Northside Elementary School
October 16-20, 2023
School Bus Driver Appreciation Week!
Hello Northside Family,
We are off to a great start for the second nine weeks. We began our first round of student-led conferences with our first grade students. The students have set goals for the school year, and enjoyed showcasing their progress so far this year. Student-led conferences are a great way to build the partnership between school and home and communicate a better understanding of what students are learning in their classes, and ultimately what skills we are working toward strengthening by the end of the year.
We begin our week celebrating our amazing bus drivers during Bus Driver Appreciation Week. They make sure each child arrives at school and home safely, and we appreciate their dedication and support of Northside Elementary and Coweta County. Make sure you send them a nice note of appreciation this week.
Amanda Smith-180-18
Amy Coggin-159-17
Celia Johnson-149-16
Edna Hewitt -190-19
Pam Perry-158-17
Ida Bohannon-241-22
Tina Harris and Ms. Latoya- 34-L
Students are really excited for our upcoming Fall Festival! We would like to thank Mrs. Karen Boyd, our PTO committee chair, for all of her hard work in putting this amazing event together. Also, a big thank you to the Sparks family for donating all of the pumpkins for the pumpkin auction! There is still time for you to either donate your time or other resources. Please sign up on this link below
https://www.signupgenius.com/go/5080848AEA823AAFF2-44796203-ptofall
Also, PTO is selling Fall Festival Spirit Wear. Click on the link below to order.
https://northside2024.itemorder.com/shop/sale/.
Finally, we will have Character Day on Friday to celebrate our Fall Festival. We encourage all students to dress up as a favorite book character or a character based upon a recent book study. Check with your child's teacher to see if they are encouraging a recent book character. Also, continue to follow dress code guidelines and refrain from masks covering the faces of your child. Champ is also scheduled to make a surprise visit on that day!
As always, thank you for sending your child to us each day. Our mission is Nurturing, Educating, and Serving. We hope you and your family have an amazing week, and we look forward to seeing you volunteering or joining our PTO.
Sincerely,
NES Admin Team
Upcoming Events
October 16
- Report Cards issued
- Bus Driver Appreciation Week! (Thank your child's bus driver by sending a note of gratitude!)
- Pre-K to Wargo's Pumpkin Patch
- Student-led Conference (2nd grade- Buzard)
October 17
- 2nd Grade REACH to High Museum of Art Field Trip
- Student-led Conference (2nd grade- Merry)
- Runners Club
- Truett's Spirit Night- Make sure you say you are from Northside Elementary
October 18
October 19
- Student-led Conference (3rd grade- Gordon)
October 20
- Character Day-Students may dress up as a character. Please check with your child's teacher for more guidance on character costumes that relate to their current reading text.
- Student-led Conference (2nd grade- Dickens)
- Fall Festival (5:30-7:30pm)
- Volunteer Training at 4:30pm before Fall Festival)
Fall Festival
PTO FALL FESTIVAL IS COMING OCTOBER 20TH
The PTO Fall Festival will be held on October 20th from 5:30-7:30 p.m. Come out for games, food, fun, costume contest, and more! Games will be free, but make sure you bring cash for food and other special activities. A flyer will be sent home next week with more detailed information.
We need volunteers to help make the Fall Festival a success!!
Please click on the link below to sign-up to help during the Festival. If you have not taken the volunteer training, one will be provided!
https://www.signupgenius.com/go/5080848AEA823AAFF2-44796203-ptofall
We are also selling Fall Festival Spirit Wear. Click on the link below to order.
https://northside2024.itemorder.com/shop/sale/
Starting October 10th, students can bring in dollars to vote for Pie in the Face. Come to the Fall Festival to see who gets pied! Ask your student for details.
REACH Classes in Action
The 4th/5th grade students are working on a unit on ocean currents and survival. They did an experiment (water temperature and density) to determine whether hot or cold water was more dense. They filled 2 jars with either hot or cold water and added red food coloring to the hot water jar and blue to the cold water jar. They put a plastic film on top so they could put them on top of each other and then removed the film. When the cold water was on top it quickly mixed below and the colors turned purple because it was heavier since cold water is more dense. When they repeated the experiment and put the jar with the hot water on top the colors stayed separate because hot water is less dense.
A Visit to the Farm and 50's Day with the Kindergarten and 1st Grade!
Veterans Day Program- November 10th at 9:00am
Northside has a long history of honoring our men and women who have selflessly served our country. We want to continue to highlight our local veterans with our Veterans Day program. If you are interested in being a part of the Veterans Day committee to show our appreciation of our veterans, please reach out to Caroline Arnall, our committee chairperson. We will meet on Monday, October 23rd at 3:00pm to plan for this honorable event.
Please look for more information in your child's backpack today if you or a family member who served in the armed forces would like to participate.
Thank you,
Northside's newest playground addition!
A big thank you to Davis Hoffman for building our students the latest update to our playground!
Gaga is a fast-moving and high-energy game that keeps all children active and engaged. Known as the “great equalizer” in playground sports, gaga requires no special athletic skill or ability and is enjoyed by children of all ages. Our students are loving this new game, and in case you are interested, here are the official rules.
Gaga Rules:
- Players start inside the pit touching the sides. One player throws the gaga ball up into the air. Players yell “Ga” as it bounces and the ball is in play after the second bounce (“Ga-Ga”).
- Players can hit the ball with one hand, but cannot pick up and throw it.
- If the ball touches a player anywhere on or below the waist, that player is eliminated.
- A player cannot catch the ball, they may block it and “dribble” it for 3 seconds, then it must touch the wall or another player to be in play.
- Players may not kick the ball since this means touching the ball below the knee.
- If the ball is hit out of the pit, then the last player to touch the ball is out.
- Players who are out must leave the gaga pit immediately.
- Players who are outside the pit after elimination who catch a ball leaving the pit earn another chance to go back into the pit to play.
- The last player out is the winner and gets to start the next game.
Playground Upgrade Committee
Hi everyone,
We would like to continue exploring our options for the playground upgrades by forming a committee to pursue a number of updates for our playground. If you are interested in serving or if you have connections that could support this much needed endeavor, please join us on Thursday, October 26th at 3:00pm after school. We will be having a meeting with a "Fun Run" company to help jumpstart our fundraising. Please reach out to the principal, Amy Addison, at 770-254-2896 or by email at amy.addison@cowetaschools.net. We look forward to making the playground a better place for our students.
Thank you!
Northside Partners
The above families are our 2023-2024 Northside Partners. We greatly appreciate their donation, and we will use this funding to benefit all of our students in a variety of ways, including, but not limited to ensuring field trips for all students, student recognition programs, and other curriculum needs.. If you or someone you know would like to become a Northside Partner, please click HERE . If you have any specific questions, please contact Amy Addison, Northside's principal, at 770-254-2836 or by email, amy.addison@cowetaschools.net.
Thank you for being a part of such an exciting school year!
Infinite Campus- Check your child's progress on-line!
If you have not set up a parent portal account through Infinite Campus, feel free to click this LINK or contact the front office. Ms. Janette will be happy to walk you through. Please note that if you have any concerns regarding your child's progress so far in the school year, contact your child's teacher to set up a conference. We always want to keep open lines of communication and want the best for your child.
Bus Bulletin Information
Would you like to know when your student’s bus is going to be late?
The Coweta County School System Transportation Department will begin using the Bus Bulletin notification system starting, 8/14/2023; to notify parents and students when there are bus schedule changes or delays of 10 minutes or more, for specific school bus routes.The service is free.
Registration is simple and fast.
Select only the bus routes for which you want notifications.
Choose to receive text messages, phone calls, and/or e-mails. (All contact information is stored securely and will not be shared or sold.)
To sign up for notifications, click here: BusBulletin Registration
To confirm current bus routes, go to www.cowetaschools.net; click on Departments, then look for transportation, and next Bus Routes.
For help with registration, call Mrs. Madeline Gossett at (770) 254-2820 or email her at madeline.gossett@cowetaschools.net.
Help spread the word. Like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter.www.facebook.com/busbulletin • www.twitter.com/busbulletin
PTO Updates
PTO meeting dates for the 2023-2024 school year
November 9th at 6:00
December (no meeting)
January 5th at 8:00
February 2nd at 8:00 (Dance Meeting)
March 7th at 1:00
April 11th at 6:00
May 3rd at 8:00
Fall Festival
NES Fall Festival- October 20th 5:30-7:30
The PTO Fall Festival will be held on October 20th from 5:30-7:30 p.m. Come out for games, food, fun, costume contest, and more! Games will be free, but make sure you bring cash for food and other special activities. A flyer will be sent home this week with more detailed information.
We need volunteers to help make the Fall Festival a success!!
Please click on the link below to sign-up to help during the Festival. If you have not taken the volunteer training, one will be provided!
https://www.signupgenius.com/go/5080848AEA823AAFF2-44796203-ptofall
We are also selling Fall Festival Spirit Wear. Click on the link below to order.
https://northside2024.itemorder.com/shop/sale/
Starting October 10th, students can bring in dollars to vote for Pie in the Face. Come to the Fall Festival to see who gets pied! Ask your student for details.
Hospitality
The hospitality committee will provide snacks for NES staff meetings held on the second Wednesday of each month. If anyone would like to donate funds, sponsor a snack or volunteer their time please reach out to Leandra Gamble at lgamble@jybrealty.com
Ways to donate (note for hospitality)
Cash, Check (made payable to Northside PTO), and Venmo (@Northside-PTO-1 https://venmo.com/u/Northside-PTO-1)
Spirit Wear
Cougar Spirit Wear is now available.
Use this link to access the website- https://northside2024.itemorder.com/shop/sale/
If you would like to be a part of our PTO, please email our President, Nick Miller at nick.miller04@gmail.com.
Thank you,
Northside PTO
Champ's Reading Club
In support of our school-wide literacy initiative, we will be sponsoring a Champ's Reading Club Volunteer opportunity each Tuesday. Our goal is to provide our students with an opportunity to read their selected book aloud to a volunteer. We have times set for 90 minute blocks to cover two grade levels. We encourage parents, grandparents, and community members to volunteer. Volunteers must complete our volunteer training (see dates below).Please CLICK THIS LINK to sign up for your weekly time slot, and we look forward to seeing you soon. If you have any questions, please contact Mrs. Addison, the principal, at amy.addison@cowetaschools.net or call the school at 770-254-2896.
Time Blocks include:
8:15-9:50am (4th/5th)
9:55-11:30 (2nd/3rd)
12:35-1:20 (1st grade)
1:20-2:10 (Pre-K/K)
All Pro Dad is a program of Family First. Our chapter at Northside originated last year and is led by Nick Miller, our PTO President and Mr. Donte Miller, our Assistant Principal. This program allows our dads to spend time with their children and review a variety topics. All Pro Dads meets on the first Friday of each month in the Engagement Lab at 7:15am. For more information, please contact Mr. Donte Miller at donte.miller@cowetaschools.net or Nick Miller at nickmiller04@gmail.com. All are welcome, and we look forward to seeing you at our next session on Friday, September 1st.
School Nutrition
Parent Title 1 Information
As a Title I School, Northside Elementary receives federal funding
that allows our school to add additional staff members to our support team, purchase classroom materials and technology, and provide special learning opportunities for all of our students. You can find out more about the Title 1 program by clicking this LINK.
PARENT RESOURCE FLYERS (updated October 9, 2023)
Parent Tips for Student Success
Parent and Family Engagement Resources
Recent Title 1 Events
Title 1 Parent Advisory Committee Meeting/School Council- Friday, September 15, 20223
Reviewed the following items:
Title 1 Annual Meeting - Thursday, August 24, 2023 - 6:00 PM
Grade Level Curriculum Meetings - Thursday, August 24, 2023 - 6:00 PM
Grade Level Slide Presentations
Title 1 Parent Input Meeting for 2023 - 2024 - Monday, July 31, 2023 at 5:00 PM.
Medication Drop Off
If your child has any medications that need to be administered at school, please contact Nurse Linda. You can fill out the paperwork and drop off medications with her.
Connect to Northside
Ways to Get Information About What's Happening at School
Your child's teacher is your best source for what's happening in your child's classroom. Teachers use email, Class Dojo, Remind Texts, newsletters, agendas, and phone calls as ways to communicate with families.
You can also find school-wide information in the following ways:
- school website - nes.cowetaschools.net
- school-wide email list - Please complete this Google Form to be added to our email distribution list.
- school-wide text service -Text @ @b37e7kb to 81010 to join the school's text service
- Northside's Facebook- Northside Elementary-Coweta County
- Northside's Instagram-nes_cougars
- Northside's PTO Facebook Page - Northside Elementary PTO - @NESNewnan
Keeping Our Students Safe at School is Our Top Priority
Northside has strong safety protocols in place, and our staff and students will practice these protocols throughout the year. It is important to remember that safety is a shared responsibility. We ask that all of our families and visitors adhere to our strict guidelines for safety when they visit our school to volunteer, attend conferences, or eat lunch. The only door that will be unlocked at the school is the front door going into the office. Once you enter the building, you will be asked to sign in using your ID. You will receive a Visitor's Badge, and then Mrs. Trahan will buzz you into the main building. When you are in the building, we ask that you go directly to the area where you are volunteering, having a meeting, or to the lunchroom. The only visitors who should go to a classroom are those who are scheduled to volunteer on that day. Finally, no visitors will be allowed to use our students' bathrooms. We have adult bathrooms for all staff and visitors.
We hope you understand the reasons for our strict procedures and will help us by adhering to them throughout the year. There is nothing more important to all of us than the safety of our precious children.