Eagle Family Weekly News

Thank you for two wonderful first days of school! We met with students and shared our theme this year: Champions are MADE: Motivated, Achievement-Focused, Determined, Exceptional.

We look forward to a truly remarkable year, our 25th Anniversary of winning for kids at East Lake!

Friendly Reminder:

Beginning tomorrow, parents may only walk their students to the exterior front doors of the building. If you choose to walk your student to that point, please park in a front parking space. For the safety of all, no curb parking is permitted.

Stay Connected:

This newsletter will be provided each Sunday for your review. Please take a few moments to read it each week to stay informed of all things happening in and around the Eagles Nest.

You can also follow our Social Media accounts to keep up with the fun throughout the year.

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/eastlakehcs

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/eastlake_hcs/

X (formerly known as Twitter): https://x.com/eastlake_hcs

Let's make this a great week, East Lake!
Dana Flowers

Principal

It's hard to believe that our 5th graders already had their last first day at East Lake! Let's make this their best year...yet!

We are anticipating some rainy weather this week. Please plan in advance and leave a few minutes early if raining in the morning. We tend to experience higher arrival traffic on these days.
Thank you for ensuring your student is in class at 7:35 a.m.

Monday:

• 5:30 - 7:00 pm @ MHS: Meet Dr. Pace, our sole finalist for HCS Superintendent

Tuesday:

• Reading MAP Assessment (Grades 1 - 5)
  

Wednesday:

• Smile! It's going to be a great day!

Thursday:

• Thankful Thursday: send a quick note to a teacher or staff member sharing a kind word about the start of school.

Friday:

• Math MAP Assessment (Grades 1 - 5)
  

You will receive this information in printed form during Open House. However, these are answers to frequently asked questions and important look-fors in our first weeks of school.

We look forward to seeing you soon!

• The parking lot is for one-way traffic only (no turning left when you pull in).
• The school building opens at 7:10 a.m. for student drop off. Students cannot be left unattended prior to 7:10 a.m.
• All car-riders must be dropped off in the front of the building, except between 7:15 - 7:30 when the bus lane can be accessed.
• We will use the right lane only for morning drop off. Cars will pull all the way up to the end of the school and students may enter in the door closest to them when they exit the vehicle. Do not stop to let your student out at the front door…pull all the way up!
• Please assist us by having your child/children ready to get out of the car on the passenger side when you pull to the front of the school. We appreciate your patience and support as we work to make morning drop off as fast as possible.
• Please remember that school begins at 7:35 a.m. and that students will be considered tardy after that time. Students who are tardy must be escorted into the office by an adult for check-in.
• If you plan for your child to eat breakfast at school, please have them arrive at school by 7:20 a.m. This will allow time for them to eat and report to class by the 7:35 morning bell.

During Open House, you will be able to assign the afternoon transportation routines for your child. If that should change at any time, please note the following:

• Handwritten notes should be provided to the homeroom teacher first thing in the morning. Failure to follow this process will result in your child’s “normal” transportation to be followed.
• We do not accept Dojo messages, emails, phone calls, or text messages to make transportation changes.

• We recognize two parties per year in our classrooms. Outside of those school-planned events, parents may not bring outside food to share with students who are not their own.
• For birthday celebrations, parents may choose to send in Goody Bags for each classmate (without any food or candy within) for teachers to distribute. This allows all students to participate regardless of food allergy, etc.
• Neither teachers nor students are permitted to delivery birthday (or any other) invitations to students in the class.

Per district policy, students ages 8 and under must have an adult at the bus stop to receive them each afternoon. The parent/guardian must be visible to the bus driver.

• Student cell phones (and other digital devices, including AirPods and smart watches) are to be turned off and left in student backpacks for the duration of the school day, which includes transportation on the school bus.

Each year, there are adjustments made to the HCS Code of Conduct. This is the guide used to determine consequences for behavior violations, and can be a helpful reference tool for conversations with school staff and with families.

• Your teacher will provide information to join their Class Dojo for ongoing school related messages.
• The Eagle Family Weekly News will be emailed & sent via DOJO each week on Sunday. Please refer to that for school updates and important information.

• Students should remain at school until the end of the day. However, when the need arises for a student to be dismissed early, early checkouts should be completed by 1:50 p.m..
• After 1:50 p.m., parents should report to the car rider pickup line.
• After 1:50 p.m., parents may not wait in the office or front lobby for their child to be called for dismissal.

Previously, we had room parents volunteer and assist the teachers in coordination of events during the year. However, instead of relying on volunteers for the duration of the school year, the teacher will now request assistance on an "as-needed" basis. There will not be a "sign-up" for this duty within classrooms. We are so grateful to have numerous classroom helpers throughout East Lake! Thank you for partnering with your child's teacher to make it a truly remarkable year. Please stay informed of classroom events, wish lists, and classroom needs by reading the newsletters and Class Dojo announcements weekly.

• All visitors must present photo identification prior to entering the building during the school day. The front office will utilize Infinite Campus to verify you have access to the student(s) you request to visit. The front office will ask this of all visitors, regardless of how often they attend.
• Once the door is opened, you will stop by the front office to retrieve a visitor pass. This procedure has been established for two reasons:
1. Most importantly, we must ensure the safety of all children
2. Georgia law requires that all visitors sign-in at the front office upon entering a school building. [O.C.G.A. 20-2-0016(c)].
• Items Brought to School for Students:
1. Parents should refrain from reporting to school regularly to deliver items their child forgot (i.e. Chromebooks, lunch boxes, etc.) For your child's convenience, our water fountains can be used to refill water bottles.
2. Items brought will be placed on a cart in the lobby and delivered to student as staff is available. Students will not be called to the office to retrieve these items prior to parent leaving.
3. Please do not drop off items that are likely to melt or create a large mess prior to student delivery. Milkshakes, smoothies, and/or sodas will neither be refrigerated nor delivered to classrooms in advance of lunchtime.

• Visits to the classroom should be pre-arranged by contacting your child’s teacher and/or School Administration.
  
  

1. No lunch visitors will be permitted until August 29th. This allows us an opportunity to establish and practice lunch routines and procedures with all students.
2. To maximize opportunities for peer interaction and to ensure all guests have a pleasant lunch experience, it is preferred that students have no more than one lunch visit per week.
3. Parents may not bring outside food to share with students who are not their own. This policy includes birthday celebrations and lunch visits. Unless requested by a teacher, parents may not bring goody bags with snacks inside for students.
4. Food delivery orders (Uber, GrubHub, etc.) will not be accepted for students/parents.
5. Visitors are only permitted to report to the Eagle Café for the duration of lunch. Lunch Visitors are not permitted to travel with the class once their lunch period has ended. Lunch visits are not an opportunity for any parent/teacher conference.

· August 1st – August 2nd: Parents may walk their students to class on these days only. Please park your car in a parking space and enter through the main entrance in front of the building.

· Beginning August 5th: Parents may park their vehicle in a parking space in the front of the school and walk their student(s) to the exterior front doors only.