Greetings from the T! Welcome, May, time for celebrations and fun.

Here are highlights for our month:

May 11th- K, 2, 4 Field Day

May 12th- 1, 3, 5 Field Day

May 17th- High Flyer Ceremony

May 18th- Timeline through History Fifth Grade

May 18th-May 23: Class parties by grade level

May 24- Fifth Grade Awards and Celebration Day

May 25th- Fifth Grade and Senior Walk

We are looking forward to having a lot of visitors on campus for our end of the year activities. Safety is always our number one priority.

Please remember these tips when visiting:

• All visitors will need to come through our front office, sign in and wear a badge while on campus.

• Pre-register all your guests if you can. This will help speed up your check-in process.

• Bring your photo ID, so we can verify your badge or print you one.

• Come early and be patient.

• We are very grateful for our Raptor system to ensure that all visitors on our campus are safe to be here.

• If you plan to check your child out after a party, you will checkout in the main office as usual. Our office staff will move quickly. This process takes time. Again, thank you for your patience.

Before we know it, May will be a memory. We are excited to make those great memories this month. Together, We are Chestatee!

Sincerely,

Dr. Polly Tennies

Principal

We have a limited amount of workbooks for summer practice and will give them out to the first families who request them.

• Please remember to send in your child’s excuse within 5 days.
• Families can send up to 10 notes from home for absences before doctor notes are required.
• On email excuses to the teacher, it’s easy to add Ms. Stacey (Sholbrook@forsyth.k12.ga.us) to make sure she gets the excuse.
• Any time you go to see the doctor, please ask for a school excuse. If you forget, contact the doctor and ask them to email or fax the excuse. Fax: 770-781-2281.
• Georgia law requires the school to send attendance letters after 5 or more unexcused absences.
• If your child is checking out from the clinic, the absence is excused.
• When you check your child in/ out on Checkmate, the absence will be unexcused. Please provide a medical excuse if you'd like the absence excused.

Click Here for Details!

You can begin registration without having all the needed documents. Register today!

Please continue to signup. This ensures that we have enough tables and that the tables are clean. We will not be having lunch visitors after May 17th due to grade level parties.

These third and fourth grade winners will continue on to the county level in May!

A special thanks to Mrs. Flack, Mrs. Faulkner and Mrs. Hundt along with student leaders, Mayson and Dylan, for showing off this great program!

We are so proud to announce that one of our Care for Kids employees and former Eagles, Natalie Garcia, was awarded Volunteer of the Year for her work with the Mentor Me program. Ms. Natalie is also an East Forsyth Teaching as a Pathway student in Mrs. Butler's 1st grade class. Way to go, Natalie!

We were able to purchase these with some of the money raised with our Huggers! Thank you, Families!

Ms. Fyle and Ms. Hopkins' older students represented the T well!

You may be wondering what a High Flyer Ceremony is! Each month, we will recognize 2 students from each class who have done an amazing job exhibiting the Chestatee Way! Students will receive a special invitation for their families. We will meet in the cafeteria together. We love celebrating the positives in students! We have had these virtually the last two years, and so we have been so excited to have our ceremonies again this year!

Students can be written up by their teacher for using their strategies, showing effort, having a great attitude or showing kindness. When a child receives a Positive Office Referral, they visit Dr. Tennies in the office, receive a prize, and get a picture on a special display. We are very proud of our students!

We are proud to announce Kristen Knottek as our April Staff Member of the Month!

This is Nurse Kristen’s first year at the T. Nurse Kristen has been nominated several times this year. Each nomination states that she is calm, patient, and very thorough. Parents appreciate her phone calls home, the way she walks kids to the office, and how she stays calm. They also love how she is very thorough with their kids.

Nurse Kristen moved to Georgia a year ago from outside of Philadelphia. She has 15 years of hospital nursing experience and lots of experience in the emergency room. She was a nurse last year in Gwinnett County Schools.

Kristen and her husband, Travis, have a 7 year old daughter named Sloan. They live in the community and have a cute dog named Santos. They enjoy spending time as a family and recently went to Disney! We are very thankful that Nurse Kristen came to Chestatee. She has been such a wonderful addition to our staff.

A big thank you to our PTO and Mathnasium of Coal Mountain for sponsoring our Chestatee Staff Member of the Month Program!

Do you want to recognize and celebrate the exemplary teaching and contributions by Chestatee Elementary teachers and staff? Click here to write a nomination.

May 3- Enrichment after school

May 4- APTT for Grades 3, 4 (Virtual)

Middle School 101 Nights for fifth graders!

*Do you have a fifth grader? Click here for lots of information (updated 5/1/23).

https://bit.ly/3JLjl3N The last APTT meeting will be Middle School 101 at your child’s middle school. Little Mill will be hosting this on May 4th at 6:00 PM. North Forsyth Middle will be hosting on May 10th at 5:00 or 6:30 or Saturday, May 13th.

May 10- Enrichment after school

May 11- Field Day: K, 2, and 4

May 12- Field Day: 1, 3, and 5

Field Day Info: https://bit.ly/3Kk8gqY

May 12- Boys Night Out at the Aquatic Center! 5:00-8:00

May 17- High Flyer Ceremony at 9:00 AM (invitations will be sent)/ Enrichment after school

May 18- Kindergarten Safari- 6:00-7:30/ We will welcome next year's kindergarten students.

May 24- 5th Grade Awards Ceremony

May 25- 5th grade and Senior Walk/ 9:30 AM

May 25- Early Release/ Last day of school!

End of Year Party Dates:

May 18th Specialized classes 12:30-1:30

May 19th: 1st at 9:15-10:15; Pre-K at 10-11; 3rd at 12:30-1:30

May 22nd- 2nd at 12:30-1:30

May 23rd- 4th at 9:00-10:00; Kindergarten at 12:30-1:30

May 24th- Fifth Grade (Graduation and Special Day all day- times shared by teachers)

May 25th- Fifth Grade/ Senior Walk at 9:30/ Early Release and Last Day of School

Together we are Chestatee!

Middle School 101 at both schools will replace the fifth grade APTT meeting.

Little Mill Middle School Middle School 101

May 4 at 6:00 PM- Come meet the staff and see the school!

North Forsyth Middle School Middle School 101

May 10- 2 sessions- 5:00 and 6:30- kids come in and meet teachers/ hear about 6th grade and take a self-guided tour.

or

Saturday- May 13- one session in the am for families to come visit- same as Wednesday, May 10

Thursday, May 11th will be (K,2, 4)

Kindergarten will be participating from 8:00-9:30

4th Grade from 10:00 – 11:30

2nd Grade from 12:30-2:00

Friday, May 12th (1,3,5)

1st Grade will be participating from 8:00-9:30

5th Grade from 10:00 – 11:30

3rd Grade from 12:30-2:00

Spectators will be allowed to come to Field Day after signing in through the front office. All visitors must have a visible badge at all times.

Our PTO board members raise money to help teachers and our school.

You can support our PTO through our fundraisers, Spirit Nights, events, and spirit wear.

There are no membership dues this year.

Contact our PTO at chestateeelementarypto@yahoo.com any time!

Join us at the Aquatic Center from 5:30-8:00! Every son is invited to bring a special someone and come for swim, souvenirs, and food. We will have the place to ourselves!

Dear Families,

The main reasons for keeping your child at home are as follows:

• If he/she is too sick to be comfortable at school
• If he/she will spread a contagious illness/disease to another child

Remember: Students must be fever free for 24 hours without the use of fever reducing medications before returning to school. Students must also be vomiting and diarrhea free for 24 hours before returning to school.

MEDICATION PICK UP

If your student has unused medication in the school clinic, please plan to pick it up by 3:00pm May 25.

We are unable to store or keep medications during the summer months.

Any medication that is not picked up by 3:00pm on May 25 will be disposed of by school staff.

Please complete new healthcare plan with your doctor after May 26, 2023, for it will be valid for the 23/24 school year. You may bring any medication and completed forms to our open house in August.

Have a wonderful, safe summer!

Kristen Knottek, BSN, RN

School Nurse

Chestatee Elementary

770-887-2341 ext. 722151

f41520@forsyth.k12.ga.us

Thank you to Browns Bridge Church for the teacher treats!

Thank you to CFA of Dawsonville for being great partners for us!

Here's a camp AT Chestatee- May 30-June 2! www.jotform.com/tlacuatlf/summercamp2023

770-776-8746 Tlacuatl.f@gmail.com

Our Youth Scholarship provides funding for families that cannot afford the participation fees for our recreation, athletic and camp programs.

Children ages 17 or younger are eligible to apply for this scholarship. They must be county residents and must provide a completed application with supporting documents. You can find the application and more information here:

https://parks.forsythco.com/How-Do-I/Apply-for-a-Scholarship

Our PTO Board has three open positions for the 2023-24 school year. Selecting new members is a process. We held nominations for 10 days, interviewed candidates, and held a vote because we had so many folks come out for positions this year. Our board members give a lot of time, fundraise, coordinate and execute events, and must be team players. They all have a similar interests in helping the school. Thank you to our Board and proposed members for 2023-24 for making Chestatee even better!

May 2, 2023

Dear Chestatee Families,

The Local School Council, or LSC, is an advisory body that provides advice and recommendations to the school principal and the Forsyth County Board of Education. LSC members are accountable to the constituents they serve. They must be able to attend four regularly scheduled meetings, serve a three-year term, and maintain a school-wide perspective on issues. They serve as a link between parents and community focusing on school improvement as a group. This group works to improve student achievement.

We are currently looking to add members to our LSC for the 2023-2024 school year. Recently two members completed their terms. Below is the LSC nomination form. Please fill out the form and return it to Meg Killingsworth in the front office or by email (mkillingsworth@forsyth.k12.ga.us) by Tuesday, May 16th if you are interested in joining this group, or if you would like to nominate someone.

Sincerely,

Dr. Polly Tennies

Principal

Thank you to Stephanie Schroeder and helpers for making this happen. It's AMAZING! Feel free to stop by if you come for field day or parties to check for your child's items.

Calling all male role models! Watchdog Dads are welcome at the T!

There are two ways to help:

#1- Wear a WD shirt (we have one to borrow if needed), and help on car line by smiling, greeting kids, and helping them get out of the car.

Carline Signup

#2-Wear a WD shirt and spend the day with us! You'll visit the carline, the school news, your child's class, Pathways classes, lunch and recess. You'll be busy and tired at the end of the day!

WD Signup for the Day

Click here for all the information!

Questions? Contact Meg Killingsworth

770-887-2341 ext. 723002

Email Meg

Dear Families,

We had a great turnout for our third APTT meeting. In many schools, the last meeting isn’t well attended. It’s spring. It’s ball season. It’s busy. But our attendance was as good as winter- if not better. Families came out to see the progress and find out what we can do for summer. Our families never cease to amaze me. You are “ all-in” with partnership and your child’s education. Thank you!

Here are the summer learning activities our staff recommends to beat a summer slide.

• Some parents like a workbook for summer learning. We understand that. It’s nice to have a child sit and complete something that can be checked. If you would like to request a workbook, please fill out this form. We have a limited supply and will send them out as we receive the request. Click here to request a workbook.

• We always recommend reading EVERY DAY! 15 minutes a day makes a difference. Reading to your child counts as reading. Whether it’s first thing in the morning, right before bed, after work or dinner or after pool time to calm down, find your time. Log that reading for a celebration in August!

• We sent home math facts and ways to practice for students in grades 1-4. Becoming sharp on fast facts is key to becoming a better math student. It’s hard to conquer hard skills if a child is struggling with the easier ones.

• We have an amazing program called Progress Learning on Classlink. We are using school funds to keep the program active all summer. We really encourage your child to hop online and practice skills throughout the summer. We have been very impressed with this program. Click here for more information.

I really encourage you to find your routine for the summer and settle into that. Have your child do something everyday to practice learning to prevent the summer slide. You’ll be glad you did in August!

Sincerely,

Meg

Meg Killingsworth

770-887-2341 ext. 723002

mkillingsworth@forsyth.k12.ga.us

We collect Box Tops to raise money for our school.

The procedure will be changing in the near future (we will keep you posted!)

For now, keep filling out your Box Top Sheets and turn them in to Ms. Donna in the front office.

If you ask to connect your Kroger Plus card to Chestatee Elementary, they will donate a certain percentage of the profits to our school. You can find out more about how to do this if you CLICK HERE.

Publix Partners with Chestatee also. You only need to put your phone number in as you checkout. Publix will donate a certain percentage of their profits to Chestatee from your purchase!

We love our Partners in Education!

Email: chestateees@gmail.com
Website: http://www.forsyth.k12.ga.us/site/default.aspx?domainid=260
Location: 6945 Keith Bridge Road, Gainesville, GA, United States
Phone: 770-887-2341
Facebook: facebook.com/ChestateeES
Twitter: @chestateees