MUSTANG NEWS

Greetings Mustang Families!

Thanks for an awesome week! Below you will find helpful information as your plan for this upcoming week.

• PARENT PERCEPTION SURVEY: Your opinion matters! Fulton County Schools encourages parents to take the Annual Parent Perception Survey between February 13th and March 10th. The survey is anonymous and confidential and should take about 15 minutes to complete. Please complete one survey per school where you have one or more students enrolled. Last year, we only had 6% of our parents to complete the survey. Let's surpass this number parents! I would love to have at least 20% of our parents to complete the survey, which is only 134 parents! We can do it Mustangs! Additionally, students in grades 4-12 will take the Annual Student Perception Survey between February 13th and 24th during the school day.
  
  
• 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. Cliftondale is looking for (1) parent representative to join the council beginning August of 2023. Please CLICK HERE to complete the candidate declaration.
  
  

• PK LOTTERY REGISTRATION: Do you have a child that will be 4 years old on/before September 1, 2023, and you reside within the Fulton County Schools District? If so, mark your calendar for FCS PK lottery registration. Information regarding registration for the lottery is accessible on the attached flyer. Parents must register in order to be considered for the lottery. Registration is March 1st-March 17th. CLICK HERE to register for the PK Lottery.
  
  

• CELL PHONES POLICY: Please be reminded that we in FCS have a strict cell phone & personal communication device policy, and we at Cliftondale adhere to this policy at all times. All personal communication devices are required to remain in student’s bookbags in the “off position” during the full school day. In addition, inappropriate recording and sharing of inappropriate & misconduct (via airdrop, social media, nearby share, etc.) will be a Tier 3 offense with a consequence of up to 5 days of out of school suspension.
  

  
  

Kind Regards,

Principal Canty

Our "Night of Black Excellence" scheduled for Tuesday, February 28th, has been changed to a schoolwide assembly due to participation. We will still honor and spotlight Black History. Students that registered to be a part of the evening showcase will still do so through the school assembly. If you have any questions pertaining students with submissions, please contact Ms. Houston at houstonb1@fultonschools.org

We are celebrating 2023 Exceptional Children’s Week March 6 - 10, 2023. During this special time each year, we have an opportunity to honor and celebrate our exceptional students and the amazing staff who support them. Our theme this year is "Power in our Differences".

Our Exceptional Children's (SEC & TAG) Department is also selling t-shirts for Exceptional Children’s Week through the CLIFTONDALE STORE. Purchases should be made by March 2nd.

Please join us to for the Rising 6th Grade Parent Meeting on Monday, March 6th at 5:00 pm. This meeting will be a joint meeting with Randolph Elementary School. The parent meeting will take place at Randolph Elementary School.

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

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.

Great news to share from our Nutrition Manager, Mr. Keeney and our cafeteria staff!!! We received a 100% on our recent Health Inspection!!! 🎉🎉Job well done!!!

We are excited to announce that we have two tutors joining our team beginning on Monday! Mr. Muhammad and Mr. Justice are experienced tutors provided to the Cliftondale by the district in partnership with Tutor -Shop . They will service 2nd-5th grade students within their regular classroom in reading or math. Welcome to Cliftondale!!

On your next visit, please visit our media center to see this beautiful new edition! This mural is a one of a kind piece of art created and painted by Makayla Jones. Makayla is a current Westlake High School sophomore and previous Cliftondale Mustang. THANK YOU so much Makayla! We love the new edition!

• February 28th: Kindergarten Field Trip: Fernbank
  
• March 1st-March 17th: FCS PK Registration
• March 1st: Moms on the Move 8:00 am-10:00 am & Dads on Duty 7:00 am-8:00 am
• March 2nd: Sandtown Band/Orchestra Presentation for 5th grade students
• March 4th: Science Olympia at Westlake High School : 8:00 pm-4:00 pm
• March 6th-March 10th: Exceptional Children's Week
• March 6th: Rising 6th Grade Parent Meeting for Sandtown Middle School at 6:00 pm
  *The meeting will be at Randolph Elementary School
• 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
• March 23rd: Career Day
• March 23rd: Sneaker Ball 5:00 pm-7:00 pm
• March 28th: Kindergarten Field Trip: Georgia Aquarium
• March 29th: 5th Grade Field Trip: Sandtown Middle School
• March 30th: Cliftondale PBL Showcase
  
• March 31st: 3rd Grade Field Trip: Alliance Theater
• April 3rd-April 7th: Spring Break-SCHOOL CLOSED
• April 13th-April 21st: Boosterthon Fundraiser
• April 13th: Title I Parent Input Meeting 5:30 pm-6:30 pm
• April 14th: Title I Parent Input Meeting at 8:30 am
• 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

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

Strategies to Increase Math Fluency

Mental math is having the ability to complete math problems so well that we can complete them in our heads! Obviously, by the time we can complete mental math to some degree, we have mastered the concepts and stored the information in our long-term memory. We can consider mental math to be the ultimate indicator of math fluency. That’s why it’s so important to incorporate mental math wherever possible to help your child practice skills in which he or she is already fluent. Thankfully there are many ways to help your child practice mental math.

• Ask math questions and problems aloud, preferably without a visual aid. If your child struggles, encourage him or her to visualize the problem, and allow enough time to let your child process the information and generate an answer.
• Flash cards are great for mental math! Without pencil and paper to work out the problems in a longer, more structured way, children are faced with the necessity to solve it in their heads.
• For kids who have been working on a skill for a while, build speed and fluency with short drill activities that force kids to solve problems as quickly as possible. Be sure not to use this technique in a way that frustrates or upsets struggling kids. Be sure that kids are reasonably comfortable with the skill and provide just enough challenge to work out those mental math skills.

• 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 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!

"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