12- Live to Give Club after school
October 13- Coffee Chat with Dr. Tennies/ Family Resource Room- pop in between 9 and 10 AM.
October 9-18 Literati Bookfair (We are excited to offer a new company this year!)
October 16-20 Bus Driver Appreciation Week
October 18 Taco Mac Dawsonville Spirit Night 5:00-8:00
October 19- Online Learning Day/ Parent-Teacher Conferences all day
October 20- Professional Development Day/ No school for students
October 23- 50th day of school/ Students and staff are invited to dress in 50s attire.
October 23-27 Red Ribbon Week
October 25- Picture Makeup Day/ Candy Contest ends today.
October 26- One East Fall Festival and Trunk or Treat!
October 27- Best Ice Cream on Wheels for Candy Contest Winners
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 fundraisers, Spirit Nights, events, and spirit wear.
There are no membership dues this year.
Contact our PTO at chestateeelementarypto@gmail.com any time!
Thank You for Supporting Chestatee!
Our Boosterthon Fundraiser and Fun Run were nothing short of amazing! A heartfelt thank you for all of the support from our families and community. Together you raised over $38,000!
This Month's Spirit Nights!
Da Vinci's Donuts, Mod Pizza, Panda Express
A Note from Nurse Kristen
Dear Families,
The main reasons for keeping your child at home are as follows:
- If he/she is too sick to be comfortable at school
- If he/she will spread a contagious illness/disease to another child
Remember: Students must be fever free for 24 hours without the use of fever reducing medications before returning to school. Students must also be vomiting and diarrhea free for 24 hours before returning to school.
Kristen Knottek, BSN, RN
School Nurse
Chestatee Elementary
770-887-2341 ext. 722151
f41520@forsyth.k12.ga.us
Our Communi-T-y is the BEST!
2nd Grade Received Books from the Chestatee River Chapter of NSDAR
These Rotary Clubs Donated Amazing Literacy Kits
One East Community Corner!
Community Corner and Resources
If you are looking to volunteer this year, we would love to have you! Please watch the mandated reporter video (10 minutes) and sign off on the confidentiality form. Click here for everything you need. https://docs.google.com/document/d/11sucZ7O2QGJMRh5Vr9UwvOpr7UpaRIaCLc8HklX8vjQ/edit?usp=sharing
Meg Killingsworth will take these signed forms in the office. We also have hard copies.
Do You Have 30 Minutes a Week to Change a Child's Life? Be a Mentor!
Do you or someone you know have 30 minutes a week to make the difference of a lifetime? Mentors are positive adults the spend time with one student each week building relationships and confidence in the child's life. Please contact Robin Mitchell at rmitchell@forsyth.k12.ga.us or ext. 722455 to discuss the possibilities.
Research confirms that quality mentoring relationships have powerful positive effects on young people in a variety of personal, academic, and professional situations. Mentoring leads to better attendance, academic learning, self-confidence, and higher graduation rates.
Watchdog Dads
Watchdog Dads
Calling all male role models! Watchdog Dads are welcome at the T!
Our WatchDOG (Dads of Great Students) is an awesome program where positive role models come and spend the day with us! From car line to the morning news to visiting classrooms, our guys will have a blast helping us at the school.
There are two ways to help:
#1- 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.
#2-Wear a WD shirt and spend the day with us! You'll visit the carline, the school news, your child's class, Pathways classes, lunch and recess. You'll be busy and tired at the end of the day!
Click here for all the information!
Questions? Contact Meg Killingsworth
770-887-2341 ext. 723002
A Few Words From our Family Engagement Coordinator
Dear Families,
October is one of my favorite months, and it is upon us! Hopefully you had a wonderful Fall Break away from Chestatee. It seems as if we came back rested, recharged, and ready to go strong!
This month is fall conference time. Teachers will be inviting families to come to the school to discuss progress from the school year. This is an individual meeting with the teacher, and our staff is busy preparing. In the past, FCS has offered two early release days. Teachers taught all morning and then began conferences around noon. From stakeholder feedback, the change was made to give one full day instead. Students will be given assignments to complete online on Thursday, October 19th. This will provide a full day for teachers to meet with families. Some families have mentioned that they are worried about the online learning day.
Here are few things to remember.
Students have been practicing using Canvas at school.
Teachers will be sending directions and help before the 19th.
Assignments do not have to be completed on the 19th. Students have 5 days to complete assignments.
By working online, October 19th counts as a full school day.
October 19th is good practice in case we have inclement weather days this year.
Reach out to your child’s teacher with questions. They are very understanding and will work with you. However, they will have limited time on the 19th due to meeting with families.
Friday, October 20th is a Professional Development Day. There will be no school for students.
You may have noticed that Chestatee is all about partnership. Please take the time at your child’s conference to hear how the year is going. Also, speak up about what you are seeing and questions you may have. We look forward to seeing you!
Together WE are Chestatee!
See you soon,
Meg
Meg Killingsworth
770-887-2341 ext. 723002
Yearbooks!
Yearbook cover sneak peek! Don’t miss out……Order TODAY!
@JOSTENSYEARBOOK, @JOSTENSADVISERANDSTAFF, #YEARBOOKWEEKSWEEPSTAKES, #YEARBOOKLOVE
Don't Forget....
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