Message from the Mill

Puckett's Mill is looking for Local School Council Members!

Georgia law requires every school to have a local school council. The primary goal is to bring communities and schools closer together to make recommendations to solve education problems, impact academic achievement, provide support for teachers and administrators, and bring parents into the school-based decision-making process.

The council will meet four times in the 2024-2025 school year. We will meet in person and all meetings will begin at 10:00am and will last approximately 1 hour.

Dates for Local School Council:

• September 19

• October 17

• January 16

• March 24

We are looking for both parents and business members of our community to join our council. It is a great way to get involved in our school. If you are interested in joining the school council, please fill out this form.

We will begin selling ice cream on Tuesday, September 3rd. Cost is still $1 per item. Grades 1 through 5 can purchase ice cream any day. Kindergarten is able to purchase ice cream on Wednesdays and Fridays. Gluten and dairy-free items are offered. Exact change is greatly appreciated!

Looking for an idea for birthday treats for your student's class? Ice cream is an easy option. Just email your child's teacher to let them know what day you would like to do this and then send in the funds with your student on that day. Each child will be able to pick exactly what they like!

TSS Photography will be at Puckett's Mill on Thursday, September 19th, to take our fall pictures. Flyers with more information on ordering will be sent home soon. Be sure to register your email and/or phone numbers that you would like for proofs to be delivered to. Proofs will be sent out within 3-5 business days of picture day. All ordering is online directly with TSS Photography. All pictures ordered will be delivered directly to you!

We are so excited to invite grandparents to have lunch with us on September 10, 11, and 12. Information regarding your student's specific day and time was included in their classroom newsletter today and also on a flyer that went home in today's Friday folders.

Each student will be able to have a maximum of three (3) guests. Names of all guests must be submitted prior to the day of your lunch. The deadline to sign up for the lunch will be the day before your designated day. If you have any problems with the link below, please email your student's teacher the names of the individuals that will be attending the lunch. All visitors must show a picture ID.

If purchasing a lunch from the cafeteria, the cost is $4 (cash) payable the day of your lunch.

The fall book fair will be in full swing too. Plan to stop by the Media Center and shop with your student after lunch.

Please note:

• Due to safety protocols, visitors will not be allowed to walk their student to their classroom or join their class for recess. Visitors are asked to exit through the front doors when lunch is completed. If shopping at the book fair, please exit the building as soon as you are done. Please share this information with your guests prior to their visit.
• Due to available space and instructional schedules, guests will only be able to have lunch with their student on the student's designated day. We will be unable to accommodate guests on an unassigned day nor will we be able to pull siblings to eat lunch with another class.
  
• Due to the anticipated volume of visitors this week, we are requesting that only those signed up for this special week come to the school for lunch. We will welcome all lunchroom visitors again the week of September 16.

Click here to sign up!

We look forward to a great week with our grandparents!

Book Fair is coming September 9-13! This year we have changed to a new vendor called Literati.

What's the same: Whole class shopping will begin on Monday, September 9, with class times assigned throughout the week. Families are invited to shop with their child's class OR individually during their Grandparents Week lunch time.

What's new: Literati offers digital gift cards that can be purchased for students or educators. These gift cards can be used to shop in person or online.

Visit our PMES Book Fair site for the schedule, Literati links, and other information! We can't wait to discover some great new books.

4th and 5th Grade students interested in joining art club should fill out the linked application here: https://forms.gle/jvjKLL1rN5wJuVcRA More info to come via ParentSquare. If you have any questions, please email Ms. Knapp @ krista.knapp@gcpsk12.org.

Gwinnett County Public Schools’ (GCPS) 2024-2025 school calendar includes Digital Learning Days on Sept. 20, Nov. 5, Feb. 7, and March 14.

On the four planned Digital Learning Days (DLDs)—scheduled throughout the year for teacher planning/staff development—all students will learn from home, completing assignments at their own pace. Students should plan ahead to ensure they have their district-issued devices at home if needed for planned DLDs.

How will it work for students?

• Teachers will post assignments on their eCLASS C&I course pages. High school assignments will be posted by 8 a.m. Elementary school assignments will be posted by 9 a.m. And, middle school assignments will be posted by 10 a.m.
  
• Students will use the My eCLASS student portal to log in to their eCLASS C&I course pages where they will access assignments, resources, and other materials.
• Student work will be expected to be turned in to the teacher (either digitally or in person), using a school’s process for turning in work following an absence. For example, if your school allows students to turn in work two days after a missed day, the Digital Learning Day assignments would be due two days after classes resume.

Parents and students who need a refresher course on how to access eCLASS C&I course pages can go to the following web page for helpful resources and information:

https://www.gcpsk12.org/Page/31785

The best way to let the school know of a student's absence is to send an email or ParentSquare Direct Message to the teacher and complete the online Absence Excuse Note form that is located on the PMES website and linked HERE. Don't forget to complete the excuse note form within 5 days of the child's return to school explaining the reason and date(s) for the absence. If a note is not received within the 5 days, the absence(s) will remain unexcused.

We are excited to begin welcoming lunchroom visitors on Tuesday, September 3. To help things run smoothly for the visit, please adhere to the following:

• Upon arriving at school, please check in at the front desk to receive your visitor badge. A photo ID will be required. All visitors must be in the student's records as a parent, guardian or emergency contact. If the visitor's name is not in our system, they will not be able to have lunch with the student.
• Once checked in, proceed directly to the cafeteria to meet your student's class.
• All visitors will use the visitor's table in the back left corner of the cafeteria.
• Visitors may only have lunch with their student.
• Please follow all directions given by the lunchroom staff. Their guidance helps to ensure the safety of all students.
• When the student's class has been dismissed from their table, please have your student join their class.
• Once the student has joined their class, all visitors should immediately return to the front desk to check out.

We appreciate your adherence to these guidelines and look forward to having you for lunch!

Join us in the fight against cancer by participating in our upcoming event for September.

On Friday, September 27, donate $1 and wear your favorite hat to school!

We also invite you to join our Relay for Life team. Just go to MyPaymentsPlus to sign up.

Stay tuned for more events!

• The earliest a student can be checked-out of school and still be counted present for the day is 11:30 AM.

• When staff call into classrooms for check-outs, this disrupts the learning environment for all students. Parents are urged to make appointments for students before or after school hours or on non-school days. We ask parents NOT to text their children during the school day.

• Students will be called from class to be checked-out only after the parent arrives and presents appropriate identification. Picture identification of the person checking a student out from school is required regardless if the school employee recognizes the parent and/or child.

• Students will be released from school only to parents/guardians or persons authorized to check out the student.

• Students should not be checked out after 2:15 PM.

• Please ensure that your child is sitting in the passenger seat closest to the sidewalk to allow a safe exit from your vehicle in the morning.
• Please refrain from parking in the side lot to avoid a long line or to rush your child into school on time. This creates a safety hazard for students and slows down the car rider process.
• The driver and other passengers should remain in the car during arrival and dismissal.
  
• Car rider line closes at the 8:10 bell each morning. This allows all students and staff to be in place for the start of school at 8:15. Any student arriving after 8:10 will need to be escorted to the front office through the front doors.

Email: mina.banfield@gcpsk12.org
Website: pmesonline.org/home.htm
Location: 2442 S Pucketts Mill Rd, Dacula, GA, United States
Phone: 678-765-5110