Knightly News

As we move toward the last few weeks of school, we want to make sure our parents/guardians are aware of the many activities planned for our students.

The week of May 6, 2024, is Staff Appreciation Week. All week we will celebrate amazing staff that help to make Simonton ES such an amazing school. Please take a moment to have your student bring a special treat and/or write a note letting our teachers and other staff members know how much you appreciate them.

Next Thursday, May 16, 2024, and Friday, May 17, 2024, we will hold our Honor Ceremonies for grades 1st - 4th grade. These ceremonies will be dedicated to recognizing students who have Perfect Attendance, All As and All As & Bs and those who continue to demonstrate model behavior for the second semester. Please see the flyer below for the date and time. The classroom teacher will send home an invitation if your child will be recognized at the ceremony. All ceremonies will be recorded and posted on your website.

Formal invitations will also be going home to invite families to join us as we celebrate our 5th grade students. 5th grade celebrations will take place on Monday, May 20, 2024 and Tuesday, May 21, 2024. Both ceremonies will begin at 8:30 am and take place in the Simonton ES cafeteria. Please see the flyer below for each classroom's assigned celebration date.

Have a wonderful weekend!

Monday, May 6

• Spring iReady Testing (K-5)
• ELA EOY District Assessments (1st & 2nd grades)
• Science EOY District Assessments (3rd & 4th grades)
• Teacher Appreciation Week begins
• BOGO Scholastic Book Fair

Tuesday, May 7

• Spring iReady Testing (K-5)
• Social Studies EOY District Assessments (4th & 5th grades)
• BOGO Scholastic Book Fair
• Celebration of Learning (K-2nd) ~ 9:00-10:00 am
• 3rd Grade Field Trip (Washington Farms) ~ 9:30-1:10 pm

Wednesday, May 8

• Spring iReady Testing (K-5)
• Math EOY District Assessments (1st & 2nd grades)
• Science EOY District Assessment Make-ups (4th grade)
• BOGO Scholastic Book Fair
• Celebration of Learning (3rd-5th) ~ 9:00-10:00 am
• Human Growth & Development Lesson (4th Grade)

Thursday, May 9

• Spring iReady Testing (K-5)
• Social Studies EOY District Assessments (3rd grade)
• Human Growth & Development Lesson (5th Grade)

• PTA Spirit Night at Sparkles ~ 5:00-8:00 pm

Friday, May 10

• Spring iReady Testing (K-5)
• EOY District Assessment Make-ups (1st-5th)

• School Tours (New Families) ~ 10:00-11:00 am
• PBIS Celebration

Tuesday, May 14

• Fine Arts Night ~ 5:30-7:00 pm

Wednesday, May 15

• Supporting your Child's Transition to Middle School ~ 5:00-6:00 pm

Thursday, May 16

• Honor Ceremony (1st, 2nd, & 4th Grades)

Friday, May 17

• Honor Ceremony (3rd Grade)

Monday, May 20

• 5th Grade Celebration (Colclough, Vlaic, & Shoemake)~ 8:30-10:00 am

Tuesday, May 21

• 5th Grade Celebration (Battle, Elliott, & McCree)~ 8:30-10:00 am
• 5th Grade Walk ~ 2:00 pm

Wednesday, May 22

• Last Day of School
• Report Cards sent home

On next Friday, May 10th, we will have our last PBIS celebration for this school year. We are in need of parent volunteers. If you are interested and can volunteer your time for any of the slots listed below, please reach out to one of our school Counselors (contact information listed below).

5th Grade: 8:30 - 9:15

Pre-K, Kindergarten and 1st Grade: 9:25 - 10:10

4th Grade: 10:20 - 11:05

2nd and 3rd Grades: 1:55 - 2:40

Chandra Williams (Grades K, 2, and 4)

Chandra.Williams@gcpsk12.org

678-376-8637

Laura Panzer (Grades 1, 3, and 5)

Laura.Panzer@gcpsk12.org

678-377-3902

Our Buy One, Get One Free Book Fair will be next week from Monday to Wednesday.

Important info:

1. Flyers were sent home with students this week.

2. The Fair will be BOOKS ONLY. (No toys, pencils, posters)

3. Fair webpage to share with parents to set up E-Wallets: https://www.scholastic.com/bf/simontonelementaryschool

4. Students MUST bring enough money to pay for the sales tax on purchases.

5. No student wish lists since the fair is so short.

6. We do not think we will have any items that cost less than $5.

Student dress should not cause any distraction from the instructional program. Students are encouraged to dress appropriately for the school setting, suitable to weather conditions, and in good taste. Short skirts, short shorts, or halter tops/crop shirts are not considered appropriate dress for school. Hats, bandanas, and sweatbands should not be worn in school. Students should not wear any clothing that advertises alcoholic beverages, drugs, or violence. Students should wear shoes that allow for safe play at outside time and PE class. All shorts/skirts should come to the student’s knee.

This year, sex education lessons will be taught in elementary school health education

classes. By state mandate, all public school systems in the state of Georgia must include

this instruction as one content strand of the comprehensive health education program. In the 4th and 5th grades males and females are separated for this instruction.

Simonton Elementary students participated in Better World Day on Friday, May 3rd. Better World Day is an annual national event showcasing student learning that contributes to a better world. Students participated in the following projects that positively impacted the school & community around them...

​Who: Parents/Guardians of students receiving Special Education services.

​What: Parent Mentors Present: “Self-Determination – What is it and How can I Support my Child?

​When: Thursday, May 9, 2024, 10:00 – 11:30 AM or 6:00 -7:30 PM

​Where: In-Person registration link for 10:00 AM session: https://forms.gle/pdUDE6KuSDpHUQW17

​ Zoom registration link for 6:00 PM session: https://gcpsk12-org.zoom.us/meeting/register/tJMrdOqorzgoHNckarVi5hR7bjcRUvHNW9fH

​The Georgia Learning Resources System (GLRS), a statewide network of eighteen resource centers offering free services to parents and educators of students with disabilities, has recently published its 2024 Special Needs Directory. This directory includes a plethora of contacts for summer offerings, including disability specific camps, as well as contact information for provides.

What: Under state laws passed by the Georgia State Legislature, parents of students who receive special education services or accommodations under a Section 504 Individual Accommodation Plan may request to transfer their child to another public or private school in Georgia.

Who: Any student who currently receives special education services, grades PK-11th and any returning 12th grader, as well as students who are eligible for a Section 504 Plan and are in grades Kindergarten-11th.

When: By April 29, 2024, share information regarding the Georgia Special Needs Scholarships.

For more information click on the link below.

Georgia Special Scholarship (SB10/SB47) - Gwinnett County Public Schools (gcpsk12.org)

• eCLASS course pages: All students with 2023-2024 access to eCLASS will continue through July 19th.
• Summer School students will have access based on their start date.
• eCLASS course pages: Access to their 2024-2025 course pages will be available on August 4th.
• For students who have current access to 2023-2024 digital resources, their access will continue through July 5th.
• Access to digital resources for the 2024-2025 school year will be available on August 4th.

​Learning and performing magic tricks have been shown to benefit children and adults with disabilities. The approach is being shown to be an effective treatment technique as it promotes motivation and improves physical, psychological, perceptual, or social functions in those who participate. For this reason, the University of Alabama at Birmingham is hosting EVERY DAY Magic camp free of charge to students with disabilities.

​Who: Students with disabilities ages 9-18 years of age.

​What: Parent Mentors Present: “Locating and Understanding Resources within the Community”

​When: Camp 1: June 3 to June 28, 2024

​ Camp 2: July 8 to August 2, 2024

​Where: virtually via Zoom. For additional information, email Arts in Medicine at artsinmedicine@uab.edu

On March 25, 2024, family accounts were moved from Parent Portal to ParentVUE. This change will require parents/guardians to reset their passwords.

The district sent out an email notification through ParentSquare on March 25th to families of active students with an email address in Synergy. The message to parents will contain a link parents should click to initiate the password change.

If you received the email, CLICK HERE for more guidance on resetting your password.

If you did NOT receive the email message, see below for steps to help access your account.

• Open the link for the new ParentVUE access page:
  https://ga-gcps.edupoint.com/PXP2_Login_Parent.aspx?regenerateSessionId=True

• Click the red lock icon with Forgot Password

• Enter the email associated with your Parent Portal account and click Send Email.

• When the email arrives, follow the link in your message.

• Enter the First Name and Last Name associated with your Parent Portal account. (Sometimes this is where errors occur. Please contact your school's SDMC to confirm the name on your account if you experience problems.)

• Enter the new password twice.

• You'll get a message that you've successfully changed your password with a link to the login page.

• Login with the email as your username and the new password you just set.

Hello Simonton ES families!

We are excited to host Camp Invention June 3, 2024 – June 6, 2024 here at Simonton Elementary School. A special thank you goes out to the Nordson Foundation who have made a generous donation that will allow us to offer scholarships for Simonton ES students who attend Camp Invention. 30 scholarships will be awarded to the first 30 students who sign up using the google link below. The scholarship award will be $200.00. Parents will be responsible for paying the remaining $85.00. Scholarship funds are for currently enrolled Simonton ES students only.

https://forms.gle/m5J3G32gZp8uH3u76

Hola familias de Simonton ES!

Estamos emocionados de organizar Camp Invention de Junio 3, 2024 - Junio 6, 2024 en la Escuela Simonton. Un agradecimiento especial a la Fundación Nordson que ha hecho una generosa donación que nos permitirá ofrecer becas para los estudiantes de Simonton ES que asistan a Camp Invention. Se otorgarán 30 becas a los primeros 30 estudiantes que se registren utilizando el enlace de Google a continuación. El premio de la beca será de $ 200.00. Los padres serán responsables de pagar los $85.00 restantes. Los fondos de la beca son solo para los estudiantes actualmente matriculados en Simonton ES.

https://forms.gle/m5J3G32gZp8uH3u76

Who: Families of students who are receiving special education services

What: Each state is required to conduct a parent survey to measure parent/family perceptions of the success of parent engagement between home and local schools.

When: Available now through May 31, 2024

Where: Parents can complete the survey via the survey link below. We ask that a copy of the attached letter be sent home with every SWD student. Additionally, we ask that the letter(s) and survey link be posted on your special education teachers e-class pages as well as your school website. Our goal is to ensure that all parents are aware of the survey and have the opportunity to participate.

Please use the following link to access the survey:

Super Science: Magnetism - Wednesday, May 1st @4:30pm

Digital Detox Night - Thursday, May 2nd @6pm

Easy Japanese Cuisine: Bounce Back with Mochi! - Sunday, May 5th @2pm

Awesome Art: Printmaking - Wednesday, May 8th @11:30am

VR Field Trip: Machu Picchu - Tuesday, May 14th @4:30pm

Doggie Tales - Saturday, May 18th @11am

Words of Affirmation Button Making - Tuesday, May 21st @5pm

Un Poquito de Espanol: Resiliente - Wednesday, May 22nd @4:30pm

Register Here!

We are excited to announce that the Office of Family Engagement in the Department of Federal Programs, in collaboration with the Directors of Teaching and Learning, is providing videos and handouts for all GCPS families in elementary schools to help prevent the summer slide.

The ELA, Math, Science, and Social Studies Directors recorded instructional videos highlighting resources and activities for families to support their children at home over the summer. The videos are posted in the GCPS "Engage Equip Empower" series website (bottom of the page). Captions are available in English, Spanish, Vietnamese, Korean, and Chinese.

Our students are citizens of our school community. All students deserve a positive and orderly environment for learning. In order to achieve this, Simonton students have clear expectations for behavior and school rules that are consistent with the district supported Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports (PBIS) Program as well as the GCPS Board's Theory of Action for Change to Improve Student Behavior and Outcomes.

The Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports (PBIS) Program is a research-based framework proven to provide practices and strategies for all students to increase academic performance, improve safety, decrease problem behavior, and establish a positive school culture. Students are encouraged to solve problems by taking responsibility for their actions, the consequences that result, and to develop plans of action that demonstrate positive ways to address difficult situations. Students that successfully follow Simonton behavior expectations will participate in school recognition and reward programs throughout the year. Ultimately, our goal is for Simonton students to develop into responsible, respectful and supportive adults.

Simonton administrators have broad discretion to determine consequences for student behavior infractions. While students are expected to be held accountable for their actions, they will also complete Simonton ES Action Plans and may be required to participate in Restorative Conversations to reflect on behavior choices and the impact on others. The range of consequences for infractions assigned by a local school administrator may include, without limitation:

In addition to the information provided above, parents will receive a copy of the GCPS Handbook Information for Students and Parents in July that outlines the code of conduct to be followed by all students to ensure a safe, secure and orderly environment in which to learn.

Please review the Simonton Discipline Plan:

* A student will be placed on the Accelerated Plan after a Simonton ES Action Plan has been completed or a previous discipline referral has been made. Student violation of a GCPS Discipline code would also warrant being moved to the Accelerated Plan.

Students may NOT carry medication of any kind to school. For student safety, we need to be aware of the medication and dosage in case there are any adverse reactions. The clinic worker is authorized to administer medications to students when proper paperwork is completed. Medications should always be in the original containers when brought to or picked up from school by an adult. Medication may not be brought to school by a student. These procedures are a safety precaution for your child, both on the bus and when they visit the clinic. Parents should inform the school if their child has a contagious disease.

Ice cream sales will be available Monday - Friday at a cost of $1.00. Please bring exactly $1.00 as change is usually not available right away.

This year's ice cream selections can be seen in the picture to the side:

The application for free and reduced lunch is now available. There will be no waiver in place to offer free lunch for all students. Please complete the application if you feel this is a service your family will need. All students who have not been approved for free or reduced lunch service will be charged the full price each day.

Free and Reduced Lunch Application

https://www.nlappscloud.com/Welcome.aspx?api=78f8fee54716f21218e523747d37a13c

Does your child have a medical concern that we need to be aware of? Stop in to see Mrs. Tammy Jones in the clinic.

Complete the clinic card if your child has any medical concerns that we need to be aware of. We also need to know any medication your child is taking and directions of what to do while we are caring for your child until you arrive.

We are excited to announce that our school district has 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 and class information
• Share pictures and files
• See calendar items
• Upcoming class activities

District & school information will now 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).

We encourage all families to create a MPP account. No purchase is necessary to have a MPP account. You will be able to read and digitally sign documents and/or make necessary payments. It is a great way for you to manage and keep track of all of your student payments and forms in one place throughout the school year.

MyPaymentsPlus is linked directly to your school’s student information system (SIS), enabling us to show real-time balances and invoices, and eliminating the need to call or visit your school in search of information.

Whether you’re viewing what your 2nd grader ate for lunch, renting a locker for your middle schooler, or purchasing a parking permit for that new driver in your family, MyPaymentsPlus ensures you never miss a beat, from Pre-K to graduation day.

Simply create a free MyPaymentsPlus account to get started today.

Vision

Simonton is committed to dynamic high quality instruction resulting in a passion for learning, leading and excelling.

Core Belief

Every Student Every Day, Deserves to Learn, Lead, and Excel

Commitments

• We commit to giving our students a fresh start every day.

• We commit to preparing quality and engaging lessons that will prepare our students to be successful in school.

• We commit to teaching, modeling and holding our students accountable for appropriate school behavior.

• We commit to providing our students with a structured and safe learning environment.

• We commit to a great year of learning, leading, and excelling

Superintendent ~ Dr. Calvin J. Watts

Board Member ~ Mr. Steven B. Knudsen

Principal ~ Ms. Tamara G. Perkins

Assistant Principal ~ Mr. Nicholas Gilmore

Assistant Principal ~ Dr. Joe Sanfilippo

Assistant Principal ~ Mrs. Amy Steinberg

Website: gcpsk12.org/SimontonES
Location: 275 Simonton Road Southeast, Lawrenceville, GA, USA

Phone: 770-513-6637

Twitter: @simontonPride
Instagram: @SimontonPride