Panda Newsletter
Brookview Elementary
Brookview Elementary School
September 3, 2021 Volume 4
We Are Great On Purpose
3250 Hammarskjold Drive East Point, GA 30344
Mrs. Jovita Wallace, Proud Panda Principal
Home of the Pandas
Dr. Earleana Smith, Assistant Principal
Principal's Corner: Parent Updates & Reminders
Greetings Panda Families,
Thank you for your support and connection to Brookview. Please be reminded that Monday, September 6, 2021 is Labor Day. Schools will be closed for the observance of the holiday. School will resume bright and early at 7:10 am on Tuesday, September 7, 2021.
Covid Updates
I want to be transparent with you and share that we are experiencing an uptick of Covid-19 cases at Brookview. With this in mind, it is imperative that you check your child(ren)’s bookbags and answer phone calls coming from the school. Please update your contact information and emergency contact information in case of emergency.
Also, I am asking for your support to ensure the safety and well-being of every student and staff member here. Please do not send students to school if they are sick. Also, if you have been exposed to someone who has tested positive for Covid, please let me know and enter it into the Parent Covid Reporting Portal. Additionally, if your child tests positive for Covid, please communicate with me and make sure you enter that in the portal as well. Please also be aware, that communications regarding Covid exposures are sent directly to those individuals. I want to encourage each of you to stay abreast with what’s going on in Fulton County Schools (FCS). The District provides Covid-19 Updates that can be found on the FCS website under the section labeled Covid-19 Coronavirus Updates.
https://www.fultonschools.org/coronavirusc
Additionally, I wanted to share Fulton County School’s new Covid-19 Notification and Isolation Infographic. This infographic pictured below this message illustrates how the district contact traces and notifies parents if their student has had exposure to someone with Covid-19 at school.
Again, this week alone has shown the need for there to be an increased sense of urgency with getting EVERY parent connected to Brookview via the Infinite Campus Parent Portal.
Parent Portal
For our new Panda families, the Parent Portal is your gateway to accessing your child(ren)’s grades, attendance, instructional schedules, and updating your emergency contact information. Please note Fulton County School report cards (every 9 weeks) and progress report cards (every 4.5 weeks) are NO LONGER sent via paper copies to parents. They are only accessible via the Parent portal. Fulton County School District also sends out emergency and mass notifications through the parent portal. Parents that are not connected through the parent portal are at a true disadvantage because they are missing pertinent information.
For example, this week when the power went out at Brookview due to inclement weather, I was able to send out email blasts, text message blasts, and calling posts to keep parents informed. Brookview’ s email, text message, and calling posts are all connected to our Parent Portal. It is imperative that every parent accesses their portal.
Thank you parents, for attending our Virtual Parent Portal training on August 26, 2021. If you were unable to attend the training the video recording can be found at: https://youtu.be/UbTsa8QlXv0
Please contact Ms. Forniss ( fornissj@fultonschools.org) , school data clerk, or myself (wallacej1@fultonschools.org) for your activation code.
Masks Required
Masks are required for all individuals on Brookview’ s campus. Masks must be worn to enter the building. Brookview is NOT responsible for providing masks for students or parents. Please make sure your child(ren) arrives to school with a mask on daily.
Additionally, car riders must be dropped off and picked up in the car rider lane (NO EXCEPTIONS). Students will not be allowed to exit the vehicles without a mask on. Please make sure you provide a mask daily for your little Panda(s). Parents I am asking for your support and commitment to keeping our little Pandas safe. Please mask up.
Enrollment Updates
Our enrollment is growing daily which is causing some grade levels to be at max capacity in the classroom. In our current state with Covid, I will be making some changes to balance classrooms to reduce class sizes in overpopulated grade levels. As a result, we will have to change some student’s homerooms. Please note, we will also be looking at our I-Ready to level classrooms based on student academic performance.
Suicide Prevention Month
Throughout the month of September, Brookview will finds ways to unite and promote suicide prevention and awareness. This year’s district theme is Stay Connected. During times of uncertainty, it is important that students are connected to healthy friendships, school activities, trusted adults and needed resources. It is important that we teach students to ACT- Acknowledge, Care and Tell! Knowing the signs of suicide, understanding the importance of practicing self-care or showing a friend you care and understanding when to tell, are all the first steps to saving a life!
This month our students may receive yellow ribbons, pins, and stickers to raise awareness for Suicide Prevention Month. This informational document includes ideas, suggestions and resources you can use to help build awareness within your school.
FCS Updated Attendance Policy
For students in Fulton County Schools to learn and achieve to their fullest potential, it is critical they attend school and are engaged in the learning process. Student absences, whether excused or unexcused, impact a child’s ability to succeed in school.
FCS has implemented a new attendance notification process. Parents/guardians will be notified more often on absences, regardless of whether a student is excused or unexcused. Families will be notified of student absences via daily robocalls, emails, and texts. Students who accumulate multiple absences will receive letters to notify them of missed learning time, and staff will follow up with supportive strategies for families and students.
Elementary School students’ attendance is taken within the first hour of the instructional day to record who is physically present. Students must be present for half of the instructional day to be marked present for the day. Elementary attendance messages begin going out around 10:45 a.m. on the day of the absence.
Middle and High School students’ attendance is taken each period. Students must be present for 50% or more of the day to be marked present. Middle/High School messages begin going out around 4:30 p.m. on the day of the absence.
If a parent needs to excuse a student from attendance, notify the child’s school as soon as possible. The following must be included in a written note or email:
Student Name
Student FCS ID Number (lunch number)
Parent/Guardian Name
Parent/Guardian Email & Phone Number
Reason for Excuse
Parents/guardians can monitor their child’s attendance using Infinite Campus. More detailed information about our attendance policy can be found here.
National Arts in Education Week is Coming!
September 13th-17th is National Arts in Education Week! We will celebrate all week long with dress up days and fine arts activities for our students.
Please have the entire family join us on TEAMS, Thursday, September 16th, from 5:30-7:00 pm for Virtual Fine Arts Night! It will be a fun evening of music, art, theatre, and dance activities for the family to enjoy!
There will be giveaways and raffles throughout the night! The first 80 families to RSVP will receive a mini art kit!
(Be on the lookout for the RSVP link on Class Dojo and in our weekly newsletter after Labor Day!)
New Student Device
If you are a parent of a newly enrolled Panda grades 3-5 who has not received an FCS device, please be aware that we are in process of assigning the devices through Fulton County IT services
Also, below you will find pertinent information from Fulton County Schools.
As always, thank you for staying connected to Brookview, please continue to check out our website, class dojo, and listen to our calling posts to stay abreast of new information. Have a wonderful weekend and let’s continue staying safe.
Your Principal and Partner,
Jovita G. Wallace
Proud Principal
Brookview Elementary
Annual Title I Parent Meeting
Fine Arts Week September 13-17, 2021
Assistant Principal's Corner
Hello Panda Family,
We are off to a GREAT start this school year! On last week, I encouraged parents to sign-up for the parent portal. Thank you to all of the parents that have created an account. Parents, please make sure that you create an account. If you need any assistance, please call the school, 470-254-8020.
Our students received a paper copy of the Student Code of Conduct and Discipline Handbook. Please make sure that you sign-off in the parent portal that you have viewed the Discipline Handbook. If you have any questions, please contact me, Dr. Smith, at 470-254-8020.
Sincerely,
Dr. Smith
BVES Counselor Corner- Mrs. Lief
Please visit my newsletter: https://www.canva.com/design/DAEo9eiNSL4/q_dfUvuGJ7h5O2ZpyL_Wig/view?utm_content=DAEo9eiNSL4&utm_campaign=designshare&utm_medium=link&utm_source=viewer
BVES Social Worker Corner- Ms. Kendrick
Greetings Panda Family,
September is attendance awareness month!
We will be kicking off our attendance campaign this month so please be on the lookout for activities and chances to win prizes!
Keep up the great work pandas!
Social Worker Rescources
Happening At Brookview
Curriculum Night 9/22/21
Please click on the link to join the meeting on September 22nd:
Pre-K- https://bit.ly/3Aa2ode
Specials Team (Art, Music, PE, & Stream)- https://bit.ly/3nhRRJG
Mrs. Freeman- Parent Liaison
Fulton County Schools Title I LEA Parent and Family Engagement Plan 2021-2022
About the Fulton County Schools Parent and Family Engagement Plan:
To promote and strengthen student academic achievement and success, the FCSD is committed to the goal of providing a quality education for every child in this District and strengthening family and school partnerships.
View a copy by clicking this link: https://bit.ly/36puBAO
Brookview Parent & Family Engagement Plan and School-Family Compacts
Greetings Parents and Families,
Attached below, you will find our school wide Parental and Family Engagement Policy, which has been developed jointly with, and agreed on with, parents of children participating in the Title I, Part A programs. This policy was adopted by Brookview Elementary School on April 23, 2021 and will be in effect for the period of 2021-2022 school year. Brookview Elementary will distribute this policy to all parents of participating Title I, Part A children on or before October 15, 2021 and will be placed on the school website.
Also attached you will find Brookview's School-Family Compact, which was jointly developed by our teachers and parents. The compact outlines the shared responsibilities of parents, students, teachers, and administrators for student academic achievement. The compact also outlines how the school and parents will develop a partnership for student success. School-Family compacts will be placed on the school website at the beginning of the year.
Please review this information with your student(s).
Stay Connected to BVES
Email: BrookviewESPandas@fultonschools.org
Website: https://www.instagram.com/brookviewelementary/
Phone: 470-254-8020
Facebook: facebook.com/BVESPandas
Twitter: @BESPandaWallace