Kingsley ES Principal Newsletter
"We Are All In This Together"
January 18, 2021
Kingsley Families,
I hope everyone had a wonderful Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Holiday! We are very excited to be back with our students virtually. The DeKalb County School District (DCSD) will begin phasing in the regular DCSD instructional schedule for all schools this week. The transition to the regular DCSD schedule is to consistently allow for more instructional time for all students. Classes will take place on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday. All teachers and students will utilize Wednesday as an instructional support day to allow students to receive intervention, remediation, and/or acceleration individually or in smaller student-teacher group settings. Also, this Wednesday will be a school day (on the new schedule) for all students in DCSD.
We will begin implementing the new schedule tomorrow, Tuesday, January 19th. Again, please remember that Wednesday, January 20th, is designated as a distance remote learning day. Your child's teacher has shared the new schedule with you on Class Dojo. I am also including the new schedules for each grade level below in the newsletter.
Thank you for your continued support.
Sincerely,
Dr. Harris-Thompson
PreK Special Education Schedule
Kindergarten Schedule
1st Grade Schedule
2nd Grade Schedule
3rd Grade Schedule
4th Grade Schedule
5th Grade Schedule
1st-2nd Grade MOID
3rd-5th Grade MOID
PSA from Superintendent Watson-Harris-Thompson
School Uniforms are Highly Encouraged for Students Returning Face-to-Face
2020-2021 Bus Routes
Medication Form
School Choice Open Enrollment
https://www.dekalbschoolsga.org/school-choice/news-and-updates/
Get Your 2020-2021 Yearbook - There is still TIME!!
YEARBOOK ALERT
Are you ready to tell your Kingsley friends and teachers all about yourself? We would love to hear from you all about you and your school year with information that we can use in our yearbook. Please complete our Google form to answer questions and submit photos of your 2020-2021 school year!
Still need to order a yearbook? Check here to place your order for a yearbook or recognition ad.
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!
DCSD is Seeking Feedback from Stakeholders
https://dekalb.co1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_5zncaPMIDyONPRX
The DeKalb County Schools Comprehensive Master Plan will help the District determine how, when, where, and why resources are used to improve the quality of public education in DeKalb County.
Visit the website to learn more: http://bit.ly/3mBd3GF
Complete the THINK BIG survey: http://bit.ly/3oUjC8y
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.
This month's theme: Happier January
When will I find out specifics regarding the Kingsley Elementary Reopening Plan?
We will host a Parent Town Hall Meeting on January 7th at 5:30 PM (English) and 6:30 PM (Spanish) on Microsoft Teams. At this time, we will review, in detail, our reopening plan and answer questions you may have.
Will students and staff be required to wear masks once we return for F2F learning?
Yes! If students or staff come to school without a mask, one will be provided to them.
Will After School @ Kingsley Elementary be offered starting in January?
No, the district is not resuming After School Extended Day Programs until students return for 5 days of F2F learning.
Once we return to school for F2F learning, will students be in school for a full day?
Yes, our instructional day is from 7:40 AM - 2:15 PM.
Here are our school hours below:
- 7:00 AM - Bus riders begin arriving to school
- 7:10 AM – 7:35 AM - Carpool begins
- 7:40 AM - Students are tardy
- 7:40 AM - 2:15 PM - Daily instruction in Reading/Writing, Math, Science, Social Studies, Recess, Specials, Lunch
- 2:15 PM - Dismissal Begins
We will present a full daily schedule that includes all content areas, Specials, recess, and lunch at our Reopening Parent Town Hall Meeting on 1/7/2021.
Can students in pods return for F2F learning on the same day?
We are unable to fulfill requests for students in pods to return for F2F learning on the same day. To ensure we are following social distancing guidelines and our class sizes stay at the recommended range of 12-16 students, we will only assign cohorts by last names and ensure siblings attend on the same day.
Is my child required to come to school for F2F learning once schools reopen in January?
No. All parents have a choice. You have a choice for your child to remain virtual or return for F2F learning. Please complete the survey to make your decision: https://forms.office.com/Pages/ResponsePage.aspx?id=iiMrMYPAwUGhi3NrAmlveUmXkzAwkGpOiUG6EB11hX5UQTU3NVlHTTVIUTE1VThMREVHQUIwQzYyNS4u
Parents may change their child's instructional mode (F2F or virtual) at the end of every 4.5 week period.
We encourage all Kingsley Elementary students to wear uniforms each day. However, Fridays are Spirit Day. On Fridays, students may wear an Kingsley ES/Comet shirt and denim bottoms.
Will DCSD school buses run when school reopens for Face-to-Face learning in January?
Yes, please find a link to the bus routes in the Kingsley ES Principal's weekly newsletter.
My child needs a school-issued Chromebook. How can I obtain one?
If your child needs a school-issued Chromebook or the one you currently have does not work properly, please come to the school any weekday, 9 AM - 2 PM, to obtain a new one.
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 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) 874-8902 any weekday 9am-2pm and someone can assist you.
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/
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.
School Meal Service
School Meal Service continues during virtual learning.
A bus will be in our bus lane every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday 11am-1pm to distribute meals.
Please click the link for more information and view the menu below. https://www.dekalbschoolsga.org/student-meal-service/
Dekalb County Public Library Park and Print
We Have The BEST PTO! Have You Joined? 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/
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