Panther Press
New Prospect Elementary School Newsletter
Nurture-Personalize-Engage-Succeed
Spring is here....keep on moving!
Hello Panther Parents,
Someone once said “In winter, I plot and plan. In spring, I move.” As we start this wonderful season of spring, I can’t help but relate that quote to the students, teachers and staff at New Prospect. We have plotted and planned all year using our strategic plan to make sure that we are doing the best we can for our students and community and I feel like at this point in the year we are MOVING!
Shamrockin’ Shindig was a HUGE success! Thank you to our PTA board, especially Kerri Bracken for making the event possible. Thank you to everyone who donates to PTA to continue the tradition of having two amazing and free family events at NPE.
The 5th grade also had a very successful field trip to Rock Eagle where most of the students experienced something for the first time. I could have been spending the night away from home to holding a huge snake.
As we continue to move forward our 3rd-5th graders will take Georgia Milestones. Although those tests are important, they do not determine all the talent our students have. We are ready because we plotted and planned and we will continue to keep on moving!
Thank you for your never-ending support!
Have a great week!
Amy Lemons
Upcoming Events
TONIGHT-Chipotle Spirit Night
April 1st-5th-Spring Break
April 8th-12th-Spirit Week (Look Below)
April 15th-19th-GA Milestones for 3rd & 5th Grade
April 18th-Chick-Fil-A Night
April 22nd-23rd-GA Milestones for 5th Grade
May 6th-10th- GA Milestones for 4th
New School Governance Council Members for 19-20
Thanks for all who took time to vote for such important representation!
What's going on in Brain Building?
Enrichment with Mrs. Kraselsky
Kindergarten and 1st Grade: Save Sam with STEM!
With a gummy worm, gummy lifesaver, a cup, and paperclips, students will work in teams of four to solve a STEM challenge.
CHALLENGE: Sam has been spending his summer boating on the great lakes. However, he’s not too bright (after all, the brains of worms are pretty small). He’s never learned how to swim, and he never wears his life preserver. The worst thing has happened! Sam’s boat has capsized! Luckily, he was able to pull himself on top of the boat, however, his life preserver was trapped underneath the boat. Students will use the materials they have been given, to work together as a team and try to come up with a plan to save Sam by having him wear his life preserver. Students will need to remember that they can not touch Sam, his life preserver, or his boat with their fingers. They can only use the paperclips provided. Who will be able to SAVE SAM?
2nd Grade: Life Cycle of a Plant
You can germinate any type of seed or bean but observing the stages of germination is easiest to see using large lima beans. Second grade students placed dry lima beans between damp paper towels inside of a sandwich baggie. We hung the baggies in the hallways of New Prospect that will have access to sunlight during the day. Students will keep a plant journal and record how their lima beans grow.
3rd grade: Telling Time Escape Room
Third grade students will participate in a breakout escape room to test their skills with telling time to the hour, half hour, quarter hour, five minutes and minute.
4th Grade: Civil War Escape Room
A time machine has brought 4th grade students back to the American Civil War. Unfortunately, upon arrival they find themselves in the middle of the Battle of Antietam and they accidentally got separated from their ride home. In order to escape, students must use their knowledge of the Civil War to find their way back to the time machine. Students will answer questions about the Civil War and use the decoders to find the secret code. Who will solve the secret code or who will be trapped in the past forever?
5th Grade: Cold War Escape Room and History BINGO 101
A mad professor trapped 5th grade students in their classroom. In order to escape, students will use their knowledge of the Cold War to answer questions and solve problems to convince the mad professor to let the students go. Students will also play HISTORY Bingo to review for the Social Studies Milestone test.
Guidance with Mrs. McLeod
In kindergarten students will be learning how to “look at the bright side” when facing challenges or in a bad mood.
Kindergarten, first, and second graders will work on creating positive self-talk to overcome worries using the book “Worry Says What?”
Third through Fifth graders will learn practical testing tips that will help them do their best on the upcoming Milestones assessments.
Media Center with Mrs. Bercher
1st grade: We began with a vote of their favorite Dr. Seuss book using our interactive bulletin board outside the media center. We read "Would you rather be a Bullfrog? by Dr. Seuss. We discussed rhyming, created Makerspace items; and checked out books.
2nd grade: We begsn BB with a vote of their favorite Dr. Seuss book using out interactive bulletin board outside the media center. We read "The Great Henry McBride" by Dr. Seuss his his collection of short stories. We discussed rhyming and what careers students wanted to try as adults. They created Makerspace items; and checked out books.
A Special Thank You to parent volunteers who assembled our Dr. Seuss decorations in the Media Center: Adriane Eley, Jyoti Vijayan Menon, Jamie Friedman, Tejalben Bhatt, and Sherry Mansfield.
ATTENTION ALL 3rd, 4th AND 5th GRADE PARENTS/GUARDIANS
This year students in Grades 3, 4 and 5 at New Prospect Elementary will participate in the Georgia Milestones End of Grade (EOG) assessment. The testing window has changed this year and our 4th grade students will not test until May. The testing window for 3rd and 5th grade students will open on Monday, April 15 and ends on Tuesday, April 23. The testing window for 4th graders will be from Monday, May 6 until Friday, May 10.
This year the tests will be spread out over more days, but students will test for a shorter time each day. Testing will begin at 7:50am daily and will conclude around 9:30am. The testing times vary depending on which assessment students are taking.
The GA Milestones will measure how well students have mastered the state-adopted content standards. Students in all grades will be assessed in Reading, Writing and Mathematics. Only students in Grade 5 will be administered the Science and Social Studies tests.
The Georgia Milestones assessments serve as a key component of the state’s accountability system, College and Career Ready Performance Index (CCRPI). The state law requires students in Grade 3 to pass the reading and students in Grade 5 to pass the reading and math portions of the assessment as a determining factor for promotion or retention. As soon as the state releases results, we will communicate with families of students in Grades 3 or 5 if their child did not pass one or more portions of the assessment.
Teachers will continue to work with students on the rigor required of the Georgia Standards of Excellence (GSE). This includes preparing students to answer complex questions and to explain their responses by providing supporting evidence and proof from different sources of text. We also give diagnostic assessments to help us identify areas where students need additional instruction prior to the Milestones assessments. For additional study/resource guides, please visit the following link:
http://www.gadoe.org/Curriculum-Instruction-and-Assessment/Assessment/Pages/EOG-Study-Resource-Guides.aspx . Your child can also take practice EOG assessments to help familiarize them with the testing platform and tools at http://gaexperienceonline.com/. The practice test needs to be accessed through Google Chrome or Safari.
To help you plan, our testing dates are as follows:
End of Grade (EOG)
April 15 EOG Reading and Evidence Based Writing - Grades 3 and 5
April 16-17 EOG ELA - Grades 3 and 5
April 18-19 EOG Math - Grades 3 and 5
April 22 EOG Science-Grade5
April 23 EOG SS – Grade 5
April 24-25 EOG Make-up Days - Grades 3 and 5
May 6 EOG Reading and Evidence Based Writing – Grade 4
May 7-8 EOG ELA – Grade 4
May 9-10 EOG Math - Grade 4
May 13-14 EOG Make-up Days - Grade 4
If you have any additional questions, please do not hesitate to contact your child’s teacher and/or Mrs. Haga, haga@fultonschools.org, our school test coordinator.
Steps to become a Volunteer
Fulton County Schools values and promotes active engagement of the community in all of our schools. Thousands of individuals serve as volunteers in our schools each year. Volunteer opportunities may include:
* Serving as tutors, mentors, or guest speakers
* Providing assistance in classrooms, cafeteria, library, or main office
* Organizing student enrichment and recognition activities
* Supporting special events, athletics, and school planning councils
How do I become a volunteer?
1. Register at the Fulton County Schools Volunteer Page. (Link Below)
2. Complete the mandatory online training.
3. Complete the volunteer application.
Please allow 48 hours for your application to be processed before you visit the school to volunteer. Volunteers must complete this process EVERY year.
When you arrive at the school for your first volunteer assignment, please present your government identification (i.e. driver's license, state issued ID cards, Mexican consular cards, green cards, military ID) to verify your identity.
Transportation & Absence Notes
No Student is allowed in the school until 7:10 am. There is no supervision until that time.
We have had a lot of students who are tardy to school. Please make sure your children are here before 7:40.