Panther Press
New Prospect Elementary School Newsletter
Nurture~Personalize~Engage~Succeed
Strategic Plan
I am very excited to share that Fulton County School has been rolling out their new strategic plan the past couple of weeks. A strategic plan is a guide and a focus for our work as a district and community for the next five years. It will help ensure that all stakeholders in the community – from the School Board, to staff, to principals, to teachers, to students, to parents and community members – are working toward a shared set of goals and priorities. Here at New Prospect we will create our own strategic plan in SGC meetings. SGC is our student governance council which is made up of administrators, teachers, parents and community members. We are very excited to look at our needs as a school as we create a plan that will make New Prospect even better than it already is!
In many of my meetings, I am learning about the strategic plan and reflecting on our focus and making sure it is in the right place. Everyday our amazing teachers and staff have one focus…the students and their learning. As I walk the building, I see many examples of a focus on student achievement and community. I have listed a few examples in the pictures below. Also, if you would like more information on the Fulton County Strategic Pan 2022, click the link below. I am so proud to serve you and your children as your principal and absolutely love coming to work each day!
Amy Lemons
Principal
Math Stations
Literacy/Social Studies Integration
Do the Math..it's Fun!
Upcoming Events:
September 25th-29th- IOWA Testing (3rd & 5th Grade)
September 26th-School Governance Council Meeting 7:45 am
September 28th-Bruster's Spirit Night 4:00-8:00
October 3rd-Picture Retake Day
October 5th-No School-Teacher Professional Day
October 6th-No School-Teacher Workday/Conference Day
October 9th-No School-Columbus Day
October 13th-PTA Reflections Deadline
Digital Citizenship Parent Meeting at NPE 1:00-2:00
Be Brave through Art
Each student committed to being a Brave artist this year! I have fully embraced this theme and would like to do several Art service projects and a day of service in honor of Mrs. Robson. Students in grades 2-5 and Adaptive Art have been working on Pinwheels for Peace which ties in nicely with our Be Brave initiative.
Another goal I have is to + the A into STEM=STEAM. 1st graders learned about science tools in STEM and in Art students we learned how to draw 3D transparent forms. Next we conducted our color mixing science experiment. Can’t wait to display these outside the lab!
Kindergarten celebrated International Dot Day (9/15) by making their mark. Check out their framed art in swirly gold inspired by Peter Reynolds The Dot.
Reading Superhero Scarecrow
Hello Panthers from Mr. Williams’ 3rd block Reading class!
We invite you to visit our reading superhero scarecrow on the main street of Alpharetta. His name is William Robert (AKA…Billy Bob). He is scarecrow number 40. William Robert resides directly across from the Methodist church, on the same side of the street as the flower shop.
Please stop by and take a selfie with William Robert. Enjoy the scarecrow festival and have fun hanging out with William Robert our reading superhero.
NPE Performing at Galdiators Game
The New Prospect Chorus has the exciting opportunity of performing at an Atlanta Galdiators game! On October 20 at 7:30 pm at the Infinite Energy Arena , the chorus will be singing the Canadian national anthem. We would love to have a large audience of New Prospect family there to support us! Tickets are available at groups.gladiators.com. You must enter code NPE20 when purchasing tickets. See you there!
Cup Stacking with Coach McCarthy
On October 3rd ,we will be hosting a cup stacking demonstration throughout the day in PE. All grades in PE that day will get to watch the demonstration as well as participate in new cup stacking challenges. Cup stacking is fun growing sport that involves both sides of the brain/body! This sport will really challenge your hand eye coordination as well. All of our students love cup stacking!
Field Day has officially been set for 5/16, with a makeup day of 5/17. Please mark your work calendars now, so that you can volunteer!!
Parent Spot from Ms. Nadir
The Parent Spot-New Prospect values the partnership between home and school. Check out this article for some easy tips to help your child be successful at school.
Writing Assessment
Write Score Reading Assessments:
October 2-17 for 3rd, 4th, and 5th Grades:
Third, Fourth and Fifth graders will take part in an informal writing assessment to help them prepare for the Georgia Milestones.
Students will take part in a one day reading assessment that provides a resource to educators. Write Score offers hand-scored formative reading and writing assessments aligned to the Georgia Standards of Excellence and the full length compositions found in the Georgia Milestones Assessment. Write Score analyzes students’ strengths, weaknesses, and creates analytical reports that support data-driven decision-making. NPE students will also take two writing assessments later this year.
Send questions about Write Score to Heather Welch welchh@fultonschools.org
Redbird
New Prospect's contract with IXL math has come to an end. Students will now use Redbird Mathematics. Your student can access Redbird through their launchpad using their student number and birthday password. Email your child's teacher or Ms. Welch for more information. welchh@fultonschools.org
International Space Station Event!
New Prospect Elementary Students have been selected to participate in a live video-conference with astronauts aboard the International Space Station! This historic event will occur on October 23rd and will be broadcast live internationally via NASA-TV. Typically, only 3 or 4 schools are selected nationally each year for this opportunity, and NPES is one of those fortunate schools.
During the 20-minute video conference, selected students will have the chance to ask questions of three astronauts who are living and working on the ISS. Now is the time for students to start thinking of questions they would like to ask. To prepare for this event, there is a website that we will be continually updating with information regarding the Space Station and the crew with whom our students will be talking, as well as other related events that will be occurring around the time of our video conference.
While we wish all parents could come to the school to join us for this event, we ask that parents, extended family and friends participate in the program at home or at the office by watching NASA-TV (nasa.gov) or through the NASA app. We will also have a display at International Night (International Space Station, after all). It will be 3 days after our event. We will show a replay of the event as well as have displays about space food, spin-off technology because of space exploration, and lunar and meteorite samples that will be here during that time.
We will have a variety of activities for students and families surrounding this event, so stay tuned for more details.
Thank you Ms. Kati Searcy for giving NPES this opportunity!
More information can be found in the link below.
Media Center Update from Ms. Bercher:
Please consider honoring your child’s birthday with a Birthday Book. Forms went home in Thursday folders.
Our Fall Book Fair will be held November 6th & 7th. It’s a great time for family, books, and reading! Students love seeing their parents volunteer at the Book Fair. If you are interested in volunteering, please contact Sandee Treece at streece27@gmail.com
From Lisa Lewy, Social Worker
Helping Children/Youth After A Loss
If you have a child who has experienced the loss of a parent, sibling, or other close loved one, there is a FREE weekend retreat for kids 7 years old to a high school senior. Camp MAGIK—Mainly About Grief In Kids (www.campmagik.org) --is a having their weekend retreat October 13-15, 2017 (deadline is October 4th). There is also a retreat available for adults who want to process their own grief with other adults who are grieving. It is held on the same campus and led by professional bereavement counselors. Transportation to/from the camp is available. Please contact Rene Searles McClatchey, PhD, at rsm@saf.com, 404.790.0140, for more information.
At what age can my child stay alone? Guidelines about supervision
Each year, the school is asked this question. Below are the guidelines provided by Child Protective Services for the amount of time and ages children may be left unsupervised or supervised by a child under 18 years old.
1. Children eight (8) years and under should never be left alone.
2. Children between the ages of nine (9) and twelve (12) may be left alone for brief periods of time (less than two (2) hours) when the child is determined to be mature by the caretaker. Children between 9 and 12 years old may not supervise other children or younger siblings.
3. Children ages thirteen (13) and older may be left alone and may perform the role of baby-sitter as authorized by the parent/caretaker. It is advisable to limit this time to twelve (12) hours or less and only when the child is determined to be mature by the caretaker. Minor children may not be left alone overnight. It is also suggested that those children over the age of thirteen (13) caring for others should have participated in a course on baby-sitting.
4. Older children with special conditions or disabilities should not be left home alone.
All children should know:
1. The family emergency plan. (Fire escapes, 911, etc.)
2. How to demonstrate the emergency plan.
3. Where the parent’s phone numbers are for work and home, their home address, and how to give directions to emergency personnel.
4. Support systems in place, in case a parent cannot be reached. (Relatives or neighbors available.)
5. Whom to contact if there are language or cultural factors affecting the situation.