The Weekly Update #4
June 13th, 2024
July 2, 2024
Dear High Point Parents/Guardians,
I am excited to welcome you and your family to the 2024-2025 school year! I hope you’re having an enjoyable, relaxing, safe and adventurous summer break with family, friends, and loved ones!
We are anticipating another great learning year at High Point! In August, we will welcome approximately 700 students, and our staff is committed to ensuring that High Point will continue to focus on cultivating knowledgeable, compassionate, inquiring learners who impact our community and achieve academic excellence.
We are proud of the growth our scholars made last year in reading and math. Our focus this year will be on continuing the good work from last year and creating even more engaging and meaningful learning experiences to push our scholars academically. Our IB Program encourages our scholars to be more inquisitive and critical thinkers. We also believe that ALL scholars should have access to high-quality teaching strategies. This year we will continue weekly collaborative planning between all teachers, our Talented and Gifted (TAG) teachers, and our IB Coordinator. This collaboration assists teachers with integrating TAG strategies into their weekly lessons so that ALL scholars are exposed to inquiry-based learning and critical thinking strategies. Last year we increased our TAG numbers by 55 scholars. This is evidence that our collaborative planning model is growing our scholars!!
In order to continue to achieve academic excellence, we will need your support to ensure students are in school daily and on-time. Please note that we welcome students each day beginning at 7:10 am, and students are considered tardy if they are not seated in their classroom by 7:40 AM. We will continue to dismiss our scholars at 2:20 PM. Buses will be dismissed at 2:20 PM, followed by carpool at 2:30 PM, and ending with walkers at 2:40 PM.
Arriving at school on-time ensures that your scholar doesn’t miss out on important learning experiences that happen early in the day. This year we will continue our attendance initiatives because of the positive impact they had on attendance last year. We exceeded our goal of decreasing chronically absent scholars by 30%! Together, we reduced chronic absenteeism from 15% to 7%! We have also been recognized for OUTSTANDING IMPROVEMENT by the FCS Student Support Services Department!
Attendance Initiatives:
Monthly Scholar Recognition: All scholars with perfect attendance and no tardies will receive a lunchtime treat!
Monthly Class Recognition: Each class on every grade-level with the highest attendance rate for the month will receive the Principal’s Attendance Award and celebration of their choice!
Most Improved Recognition: The scholar(s) with the most improved attendance will have a special lunch with the principal!
At High Point, all staff will continue to utilize Class Dojo to connect with families. Teachers and families can directly message each other, and translations can instantly be seen in multiple languages. Teachers will be able to share resources, important school information, and photos/videos. Important school information and events will also be sent out via Class Dojo. If you’re new to High Point, our staff will assist you with getting connected.
In order to streamline communication, the High Point Newsletter will transition to 100% electronic. The newsletter will come out on the 1st & 3rd Monday of each month and will include principal highlights, valuable information/reminders, PTO updates, and Title 1 workshop information.
It is also essential that families have access to the Infinite Campus Parent Portal. This portal is the Fulton County Schools system to connect parents to student information regarding attendance, grades, assignments, schedules, and reports. If you have not registered to gain access to the Campus Parent Portal, please visit this link for directions: https://www.fultonschools.org/infinitecampus
On July 30th, each family will receive an email with the grade level class lists. We will also post the class lists in front of our building for those who do not have an email address or prefer to come to the school. Please know that our teachers and staff worked diligently to create diverse classes which meet each child’s academic and social needs. We appreciate everyone’s input that helped us create a solid partnership which benefits ALL our students.
Open House is a great opportunity for students and parents to meet our teachers and get all the necessary information for the school year. High Point’s Open House will be held on Friday, August 2, from 9AM-12 PM. Doors will close promptly at 12 PM.
During Open House you will be able to:
1)Meet your child’s teacher
2)Receive back to school information
3) Fill out forms for each homeroom class
4) Join PTO for $25 per family and discover ways to be involved at High Point
5) Complete the Volunteer Registration/Application process http://www.fultonschools.org/en/divisions/sup/comm/Pages/partnersvolunteers.aspx
6) Register for afterschool enrichment activities (Y Afterschool, Dance, Chess, Yoga, Karate, etc…)
7) Enroll in meal-pay or complete meal applications – (new forms must be completed each year)
8) Obtain your child’s bus or carpool number and tag
9) Purchase HPES Spirit Wear – payable using cash/check/credit card
10) Obtain information on our Parent Resources
At Open House, you will receive a High Point Activities Calendar which lists all the important events and school days for the year. Some important beginning of the year dates to note are:
- August 5th– First Day of School
- August 16th-Back to School Picnic
- September 11th-Curriculum Night (parents only please)
Your support is essential to High Point’s success! Thank you in advance for your willingness to be involved in your child’s education, at home and at school.
Classroom Supply List: 24-25 School Supply List.docx
We are excited to welcome the following new teachers who will be instrumental in helping us achieve our goals and supporting our current work. These professionals come to us with expertise, integrity, compassion, and a desire to make a difference. Please join me in welcoming:
- Elisabeth Herrick-2nd Grade Teacher
- Luiza Atty-3rd Grade Teacher
- Shaundia Jackson-4th Grade Teacher
- Ebou Howard-5th Grade Teacher
Although we’ve had minimal turnover among our staff, we’ve had movement within our building that I want everyone to be aware of.
- Marcy Wimbush-Kindergarten
- Emmaline Mckinney-2nd Grade Teacher
- Marcella Gary-3rd Grade Teacher
- CJ Montgomery-4th Grade Teacher
- Daija Norwood-5th Grade Teacher
- Taylor Spencer-Talented and Gifted Teacher
- Beth Owens-ESOL Teacher
- Emily Saunders-ESOL Teacher
- Julie Ellis-Early Intervention Teacher
We also have one current staff member who got married and will be changing her name. Congratulations to Ms. Maddie Vavala who is now Mrs. Collins!
I eagerly look forward to greeting all students and their families at Open House. It remains an honor and privilege to serve as your principal. Together, I know we will make this school year one of growth and achievement for all children.
With warmest regards,
Danielle Miller, Ed.D
Principal, High Point Elementary
Follow me on Twitter @HPointPrincipal
Ms. Herrick-2nd Grade
Ms. Jackson-4th Grade
Mr. Howard-5th Grade
Dear Parents and Families,
On behalf of the High Point Elementary Parent Teacher Organization, we are so excited about the 2024-25 school year! We continue to stand behind our tagline “Serve. Support. Build.” because we believe in serving our school, supporting our community, and building our legacy. We have several wonderful community events planned throughout the year. We hope you will mark your calendar and join us for our first event, the Welcome Back Picnic on Friday, August 16th!
The 2023-24 school year was a tremendous success. Through the involvement and generosity of our members and partners, we were able to provide critical resources and valuable opportunities above those which can be covered by public funding. Amazingly, the PTO is projected to invest over $100,000 in our school during the 2024-25 school year. Without your support, these investments would not be possible.
Our investments for this coming school year include:
- Nearly $60,000 in academic enrichment funds including software programs, instructional materials, classroom supplies, STEAM activities, enrichment grants, and field trip funding.
- Over $25,000 in maintaining and improving our facilities and grounds including improving recreational equipment, repainting of high-traffic interior areas like stairways and handrails, and maintaining our campus grounds above and beyond the basic services provided by FCS.
- Over $15,000 in recognition and appreciation for our valuable teachers and staff.
The majority of our funding comes from families like YOU during our four main fundraisers: our annual Membership Drive, our Gifts from the Heart Auction in October (new this year), our end-of-year Parent Party & Auction, and our signature school-wide Fun Run fundraiser in the spring. We truly appreciate your support and all that it provides for our school!
In addition to financial support, HPE PTO members volunteer their time to serve our school in the classroom, at recess, at staff appreciation events, on the grounds, and in many other areas. We hope that you will consider getting involved! Learn more about PTO volunteer roles here. Additional opportunities are made available throughout the year on Class Dojo.
We truly hope that you will consider joining the HPE PTO when our membership drive kicks off on August 2nd! We would love to have you as a part of our team!
Many Thanks,
Emily Faucette & Laura Weekley
HPE PTO President & Vice President
Helpful Links: PTO Website / PTO Facebook Page / PTO Instagram Page / PTO Volunteer Link
