Crabapple Crossing Elementary

Principal's Newsletter

September 13, 2019

From the Principal

Dear Parents,

We are getting close to Fall even though it does not feel like it outside. I know everyone will be grateful when cooler temperatures arrive. This week we welcomed our Watchdog Dads back to campus. Our students absolutely love having their dads enjoy the morning with them by volunteering. Thanks to everyone for supporting this program and making it fantastic!

Next week our board members have two community meetings. Exact dates, times and locations are in my newsletter at the bottom. I would encourage you to attend if possible. Our superintendent will be the guest speaker on Tuesday at Lake Windward if you missed him last month at Sweet Apple. Come out and join us if you have extra time.

Changes to the school calendar are being discussed for the Spring and feedback will be provided to the school board soon so final plans can be made. It is important to note, the academic calendar is not yet finalized so stay abreast of newsletters, websites, and the board meetings for further updates in the near future.

We have had a great week of teaching and learning. Many teachers are getting formally observed at this point and it is always intriguing to see what the students are doing and their level of engagement. I am so proud of both students and staff. Teachers will be holding parent conferences the week of October 7-11. Make sure to get with your child's teacher to sign up for a time to visit one-on-one. Our goal is always 100% participation.

Please share a heartfelt thank you to all grandparents who visited us last week. We had over 400 join us in classrooms. I was able to pop in almost every room and say hello. I saw grandparents reading aloud, conducting interviews, and sharing themselves with students who had no one in attendance. That is truly the spirit. We hope they enjoyed their day as much as we enjoyed having them here! Please see pictures below.

Enjoy your weekend. Milton football travels to California this weekend, but I hope you can see them in action next week against Roswell!

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Bus Concerns

We have consistently had two late buses on campus recently. These are Light Blue Dog and White Polar Bear. I contacted the supervisor yesterday as we are receiving parent complaints at the local school level. I want to remind you this is not a building level issue. When you as a parent have bus issues, a phone call or email needs to be sent to North Transportation. Ethan Martin is your new contact in place of Crystal Brooks. Crystal Brooks is no longer with Fulton so your emails are going to an empty email if you have been trying to contact her. Please make note of this change.

I was told buses are late because they do not have enough drivers on staff. This means we have current drivers who sometimes are asked to return back to school and carry a second load. I wish I had a better resolution to this problem for you, but I think transparency is key at this time. Again, we at the school are doing all we can to support our drivers, but understand finding qualified employees can be a challenge at times. Thanks for your patience as transportation works to resolve this issue. Again, any issues need to be directed to their office.

Ice Cream in Cafe Update

At this time we have halted sales of ice cream in our cafe until we find a better way to manage the lines we are seeing. On Wednesday of this week the sale of ice cream delayed our lunches. When this happens, it causes a domino effect to our academic schedules. Additionally, it places a burden on our staff supervising in the cafe, teacher duty free lunch breaks, and parents who are visiting their child for lunches are delayed. Until we make this a seamless process, we will not be selling items to our students. We are working with our school nutrition supervisor to come up with a reasonable plan. Stay tuned for more details soon.

A Frank Conversation About Reading Levels

Reading comprehension is SO much more than a level. So what other factors come into the conversation when it comes to this hot topic? Why is a level a teacher tool and not a label? How do teachers use their knowledge of reading levels to enhance their classroom instruction? How can parents encourage their children to read, without it being all about the level? Join our literacy coach, Sarah Jones and our Media Specialist, Jessica Jackson as they dive into this important topic on Tuesday, October 8th at 9:00am. We will meet in the book room.

Digital Citizenship Parent Workshop

There will be a Digital Citizenship Parent Workshop in the Media Center on Tuesday, October 8th at 10:00am. This workshop will focus on Internet Safety and Digital Footprints.

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Digital Citizenship at CCES

Crabapple Crossing Elementary School is in the process of becoming a Common Sense Media Certified School for the 2019-2020 school year!

Our students have been receiving lessons during their Technology Special and their Media Special that are designed by Common Sense Media on Digital Citizenship. Students are learning to be good Digital Citizens and stay safe on the internet. Our goal is to give our CCES Colts the digital education needed to begin developing positive and responsible digital footprints. In addition to being a vital resource to educators in this digital age, Common Sense Media is also a great resource for parents to use as they guide their children through these formative years.

Be sure to check out the Common Sense Media website:

https://www.commonsensemedia.org

iRead and iReady at Home

If your student would like to access iRead and iReady from home, please open the following link for directions on how to access these resources: https://www.fultonschools.org/Page/7272

When you are asked for your child’s username and password, please use the following information:

Username: student number (10-digit ID number, which can be found in Infinite Campus)

Password: birthdate MMDDYYYY

PTO News

Our PTO Board would like to congratulate Dr. Williams on this next incredible step in her career to join Clarke County School District as their Executive Director of Strategy and Innovation! As you are aware, a search is currently underway for our next Principal. Our parents have be given a voice in this process through a Survey active through 9/22. Access here. A Parent Forum will be held September 26, 1pm - 2:15pm in the CCE Media Center. All parents are invited to attend - this is not a hand picked group and does not have a cap on number of attendees. This is an opportunity NOT OFFERRED to most FCS schools! It is important to attend if you are able. Please RSVP here.

Do you love to plan fun events? We are looking for co-chairs for the Winter Dance committee. These people will create decorations based on the theme and coordinate food, along with a team of volunteers. Don’t forget this is a big night...it’s Basket Raffle too! Contact Candace Perry at candaceperry27@gmail.com if you are interested or have questions.

Please contact us at pto.colts@gmail.com with any questions, suggestions or concerns! Also, follow us on Twitter at @CCES_Colts_PTO or on Facebook by searching Crabapple Crossing Elementary School - Colts.

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CCES student places 3rd in chess tournament

Chesstronics hosted their monthly chess tournament on September 8, 2019, in Alpharetta. The open section allows any grade school student to compete irrespective of the age or rating. Our third-grader, Shalin Kumar, was the youngest among the ten contestants in the open section. Further, eight of those contestants were rated higher than him (908). With three wins (against 1015, 1200, and 1330 rated players) in four games, he earned the joint-second-highest score. The tie-break rules placed him at third position.

Way to go Colts!