PTA NEWS FLASH

Letter from the Principal

Spring is in the air and we have a full calendar of exciting events planned for our Firebirds! In March, we are focusing on reading initiatives and have a variety of activities planned. On March 4th, we will celebrate Read Across America with the Rep Tour Improv Group, guest readers, and an author visit. We will also send home a CCSD reading challenge as well as a March reading log that can be exchanged for a free ice cream in the cafeteria. On Friday March 15th, we will have a PJ Day with a “drop everything and read” event- stuffed animals welcome! We will also host our IKES Book Fair starting on March 22nd and hope you can visit us this spring. The money raised will purchase a new MediaCast Cart that is used for the morning news team and other school broadcasts.

Our students are thriving academically and are busy with a variety of clubs. We will be cheering on our Academic Bowl Team and Science Olympiad Team as they compete for district titles soon. On March 29, we will host our 3rd quarter House Assembly and honor students with excellent behavior and exemplary behavior. Who will win our PBIS Carnival party this quarter?

Once again, thank you for your volunteer efforts and commitment to partner with IKES to provide your child with the most fulfilling educational opportunities possible. We value the strong teamwork and appreciate all our stakeholders for their contributions to Indian Knoll.

Thanks,
Kim Cerasoli
Principal

January 2019 Employee of the Month - Micha Guice

Congratulations to special education teacher Micha Guice who was named the IKES January Employee of the Month. Mrs. Guice coordinates our garden lessons, and takes an active role in facility grounds beautification. She plans science lessons that reflect grade-level state standards and the IKES garden. In fact, she also stocks our farmers market so we can enjoy the food straight out of the garden. In the classroom, she is a very hands-on teacher. Her students learn through engaging and meaningful experiences. We are thrilled to celebrate her positive impact on student achievement. Micha was awarded a $20 Woodstock Downtown Gift Certificate from TPG Keller Williams as well as a gift from the PTA. Congratulations, you are a shining star FIREBIRD!

Pictured (Left to Right): Principal Kim Cerasoli, Employee of the Month Micha Guice, Assistant Principal Ashley Kennerly and Assistant Principal Jennifer Landry

Congratulations to the Marco's Pizza Classroom Party Winners!

The Marco's Box Night for 2nd and 3rd Grade on Tuesday, February 5th was a tremendous success! Thanks to your support we raised $326.41 for our school. Congratulations to Mrs. Waters 2nd grade class who won a classroom pizza party for having the highest class participation!

IKES Annual Penny Wars Contest is MARCH 4th - 8th

Got a lot of change weighing you down? Want to donate it for a good cause? Well, you are in luck because it's that time again! Penny Wars begins, Monday, March 4th and ends Friday, March 8th. PENNY WARS! What is Penny Wars? For all of our new Firebirds, this is how it works:

Students/ parents/ staff drop pennies into jars. Each birdhouse will have a jar!
Pennies are worth positive point each and should be put into YOUR HOUSE JAR!

Ready to up the competition?! KEEP READING!

BRING in nickels, dimes, and quarters to deposit into the jars of your rival houses and these count as negative points for them!

THE VERY BEST PART?! ALL donations are made to St. Jude's Children's Hospital!

Volunteers are needed each morning from 7:00 to 7:50 a.m. to help our younger students find their house color and container. Please click the link and sign-up if you are available to help us man this intense battle.

https://www.signupgenius.com/go/4090e4faeaf22a75-penny

Thank you in advance for your help and support!

IKES Spirit Night at Marco's Pizza!

When

Tuesday, March 12th, 4pm

Where

4280 Hickory Flat Highway

Canton, GA

More information

Join us for a pie! It's IKES Spirit Night at Marco's Pizza! Whether you swing by and pick it up or have it delivered to your home, you are helping to support your child's school! Marco's donates 15% of all of IKES sales back to our school!

The class with the highest participation wins a free pizza party from Marco's!

Get Directions

Let's Play BiNgO!!

When

Friday, March 15th, 6-8:30pm

Where

3635 Univeter Road

Canton, GA

More information

It's BINGO time!!! Come and join us for a fun family night of Bingo! We will also be welcoming our local business partners to the school for a vendor fair which will be held in the hallway right outside of the cafeteria during Bingo.

Where: Indian Knoll Elementary School Cafeteria

When: March 15th from 6:00-8:30 p.m.

Shane's BBQ and Bruster's Ice Cream will be available for purchase along with concessions!

If you have purchased Bingo pre-sale tickets, your package will be available at the door the night of the event. Make sure to look for the pre-sale table for faster lines. The money we raise during Bingo Night will be going towards funding IKES technology improvements.

Join us for an artful night!

When

Friday, March 22nd, 6:30pm

Where

3635 Univeter Road

Canton, GA

More information

Come and join us for our annual Cultural Arts Night! With the help of our wonderful art teacher, Mrs. Amy Norton, your children have been tapping into their creative banks and have made some remarkable pieces! These works of art will be framed and available for purchase for $25. A portion of the proceeds from your purchase will go directly back to the school to support our Art program.

We are excited to kick off the evening with a performance from our awesome Firebird chorus led by our fantastic music teacher, Mrs. Julie Bryant! Don't miss this final chorus performance of the year!

Our Dino-Mite Book Fair will be open for business this evening as well! Come shop for some great new books! Stomp, Chomp, and Read!

Teachers are Our Superheroes - Teacher Appreciation Week March 25 -29th

IKES PTA will be celebrating Teacher Appreciation Week from March 25 - 29th. PTA will be providing a catered Lunch or Breakfast for our wonderful Teachers and Staff each day that week. We need your help with donations to show our IKES teachers they are Our SUPERHEROES!!!! If you would like help with donations or volunteer your time, please sign up here.

We're having a "Dino Mite" Book Fair and you're invited!!

Our next Scholastic Book Fair will be held in the media center from March 22 through 29! It is going to be a “Dino Mite Book Fair: Stomp, Chomp, and Read!” Come shop for great new books!

Where: IKES Media Center

When:

Friday, March 22: open 8:00 A.M. - 8:00 P.M.

Monday, March 25: open 8:00 A.M. - 2:00 P.M.

Tuesday, March 26: open 8:00 A.M. - 2:00 P.M.

Wednesday, March 27: open 8:00 A.M. - 2:00 P.M.

Thursday, March 28: open 8:00 A.M. - 6:00 P.M.

Friday, March 29: open 7:15 A.M. - 11:00 A.M.

March 22 – April 3: online ordering at

https://tinyurl.com/ikesspring2019

Our teachers will be putting together wish boxes of books that they would love to add to their classroom libraries. Please consider purchasing one of these titles for your child’s class!

Our book fair needs lots of volunteers to be a success! Please contact our media specialist Jennifer Lewis at jennifer.lewis@cherokee.k12.ga.us if you are interested in helping.

Tooth Fairy Traditions from Dr. Drew!

Tooth Fairy Traditions

Dr. Anthea Drew Mazzawi

When I was a little girl, I would eagerly put my newly lost tooth under my pillow in hopes of a visit from the tooth fairy. When morning arrived, I was so excited to see a shiny new quarter (or two) which the Tooth Fairy generously left! Needless to say, the Tooth Fairy has evolved with the times, keeping up with the latest technology and inflation rates! As a pediatric dentist, I have open lines of communication with the Tooth Fairy; we even have a direct access phone in our office, so I wanted to pass along some of her latest and greatest traditions!

★ Some families use a “tooth fairy dish” so your child is not disturbed in the middle of the night.

★ Lots of Tooth Fairies will leave a sprinkling of fairy dust or glitter on the windowsill or leading up to the door where the tooth fairy flew in!

★ A fun, newer tradition is for you to leave a cup of water on your child’s dresser. When the Tooth Fairy flies by, she will dip the tip of her wing in the glass which will color the water the same color as the her dress.

★ Children may leave a note for the Tooth Fairy. Sometimes they receive a typed note back from the Tooth Fairy which is rolled up and tied together with a piece of floss.

★ Tooth fairies these days like to leave silver dollar coins for the cleanest, shiniest teeth because they use those special teeth to build a castle in the sky! It pays for your kids to brush every morning and night to keep those teeth sparkly.

★ Occasionally, instead of money, some children might find a fun toothbrush featuring their favorite cartoon character who will help remind them to keep the rest of those little teeth healthy.

Losing a baby tooth is a big deal! There are plenty of ways to celebrate this milestone. The average age for a child to lose their first baby tooth is around 5 1/2 years old, so be on the look out for your special visit from the Tooth Fairy!

Spirit Rock Painting!!

We have had several parents and/ or family members inquire about hiring someone to paint the spirit rock for their special event. We want to make this a little easier by listing some of those individuals who offer these services on the Spirit Rock FAQ tab on the IKES PTA website, including Tay's Paints, Art by Amanda and Painted Pebbles. Please click on the Spirit Rock FAQ tab here to find links to their Facebook pages.

**Please remember that these services are not affiliated with IKES PTA and will require a separate, additional payment to the artist. Before you book any paint services, please be sure you have reserved and paid your rock reservation with IKES PTA.


Teacher Favorites List & Birthdays! We are so fortunate to have the best teachers around! You can find a list of all of our staff favorites and birthdays on the new IKES PTA website page here.	Save Money as a PTA Member! In addition to the IKES Flashcard discounts with local businesses, you can take advantage of National PTA benefits. Whether you're buying school supplies for the kids or renting a car for your next family vacation, PTA members can save money on everyday purchases thanks to National PTA Member Offers. National PTA teams up with businesses committed to supporting PTA’s mission of serving all children by offering our members special discounts, fundraising opportunities and other unique deals.	IKES Remind Texts Are you getting IKES REMIND text messages? If not, please sign up by following these instructions to receive reminders from the principal related to weather, school events, and special programs. Unlike newsletters and emails, IKES Remind Texts will come straight to your phone and provide up-to-the-minute notifications from the school. Our PTA will also share information about upcoming events and spirit nights.

Teacher Favorites List & Birthdays!

We are so fortunate to have the best teachers around! You can find a list of all of our staff favorites and birthdays on the new IKES PTA website page here.

Save Money as a PTA Member!

In addition to the IKES Flashcard discounts with local businesses, you can take advantage of National PTA benefits. Whether you're buying school supplies for the kids or renting a car for your next family vacation, PTA members can save money on everyday purchases thanks to National PTA Member Offers. National PTA teams up with businesses committed to supporting PTA’s mission of serving all children by offering our members special discounts, fundraising opportunities and other unique deals.

IKES Remind Texts

Are you getting IKES REMIND text messages? If not, please sign up by following these instructions to receive reminders from the principal related to weather, school events, and special programs. Unlike newsletters and emails, IKES Remind Texts will come straight to your phone and provide up-to-the-minute notifications from the school. Our PTA will also share information about upcoming events and spirit nights.


HOUSE Meeting March 29th is our next IKES House meeting! Don't forget to dress your child in their house shirt! We can't wait to celebrate Firebird accomplishments!	Chick-Fil-A Spirit Night Thank you to all of our IKES family and friends who attended our most recent Chick-Fil-A spirit night! We had a great turnout!	It's report card time! Report cards will be issued on March 26th.

HOUSE Meeting

March 29th is our next IKES House meeting! Don't forget to dress your child in their house shirt! We can't wait to celebrate Firebird accomplishments!

Chick-Fil-A Spirit Night

Thank you to all of our IKES family and friends who attended our most recent Chick-Fil-A spirit night! We had a great turnout!

It's report card time!

Report cards will be issued on March 26th.

February Box Tops Challenge

Thank you for your support in our most recent box tops drive! We definitely felt the love for IKES with all of the box tops that you sent in! We are counting them now. Look out for the grand total to be announced soon!!


IKES Readers Our IKES Readers program is underway but we are always happy to have additional volunteers. If you can donate 30 minutes of individual attention to some students, it would greatly increase their reading and understanding skills and help them become excited about reading! If you're interested, please fill out this quick SurveyMonkey.	Join PTA Thank you so much to all of the Teachers, Staff, IKES Families and other Community Partners who have signed up this year for PTA Membership! Your membership dues are used directly to fund awesome programs for our children at Indian Knoll! To join PTA, simply download our Membership form and send it in with your child. Each membership comes with a Firebird Flash Card with savings at over 50 local businesses that you can use the whole school year. For more information on joining the PTA or to check out the list of vendors on our Firebird Flash Card, click here. If you know of someone who owns a business in the community who may be interested in becoming a Community Partner with Indian Knoll Elementary School, please contact Christine Dagostino at cdagostino.ikespta@gmail.com.	Volunteer with PTA Nothing teaches hope, kindness, courage, and compassion like helping others. Whether from home, at school, during the day, evening or weekend, we would love to have your help! Check out our IKES PTA website here for more information on volunteering with the PTA. We have opportunities for everyone. If you wish to be notified of upcoming opportunities, download a volunteer interest form here and send in the completed form with your student. If you have any questions, please email Jennifer Severson at jenniferseverson.ikespta@gmail.com.

IKES Readers

Our IKES Readers program is underway but we are always happy to have additional volunteers. If you can donate 30 minutes of individual attention to some students, it would greatly increase their reading and understanding skills and help them become excited about reading! If you're interested, please fill out this quick SurveyMonkey.

Join PTA

Thank you so much to all of the Teachers, Staff, IKES Families and other Community Partners who have signed up this year for PTA Membership! Your membership dues are used directly to fund awesome programs for our children at Indian Knoll!

To join PTA, simply download our Membership form and send it in with your child. Each membership comes with a Firebird Flash Card with savings at over 50 local businesses that you can use the whole school year. For more information on joining the PTA or to check out the list of vendors on our Firebird Flash Card, click here. If you know of someone who owns a business in the community who may be interested in becoming a Community Partner with Indian Knoll Elementary School, please contact Christine Dagostino at cdagostino.ikespta@gmail.com.

Volunteer with PTA

Nothing teaches hope, kindness, courage, and compassion like helping others. Whether from home, at school, during the day, evening or weekend, we would love to have your help! Check out our IKES PTA website here for more information on volunteering with the PTA. We have opportunities for everyone. If you wish to be notified of upcoming opportunities, download a volunteer interest form here and send in the completed form with your student. If you have any questions, please email Jennifer Severson at jenniferseverson.ikespta@gmail.com.