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Dolvin Diary
August 24, 2023
Principal's Message
Dear Dolvin Families –
We have had an exceptional start to the 2023-2024 school year at Dolvin! In fact, in my ten years as an administrator, it has been the smoothest start to a school year that I have had the good fortune to experience (the superstitious side of me knocks on wood as I say this…). I attribute much of our success to the strong partnership between school and home and I thank you parents for your continued support of Dolvin.
Fulton County Schools requests parent participation: FCS continues to partner with the Metro Atlanta Policy Lab for Education (MAPLE) at Georgia State University to gain insight into the impacts of the pandemic. We wish to better understand students’ experiences during and after the pandemic to better understand and meet our students' needs moving forward. Please complete this optional and anonymous survey by clicking this link:
https://fultonschools.az1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_3lpnaRG2USGTurs. The survey will close on Wednesday, September 6th.
Your proud principal,
Karen
Assistant Principal's Message
Attendance
If your student is absent for any of the following reasons, please email or send a note to the teacher and to Dolvinattendance@fultonschools.org
The following is a list of all excused absences:
- Personal illness or when attendance in school would be detrimental to the health of the student or others
- A serious illness in the student’s immediate family necessitating absence from school
- A death in the student’s family necessitating absence from school
- Student are excused for up to 4 days due to a death in immediate family - Students are excused for up to 2 days due to a death in non-immediate family
- Observance of religious holidays necessitating absence from school
- Compliance with a court order or an order issued by a governmental agency mandating an absence from school
- Visitation with an immediate family member who is on leave from or is being deployed to military service
- Important family events/celebrations for an immediate family member (graduation, wedding, religious ceremony, etc.)
- Compliance with an order for a pre-induction physical examination for service in the armed forces
- An absence for registering to vote or participating as an active voter in a local, state, or federal election
- A verified interview for college admission or a documented college visit
- A specialized, supplemental, or extracurricular program/event
- Other absences pre-approved by the principal (up to 6 per year)
- Families/Students must formally request for students to be absent due to family events or other pre-approved absences at least 5 days before absence occurs. Only the principal or assistant principal(s) can approve these absence requests.
- The student’s complete attendance record including excused, unexcused, disciplinary, or other absence types will be reviewed before the school approves these absences. The school administration will also consider the student’s academic standing before approving these absences.
The following non-exhaustive list includes examples of unexcused absences:
- Bad weather
- Missing the school bus
- Car trouble
- Shopping
- Babysitting
- Oversleeping
- Running late
As a reminder, whether an absence is excused or unexcused, students are considered chronically absent if they miss 10% or more of school days.
Students can substitute up to 5 absences per semester (a max of 10 per year) with a remote learning day by meeting the remote learning participation benchmarks listed in policy. This would result in the student being counted as present for the day(s) they participate remotely.
- To be marked present, work must be submitted within 2 days of absence.
- Students may not use a remote learning day on a test day.
- Parent/guardian or student must notify teacher in advance to the start of the instructional day to utilize the participation benchmark rule.
For the full attendance policy visit: https://www.fultonschools.org/attendancematters
DOCUMENTS DUE
If your child was provisionally enrolled, please remember to submit your missing documents to Lisa Carper at carper@fultonschools.org no later than September 7, 2023, in order to avoid withdrawal.
Do you have a Parent Portal Account?
You can see grades, view attendance, sign some documents, update contact information, view bus information, and much more in your parent portal!
To set yours up, go to https://www.fultonschools.org/infinitecampus and click on the burgundy box to get started!
Parents please acknowledge receipt
Fulton County Schools’ Student Code of Conduct & Discipline Handbook is available online in PDF format (click here). Once you have read the electronic version and have reviewed the contents with your student(s), please take a moment to complete the Acknowledgement of Receipt Form by using the provided link to access Infinite Campus' Parent Portal.
Here is a link with instructions on how to complete the Acknowledgement of Receipt Form (Link). All parents MUST sign this form found within your INFINTE CAMPUS PARENT/STUDENT PORTAL ACCOUNT. If you would like a paper copy of the Handbook, you or your student can pick up one in your school's front office.
Ready for School
Please send your child to school with everything they need to have a successful day! Lunches, water bottles, homework, snacks, devices, etc., should arrive with your student in the morning to avoid interruption of instructional time. If a child arrives in the cafeteria without a lunch, they will be allowed to purchase one. Thank you and we appreciate your understanding.
Media Center News
- Forms for the Helen Ruffin Reading Bowl went out this week to 4th and 5th graders! If your student is interested, please have them get a form from the Media Center and bring it back signed. This will allow them to check-out and start reading the 10 books for the Reading Bowl! For more information, please click here.
- The Dolvin Media Center is also launching our Mini-METI program for 4th & 5th grade students. Beginning tomorrow, students can complete an application, posted here, to apply for this program. Mini-METIs will be assigned one morning per week to work in the Media Center helping students find books, checking books in and out, and pulling books for book displays. We are so excited to get started with this program!
- The Book Fair will open on Thursday, September 7th for purchase. Look in next week's diary for more information, as well as a video on how to setup an eWallet for your child!
Art News
Who should you contact with your concerns?
If you have any questions or concerns, the first point of contact should always be your child’s teacher. If you need further assistance, please do not hesitate to reach out to a member of the administrative team.
Mrs. Allison Polaski- Instruction Support Teacher (IST), polaski@fultonschools.org
- Mrs. Polaski coordinates programs and service delivery for our special education students. Questions about special education services at Dolvin should be addressed to the IST.
Mrs. Amber Fisher- School Counselor, fishera@fultonschools.org
- Mrs. Fisher works with school personnel to foster a positive learning environment for our students. She provides classroom guidance instruction and works with students individually and in small groups as needed. Mrs. Fisher is the 504 chair.
Mrs. Jennifer Shaffer- Administrative Assistant, shafferj@fultonschools.org
- Mrs. Shaffer coordinates and leads Student Support Team (SST) meetings. She co-leads Dolvin’s Student Tech Team, and helps manage student technology.
Mrs. Carrie Halron- Curriculum Support Teacher (CST), halron@fultonschools.org
- Mrs. Halron is the point of contact for questions regarding curriculum, continuous achievement, and class placements.
Mrs. Shelley Noles- Literacy Coach, noless@fultonschools.org
- Mrs. Noles supports teachers with collecting, analyzing and interpreting data to guide instructional decisions. She provides literacy coaching to teachers in Kindergarten through second grade.
Mr. Andy Stein- Assistant Principal, steina@fultonschools.org
- Mr. Stein oversees student information (Infinite Campus, Parent Portal), grading, standardized testing, discipline, and transportation.
If further assistance is still needed after reaching out to a member of the administrative team, please contact the principal, Ms. Karen Cooke, cookek1@fultonschools.org.
Entering the Building
As part of FCS Safety procedures, we are required to ask anyone entering the building why they are here. When a visitor rings the bell, our front office secretary Terri (or whoever answers the door) will ask “How may I help you” even if she knows you very well. Please briefly share your reason for visiting the school, and she will let you in. We appreciate your cooperation on this very important safety item.
Parent Volunteers
We welcome and greatly appreciate our volunteers at Dolvin! If you would like to be a volunteer, you must complete the Volunteer Registration Application prior to volunteering. For volunteer information and frequently asked questions on the Fulton County Schools website, click HERE.
Please note the following as stated on the Fulton County Website:
Per Board Policy IFCD, all volunteers who will be working with students of the school must complete a Volunteer Registration Application on an bi-annual basis. Furthermore, school volunteers are mandated reporters of abuse pursuant to OCGA 19-7-5.
All persons interested in volunteering in the Fulton County School District must complete an application every two years. Even if a person has completed an application in the past. To keep in compliance with State Law and best practices, we will require everyone to re-register/register every two years based on the following volunteer service periods.
Volunteer Service Periods:
June 2022 thru May 2024
June 2024 thru May 2026
The registration process can be found on the FCS District Website under Community/Partners and Volunteers. In accordance with State Law, all volunteers must be current with the Child Abuse Reporting Protocol Training before being allowed to volunteer in our schools. All applicants must wait 24 hours after applying for application processing. Applicants should be prepared to spend about 10-15 minutes for the training and application process. It is very important that volunteers enter their full legal name as it appears on government issued ID. Please do not use nicknames or goes by names on the application.
Please click HERE to begin the online Volunteer Registration Application. Thank you.
Resources in Different Languages
Parent Opportunities
COVID-19 Case Reporting
· Staff and students are to report positive COVID-19 test results through their respective COVID portals.
· The FCS COVID-19 Response Team will investigate all reports in consultation with public health officials.
Scan the QR Code or click HERE to report a positive COVID-19 test for
a FCS STUDENT
Sickness & Isolating Protocol
1. Everyone who is sick is expected to stay home. Those who become sick at school or work will be sent home.
2. Per Centers for Disease Control and Georgia Department of Public Health guidelines, all persons with a positive COVID-19 diagnosis are required to isolate. Guidance for isolation will be provided by the FCS case investigators and Fulton County Board of Health case investigators.
Vaccinations
• Vaccinations/boosters for age-eligible students and employees are recommended, but not required.
Handwashing
• Staff and students should wash their hands frequently and cover their mouths/noses when coughing and/or sneezing.
• Hand sanitizer stations are available in schools and buildings.
Bus Safety
• Hand sanitizer stations are affixed to the bus frame.
Enhanced Cleaning
• Custodians routinely clean and disinfect high-touch surfaces.
Facility Safety
• HVAC systems have been adjusted to increase ventilation in accordance with CDC and industry recommendations.
• Water bottles from home are encouraged.
• Contact-free payment for meals is available using www.MyPaymentsPlus.com.
Breakfast and Lunch at Dolvin
Dates to Remember
August 25
Parent Coffee 9:00 a.m.
Pre-K and Kindergarten Ice Cream Social 4:30 p.m. - 6:30 p.m.
September 1 - 15
Book Fair
September 4
Labor Day (schools closed)
September 5
Teacher Workday (students off)
September 6
Professional Development Day (students off)
September 13
Fall Individual Picture day
September 15
All Pro Dad Meeting 7:00 a.m. - 7:30 a.m.
September 22
Parent Coffee - Virtual 9:00 a.m.
Stay In Touch With Dolvin
Dolvin Website: dolvin.org
Dolvin PTA Website: dolvinpta.org
Dolvin PTA Email: dolvinpta@gmail.com
Dolvin Foundation Website: dolvinfoundation.org
Teacher's blogs
Twitter (X): Follow us at @DolvinES
Dolvin Diary - A new issue comes out the first and third Thursday of the month. Please read to keep up with current events at the school.
Peachjar: Various flyers are sent home via Peachjar.
Dolvin-specific flyers come to your inbox on Thursdays. All can be viewed following the link
on the homepage at dolvin.org or click HERE.
LED Sign: Located on the corner of Buice Road and Jones Bridge Road.
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The Foundation's Direct Giving campaign is in full swing. Thank you to all who have donated so far - we are well on our way to our $20,000 goal!
As was just announced at the Curriculum Nights, we have some very special Target Projects for these funds:
- Sound Clouds - aesthetic sound dampeners to reduce noise and promote a positive social and sensory experience in the cafeteria
- An interactive projector to enhance our physical education programming, and
- Continued funding of educational technologies that are used in school every day!
Be sure to check out our revamped Incentive Package for this year - especially if you're interested in Discovery Lab Family Night or the new Lego Challenge Night @ Bricks & Minifigs! There's also new '23-24 collectible decals, and a Maker Space Day, where kids get to explore our coding and robotics resources in-depth.
We are grateful for every donation, no matter the amount - which is why every donor gets a classic Foundation car magnet and is recognized on our school bulletin board.
Students have also been receiving their free Foundation Spirit Shirts from their teachers over the last week - we are so thrilled to be able to provide these at no cost to families or staff (thank you, Sponsors!). Please remind your students to wear and enjoy them, but please don't destroy them! 😄 They'll need these shirts for Field Trips, the spring Fun Run, Field Day, and other events throughout the year.
Lastly, our Phase 2 playground marking installation is coming soon! (Phase 1 was completed in July.) With an ABC caterpillar, 100 chart, blank number lines and ten frames, a compass, clock, US map, World map, and Times Triangle - the best is yet to come! Thank you to our 2022-23 donors for making this incredible project possible.
Find us online at:
All Pro Dad Chapter Meeting
Spelling Bee Competition
REGISTER 👇 FREE ENTRY
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1lbYXx-LWTpaxYMsIbhQaxdmOaRx0QmNCO5G6ceRYqQc/edit?pli=1
Please see the below PDF for Spelling Bee prize information.