Update from Principal Boyd
October 7, 2022
From Principal Boyd
Did you know that October is National Bullying Prevention Month? We are starting a new student-led initiative at EJ named, Be THE Voice.
What is Be THE Voice?
Be THE Voice is a student-driven “Movement for Kindness, Compassion & Inclusion” that results in a kinder, more inclusive school environment. The revolutionary program is built upon proven techniques that help develop interpersonal skills – through first-hand experiences - resulting in confident student leaders in the classroom and beyond!
This initiative will be led by Ms. Seoane, Mr. Massie, and our Student Council.It is so important that our scholars know that we are working together to support them.
Q1 House Party
Our Quarter one House Party was a huge success! It is always so much fun to recognize our scholars! Our winning house color for 1st Quarter was the RED HOUSE! Pictures below.
The Passion Foundation
We are partnering with The Passion Foundation to bring some shading to our playground area. This foundation's mission is to raise funds to construct shade structures over play areas to limit UV exposure for children in elementary schools in Georgia and Florida. The Passion Foundation has previously partnered with several Fulton County Schools (Roswell North, Vickery Mill, Mountain Park) and we are excited that they have agreed to work with EJ, thanks to one of our parents, Mike Thomas.
The Passion Foundation is hosting a 4th Annual Atlanta Golf Outing as one of it's fundraisers and would love your support. To learn more about the foundation or to make a donation, please visit www.thepassion-foundation.org. A flyer for the Golf Fundraiser is below.
GA PreK Week
Georgia Pre-K Week is an opportunity for legislators and leaders around the state to visit with and/or read a children’s book to students in Pre-K classrooms within their local communities. This engagement allows state leaders a first-hand experience into the early education classroom. Check out pictures of me reading to our GA PreK classes below.
STEM Classes Cancelled
Unfortunately, I am going to have to cancel STEM for the remainder of the school year. Ms. Keisler will be moving to our vacant 3rd grade position. While I know many students and families will be disappointed in this change, I have to make the best decision possible to cover open positions. In replacement of STEM, students will participate in Counseling Lessons to assist with the rise in student behaviors, Media Center, Keyboarding, and Maker Space Activities. More information coming soon.
Town Hall Meeting
Thank you to those parents who were able to make it to our first Town Hall meeting of the 2022-2023 school year. I am working to develop a Q &A with responses to the questions that were addressed. I will send it to parents when it is complete.
September Attendance Recognition
The following homerooms won our September Attendance Challenge:
PreK - Vielmas
Kinder - Thompson
First - Kiess
Second - Cleveland
Third - Shook
Fourth - Drews
Fifth - Marques-Whitehead
The following students were recognized for perfect attendance and won a Kindle Tablet!
Trevor Kalman - Ms. Kiess (1st grade)
Valentina Villanueva Lizama - Ms. Lindsey Sather (2nd grade)
Jane Owuor - Ms. Garmon (4th grade)
Congratulations to all of our scholars for taking the Attendance Challenge - Less than 5. Be Present. ALL day EVERY day!
Parent Workshops
The following workshops are being offered at EJ next month. We'd love to see you!
ENGLISH LEARNER/ESOL WORKSHOP
What: A workshop for parents of English Learners.
When: Thursday, October 13
Time: 1:00 pm
Where: Esther Jackson Elementary School
TECHNOLOGY WORKSHOP
What: Learn the harms of copyright piracy and how to monitor academic progress using Infinite Campus.
When: Thursday, October 13
Time: 1:30 pm
Where: Esther Jackson Elementary School
Parent University - October 20th
Our first Parent University of the school year will take place on Thursday, October 20th at 5:30 p.m. Please join us to learn ways to support your student at home in Math and Literacy. ALL families are invited.
Flu Cases
We have had several students and staff members out sick with the flu. Please know that there are actions you can take to help reduce exposure to respiratory infections and flu. The following are everyday actions you can take to keep your family healthy:
- Know the signs and symptoms of the flu. Symptoms of the flu include fever (100.4 degrees Fahrenheit, 37.8 degrees Celsius or greater), cough, sore throat, a runny or stuffy nose, body aches, headache, and feeling very tired. Some people may also have vomiting or diarrhea.
- Wash hands often with soap and water, especially after coughing or sneezing. Alcohol-based hand cleaners/hand sanitizers are also effective when soap and water are not available.
- Teach your children not to share personal items like drinks, food or unwashed utensils, and to cover their coughs and sneezes with tissues. Covering up their coughs or sneezes using the elbow, arm or sleeve instead of the hand when a tissue is unavailable. Throw the tissue in the trash after you use it.
- Keep sick children at home for at least 24 hours after they no longer have fever or do not have signs of fever, without using fever-reducing drugs or as recommended by a health care provider. Keeping children with a fever at home will reduce the number of people who may get infected. Recovering students may need to stay home for a longer period of time as directed by a healthcare provider.
- Get vaccinated against the flu. Influenza vaccination is the best defense against the flu.
Coat Drive
North Fulton Charities is having a coat drive this weekend at The Cooler - Alpharetta Family Skate Center. If you or a member of your family are in need, please stop by to pick out some winter gear!
PTA Movie Night
Save the date! Friday, October 28th from 6:00 - 8:00 p.m. will be Movie Night on the playground! Join your friends and other EJ families for a family friendly movie on the back field. Entry to the event is free. Snacks, drinks, and treats will be available for sale. We hope to see you there!
Halloween
Students are allowed to wear costumes on Monday, 10/31, as long as they are appropriate. No costumes with blood, weapons, masks, etc. If you send in a treat for your student's class, please be sure that it is store bought and wrapped and that you have enough for the entire class. Please let your scholar's teacher know if you have any questions.
Trevor Kalman
Jane Owuor
Valentina Villanueva Lizama
I loved reading to Ms. Brown and Underwood's class today!
Couldn't resist sitting with Ms. Smith's scholars today when I read to them for GA PreK Week!
I had so much fun reading Lebron James' book, I Promise, to our GA PreK scholars!
Be THE Voice
Our Jaguar Scholars celebrating at our first in person House Party since 2020.
Our Q1 Red House Winners!
Congratulations to our Overall Jaguars of the First Quarter!
Yellow House - Na'Tiana Charlton
Red House - Brandon Huerta Velazquez (represented by his teacher, Ms. Whitehead)
Green House - Sylvia Brooks
Jaguar Spotlight
This week I am highlighting a teacher and several students.
Ms. Kimberly Keisler - Ms. Keisler will be taking over for our 3rd grade vacancy for the remainder of the school year. Ms. Keisler is a master teacher with years of experience. She has been at Esther Jackson for many years and has served every grade level. Most recently, she has worked as our STEM teacher. Although STEM is a passion for Ms. Keisler, she has remained positive about the shift to 3rd grade and will continue to support our teachers with supplemental STEM activities throughout the year. Thank you, Kim, for being such a dedicated member of the EJ Family!
Several scholars (pictured below) earned a Positive Office Referral over the past two weeks. Please help me congratulate them for being recognized by an EJ staff member for making good choices and displaying positive behavior. The parents of these amazing students were sent an email notification, students received a positive note and were recognized at our EJ Quarter 1 House Party.
Teacher and Staff Recognition
The role of an educator is extremely rewarding and sometimes tough. it is so important that we always show appreciation to our EJ staff. The following have been recognized by parents:
Ms. Bivins - "Thank you for sending "Happy Mail" home to recognize Wesley's hard work in Phonics." Ms. Williams, Kindergarten parent
Ms. Vitagliano - "Thank you for giving lots of positive incentives to keep behaviors in check that my daughter is enjoying. (tickets and candy jar for compliments)." Ms. Williams, 3rd grade parent
Jill Vitagliano - "Jill is so on top of the going ons in Charleigh's class. Whenever I have a question, she responds super quick, she explains everything thoroughly, is patient, and super sweet!" Mary Mitchell, 3rd grade parent
Ms. Johnson & Ms. Sather - Our boys love their teachers. Wessy is going to miss Ms. Johnson and we appreciate all her effort and enthusiasm getting the kids excited about school. Willy loves Ms. sather and how kind and engaging she is." Lori Randall, Kindergarten and 2nd grade parent
Ms. Wylie and Mr. Massie - Our boys always come home excited to tell and teach us what they learned in music and art. Mr. Massie's way of teaching them what different music notes mean really stuck with them and they drew different kinds of notes for us. They were so excited about the magic of paint making white crayon show up. Thanks for making those subjects special for them!" Lori Randall, Kindergarten and 2nd grade parent
Ms. Niles - Ms. Niles has gone above and beyond to make our student feel comfortable at school this year. During our conference, Ms. Niles shared that she changed the way she is handling behavior challenges in her classroom in response to our son's concerns on the first day of school. This demonstrated the empathy and love for her students that every parent would want in their child's teacher. She has a way of using discipline to help students grow and learn to respect each other that is not an easy skill to master. If you ever need a teacher to lead classroom management workshops, I highly recommend Ms. Niles! Patrice Payment, 3rd and 5th grade parent
If you would like to recognize an EJ staff member, please complete this short form: https://tinyurl.com/StaffRecognitionEJ We would love to hear from you!
Principal Feedback
Parents, please use this link to provide feedback on how we can better serve you. I welcome questions, suggestions, concerns, and of course positive messages about EJ or any staff member. Please do not include questions about your student(s) performance. Instead, contact your student's teacher.
Dates to Remember
October 7 - Last Day of 1st Quarter/Q1 House Party
October 10 - Columbus/Indigenous Peoples' Day - NO SCHOOL
October 11 - Professional Development Day - NO SCHOOL FOR STUDENTS
October 12 - Teacher Workday/Conferences - NO SCHOOL FOR STUDENTS
October 13 - ESOL and Technology Workshops
October 14 - Report Cards Sent Home
October 18 - 2nd Grade Field Trip to Chattahoochee Nature Center
October 18 - School Governance Council Meeting (SGC)
October 19 - College and Career Day
October 19 - Katha Stuart Community Meeting at Roswell North Elementary @9:30
October 20 - Parent University (Literacy and Math)
October 24 - Start of Red Ribbon Week
October 28 - PTA Movie Night (*Date Change)
October 31 - Halloween
November 8 - Election Day - Remote Day for Students