Summer Update
Spalding Drive Elementary
Principal's Message..
SDE Families,
I hope everyone has had an incredible summer so far and is looking forward to the month ahead. I was lucky enough to spend a week in California exploring the coast. My kids have been at camp, but I am definitely that parent checking for updated pictures all day long! I was able to spend the weekend with them between sessions and loved every minute of it!
I know that it is hard to start thinking about coming back to school, but we have been busy planning for the best year yet! We are excited to welcome new staff members to our Spalding family this year and have included a little bit of information about each of them below.
This newsletter is simply to provide some updates and dates as we had them ready to share. I will send out one additional communication around the start of August with more back to school details.
I hope the summer has been a great one for each of our students. I am counting down the days until the building is filled with smiling faces eager to learn! I look forward to seeing some familiar faces and meeting all of our new Tigers.
In Partnership,
Jennifer Rosenthall
New Staff Profiles
Stephany Ramirez
Natalie Dolak
Natalie is also joining us from Florida where she has been teaching for the past few years. She is returning home to Georgia to be closer to family! Natalie will be joining our kindergarten team.
Emily Nycz
Ashley Christenson
Crissy Wade
Megen Porter
Alia Shalabi
Tracy Blankenship
Elise Tonn
Elise will be our new school psychologist. She recently relocated from New Jersey and worked in North Fulton during second semester last school year. We are excited to welcome her to our team!
Assetou Doumbia
Assetou will be joining our preschool team as a paraprofessional in one of the preschool special education classrooms. She is coming to us from the private sector where she has worked in a variety of classrooms. She will also be bringing her daughter to kindergarten here at SDE!
Jol Labady
Joel will be joining our custodial team this summer. He is fluent in both French and Creole. He has already shown what a great addition he will be to our team!
Cathy Clayton
Cathy will be our 2nd Speech-Language Pathologist. She has previously worked in Fulton County Schools as a speech pathologist and assistive technology specialist.
Follow Us on Social Media
School Instagram: @spaldingdrive_elementary
Ms. Rosenthall's Twitter: @principalSDE
PTO's Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/98385992769/
PTO Membership
The new school year is almost here and that mean’s it’s time to… Join the PTO!
The PTO, comprised of families, staff and faculty, funds and executes programs to enrich and support the quality of the school experience for all students and teachers at Spalding Drive.
By joining our PTO, you become a part of the fabric that makes our school strong. We could not do what we do without parent and teacher membership and support. Please join today!’
Residency Verification - Kindergarten and 2nd Grade
FCS requires that students entering kindergarten and 2nd grade submit proof of residency prior to the onset of school. Proof of residency includes:
1. One current water or electric bill AND
2. One Copy of home mortgage bill, current bank statement, copy of home sale contract, current HOA bill, Section 8/HUD housing document, or current apartment/house lease.
Originals of these documents must be brought to Spalding Drive Elementary. To make this process easier, we will be accepting these documents at Sneak Peek on Thursday, August the 1st. We will have a station located near the library to assist.
All documents must be received by September the 1st for your child to remain enrolled at Spalding Drive Elementary.
Class Assignments
Postcards are being mailed home today with classroom assignments for the 2024-2025 school year. If you have not received your postcard by July 29th, please reach out to the front office. Please bear in mind that a lot of thought and time has been put into developing well balanced, challenging, and productive classroom groupings. No changes will be made to class assignments until after the first 10 days of school. All classroom assignments are due to change as the county will evaluate our staffing allocation mid-August and make adjustments as needed. I will be sharing with families the process for requesting any such changes at that time.
Math Updates
Last year we learned of continuous achievement changes in Fulton County schools for math instruction. Many of you attended our information session in the spring about this topic. In an effort to meet the needs of all of our students and the different levels, your student may have a different teacher for math instruction this school year, specifically in grades 1-5. We will communicate who your student will see for math after the first week of school.
Upcoming Dates
July 27 - School Beautification Day (9:00-11:00)
July 28 - Kindergarten Pool Party at Mark Train (2:00-4:00)
August 1 - Sneak PeekAugust 3 - Pre-K Meet and Greet at Morgan Falls (9:00-11:00)
August 5 - First Day of School
August 23 - Back to School Picnic (6:00-8:00)
August 29 - Curriculum Night (Session 1: 5:00-5:45 and Session 2: 6:00-6:45)
September 2-4 - No School for Students
September 11 - New Family Principal Coffee (7:45-9:15)
*Parents are able to walk student to class for the first 3 days of school
**There will be no parent lunches until after the Labor Day long weekend**
Uniform Policy
Sweaters/Jackets: Sweaters or jackets worn within the building must be white, navy, or light blue.
Bottoms: Navy, khaki, or plaid #76 slacks, shorts, dresses, or jumpers. Skirts, shorts, and dresses must be fingertip length. Leggings may only be worn underneath skirts and dresses. Jeans are only to be worn on our weekly Spirit Days and during free dress days.
Spirit Days: Spirit Days occur each Friday. Students may purchase spirit wear from the PTO website. Students may wear their uniform top with jeans.
Free Dress Days: Free dress days may be purchased through the PBIS school store or given to students as an incentive. During free dress days the expectation is to follow dress code. Spaghetti straps may not be worn, and no midriff may be showing.
PTO Spirit Wear
Registration Day
As we count down to another fantastic school year at Fulton County Schools, the district is holding a special Registration Day on Friday, July 29 between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. for parents to register new and transferring students. Data clerks will be on-site to enter their information into Infinite Campus.
Registration Day will be held at RIVERWOOD HIGH SCHOOL 5900 Raiders Drive, Sandy Springs, GA 30328
For more information about registering your student, visit fultonschools.org/registration or call (470-254-5883)
Plus, do not forget to join us for the sixth annual First Day Fulton on Saturday, July 30! Visit fultonschools.org/firstdayfulton for information.
Enjoy the remainder of your summer!
Fulton County Schools
PTO Fundraiser
Help support our school by participating in our Mabel's Labels fundraiser! With every purchase, 20% of the proceeds will go back to our school. Mabel's Labels offers high-quality, personalized labels that are perfect for keeping track of your child's belongings. Whether you need labels for clothing, school supplies, or lunch containers, Mabel's Labels has you covered.
Visit campaigns.mabelslabels.com and search for our school's name to get started. Thank you for your support!