Sawnee Elementary
January 2020 Newsletter
A Note from Mr. Hershey
Dear Sawnee Families,
Welcome back to school! I hope you enjoyed the two week winter vacation and were able to get some quality family time with your children. I can't believe that we are in the year 2020...the years move by so incredibly fast!
With the new year just passing by, most of us have set New Year's Resolutions for ourselves to become better versions of ourselves in some capacity. Unfortunately for most, these New Year's resolutions become short-lived because of the speed and pace of the life we live in. I have found many years ago that I am not personally great at succeeding with resolutions (as a matter of fact, I usually can't even make it through January!) One thing my family has done in the past few years is use a simple process called "One Word." Each person from my family picks a word that is relevant to themselves...a word that they want to look at as a daily reminder to improve in some capacity. This year, my word is "Today", meaning to stay full present in the moment both at work and at home. Each of my family members have a word as well and we are able to hold each other accountable on a daily basis to support each other. The goal is never to be perfect, but to continue to improve each day.
Thank you for all that you do to support the staff as we do our best to make this the best learning environment for your children.
Wishing your family a great 2020!
Sincerely,
Derrick Hershey
Principal
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Habit 5 - Seek First to Understand, then to be Understood
Seek First to Understand, Then to Be Understood means that it is better to listen first and talk second. By taking the time to listen to another person, you reach a higher level of communication. Teaching Habit 5 to young children is done by first considering their age and development. Young children find it difficult to understand another’s paradigm (point of view). This habit is best approached by introducing listening as a skill that should be practiced. Learning to listen without interrupting and learning to listen with your ears, your eyes, and your heart will help children build a foundation for Habit 5. Simply put, we have two ears and one mouth so that we can spend more time listening with the intent to understand.
Listen to our Podcast! Seek First to Understand, then to be Understood
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What's Happening at Sawnee?
Student Recognition - Student Office Visits
Our admin team will begin to start seeing students for something new we are starting this semester called “Positive Office Visits” or POVs. Teachers will be recognizing students under the categories “Attitude, Effort, and Problem Solver.” When the students come to the office, they will receive a certificate that includes why they are being recognized. We look forward to seeing your students in the principal’s office for their great work! Thank you again for sharing your students with us…we are truly grateful to be part of their journey!
GA Parent Survey
We need your help to fill out a survey for Sawnee. The Georgia Parent Survey was developed to measure parent perceptions of school climate at your child’s school. Your opinion is very important to us. Your survey responses are confidential and will be combined with the survey responses of other parents at your child’s school to identify areas in need of improvement. It should only take ten or fifteen minutes to complete the survey. Thank you for your time and participation.
Please click here to access the survey.
Forsyth County Schools Important Information
Redistricting Information: Click here to see the most recent information on the redistricting plan for the 2020-2021 school year. As a reminder, the Out of District application period is 12/2/19-1/17/20.
Session 3 - After School Clubs
Chessmates
Dodgeball
Glow in the Dark Games
Learn to Draw
Lego Challenges
Kid Chef
Kitchen Kids
Sawnee Relay For Life T-Shirts - On Sale Again
Cafe 1 Staff
Relay for Life T-shirt Designs and Colors
Sawnee Staff Supporting Relay for Life
Counseling News
Watch DOGS Dads - Watch Dog Dad Winter/Spring sign up will be posted next week on our homepage. Please remember, these are the remaining spots after the Kick Off Night so only the available dates will be posted. We cannot wait to see you!
Tim Elmore at Lambert HS - On January 27th Lambert High School is hosting Tim Elmore to speak on the subject of Generation Z, his newest book. Please see the flyer for information
Parenting Classes - Offered through the Place of Forsyth and Love and Logic. See the flyer for more information.
News from the Specials Teachers
Congratulations Emma L. (5th grade), Will C. (Third Grade) & Tanishi S. (Third Grade)! Their amazing Science/Engineering Projects will be representing Sawnee Elementary at the Regional Science/Engineering Fair February 8th, 2020.
Mark for calendar: "STEAM Night" Tuesday, March 31, 2020 from 5:30-8:00. Science/Engineering Fair Projects are due no later than 9:00 am, Friday, December 6th, 2019. Winners will be announced Monday, December 9, 2019 during morning announcements.
Kids Heart Challenge
We are currently entering our Early bird stage of our Kids Heart Challenge event. During this event we will be raising money for the American Heart Association. Our goal this year is to raise $18,000. You can make online or cash donations, and all donations go to support the American Heart Association. They use this money to fund research on heart disease, provide supplies to schools for CPR and AED trainings, and help those in our local communities. Our event will take place January 27th through February 7th. Online donations can be made, and you can set up your child’s account at www.heart.org/jump. Envelopes for cash donations will be send out on Tuesday, January 21st. All donations will be due no later than February 7th. If you have any questions throughout the event please do not hesitate to contract Coach McCormick (smccormick@forsyth.k12.ga.us) or Coach Poss (tmposs@forsyth.k12.ga.us).
Yearbook Ordering
5th Grade Ads are on sale now through February 1st for $20, but don't delay because the ad pages are filling up fast! Please click here for more information and don't forget to order the yearbook too!
Clinic News
We welcome your visits and calls if you have any questions. By working together, we can ensure a healthy and safe school year for every student!
Cold and Flu season is here. Students must be fever free for 24 hours without the use of medication prior to returning to school. A fever is when the child's temperature is 100° or higher. Frequent hand washing helps ward off the germs. Below is a link teaching great hand washing.
Cafeteria News
Click here to view the winter breakfast and lunch menus.
Harvest of the Month - Cabbage & Bibb Lettuce
- Cabbage is one of the oldest vegetables in existence!
- Low in Saturated Fat, Cholesterol, High in Dietary Fiber, Vitamin C, Vitamin K, Folate, Potassium, Manganese, Vitamin A, Thiamin, Vitamin B6, Calcium, Iron and Magnesium.
- Bibb lettuce was grown first in Kentucky in 1865 by John Bibb. He began giving it to his neighbors and the townspeople began calling it Bibb's lettuce.
- Bibb lettuce is very high in vitamin A; each cup provides 60 percent of the daily suggested intake for men and 79 percent of the daily suggested intake for women. Bibb lettuce also offers 47 percent of the daily suggested intake of vitamin K for men and 63 percent of the suggested daily intake of vitamin K for women.
Important Dates to Know
January 7 - 1st back to school after holiday break
January 9 - SRO Appreciation Day
January 10 - Sawnee Spirit Day; Session 3 Club registration opens @ 10:00am
January 16 - Forsyth County New Mentor training
January 17 - 5th grade Oratorical Contest; Mother Son night at the Gladiators game
January 19 - Session 3 Club registration closes @ 11:30pm
January 20 - MLK Day, NO SCHOOL
January 22 - West Community No Homework Night
January 28 - County Impressions Gallery Night; Session 3 Tuesday Clubs begin
January 30 - Chief Leader Awards Night, Cafe 1; Session 3 Thursday Clubs begin
February 3 - 7 - School Counselor Appreciation Week
February 6 - Yearbook increases to $35
February 14 - No School
February 17-18 - No School
February 22 - PTO Bingo Night, Cafe 1 4:00pm
February 27 - Chief Leader Awards night, Cafe 1
February 29 - Father Daughter Dance, West High School, 6:00pm-8:00pm
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PARENT CORNER
Sawnee PTO
2019-2020 Board Members
President- Jen Scribner
VP Volunteers-Ashley Serge
VP Hospitality-Rebecca Roberts
VP Education-Emily Nelson
Treasurer-Nicole Hale
Secretary-Rebecca Frank
Contact us: sawneeptoboard@gmail.com
2019-2020 PTO Event Calendar-School
* Want to join PTO? Click here.
January 17 - Mother/Son night at the Gladiators game, see the flyer for more information. Here is the weblink to purchase tickets: https://www.axs.com/events/377167/atlanta-gladiators-vs-orlando-solarbears-tickets/promos/284007
February 29 - Father/Daughter dance mark your calendars! We are always looking for volunteers for this event and if anyone is interested in helping in any way please send an email to sawneeptoboard@gmail.com.
West Community Connect
The West Community is comprised of the elementary and middle schools that feed into West Forsyth High School.
Check out their website: West Community Connect
Community Events & Information
Girls on the Run - Spring 2020 registration opened December 1st. Click here to see the registration flyer.
Otwell Baskteball Elementary Night Flyer - Click here for a special invite from OMS to attend their January 15th basketball games. This is a great event for our 5th graders to attend and check out an athletic event in middle school!
Contact Sawnee Elementary
Website: http://forsyth.k12.ga.us/sawneeelementary
Location: 1616 Canton Highway, Cumming, GA, USA
Phone: 770-887-6161
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SawneeES/
Twitter: @SawneeElem