Good evening,

It's 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 2025-2026 and 2026-2027 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 are available here: https://fultonschools.az1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_bKQw8Bu9jVMt78O

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 28th and voting will take place April 16 – April 23. If you would like more information about the charter system or SGC elections, visit https://www.fultonschools.org/our-district/charter-system/elections

Sincerely,

AJ Smith

Better today than yesterday!

Congratulations to Our Nengajō Contest Winners! We are proud to announce that two of our talented students placed in the Georgia Association of Teachers of Japanese (GATJ) Nengajō (New Year’s Card) Contest! Landon Dittmore, an 8th grader, earned 2nd place, and Liliana Elliot, a 7th grader, secured 3rd place with their beautifully designed traditional Japanese New Year’s greeting cards celebrating the Year of the Snake. Their creativity and artistic skills truly shined in this statewide competition. Congratulations to both students on this wonderful achievement!

https://gatj.weebly.com/awards--recognition

Thank you for the PTSA and our parents for a Wild Week of Eats and Treats! Teachers & Staff started the week with Sarah's Donuts, a Continental Breakfast, a Snack Bar, HOT Breakfast catered by the Cozy Coup and a Valentine's Dessert Bar. Each teacher was gifted a $10 Amazon Card with a box of candy and it was clear that you "Totally Wild About Our Awesome Teachers and Staff!" A very special thank you to PTSA President Cathy Sparks, PTSA Teacher Appreciation Chairs Jamie Griffin, and Linda Afani.

Thank you to the PTSA for the gift baskets and presentation to our Teacher of the Year, Ms. Chelsea Pierce-Thomas, Professional of the Year Ms. Daria Dillard, and to the TOTY rummer ups Ms. Sally Stone, Ms. Taera O'Conner, and POTY runner ups Ms. Ashley Russ, Mrs. Denise Lewis. The baskets were presented on the Titan Morning News for all to see! The baskets were put together by Dr. Jamie Griffin with the help of local business partner donations, and they were presented by Ms. Cathy Sparks, PTSA President.

This month our PBIS initiative has been focussing on Attendance and Tardies. Our Social Worker Ms. Tina Cairo has been delivering messages on the Titan Morning News to encourage students to be "Cutesy, Demure, and Mindful." Ms. Cairo's messages directly correlate to the PBIS E-Valentine's Messages that students were able to purchase using their PBIS Reward points. You may need to look up the messages that the students sent to each other, but we promise you they are all positive!

Normally I try to share some words to describe the image or video. However, this video has a voice over of Maya Angelou and her Still I Rise poem. No better words can be used to summarize the images in the video with the backdrops of National Parks across America. This video was made by NPS and can be found at: Twenty & Odd - African American Heritage (U.S. National Park Service)

Did your student lose their ID badge? You can purchase a new one for $10 through OSP! Once the badge has been purchased, we will print a new one for your student.

Here's the link: Buy New Badge Here

Saturday, February 15, 2025

• Chorus All-State Chorus @ Athens, GA

Monday, February 17, 2025

• Presidents’ Day - No School

Tuesday, February 18, 2025

• Professional Development Day - No School for Students

Wednesday, February 19, 2025

• 8th grade field trip iFly
• Special Ed Hoops Event @ EPMS Gym
• Yearbook Club @ 8:20 AM in room E115 (Vicente)
• Jr. Beta Meeting @ 8:30 am in Room F-112
• MAGIC: The Gathering Club from 4:15 to 5:15 in D-104
• EPMS Basketball HOME vs Crabapple

Thursday, February 20, 2025

• FCA in the Media Center @ 8:00 AM
• Yearbook Club @ 8:20 AM in room E115 (Vicente)
• Girls & Boys Basketball Practice after school
• Understanding Assessments Parent Workshop @ 6:30 PM on Microsoft TEAMS * All parents are invited to join us!

Friday, February 21, 2025

• Interact Club for 7th & 8th Grades during Advisement in D-117
• EPMS Basketball HOME vs. Ridgeview

• Boys' Basketball Practice after school

• PTSA Meeting
• Academic Bowl @ 8:20 AM in F-112 (Young)
• Dungeons and Dragons Club in Mrs. McClelland’s room (D117) from 4:15-5:15 p.m.
• Band Pre-LGPE Concert & 6th Grade @ EPMS at 6:30 PM
• Track Try-Outs afterschool - 7th & 8th grades only

• Yearbook Club @ 8:20 AM in room E115 (Vicente)
• FBLA Meeting during 3rd period (12:00 – 12:36) in A-152
• MAGIC: The Gathering Club from 4:15 to 5:15 in D-104
• EPMS Basketball Away Location: Hopewell Middle School PTA (13060 Cogburn Rd, Milton, GA 30004) from 5:30 - 7:00 PM
• Track Try-Outs afterschool - - 7th & 8th grades only

• Band All-State Event @ Athens, GA (All Day)
• Yearbook Club @ 8:20 AM in room E115 (Vicente)
• Student Council/Government Club @ 8:30 AM in D-112 (Graves/Dillard)
• Girls & Boys Basketball Practice after school
• 6th/7th Grade Coding Club in room F101 after school.
• Track Try-Outs afterschool - 7th & 8th Grades Only!

Friday, February 28, 2025

• Band All-State Event @ Athens, GA (All Day)
• EPMS Basketball HOME vs. River Trail in the gym from 5:30 - 7:00 PM

FEBRUARY 22

PICKLEBALL 🥒 TOURNAMENT FUNDRAISER

Register to play:

https://my.cheddarup.com/c/pickleball-club-registration-temp-26576/items?cart

FEBRUARY 27

Understanding Assessments Parent Workshop

@ 6:30 PM on Microsoft TEAMS

All parents, families, and community members are invited to attend to learn about the assessments offered in Fulton County Schools and at Elkins Pointe Middle School.

All parents, families, and community members are invited to attend to learn about the assessments offered in Fulton County Schools and at Elkins Pointe Middle School.

Date: February 27, 2025

Time:6:30 PM

Location: on Microsoft TEAMS

Join the meeting or Dial in by phone

+1 470-705-1712 and Phone conference ID: 568 054 345#

February 2025 - EPMS Fundraising Pickleball Tournament Registration! Let's play Pickleball!!!This tournament is being held to benefit Elkins Pointe Middle School (EPMS) PTSA. Monies are going to the EPMS PTSA to support student events & teacher supplies and equipment.

Sign up now - Saturday, February 22nd, 2025 - teams of 2 people - only 25 teams can play due to court constraints (using 6 courts from 6pm-9pm). TEAMS MUST HAVE ONE STUDENT or CHILD (<age 18) PLAYING. Example: Team 1 is adult & child and Team 2 is child & child. Teams are NOT limited to Elkins Pointe. Anyone can play!

Link to Register: https://my.cheddarup.com/c/pickleball-club-registration-temp-26576/items?cart

Interested in Pickleball? EPMS is doing our first Pickleball club! This will be running weekly on Wednesdays after school from 4:30-5:30 tentatively starting on 3/5 and lasting until April (Ending Date pending). If you have a student interested, please fill out the interest form and have FCS Athletics forms filled out. Since this is a sports club, all FCS athletic forms need to be filled out and uploaded onto Rank One for participation. Students can not participate in this club until that is completed.

Please reach out to Coach Kandler or Coach Pickering with any questions.

https://forms.office.com/r/7Tcj1SFnHw

Thanks,

Mr. Ben Pickering

7th/8th Grade Math & Athletic Director

Track and Field season is almost here! Interest form information is listed below. Please start working on paperwork and uploading required FCS Athletics documents onto RankOne. The forms that are required and Rank One account information is located on the Elkins Pointe Middle School website. Paperwork including physical needs to be uploaded onto Rank One before tryouts/practice or your student will not be able to participate. Please see Coach White-Bowen or Coach Pickering with any questions.

Interest Form:

https://forms.office.com/r/ZGGx9m2Rjv

Dear Families,

We are excited to explore the possibility of offering a Summer STEM Camp to provide hands-on learning experiences for students interested in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Healthcare. As part of our commitment to serving the needs of our community, the Innovation Academy Foundation is gathering feedback from families like yours to ensure that this opportunity is designed to best support your child’s interests, schedule, and learning goals.

This camp would provide students with the opportunity to engage in real-world problem-solving, explore different STEM fields, and experience hands-on activities in a fun and interactive environment. However, we want to hear from you—what timing, topics, and price ranges would work best for your family?

Please take a few minutes to complete our interest survey by February 21:

👉IA Foundation STEM Camp Interest Form

Your feedback will help us create a camp that is accessible, engaging, and tailored to meet the needs of our students. Whether your child is interested in engineering, coding, healthcare, or general STEM exploration, we want to provide meaningful experiences that inspire curiosity and learning beyond the school year.

Thank you for your time and support in shaping this opportunity for our students. If you have any questions, feel free to reach out to Avery White at whitea10@fultonschools.org.

We look forward to hearing from you!

Sincerely,

Scott Kent

Principal Educator of FCS Innovation Academy

A Public STEM Magnet High School

125 Milton Avenue, Alpharetta, GA 30009

www.fultonschools.org/ia