MUSTANG NEWS
Cliftondale Elementary School-Community Newsletter
February 9, 2024
Dear Parent/Guardian,
At Fulton County Schools, we truly value the feedback from our parents about their experiences with the district. That is why I encourage all parents to take the Annual Parent Perception Survey. This survey allows parents the opportunity to tell us what they think about their student’s schools and the district. While we always make it a priority to listen to our parents, this survey affords us another opportunity to receive your thoughts and opinions.
The survey is anonymous and confidential. Please complete one survey per school where you have one or more students enrolled. The survey will remain open from Monday, February 12 through Friday, March 15.
It’s not only parents we want to hear from. Our students’ opinions are important too! Students in grades 3-12 will be provided with the opportunity to take the Annual Student Perception Survey between February 12 and March 15 during the school day. In our ongoing efforts to remain transparent with parents, please take a moment to review the 3-5 student survey and/or the 6-12 Student Survey.
The Annual Perception Survey is currently available in English, Spanish, Portuguese, Chinese, Hindi, and Punjabi. If you or your family would like to take it in a language that is not listed, please email your child’s principal.
The parent FAQ is now available in:
To access the parent survey, click https://www.fultonschools.org/annualparentsurvey or scan the QR code with a smartphone. Thank you in advance for making your voice heard!
Kind Regards,
Mrs. Canty
FRIENDSHIP PARTIES - SAFETY FIRST!!!
SAFETY REMINDER: As we approach Valentine’s Day, it is important to ensure that all homemade candy, desserts, baked goods, or other edible items are not to be sold or distributed during school hours, and that appropriate store-bought items are delivered to the administration. Please know that taking this measure will help us maintain a safe environment for all students with allergies, etc. You can help us protect your student(s) by requesting that they not eat anything given to them by another person, anything that they have not brought from your home or anything not in its original sealed package.
Thank you for your continued partnership in keeping all of our students safe at school!
IT'S NATIONAL SCHOOL COUNSELING WEEK
Thank you, Dr. Ford!!!
February 5-9, 2024 is National School Counseling Week, and we celebrate our very own, Dr. Ford!!!! Over the course of a school year, Dr. Ford spends countless hours providing school counseling services, supports, interventions, and learning opportunities to students as they plan for academic, college-career and social emotional success. The 2024 NSCW theme is “School Counseling: Standards-Based, Student-Focused.” We appreciate you Dr. Ford, and all that you do for our students!!
PK 2024-2025 LOTTERY REGISTRATION - GET REGISTERED TODAY
PK LOTTERY REGISTRATION IS NOW OPENED! Parents may complete the lottery registration February 1, 2024 - March 8, 2024 using the provided link:
https://fultonschools.az1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_d4qSzBK7y12hLO6
Parents should email FCS's PK Department at prekregistration@fultonschools.org if you have questions.
Cliftondale’s Wax Museum of Black Excellence
CELEBRATING BLACK HISTORY
BLACK HISTORY PROGRAM
STEAM NIGHT - COMING SOON!!!!!!
SCHOOL GOVERNANCE COUNCIL
Candidate Declaration Window IS NOW OPEN!
It is time for the election of new members to our School Governance Council. The School Governance Council has both parent/guardian and teacher positions open for election.
Our School Governance Council (SGC) plays a critical role in the success of our school. The SGC works with school leadership and the community to help determine the long-term direction of the school, design innovative solutions to increase academic achievement, and serve as school ambassadors to the local community. Specifically, the School Governance Council has the following powers:
• Create, approve, and monitor the implementation of the school strategic plan
• Manage the Request for Flexibility process
• Approve the annual budget recommendations and related allocations
• Participate in the hiring of the principal, in the case of a vacancy
• Provide annual feedback to the Area Superintendent on principal performance
The candidate declaration phase will begin on Monday, February 5th and will end Friday, March 29th at 5:00 pm. Voting will be April 17th-24th. The Governance and Flexibility team provides a toolkit with a wealth of materials that we anticipate will support your Outreach and Communication Committee and SGC with the elections process. Additional election tools and information are available on the FCS charter website: Charter System (SGC) / Elections (fultonschools.org)
GET YOUR YEARBOOK
Fulton County Schools Hardship Transfer Applications is February 29, 2024
Applications for parents who wish to apply for a 2024-25 hardship transfer or to renew a current hardship to another Fulton County elementary, middle, or high school are available beginning January 1, 2024.
Parents will use an online form, available through the school system’s website, to enter and submit their information. Hard copy applications are not required, except for medical transfers which require a medical provider’s signature and documentation.
The deadline for submitting a transfer application is Thursday, Feb. 29, 2024, by 4:30 p.m., with no exceptions or extensions granted. All requests must be received or postmarked by this date and time. In addition, school system employees who have children receiving an employee hardship transfer must renew their request.
The February 29 deadline applies to students and parents seeking a hardship transfer for medical reasons, curriculum differences, and childcare situations or for employees’ children. Schools participating in open enrollment, a separate transfer process that allows students to move to a school with available space, will be announced in early May.
Parents with questions or who need more information about hardship transfers can contact the Fulton County Schools’ Student Assignment Office at 470-254-5550 or visit the FCS Hardship Transfer webpage.
CAREER DAY 2024 - WE NEED YOU!
MARK YOUR CALENDAR
~Semester 2 School Events
February 14, 2024: 2nd Semester 4 ½ Week Progress Report (viewable in Parent Portal)
February 14, 2024: Friendship Party
February 19, 2024: Presidents’ Day-School Closed
February 20, 2024: Professional Development Day-No School for Students
February 27, 2023: STEAM Night
March 1, 2024: Mustang of the Month – 8:30 am
March 6, 2024: Moms on the Move 8:00 AM-9:30 AM/Dads on Duty 6:55 AM- 8:00AM
March 6, 2024: Assessment Workshop – 8:30 am and 5:30 pm
March 11, 2024: Teacher Workday-No School for Students
March 12, 2024: Professional Development Day-No School for Students
March 14, 2024: Spring Individual & Class Picture Day
March 15, 2024: 2nd Semester 9- Week Progress Report (viewable in Parent Portal)
April 1-5, 2024: Spring Break – Schools Closed
April 11-19, 2024: Boosterthon- Fundraiser
April 12, 2024: Mustang of the Month – 8:30 am
April 24, 2024: 2nd Semester 13 ½ - Week Progress Report (viewable in Parent Portal)
April 29-May 17, 2024: Georgia Milestones – End of Grade
April 30, 2024: PK Transition Meeting
May 1, 2024: Moms on the Move 8:00 AM-9:30 AM/Dads on Duty 6:55 AM- 8:00AM
May 3, 2024: Mustang of the Month – 8:30 am
May 6-10, 2024: Teacher Appreciation Week
May 15, 2024: PK Awards Day – Time TBA
May 15, 2024: Kindergarten Awards Day – Time TBA
May 16, 2024: First Grade Awards Day -Time TBA
May 16, 2024: Second Grade Awards Day -Time TBA
May 17, 2024: Third Grade Awards Day -Time TBA
May 17, 2024: Fourth Grade Awards Day -Time TBA
May 23, 2024: Last Day of School
May 24, 2024: Post Planning - No School for Students
June 1, 2024: 2nd Semester Report Card (viewable in Parent Portal)
As you know, our 3rd, 4th, and 5th grade students will take the Georgia Milestones Assessments in the spring. The Georgia Milestones Assessment System is designed to provide information about how well students are mastering the state-adopted content standards in the core content areas of English language arts, mathematics, science, and social studies.
Importantly, Georgia Milestones is designed to provide students with critical information about their own achievement and their readiness for their next level of learning – be it the next grade, the next course, or the next endeavor (college or career).
Informing parents, educators, and the public about how well students are learning important content is an essential aspect of any educational assessment and accountability system. Parents, the public, and policy makers, including local school districts and boards of education, can use the results as a barometer of the quality of educational opportunity provided throughout the state of Georgia. As such, Georgia Milestones serves as a key component of the state's accountability system – the College and Career Ready Performance Index (CCRPI).
Please visit the parent resources provided below from Georgia DOE:
Georgia Milestones Study Resource: 3rd Grade
Georgia Milestones Study Resource: 4th Grade
PTA CORNER
What better time than now to join our PTA? Use the QR Code or link provided to access our platform for joining. Remember to share our membership information to your family and friends as they can join also.
Have questions or suggestions for PTA? Please email our Executive Board at any time.
Please review Cliftondale's 2023-2024 School-Family Compact, Parent-Family Engagement Plan as well as Fulton County School's Parent-Family Engagement Plan by CLICKING HERE. Parents, school staff, and students partnered together to jointly develop the School-Family Compact and school Parent and Family Engagement Plan (PFEP). This was done through input collected from feedback forms, surveys, and input meetings held annually in the spring. The School-Compact explains how families and teachers will work together to make sure all students reach grade-level standards at Cliftondale Elementary School.
All students above 10 years of age and their parents/guardians are asked to digitally sign the School-Family Compact in the Infinite Campus Parent/Student Portal. Your digital signature acknowledges you have received, read, and agree to the School-Family Compact. Parents may CLICK HERE to access the parent and student portal in Infinite Campus. If you have questions about Title I or need assisting with acknowledging receipt of the Title I documents or would like a printed copy of any of the documents, please contact our Parent Liaison, Ms. Hope Render at 470-254-3040 or by email at renderhh@fultonschools.org
2023-2024 ANNUAL TITLE I MEETING
Thank you to the many parents that attended our Annual Title I Meeting and Curriculum Night on September 26, 2023. During our Title I Meeting, we discussed the following items:
- Understand what makes our school a Title I school including requirements, funding, and associated programs;
- Understand school provided resources such as curriculum, assessment, parent resources, and staff contact information;
- Understand Family Engagement at our school;
Unable to attend? No problem! The full presentation is linked for you here. After reviewing the presentation, we welcome your feedback through the EVALUATION LINK. Your feedback is greatly appreciated!
LITERACY WORKSHOP
This past week, we hosted our Title I Day of Literacy. Many thanks to the families that attended and our Literacy Coaches for making this a hands-on , enjoyable experience for our students and parents! . Through this sessions, parents learned a lot about literacy and how to support their students with literacy development through fun and engaging learning activities.
Unable to attend? No problem! The full presentation is linked for you here. After reviewing the presentation, we welcome your feedback through the EVALUATION LINK. Your feedback is greatly appreciated!
TECHNOLOGY WORKSHOP
Many thanks to the families took part in our Technology Workshop. Unable to attend? No problem! The full presentation is linked for you here. After reviewing the presentation, we welcome your feedback through the EVALUATION LINK. Your feedback is greatly appreciated!
SUPPORTING YOUR MUSTANG AT HOME
In addition to your child's teacher, our curriculum team is here to support you! If you have questions pertaining the curriculum, understanding a specific skill/standard, need additional strategies to support your child at home, please feel free to reach out to one of our curriculum team experts. They are here for you and happy to support you and your Mustang! Each month, we will share resources with parents so that you can support your child at home. Please connect with each of us if you have any questions.
Curriculum Support Teacher: Yazmin Hicks- hicksz@fultonschools.org
-Curriculum Administrator for all curriculum/content areas
Instructional Support Teacher: Dr. Shabo- shabog@fultonschools.org
-Special Needs Administrator
K-2 Literacy Coach: Mrs. Kalista- kalista@fultonschools.org
3rd-5th Grade Literacy Coach: Ms. Johnson- johnsonkr1@fultonschools.org
Math Coach: Mrs. Everett - everettba@fultonschools.org
📚K-2 LITERACY SUPPORT - FEBRUARY 📚
📚3RD-5TH GRADE LITERACY📚
NUMERACY K-5
MARCO & MEGAN'S PENCIL SHOP
COMMUNITY RESOURCES
Inspiring BodyWorks is excited to offer FREE Male Initiative Program offered for boys ages 7-17. Their program, On The Right Track, meets approximately 2 Tuesdays per month at the Hugh C. Conley Recreation Center in College Park. Participants are provided with dinner and work on character development, social & emotional skills, life skills, communication & critical thinking skills, leadership & teamwork, positive attitude & more! The boys hear from high-quality speakers provided by Jump Forward, Inc., and from our fabulous partner representatives, including first responders and law enforcement agencies. Visit their website for additional information: Inspiring BodyWorks
Champions Soccer is a 501c3 organization that offers customized GRASSROOT soccer training programs in a safe and supportive environment. They are dedicated to ensuring that our communities’ youth have greater access to quality programs and services that help promote healthy lifestyles, academic success, and strong leadership skills. Additionally, they have partnered with the City of South Fulton as the official soccer provider.
More on our mission can be found Here!
SMART CELEBRATIONS
Parents, family members and friends are not allowed to bring in cakes, balloon bouquets, flowers, goodie bags, gifts, pizza, or any other type of treat to celebrate a student birthday. Teachers are not allowed to celebrate birthdays in the class with a party or a snack either. Rather, parents may purchase a Smart Celebrations Package from the cafeteria. This can be done to student birthdays and/or any other classroom celebrations. Smart Celebration packets should be purchased in the cafeteria at least (2) days in advance. Please contact our Nutrition Manager, Ms. Curry at curryd1@fultonschools.org
INFINITE CAMPUS - PARENT PORTAL
Are you registered for your Campus Parent Portal Account? If not, REGISTER TODAY! Everything you need as a parent is contained in the parent portal. You can monitor your student's grades throughout the school year, review your child's schedule, download progress reports and report cards, update your contact information, register other students within your household, withdrawal your student and so much more! If you already have an account, you do not need to register again. New users should click the link provided to register: Parent Portal Registration
*Please note, if you DO NOT have an email address on file, you will be unable to register via the provided link. Please call the school and ask for our Data Clerk, Ms. Allen.
FULTON SCHOOLS TIP LINE
See It. Hear It. And Report It Every Time
If you SEE or HEAR anything about school threats, weapons, violence, bullying, drugs, self-harm, or have other school safety suspicions or concerns, REPORT it EVERY time anonymously using the SHARE TIP LINE.
Join the FCS News Emailing List
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DISTRICT 4 COMMUNITY MEETINGS
IMPORTANT❗ UPDATING EMERGENCY CONTACTS
SCHOOL CONTACT LIST
ADVANCED STUDIES/TAG DEPARTMENT
The consideration for gifted services may be reported or automatic as defined by the GaDOE Resource Manual for Gifted Education Services. The Fulton County School System screens all students for eligibility for gifted services twice a year and uses a systematic approach to identify highly capable students who may qualify for gifted services. The gifted teacher routinely reviews available data to refer students for further assessment. Students meeting either the automatic screening OR the classroom screening criteria AND who have supporting data gathered from test history, products, and/or advanced content levels are referred for additional testing to determine gifted eligibility.
BUS RIDERS/BUS STOP INFORMATION - CLICK HERE to verify your child's assigned bus stop info. All stop times are approximate times. If you have questions pertaining your child’s assigned stop or assigned bus, please contact FCS Transportation Department at 470-254-6060.
"Here Comes The Bus App" is a free, easy-to-use website and app that enables you to see the location of your child’s school bus on a smartphone, tablet, or personal computer. This way, you know when the bus is near your stop, so you can send your child out at just the right time. No more worrying about whether your child has missed the bus! If you have questions or concerns regarding your child's assigned bus or bus stop, please contact FCS Transportation Department at 470-254-6060 OR contact our supervisor:
Cheowana Henderson, Supervisor
Hendersonc1@fultonschools.org
Charisse Weigner, Special Needs Supervisor
weignerc@fultonschools.org
- The app will request a school code, which is 87428
- How do you access your student's student ID number? Parents may access their child's student ID number from the parent portal in Infinite Campus.
- If you add your child and the bus number or bus stop is incorrect, please contact our supervisor, Ms. Henderson
- If you add your child and their is no bus route displayed, please contact our supervisor, Ms. Henderson.
IS YOUR CHILD TOO SICK FOR SCHOOL?
Fulton County Schools (FCS) remains committed to communicating updates and/or changes to COVID-related protocols within the district. Maintaining face-to-face instruction is a top priority for our district. Fulton County Schools will conduct case investigations and contact tracing for positive cases only. Parents should report only positive cases to the Parent portal. Do not submit a report if you are waiting on a pending test result or for an exposure/direct contact. Fulton County Board of Health Case Investigators, FCS School Nurses and FCS Case Investigators will response to student and staff cases. Please be safe, and as always: Do not come send your child to school sick. If your child tests positive, please keep he/she home and isolate (follow the guidance provided by the Case Investigators and your provider). Please submit the positive test results via the PARENT PORTAL
ELEMENTARY SCHOOL MENUS
MYPAYMENT PLUS
MyPaymentPlus to prepay for student meals
FREE AND REDUCED LUNCH APPLICATIONS
School Lunch Application will be available after July 24, 2023.
Principal: Mrs. Canty- cantya@fultonschools.org
Assistant Principal: Mrs. Long- longt@fultonschools.org
Curriculum Support Teacher: Yazmin Hicks- hicksz@fultonschools.org
School Counselor: Dr. Ford- fordb@fultonschools.org
Instructional Support Teacher: Dr. Shabo- shabog@fultonschools.org
K-2 Literacy Coach: Mrs. Kalista- kalista@fultonschools.org
3rd-5th Grade Literacy Coach: Ms. Johnson- johnsonkr1@fultonschools.org
Math Coach: Mrs. Everett - everettba@fultonschools.org
Parent Liaison: Ms. Render- renderhh@fultonschools.org
School Social Worker: Dr. Carver- carvera@fultonschools.org