Eagle Wings

Greetings Eagle Families,

We had a wonderful week in the nest! Last week our students had an opportunity to use their PBIS points and attend a Glo party during their specials time, our 3rd-5th graders enjoyed a performance by the Georgia Ensemble, and we loved having all our visitors join us for our annual Thanksgiving Feast.

In this season of Thanksgiving, we are incredibly grateful for the outpouring of generosity from our

AES families during our food drive. Together we created 50 baskets to support local families in need during the holiday season. This act is one of the many shining examples of the spirit of giving that makes AES special.

Have a safe and healthy week off. We'll see everyone back in the nest on December 2nd!

Yours in partnership,

Ms. Crawford

November:

25-29 - Thanksgiving Break

December:

3 – PBIS Celebration Event 8-11am (Barn Hill Preserve)

5 - Chorus Concert @6:30pm in cafeteria

6 - Jingle Jam (4th & 5th grade) @3-5pm in cafeteria

10 –Special Olympics field trip (AU, MOID)

12 – Jackson Healthcare Caroling (AU, MOID)

17- Holiday Parties (PK, 2, 4, AU)

18- Holiday Parties (K, 1, 3, 5, MOID)

23-31 - Winter Break

In an effort to continue to keep the safety of our students and staff as our top priority, I wanted to take a moment to remind our school community of the following processes we already have in place:

• Ringing the bell (now located on the right side of doors) when needing to come to the front office
• Having your ID on you and prepared to show prior to entering the building
• Please note, if you do not have your ID, you will not be allowed to enter the building
• Not holding the front door open for others
• Checking in and out at the front office
• Exiting the building through the front doors only

Report any safety concerns

Safety in Fulton Schools - Fulton County School System

Please reach out to Ms. Silverman, AP, (silvermanj@fultonschools.org) with any questions regarding safety in our building.

As some of you know, we have recently partnered with the City of Alpharetta to house a sub-station here at AES. Now Alpharetta PD can come into our building, work in a dedicated space and get to see our Eagles in action. This opportunity has been made possible by Alpharetta PD's community officer, Savannah Morton. If you have any questions, you can reach out to her directly at: smorton@alpharetta.ga.gov

In order to ensure safety across all areas of our school, we are now asking the following:

If visitor is here to have lunch with student:

• Visitor will show ID at the camera outside. Once let in- Front Office will greet the visitor and ask who they are here to have lunch with.
• Front office will look the student up on Infinite Campus
• If the name of the visitor is not listed on the Infinite Campus contact list, the primary contact will need to be called to get permission for the visitor to eat lunch.
• If the visitor is approved, they will need to sign in like normal and then sign back out.

Students can substitute up to 5 absences per semester (a max of 10 per year) with a remote learning day by meeting the remote learning participation benchmarks listed in FCS policy. This would result in the student being counted as present for the day(s) they participate remotely.

• To be marked present, work must be submitted within 2 days of absence.
• Students may not use a remote learning day on a test day.
• Parent/guardian or student must notify teacher in advance to the start of the instructional day to utilize the participation benchmark rule.
• Schools will make their best effort to provide instruction given early notice.
• For security reasons, students who are out of the country may not participate in remote learning.

Please reach out to your child's teacher directly to start this process. You can click here for more information.

Click here for link to 2024-25 AES Family Handbook

A few important reminders about morning arrival:

• No left turn is allowed onto Mayfield between 7:10 and 7:40 a.m. Please adhere to the posted signs and traffic laws.
• Carpool ends at 7:35 a.m. If you arrive after 7:35 a.m., you will have to park and walk your child in the front door. If the bell rings during this time, you'll need to sign your child in on the Checkmate system outside the front door.

Transportation Changes:

Transportation changes should be provided to your child's teacher on the "Notes from Home" pad you received in your red folder during open house. Please keep in mind that changes in transportation must be in writing and EMAILED to the front office (toppint@fultonschools.org).

Early Pick-Up:

When picking up your student early for appointments, you will need to present your driver’s license for safety and security. Early checkout will end at 1:30 pm.

AES Family Handbook:

CLICK HERE to access our Family Handbook and take a moment review some of the practices we adhere to here at AES. By doing so, that helps all of us be (and stay) on the same page!

The new 2024-2025 Student Code of Conduct is available on the Fulton County Schools website. Click Here for quick access. Ensure that you and your Eagle review this important document.

Please check your child's meal balance in their mypaymentplus account. Students with negative balances need to be paid as soon as possible.

Reach out to our cafeteria manager, Ms. Blyther (blyther@fultonschools.org) with any questions.

We already have lots of jackets & sweatshirts that are missing their home. If your child is missing anything, please remind them to stop by the lost & found (back of cafeteria). All items left by Winter Break will be donated.

PTO now has their own newsletter. Be sure to click on the link and read all about the great things PTO does to help AES!

https://secure.smore.com/n/fwzqd

The Fulton County Board of Education met on Thursday, November 21, 2024 for its regularly scheduled work session at the South Learning Center. The full agenda is available online via BoardDocs. Meetings are streamed live on the FCS homepage, with recordings available within 48 hours.

Superintendent’s Report
In this season of giving thanks, Dr. Mike Looney expressed his appreciation to the Board, district staff members, school leaders and their team members for everything they do to support our schools.

Bridge to Success Update
FCS Director of Grant Services Montreal Bell and Chief Financial Officer Marvin Dereef presented the final financial and program update for the district’s Bridge to Success plan. As a reminder, in March 2020, the federal government provided funding to states to provide emergency relief to schools and communities impacted by the global pandemic.

The Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief (ESSER) funds were provided in three rounds with specific purposes. The guidance for this funding included improving readiness for future emergencies, addressing learning loss by investing in summer and extended learning programs, investing in career and technical education expansion, supporting the social, emotional and mental health needs of students, providing programs and supplies for disadvantaged students, investing in technology improvements for online learning and employee recruitment and retention efforts.

The district was awarded more than $168.9 million dollars to fund the Bridge to Success plan and utilized 99.99% of the funding to implement seven initiatives:

• Every Child Reads

• FOCUS

• Expanded Program Options

• Textbook Adoption

• Student Safety

• Leadership Development

• Business Continuity

Some of the plan’s performance outcomes, which exceeded the 20% learning loss requirement, included recovering from learning disruption, recording the highest growth averages in metro Atlanta, and demonstrating fidelity of implementation for all tiers of instruction. Financial reports and school board presentations are housed on the Bridge to Success website. See the full presentation here.

CSI Update
Zone 1 Superintendent Dr. Cherisse Campbell provided an update on College Park Elementary School, which is a state identified Comprehensive Support and Improvement (CSI) school. CSI schools are low performing schools that represent the bottom 5% of all schools. The presentation reviewed the supports and focus areas of work to ensure College Park is on track to be removed from the state list at the end of the three-year designation period.

By demonstrating an improvement in Content Mastery, ELA achievement, mathematics achievement, or science achievement, College Park is on a positive trajectory to exit the CSI list. However, the school continues to face challenges like the destabilizing effects of mobility and a high percentage of students experiencing the impact of poverty.

The presentation outlined some of the next steps to ensure the school is receiving the appropriate support to move towards greater success, some of which include providing transportation for Saturday and after school tutoring for study skills and ensuring that all programs and interventions are designed to enhance student outcomes. See the full presentation here.

Proposed 2026-2027 Instructional Calendar
This month, staff presented a draft of the 2026-2027 instructional calendar, which aims to honor the instructional calendar parameters voted on by the Board in October 2024. The following list highlights the instructional calendar draft:

• 179 total instructional days

• Pre-planning begins on July 27, 2026

• First day for students is Monday, August 3, 2026

• Full fall break for students and mid-break for staff in September

• Full winter break for students and mid-break for staff in February

• 11 Professional Development and Teacher Workdays (includes pre- and post-planning)

• Last day for students is May 27, 2027

The calendar will remain on the Board's agenda for the next few months as the Board continues gathering community feedback.

Policy Update
The Board is committed to establishing and maintaining policies, procedures, and operating guidelines that maximize the efficiency and effectiveness of all district divisions. The following policies were approved for action at the Board meeting:

• EGAE Tax Sheltered Investments

• DOP Employee Pension Fund

Board Recognitions
Each month the Board recognizes outstanding students, staff, and schools honored at the state, national, or international level. Honorees must have placed first at the regional or state level or be among the top finishers at the national or international level.

• Thomas Bussey, a fifth-grade English/Language Arts teacher at Hapeville Elementary School, was recognized as a Curriculum Associates Extraordinary Educator by the Georgia Department of Education (GDOE). Read more here.

• Scottie McKinzie, a foreman for Bus Transportation North, was selected as a 2024 Garage Star by School Transportation News (STN). This prestigious recognition honors fleet management professionals who demonstrate exceptional leadership skills in their bus garages and the local community. Read more here.

2024-25 Community Meetings with Board Members
Each member of the Fulton County Board of Education sponsors a monthly meeting open to all community members. The sessions provide an opportunity for direct contact with community members and give Board members a chance to listen to local issues and concerns. Click here to see the meeting schedules of all Board members.

Check out GA Tutor Home for more information.

Click on the link below for more information on how you can submit your poster.

202425 NATIONAL SCHOOL BUS SAFETY POSTER CONTEST.pdf