Knightly News
Friday, December 16, 2022
Every Student, Every Day, Deserves to Learn, Lead, & Excel!
Message from Ms. Perkins ~ Simonton ES Principal
All GCPS schools will be closed Monday, December 19, 2022 through Wednesday, January 4, 2023. School will open for everyone on Thursday, January 5, 2023.
Have a safe and wonderful holiday!
Ms. Sherivah Lewis ~ our beloved Fifth Grade Teacher
Services for Ms. Lewis
Message from Mrs. Rosalind Lewis (Sherivah's mother):
Dear family and friends. Thank you for all the love and support you have shown our family. Many of you have asked how you could help the girls during this difficult time and with the holidays approaching, we would ask that you send the girls a Christmas card. This will hopefully show them how their mother was loved and cared for by so many people.
*Cards/Donations may be dropped off at Simonton ES by December 16, 2022 to be delivered to the family. There is a basket in the front office where you are welcome to leave notes, cards, and donations and we will make arrangements with the family to drop them off.
Services: Public Viewing and Funeral will be held at Gregory B. Levett & Sons 914 Scenic Hwy, Gwinnett, GA 30045
Public Viewing: Friday, December 16, 2022 (4:00 – 8:00 pm)
Funeral Service: Saturday, December 17, 2022 (1:00 pm)
The link below will take you to Sherivah’s online tribute page
https://www.levettfuneralhome.com/obituaries/Sherivah-Lewis/#!/TributeWall
Downtown Lawrenceville's Merry Little Christmas
Books, Books, & More Books!
The First Book Club 165 gifted our students books this week! What a wonderful event and experience, especially right before the holidays!!
Donations for the Clinic
Our clinic is in need of clothing donations. As you are cleaning over the holiday break, please consider donating items to our clinic. We can use donations of all sizes.
STEM Fair
Holiday Concert
Attention 2nd and 3rd Grade Students Who Love LEGO!
We are now accepting applications for the 2nd and 3rd grade LEGO Explore team. We will meet each Friday from 7-8am starting 1/13. Only 6 students can be on the team, so please tell them to try their best on the form. Additionally, there will be a required showcase on Saturday, March 25th from 9:30am-2pm. Please make sure your child can attend before filling out the form. Click here to complete the application before January 6th. If you have any questions, please contact Mrs. Aseltine at stephanie.aseltine@gcpsk12.org.
Enjoying the Holiday Spirit!
Season's Greetings from Simonton ES!
Semester 1 Grades
Grades for GCPS Milestones Benchmark Assessments, Semester 1 Final Exams, and Midyear Assessments will be finalized in January upon return from Winter break. When scores for these assessments are available, teachers will enter them, and the grades will be visible in ParentVUE and StudentVUE. As a result, final course grades for fall semester for students enrolled in high school will be finalized by Tuesday, January 10th. For elementary and middle school students, grades will be finalized by Saturday, January 14th. If you don't have a Parent Portal account, please contact your local school and they can provide you with the information needed to create an account
Student Devices
Over the winter break, student devices will receive the IT maintenance and upkeep that is needed to keep them in proper working condition. Devices will remain at school during this time.
Simonton ES All Pro Dads Chapter
We are excited to relaunch our Simonton ES All Pro Dads chapter! All Pro Dads is a wonderful opportunity for fathers, grandfathers and any other positive figure in a child's life to partner with the school. Events and meetings focus on building a strong, healthy and postive relationship with your student.
Prior to Covid, Simonton had a robust and active chapter. Thank you to Mr. Reginald Williams and Mr. Jackie Sweets, who have volunteered to help restart our chapter.
If you are interested in volunteering, please click on the link below. Stay tuned for meeting dates and events.
International Night
We are in need of parent volunteers and helpers. If you would like to create a display, share a talent or just help out, reach out to Mrs. Deb Saha at Debjani.Saha@gcpsk12.org.
See flyer below for more details...
SES ~ Building Construction
If you are visiting Simonton ES in the next few weeks you will see contractors working in the front atrium. The district is installing a vestibule, with shatter-resistant glass, at the front entrance. We are fortunate that no incidents have taken place at Simonton ES, as an additional safety measure, this upgrade is taking place in all GCPS schools. Please know we are not attempting to keep parents and families out, but our campus must be safe for students and staff while at school. We anticipate changes to the process for parent/visitor entry and student checkout and will send additional communication at a later date. The front entrance will be accessible while the construction is taking place.
Blueprint for the Future
The Blueprint is designed to ensure our Portrait of a Graduate becomes a reality. The Blueprint will also drive the intentional culture shifts that reflect the guiding vision of the Learning 2025 community of practice. Our Blueprint for the Future defines our strategic priorities in four areas: empathy, equity, effectiveness, and excellence.
Elementary Handbook Information for Students and Families
On August 18, 2022 the Gwinnett County Board approved Policy JCDI - Board's Theory of Action for Change to Improve Student Behavior and Outcomes (please see attached Policy). This Policy outlines our Board’s commitment to providing both consequences and interventions in order to improve student behavior outcomes.
The Elementary Handbook Information for Students and Families has been updated to include this new change. Please take a moment to read the new handbook and sign off in the Parent Portal indicating your have received a copy of the document. A copy of the document is attached to the newsletter and a link to the documents on the GCPS website is below.
ATTENTION STUDENTS AND FAMILIES WHO LOVE STEM AND PROBLEM SOLVING!
The Gwinnett County Science and Engineering Fair wants you to submit a project that solves a real-world problem! If you watch THIS VIDEO and sign up in my Google Classroom, you will find out lots more about it! Simonton Elementary will be hosting the preliminary Science and Engineering Fair here at school. The top projects will go on to the Gwinnett County Science and Engineering Fair! Can't wait to see your amazing ideas!
Google Classroom - Click on the + - Click "Join Class" - Enter the Code: rgsgpv2
Helpful Resources
Simonton ES PTA
Print the attached membership form and return it to the Simonton ES PTA. Sign up for a membership and volunteer to support an event! Contact the Simonton ES PTA at Simontonespta@gmail.com for more information.
Gwinnett Public Library
SES Business Partners
Simonton Elementary School would like to thank our business sponsors!
Your support and partnership helps us fulfill our mission of having our students Learn, Lead, & Excel!
Mathnasium of North Lawrenceville
Lawrenceville, GA 30043
Phone: 678-756-1392
Stars and Strikes
Dacula, GA 30019
Phone: 678-965-5707
GCPS Flyers
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
Deputy Superintendent ~ Dr. T. Nakia Towns
Board Member ~ Mr. Steven B. Knudsen
Cluster Superintendent ~ Dr. Keith D. Thompson
Principal ~ Ms. Tamara G. Perkins
Assistant Principal ~ Mr. Nicholas Gilmore
Assistant Principal ~ Dr. Joe Sanfilippo
Assistant Principal ~ Mrs. Amy Steinberg
Website: https://www.gcpsk12.org/SimontonES
Location: 275 Simonton Road Southeast, Lawrenceville, GA, USA
Phone: 770-513-6637
Twitter: @SimontonPride