Mountain Park eNewsletter

All GCPS school will have Fall Break from October 5-9. Schools will be closed on these dates. Enjoy the time with your families!

Mountain Park ES will have Early Release on October 18-19. School will be dismissed at 12:15 on both of these days. Buses will arrive at your homes earlier than usual. Please plan accordingly.

Fall conferences will be held on October 18-19. On these two days, students are dismissed at 12:15. Parents can sign up TODAY at 3:00 through Friday, October 13. The link will be posted on our school webpage and https://www.ptcfast.com/schools/MPES2023Fall. Use these Parent Directions for additional help.

• All conferences will be held in-person, unless you request a digital conference with the teacher.

Field Day is Wednesday, October 4. Parents are welcome to attend during their child's outside activities. Also, we need volunteers to help run the stations. Volunteers can help out during the AM or PM portions of the day. Use the following link to sign-up.

https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10C0849A5AB28A6F9C34-field#/

• 8:30-11:00 - Kindergarten - 2nd Grade
• 12:00-2:30 - 3rd Grade - 5th Grade

Our Mountain Park Cougars Glow Run fundraiser was a huge success! Our students raised over $17,000 for our PTA. Since our goal was reached, Ms. Case and I were slimed by a few of our specials teachers. All students thought this was great. Thank you to everyone who contributed!

Book Fair dates:

Preview Day: Thursday, 10/12

Shopping Days: Friday, 10/13 – Friday, 10/20

Book Fair is open late during conferences on Early Release Day, October 18th, until 5:30 p.m.!

I am looking for volunteers! Please email me at diana.freeman@gcpsk12.org to be put on the list for volunteering.

Items to remember:

• Don’t forget to add 6% sales tax!

• Cash, credit cards and eWallet are acceptable forms of payment (link here for eWallet setup)

• All students can shop the book fair via the online option. The fair goes live on 10/11/23. Items will be shipped directly to the student.

Our school district adopted a new form of school-to-home communication called ParentSquare. This unified communications platform is designed to keep parents and guardians informed and encourage greater engagement and connection with your child’s school and Gwinnett County Public Schools.

ParentSquare provides a safe way for district administrators, school principals, teachers, staff, and parents to receive and send information, such as:

• Weather-related closings & delays
• School information
• Share pictures and files
• See calendar items
• Upcoming school activities

All district and school information will be sent to your computer or phone via email and/or text via ParentSquare. For even more convenience, download the ParentSquare app (available for free for iOS and Android devices). Please note that Mountain Park staff will communicate with parents via Class Dojo and email.

Car Rider Etiquette

• No left turn into school off Brownlee Road
• Turn around in the cul-de-sac at the end of Brownlee Road
• Be patient - If you cannot be patient and go to the end of the line, the student can always ride the bus.

Please remember that “park and walk” is NOT an option.

A GCPS school bus can transport every Mountain Park student.

Mountain Park is a Positive Behavior Intervention and Support (PBIS) School. Mountain Park continues to use ClassDojo to help support our PBIS initiative and for our conduct/behavior. To receive help with connecting to your student's class or any other ClassDojo questions, please contact Casey Weltch at casey.weltch@gcpsk12.org

Mountain Park ES offers a birth to five program called Play2Learn. We hold two classes, one on Tuesdays and one on Thursdays. These classes will run from 9:00-10:30 and begin Tuesday, August 8. Contact Charlotte Thomas at charlotte.r.thomas@gcpsk12.org for questions.

Mountain Park ES MyPaymentsPlus is NOW available for the 2023-2024 school year!

All parents need to access MyPaymentsPlus to:

• review/sign orientation documents online,
• add funds to student meal payment account, and/or
• make local school contributions

Documents that you will need to review in MyPaymentsPlus include:

• Free/reduced applications is more than just meals!
• Title I The Plan . . . The Promise 2023-2024
• GCPS 2023-2024 student conduct behavior code
• GCPS 2023-2024 handbook information for students and families
• Media Release Opt-Out
• Parent AKS Overview

Helpful Links

• Student Calendar
• Bus Safety
• Handbook Information for Students and Families – Elementary School
• AKS Overview K-8
• ParentSquare
• eCLASS materials
• Student Insurance Flyer K-12
• Free and Reduced Lunch Application
• School Nutrition Program & Kindergarten Information

Mountain Park yearbooks are on sale now. The current price of the yearbook is $32.00 through January 26.

GCPS has added four Digital Learning Days to its calendar this year. On these days, all students will learn from home, and assignments will be asynchronous for the day.

• November 3
• February 2
• March 15

Being a Title I school, all Mountain Park ES students can receive free breakfast. However, lunch prices are still determined by the student's lunch status.

2023-2024 Meal Price Information

A la Carte Snacks for Purchase - Cash Only

• BBQ Baked Lays ($1.00)
• Boom Chicka Pop Popcorn ($1.00)
• Rice Krispy Treat ($1.00)
• Dasani Water ($1.25)

Free and Reduced Information

• As a reminder, SY23 Free and Reduced eligibility status will carry over for the first 30 school days of SY24 (through 9/13).
• The online SY24 Free and Reduced application is now available – SY24 Free and Reduced Online Application

Upcoming Events

• October 27 - Monster Mash @ 6:00
• February 23 - Bingo Night @ 6:00

PTA Contributions are not included on MyPaymentsPlus; visit Mountain Park PTA to:

• purchase your Mountain Park ES PTA 2023-24 Membership
• check out Mountain Park ES spiritwear offerings

September 29 - Conference Sign-Up Opens

October 2 - Custodian Appreciation Day

October 4 - Field Day

October 5-9 - Fall Break (no school)

October 10-13 - District Assessment (1st-5th)

October 12 - Title I Multilingual Learner Parent Meeting @ 8:45

October 13-20 - Book Fair

October 17 - Fall Make-Up Pictures

October 18-19 - Early Release @ 12:15

October 23-27 - Red Ribbon Week

October 27 - Monster Mash from 6:00-8:00

November 3 - Digital Learning Day #2