Morris Memo
August 26, 2019 LWE Newsletter
Principal's Letter
Greetings Lake Windward Elementary Families,
Can you believe we are starting our 3rd week of school already?? I have loved seeing students each day while visiting classrooms during the last two weeks. I can assure you that instruction has begun and students are learning and showing what they know!
The 10 Day Count process is complete! The district office has informed us that we will be adding a second grade class as well as a third grade class due to higher enrollment than projected in those two grades. Our administrative team will work over the next few days to create updated class lists for these two grades. We are planning to start the two new classes on Wednesday, September 4th, after the long weekend. Although change can be difficult for some after starting the school year, we are fortunate that our students will ultimately benefit from having smaller class sizes and more personal attention from their teachers. Parents of students with schedule changes will be notified once the new class lists are determined.
Did you know that our school is celebrating 30 years this year?? LWE opened in 1989, and we have 2 teachers still on our staff who were here to help open the school 30 years ago! Congratulations to Mrs. Ahmad (music teacher) and Ms. Batlle (2nd grade teacher) for being a part of the Lake Windward family from the start! We are lucky to have these teachers who have remained dedicated to this school community for so many years!
Please keep in mind that this upcoming weekend is an extra long weekend for LWE students. They will have Monday off for Labor Day and Tuesday off for a RFF- Staff PD Day.
Warm regards,
Julie Morris
LWE's 30th Anniversay Logo!
Our students are busy learning and growing!
Ms. Walker's Art class
Ms. Goldman's TAG class
Ms. Batlle's Math class
2019 Georgia Milestones Celebrations!
Lake Windward ES students had another year of great results on the GA Milestones end of year tests. Some highlights include:
- 100% of 3rd graders passed the Math test and of that group, 88% of them scored proficient or distinguished
- 97% of 4th graders passed the Reading test and of that group, 51% of them scored in the Distinguished Level (highest level)
- 98% of 4th graders passed Math and of that group, 87% scored proficient or distinguished
- 98% of 5th graders passed ELA and of that group, 83% of them scored proficient or distinguished
- 99.7% of 5th graders passed Math and of that group, 89% scored proficient or distinguished (52% of them scored distinguished)
- 98% of 5th graders passed Science and of that group, 87% scored proficient or distinguished (50% of them scored distinguished)
- 99% of 5th graders passed Social Studies and of that group, 79% scored proficient or distinguished (50% of them scored distinguished)
These scores are incredible! Schooldigger.com has LWE ranked 14th out of 1,234 schools in the state of Georgia (highest ranked ES school in Fulton County)! We will continue to work hard to have amazing outcomes on our state assessments!
A Note From Ms. Farrar, Assistant Principal
Happy start to the 2019-2020 school year! It’s been wonderful seeing our returning Gators and meeting our new Gators! Periodically, I will contribute segments to the Morris Memo as things pop up related to the desk of the Assistant Principal.
Safety Drills: To start every school year, we always review our safety drill procedures. The first week of school, the staff and students practiced and participated in four drills; evacuation (fire) drill, soft lockdown, hard lockdown, and shelter drill. We will have monthly evacuation (fire) drills for the remainder of the semester. In January, we will repeat all four drills again and finish out second semester with an evacuation drill a month. Additionally, we will participate in the statewide shelter drills in November and February. If you would like more information about any of our drills, please don’t hesitate to contact me.
Carpool: The beginning of the year is also a good time to review carpool guidelines. Morning carpool drop off starts at 7:10 AM. There will be staff members outside to greet the students and help them get out of the cars as needed. We ask that all drivers stay in the car. Also, cars need to continue through the carpool lane even after students have exited; do not do a U-turn to exit the carpool lane. For afternoon carpool, we will match students with their carpool numbers. If a carpool number is not present in the vehicle, you will be asked to pull forward and provide identification. We appreciate your understanding as we continually keep our students’ safety at the forefront.
Great Gators: We are very excited to continue spreading positive recognitions via Great Gators. Our students have been introduced or reintroduced to our school behavior expectations (Be Safe, Be Responsible, Be Respectful). Teachers have been reviewing the guidelines the students will follow in classrooms, the cafeteria, out at recess, in the bathrooms, traveling the hallways, and on the bus. Students have the chance to earn Great Gator dollars from any staff member when the students demonstrate positive, above and beyond, behaviors. They can accumulate their Great Gator dollars to spend at our ‘pop up’ school store. The first school store visit will be in September to allow the students time to earn those Great Gators. The PBIS committee will also continue to recognize the classes at each grade level that have the fewest tardies each month. The winning classrooms will be announced monthly and will proudly get to display a green ribbon outside of their classroom.
FERPA: Fulton County has updated their FERPA (Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act). The updates are located on page 65 of the District Code of Conduct (found here). Parents/Guardians of students under 18 years of age or a student 18 year of age or older objecting to the release of this information should request a form from the Assistant Principal in order to place their objection in writing to the student’s Assistant Principal, no later than August 31 of each school year or within ten calendar days of the student’s enrollment. Objections must be renewed each school year.
Code of Conduct: Now is also a great time to review Fulton County’s Code of Conduct and sign the digital link that you’ve reviewed it. Click here to sign the acknowledgement.
I look forward to a wonderful year!
Please do not hesitate to contact me if you have questions, my email is farrar@fultonschools.org.
School Governance Council
Our SGC has already begun meeting to help support our school's strategic plan goals. We are thankful for the group of committed parents, educators and community members who contribute to this important work. Check out this video to learn more about LWE's SGC!
A Note from our PE Department
Students in grades 4-5 will participate in this state mandated fitness assessment. Per Georgia law, students in grades 4-5 are required to have their height and weight recorded biannually, and submitted to the state; along with their results from the other four components of the FitnessGram test. The following are the five components that all students in grades 4-5 will participate in:
1. PACER test (aerobic capacity)
2. 90 degree Push-Ups (upper body strength & endurance)
3. Curl-Ups (abdominal strength & endurance)
4. Sit & Reach (flexibility)
5. Height & Weight (body composition)
For more information, please go to my website at: http://lakewindwardpe.weebly.com/fitness-testing.html
Easy Way to Support Our School!
**Please Note the Change in Curriculum Nights for Grades 2, 3, 4 & 5!**
LWE Calendar- What's coming up?
September 2- Labor Day Holiday
September 3- LWE Students Off- Staff Professional Development Day (RFF Day)
September 11- Fall Picture Day – watch for pictures forms to come home
September 16- Curriculum Night 3rd grade 5:45-6:45 & 4th grade 7:00-8:00
September 17- Curriculum Night 2nd grade 5:45-6:45 & 5th grade 7:00-8:00
Check out our new website!
Please take a moment to read our LWE Student & Family Handbook
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