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Dear Baggett Families,

Where did April go? Or maybe I should be asking where the 2023-24 school year went. Can you believe that in the month of May including 5/22, the last day of school, we have only 16 days of school? As this year draws to a close, our teachers, counselors, support staff, and administration are doing the impossible, being very present in the here and now in order to ensure a smooth and successful close to the school year, and our team is working behind the scenes to prepare for the 2024-25 school year and all that this entails.

Summer for our staff comes with opportunities to collaborate, to plan for the next school year, to participate in training, and to reflect on how we can make the 2024-25 school year even better than this past year. Summer for our students means slowing down a bit, relaxing, participating in other activities, and slightly less structured days. That can be a good thing, and it can also result in additional challenges. As parents, we want to say, "Yes!" to our children's requests especially during the summer. If not during the summer, when? My caution to you is to continue to monitor your children closely. Establish ground rules and routines for the summer that get your children outdoors, interacting with others their age and with similar interests. Say, "Yes!" to athletics, music, reading. I would urge you to steer them away from technology in favor of building face-to-face connections, learning new skills, and using their minds and their bodies. Certainly, technology can be a tool for learning. It can also get in the way of our goals for our children. This summer, let's look for ways for our children to engage in authentically with one another. Park the phone on the countertop or by the door. Set limits for how much time children should be on technology. Need help doing so? This article from Ed Tech Magazine talks about setting time limits based upon a child's age. This link will help you set up screen time on your apple device. Looking for other ways to enrich your child's summer? Gwinnett Parks & Recreation have a number of ways to engage our children. Click here for more information.

I wish you and our students a successful close to the school year and a wonderful summer of authentic engagement!

Mitch Green

Principal

Baggett Elementary School

Families are welcome to join us for the bolded events.

Monthlong - Asian Pacific Islander Month

May 1 - May 3 - PTA's extended Teacher Appreciation

May 2 - Kindergarten STEAM Informance and 5th Grade GMAS Science

May 3 - Field Day (K-4th grade)

May 6 - May 10 - Teacher Appreciation, Buy One, Get One Free Book Fair & End of Year iReady Assessments (K-5th Grade)

May 8 - Tiny Titan Day - Rising Kindergarten Students

May 9 - 3rd and 5th Grades - STEAM Informance

May 10 - 1st Grade - STEAM Informance

May 13 - 2nd Grade - STEAM Informance

May 14 & May 15 - District Assessments

May 16 - 5th Grade Olympics and Cook-Out & Pre-K Ceremony

May 17 - 4th Grade - STEAM Informance

May 20 - 1st - 4th Grades - Award Ceremonies

May 21 - 5th Grade Ceremony and Final Walk & Kindergarten Ceremony

May 22 - Last Day of School

The Buy One, Get One Book Fair runs May 6th - May 10th. Just in time for summer reading, please support your child's success by buying a book for your child to read this summer. They'll actually walk away with two books as this is our Buy One Get One Free Book Fair!

Each month during 2nd semester, Baggett Elementary will be hosting Mystery Readers who will visit classrooms to read engaging stories to our students. Thank you to those who have already signed-up and we welcome those who would like to join in on the fun. Our last session for the school year is coming up soon on May 10, 2024. Please scan the QR code to sign-up.

Volunteers Needed!! Your help is always needed at Baggett. Please join us on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays in the Family Center.

For more information

Mrs. Rodriguez, Parent Outreach Liaison at (678) 518-6653 giannella.rodriguez@gcpsk12.org

or

Ms. Daniel, Parent Instructional Coordinator at (678) 226-2765 suzette.daniel@gcpsk12.org

Did you see it? Did you hear? Baggett and the rest of the Discovery Cluster was presented formally to the Board of Education at the April Board Meeting on April 19th. GCPS's Blueprint for the Future focuses on the four E's. We were asked to focus on one of the E's, Excellence. The Excellence component encompasses the concept of a Preferred Education Destination, which you know is near and dear to my heart - envisioning a school where people desire to come to the school not simply because they live in our area but rather for the programs, activities and quality education that we offer. Check out the Discovery Cluster video and web story here!

Special thanks to our PTA Executive Board who interviewed students to put together this Teacher Appreciation Video, a gift to our teachers and staff!