Abbotts Hill Hilltop Happenings
October 4, 2021
Abbotts Hill Elementary School
Website: https://www.fultonschools.org/abbottshilles
Location: 5575 Abbotts Bridge Road, Johns Creek, GA, United States
Phone: 470-254-2860
Important Dates
10/7 - FCS Capital Plan 2027 information meetings (see note in Updates below for details).
10/8 - Fun Run Celebration (rain date 10/15) - Parents welcome! See details in the PTA News section10/11 - Columbus Day (school closed)
10/12 - Teacher Work Day (no students)
10/15 - 9-week report cards visible in Infinite Campus
10/20 - Reflections entries due
10/25 - October late start date
10/25 - School Governance Council meeting 3:00 pm
Dear Abbotts Hill Families,
We have had a wonderful first quarter of school! Students are in the routine, relationships are being developed, and a lot of teaching and learning is occurring. In addition to the important information below, I wanted to highlight a few dates:
10/11 and 10/12 – No school for students on these days. Enjoy the long weekend!
10/15 -9-week report cards will be visible in Infinite Campus
10/25 – October Late Start Day. Drop off time is either 7:10-7:40 OR 8:10-8:40. Carpool staff will not be out between 7:40 and 8:10, as that is not a drop-off opportunity. Breakfast and school transportation will only be available for students coming in during the 7:10-7:40 time range.
Also, we are thrilled to launch PBIS Rewards as a school! Teachers are setting up their classroom stores and students will start earning points! We will be setting up a school store soon! This county supported app is utilized throughout many schools in Fulton County, and we are excited to be able to use it at Abbotts Hill! Please see the below video for more information about PBIS Rewards.
PBIS Rewards - Parent Education Video
As we enter Quarter 2, it is a good time to sit with your child and set goals. This helps promote a growth mindset with students. Goals can be developed around the following three categories: Behaviorally, Academic, or Personal (B.A.P. Goals). Help your child plan out his/her B.A.P. goals:
Specific – What EXACTLY do you want to accomplish?
Measurable – How will you know when you meet your goal?
Attainable – Is it possible to meet this goal with effort by your timeline?
Relevant – Is this goal worth working hard to accomplish?
Timely – What is the deadline you set to meet your goal?
I cannot wait to hear the goals your child sets and watch them be #goalgetters!
Jill Osmerg
Assistant Principal
Carpool Safety
Morning Carpool Reminders
Morning carpool is becoming very dangerous for our students and staff. We are asking that you please drive through the carpool line and not park your car. Parking your car and walking your students (some parents stop at the crosswalk and let the child cross) to the front is requiring us to completely stop the flow of the carpool line. And, we feel there is some confusion as to what determines a “walker.” To clarify, driving your student to school and getting out in the parking lot is not considered a walker. This causes delays for all. Please drop your student off via the carpool line only. We can’t emphasize the safety of our students and staff enough. Thank you for your cooperation.
Carpool Safety
We are experiencing an increase in our car riders. We ask parents to be patient, safe, and understanding, as you can anticipate increased traffic. To increase safety and efficiency please:
- Begin practicing with your child on how to unbuckle and buckle their seatbelt, and how to independently get in and out of the car.
- Remain in the carpool lane rather than parking in the lot and walking your child into the building. Utilizing the carpool line is faster and safer than parking and walking students to the front door. Staff is available at the carpool line to assist your child. Staff will check in/out and monitor car riders exiting and entering vehicles; however, they will only assist with car doors if a student has a specific need for help.
- When in the carpool lane, please remain in your vehicle and do not pass other cars.
Afternoon Carpool Safety
- Students will be dismissed from the building from two exits, the front door and the media center door. Staff will assist students as they locate their vehicle. Students are to enter and exit the vehicle through the passenger side.
It is critical to make sure you hang your child’s carpool number on the rearview mirror so our afternoon carpool line can run efficiently. We have a much larger number of car riders this year, so your help with this is greatly appreciated.
UPDATES
Boosterthon
Thank you to the PTA and all students and staff who promoted this year’s Booster-Thon! Without your support, we would not have been able to EXCEED our goal! Thank you for your support of the fundraising efforts. Way to go!!
MAP Testing – 2nd and 4th grade students only
During the first two weeks of October, the MAP Growth Assessment will be administered across Fulton County to all students in grades 2, 4, and 7. NWEA's MAP Growth measures what students know and what they are ready to learn.
As advised, we have planned three one-hour testing sessions for both reading and math. Each one-hour block includes time for logging in, going over directions, working through the assessment, and logging off.
All 2nd and 4th grade students will take the MAP GROWTH Reading Assessment on October 5th, 6th, and 7th. All 2nd and 4th grade students will take the MAP GROWTH Math Assessment October 13th, 14th, and 15th. Makeups will be given October 18-20. Please help your 4th grade student to remember to charge their device each night and bring to school each day. Second grade students will utilize devices within the school.
As always, please ensure your child has a healthy breakfast and is on time to school, particularly on assessment days.
Please read this flyer for more information about the MAP GROWTH Assessment.
Attendance Matters
Way to go 2nd, 3rd, and 5th grade for having at or above the 90% attendance rate since the beginning of the year!
Capital Plan 2027 Information – Clicks and Bricks
Last week, flyers went home regarding the Capital Plan 2027. Please be aware of the following Community Engagement Meeting opportunity:
Thursday, Oct. 7
Zones 4, 5, 6 & 7 (North Fulton/Sandy Springs)
12 - 1 pm. – Microsoft Teams meeting
6 - 7 p.m. – North Learning Center (450 Northridge Parkway, Sandy Springs)
You may also visit Capital Plan 2027 / What is a Capital Plan? (fultonschools.org) and read the below links to gain more information.
Bricks and Clicks - Capital Plan 2027
Capital Plan 2027 Projects - Chattahoochee High School and Feeder Schools
Student Handbook Highlight
School Messenger Notification System A school messenger e-mail will be sent in an emergency situation (weather emergencies, etc.) or other situations that the principal deems necessary. If you receive a school messenger e-mail or call, please read or listen to this messenger in its entirety. This communication will provide important information. Do not call the school, it is very important that the phone lines remain open for emergency situations.
If you are not receiving school messages (Hilltop Happenings, etc.), please update your email either through Campus Parent or with the data clerk, Alice Lan.
Board Policy Highlight
In order for students in Fulton County Schools to learn and achieve, it is critical that they attend and engage in the learning process. Student absences, whether excused or unexcused, impact a child’s ability to succeed in school.
To improve student attendance, students need to feel valued, engaged, and safe.
Valued: Students feel that they are important.
Safe: Students feel safe.
Engaged: Students are a part of the learning process
A tiered approach will be utilized to maximize student attendance in school which promotes the organization of academic, behavioral, and health supports and interventions to meet all students based on their individual needs. Attendance interventions will be implemented based on the following categories:
Satisfactory (0-4% Absence Rate)
At Risk (5-9% Absence Rate) - Preventative
Foundation of the support system and includes universal strategies to encourage good attendance for all students.
Chronic Absent (10-19% Absence Rate) - Early Intervention
For students and families who need more encouragement and support in addition to preventative strategies. Chronic absent strategies will provide early intervention(s) to target students to avoid chronic absences.
Severe Chronic Absent (≥20%Absence Rate)- Intensive Supports
Offers intensive support for students facing the greatest challenges to getting to school with individual interventions and wrap around supports.
Participate Remotely Days
This school year, students can receive 5 remote learning days per semester, for a total of 10 remote learning days for the school year. Parents must submit the request to use remote learning days 5 days in advance of the requested dates to the principal. Please see the attached form for further information. Request for PreArranged Remote Learning Participation
3rd, 4th, and 5th grade parents/guardians:
Please help your child develop the routine of plugging in their laptop and running updates at home DAILY after school. Let the updates run.
Following these procedures will ensure that your student's laptop is running smoothly!
Student COVID-19 Report Portal Updates
The Fulton County Board of Health and Fulton County Schools have developed an on-line portal for FCS parents/guardians to report student COVID-19 related cases. This portal is on the FCS homepage. The portal has been updated for Spanish, Korean, and Chinese. FCS parent/guardians will find a dropdown at the top right for translations.
Please make a report to the FCBOH when your student is COVID-19 positive, has a pending COVID-19 test result, or has been in direct contact with a COVID-19 positive person. Do not send your student to school after you have made a report. You should wait for clearance from Fulton County Schools.
Also, please use this resource for official reporting rather than alerting the school and/or teacher. If you must engage the school/teacher, please do so after you have made an official report to the FCBOH. Lastly, to ensure the protection of our school community, please do not allow your child to attend school or school-sponsored events when he/she is ill and/or has any of the above COVID-19 concern.
Once cases are recorded and investigated by the district’s student health services, the local school then receives information to provide to our classes and parents, as needed. Thank you for partnering with us to help keep our school community safe!
Learning Commons News
LESSONS
All classes come to the Learning Commons for lessons every other week. Please ask your child what they did during that lesson. Stories and activities are always related to literacy and to topics being studied in their classrooms. 3rd , 4th, and 5th
graders have created their own Adobe Spark websites and will be monitoring their personal reading goals, as well as keeping track of their Learning Commons activities, all year. Ask YOUR student to share theirs with you! 😊
BATTLE OF THE BOOKS
Battle of the Books is well underway! Third, fourth, and fifth graders have already had their first meeting and all participants should now be reading their second Battle of the Books book (and posting their questions, answers, and evidence once finished). All books are available in the Learning Commons and many can also be accessed as e-books on MackinVia.
Next Meetings:
3rd Grade: October 14th
4th Grade: October 21st
5th Grade: October 28th
All information about Battle of the Books can be found on the Learning Commons website at www.abbottshillmc.weebly.com (Battle of the Books tab)
BORROWING BOOKS
Please help your child develop responsibility by encouraging them to find a safe space to keep their library books (away from young siblings, water, food, and pets).
Books are checked out for 2 weeks, but can be returned sooner, of course!
Kindergarteners and 1st graders may check out 1 book at a time.
2nd, 3rd, 4th, and 5th graders may check out 2 books at a time.
Books that are damaged or lost must be paid for or replaced with the same title and format. Parents/guardians will receive the necessary information should this situation arise.
LITTLE FREE LIBRARY
Our Little Free Library has been BUSY! Please check it out if you haven’t already done so. It is in beside the gazebo near the carpool lane and is restocked with great books weekly. These ARE NOT library books and do not need to be returned, though returns are welcomed. If you’d like to donate books to our Little Free Library, please make sure they are appropriate for an elementary aged child and are in excellent condition.
BROADCAST TEAM
Have you tried asking your child what they enjoyed about the morning broadcast each day? It’s a great conversation starter!
DID YOU KNOW? If your student (ANY GRADE LEVEL) would like to introduce your pet to our school family OR share an achievement, simply record a short video (no longer than 30 seconds) and email it to Mrs. Dickinson at Dickinson@fultonschools.org. Our school really is like a family and sharing snippets from our lives outside of school helps strengthen our community.
Curriculum Corner
Extended Learning
Extended Learning begins on Monday October 4th. There is a waiting list so continue to return your forms. Mondays- 1st and 4th;
Wednesdays- 2nd and 3rd ;
Monday & Wednesday 5th grade virtual only
Letters have been sent home including the day your child will attend. For dismissal, parents are asked to drive through carpool for pick-up. If your child is attending face to face and unable to stay please send a note.
K-2 Phonics Activity
Mystery Word
Have students place 5 – 10 words, on individual cards, on the table in front of them. (Have students use the words they are currently studying AND words they have studied in the past, for review.) Each student should have the same set of words.
The teacher chooses one word and gives clues about that word. Students may guess the word at any time, but I do not allow the children to guess after one clue (they have to wait to hear two or more clues).
When you give clues, make sure that they do not immediately reveal the “identity” of the word. For example, if you state that the word ends in -at, you’ll want students to have several different words that end in -at.
Examples of clues:
“The mystery word starts with the digraph ‘ch.'”
“The mystery word rhymes with ‘pig.'”
Kindergarten teachers can modify this by giving students alphabet letters rather than words. You then give clues like, “This is the letter that starts the word ‘hat'” or “This letter has two straight lines” or “This is the last letter in the word ‘pin.'” You can eventually transition to having students work with complete words.
This activity can be done in a whole group or small group setting. Once students have played this game many times with your support, you can have them play it on their own—a student leader makes up the clues for a partner or small group!
Clinic News - What Is Asthma?
Asthma is a chronic lung condition that affects the airways, or the tubes that carry air in and out of the lungs.
In a child with asthma, airways react to certain triggers, causing the following:
Airway swelling
Tightening of the muscles that are around the airways
Extra mucus production in the airways
These three events can lead to coughing, wheezing and difficulty breathing.
When a child suddenly has trouble breathing, it can be scary and confusing for parents.
What Causes Asthma in Kids
Genetics: Children are more likely to have asthma if they have family members with asthma.
Allergies: Children who have seasonal or environmental allergies are more likely to have asthma.
Respiratory infections: Some respiratory infections in infants can increase the risk of developing asthma.
Environmental factors: Irritants like pollution and allergens are known to increase the risk of asthma. This is especially true of secondhand smoke.
What Are Signs and Symptoms of Asthma?
The sooner you can recognize the symptoms of an asthma flare-up, the sooner you can seek help in managing it.
Common asthma symptoms include:
Cough with or without phlegm
Shortness of breath that worsens with activity
Chest pain, congestion or tightness
Wheezing or whistling when exhaling
When asthma symptoms suddenly get worse, it’s called an asthma attack or flare-up.
Asthma flare-ups are caused when the airways in your child’s lungs are bothered by an asthma trigger.
Your Asthma Action Plan will show you what symptoms to look for and the steps to take when they happen.
If you don’t have one, make sure to talk with your child’s doctor.
For more information, please click on the link below:
News from the 4CIT Studio
Attendance Matters
Attendance Matters ALL DAY, EVERYDAY
Keep Your Child on Track in School: Pay Attention to Attendance
WHAT CAN YOU DO?
Communicate with the school
• Know the school’s attendance policy – incentives and penalties.
• Check on your child’s attendance to be sure absences are not adding up.
• Seek help from school staff, other parents, or community agencies if you need support.
• Questions about the attendance policy?? Please visit: ATTENDANCE MATTERS
Reading Strategy of the Month
Reading Strategy of the Month: Check for Understanding (Comprehension strategy)
As readers, we can get easily distracted, lost in a story, or just forget what is happening after a while. Good readers stop every few pages (or paragraphs) to check for understanding. It is recommended to check for understanding about 3-4 times throughout a picture book, and about 1-2 times per chapter for chapter books in order to monitor comprehension.
How can you help with this strategy at home?
Here are some helpful questions you can ask your child at home while reading to or with them:
Who are you reading about?
What is happening on this page?
Do you understand what you’re reading?
For non-fiction: What have your learned about this topic so far?
News from the PTA
FUN RUN Celebration! Thank you so much for all of the support. We crushed our goal and raised over $24,000! We are so excited to be able to purchase much needed classroom technology. We will have a celebration on Friday, October 8 for hitting our goal, and parents are invited! Details are as follows:
October 8, 2021 (rain date is October 15, 2021)
Grades 3-5
1:00pm-1:15pm: Popsicles
1:15pm-1:30pm: Dance
Grades K-2
1:30pm-1:45pm: Popsicles
1:45pm-2:05pm: Dance
*Upon arrival, please go directly behind the school to the grassy area.
Reflections
Do you enjoy art, music, and dance or have an interest in writing, producing films, and taking photos? Then join us and have fun unleashing your inner artist with PTA Reflections! This year’s theme, “I Will Change The World By …,” calls for your own unique interpretation through the arts.
Pick up submission guidelines and an entry form from the PTA website (abbottshillpta.org) and return it to the school (bin by the front office) by Wednesday, October 20. For inspiration, visit the Reflections virtual art gallery and learn more about prizes and scholarships at PTA.org/Reflections/Awards.
Welcome! We are happy to announce Joleen Pete as the PTA Executive Committee's new VP of Sponsorship and Community Events. We are excited for her to join the team! Joleen can be contacted at joleen.pete@gmail.com.
Stay in Touch with PTA: Be sure to visit our NEW website and check out our Facebook page. Have a comment or suggestion, leave it in our Suggestion Box.
PTA Membership: Thank you to everyone who has joined PTA! If you haven’t yet, please check out the membership options, starting at $15, by visiting Membership Hub.
Volunteering: Complete this form if you are interested in volunteering with PTA. We are in need of a chair position for Reflections (a PTA program where students submit works of art for a PTA theme). Email Sam Feldschneider at sfeldschneider@gmail.com with questions or for more information.
Special celebration treats
As per Fulton County Schools guidelines schools will no longer distribute any type of bought or homemade items (cupcakes, cookies, cake, etc.) during the school day. If you would like to provide a treat for your child's special celebration you may purchase a USDA Smart Snack from the school cafeteria.
To order a treat for your student's special celebration, complete the Cafeteria Special Celebration Form. Please remember the following:
- Prior approval from your student's classroom teacher
- Form should be completed and returned to the school at least 1 week in advance