Wolf Creek Weekly
Building Pathways To Success
From The Principal's Desk March 12, 2018
Greetings!
Thanks for another great week!
I hope you enjoyed the first Digital Learning Day for one of the make up inclement weather days! Friday was our first Digital Learning Day and many students completed the assigned tasks while at home on Friday. Please check with your child teacher if you had difficulty completing the assigned tasks. All completed assignments are due Wednesday, March 14.
This week is Board Appreciation week. We are thanking our Board member, Mrs. Linda Bryant for an outstanding 25 years of service. This week will mark the first day of "Georgia School Board Appreciation Week," a week long celebration to show Fulton County School (FCS) Board members how much they are valued for their service and dedication to the students of Fulton County Schools. Join us in thanking her for her service.
Join me in thanking our parents that have submitted their applications for Candidacy for our School Governance Council. Elections will be held March 19 - 23. Parents are encouraged to vote in the upcoming elections. Voting will be online. Your Home Access Codes will be used for voting. You may obtain access codes from our school Data Clerk, Ms. Lyles. These codes are sensitive and should be signed out. Please see our candidate's statements below:
Veronica Vante
I have served as President of a unit based shared governance council at work (Wellstar Cobb Hospital), and served as a member to the hospital and system based shares governance council. I have experience as a Girl Scout Troop leader. I live in Cooks Landing, would like to be engaged in more of the background influence of the school and decision making for our children.
Jamilia Smith
With our children being our highest priority and ultimate focus, we all share a responsibility to dedicate our time and talent to their well-upbringings. My professional background includes years of experience in college admissions, and corporate recruiting. With experience being the best teacher, it has been eye-opening to learn first-hand some of the sure recipes for success. My journey has taught me the importance of a firm educational foundation, coupled with real life work and volunteer experience. It is my belief that we encounter nothing by mere coincidence, but every encounter is indeed part of our greater purpose. There is no one man nor woman who possesses all knowledge. However, the combined effort of diverse experiences, can work together to achieve excellence in all aspects. Not only am I qualified to serve in this capacity, but my heart is aligned with the mission of achievement for our students and those who educate them. There is not much change or improvement without representation. Therefore, if elected, my highest priority is to ensure that we are all heard, and we are all represented.
William Breazeale
I am a college graduate with a BS degree in History Secondary Education and a Masters in Education. I have been an educator for nearly twenty years. I am also an Army veteran. My wife and I are proud parents of two students that attend Wolf Creek Elementary School. I desire to serve on the council because the direction of the school is critical to the development of all children and the community. It is important that parents participate in the management and direction of the school. When parents are involved, the school will earn the distinction of being a successful school. A successful school will have a positive impact on the community such as: greater economic investment, higher property values, and lower crime rates. I wish to serve to make Wolf Creek a positive learning environment for all children and a school that all stakeholders will be proud to send their child.
Tiffany Berry
First I am a parent!I am an Electrical Engineer by education and a software developer by experience. I am an entrepreneur who believes in training up kids to tap into
their innovative potential and strengths in order to succeed. Being born and raised in Atlanta and educated in its APS school system, I have faith in public school education. I wish to be on the Governance council because I have a vested interest in my neighborhood and schools that service it. I also have the belief that fresh ideas and opportunities are available to our kids and these privileges will help our school surpass its highest expectation. I have two young kids (5 & 3) one of wish is a student at Wolf Creek, and one on the way there and I simply one the best for them. While researching other schools I was introduced to programs that I would love for Wolf Creek to invest in and implement, such as a Project Base Learning Lab, Language immersion programs, and Computer Science curriculums geared for elementary.
Georgia Milestones coming soon! We have 18 instructional days left before 3rd - 5th graders take the GMAS assessments. Please make sure students are on time and at school daily. Check with your child's teacher for GMAS resources and study tips. Students are participating in March Madness instructional plans where teachers focus on specific skills and standards directly connected to the test. Each plan is specific to each grade level. Teachers have been creative in designing 21 days of instructional models focused on GMAS preparation.
Thanks for your willingness to serve! We looking forward to the upcoming elections.
Please help us to remind our students about our Wolf Pack Principles. Ask them each day how they contribute to our positive school climate and culture by being the exemplars for others.
We are looking forward to a great week!
Thanks for all you do! Let's Go Wolves!
In Partnership,
Principal Glass
IMPORTANT! Technology In School - Cell Phone Usage
Parents, we need your help. In this age of technology, it is hard to manage appropriate usage times for children. We ask that you remind students about the times when cell phone use is allowed. We understand the need for cell phones for some of our students as they are utilized to notify parents after school, if the need arises. Students are allowed to bring technology devices to school, if needed. However, be reminded that elementary school age all students are supervised by an adult throughout the instructional day. We are seeing a rise in cell phone usage at times throughout the day. We ask that students do not carry cell phones/iPads/tablets on their person during the instructional day. If there is an emergency and the need arises to use the telephone, front office personnel can assist. While leaving cell phones at home is our preference, if brought to school, all technology devices should be kept in student book bags until students exit the school bus and have the need to contact parents. Teachers are asked to alert parents when BYOD - Bring Your Own Device days come up and devices are needed for instructional purposes. This is in an effort to keep devices secured in bookbags and used appropriately. For more information, please see the school handbook on the school website.
We also encourage parents to monitor the use of cellphones with their child. We have noticed some inappropriate use in some of the popular apps that students use. We are familiar with such apps as KIK, Snapchat, Musically, Facebook, Twitter, etc. Talk with your child, check their phones regularly and encourage appropriate use.
Digital Citizenship and Technology tips Parent tips:
http://www.fultonschools.org/en/divisions/acd/learnteach/Pages/Digital-Resources.aspx
http://www.scholastic.com/parents/resources/article/your-child-technology/10-tips-cell-phone-safety
https://www.webmd.com/parenting/features/children-and-cell-phones#4
https://www.webmd.com/parenting/features/children-and-cell-phones#4
We appreciate your support.
IMPORTANT! School Parking, Traffic and Pedestrian Safety
We need your support. Our school parking lots are very busy in the mornings. We want to make sure that everyone is safe when accessing the school. We have a long drop off line but it moves swiftly at 7:10 AM. The short wait for drop off will require patience and caution. Students are allowed to enter the building at 7:10 AM. Please refrain from early drop offs. Staff members are not in place to receive students until 7:10 AM.
The car rider loop is in the front of the building. Please utilize the loop to drop students off. Please refrain from allowing students to get out of vehicles before reaching the designated drop off points. (We have staff members stationed to assist. ) This will help keep students from crossing in the parking lot unattended and from running down the sidewalk. The entry way to the school was designed as a right turn only entry. We have an officer stationed there for convenience and safety. All traffic should enter the grounds and go to the right with the flow of traffic around the car rider loop. Left turns into the parking area is prohibited. We want everyone to be safe.
The back parking lot is designated for parking and walking students into the building. We ask that you use the middle lane, park your vehicle and escort your child into the building. Remember to stop at the front office to sign in if you are waking your child to class or breakfast. Please do not use the bus ramp.
We will add staff in the areas of concern to assist with the flow of traffic. We ask that you be patient and arrive early enough for drop off each morning.
Students are tardy at 7:41 AM. They must be in the building at this time to avoid tardy notices. Parents are asked to park in an available parking space, escort their child into the building and sign them in tardy.
We appreciate your support. Let's work together to keep everyone safe.
Upcoming Events
3/14 Strong4Life school visit
3/22 Spring Towards Your Future Dance 3:00 - 4:30 PM
3/22 Report Card Distribution
3/26 College and Career Readiness Week
3/26 2018-2019 PK Registration
3/28 PK Lottery Drawing
3/28 & 3/29 Kindergarten Registration
3/30 Student Papers Go Home
4/2-4/6 Spring Break Week - No School
Weekly Fundraisers:
Wednesday - Chic Fil A biscuit Sales (Morning Car rider loop)
Friday - Chic Fil A cookie sales
College and Career Readiness
We will celebrate College and Career Readiness by wearing college and university t-shirts and paraphernalia on the noted days below. Have your child join us by representing our many great colleges and universities. Thanks for participating as we continue to expose them to the endless opportunities after graduation.
January 23rd
February 20th
March 20th
April 20th
April 24th
May 15th
READ, READ, READ!
We are still reading! Don't forget to send your pictures to your child's teacher on Class Dojo so we can post them on the School Story feed. #WCESReadingRocks
Check out MackinVIA on your child's Launchpad account. ManckinVIA has books for students and can be used to read at home. Many of these books are AR as well. Please take full advantage of this resource. Let's keep our students reading and passing AR tests.
Parent Resource Center - Open Daily 8:00 - 4:00 PM
Please stop by our Parent Resource Center. We have great resources for check-out that you can use at home to assist your child. Let us know what you need. We look forward to your visits. For more information, please contact, Ms. Sims, our Parent Liaison. SimsN@fultonschools.org.
We are a Leader In Me School!
Uniforms! Thanks for your participation.
Attendance Awareness and School Safety
We need your help. Our absences are still growing. We need students at school daily. Be reminded, early checkouts before 11:15 AM are considered absences. Check-ins after 11:15 AM are considered absences. Also, please send in doctor's excuses for all absences that are medical so that they are coded accurately. Parent notes for illnesses are accepted as well, but be mindful of the number of notes regarding absences regarding illnesses that are not supported by a note from the doctor's office.
We still need your patience and support as we execute the morning drop off process and afternoon pick up. The cafeteria doors close at 7:35 AM each morning. Breakfast ends at that time. Get them there early for breakfast!
Please help us by using the car rider loop in the front of the building for all student drop-offs in the mornings. The car rider loop moves fast but it does require some wait time and patience. This is the safest area for student drop offs. We have assigned staff to support students as they get out of cars. The bus ramp in the back is reserved for buses only. If parents are using the parking lot near the bus ramp area for parking, they are asked to park their vehicles and escort their child into the building. Students should not be dropped off and allowed to run across the bus ramp to enter the building. We want students to be safe. We had a few cars moving fairly fast in this area. This is a safety concern. Remember, the doors open at 7:10 AM for student arrival. Thanks in advance for your support. If we have parents that can volunteer in for morning arrival, please let us know. We could use the extra hands and eyes to ensure safety for the students.
Thanks for your support!
REMINDERS
- Check the school calendar.
- Headphones are needed to accommodate our increased use of technology. Students using their own earbuds helps to keep us safe. Support your child's teacher with supplying your child with a pair of inexpensive earbuds for technology usage.
- Don't forget to register in the Home Access Center to receive access to your child's attendance and grades. You can receive your Home Access Center code from Ms. Lyles, the School Data Clerk. This is a highly sensitive code and must be signed out.
- Check for homework and sign your child's agenda each night.
- Student projects from home are looking great! Thanks for your support.
- Ask your child about his Essential Questions daily. These EQ's align to their curriculum standards being taught in class daily.
- Georgia Milestones Assessments Resources - http://www.gadoe.org/Curriculum-Instruction-and-Assessment/Assessment/Pages/Georgia-Milestones-Assessment-System.aspx
- Make sure your child knows his/her math facts and sight words. Ask your child's teacher how you can help them to master these skills. Ask about the number of sight words your child knows at K- 2nd. Research indicates that by 3rd grade students should be reading to learn instead of learning to read. Learning math facts helps students conquer the more difficult math concepts that require students to apply certain skills. Students are know longer only asked to simply add/subtract or multiply/divide. They are now required to explain the how and why behind the math. See more information regarding Georgia Performance Standards here: https://www.georgiastandards.org/Pages/default.aspx and here: https://www.georgiastandards.org/Pages/Parents.aspx
- Remember to sign up for Class Dojo. This is a school wide expectations. It is an effective school-home communication tool that each teacher uses with their class.
- Inquire with your child's teacher about how they are communicating with parents regarding school updates, homework and class events. Each grade level has a consistent communication tool. Some use newsletters, websites, remind 101, weekly homework sheets, etc. We want to make sure you are informed of school news.
- Check out your child's Fulton County Launch Pad site. Here you will find online tools that you can use at home with your child. launchpad.fultonschools.org Encourage your child to practice the online keyboarding tool. Most of our assessments are online now. Students would benefit from practicing keyboarding.
Title 1 News
Thanks for an awesome turn out at last week's parent Reading Strategies workshop!
See the schedule of future workshops below.
Annual Title I Parent Input Meeting –Tuesday, April 25, 2018 @ 8:30 a.m. and 6:00 p.m.
Parents were invited to learn about the Title I program and provide feedback on the School-Family Compact and School, Parent, and Family Engagement Plan. Allocation of reserved Title I funds for parental involvement discussed.
Avoid the Summer Slumps – Tuesday, May 8, 2018, @ 6:00 p.m.
Ideas and resources to assist students in staying on track academically during the summer months.
Wolf Creek is a Schoolwide Title 1 school this year. Last year as a first year school, we were a Targeted Assistance school. See more information regarding Title 1 at : http://www.fultonschools.org/en/divisions/acd/supportserv/TitleI/Pages/default.aspx
What is Title I?
Title I is a federally funded program designed to ensure that all children have a fair, equal, and significant opportunity to obtain a high-quality education and reach, at a minimum, proficiency on challenging state academic standards and state academic assessments.
The Title I mission is to ensure that each child successfully meets or exceeds Georgia's proficient and advanced levels of student performance and meets or exceeds expectations on local, state, and national assessments.
Our Title 1 funds have afforded us the opportunities to:
Host Extended Learning Program for at risk students
Purchase technology for students - iPad Carts, Virtual Learning tools
Add teachers and a Parent Liaison to the staff
Purchase classroom resources to enhance learning for all students
Our Title 1 Schoolwide plan and budget has been approved by the State Department! We are looking forward to providing more resources to enhance our school instructional program this year.
Thanks for your support.
Wolf Creek Elementary PTA News
NEEDED! Volunteers to support upcoming PTA events and officers for vacant positions. Please contact PTA for more information.
Check out PTA information at our PTA Facebook page and on our school website under the PTA tab. Let's make this year another great year with increased membership and support.
Our Custom Ink Year round campaign is complete, and is currently open for orders. Here's the permanent link Wolf Creek Spirit Gear
Join us with just a minimum commitment of PTA dues of $20.00. There are also options for making monetary pledges on the PTA membership form. Our PTA is sponsoring our Grade Level Spirit t-shirts and the school uniform initiative. We hope you will support us!
If you are interested in being apart of the PTA, please contact them at:
wolfcreekelementarypta@gmail.com
Follow us: Instagram @wolfcreekpta and Facebook @wolfcreekelementarypta
and let the team know.
Thanks PTA!
Our School Day Start/End Times
Thanks in advance for your support in ensuring that our students get to school each day on time and ready for instruction. Breakfast begins at 7:10 a.m. and ends at 7:35 a.m. daily so that we can ensure that students are in class on time to begin their instructional day. School instructional hours are from 7:40 a.m. —2:20 p.m. each day. Parents are asked to escort their children inside and sign them in if they are tardy. Help us protect the instructional day. Please limit early dismissal/check-outs. If needed, please do so before 2:00 PM. Remember keep your child’s pick up and emergency contacts updated and to sign in during each visit. ID is required for anyone visiting or checking your child our of school.
Wolf Creek Elementary School
Check out our school website for our school calendar and school updates.
A. Nicole Canty, Assistant Principal
Website: http://school.fultonschools.org/es/wolfcreek/Pages/default.aspx
Location: 4440 Derrick Road, Atlanta, GA 30349, United States
Phone: 470.254.2760
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/wolfcreekwolves/
Twitter: @wolfcreekwolves