Chestatee September Newsletter

Dear Chestatee Families,

We are off to a great start this school year! Our students and staff have been working hard these first few weeks to establish school and classroom routines and procedures. We have also spent time getting to know one another and building community. It’s going to be a great year at the T.

On Thursday evening, we hosted our K-2 APTT/Curriculum Night, and it was a full house! Thank you for spending time with us. We hope you left feeling like you know more about what your students are learning, where they are academically, and how to support at home. We value our partnership. Research from the National Coalition for Parent Involvement in Education shares that “No matter their income or background, students with involved parents are more likely to have higher grades and test scores, attend school regularly, have better social skills, show improved behavior and adapt well to school.” Thank you for taking the time to meet with us. We look forward to Round 2 when we host our 3-5 APTT/Curriculum Night on Tuesday, September 10th.

Next week, we are excited to officially kick off our Boosterthon fundraiser with PTO. We are just getting started and have already raised more than $1500! We appreciate your participation as we collect funds to support yearly PTO operations, like family events and teacher grants, and bigger projects like Phase 2 of playground upgrades (new equipment is pricey) and outdoor benches in the bus lanes. We can’t wait for the Fun Run on Friday, September 20th. You are welcome to join us.

I am grateful for your continued support of our school community.

Together, we are Chestatee!

Jennifer Williams

We are proud to announce Tiffany Vorick as the Chestatee Teacher of the Year. Tiffany was surprised this morning by our principals, her family, and her teammates. It was an exciting morning!

This is Tiffany’s fourth year at Chestatee. She and her husband, Michael, have two kids who attend Chestatee. Taylor is a fifth grader, and Emilia is a third grader.

Mrs. Vorick has taught 15 years- 12 of which were in elementary school. She received her Bachelor's degree from Ball State University in Muncie, Indiana and her Master’s degree from the University of North Georgia. This summer, she completed her Specialist degree. Tiffany has taught second and fourth grade, as well as EIP in grades 1-5.

Mrs. Vorick is known for her calm demeanor. She is a fantastic teammate and leader. She collaborates with others, offers and articulates ideas well, and is never one to brag or boast. Students love her calm and structured style. Families love partnering with her. Staff members love working with her. We are very grateful Tiffany teaches at the T.

Congratulations to our 2024-25 Teacher of the Year, Tiffany Vorick!

Thanks to Leigh Baldwin for painting another beautiful rock.

Our parents bring the fun to car line!

We had a great time celebrating our summer learners!

Our first orchestra concert was amazing! Teachers and family members were invited.

Thanks to these fourth and fifth graders for helping in car line! We loved the energy.

We love seeing our fifth graders as leaders in the school. Thank you, Game Changers!

We are so proud of these three finalists: Bonnie Lee, Tiffany Vorick, and Jennie Sirko!

Mrs. Wiggins was awarded a grant for technology by the Forsyth County Education Foundation.

We are proud to announce Ansley Acuff as our August Staff Member of the Month!

Ansley is the bookkeeper and principal’s secretary at Chestatee. She supports the staff, students, and families in many ways. Everyone notices that Ansley does her job with a smile and great attitude, and she is always willing to help.

Ansley and her husband, Jeremy, have two boys and live in the Chestatee Community. The boys attend East Forsyth High School and are former Chestatee Eagles. In her spare time, Ansley can be found at the baseball field watching her boys play. She also enjoys heading to Auburn to visit her parents and sister’s family every chance she gets.

We are very grateful that Ansley works at the T. Congratulations to her on this great honor. A big thank you to our Chestatee Elementary PTO and Mathnasium of Coal Mountain for sponsoring our Chestatee Staff Member of the Month Program! And thank you to Warbington Farms for donating their fresh flowers to celebrate.

Forsyth County Schools is partnering with Neptune Navigate to provide lessons focusing on digital citizenship. Each month will dig into a different topic. During the month of September, students will be learning about Digital Citizenship: “The Chestatee Way.” Our goal is to teach students to be Safe, Responsible, and Respectful when using technology and engaging online.

Would you like to continue the conversation at home? Here are some questions you may ask your elementary aged child:

· Why is it important for you to be smart and safe online

· Can you think of some things the internet is good for? How about what it’s bad for?

· How can you tell if someone is a stranger? How can you tell if someone is a stranger online?

· What does it mean to be responsible in the online world?

September 3: Lunch visitors and volunteers welcome

September 5: Academic Parent Teacher Teams/ Curriculum Night K-2: 6:00 PM

Tuesday, September 10: Academic Parent Teacher Teams/ Curriculum Night 3-5: 6:00 PM

September 11: Patriot Day- Students and staff are invited to wear red, white, and blue.

September 12: Boosterthon kicks off for PTO

September 16: Title I Annual Meeting 10:00-11:00- Multipurpose Room

September 17: Constitution Day- Students and staff are invited to wear red, white, and blue.

September 17: High Flyer Ceremony 9:00AM (by invite)

September 20: Fun Run Date (updated date from previous calendar)

September 23-27: Fall Break

Academic Parent Teacher Teams or APTT is a class meeting with the teacher.

Families meet each other.

The teacher shares a skill, data, and ways to help at home.

Families practice the game/ strategy and then write a goal for the next meeting.

We hope you can join us!

Our first meetings are September 5 for K-2: 6:00 PM and September 10 for 3-5: 6:00 PM

Resources from our Counseling Department.

Resources for Food Help

Food Help- Spanish

Mentoring Info

President- Kandi Wetzel

Co-Vice Presidents- Jennifer Grindle, Liana Hall, and Nicole Tierney

Secretaries- Meg Killingsworth and Christy Pittman

Treasurer- Emily Morgan

Parliamentarian- Julia Weart

Contact our PTO here!

If you ask to connect your Kroger Plus card to Chestatee Elementary, they will donate a certain percentage of the profits to our school. You can find out more about how to do this if you CLICK HERE.

Publix Partners with Chestatee also. You only need to put your phone number in as you checkout. Publix will donate a certain percentage of their profits to Chestatee from your purchase!

We love our Partners in Education!

Email: chestateees@gmail.com
Website: http://www.forsyth.k12.ga.us/site/default.aspx?domainid=260
Location: 6945 Keith Bridge Road, Gainesville, GA, United States
Phone: 770-887-2341
Facebook: facebook.com/ChestateeES
Twitter: @chestateees