Falcon Flyer
Important Events & Dates from F.AVE
January 21, 2020
Ms. Newton's Notes
Happy Monday!
I hope you all enjoyed the extended weekend. If any of you were able to participate in any service activities, please shoot me a picture I'd love to highlight that in our next newsletter.
In other great news, F.AVE received the bronze award for greatest gains for the last three school years. Below are the details of how we earned this recognition. I share this award with great pride in being an award winning school with a strong and knowledgeable award winning staff to make it all happen! Yea Us!
GOSA, The Governor's Office of Student Achievement used CCRPI data from the 2016-2017, 2017-2018, and 2018-2019 school years to determine Greatest Gains and Highest Performing awards. Each award category has a Platinum, Gold, Silver, and Bronze tier. Greatest Gains schools must earn a three-year average CCRPI Progress Score in at least the 93rd percentile. Highest Performing schools must earn a three-year average CCRPI Content Mastery Score in at least the 93rd percentile. Fifth Avenue Upper Elementary School represented City of Schools of Decatur on the list by earning Bronze in the Highest Performing area. F.AVE is the only school receiving this award in the District.
SLT Meeting Tonight
Attention All F.AVE PARENTS--THE SCHOOL LEADERSHIP TEAM ("SLT") WANTS TO HEAR FROM YOU.
Did you know that SLT meetings are open to the public? We want to hear from you. We have a public comment period at the start of every meeting. We also welcome parent attendance for our entire meeting. At our next meeting we will continue our discussion one of our school goals for the 2019-2020 school year, "Building a Positive Culture and Climate." This includes both inside and outside the classroom, encouraging positive behavior, school counseling, supporting students with learning differences and fostering a stronger sense of connection between families and our school. We will focus on developing a school wide survey to conduct later this year or early next year. Previous school culture and climate data will be shared as a baseline. Please come and share your ideas. We look forward to hearing from you.
Next Meeting: Tuesday January 21, 2019 4:45 to 6:00 pm in Room 135
Future Dates are:
- Feb. 25
- March 17
- April 21 (SLT will attend school board meeting)
- May 19
Every day F.AVE Falcons Rise UP to be:
Risk Takers who
Inquire about global issues.
Striving to be open minded.
Excellent and
Unique in every way. F.AVE students are
Powerful young minds who lead the way!
Have a fantastic week!
Hello CSD Families!
Occupational therapists Lisa Nye and Yael Cohen, and physical therapist, Laurie Sperry are hosting a fun and interactive indoor winter games night. Your student and you are invited to come learn fun game ideas and fellowship with other students. The therapists are excited to share these meaningful games where students of different skill levels can participate!
Prek to 5th grades aged students
It is very important to RSVP for this parent/student night. We want to ensure that there are plenty of supplies for students. Please email Cheryl Grant cgrant@csdecatur.net
Date: Wednesday January 22, 2020
Time: 6:15pm to 7:7:15 pm
Location: Wilson Center Central Office PLC
125 Electric Ave.PTO News
4th Grade Movie Night – Friday, 1/24
4th grade Movie Night – featuring Spider-man Into the Spider-verse – will be held on Friday, January 24 from 6:30 - 9:00 PM. Movie Night is a free event – an opportunity for our young people to enjoy a movie, snacks, and their friends … all by themselves! We provide a bag of popcorn and the option to purchase additional snacks (with a limit of $3 spending). Kids can bring a sleeping bag or pillows to enjoy the movie in the FAVE multipurpose room. If buying snacks, please send cash--no more than $3. This movie night is for FAVE 4th grade students only, no guests. Parents drop off for this event, so we have a school administrator and parent volunteers to supervise the evening. Drop off is at 6:30 PM in the main lobby, pick up in the circle by the multipurpose room by 9:00 PM.
STUDENTS:
Please sign up here for your child to attend movie night. It is free, but we need an accurate head count for the event.
VOLUNTEERS:
We are in need of parent volunteers for 2 different shifts: popping popcorn (4:15 pm-6:15 pm), and chaperones (6:15 pm-9:15pm ish). Chaperones will assist with checking in the kids as they arrive, selling concessions, and supervising during the event. Please sign up using the link here.
All chaperones should meet in the FAVE lobby at your assigned time. This event will be for FAVE 4th graders only---HOWEVER, if you are volunteering and you have a child in another grade (or school), they are welcome to attend with you. Please just let me know via email so I can keep a running tally for the head count. Questions? Please contact: susan.hudgins@gmail.com
DEI* Movie Night Cap – 1/24
After you drop off your 4th grader for movie night, stick around and join other parents in the cafeteria for refreshments and engaging conversation. More information to come next week – including a video link for discussion.
*DEI is a PTO sub committee that is committed to supporting teachers and parents and fostering a Diverse, Equitable and Inclusive school. Volunteers participate in activities and initiatives that encourage those goals in our FAVE community.
This year’s F.Ave/Little Shop of Stories Book Fair is February 10-14. Volunteers are needed! Get all the info and sign up here.
Interested in Volunteering?
Volunteers are always needed and appreciated. Please complete this form or email ptovolunteer@favepto.org to let us know you're interested in helping out.
Easy ways to passively raise funds for F.AVE PTO
There are several ways you can support the F.AVE PTO with very little effort!
- AmazonSmile - Go to smile.amazon.com and, using your existing Amazon account, select F.AVE PTO as your charitable organization.
- Publix - No more keychain! Follow these easy instructions.
- Box Tops - Have your child bring in box tops. There's a large envelope/box near the front desk. They’ll be collected twice a year.
- Kroger - Register your Kroger Plus Card online and click on "enroll." We’re listed as: 415 Academy at Fifth Ave.
Decatur Parents Network
Impact of Tech on Our Youth
- Wednesday, January 29th 6-8pm
- Talley Street Upper Elementary School, 2617 Talley St, Decatur, GA 30030
Our kids and their devices - the more we know...
Parents and caregivers of all age youth - you are invited to a conversation on the topic of technology and how it affects our youth. A panel of diverse experts will present their perspectives on the issues surrounding social media, screen time, mental health, anxiety, and positive strategies for balancing all the aspects of our children's lives.
Speaker Panel:
Cheryl Nahmias, PhD
Instructional Coach, IB Coordinator, Decatur High School
Eston Melton
Executive Director of Information Services, City Schools of Decatur
Suzanne Kosmerl
Social Media Specialist, Hashtag Parenting
Lisa Miller, LAPC, NCC
Individual & Family Counselor
Pathways Transition Programs, Inc.
Maria Halpin, LMFT
Individual & Family Counselor @Decatur High School
DeKalb Community Service Board
DEF News
Come out in support of Joe’s Fund for Mental Health by enjoying an adult, alcohol-free evening out with live music from The Benders. There will be delicious mocktails from Universal Joint, delectable food from Oakhurst Market, desserts from Butter and Cream, and coffee beverages from Waller’s Coffee Shop. Tickets available at www.decatureducationfoundation.org/joesbenefit
Thursday, February 6th and Friday, February 7th from 8:30a-3:30pm - Beyond Diversity Community Training
There are still spaces left for this FREE training. Beyond Diversity™ is a powerful, personally transforming two-day seminar designed to help leaders, educators, students, parents, administrators and community participants understand the impact of race on student learning and investigate the role that racism plays in institutionalizing academic achievement disparities. Participants will engage in a thoughtful, compassionate exploration of race and racism during the seminar which will allow our community to move forward to dismantle the racism that exists in our schools. The seminar is limited to 80 participants – Click here to register for this two-day training.
Saturday, February 8th from 1pm to 5pm - Mead Road Mardi Gras Parade and Party
This festive, community-run event benefits DEF and the music departments at all City of Decatur Schools! The parade marches through Oakhurst from F.AVE down Mead Road to The Imperial where live music from student performers will continue until sundown. There are many ways you can participate in this family-friendly event: you can march with your school krewe, you can create your own community krewe, or you can bring the family to watch the parade and post-parade performances where there will be food and beverages for purchase. For more information, please visit: www.meadrdmardigras.org Laissez les bons temps rouler!
Specials Corner
Spanish - Communications
Media Center - Digital Literacy Topics this week
- 3rd Grade - How does our online activity affect the digital footprints of ourselves and others?
- 4th Grade - How can we communicate good digital citizenship skills and stay principled online?
Community News
*NEW* Atlanta Children's Theatre Drama Class!
This popular after-school program for F-Ave students has been held at the Solarium for the past 2.5 years and will now be held ON CAMPUS! Recently appearing in Atlanta Magazine's "2019 Best of ATL" as best place in Atlanta for kids to "Act Out", the class is open to all F-Ave students and begins Friday, January 31st. For additional information or to register please go to www.atlantachildrenstheatre.com/classes.html and scroll down to "Friday" to see our class. If you have questions, please email info@atlantachildrenstheatre.com or call Spring Mason at 404-550-1600. :-)
Please let me know if you have any questions or I can provide any additional information. :-)
F.AVE Upcoming Events
January
Tuesday, January 21st - 4:45 PM, SLT Meeting
Thursday, January 23rd - 5:00 PM, Tybee Chaperone Meeting for February Trip
Friday, January 24th - 6:30-9:00 PM, 4th Grade Movie Night
Wednesday, January 29th - 7:00-8:00 PM, Intermediate Orchestra Concert
February
Tuesday, February 4th - 6:00 PM, PTO Meeting
Week of February 4th - Counselor Appreciation Week
Saturday, February 8th - 1:00 PM, Mardi Gras Parade
Week of February 10th - PTO Book Fair
Week of February 10th - Bus Driver Appreciation Week
Tuesday, February 11th - Walk & Roll
Wednesday, February 12th - 6:00-7:30 PM, Night of Expressions
- 3rd Grade
- 5th Grade - Holliday, R.Stewart, Ferguson/Simmons, Carty
Thursday, February 13th - 6:00-7:30 PM, Night of Expressions
- 4th Grade
- 5th Grade - Johnson, Madhere, DiGiacomo, Bishop/Smith, Prophet/Robillard
Week of February 17th - Holiday Break
Tuesday, February 25th - 4:45 PM, SLT Meeting
Thursday, February 27th - 5:00 PM - Tybee Chaperone Meeting, Trip 2
About Us
Principal
Karen Newton
Assistant Principal
Lynn Hanson
Administrative Assistant
Malik James
Administrative Assistant
Jessica Wentworth
Email: fave@csdecatur.net
Website: https://www.csdecatur.net/FAVE
Location: 101 5th Avenue, Decatur, GA, USA
Phone: (404) 371-6680