Eagle Family Weekly News

I love that I didn't mention his challenge in the news last week and still got some emails and updates on how families spent their time. I believe this challenge is so important because it requires intentional effort to focus on family time. Let's keep this going! There are some great opportunities for free family fun in McDonough right now:

• Walk around the square to see all of the scarecrows!
• Take a brisk walk at our local parks. Bud Kelley Park is a personal favorite of ours!
• Many of our local churches and business are preparing for harvest activities and free family fun!

Click here for the survey each day your family participates. We will do another prize drawing at the end of October.

Our students did an incredible job preparing their writing and for poetry recitation. The competition was strong this year! A huge congratulations to the following students who will represent East Lake at the next round of district competition!

Writing Winners:

Charlie Puckett, Louis Nguyen, Ava Blount, Jaela Gordy, Ashton Davis, and Katelyn Roberts

Poetry Winners:

Quinn Tharpe, Corbin Jones, Brin Drake, Dax Guined, Josie Philmon, Kria Drummond

East Lake took home the grand prize of 19 elementary teams on Saturday! We are so proud of this team and look forward to their next round of competition at the regional level.

Congratulations to the following students:

AJ Alfred, Luke Curry, Brin Drake, Andy Fifield, Dax Guined, Joshua Montgomery, Vera Murillo, Samir Patel, Hazel Lane Pope, and Asa Tharpe

We are so proud of you!

We love to honor our veterans!

If you have a veteran near and dear to your heart, please complete this form so we can add them to our Wall of Honor.

If your child has a veteran they'd like to invite for a special ceremony in honor of their service, please RSVP for the Veterans Day Celebration by clicking here.

Last week, we averaged 41 tardy students per day. I'd love to decrease this number this week! If you are driving your child to school, will you consider leaving a few minutes early?

Additionally, please accept this as a friendly request to prioritize school attendance. We get lots of questions about when to keep students at home: if students are vomiting, running a temperature, or have diarrhea, they need to stay at home until 24-hour symptom free without aid of medication. Please do not send them in with medication and hope they will get to feeling better. We want to protect all other students and staff from those germs. However, when healthy, we would love for them to be at school.

Yearbooks are on sale now! The price is currently $35 and will go up at the end of the month! Purchase your book today for a spring delivery!

5th grade parents: Yearbook recognition ads are now on sale for your 5th grader! Please see the email from your child’s teacher with further information or visit jostens.com to make your purchase.

BETA Club is hosting a drive to help those affected by Hurricane Helene. Please see the flyer for needed items. If you are able, please send in items this week. BETA Club students will collect donations in the front lobby each morning.

Monday:

• 50th Day of School! Your child can participate by wearing your favorite 50's gear!

Tuesday:

• Why not have your student draw a picture for outstanding cafeteria team?

Wednesday:

• On Wednesdays in October, we wear pink for breast cancer awareness!

Thursday:

• Read for the Record Day

Friday:

• Kindergarten Field Trip: Southern Belle Farms
• SOTM Lunch for our September winners!
• New Kids on the Block (see below)

At East Lake, we prioritize the holistic development of every child. Our "New Kids on the Block" initiative ensures that new students feel welcomed and supported. We meet with them every 8-9 weeks with 1st-5th grade students. During these check-ins, student ambassadors connect with new students, offering advice and encouragement. Our dedicated counselors, mental health and wellness facilitator, and social worker are also on hand to provide additional support, fostering a nurturing environment for all. Our second meeting will take place this Friday. Check out pictures from our last meeting

*School dress code still applies. No slippers, tight/revealing clothes, etc.

*Students are not permitted to bring toy weapons.

Thank you to the Southern Crescent Women in Business team for donating 30 pumpkins for upcoming activities.

We are so proud of Ms. Moore and her outstanding team! Their work in our After-School Program makes a positive impact on our students and school. Check out their awesomeness at our upcoming event.

We still have some awesome East Lake shirts on sale in the front office. We have a variety of sizes and styles (long sleeve, short sleeve, and hoodies, too!) First come, first served.

Greetings East Lake Families!

Please complete your 2024 - 2025 Online Free & Reduced Meal Application. If you have qualified for free or reduced status in previous year, or believe you may be eligible, we encourage you to complete a Free and Reduced Meal application as soon as possible to ensure your benefits are applied for this current school year.

Completing the application takes only a few minutes, yet the possible benefits for your family are many. Qualifying families may be eligible for discounted fees for standardized tests, as well as college scholarship opportunities.

The Free and Reduced Lunch Application can be completed online from the Parent Portal in Infinite Campus. If you have questions regarding the school meal application process, please contact Erica Banon by email at erica.banon@henry.k12.ga.us.

• We recognize two parties per year in our classrooms. Outside of those school-planned events, parents may not bring outside food to share with students who are not their own.
• For birthday celebrations, parents may choose to send in Goody Bags for each classmate (without any food or candy within) for teachers to distribute. This allows all students to participate regardless of food allergy, etc.
• Neither teachers nor students are permitted to delivery birthday (or any other) invitations to students in the class.

• Student cell phones (and other digital devices, including AirPods and smart watches) are to be turned off and left in student backpacks for the duration of the school day, which includes transportation on the school bus.

Each year, there are adjustments made to the HCS Code of Conduct. This is the guide used to determine consequences for behavior violations, and can be a helpful reference tool for conversations with school staff and with families.