MUSTANG NEWS

Happy Friday and Happy Black History Month!

Thanks for an awesome week! Today we celebrated our January Mustangs of the Month. Congratulations to all of our honorees and thank you to the families that were able to come. Below you will find helpful information for our upcoming week:

• BLACK HISTORY MONTH: It's Black History Month! Throughout the month, we will pay tribute to the many to African American men & women who have made significant contributions to America and the rest of the world in the fields of science, politics, law, sports, the arts, entertainment, and more! Just for fun, we have a Black History Month Attire Calendar for staff and we would love for our students to participate as well. The calendar is detailed below.
  
  
• STUDENT ARRIVAL: Please remember that we receive students beginning at 7:00 am. Please refrain from dropping students off prior to 7:00 am as we do not have before school care nor do we have staff members available prior to 7:00 am.
  
  
• TRAFFIC CONCERNS: Please be mindful that during both drop off and pick up, families should refrain from pulling around other cars. This will ensure safety for our students and families during this time. Parents should use the appropriately spaces to park and follow our traffic markers at all times.
  
  
• Please remember our Car Rider Etiquettes shared last week:

  
  

  • Please be alert at all times! We have students exiting vehicles, parents and students crossing the street, and staff supporting students as they exit their vehicle. Please be attentive to all mustangs.
  • Please do not park in the car rider loop. The car rider loop is for quick drop offs only. If you would like to exit your vehicle and escort your child into the school, please park in a nearby visitors parking space. Parents may escort students to class up until 7:35 am daily.
  • Please have your student ready to exit the vehicle. This means, make sure his/her bookbag and other belongs are ready and easily accessible. This speeds up the process tremendously!
  • Pull all the way forward.
  • Help your student learn his/her car rider number.
  • Please be patient!
  
  
• SGC ELECTIONS: Candidate Declaration Window Now Open! The window for parents and teachers to declare candidacy for their school's School Governance Council opens on February 1. During this time, individuals interested in serving a 2-year term (July 1, 2023 – June 30, 2025) will have the opportunity to complete a Candidate Declaration Form. The declaration window will remain open until March 24 with voting to take place in April. Schools have been provided an electronic elections toolkit and the Governance Team is finalizing additional elections materials including posters, handouts, and lawn signs. These materials will be sent out near the end of the month and should arrive at schools in early February for SGCs and school administration to use to promote elections.
  
  
• TITLE I STEAM NIGHT: STEAM Night is finally here!!!!! Our STEAM Team and teachers have put a lot of time and energy into making this night successful for our students, and we are looking forward to see you there! This will be a fun family event featuring creative and collaborative hands-on activities to explore the different areas of STEAM! A food truck will be onsite and accepts both cash and card.
  
  
• FCS HARDSHIP TRANSFER WINDOW: Applications for a hardship transfer will open on January 1st and remain open through February 28th. Applications are reviewed annually by the Student Assignment Office. Through this process, parents can seek a transfer for medical reasons, curriculum differences, child care situations or if they are an employee of the school system. Parents may also request the renewal of an existing hardship transfer. The Hardship Transfer Policy as well as the Hardship Transfer Guidelines (see below) will be used to determine student eligibility. HARDHSHIP TRANSFER GUIDELINES
  
  

• FEBRUARY 14TH: JUST A REMINDER.... As we approach Valentine's Day, it important to remind parents and families that candy, desserts, baked goods (store bought/homemade), or any other edible items are not to be sold or distributed at school or on the bus unless approved in advance by school administration. Per our Student Code of Conduct, students who do not adhere to this expectation are subject to disciplinary action for violation 7A: Failure to Follow Rules and all candy or food items will be confiscated. Please discuss this expectation and possible consequences with your student(s) as this will be taken very seriously. This is due to recent national and state reports about students sharing edible items and synthetic medications with other students that contain very harmful substances.

  
  

  Please know that taking this measure will help us maintain a safe environment for all students. You can help us protect your student(s) by requesting that they not eat anything given to them by another person, anything that they have not brought from your home or anything not in its original sealed package.

  
  

  Thank you for your continued partnership in keeping all of our students safe at school! As always, if you have any questions or concerns, feel free to reach out at any time cantya@fultonschools.org.

Kind Regards,

Principal Canty

It is time for the election of new members to our School Governance Council. The School Governance Council has both parent/guardian and teacher positions open for election. Parents or guardians of students who will be attending our school during both the 2023-2024 and 2024-2025 school years are eligible to run for the parent/guardian SGC positions.

Our School Governance Council (SGC) plays a critical role in the success of our school. The SGC works with school leadership and the community to help determine the long-term direction of the school, design innovative solutions to increase academic achievement, and serve as school ambassadors to the local community. Specifically, the School Governance Council has the following powers:
• Create, approve, and monitor the implementation of the school strategic plan
• Manage the Request for Flexibility process
• Approve the annual budget recommendations and related allocations
• Participate in the hiring of the principal, in the case of a vacancy
• Provide annual feedback to the Area Superintendent on principal performance

If you are interested in running for a position on the School Governance Council, please complete and submit a Parent/Guardian Candidate Declaration Form. Forms will be available on Wednesday, February 1st.

We are very excited about the work and value-add of our SGC. We hope that you will consider running for a position! The Candidate Declaration period ends March 24th and voting will take place April 12 – April 19. In the meantime, if you would like more information about the charter system or SGC elections visit our school’s website or our Charter System Overview.

Mrs. Canty

Cliftondale will be hosting STEAM Night on Thursday, February 9th! Join us for this free, family event featuring creative and collaborative hands-on activities to explore the different areas of STEAM! Please let us know if your family will be able to attend. A food truck will be onsite and accepts both cash and card. STEAM Night RSVP (office.com)

FATHER DAUGHTER DANCE: The Father Daughter Ball is officially SOLD OUT! We appreciate your support! All payment methods have been closed. Please do not attempt to send any funds through Zelle. Funds will not be claimed by the PTA, and it will take at least 14 days for the bank to process your refund. As a reminder...this is a prepaid event. Funds will not be collected at the door nor with unpaid guests be admitted.

JOIN US FOR CAREER DAY 2023! Career Day gives students an up-close look at different career paths. Career Day allows community members and leaders the opportunity to come into the classroom to share insights about their career and details about necessary education and training for career success. Please RSVP for Career Day by CLICKING HERE. Please share the flyer and registration information with family members and friends.

Cliftondale Elementary Parents!

Cliftondale Elementary is so excited to launch our new Shirt Sponsorship program! Through this program, we will be able to provide an item of spirit wear to EVERY student in our school, while also raising needed funds for our school wide initiatives.

The primary component of our Shirt Sponsorship program is for our Color Run Shirts; however, theses shirts can be used for other CES events. We are hoping to partner with local businesses to help sponsor these shirts. Their logo or name will be displayed on the back of the shirt and worn by every student in our school. Not only will their support be incredibly helpful to Cliftondale, but it will enable us to support them as a community!

If you know of, or are part of, a business that would be interested in becoming a Shirt Sponsor, please see the attached Sponsorship Letter and Form for more information. A printed copy of this packet was provided to all Cliftondale students on Friday, January 20th.

We need a commitment from all Sponsors by February 10, 2023, in order to supply all our students with a shirt.

Thank you in advance for supporting our school!

If you have any questions, please contact me at youngj1@fultonschools.org.

• February 6th-February 10: School Counseling Week
  
• February 9th: STEAM Night 4:30 pm-6:30 pm
  
• February 10th: PTA's Annual Father Daughter Dance
• February 10th: Semester 2: 4.5 Week Progress Report Posted in Parent & Student Portal
• February 20th: President's Day-SCHOOL CLOSED
• February 21st: Professional Development Day-NO SCHOOL FOR STUDENTS
• March 1st: Moms on the Move 8:00 am-10:00 am & Dads on Duty 7:00 am-8:00 am
• March 6th-March 10: School Social Worker Week
• March 13th: Professional Development Day-NO SCHOOL FOR STUDENTS
• March 14th: Teacher Workday-NO SCHOOL FOR STUDENTS
• March 14th: Semester 2: 9 Week Progress Report Posted in Parent & Student Portal
• March 14th-March 17th: School Board Appreciation Week
• March 15th: Spring Picture Day
• April 3rd-April 7th: Spring Break-SCHOOL CLOSED
• April 13th-April 21st: Boosterthon Fundraiser
• April 17th: Community Meeting at Cliftondale Elementary School
• April 21st: Semester 2: 13.5 Week Progress Report Posted in Parent & Student Portal
• April 24th: PK-2nd Grade Field Day
• April 25th: 3rd-5th Grade Field Day
• May 1st-May 5th: Teacher Appreciation Week
  
• May 1st-May 12th: Georgia Milestones Testing for 3rd-5th Grades
• May 3rd: Moms on the Move 8:00 am-10:00 am & Dads on Duty 7:00 am-8:00 am
• May 11th: School Nurse Appreciation Day
• May: Grade Level Honors Programs/End of Year Celebrations (TBA)
  
• May 25th: Last Day of School
  

As you know, our 3rd, 4th, and 5th grade students will take the Georgia Milestones Assessments in the spring. The Georgia Milestones Assessment System is designed to provide information about how well students are mastering the state-adopted content standards in the core content areas of English language arts, mathematics, science, and social studies.

Importantly, Georgia Milestones is designed to provide students with critical information about their own achievement and their readiness for their next level of learning – be it the next grade, the next course, or the next endeavor (college or career).

Informing parents, educators, and the public about how well students are learning important content is an essential aspect of any educational assessment and accountability system. Parents, the public, and policy makers, including local school districts and boards of education, can use the results as a barometer of the quality of educational opportunity provided throughout the state of Georgia. As such, Georgia Milestones serves as a key component of the state's accountability system – the College and Career Ready Performance Index (CCRPI).

Please visit the parent resources provided below from Georgia DOE:

Georgia Milestones Parent QA

Georgia Milestones Study Resource: 3rd Grade

Georgia Milestones Study Resource: 4th Grade

Georgia Milestones Study Resource: 5th Grade

Please review Cliftondale's 2022-2023 School-Family Compact, Parent-Family Engagement Plan as well as Fulton County School's Parent-Family Engagement Plan by CLICKING HERE. Parents, school staff, and students partnered together to jointly develop the School-Family Compact and school Parent and Family Engagement Plan (PFEP). This was done through input collected from feedback forms, surveys, and input meetings held annually in the spring. The School-Compact explains how families and teachers will work together to make sure all students reach grade-level standards at Cliftondale Elementary School.

All students above 10 years of age and their parents/guardians are asked to digitally sign the School-Family Compact in the Infinite Campus Parent/Student Portal. Your digital signature acknowledges you have received, read, and agree to the School-Family Compact. read, received and agree to the School-Family Compact. If you have questions about Title I or need assisting with acknowledging receipt of the Title I documents, please contact our Parent Liaison, Ms. Hope Render at 470-254-3040 or by email at renderhh@fultonschools.org

Thank you to the many parents that attended our Title I Assessment Workshop on January 24, 2023. Through this session, we learned about the many different assessment administered to elementary school students in FCS. Unable to attend? No problem! The full presentation is linked for you here. After reviewing the presentation, we welcome your feedback through the Evaluation Survey Link. For the meeting, please select Family Math Night/Workshop 1st. Your feedback is greatly appreciated!

Thank you to the many parents that attended our Title I Technology Workshop this past week. Unable to attend? No problem! The full presentation is linked for you here. After reviewing the presentation, we welcome your feedback through the Evaluation Survey Link. Your feedback is greatly appreciated!

Thank you to the many parents that attended our Title I Literacy Workshop on October 5, 2022. Through this session, we discussed with parents how kids learn to read and how parents can support their child develop into a strong reader. Unable to attend? No problem! The full presentation is linked for you here. After reviewing the presentation, we welcome your feedback through the Evaluation Survey Link. Your feedback is greatly appreciated!

In addition to your child's teacher, our curriculum team is here to support you! If you have questions pertaining the curriculum, understanding a specific skill/standard, need additional strategies to support your child at home, please feel free to reach out to one of our curriculum team experts. They are here for you and happy to support you and your Mustang!

Curriculum Support Teacher: Yazmin Hicks- hicksz@fultonschools.org
-Curriculum Administrator for all curriculum/content areas

Instructional Support Teacher: Dr. Shabo- shabog@fultonschools.org
-Special Needs Administrator

K-2 Literacy Coach: Mrs. Kalista- kalista@fultonschools.org

3rd-5th Grade Literacy Coach: Ms. Johnson- johnsonkr1@fultonschools.org

Math Coach: Mrs. Everett - everettba@fultonschools.org

"Here Comes The Bus App" is a free, easy-to-use website and app that enables you to see the location of your child’s school bus on a smartphone, tablet, or personal computer. This way, you know when the bus is near your stop, so you can send your child out at just the right time. No more worrying about whether your child has missed the bus! If you have questions or concerns regarding your child's assigned bus or bus stop, please contact FCS Transportation Department at 470-254-6060

Are you registered for your Campus Parent Portal Account? If not, REGISTER TODAY! Everything you need as a parent is contained in the parent portal. You can monitor your student's grades throughout the school year, review your child's schedule, download progress reports and report cards, update your contact information, register other students within your household, withdrawal your student and so much more! If you already have an account, you do not need to register again. New users should contact our Data Clerk, Ms. Allen at allenk3@fultonschools.org

Fulton County Schools (FCS) remains committed to communicating updates and/or changes to COVID-related protocols within the district. Maintaining face-to-face instruction is a top priority for our district. Fulton County Schools will conduct case investigations and contact tracing for positive cases only. Parents should report only positive cases to the Parent portal. Do not submit a report if you are waiting on a pending test result or for an exposure/direct contact. Fulton County Board of Health Case Investigators, FCS School Nurses and FCS Case Investigators will response to student and staff cases. Please be safe, and as always: Do not come send your child to school sick. If your child tests positive, please keep he/she home and isolate (follow the guidance provided by the Case Investigators and your provider). Please submit the positive test results via the PARENT PORTAL

In order to help keep our scholars healthy, we are asking all families to monitor any signs of illness in their children. In the document below, you will find several common childhood illness, symptoms, and guidance how to treat.

Looking for Cliftondale Spirt Wear? Then look no further! Visit our PTA's School Store for all spirt ware and uniform needs.

Principal: Mrs. Canty- cantya@fultonschools.org

Assistant Principal: Mrs. Long- longt@fultonschools.org

Curriculum Support Teacher: Yazmin Hicks- hicksz@fultonschools.org

School Counselor: Dr. Ford- fordb@fultonschools.org

Instructional Support Teacher: Dr. Shabo- shabog@fultonschools.org

K-2 Literacy Coach: Mrs. Kalista- kalista@fultonschools.org
3rd-5th Grade Literacy Coach: Ms. Johnson- johnsonkr1@fultonschools.org

Math Coach: Mrs. Everett - everettba@fultonschools.org

Parent Liaison: Ms. Render- renderhh@fultonschools.org

School Social Worker: Dr. Carver- carvera@fultonschools.org