Star News

Happy December!

I hope this newsletter finds your family well and that your Thanksgiving break was a wonderful one. I continue to be so proud of our students and the hard work they do each day. In addition, as I continue to walk in and out of classrooms on a daily basis, I am in awe of the dedicated staff here at Simpson who work hard to provide challenging and engaging lessons for our students. I want to thank our amazing PTA for all of their fundraising efforts to support Simpson Elementary School. Last month, I enjoyed spending time connecting with our Simpson families during our PTA Fall Festival and our Mother/Son Olympic Game Night! It was such a blessing to have such a strong school-parent partnership! On behalf of Simpson Elementary, we are thankful and grateful for all that you do to support our sweet school. I continue to say, Great Communities, build Great Schools and in turn, Great Schools build Great Communities! As we approach the end of the year, the time to celebrate is near! Let's make the month of December one to remember! Please see our Staff Calendar of Holiday Cheer attached students are welcome to join as it is optional, as we enjoy the most wonderful time of year! Please see again our 2024-2025 school calendar for review. Happy holidays to all and have a safe upcoming winter break!

Proud to be your principal,

Dr. Taffeta Connery

December 18th-20th Winter Parties

Simpson Elementary is so excited to invite parents to participate in winter parties from December 18th-20th. However, due to limited parking and classroom space, we will limit parent visitation to 1 parent/guardian (per student/family). Please see grade level dates and times below and do not hesitate to contact your grade level room coordinator for support.

Wed.12/18:

• Kindergarten & Ms. Taylor’s Class - 1:00 - 2:00 PM

• 1st Grade, Ms. Barber & Ms. Walters Class from 12:45 - 1:45 PM

Thurs. 12/19:

• 2nd Grade & Beard’s Class 1:15 - 2:15 PM

• 3rd Grade, Ms. Desai & Ms. Williams Class from 1:30 - 2:30 PM

Fri. 12/20:

• PreK, Ms. Speer, Ms. White & Ms. Bowman’s Class from 1:00 - 2:00 PM

• 4th Grade from 1:15 - 2:15 PM

• 5th Grade, Ms. Krulak & Ms. Johnson’s Class from 1:30 - 2:30 PM

Simpson Staff, please help me welcome on Tuesday, December 3, 2024, our "2024 Principal for a Day", Ms. Amanda Abbott. She is a Chief Navigation Officer at The Helm Consulting Firm located here in Peachtree Corners, Georgia. The "Principal for a Day" Program was launched in 2004 to acquaint county business and community leaders with the real-world work of today’s principals and to highlight the rewards and challenges of being “CEO” of a modern public school. I sincerely appreciate your support and engagement as I will be showing her all of the wonderful teaching and learning opportunities that take place here at Simpson!

Our school was named by US NEWS & WORLD REPORT for TWO YEARS in a ROW as one of the top-ranked #5 of BEST SCHOOLS to attend in the State of Georgia for 2025! News release on 11/14/24. Fun Fact: Georgia has 1,852 public elementary schools and 830 private elementary schools with a total of 2,682. So, being ranked #5 in the state is a BIG DEAL! Thank you to you all as it takes a village (Staff, Parents, & Community Members) to raise a child! We are so blessed and honored to receive this outstanding recognition again!

• #1 in Gwinnett County Public Schools

• #5 in the State of Georgia
• https://www.usnews.com/education/k12/georgia/simpson-elementary-school-223330

Thank you to our awesome PTA for helping us have an amazing time with our Mother/Son Olympic Game Night held on November 20th at Paul Duke HS! We had a blast! Many thanks again to all who came out to join us!

Dear K-5 Simpson Parents,

Your child will be participating in the iReady Universal Screener Assessment in language arts and mathematics for grades K-5. The testing window begins on December 2, 2024, and ends on January 17, 2025. The purpose of this assessment is to help determine each student’s academic skills in math and reading. Students are strongly encouraged to do their best.

Our Simpson Annual School-Wide Spelling Bee will be held on Monday, January 6th, 2025 at 9:15 AM in our school cafeteria with our 4th and 5th grade students. All parents of winners and runners-up are welcome to attend. Please note: The original date of January 10th has been changed due to the new iReady testing schedule for 3rd through 5th grade. We look forward to celebrating our classroom winners on January 6th!

Peachtree Corners will be celebrating the holiday season by lighting a 6-foot Menorah and an innovative LED tree at the Town Green with the Holiday Glow! Mark your calendars for this FREE event on THURSDAY, December 5th from 5:30 pm-8:00 pm. The event will kick off at 5:30 pm with a special live performance by our very own Simpson Elementary School Singers! Event attendees can cozy up with complimentary hot chocolate while enjoying holiday sing-a-longs, craft snowball bath bombs with Buff City Soap, pet stocking stuffers by Hollywood Feed, decorate holiday cookie boxes with Tiff’s treats, glowing giveaways by Illuminating Designs, and more to come!

Timeline:

5:30 PM-6:00 PM Simpson Elementary School Singers

6:00 PM-6:15 PM Holiday Tunes & Sing-along

6:15 PM-6:30 PM Menorah and Tree Lighting

6:30 PM-8:00 PM Geek Squad Holiday Show

In 2024-2025, the Georgia School Climate Surveys (GSCS) for students, teachers, staff, and families will replace the Georgia Student Health Survey (GSHS), the Georgia Parent School Climate Survey (GPSCS), and the Georgia School Personnel Survey (GSPS).

Who: All staff, parents, and only 3rd-5th grade students

What: The new Georgia School Climate Survey to be administered/provided to students in 3rd – 5th grades, staff, teachers, and parents

When: The GCPS survey window is Thursday, December 5, 2024, through Friday, December 20, 2024.

Where: Teacher classrooms

Parents who desire to have their child Opt-out will have those options given to them via Parent Square prior to survey administration. Therefore, please see a preview of the survey questions ahead of time for your review.

Staff Survey

Student Survey (Grades 3-5)

Student Survey (Grades 3-5) - Spanish

Family Survey - English

Family Survey - Spanish

The GCPS Caring Award aims to honor outstanding students at the elementary, middle, and high school levels who have gone above and beyond in embodying the values of empathy, kindness, community engagement and leadership. We believe in acknowledging and celebrating the positive impact that our students make in the lives of those around them. At Simpson, we are proud to announce our Caring Award recipients; Ellie R., Millie M. and Sameeha D. These three superstars shine with kindness wherever they go and are so deserving of this honor! The winners are chosen from all 5th grade students who were nominated and the three with the highest score (from a panel of judges) are the winners of this award. The student with the highest rating moves on to the county level and we are so excited to submit our winner, Ellie R., to represent Simpson Elementary at the district level. Great job embodying kindness and leadership Ellie, Millie and Sameeha!!

Simpson Superstars! Are you ready to start your STEM fair projects? This year we have 8 new and exciting categories to create a STEM project from. Make sure to visit the STEM Fair Google classroom for the driving questions and to make a copy of your STEM Fair Journal.

What is PBIS?

At its heart, PBIS calls on teachers to teach kids about behavior, just as they would teach about any other subject—like reading or math. PBIS recognizes that kids can only meet behavior expectations if they know what the expectations are. An indicator of a school using PBIS is that everyone knows what’s appropriate behavior. Throughout the school day—in class, at lunch, and on the bus—students understand what’s expected of them

Supporting PBIS at Home

Nurture your child's self-esteem. A child with a good sense of self is happier, well adjusted, and does better in school. Strategies for fostering self-esteem include giving your child responsibilities, allowing them to make age appropriate choices, and showing your appreciation for a job well done.

Foundational Elements of Families in PBIS

Building positive relationships

Engaging in two-way communication

Ensuring equitable family representation

Making meaningful data-driven decisions

The grand opening of our PBIS store occurred on September 9th. Students have been enjoying redeeming their earned Starbucks for various prizes. Please see our Simpson Superstar grade-level buying days:

Monday - 5th grade

Tuesday - 4th grade

Wednesday - 2nd grade and 3rd grade

Thursday - 1st grade

Friday - Kindergarten and PreK

Simpson is excited to offer an opportunity for parents with children ages birth to five!

We are so blessed to have one of our veteran, retired, and former Simpson Kindergarten Teachers, Ms. Sharon Terry! Once again she will be our Play2Learn instructor during the 24-25 SY. Therefore, please help us spread the good news to all of your family and friends, who may have children in this age range to call the school for additional information. Want to learn more about how to be your child's best teacher through PLAY? Simpson Elementary is offering the GCPS from Birth-To-FIVE Program for you and your child!

Little Learners Academy for children birth through five years old will meet on the third Tuesday of each month from 5-6pm. Come join the fun of learning!

December 17th

January 21st

February 18th

March 18th

April 15th

Students will have the opportunity to purchase ice cream from a variety of selections during lunch. Ice cream is $1.00 and will be sold Monday/Wednesday/Friday for all grade levels. Class Parties for ice cream sales are also available. Please email your child’s homeroom teacher for details.

GOOD NEWS CLUB

2nd-5th Graders

Mondays October 28- March 31,2025

Meeting after school with car pick-up at 5:00

Students who are in GASP will be escorted back at 5:00

Meeting in the Media/Library Room

FREE However, donations are welcome

Register on line www.goodnewsclubgwinnett.org/student/registration (Limited Enrollment)

Club activities include; Snacks, Interactive Bible Stories, Memory Verses,, Active Games, Lively Songs.

The Club emphasizes Biblical Principles, character qualities, respect for authority and moral values.

There is a Treasure Box of toy rewards, Surprises and lots of laughter and fun.

Leaders are specially trained Christians, concerned for the spiritual life of your child.

For Questions…Contact Cathy Hicks- Coordinator hm. 770 447 0540

jchicks@thejrg.net

On behalf of Simpson Elementary School, I wanted to take this time and opportunity to thank Dr. Mary Kay Murphy as our District III Board Member for her years of service. It has been an honor to serve as a principal under her leadership as her term as a board member of Gwinnett County Public Schools will end on December 31, 2024.

Meeting Dates for the 2024-2025 School Year:

Meetings will begin at 7:30 AM and will be held in the Professional Learning Lab on site. Light refreshments will be available.

• January 31, 2025

• March 28, 2025

GCPS will continue to follow guidelines as it relate to safety & security by visitors producing identification when inside the vestibule to check out students (as well as during visiting lunch hours).

In addition, we will continue to follow safety guidelines to minimize the risk of infection and/or spread of COVID-19. Therefore, if anyone in your household becomes sick and has tested positive for COVID-19, please contact our school nurse, Amy Norris, and/or your homeroom teacher immediately.

Principal- Dr. Taffeta Connery

Assistant Principal- Ms. Brandy Bosak, Grades 1st, 3rd, & 5th

Assistant Principal- Ms. Jeanette Johnson, Grades K, 2nd, & 4th

Assistant Principal- Ms. Stephanie Wells, Special Needs & Connections

Counselors:

Sheri Terry

Nicole Faulstich

School Hours

Office Hours: Monday - Friday, 7:30 AM - 4:15 PM

• All visitors must check in at the welcome desk and please be prepared to provide some form of identification upon request.
  

Students should arrive between 8:20 AM- 8:50 AM

Morning announcements and tardy bell rings at 8:50 AM

Dismissal bell rings at 3:20 PM

• If you are checking out your child early from school, please do so on or before 2:45 PM. This leaves our bus lanes open for bus arrivals. Also, please remember that a picture ID is required for all student check-outs. Thank you!

Please click here to join the PTA for the 2024-2025 School Year!

Did you know that becoming a PTA member does not require you to volunteer?

Your memberships have an enormous impact! Simpson PTA sponsors and coordinates over 30 programs each school year.

Visit our website and join our PTA Facebook page to stay connected!

December 1 - 7 | Spirit Week with Kendra Scott

December 9 - 12 | Giving Tree Donation Drive Drop-Off

December 10 | All Pro Dads, 7 AM

December 16 | Arts in Education, Atlanta Brassworks Performance

December 18 - 10 | Winter Parties

We have 315 PTA Members, and have received $2,141 in direct donations

Thank you for your gracious support!

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Submit your baby ad content by January 1, 2025

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Support from the businesses in our local community is critical in the PTA's success in providing enriching (and fun!) experiences and programs to our Superstar students and staff.

To learn more about partnering with our PTA, please visit our website and/or

contact our Business Partners Chair, Heather Reich, businesspartners@simpsonespta.org