Good evening,
I hope that you are gearing up for a great school year. Our administrative team has been working all summer to start the year off right! I have several things to share, so buckle up!
1) Changes to Information Day:
Information Day is NOT a drop-in event. This has a hard start time because you will get the opportunity to walk your child's schedule and meet the teachers. This is an Open House and Curriculum Night combination. Students and parents will get to learn about each teacher and the academic expectations for the year. We will also have some informational meetings as well for our 6th and 8th grade parents. Please plan on attending.
2) School Supplies:
We have intentionally shortened the school supply list! As a mom of five, starting the school year is VERY expensive. Our hope is to limit that expense. However, if you want to throw an extra box of pens or pick up a box of kleenex, we do need you to help us stock up the teacher supply room. We are building our shared supply closet for teachers to get what they need throughout the year. We will take all donations to support our teachers.
3) Lockers:
This year we are not going to be utilizing lockers. The decision was made because only about 10% of students use their lockers regularly. Lockers used to be a priority because of heavy textbooks and multiple binders AND the requirement to leave backpacks in the lockers. Post-COVID our students are operating without lockers. After speaking with Milton High School and Roswell High School, students are not using lockers there either. They are available, but students do not use them for the reasons just shared. The removal of the lockers minimizes the opportunity to forget things in a locker.
4) Agendas:
This year students will not be purchasing a hard copy agenda. Every student will receive a laptop within the first week of school. Our devices are a more modern option to keep track of assignments and tasks. Our students will be using Canvas. This is a platform for all work. It includes a calendar and assignments. The best part is that parents have full access without having to log in as their child. We will be sharing details soon!
5) Hallway Changes:
Historically each grade level has been assigned a hallway. This year 6th grade will be in E-Hall (historically the 8th grade hall). 7th and 8th graders will utilize the F-Hall and D-Hall. The F-Hall is our Humanities hall with Social Studies, English Language Arts, and Reading. The D-Hall is our STEM hall for science and math.
Before you panic, there are minimal times where 7th and 8th graders will be in the hall at the same time. Due to the connections schedule, our students will only have three transitions where there are overlaps. The purpose of this change is to build on relationships with students. For instance, as an 8th grader your 7th grade teachers will be accessible and can call you by name to greet you. As a 7th grader, you will be familiar with the names and faces of teachers as an 8th grader. It also promotes vertical collaboration between grade levels. Teacher collaboration has a great impact on student improvement.
6) Transition Times:
The bell schedule has been adjusted this year in a way that NO other school in the district has done. The 6th grade bell schedule is different that the 7th and 8th grade bell schedule. The 6th Grade Academy has time built into the schedule to teach executive functioning, AVID strategies, collaboration, team building, and more. Also, ELA, Reading or World Language, and Math will have 60-minute periods. Science and Social Studies will also have 60 minutes, but on a rotation. This allows us to have 45 minutes daily to learn other skills to be successful middle schoolers.
To maximize the instructional time, the time in between classes has changed. 7th and 8th graders will have 4 minutes in between class. This has historically been the time for transition and is easily managed without tardies. For 6th grade, there are 3-minute transitions given that all 6th grade will be in the same hallway. No 6th grader, regardless of level, will have to transition to another hall for instruction.
7) Carpool Changes:
Since the 6th grade is now housed where 8th graders used to be, our 6th graders will have carpool on the side of the building. 7th and 8th graders will have carpool at the front of the building. This is a requirement due to the location of our 6th graders. Safety of our students is priority. Having 8th graders move against the flow of traffic is problematic in ensuring student safety. Not only does it impact flow, but it also is challenging to monitor from an adult supervision perspective. So if your child is a 6th grader that will go home in carpool, this will take place on the side of the building and wrap through Hembree Springs Elementary bus loop. Bus riders will be the same for 6th, 7th, and 8th grade at the front of the building. Carpool for 7th and 8th will be at the front of the building this year as well.
8) Schedule Changes:
Scheduling for almost 900 students is a BIG task. Given some of the additional constraints, student elected connections, 6th Grade Academy, and advanced placement, there are bound to be mistakes. If there are any mistakes, those changes will be made on Friday, August 2nd. You will need to complete a form in the cafe before leaving Information Day.
If there is NOT an error in the schedule but you want your child to have a different class, you will be able to complete the same form in the cafe. These changes will not be made until after the 10-day count. The 10-day seat count is an important time in the school year. Each class section and roster size impacts the number of teachers that are allotted to each Fulton County school. Therefore, moving students after the 10-day count (first two weeks of school) ensure that we are able to move students into the appropriate sections while maintaining our teacher allotments.
9) New Website
Please check out our new website. The site is full of important information. It also has contact information as well as the resources you need for the year. We will be rolling out an app for iPhone and Andriod in August, but until that point the website will be your one-stop shop for all things Elkins Pointe.
10) Breathe:
This is an exciting time of year, but every child handles the stresses of a new school, new year differently. Even with my own children, one is excited, one is angry about summer being over, one is planning out their school supplies, one could care less about the hoop-la, and one is a nervous wreck. With all the varying emotions, managing the supply lists, practice times, club sign-ups, and signing all the documents needed, I can easily get lost in it all. This is my reminder that I only get to do this for a few more years. There will be a day soon that I will not have my oldest heading out from my house on the first day of school. She will be in college in just 4 more "first-day-of-school" days. She is my reminder with my youngest who is starting kindergarten to breathe and that 13 "first-day-of-school" days is really not that much. We only get13 of these special days. The days are long, but the years are short. Savor the milestones and soak in each first.
I can't wait to see you on August 1st!
Sincerely,
AJ Smith
Principal of Elkins Pointe Middle School
