Panther Post
March 20th-24th
Panther Post Week 28
Principal's Message
Hello Panther Family,
Happy Friday and happy St. Patrick's Day! Today I am feeling lucky to be a part of this outstanding community of scholars, staff, and families!
Below you will find some helpful information as you begin to plan for your week ahead.
- Progress Report Cards- Beginning today all student report cards are viewable in your Parent Portal. Please review your scholar's current grades and reach out to their teacher if you have any questions or concerns.
- Spring Break- From April 3rd through April 7th, our scholars and staff will have their Spring Break. During that time, all FCS offices and schools will be closed. Our staff will put their email and Dojo on quiet hours, so they can enjoy their time off. We hope our families and the community will take the time to enjoy every moment.
Of course and as always, please don't hesitate to reach out to me with any questions or concerns at lillym@fultonschools.org..
Your Proud Panther Principal,
Maureen Lilly
DISTRICT INPUT MEETING
Our District CLIP and PFEP Input meeting will be on March 29 and 9:00 and 1:00 via TEAMS. All parents, staff, and community are invited.
Come learn more about our amazing Prek program
Calling all future Kindergarten Panthers!
Upcoming Dates to Remember
- March 20th- Prek Transition Day 8am
- March 29th- PK Lottery at 12PM
- April 3rd-April 7th- Spring Break
- April 20th- Food Pantry 4pm-6pm
May 3rd- End of Grade Reading Section 1
- May 4th- End of Grade Reading Section 2
- May 5th- End of Grade Reading Section 3
- May 8th- Make Up testing
- May 9th - Endo of Grade Math Section 1
- May 10th - End of Grade Math Section 2
- May 11th- End of Grade Science- 5th grade only
- May 12th- Field Day Grades 4 and 5
- May 15th- Field Day Grades PK, K, 1
- May 16th- Field Day Grades 2 and 3
- May 17th- 1st and 2nd grade Awards Day @9am
- May 18th- Third and Fourth Grade Awards Day @9am
- May 19th- Kindergarten Awards Day @9am
- May 22nd- Pre k Awards Day at 9am
- May 22nd- 5th grade Promotion Ceremony @ Banneker High School Auditorium 6pm
- May 24th- Career Day
- May 25th - Last Day of School
Grading Survey
Dear Parents and Caregivers,
Fulton County Schools has partnered with TNTP, an independent non-profit organization, to learn more about the implementation of the district’s new grading policy. As a part of this project, TNTP is surveying principals, teachers, parents, and caregivers about their experiences with this policy. This survey should take no more than five minutes to complete, and your answers will provide the district with valuable information that can help improve the implementation of the grading policy going forward.
Participation in this survey is voluntary. You can choose not to answer certain questions or stop participating in the survey at any time. Your responses to the survey questions will remain confidential. The data collected through this survey will be included in a written report but you will not be identified by name or school.
Please click here to complete the survey. The survey will be available through March 20, 2023.
If you have any questions, please contact Elizabeth Kelly at TNTP, Manisha Maurya at the Fulton County Schools Department of Program Evaluation, or your school principal. Thank you for taking the time to share your thoughts!
Grading Survey
SUPPORTING YOUR SCHOLARS AT HOME
What is the GAA 2.0?
The Georgia Alternate Assessment 2.0 (GAA 2.0) is designed to ensure that students with significant cognitive disabilities are provided access to the state academic content standards and given the opportunity to demonstrate achievement of the knowledge, concepts, and skills inherent in the standards. The Georgia Standards of Excellence and Extended Content Standards for students with significant cognitive disabilities drive the curriculum, instructional strategies, and assessment.
What are Extended Content Standards?
The Extended Content Standards reflect how a grade-level standard can be made accessible for students with significant cognitive disabilities for both instruction and assessment. They are separated into three access points, starting with the least complex and moving to the most complex concepts and skills. GAA 2.0 tasks are written to these access points
How will the test be administered to students?
Test examiners will assess each student individually. Most students will be able to use the same communication mode on the GAA 2.0 test as they would typically use in their classroom. The assessment is not timed and can be paused for a variety of reasons
Who will take the GAA 2.0?
The GAA 2.0 will be administered to all eligible students in the following areas: • Grades 3-8 and high school will be assessed in English Language Arts and Mathematics. • Grades 5, 8, and high school will be assessed in Science. • Grades 8 and high school will also be assessed in Social Studies
When will my child take the test?
Georgia’s Spring 2023 GAA 2.0 test administration window is March 27 through May 5, 2023. School district administrators determine when students within their district will test during this state window
3rd-5th Grade GMAS
Wednesday, May 3- End of Grade Reading Section 1
Thursday, May 4th- End of Grade Reading Section 2
Friday, May 5th- End of Grade Reading Section 3
Monday, May 8th- Make Up testing
Tuesday, May 9th - Endo of Grade Math Section 1
Wednesday, May 10th - End of Grade Math Section 2
Thursday, May 11th- End of Grade Science- 5th grade only
What can I do to help my student with the Georgia Milestones Assessment System (GMAS)?
Students who are prepared, calm, and rested perform better on tests.
Here are some of the many ways to help your student approach Georgia Milestones in a relaxed, positive way:
• Encourage your student to employ good study and test-taking skills. These skills include following directions carefully, avoiding careless errors, and reviewing work.
• Explain the purpose of the tests. The assessments give students an opportunity to show what they have learned in school. They also give teachers information that helps them plan instruction.
• Point out that some items may be more difficult than others.
• Be certain your student gets plenty of sleep and has a healthy breakfast and lunch. Taking tests is hard work for many students and can require a lot of energy.
• Be certain your student is at school on time. Rushing and worrying about being late could affect performance on the tests.
• Remember to ask your student about the testing at the end of each day.
At Home Writing Strategy for GMAS
Writing Constructed Response Practice
Our 3rd through 5th-grade scholars are preparing to take the GMAS Assessment where they will be asked to provide a constructed response. Here is a strategy that even our younger scholars can use to respond to a prompt. A sentence transformation is when students take a question and transform it into a statement or take a statement and transform it into a question. Sentence transformation is a quick and easy activity that your students can do every day at multiple points in the day and it is going to help students with writing constructed responses in a few ways.
When students have to do a sentence transformation, it helps them understand what the question is asking and how they need to answer it. It also will give them confidence in developing a topic sentence for their constructed response.
If students can come up with a sentence transformation for a question in their constructed response prompt, then they can use that as their topic sentence and they are much more likely to be on topic and answer the prompt correctly.
Example:
What is the first stage in a chicken’s life cycle?
The first stage in a chicken’s life cycle is the egg.
At Home Math Strategy: The Power of Questioning
As a culture, we have relied heavily on the idea of "knowing" the right answers as suppose to "asking" the right questions. When it comes to Math, the true knowledge comes with the process of learning and not the outcome itself.
Parents of the Patriot community, asking you child the right questions on a daily basis can significantly impact your child's mathematical understanding and knowledge. Try asking some of the suggested questions below, to beginning the process of making mathematical connections between the classroom to your very own living room.
- Talk about how many bowls to put out for dinner
- Fold napkins in different shapes
- Have your child count similar items as you put away groceries
- Have your child help measure ingredients for recipes
- Give your child change to count out to pay for small purchases at the store; have older children calculate the change
- Ask your child to compare prices of items by asking things like, “Which can of beans costs more?”
- Allow your child to weigh the fresh produce; have older children calculate the price by multiplying the price per pound by the number of pounds
- Read the days and dates on a calendar, talk about the number of days in the month, the number of days remaining until a special event, etc.
- Draw a scale map of your home and determine the best escape route in case of an emergency
- When traveling, write numbers on a grid and have your child color in the box as they see the numbers on signs or license plates
- Each person rolls the dice and adds, subtracts, or multiplies the numbers
- Count and pair objects found around the house and determine whether there’s an odd or even number of items
- Review math facts at home, in the car, waiting in line, or during other downtime
- Provide your child with verbal math problems. “Take the number five; add six; multiply by three; subtract three; divide by five. What’s your answer?” Speak slowly at first until your child gets better at solving these mental problems
- Help your child identify percentages in signs, newspapers, and magazines
- Encourage your child to read nutrition labels. Have them calculate the percent of a specific nutrient in each item
- There are endless opportunities to ask your child questions, but these are just some to get you started.
COMMITTING TO SAFETY AND SECURITY AT AGHES
March Safety Update
Here at AGHES, we focus on safety and security everyday. We practice drills, use sign in procedures, and check visitors coming into our building. However, safety and security is a joint effort with the school and our community. Each month I will share information related to our safety and security procedures.
This month our focus will be Spring Forward into Safety. Below are some safety tips and reminders to consider during the month of March.
Time to Change the Clocks
Daylight Saving Time begins every year on the second Sunday in March. We "lose" an hour when the clocks are set forward, and for many, that means a tired couple of days as our bodies adjust. The consequences of fatigue can be serious, so plan accordingly.
Daylight Saving Time, which in 2022 begins Sunday, March 13, means it's also a good time to review your spring safety checklist.
Smoke Alarms
Three out of every five home fire deaths result from fires in homes with no smoke alarms, according to the National Fire Protection Association. Test your smoke alarms every month and replace the battery at least once a year. If the alarm makes a "chirping" sound, replace the battery immediately.
Smoke alarms should be in every bedroom and in the common areas on each floor of a home. Mount them at least 10 feet from the stove to reduce false alarms, less than 12 inches from the ceiling and away from windows, doors and ducts.
Smoke alarms can be interconnected wirelessly. That means, when one sounds, they all sound. A Consumer Product Safety Commission survey found this is the best way to notify everyone in a home if there is a fire. Be sure to purchase smoke alarms with the label of a reputable testing agency, like Underwriters Laboratories (UL).
Carbon Monoxide Detectors
Anything that burns fuel can potentially become a source of carbon monoxide, an invisible, odorless gas that can kill. CO alarms should be installed in a central location outside each bedroom and on every level of the home. The safety tips for CO detectors mirror those of smoke alarms: change the batteries, test them and interconnect them, if possible. Also, make sure vents for your gas appliances (fireplace, dryer, stove and furnace) are free and clear of snow or debris.
Family Emergency Plan
The National Safety Council recommends every family have an emergency plan in place in the event of a natural disaster or other catastrophic event. Spring is a great time to review that plan with family members. Have a home and car emergency kit. The Federal Emergency Management Agency says an emergency kit should include one gallon of water per day for each person, at least a three-day supply of food, flashlight and batteries, first aid kit, filter mask, plastic sheeting and duct tape, and medicines. Visit the FEMA website for a complete list. The emergency plan also should include:
- A communications plan to outline how your family members will contact one another and where to meet if it's safe to go outside
- A shelter-in-place plan if outside air is contaminated; FEMA recommends sealing windows, doors and air vents with plastic sheeting
- A getaway plan including various routes and destinations in different directions
Also, make sure your first aid kit is updated.
Getting the Urge to Clean?
With the warm weather comes a desire to shine and polish your home. But when warning labels are ignored or chemicals fall into the wrong hands, disaster can occur. Learn what you can do to keep you family safe around poisons in the home.
Window Safety
With warmer temperatures arriving, it's important to practice window safety – especially in homes with young children. Find more information about window safety.