WEEKLY WONDERS

Winter Break Edition

Pictured above: This Ellis holiday card was created by Erdkinder (8th Grade) student, Izzy.

We wish all of our families a WONDERFUL holiday season and a SAFE, PEACEFUL winter break!

Important Dates

December 21-January 6- Winter Break

January 6- Staff Planning Day

January 7- Students Return to School

January 9- Open House

January 11- SCCPSS Choice Program Application Window Opens

January 15- School Council Meeting

January 18- PTA Squeaky Clean Improv Night

January 20- Dr. MLK Jr. Day- No School!

January 25- Family Engagement

January 31- Donation Dress Down Day

January 31- SCCPSS Choice Program Application Window Closes

View the SCCPSS Academic calendar at this link.

View the SCCPSS Assessment calendar at this link.

Open House

If you have a student moving up a developmental level next school year (i.e. Kindergarten to 1st grade, 3rd grade to 4th grade, or 6th grade to 7th grade), this Open House is a great time to see an example of the learning environment they will be in next school year.

Additionally, if you know anyone who is interested in having their student join our school for the 2025/2026 school year and who is planning to apply during the SCCPSS Choice Program open application window, please share this information with them.

2025-2026 Pre-K Lottery

You can find more information about the SCCPSS Pre-K program and lottery on the SCCPSS website.

2025-2026 SCCPSS Choice Program

The SCCPSS Choice Program application window for the 2025-2026 school year will be open January 11-31, 2025.

If you have a Pre-K student at Ellis this year, you MUST apply for your student to attend kindergarten at our school next year.

If you have an 8th grade student who wishes to attend a Choice program for high school, you must apply for those schools/programs during this time.

More information can be found on the Choice Program page of the SCCPSS website.

If you have questions specific to our school, you may contact our Choice Program coordinators Ms. Patrice (patrice.prince@sccpss.com) and Ms. Ava (ava.woodie@sccpss.com).

School Counseling

As 2024 comes to a close, we want to express our sincere thanks to each of our families and supporters of our school counseling program. We truly appreciate the partnership we have with you all!

Please consider joining us for our next Family Engagement workshop, which is set for Saturday, January 25, 10am-11am in our school media center.

Ms. Rebecca

912-395-5470 x71201

rebecca.burkhart@sccpss.com

Ms. Ava

912-395-5470 x71243

ava.woodie@sccpss.com

Late Arrival/Early Dismissal Reminders

Families, please remember that if your student arrives to school after 8:15am, you MUST walk them into the school and sign them in at the front door.

Additionally, early dismissals will NOT be permitted after 2:15pm.

Thank you for your attention to and cooperation with these procedures.

Change in Dismissal Notice

If your student will have a change in their dismissal transportation (i.e. They will be a car rider when they are normally a walker or vice versa), we ask that you email their teacher no later than 12pm. This will help us ensure that your student is in the right dismissal location.

If you do not follow this procedure, it may take us a longer than normal to get your child to you.

We appreciate your help with keeping dismissal as smooth as possible.

Boosterthon T-Shirt Survey

The Ellis PTA, through the generous donations of business partners, provides every student with a FREE t-shirt to wear during the annual Boosterthon Fun Run event (in February).

To ensure that your student gets the best size, the PTA needs parents/guardians to fill out this brief form for EACH of their students.

Thank you for your help with this.

Grace & Courtesy Focus

Throughout the school year, Ellis has a school-wide focus on certain positive character traits. Each teacher may choose to highlight these "Grace & Courtesy" emphases differently, but as a school we follow a general common curriculum.

From December 16-January 17th, our school-wide Grace & Courtesy emphasis is UNITY/LOYALTY.

The language for identifying/naming UNITY/LOYALTY from the "Self-Awakened Child" series by Jonathan Wolff:

Unity

When I think that all animals, birds, bugs, plants, and people are all part of Earth's big family, I am thinking about Unity.
When I look at all the ways people who look and talk different than I do are like me, I am thinking with Unity.

Loyalty

When I choose to be your friend and I am your friend forever, no matter what happens, I am being Loyal.
When whatever I do or say helps our friendship grow closer and better and I never purposely do anything to hurt you, I am being Loyal.
When my words and actions are the same as the love and truth of my heart, I am being Loyal to myself.

PTA Night at Front Porch Improv

Front Porch Improv is hosting a squeaky clean (family friendly) improv show on January 18th at 5:30pm.

Tickets are $12 and 100% of the proceeds will be donated to the Ellis PTA!

The Ellis PTA wants to thank our sponsor, Tremble Productions, for making this event possible.

You can purchase tickets at this link.

PTA Membership Drive

Join the Ellis PTA at this link.

Questions?

If you have any questions, don't hesitate to reach out. You have resources available to you:

Your student's teacher
SCCPSS website
Ellis website
Fellow school community members (via "Charles Ellis Montessori Academy PTA" Facebook group- search for it and join!)