Morris Memo
April 8, 2019 LWE Newsletter
Principal's Letter
Dear LWE Families,
It was awesome to welcome students and staff back to school this morning. When walking the hallways during arrival, I got to hear about some fantastic trips out of state (and country) as well as "staycations." As for my family and me, we chose to stay in town this year and enjoyed visiting some of the local attractions and restaurants around Atlanta. Regardless of your family's Spring Break destination, I hope it was restful and rejuvenating! Getting to see our students' smiles and hearing their stories this morning absolutely made my day and reconfirmed why I was so excited to get back to work today!
I cannot believe we only have 33 days of school left!! I know our students will remain focused and finish out this school year strong!! I look forward to a productive and engaging close-out of the 2018-19 school year!
Warm regards,
Julie Morris
Lake Windward Milestones Testing Information
The Georgia Milestones starts Monday, April 15th for our third and fifth graders. Testing starts Monday, May 6th for our fourth graders. Please see the full schedule below. For students that will be participating in testing, a good night of sleep, a healthy breakfast and being on time to school are important. Students that arrive after testing has started will have to be scheduled for a make up session.
Also, please note that we will not have lunch visitors or classroom volunteers in the building on our testing days (April 15 through April 23 and again May 6, 7, 9, and 10). Please email your child’s teacher if a specific meeting time needs to be arranged.
Additional information about the Georgia Milestones assessment can be found at the following link:
You can also find test practice opportunities via this link:
http://www.gaexperienceonline.com/
You can view a YouTube video of the online practice site by visiting this link:
If you have other test questions, please contact your child’s teacher or Lake Windward’s testing coordinator, Heather Farrar.
Georgia Milestones Testing Schedule
CLINIC NEWS! Seasonal Allergies and Pollen
Pollen season is upon us and for any newcomers to the area, get ready for sneezes and itchy eyes! Pollen counts tend to be highest early in the morning on warm, dry, breezy days and lowest during chilly, wet times. Students that come to the clinic with the below symptoms will be asked to wash their hands and face to remove any possible pollens:
• Itchy nose
• Runny nose
• Sneezing
• Watery eyes
• Itchy/Red Eyes
If a student is sensitive to pollen and seasonal allergies, a daily antihistamine may work well to relieve these symptoms. Allergy eye drops can be kept here at school for use but all Over the Counter medications need a SHS-1 Form filled out by guardian and on file in the clinic.
Students WILL NOT be allowed to stay indoors at recess due to a high pollen count. In order to stay indoors, we need a doctor’s note to do this on a routine basis. The note must include a start date, specifics of which days (ie. when pollen count is above a specific number, etc.), and an end date.
Most patients can get relief from nasal allergy symptoms by making the following changes in and around their home:
✿ Keep the windows closed and run the air conditioner during allergy season
✿ Use an air purifier with a HEPA (high-efficiency particulate air) filter in your bedroom
✿ Change your clothes and wash your hands after coming home on a high-pollen day
✿Take a shower and wash your hair before going to bed
✿ Clean and dust your home regularly and use a vacuum cleaner with a HEPA filter
Many of the symptoms you see with allergies can also be indicative of the common cold. Symptoms that last for more than seven to 10 days are probably allergy related, colds rarely last more than a week. Fever and body aches are NOT indicative of nasal allergies; please contact your physician for further advice if noticed.
From the PE Department:
This year field day class pictures & t-shirts will be made. We will sell the field day shirts in each team’s colors. This is voluntary. All money will go to your child’s P.E. program. The t-shirts will be sent home before field day. The pictures will be sent home before the last day of school. You have until April 15th to order! Here’s a link to view the team colors and additional order forms: http://lakewindwardpe.weebly.com/field-day.html
Thank you!
Ann Van Loo & Bethany Chapple
Special Needs Playground Update!
I’d like to give a BIG shout out to one of our MOID teachers, Martha Milner, and the team of staff who came in on Saturday, March 23rd to help lay new sod on the rear area of the special needs playground. Ms. Milner was able to get the sod donated by Garry Gallas at GLM Sod and Landscape Materials. What a generous donation! And what a dedicated team of people to come in on Saturday to help lay the sod so the playground is complete!!
March Character Awards for Self-Control
Low Tardy Class Awards
Congrats to the following classes for having the lowest percentage of tardies for the month of March!
Special Ed- Wise Miu
Kindergarten- Howard
1st grade- Akers
2nd grade- Batlle
3rd grade- Campbell
4th grade- Kielly
5th grade- Hodge
LWE Calendar- What's coming up?
April 15th-26th – 3rd & 5th Grades - GA Milestones Testing
No Visitors during this time.
April 29th- Boosterthon School Fundraiser Kick-Off
Is your child missing any items?
Lost and Found: There are a lot of items currently in our Lost and Found including coats, hats, water bottles, etc. Please stop by and find your lost items before they are donated to charity!!
VOLUNTEER REGISTRATION
All parents wanting to participate or visit classrooms must go through the volunteer registration process. Any person who has not gone through the training since June 2, 2018 must go through it again even if you did it last school year.
Applicants should be prepared to spend about 10—15 minutes for the training application process. In accordance with State Law, all volunteers must be current with Child Abuse Reporting Protocol Training BEFORE being allowed to volunteer in our schools.
It is very important that volunteers enter their full legal name as it appears on their government issued ID (please do not use nicknames or ‘goes by’ names on the application).
All applicants must wait 24 hours after applying for application processing and approval, before volunteering in our schools. When coming to the school to volunteer, you must bring your government issued photo ID to use when checking in at the front office.
For your convenience see link below:
Updated Procedure for Absence Approval in Extenuating Circumstances
Students should be present in school every day unless illness or other extenuating circumstances exist. The Georgia Board of Education lawfully excuses students for the following reasons: personal illness, death in the immediate family, religious holidays, and other educational days as pre-approved by the school principal. The principal has at his/her discretion according to Board Policy the option to approve a maximum of six (6) days per student per school year in extenuating circumstances. Parents/guardians must notify the principal of their request by completing the request form located on the school website at least two weeks prior to the absence. Submission of parental/guardian request does not grant automatic approval. A school administrator or designee will contact the parents/guardian upon the final decision. As in the past, absences for illness, death in the family or religious holidays can be approved by your child's teacher by sending in a signed note from you.
- The principal approval form is to be used for extenuating circumstances only, as stated in the information above.
- Two weeks ahead of the planned absence, print and complete the request form located on the Lake Windward website.
- One form is required per student.
- Submit the completed, signed, and dated form to the Lake Windward front office.
- Your student’s attendance record will be taken into consideration when reviewing your request.
- A copy of the decision to accept, decline or amend your request, will be sent to you and your child’s homeroom teacher.
Email requests will not be accepted.
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Stay in contact!
Email: morrisja@fultonschools.org
Website: http://school.fultonschools.org/es/lakewindward/Pages/default.aspx
Location: 11770 East Fox Court, Alpharetta, GA, USA
Phone: 470-254-7050
Twitter: @lwesprincipal