Star News

Greetings Simpson Families,

It is so hard to believe that the school year is almost over! It seems that time has just flown by so quickly. It has truly been an honor and a privilege to work with the students, staff, and families of Simpson Elementary. Our school is definitely a sweet place to work and play. A special thank you also goes to our 2024-2025 PTA Executive Board, (CO-PRESIDENT) MAXINE MCCLURE, (CO-PRESIDENT) JORDAN MALLORY, (SECRETARY) MISTY RATCHFORD, (TREASURER) PHIL HEBENSTREIT, and the entire board for always going the extra mile to support our kids. Thank you for your dedicated time, service, and commitment to our students. On behalf of the entire school, we thank you for all of your hard work!

To end, I hope that you all enjoy the last few days of school and just know that I am always just a phone call away if you are in need of anything throughout the summer.

Proud to be your principal,

Dr. Connery

May Announcements

May 4- 18th- PTA Spirit Month with Tiff's Treats- use school code: Superstar

May 5th-15th- DA & i-Ready Window for 3-5 Grades

May 12th-16th Starburst Week

May 18th-5th Grade Singers at the Gwinnett Stripers Game at 1:05 PM

May 19- 20th PTA EOY Parties

May 20th - Fifth Grade Promotion at PDHS at 6:30 PM

May 21 - Fifth Grade Walk & Last Day of School at 2:30 PM

We would love to see lots of Simpson Superstars come out and support our 5th graders singing at the Gwinnett Stripers baseball game on Sunday, May 18th at 1:05pm. Our 5th grade singers will perform God Bless America at the top of the 7th inning. What a fun way to start off our last week of school!

Tickets for the game are $15 and can be purchased anytime using the following link: https://www.gofevo.com/event/Simpsonelementary68

May is Asian American and Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander Heritage Month. The Social Studies Office has curated a set of resources to commemorate and celebrate this month for teachers. In addition, Asian American-Pacific Islander's who have made a contribution to our society are currently being highlighted daily on the morning news for students.

Last month, Simpson Elementary School was proud to celebrate Exceptional Children's Week (ECW), which is an annual celebration of children with disabilities, gifts, and talents. Therefore, annually, we recognize our special needs population with a celebration of all of our exceptional students. This year's theme is Bridging Gaps and Building Futures, where we highlighted each day of the week on the morning news with fun facts about notable people in our society who have overcome challenges with their disabilities (e.g. Daniel Radcliffe (Dyspraxia) most notable for his role as Harry Potter, Daniel Radcliffe has lived with a mild case of dyspraxia for his entire life), in addition to, Tom Cruise, Whoopi Goldberg, Frida Khalo, and Helen Keller just to name a few. Also, many thanks went out to our technology team for pre-recording various Special Needs Classes reciting the Pledge of Allegiance every day of the week.

Finally, to end our ECW with a bang, we had a former Simpson Parent, State Representative, Mr. Scott Hilton, speak to our K-2 classes about raising his son with Autism (now current Norcross HS Student), Chase Hilton, and speaking about being different is okay. Showing kindness and being inclusive is the best version of humanity. Simpson Elementary School has a special needs population of 214 (23%) of 946 students, where we strive to ensure that our students are valued, recognized, and instilled with high expectations for all! Many thanks again, Mr. Hilton, for sharing your personal experiences with our students.

We were so excited to welcome our newest superstars to Simpson earlier this month with Kindergarten Registration and Screening Day! Many thanks to our amazing Kindergarten staff, PTA Executive Board Members, and GCPS Transportation for having our kiddos take a quick look at boarding the big yellow bus! It was a wonderful, fun-filled day meeting new and returning parents! Please see the letter attached for details regarding our Summer Rising Kindergarten Academy!

Do not forget to order school supply kits for your rising K-5th grader! It takes less than 5 minutes to order and the kits will be delivered straight to Simpson if you order before June 15! Take all the guesswork out of school supply shopping and order today!

Reminder - Kits are for the grade your student will be in next year :)

Questions? Reach out to Laura Pusateri, laurapusateri23@gmail.com or 404.210.9092.

Though the Pigeon might not always demonstrate ideal behavior, the stories are a fun way to discuss lessons about patience and respect for others. The humor makes these books appealing to both kids and parents.

According to the US News Report for 2025, Simpson Elementary School is ranked #5 as one of the BEST Elementary Schools in the State of Georgia. Schools are ranked on their performance on state-required tests, graduation, and how well they prepare their students for high school. Simpson is ranked as:

• #1 in Gwinnett County Public Schools

• #5 in the State of Georgia

• https://www.usnews.com/education/k12/georgia/simpson-elementary-school-223330

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).

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!

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