![page background](https://cdn.smore.com/_fr/handwritten02.5d9241fd.jpg)
Panther Press
New Prospect Elementary School Newsletter
August 24, 2021
Emotional IQ is So Important!
Hello Panther Families!
We are officially into the 3rd week of school and I’m excited to announce that the learning is well underway! Over the past two weeks we have had a HUGE focus of Relationships and Routines. This work will continue every day throughout the year, but I saw some truly amazing work happening in our classrooms and I wanted to bring attention to why we do this work.
At NPE, we use Rethink Ed to teach Student Success skills (SSS) to support students’ emotional intelligence. In my opinion (and according to research) this is JUST AS IMPORTANT as academic intelligence. Teaching Student Success skills will support students in creating a foundation for managing emotions, healthy relationships, understanding and empathizing with others, being responsible and safe, and learning to cope with difficult situations. Interventions focused on these key skills lead to increased academic performance, improved classroom behavior, increased ability to manage stress and depression, and better attitudes about themselves, others, and school. The positive impacts of this work are long term and far reaching. These skills can help reduce poverty, improve economic mobility, and improve life outcomes. (CASEL 2020). You can create a parent account using the QR code above to reinforce what we are doing at school at home!
We teach the SSS skills through a Morning Meeting structure. Morning Meeting and Responsive Classroom are nothing new to New Prospect and they are embedded in our vision of every student feeling like they matter each day. Morning Meetings create safe, joyful, and engaging classrooms and school communities for both students and teachers. Please ask your child “what did you do during Morning Meeting today?” I’m sure they would be glad to share😊.
Amy Lemons
Principal
Upcoming Events:
August 27th-Pep Rally (Wear House Colors)-House Shirts are not here yet! Sorry!!!
September 6th-No School-Labor Day
September 9th-Curriculum Night *** Virtual
September 10th-Family Night at Bookfair (open till 8pm)
September 13th--22nd-Fall Bookfair
September 20th-Late Start Date (look below)
September 20th-24th-College Week
September 24th-Fall Picture Day *Change from Original Calendar
Calendar Adjustments
Curriculum Night-September 9th
Curriculum Night will be virtual this year. More information to come.
Late Start Date-September 20th
You may notice that on the FCS calendar there are six "Late Start Days" listed. The superintendent added these days to give teachers some additional time to review student data and to make instructional decisions in collaboration with colleagues. At New Prospect ES, these days will not impact students' arrival times. Our buses, carpool, and breakfast schedule will remain the same as always on these "Late Start Days". Teachers will be in meetings on a rotational basis and we will provide coverage for the teachers while in meetings. Therefore, we'd like all students to arrive by 7:40 am, as usual, on these dates. Schools have some autonomy with how this will work. Therefore, if you have children at other schools, their schools may give you other instructions for these days.
Picture Day is September 24th
Due to a scheduling conflict, fall pictures will be done on Sept. 24, 2021. We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause but we will not be able to do them on the date that is on our school calendar. Please look for additional information in the next couple of weeks regarding fall pictures.
Please Join PTA
Don’t forget to visit the New Prospect PTA website to donate, buy Spiritwear (& NPE Pop-its!) and order your yearbook!!
Brain Building Starts Next Week!
“Brain Building Time” happens for your child around once per month or 6 times per year from September till March. Your child rotates through four sessions. Guidance lessons with Mrs. McLeod, Media Center lessons with Mrs. Dennis, Enrichment Time connected to each grade levels standards with Mrs. Davis, Mrs. Hopen or Mrs. Ingram and Team Building with a member of the admin team and a parent volunteer.
One of the reasons we started and continued Brain Building is to allow dedicated time for our counselor and media specialist to teach required lessons without interrupting a normal school day and to provide targeted enrichment for all students based on their standards from our specials teachers who are the specialist in each area. Additionally, this time provides our teachers with a block of time to really dive in and plan units targeted to their students’ individual areas of need. This time is SO important for teachers, as typically they only have about 35 mins a day to go to the restroom, respond to emails, plan with their teams, grade and assess student work, and more!
We are seeing success with Brain Building Days!
Numerous studies demonstrate the value of school counseling for students in the domains of academic development, and social/emotional development. Students are consistently getting guidance lessons because of Brain Building.
Continuing our important Student Success skills work through team building activates with their class not only to strengthen the class community but also their own emotional intelligence.
Look in future Panther Press editions for updates on what the kids are doing during Brain Building time. Also look at your teachers' blog for the upcoming dates of Brain Building.
Volunteers Needed!
Volunteers Needed for Brain Building Days!
Sign-up to be a Brain Building volunteer! Volunteers will help NPE staff implement fun, team building activities! Various spots are available for all grade levels! For more information, visit:
https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10c044daca628a7f58-brain
Lunch Volunteers Needed!
Volunteers will help NPE staff supervise lunchtime for all grade levels. To sign up, visit:
https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10c044daca628a7f58-lunchtime
Recycling Volunteer Needed
We are looking for one volunteer to come in on Friday mornings from 7:30-7:40 to empty our recycling containers into our huge container. They are very heavy, so we are looking for someone interested in getting an early morning workout!
Please email Christina McLeod @ mcleodcr@fultonschools.org
Media Center Volunteers Needed
Please email Sandi Dennis denniss3@fultonschools.org to volunteer in the Media Center
Steps to become a Volunteer
Fulton County Schools values and promotes active engagement of the community in all of our schools. Thousands of individuals serve as volunteers in our schools each year. Volunteer opportunities may include:
* Serving as tutors, mentors, or guest speakers
* Providing assistance in classrooms, cafeteria, library, or main office
* Organizing student enrichment and recognition activities
* Supporting special events, athletics, and school planning councils
How do I become a volunteer?
1. Register at the Fulton County Schools Volunteer Page. (Link Below)
2. Complete the mandatory online training.
3. Complete the volunteer application.
Please allow 48 hours for your application to be processed before you visit the school to volunteer. Volunteers must complete this process EVERY year.
When you arrive at the school for your first volunteer assignment, please present your government identification (i.e. driver's license, state issued ID cards, Mexican consular cards, green cards, military ID) to verify your identity.
Student Council
We are excited to share that Student Council is back this year at NPES!
Students in grades 3,4, and 5 are encouraged to apply starting 9/3, and applications are due to Mrs. McLeod 9/10.
Elections will be held 9/17 and candidates will get more information on the election process after completing the application.
Transportation Change Reminder
If you have a transportation change, please advise the student’s homeroom teacher and npfrontdesk@fultonschools.org by 1:00 pm. This will allow us time to make sure that the students are aware of how they are going home.
If you need to pick your child up early from school, we suggest that you arrive before 2:00 pm to sign them out. We have several students that are car riders, and the line begins to line up around 1:50 pm.
Beginning of Year Assessments and Student Data
At the beginning of each school year, our teachers administer several assessments to help determine our Panthers’ individual needs, personalize learning, and monitor progress throughout the school year. You child’s teachers look forward to sharing and discussing the results of these assessments with you at our Fall Parent/Teacher Conferences! Included below, you will find more detailed information about two of these assessments, the i-Ready Diagnostics and Benchmark Assessment System (BAS).
i-Ready
Our Panthers have been working hard over the course of the past few weeks to complete the i-Ready Reading and Math Diagnostics. We will be wrapping up testing by this Friday, August 27th. The i-Ready Diagnostics are given at the beginning of each school year to identify student strengths and weaknesses and pinpoint specific learning needs to guide academic, curricular, and instructional decisions. The purpose of the i-Ready Diagnostics is not to give your student a grade, but rather, to determine how to best support their learning. The online instructional component of i-Ready uses data from the Diagnostics to create a personalized instructional path for your child. We invite you to visit the i-Ready Central Family Center here to learn more about i-Ready!
Benchmark Assessment System (BAS)
BAS is an individually administered assessment used to identify your child’s instructional and independent reading levels and document their progress throughout the school year. It provides teachers with precise tools and texts to observe students’ specific reading behaviors, and then interpret and use that data to plan meaningful and targeted instruction.
2020-2021 Georgia Milestones Test Scores Released
The Georgia Department of Education (GaDOE) has released the 2020-2021 Milestones test scores for the state of Georgia. The assessment is designed to provide information regarding how well students are mastering state-adopted content standards in the core content areas. In March, the Georgia Department of Education waived promotion/retention consequences tied to Georgia Milestones for the 2020-2021 school year. “Parents and guardians are encouraged to view results in the context of this unique school year,” said Chief Information Officer Dr. Emily Bell.
For those students who did take the test, parents can view results for their students in SLDS (Statewide Longitudinal Data System). Individual student reports can also be downloaded from SLDS, if desired. Parents can access SLDS through Infinite Campus. Here is a link for how to view the assessment scores!
Infinite Campus
Please make sure you have signed up for Infinite Campus if you haven’t done so already! Click here to enter your email address to receive parent portal activation information.
Reminder: Please Remember to Have your Students Bring A Water Bottle Every Day! Drinking Fountains are Only for Water Filling
Fulton County Schools Code of Conduct Handbook
As a reminder, Fulton County requires all parents/guardians to read the electronic Student Code of Conduct & Discipline Handbook and sign the acknowledgement form online again this year. To view the Handbook, please click here or visit our New Prospect website (Students & Families tab – Discipline/Code of Conduct). If you haven’t done so already, please click here for instructions on how to review and sign the Receipt Acknowledgement Form. If you are unable to locate the acknowledgement form in Infinite Campus, please reach out to Margaret Mathas at mathasm@fultonschools.org to request a hard copy.
Jr. Raider Basketball Tryouts
Tryouts for Jr Raider basketball teams will be Sundays in September following Labor Day weekend.
September 12th, 19th, & 26th.
Boys-
7th/8th-1:00-3:00
5th/6th-2:00-4:00
Girls-
5th-8th-4:00-6:00
All will take place at Alpharetta High School
Register here