Principal's Message...
It has been another great week at Spalding Drive! Our 1st graders are finishing their first full piece of writing and our 4th graders are ending their ELA unit by learning about different text structures. This week we also had a great turnout for our New Parent Principal Coffee. You can find the presentation below if you were unable to attend.
This week Spalding Drive was discussed at our Fulton County Board Work Session. Here is the communication we received regarding SDE from our district:
This past Tuesday, Deputy Chief Operations Office Yngrid Huff presented data showing enrollment on a downward trend in Fulton County, resulting in excess classroom space throughout the school system. Specifically, the most significant decline in student population is at the elementary school level.
Ms. Huff shared that Board Policy FDB requires a review of schools that meet certain criteria – such as low enrollment or aging building conditions – to be considered for consolidation or closure. Neighboring schools also are reviewed for available space and whether they can accommodate additional students. The policy states that schools with enrollment below specific thresholds (elementary schools - 450 students, middle schools - 600 students, and high schools - 700 students) are administratively expensive to maintain, operationally inefficient, and cannot effectively support the staff and resources needed for an optimal educational program.
While Policy FDB does not require the Board to close or consolidate schools, it does instruct district staff to identify schools meeting those criteria and share a list with the Board for discussion. Nine schools each have 450 or fewer students enrolled, face a continued declining enrollment projection, and/or have aging facility conditions.
After a review of the schools’ data, Board members directed FCS staff to begin engaging the community about the possible school closure and consolidation of two schools: Parklane Elementary School in the South Fulton region and Spalding Drive Elementary School in the Sandy Springs region. Data for the North Fulton region also was examined, and Board members directed staff to postpone a similar conversation with the community until 2027 so that recommendations can be incorporated into the next five-year capital plan.
For our school conversation, community meetings will be held in October, November and December to collect input for drawing new attendance boundaries in the affected schools’ attendance zones and to balance enrollments among neighboring schools. The formal recommendation will be presented to the School Board for a vote in February 2025, with changes occurring with the 2025-2026 school year. Board members also will receive feedback at their monthly community meetings.
The presentation, which includes facility condition/classification for all schools as well as a sub-set of elementary and middle schools with declining enrollments, can be found here.
I do encourage questions, suggestions, and any feedback you have throughout the school year. Please always feel free to reach out to me by email (rosenthall@fultonschools.org).
In Partnership,
Jennifer
Georgia Milestones scores have begun to drop into SLDS for your students from the 2023-2024 school year. You can access the portal using the directions below:
Cafeteria Updates...
To continue receiving Free or Reduced-Price Meal benefits, each household must submit a new application every year. Meal benefits for the 2024-2025 school year will end on September 18, 2024, if the household has not reapplied and are approved by that date. If there is an interruption in benefits or no reapplication is received, the household will be responsible for meal payments until the new application is approved. To ensure uninterrupted benefits, households must complete an online application before September 18, 2024, at www.fulton.nlappscloud.com, or submit a paper application to the school cafeteria manager by September 16, 2024.
Please note: If your student attends a Community Eligibility Provision (CEP) school, you do not need to submit any meal application forms. A list of CEP schools can be found at https://nutrition.fultonschools.org/CommunityEligibility.
For any questions, please contact the Fulton County School Nutrition Program Meal Eligibility Desk at (470) 254-2220.
Attendance Updates...September is Attendance Awareness Month
We are excited to kick off this school year with an exciting initiative to promote daily school attendance. Attendance is an essential component to a student’s academic success. Often, the number of days that students are absent accumulate without parents realizing how many days have been missed. We need your partnership to make sure students attend school every day, all day.
We encourage parents to review and sign our school’s compact by September 30th. Students will receive 10 PBIS points for your commitment.
Fulton County Schools Attendance Policy
Attendance Matters- Click here to learn more!
Documentation when a child is absent
- Parents should email or send a note in to the child’s school letting them know why their child was absent.
The following must be included in the note/email:
✔ Student Name
✔ Student FCS ID Number (Lunch Number)
✔ Parent/Guardian Name
✔ Parent/Guardian Email & Phone Number
✔ Reason for Excuse
A school may request additional documentation if a student has reached the following benchmarks.
- After 3 consecutive ill absences, a doctor’s note will be required
- 7 or more days for any reason (not including assigned remote)
- 10 or more late arrivals or early checkouts
Staff Spotlight...
Each week we will spotlight a different staff member! There are so many amazing adults here at SDE and I know everyone would love to learn a little more about each of them.
This week our spotlight is one of our new staff members, Crissy Wade. Crissy is serving as our math coach and also our RTI Support Specialist.
College Attended: Indiana State University
Where Did You Grow Up: Cloverdale, Indiana
Favorite Part of the School Day: Teaching Math or STEM Lessons
Years in Education: 25
Looking Ahead...
PARENT LUNCHES:
September 13 - 4.5 Week Progress Reports Visible
September 18 - Community Board Meeting at Woodland Elementary (6:00 pm)
September 19 - Board Meeting at South Learning Center (6:00 pm)
September 27 - Tiger Trot
October 9 - Walk to School/Donuts with Grown Ups/General PTO Meeting/Principal's Coffee
October 14-16 - No School For Students
Tiger Trot
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Tiger Trot is Friday, September 27 and fundraising is underway! Tiger Trot-a-Thon, or “Tiger Trot”, is a healthy alternative to traditional product sales fundraisers, challenging students to raise pledges and donations from friends and family for completing the Tiger Trot challenge - 30 laps around our Tiger Trot course (each lap is 1/16th of a mile)! All money raised stays right here at Spalding Drive and will go towards STEAM programming for our students! Every student will receive a Tiger Trot t-shirt and win prizes based on the amount of money they raise. These prizes are displayed in the main hallway of the school for all students to see. We hope family and friends will join us at the gym on Friday, September 27 to cheer their Tigers on!
Spalding Drive Elementary School
