Sawnee Elementary
May 2020 Newsletter
A Note from Mr. Hershey
Dear Sawnee Families,
Can you believe that we are near the end of another school year? The old saying that the days are long, but the years are short continue to be true....especially during a quarantine! We have seen such amazing growth in both our students and staff this year and am very proud of all of the progress that we have made. To be the best school we can be and provide the best service to our students, we know that home, school, and community must work together to create the best learning environment for our students. I couldn't be more proud of how hard our community has pulled together to support each other. We are so grateful for all of your volunteer hours and generosity to support the staff and students in making Sawnee the amazing school that it is!
During our last faculty meeting and on the morning news, we have been encouraging our staff and students to utilize each day to finish the school year out strong. Please continue to support your child by encouraging him/her to come to school every day (even if it means their at home in their PJs!) with a great attitude to learn. Although we know that this is a different kind of learning, we believe that each child can continue to grow and connect with his/her teacher and classmates.
We only have three weeks left and certainly want to make the most of it before heading out for summer break!
Thank you again for all of your support...we are grateful for our Sawnee Family. Let's finish the year out strong!
Derrick Hershey
Principal
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What's Happening at Sawnee?
Virtual Teacher Appreciation Week
This week is Virtual Teacher Appreciation Week. Please follow our PTO on Facebook @SawneePTO and jump in the fun to appreciate our staff!
Sawnee Valley Track is Complete!
Virtual Field Day (Week) is coming!
Student Material - Pick-up Information
Spring Pictures
If you did not receive a spring picture ordering code from Strawbridge or from Andi Moran, please contact Andi at amoran@forsyth.k12.ga.us.
Yearbook Distribution
We will be distributing yearbooks during the same time that we will be allowing our families to pick up student supplies.
4th Quarter Report Card Information
4th Quarter Report Cards – 4th Quarter Report Cards will be accessed at the end of the year utilizing Parent Portal. If you need support with Parent Portal, please contact Robyn Gravitt at rogravitt@forsyth.k12.ga.us
End of Year Celebrations
Sawnee Zone 2020-2021 Registration is Open
Come join and make new friends at Sawnee Zone where the fun never stops! the children will be engaged, learning, having fun, and wanting to attend every day! We offer team building, sportsmanship, and social-emotional learning activities. On early release days we hold special events such as pizza parties, ice cream socials and have special guests. Sawnee Zone is designed to provide a safe, relaxing, and enjoyable environment for K-5 Sawnee Elementary students. Daily activities include snacks, homework help, reading buddies, recreational sports, art and many more fun activities. Best of all there is no need to worry about transportation to another facility, your child stays right here at Sawnee with their friends at a much lower cost than other after school facilities. Please see the links below for the Sawnee Zone brochure and registration form.
Spring Book Fair
Better Hearing and Speech Month
Tips from your Sawnee Speech Team:
- Identify the signs of communication disorders, click here.
- Maximizing success of virtual speech and language treatment sessions, click here.
- Helping children with language disorders maintain social connection during COVID-19, click here.
Have a great summer,
Ms. Kilduff, Ms. Lowery, Ms. Frick, Ms. Brantley & Ms. Creagh
Counseling News
The Counselors have created an easy way for parents and children to request support from them. Please click on the following link which will lead you to a Google form. We look forward to hearing from you.
We know this is proving to be a challenging time. Here are a few mental health resources to explore if needed:
- Emotional Support Helpline with access to Mental Health Specialists 24/7 due to COVID-19 issues (loss of job, money, anxieties) for FREE: 1-866-342-6892. This service is sponsored by UHC and is free to ANYONE.
- Georgia Crisis and Access Line (GCAL): 1-800-715-4225 Open 24 hours a day.
Forsyth county Total Wellness Collaborative: https://www.forsyth.k12.ga.us/Page/51483
We miss all of our Sawnee family and hope to be reunited with all of you soon! Ms. Morriss, Ms. Urban, Ms. O'Neil and Jansky.
Parents of Rising 6th Grade Liberty MS Students
Please refer to the Liberty Middle School website for any information regarding transition activities. Click on the Student Support tab and then “Counseling” and you will find the Parent Night 101 presentation and information about an upcoming virtual tour of the school. The parent night presentation offers lots of information and should answer many of your child’s questions about middle school.
Parents of Rising 6th Grade Otwell MS Students
Please refer to the Otwell Middle School website for any information regarding transition activities.
Please click on the link at the bottom of the assistant principal’s message below to view the virtual parent night presentation. It is full of information and should answer many of your child’s questions about middle school.
Parents of Rising 6th Grade Otwell MS Students - A Message from Assistant Principal Jennifer Amburgy
Parents, We know you might be experiencing some mixed feelings at this time about your child coming to middle school next year – a lot of excitement mixed in with a little bit of uncertainty as your child enters a new stage of life. We hope to ease some of your fears and answer some of your questions about what to expect when they get to Otwell Middle School in the fall. While we would have hoped to be meeting our rising 6th grade parents in person tonight, we are happy to share with you our presentation for this special event! Our staff narrated the information in the slides to provide you with a better idea of what it will be like when your child arrives on our campus in the fall. This link is also found on our Otwell Middle School website and will be active until summer, so there is not a set time you need to watch it. In addition to the video posted on our website, there is also a copy of the Power Point with an active link embedded to respond if you are interested in signing up for Band. Also, several of our staff have included their contact information in the presentation to answer any additional questions you may have in the coming months. We are so excited to partner with you and your child as they enter 6th grade in the coming months, so please let us know if we can assist you in any way. Welcome to our Otwell family!
https://youtu.be/9w2_mNYOnWQ - Direct link to the Virtual 6th Grade Parent Night
https://www.forsyth.k12.ga.us/oms - Otwell Middle School website
Clinic News
If your student has medication in the clinic, please be on the look out for an email from Nurse Robyn and Nurse Sheila explaining how medication will be returned to you. If you have additional questions please feel free to contact:
Nurse Robyn (pk-2) rfreeze@forsyth.k12.ga.us
Nurse Sheila (3-5) sfairfield@forsyth.k12.ga.us
Important Dates to Know
May 1 - Administrator Appreciation Day; Sawnee Spirit Day
May 4-8 - Cafe Worker Appreciation Week & Nurse Appreciation Week
May 4-8 - Virtual Spirit Week
May 11-15 - Virtual Field Week
May 18-22 - Virtual Field Week #2
May 22 - Last day of school
TENTATIVE DATES TO SAVE (BELOW):
August 4 - Kindergarten Bus Round-up & Open House, 1p-2:30pm
August 4 - 1st - 5th grade Open House (Last name A-L, 4:00pm-5:00pm & M-Z 5:30pm-6:30pm)
August 6 - 1st Day of School
August 24 - Artome Art Show
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PARENT CORNER
Sawnee PTO
2020-2021 PTO Board Members -Welcome!
President-Heather Nicol
Vp of Education-Emily Nelson
Vp of Family Engagement-Emily Hawkins
Vp of Hoapitality-Taylor Milburn
Treasurer-Nicole Hale
Secretary-Sabrina Thomas
2019-2020 Board Members - Thank you for all you have done this year!!
President- Jen Scribner
VP Volunteers-Ashley Serge
VP Hospitality-Rebecca Roberts
VP Education-Emily Nelson
Treasurer-Nicole Hale
Secretary-Rebecca Frank
Contact us: sawneeptoboard@gmail.com
- Father Daughter Dance pictures have been delivered to your daughter's classroom. They will be included in the bag of items you pick up from her classroom. Please look for information from the homeroom teacher on when pick up will take place. Thank you.
Forsyth County Schools Duck Dive
Community Events & Information
Summer Reading Program through the University of Georgia Center for Continuing Education & Hotel, click here to view the flyer and see what is being offered.
The Forsyth County Public Libraries will have curbside pickups beginning May 11th:
- Contact-Free Curbside Pickup will be available Monday through Thursday from 12:00 noon to 7:00 p.m. and Friday and Saturday from 12:00 noon to 5:00 p.m.
- Library cardholders may place holds on physical materials in the library’s online catalog just as they normally would, and then call the library at 770-781-9840 to make an appointment to pick up any available materials at their preferred branch.
- Patrons who wish to check out print materials but aren’t sure what they want to read can ask for assistance from a librarian who will select materials based on the patron’s needs and preferences and prepare them for curbside pickup.
Contact Sawnee Elementary
Website: http://forsyth.k12.ga.us/sawneeelementary
Location: 1616 Canton Highway, Cumming, GA, USA
Phone: 770-887-6161
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SawneeES/
Twitter: @SawneeElem