Titan Talk Newsletter
October 25, 2019
Upcoming
The week ahead...
Red Ribbon Week - 10/28 to 11/1
Monday wear Neon!
Tuesday is PJ Day!
Wednesday is favorite Sports or College Cap/Hat!
Thursday is Superhero T-shirt Day!
Friday, everybody wears RED for Red Ribbon Week!!
- 10/28 - RRW - Monday is Neon Colors: Student Have a Bright Future Without Drugs!
- 10/29 - RRW - Tuesday is Pajama Day: Comfort in Making Great Choices and Staying Drug-Free!
- 10/29 - Hampton Film Academy from 4:05 PM - 5:30 PM in Media Center
10/29 - 8th Grade Band Cluster Concert @ Milton 6:30 p.m.
10/30 - RRW - Wednesday is College or Sports Team Hat Day: Put a Cap on Drugs!
10/30 - District Parent and Family Engagement Plan is distributed through WINN classes to all students. Please check your child's binder.
10/30 - Start of the Jr. Beta Canned Food Drive
10/30 - Jr. Beta Meeting after-school in the Media Center
10/30 - Drama Club after-school in Ms. Bickel's classroom
10/30 - RAK Club after-school in Ms. Dismer's classroom
10/30 - Volleyball Game @ 5:30 PM - Away at Hopewell MS
10/31 - RRW - Thursday is Superhero T-Shirt Day: Heroes Stay Drug-Free!
10/31 - FCA @ 7:45 am in the Media Center - Bring $$4 for a chicken biscuit
- 10/31 - Parent Resource Open House @ 9:30 a.m.
- 10/31- Lost & Found donated at end of the school day
- 10/31 - Hampton Film Academy from 4:05 PM - 5:30 PM in Media Center
- 11/1 - RRW - Friday is RED RIBBON Day: Showing Unity with Friends and Staff for a Drug-Free Life!
- 11/1 - Interact Club @ 8 AM in Mrs. Streeter's classroom
- 11/1 - Start of French National Week
- 11/1 - 8th-grade AVID field trip
- 11/2 - Titan Advantage from 9 am to 12 pm
- 11/2 - Milton HS March Band Competition "White Columns Invitational" starts at 2:00 PM @ MHS Football Stadium
- 11/3 - Daylight Savings time change - Fall Back!
Message from the Principal
Greetings Parents,
The GaDOE posted the 2019 College and Career Readiness Performance Index Report (CCRPI). The scores released today reflect school performance for the 2018-2019 school year. We are proud to announce that Elkins Point Middle School’s CCRPI score for SY19 is 88.4! Our CCRPI increased a full 5 points from last year!!! We are so proud of our staff and students for this wonderful achievement.
A middle school’s score is made up of four major components. Below you will find the components and the exact scores for Elkins Pointe Middle School.
This baseline data provides us the opportunity to celebrate our successes as well as focus on the opportunities for growth. As a staff, we have already begun discussing areas in which we can offer additional support to our students to ensure their success, which in turn will positively impact our overall CCRPI score. As we, educators, students, and staff work diligently to continue to advance the success of Elkins Pointe MS; we will need the collaborative support of our parents and community to ensure EPMS continued success.
Thank you for your continuous support!
Sincerely,
Damian Bounds
Principal
Elkins Pointe Middle School
"Every Day, Every Student, College & Career Bound: Go Titans!"
CELEBRATE TITANS
Celebrating CCRPI & 5-Star Climate Rating!
REACH for the Stars!
Thank You for Keeping Kids Safe
College Accolades!
The PBIS Teacher Rewards committee would like to recognize several teachers for their support of the Positive Behavior Intervention and Support system.
Mr. Richal issued the most points to his students during the months of August and September. His students earned over 9,000 points!
Ms. Brady, Ms. Lindesay, Ms. Gallager, and Sensei Johnson also showed outstanding, consistent support of the program from its beginning in August until now.
212 Awards for October!
The 212° Awards for October go to:
- Leadership Extraordinaire Award: Micheaux White, 7th-grade Social Studies teacher/Jr. Beta Club Chair
- PBIS Champ: Aldarius McClaney, Instructional Parapro-Sp Ed
- Team Player: Ainara Sorozabal, front office
- Instructional Guru: Melissa Rankin, 6th-grade and 8th-grade Math teacher
- AVID Ambassador: Isabella Alfaro, 8th Social Studies teacher
Thank you for going that “Extra Degree” daily to make a difference with our students and school community.
Bus Driver Appreciation Week!
Dads Club Donut Delivery
6th Grade Field Trip
PINK OUT @ EPMS!
THINGS TO KNOW
Red Ribbon Week - 10/28 to 11/1
The 2019 National Red Ribbon Week theme is: Send a Message. Stay Drug-Free.™
Izabella Ware, a student from Griswold Middle School in Griswold, CT, created the winning theme for 2019 Red Ribbon Week, which takes place October 23-31. Ware's theme, "Send A Message. Stay Drug-Free." was selected among thousands of Red Ribbon theme ideas submitted by students, parents, educators, and members of communities across America. The theme is a call to action to speak out in support of healthy choices. The theme is also a reminder that by staying drug-free, you are sending a message to yourself and others about how much you value yourself, your overall health, your community, and your future.
As the nation’s largest and oldest drug prevention campaign, Red Ribbon Week® reaches over 80 million people each year throughout the United States. Here’s how Elkins Pointe Middle School is celebrating Red Ribbon Week! Interested in learning more about the Red Ribbon Campaign? Click here for information: http://redribbon.org
Thank you to PTSA RRW Chair Amy Little and EPMS Counselor Traci Dease for promoting Red Ribbon Week!
No Outside Food or Beverages
The Candy Corn College Challenge! 10/29 - 10/31
Student Council is hosting an event on October 29th -Oct 31st called
"The Candy Corn College Challenge!"
We will sell candy corn for $1.00 in the Rotunda from 8:10 a.m. to 8:30 a.m. each morning.
As YOU purchase candy corn -you are earning points for YOUR COLLEGE -
Integrity, Perseverance, Courage, and Optimism!
Jr. Beta Canned Food Drive - 10/30 to 11/18
Jr. Beta has some fantastic community opportunities coming soon. Please consider joining Jr. Beta and supporting their efforts!
- Oct 30 - Nov 18 - School-wide canned food drive
- Dec 2-18 - Toys for tots -Toy donations
- Dec 6- Pajama day for charity -Pay $1 to wear your favorite set of PJs, money goes to charity.
Parent Resource Open House - 10/31 @ 9:00 am
* Children welcome. Translation service available. Please let us know if transportation is an issue and we will make arrangements to provide a ride or schedule another time.
Turn in Your Box Tops
It's Box Tops Time! Please send clipped Box Tops (in a baggie) with your student by Friday, October 25. Collection boxes are in the Atrium and at the school store. Did you know Box Tops are going digital? Simply download the app and scan your receipts; EPMS will get credit and you don't have to get out the scissors!
Be THE Voice Kick-Off - 11/8
Basketball Conditioning & Interest Session - 11/19 & 11/20
Basketball Conditioning & Interest Session for Boys & Girls will take place on November 19th and 20th from 4:15 PM - 5:15 PM in the Gym.
To participate in Basketball, students must be in 7th-grade or 8th-grade and complete the required FCS Athletic Forms:
Questions? Contact: Dr. Erika Edward (girls) or Mr. Dan Richal (boys)
Student-Led Data Talks - 11/20
All parents, students, and families are invited to join our teachers, staff, and administrators on Wednesday, November 20th at 6 PM for the Student-Led Data Talks in the Elkins Pointe Cafeteria.
The purpose of this school-wide event is for students to share their data (i.e. Georgia Milestones, grades, FastBridge, attendance, Infinite Campus, assessments, quizzes, homework/project grades) with parents. This event encourages students to take ownership of their learning. With the help of teachers, staff, and administration, parents and students will review progress, growth, grades, and attendance.
Transition Meetings for 8th Grade Parents & Families - 12/3 & 12/5
* Save the Date and Don't Be Late! We cover a lot of information, and we will be starting promptly at 6 PM!
SOCIAL EMOTIONAL BLOG FROM SUMMIT COUNSELING
Blog by Mariah Dantzler McFetridge, M.S., Summit Counselor
Bullying in Middle School
We often hear this word being thrown around, but what is bullying really? Stopbullying.gov defines bullying as unwanted, aggressive behavior among school-aged children that involves a real or perceived power imbalance. The behavior is repeated, or has the potential to be repeated, over time. Both kids who are bullied and who bully others may have serious, lasting problems.
In order to be considered bullying, the behavior must be aggressive and include:
- An Imbalance of Power: Kids who bully use their power - such as physical strength, access to embarrassing information, or popularity - to control or harm others. Power imbalances can change over time and in different situations, even if they involve the same people.
- Repetition: Bullying behaviors happen more than once or have the potential to happen more than once.
Bullying includes actions such as making threats, spreading rumors, attacking someone physically or verbally, and excluding someone from a group on purpose.
There are three types of bullying:
- Teasing
- Name-calling
- Inappropriate sexual comments
- Taunting
- Threatening to cause harm
2) Social bullying, sometimes referred to as relational bullying, involves hurting someone’s reputation or relationships. Social bullying includes:
- Leaving someone out on purpose
- Telling other children not to be friends with someone
- Spreading rumors about someone
- Embarrassing someone in public
3) Physical bullying involves hurting a person’s body or possessions. Physical bullying includes:
- Hitting/kicking/pinching
- Spitting
- Tripping/pushing
- Taking or breaking someone’s things
- Making mean or rude hand gestures
The most important thing we can teach our children is how to be an upstander instead of a bystander. We can do this by teaching empathy and perspective-taking in daily situations. Help your child practice seeing all sides of a situation or disagreement by making talking out other perspectives, views, and opinions, even if they do not align with your own.
If your child is being bullied, it is important to help give the child choose to problem-solve conflict instead of immediately going and fighting the battle for them. In the long run, giving our kids the tools to be assertive and confront hard situations will lead to empowerment. However, if the situation is severe, harmful, or life-threatening, it is always important that an adult step in and take immediate action.
October is Breast Cancer Fundraising Month @ EPMS
Elkins Pointe will be hosting a PINK OUT on Friday, October 25th in support of Breast Cancer Research and Awareness.
Things @ the High School Feeders!
MHS Marching Band Competition - 11/2 @ 2 pm
Jeep Raffle for RHS Marching Band
BUY FOOTBALL TICKETS ONLINE
Calendar Dates
NOVEMBER 2019
- 11/4 to 11/8 - French National Week
- 11/4 - 6th & 7th Grade Band Concert @ 6:30 p.m.
- 11/5 - FCS Professional Day (students off)
- 11/11 - Veterans Day: EPMS honors our veterans
- 11/20 - Katha Stuart Meeting: MPES @ 9:30 a.m.
- 11/20 - Student-Led Data Talks @ 6 PM
- 11/21 - Lost & Found donated at end of the school day
- 11/22 - EPMS RFF Day (EPMS students off)
- 11/25 to 11/29 - Thanksgiving Break (schools closed)
DECEMBER 2019
- 12/3 - Rising 9th Grade Parent Meeting @ 6 p.m. (English)
- 12/5 - Rising 9th Grade Parent Meeting @ 6 p.m. (Spanish)
- 12/10 - Band Holiday Concert @ EPMS 6:30 p.m. ALL grades
- 12/11 - Katha Stuart Meeting: VMES @ 9:30 a.m.
- 12/12 - Chorus Holiday Concert @ EPMS 6:30 p.m.
- 12/12 - Spelling Bee @ 9 a.m.
- 12/20 - Lost & Found donated at end of the school day
- 12/20 - Last Day of First Semester
- 12/23 to 12/31 – Winter Break (schools closed)