Simonton Parent Newsletter
Friday, August 20, 2021
Every Student, Every Day, Deserves to Learn, Lead, & Excel!
A Message from Ms. Perkins
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1HnC4KJMXmjDtgxJesvFCDr0OKXTKEETA/view?usp=sharing
Simonton ES Assistant Principals
Tifferney Dodd
Daphne Miles
Emily Young
Thank you to everyone who came out for Curriculum Night!
Curriculum Night ~ Session 2 (3rd, 4th, & 5th Grades)
For the safety of all in attendance, we are asking that only one parent attend Curriculum Night. This will allow teachers to space out chairs in their rooms and properly distance between families. Thank you for your understanding!
Thursday, August 26, 2021
FOCUS Parent Meeting ~ 5:00 pm
PTA General Meeting ~ 5:30 pm
Curriculum Night (3rd - 5th Grade) ~ 5:45 pm
We will be holding our Annual Title 1 Parent Meeting. This meeting will be prerecorded and played at the beginning of Curriculum Night.
Curriculum Night for Digital Students
Mark your calendar for curriculum night next week if you have a digital student. These meetings will be conducted virtually.
Monday, August 23, 2021
- Kindergarten 5:00-5:45 PM
- 1st Grade 6:00-6:45 PM
Tuesday, August 24, 2021
- 2nd Grade 5:00-5:45 PM
- 3rd Grade 6:00-6:45 PM
Thursday, August 26, 2021
- 4th Grade 5:00-5:45 PM
- 5th Grade 6:00-6:45 PM
There are instructional supplies for digital students at the Simonton ES front office. Please stop by to pick them up if you have not done so.
Mark Your Calendars...
Tuesday, August 24
- Boy Scouts Registration Night (Cafeteria) ~ 7:00- 8:00 pm
Thursday, August 26
- FOCUS Parent Meeting ~ 5:00 pm
- PTA General Meeting ~ 5:30 pm
- Curriculum Night (3rd-5th grades) ~ 5:45 pm
Wednesday, September 1- Friday September 3
- IOWA Testing (2nd Grade)
Monday, September 6
- Labor Day Holiday ~ No School
Thursday, September 9
- PTA Spirit Night at Sparkles ~ 5:00- 9:00 pm
Friday, September 17
- Week 6 Interim Reports emailed home
IOWA Assessment
2nd Grade Parents,
Your second grader will be administered the Iowa Assessments on September 1st - 3rd. Please click on this link for an important letter regarding the Iowa Assessments. https://www.gcpsk12.org/Page/30547
Cell Phones and Electronic Devices
Cell phones may be brought to school for after school use as long as they are turned off and left in the student’s book bag at all times during the school day. If a phone is taken out during the school day, it will be taken up by the teacher, and the parent will need to come to the school to retrieve it. No games should be brought to school at any time. Devices such as computers and tablets can only be brought for instructional purposes through the BYOD (Bring Your Own Device) initiative. Students must follow teacher guidelines for device use. If you DO NOT want your child to participate in technology, appear in the morning news, or have candid photos taken of them throughout the year, please send a note clearly stating this to the front office.
CHECK IN/OUT PROCEDURES
Students are checked in and out through the school office ONLY. Students arriving after 8:15 am are considered tardy and must be accompanied by an adult into the office to check in. Children will not be released from school at any unscheduled time without written explanation from parents and a signed “release register” on file in the office. For security reasons, anyone checking out a student must show a picture ID (i.e. Driver’s License) prior to having a child released. CHILDREN ARE RELEASED ONLY TO PERSONS DESIGNATED BY PARENTS ON THE EMERGENCY CONTACT LIST. This is a safeguard for all children. Early checkouts should be reserved for special circumstances and not used on a regular basis. There will be no student check outs after 2:15 p.m. in order to provide a safe and timely dismissal for all students. Telephone, fax or email requests for check-outs will not be honored.
Join the PTA!
GCPS School Board to host Area Board Meetings
This fall, the Gwinnett County Board of Education will go on the road, meeting once in each Board member’s district. At this year’s Area Board Meetings, attendees will have the opportunity to meet Gwinnett County Public Schools’ new superintendent, Dr. Calvin J. Watts, and members of the Gwinnett County Board of Education. During the meeting, Dr. Watts will share information about the new school year and his focus as he begins leading Georgia’s largest school district. In addition, meeting participants will learn more about the district’s work to engage the community and will be able to provide input through an online survey to share topics that are of interest to them.
Please note that interpreters will be available at all meetings to assist attendees who speak Spanish, Korean, Vietnamese, or Chinese.
Tuesday, Aug. 24— District I meeting, hosted by Karen Watkins, 2021 vice chair, at Grayson HS
Thursday, Aug. 26— District II meeting, hosted by Steven B. Knudsen, at Mill Creek HS
Tuesday, Aug. 31— District III meeting, hosted by Dr. Mary K. Murphy, at North Gwinnett HS
Tuesday, Sept. 14— District IV meeting, hosted by Everton Blair, Jr., 2021 chair, at Berkmar HS
Tuesday, Oct. 5— District V meeting, hosted by Dr. Tarece Johnson, at McClure Health Sciences HS
Stream Area Board Meetings
Unable to attend any of the scheduled Area Board meetings? Join us online! The meetings will be streamed live on GCPS TV and on the GCPS TV app. The mobile app is available for these devices: Apple, Android, Amazon Fire, and the Roku Channel. In addition, each meeting will be recorded and available to view on the website
The Area Board Meetings are organized to host students, families, and staff members from school communities located in each Board member’s electoral district. The physical location of the school determines which Area Board Meeting each school is designated to attend. However, citizens may attend any one of the five meetings. All meetings begin at 7 p.m. in the host school’s theater, with a Board Governance Team Meet and Greet beginning at 6:30 p.m.
Masks are required for all students, families, staff, and community members attending events in GCPS facilities. For the Area Board Meetings, seating will be limited to accommodate the need for physical distancing under COVID-19 mitigation strategies. However, citizens can watch the meetings live on GCPS TV.
Additional Information Regarding Masks in GCPS
n late July, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), updated its guidance for schools, recommending that children, teachers, and others in K-12 schools across the nation wear masks this school year, regardless of COVID-19 vaccination status. This recommendation is in line with those of the American Academy of Pediatrics.
Based on this guidance and for the safety of our students, staff, and visitors, Gwinnett County Public Schools (GCPS) requires the wearing of masks or cloth face coverings in our schools and facilities and on school buses, regardless of vaccination status.
The CDC indicates correct and consistent mask use is a critical step everyone can take to prevent getting and spreading COVID-19. Masks work best when everyone wears them, but not all masks provide the same protection. With that in mind, Gwinnett County Public Schools requires masks to:
- Fully cover the nose and mouth and secure under the chin.
- Fit securely against both sides of the face.
Masks that have an exhalation valve or vent and masks made from mesh fabrics are not recommended by the CDC as they allow virus particles to escape and spread. As a result, these types of masks do not meet GCPS’ mask requirement.
Gwinnett County Public Schools is using the most recent CDC guidance and information about transmission and case rates within our community as part of its decision-making process regarding mitigation efforts. The district will continue to monitor current conditions and updates to guidance, using this information to make changes to its mask requirement and other mitigation strategies during the 2021–22 school year as needed.
AKS at Home
You are an important partner with your child’s teacher, whether your child is learning at home or at school. To help you support your student’s learning, GCPS is launching its next lessons as part of its AKS at Home initiative. Through AKS at Home, families learn ways to help their children practice skills they are learning in class.
During live Zoom sessions, educators will show you how to help your child practice important skills and answer your questions. To enhance security in the Zoom session, participants must register via the Zoom link emailed out to you by the county. Please note that Spanish, Korean, and Vietnamese interpretation is available during each live Zoom session.
If you can’t make the live session, look for a library of recorded sessions and tip sheets on the AKS at Home webpage after the completion of each unit. On that page, you also will find the schedule for upcoming sessions for all grade levels.
The Media Center Welcomes back students for Read Alouds!!
SES Handbook Highlight!
If you believe you are being mistreated by school employees on the basis of race, color, religion, gender, national origin or handicap, please contact Emily Young (Title IX Coordinator for Simonton ES) or Tifferney Dodd (Title IX Investigator for Simonton ES) and inform them that you have a complaint about the manner in which you or your child were treated and why.
SES Handbook Hightlight!
Student dress should not cause any distraction from the instructional program. Students are encouraged to dress appropriately for the school setting, suitable to weather conditions, and in good taste. Short skirts, short shorts, or halter tops/crop shirts are not considered appropriate dress for school. Hats, bandanas, and sweatbands should not be worn in school. Students should not wear any clothing that advertises alcoholic beverages, drugs, or violence. Students should wear shoes that allow for safe play at outside time and PE class. All shorts/skirts should come to the student’s knee.
SIMONTON ELEMENTARY ~ WHAT WE STAND FOR
Vision
Simonton is committed to dynamic high quality instruction resulting in a passion for learning, leading and excelling.
Core Belief
Every Student Every Day, Deserves to Learn, Lead, and Excel
Commitments
We commit to giving our students a fresh start every day.
We commit to preparing quality and engaging lessons that will prepare our students to be successful in school.
We commit to teaching, modeling and holding our students accountable for appropriate school behavior.
We commit to providing our students with a structured and safe learning environment.
We commit to a great year of learning, leading, and excelling
Simonton Elementary School
Superintendent- Dr. Calvin J. Watts
Assistant Superintendent- Dr. Terry Watlington
Board Member- Mr. Steven B. Knudsen
Principal- Tamara G. Perkins
Assistant Principal- Tifferney Dodd
Assistant Principal- Daphne Miles
Assistant Principal- Emily Young
Website: gcpsk12.org/SimontonES
Location: 275 Simonton Road Southeast, Lawrenceville, GA, USA
Phone: (770) 513-6637
Twitter: @SimontonPride