Sawnee Elementary
November 2019 Newsletter
A Note from Mr. Hershey
Dear Parent or Guardian,
Thank you to all of our students, teachers, and parents for participating in our conferences these past few weeks. Your partnership is both appreciated and critical to serving our students. Although most of your students were not part of the conference, please make sure to talk to them about their goals, their strengths, and their areas of growth. They are never too young to involve them in this process as we want to begin turning over ownership of learning to them when they are ready.
Although hard to believe, we are already in November and getting close to our Thanksgiving Break and can't help but to focus on the word "gratitude." I am so thankful to be part of the Sawnee community and am blown away by your support, generosity, and commitment in partnership to making Sawnee an extraordinary school. Thank you for your support!
With much gratitude,
Mr. Hershey
Principal
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Habit 3 - Put First Things First
Put first things first means to prioritize things in your life. If you have alot of things to do, ask yourself what is most important and do that first. A lot of time, kids come home from school, go outside to play, call their friends on the phone, play video games, eat dinner, and then try to do their homework at 8:00 at night. Their brains are usually tired at that point in the day. A better option would be to have a power snack when you get home and get started on your homework first to make sure it gets done. Then you can use the rest of your day for other activities. Adults have to prioritize when we spend money. I make sure I pay my bills, go grocery shopping, and save money before I buy new clothes or go out to dinner.
Listen to our Podcast! Habit 3: Put First Things First
Activities for home - Dinner Prompts & Big Rocks
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What's Happening at Sawnee?
Text'n'Treat - THANK YOU!
We would like to give a SHOUT OUT to our Sawnee community for showing up to help support the Sawnee Relay for Life Team and The American Cancer Society. What a great way to celebrate community, literacy and the fight against cancer. Because of you, Sawnee family, we raised over $5,600 that will directly go to the ACS.
5th Grade Teachers
2nd Grade Teachers
Kindergarten Teachers
Relay for Life T-Shirts on Sale
Sawnee Relay for Life T-shirts - On sale now are the 2019-2020 edition of the Sawnee Relay for Life short and long sleeved t-shirts. This is another fundraiser we do to support the American Cancer Society. You can order and pay for yours on My Payments Plus in adult and youth sizes.
New this year, we would like to honor the cancer fight or memory of friends and families of Sawnee staff, students and parents. For an additional $2/name you can add the names of your loved ones to the shirts that our staff, students and parents will be all wearing. We hope to fill up the backs of the shirts with those in our Sawnee community touched by Cancer. Make sure to purchase your shirt by Friday, November 15th. These would also make a great gift to those being honored also! The shirts should be delivered to your child's class on or before December 10th.
Simply go to www.mypaymentsplus.com and click on Sawnee Elementary and then again on Relay for Life to view your purchasing options. You will have the option to purchase t-shirts and the option to add names to the shirt. If you have any questions, please contact Sharon Hamilton at shamilton@forsyth.k12.ga.us.
GA Parent Survey
We need your help to fill out a survey for Sawnee. The Georgia Parent Survey was developed to measure parent perceptions of school climate at your child’s school. Your opinion is very important to us. Your survey responses are confidential and will be combined with the survey responses of other parents at your child’s school to identify areas in need of improvement. It should only take ten or fifteen minutes to complete the survey. Thank you for your time and participation.
Please click here to access the survey.
Watch D.O.G.S. Dads
Yearbook Ordering
5th Grade Ads are on sale now through February 1st for $20, but don't delay because the ad pages are filling up fast! Please click here for more information and don't forget to order the yearbook too!
Cafeteria News
Click here to view breakfast and lunch menus.
Harvest of the Month - Sweet Potatoes and Beets
- Sweet potatoes are high in beta carotene and one contains more than twice the RDA of Vitamin A!
- They are nutritious, high in fiber and very filling.
- Sweet potatoes and yams are not the same thing.
- Beets are a great source of B-complex vitamins and potassium.
- The entire plant can be eaten from the root to the green leafy stems.
- Beets are highly nutritious and good for cardiovascular health.
Mummy Says
Cafe 2 Staff Ready for Halloween
Cafe 2 Serving Line
Clinic News
We welcome your visits and calls if you have any questions. By working together, we can ensure a healthy and safe school year for every student!
Clinic Needs
*Zip loc bags (sandwich & gallon) * Bandaids (reg & large size) *Saltine Crackers *Tissues *New Boys/Girls underwear *Elastic waist shorts and pants
Counseling News
Holiday House - It is that time of year! Sign-up for the Holiday House sponsored by The Place of Forsyth. Please go to the The Place of Forsyth to sign up for the holiday house. Please bring required documentation.
Please see the flyers below for more information on how to help with the Place's holiday needs, how to register your family and the 25th annual golf tournament.
The Place Holiday House Qualifying Documents (English & Spanish)
The Place 25th Annual Santa Claus Open Golf Tournament
Canned Soup Collection - Sawnee will be collecting Chunky and Hearty soups for our Thanksgiving food drive this year. Please donate cans of soup to assist The Place of Forsyth in helping families in need. We will be collecting soup from November 4-8. Please place your donation in the boxes in the front lobby of both buildings. Thank you so much!
Mindfulness - We are so excited to be incorporating mindfulness into our Guidance curriculum. What is Mindfulness? Mindfulness is fully paying attention to something. It helps teach way to maintain focus and attention in all areas of our lives. In addition, it helps us learn self-regulation. Want to learn more? Please check-out https://www.mindfulschools.org/about-mindfulness/research-on-mindfulness/ . In our future newsletters, we will share some strategies that can be used at home to promote mindful behavior. Here are some suggestions for this month:
- Take a nature walk with your child and try to find as many different color leaves as you can.
- Put all devices away at mealtime
News from the Specials Teachers
News from art class: It's time for our Fall Art Fundraiser with Original Works.
On November 11, 2019 students will receive an Original Works order form with a picture of their artwork, products available to order from Original Works. and information for ordering online with Original Works.
DEADLINE FOR ORDERING is Thursday, November 21, 2019.
Orders will be delivered to Sawnee the week of December 16th BEFORE we leave for winter break.
If you have any questions, please contact Celeste DuHamel at cduhamel@forsyth.k12.ga.us.
Thank you for supporting the art program at Sawnee!
Important Dates to Know
November 8 - Picture Retakes; 8:30am-10:30am
November 8 - Sawnee Spirit Day
November 11 - Veterans Day
November 12 - Session 2 clubs begin
November 13 - West Community No Homework Night
November 14 - Impressions Gallery Night, 7:00pm-8:00pm, Cafe 1
November 19 - LSC Meeting, 2:00pm, Chief Corner
November 21 - National Parent Involvement Day
November 21 - Chief Leader Awards, 5:30pm, Cafe 1
November 25-29 - Thanksgiving Holiday Break
December 3 - Fall Chorus Concert, 6:10pm, Cafe 1
December 6 - Sawnee Spirit Day
December 11 - West Community No Homework Night
December 20 - January 6 - Holiday Break, No School
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PARENT CORNER
Sawnee PTO
2019-2020 Board Members
President- Jen Scribner
VP Volunteers-Ashley Serge
VP Hospitality-Rebecca Roberts
Treasurer-Nicole Hale
Secretary-Rebecca Frank
Contact us: sawneeptoboard@gmail.com
2019-2020 PTO Event Calendar-School
* Want to join PTO? Click here.
November 8 - Spirit Day wear your Sawnee gear or red and black!
November 14 - Impressions PTO Fine Arts Gallery Night, Cafe 1 at 7:00pm
February 29 - Father/Daughter dance mark your calendars!
Mother/Son event is TBD.
West Community Connect
The West Community is comprised of the elementary and middle schools that feed into West Forsyth High School.
Check out their website: West Community Connect
Community Events & Information
We will be sending business flyers home this year digitally to save paper. Please click on the links below of our local businesses that wish to share information with you:
The Holiday Season is fast approaching and once again The Place Holiday House promises to be an amazing event of joy and good tidings. Last year, The Place Holiday House provided gifts for approximately 2,064 children. This year, we anticipate the need to be even more. We are starting preparation for our 5th annual The Place Holiday House and we need your help in spreading the word. Please consider doing one or more of the following:
- Make a post on social media, such as Nextdoor, Facebook, and Twitter
- Place a Holiday House flyer in your grocery stores or in the places where you frequently shop, such as hairdresser, nail salon, mechanic, coffee shop, etc.
- Coordinate a gift drive in your neighborhood, by placing a donation box in your clubhouse or on your porch
- Contact your church or place of worship to see if they will host a gift drive
- Contact the places where you do business, such as your dentist, doctor, or insurance company to see if they will host a gift drive or make a sponsorship donation.
If you would like more information, flyers, or posting information on The Place Holiday House you can visit our website at: www.theplaceofforsyth.org/holidayhouse or you can email us at: HolidayHouse@theplaceofforsyth.org
Note that all donations need to be into The Place Holiday House by December 12 for the event on December 16.
Thank you for your support. We need the entire community’s help to make this event successful so that we can bring joy to the children in our community.
Let The Place Holiday House be your purpose this holiday season.
The Place is also hosting the 25th Annual Santa Claus Open, click here to read more about this golf tournament for a great cause!
The Sawnee Association of the Arts Christmas Festival - November 9th and 10th, please see the flyer below for more information.
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