Kingsley ES Principal Newsletter
2020-2021 "We Are All In This Together"
November 22, 2020
Week 15 of Virtual Learning and Teaching
THANKSGIVING BREAK NOVEMBER 23-27
Kingsley Families,
November is also a month that brings to mind Thanksgiving and all that we can be thankful for. Gratitude is our November character word of the month. Gratitude is more than just feeling thankful—it can become a powerful way to navigate challenging times in life with an eye toward seeing the good in one’s current circumstances.
Enjoy your families this week! Wishing each of you and your families a happy, healthy, and relaxing Thanksgiving holiday.
Sincerely,
Dr. Harris-Thompson
Great Things are Taking Place at Kingsley Elementary School!
Kingsley's Thanksgiving Baskets
Congratulations to all our November Breakfast of Champions! 🏆
Parent Intent to Return
Our school uses the Parent Intent to Return form completion data to gather information about families wishing to return in a hybrid model or remain in a distance/remote setting.
Hybrid Learning (Combination of Face-to-Face and Distance/Remote Learning):
The hybrid learning model is designed for families who feel comfortable with returning their children to a face-to-face, in-school environment blended with distance/remote learning.
Distance/Remote Learning Model:
The distance/remote learning model is designed for families who do not feel comfortable with their children returning to school in a face-to-face format at this time. The students will continue learning from home in a virtual format provided by the school.
We need all parents to submit the survey form for every child attending our school, so we can prepare for all learners. If we do not receive a survey response for your child, we will assume that your child is returning to learn in a hybrid setting whenever the District transitions to the next phase.
The survey form will close on November 30, 2020, so please complete it today! If you have any questions or concerns, please let us know.
Link: https://dekalb.co1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_cO7CQFP10BWfwuF
❄️ Registration is now open for our Kingsley's 5K Virtual Snowflake Fun Run ❄️
Registration is now open for the 1st Annual Kingsley Snowflake Virtual Fun Run! Now that the temperature is dropping outside, join us to warm up with a 1 mile fun run. Stay tuned for suggested training tips, warm up activities and routes from our very own Coach James!
A huge shout for Mr. Strickland for putting our commercial together! 😊
Center for Puppetry Arts Show - Friday, 11/20
Our PreK-3rd grade students enjoyed the Puppetry Arts live virtual puppet show "The Velveteen Rabbit" Friday. A big thank you to Ms. Rocky for arranging the puppet show for our students!! ❤️
If your child needs a school-issued Chromebook or the one you currently have does not work properly, please contact your child's teacher, Ms. Rocky, or Mrs. Yazmin Acevedo.
Who do I contact to obtain a hotspot due to internet connectivity issues?
To obtain a hotspot, please send an email to Dr. Harris-Thompson or Mrs. Yazmin Acevedo and a request will be made with the district IT department. Once the request is approved and the hotspot is delivered to the school, someone will contact you for pickup.
Who do I contact for password resets or trouble accessing virtual learning platforms? If your child needs their password reset or can not access a learning platform, please contact the school front office 678- 404-2138 or 678-827-2360 any weekday 8 AM - 4 PM and someone can assist you.
Why are we administering assessments during virtual learning and what is the purpose of them?
Assessments are given to determine your child's current level of progress, strengths, and weaknesses. In the virtual learning environment two school-wide assessments are given and additional classroom assessments are given by teachers. School-wide assessments include: the ISIP assessment - given monthly through Istation and the MAP assessment - given three times a year. It does take longer to assess students in the virtual learning environment because of the need to test in smaller groups.
Assessment data is used by teachers to determine how students are progressing through the learning, how we can differentiate instruction, match students to leveled texts, and adjust small groups to best meet the needs of students. Best teaching practices occur when we follow a progress monitoring cycle. In progress monitoring, we assess students to determine where they currently are academically. Afterwards, we analyze the student learning results from the assessment given. Next, we collaboratively plan for instruction, gather instructional resources, and determine the best teaching strategies/action steps to implement. The plan is implemented through whole and small group instruction. This cycle occurs every 4-6 weeks to ensure we continue to teach at high levels and adjust our implementation of improvement strategies. If we did not assess, we would only be able to base our instructional decisions on observations and student work. Using multiple data points (ISIP, MAP, teacher observations, and student work), allows us to make the BEST decisions for each and every child.
We have completed all MAP testing and teachers will now prepare for data talk meetings. Teachers will analyze their current plan with the new data and will continue to execute and refine it to increase student achievement.
My student lost instructional time during MAP testing. How can we prevent this during the Winter MAP administration that begins in January?
Currently, we are looking at adjusting our testing practices and procedures for the Winter MAP assessment. We are getting feedback from teachers, students, and parents. Using this feedback, we will work to produce the best schedule that allows for a conducive testing environment, while also maximizing instruction.
When will parents receive assessment results from the ISIP and MAP assessments?
ISIP assessment data is available in the Istation platform. Please contact your child's teacher on how to access. MAP assessment score reports are released once the district has verified all test scores. However, teachers may begin having academic conversations during conferences to discuss scores and what we are doing to support your child.
How can I order spirit wear or sign up to volunteer?
Please visit our PTO Membership toolkit website to purchase spirit wear and sign up to be a parent volunteer: https://kingsleypto.membershiptoolkit.com/
Region 1 Parent Town Hall Meeting
Region 1 Superintendent, Mrs. Melanie Pearch, will host a Parent Town Hall Meeting on Tuesday, December 2nd at 5pm. Region 1 is also hosting a Spanish session on Wednesday, December 9 at 6:30 p.m. The link will come later this week or early next week for this meeting. All parents and stakeholders in Region 1 are invited to attend this virtual meeting. The live link is at the bottom of the flyer.
Want to SHOUT OUT one of you child's teachers?
Click on the link or QR code below to complete this short survey to recognize a teacher or staff member that has gone above and beyond!
Dekalb County Public Library Park and Print
DCSD Cares... Take Care of YOU!
Please click the link for many wonderful social emotional resources provided by the district. These resources are for students, parents, and teachers.
December Dates to Remember
Please mark your calendars for upcoming dates/events in December!
School Spirit 💫
Riddle Friday: What did one potato chip say to the other?
The answer is Let's take a Dip.
These amazing Comets solved the riddle for this week:
2nd Grade - Valeriya B.
3rd Grade - Miriam N. and Hayley R.-A.
We Need Your Help! Please watch the video below.
School Nutrition Services - Free & Reduced Meal Application
Please complete the Free & Reduced Meal Application for SY20-21. During the previous school year, as of 10/5/2019, our DCSD School Nutrition team processed 21,776 household applications versus approximately 9000 applications processed to date.
The district receives valuable funding such as Title I, E-Rate, and other funding resources annually based on October 31st free and reduced lunch data. Parents must submit a new application every year to receive meal benefits. Parents may complete the online application at www.schoolcafe.com. The meal application process takes 10-15 minutes to complete. A paper application can be obtained at one of the curbside meal production sites linked here and returned to any site. You may also click on the promotional flyer (in English and Spanish) to spread the word in our school community. The flyers are also below.
Register with the PTO Website/Membership Toolkit
Want to make sure you are up to date on all school news? Register with the PTO today!
1. Register with the PTO website/Membership Toolkit (this will ensure you receive PTO/Kingsley Newsletters).
(If you are a returning Kingsley family, update your information as necessary!)
2. Pay your School Dues of $40 per student to help with supplies, teacher stipends for materials, etc. (YES—supplies are needed for virtual learning!)
3. Donate to the Kingsley Annual Fund. Annual Fund donations help for major projects such as the recent playground renovation.
Remember registering with the PTO website/Membership Toolkit ensures you’ll receive the PTO/Kingsley newsletter--- you need this newsletter--- it has LOTS of information about virtual school and other fun activities for your students!
Here’s the website: https://kingsleypto.membershiptoolkit.com/
Yearbook - Back to School Flyer
We are Kingsley Elementary School where our staff and students strive for the best and never accept anything less.
Email: tyra_harris-thompson@dekalbschoolsga.org
Website: http://kingsleyes.dekalb.k12.ga.us/
Location: 2051 Brendon Drive, Dunwoody, GA, USA
Phone: (678) 874-8902
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/KingsleyElementarySchool/.com/ourschool
Twitter: @KingsleyComets