Our PCMS Mission    

 Through a spirit of teamwork, Peachtree Charter Middle School supports  

students in realizing their academic and personal dreams.     

PCMS eNews
October 19, 2014

 

Peachtree Charter Middle School

4664 North Peachtree Road    

Dunwoody, Georgia  30338-5898 

(678) 676-7702  

   

This week's Peachtree eNEWS highlights:
Duke TIP
Calendar Survey
Art Spirit Night
Red Ribbon Dance
Magnet Testing Sessions
AFAEE Awards
PCMS Recycles!
Special Olympics Volunteers Needed
DCPC Meeting
Odyssey of the Mind needs YOU
This week's calendar
7th Grade TIP

To parents of 7th graders who qualified for Duke TIP: the letter sent out in September contained an error in deadlines. The correct deadline for mail-in registration is 11/4/14. The correct deadline for online registration is 12/9/14.  Test centers are located on the TIP website.  

A local listing will go out with qualified students on Monday. 
Annual Fund

Quick Links

   

School Calendar 2014-2015

 

PCMS Website    

  

The Patriot Press 

  

Join PCMS E-News  


Volunteer Corner
Partners in Education
 
Bank of North Georgia 
Cartridge World 
Chick-fil-A 
Domino's 
Dunwoody Rotary Club 
Huntington Learning Center 
Jersey Mike's 
Kaplan Orthodontics 
Kroger 
Nokia Siemens Networks 
Northside Hospital 
Pearle Vision 
Plantation South  of Dunwoody 
Rita's Italian Ice 
Shane's Rib Shack 
Subway  
2015-2016 Calendar Survey
In accordance with board policy AEA, the 2015-2016 Calendar Committee is charged with developing calendar options and submitting a calendar recommendation to the Superintendent. Superintendent, Mr. Michael Thurmond, will make a recommendation to the DeKalb County Board of Education in November 2014.

The DeKalb County School District's Calendar Committee is exploring two calendar options to align with other similarly sized districts in close geographic proximity. Both calendars include the following attributes:
  • 180 days of instruction for students
  • 190 teacher days including one evening workday comprised of parent-teacher conferences (2 per semester)
  • 5 teacher workdays before the first day of school
  • Holidays for all - Labor Day, Martin L. King, Jr. Day, and President's Day
  • Thanksgiving break - November 23-27, 2015
  • Winter break - December 21, 2015 - January 1, 2016
  • Post planning 1st semester/Pre-planning 2nd semester - January 4, 2016
  • First day of 2nd semester - January 5, 2016
  • Spring Break - April 4-8, 2016 (coincides with most metro area districts
Last day of school for students falls during the week of May 23-27, 2016
Post planning 2nd semester falls during the week of May 23-27, 2016

The major differences between the two calendar options are pre-planning days for teachers and the first day of school for students. One calendar option begins the school year with pre-planning for teachers on Monday, July 27, 2015, and the first day of school for students on Monday, August 3, 2015.  *The other calendar option begins the school year with pre-planning for the teachers on Monday, August 3, 2015, and the first day of school for students on Monday, August 10, 2015.

*NOTE:  The earlier start date provides the flexibility to include a fall break (five consecutive weekdays/one week).  Although there are several possibilities for the fall break, the committee will consider the testing schedules.

Please complete the short survey.  The survey links will expire at noon on Monday, October 20th.  This is not a vote but rather an opportunity to receive input from all stakeholders.  In order to ensure that your responses are recorded, select the DONE button at the end of the survey. Please complete the survey only once.  Thank you in advance for providing valuable feedback.

English
https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/2015_2016_Calendar_English

Nepali
https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/2015_2016_Calendar_Napali

Amharic
https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/2015_2016_Calendar_Amharic

French
https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/2015_2016_Calendar_French

Somali
https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/2015_2016_Calendar_Somali

Vietnamese
https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/2015_2016_Calendar_Vietnamese

Chinese
https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/2015_2016_Calendar_Chinese

Spanish
https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/2015_2016_Calendar_Spanish

 

Art Spirit Night
Please join us at Yogli Mogli on Friday, 10/24 at 2090 Dunwoody Club Drive for a spirit night. From 5 pm - 8 pm, 20% of all proceeds will be donated by Yogli Mogli to the PCMS Art Department. Just put your receipt in the bucket next to the register. Bring your friends and family to enjoy a yummy treat. Thank you for your support!

 

Red Ribbon Dance
Student Government Association is in need of donations for the Red Ribbon Dance on Friday October 24, 2014.  Donations may include canned soda, snack size chip bags, and full size candy bars to be sold in the concession stand.  Funds from the dance assist SGA in its mission of improving the scholastic and social environment of Peachtree Charter Middle School.

 

Magnet Program Testing Sessions 
Students in grades 4, 6, and 8 who are interested in applying to magnet programs in DeKalb County have the opportunity to take the Iowa Test of Basic Skills (ITBS) in one of two sessions in November.  The deadline to apply for the test is October 24, 2014.  

 

The Atlanta Families' Awards for Excellence in Education
Nominations Open November 7

DeKalb County School District announces its partnership with the Atlanta Families' Awards for Excellence in Education (AFAEE), a program that recognizes outstanding teachers and school leaders in districts across Metro Atlanta. AFAEE recipients earn a $7,500 award by demonstrating excellence in three areas: 

* increasing student achievement
* enhancing students' self-esteem
* collaborating with key stakeholders

As a winner, the $7,500 includes funding for a school project of your choice ($3,500), funding for a professional development opportunity ($1,500), and a personal stipend ($2,500). Applicants must complete essays aligned to the award criteria along with a project proposal. The project proposal is the educator's opportunity to imagine an initiative that meets a need in the classroom, school, or
community. In order to be eligible for the award, DeKalb County Schools teachers, assistant principals, and principals (charter and traditional) must have at least two years' experience at their district school.

Nominations will open November 7, 2014 through January 9, 2015, and the application deadline will be February 13, 2015. Winners are also required to remain at the district school the year after receiving the award as well as complete professional development and project requirements and contribute to efforts of the AFAEE Winners' Circle.

Since 2006, 97 educators have garnered this prestigious award and over $2 million dollars have been given to classrooms, schools and communities throughout Metro Atlanta. To learn more about the Atlanta Families' Awards for Excellence in Education program, please visit www.atlantafamilies.org or Facebook at www.facebook.com/atlantafamilies.

PCMS Recycles!

PCMS will be participating in a county-wide recycling pilot program.  We were one of seventeen DeKalb County schools chosen to participate and the only school in the Dunwoody cluster.  From September 29th until October 31st we are in competition with the other pilot schools to see who can recycle the most, based on recycled weight and school enrollment.  Monetary grants and field trips will be awarded to the top scoring schools.  1st place is $2,000 and 3 bus vouchers!


 

We are recycling throughout the school and are reaching out to the community to ask for help as we strive to be the number one school in the county!  Instead of placing your recycling on the curb in front of your house, bring it to us!  We will accept paper, plastic, Styrofoam, aluminum, tin and steel.  Our new recycling dumpster is located in the back of the school, behind the cafeteria.


 

Thanks in advance for helping us reach our goal of being the top school. Since we are the only school participating in the Dunwoody cluster, we hope that you will tell all your friends and neighbors to bring their recycling to Peachtree as well! 


 

Let's work as a community to use this wonderful opportunity to both recycle and earn some money for our school!

 

Special Olympics Volunteers Needed
Peachtree Charter Middle School will be hosting the DeKalb County
Basketball Team Skills Special Olympics on Friday, October 24, 2014.

Volunteers are needed from 8:00 a.m. - 1:00 pm. The more the merrier! 
If you are unable to volunteer, the following donations are needed and will
be greatly appreciated:
  • Water (24 cases needed)
  • Drinks (12 cases needed)
  • Juice (100 individual bottles)
  • Chips (individual size bags)
  • Paper Products (plates, napkins, and forks)
  • Desserts
  • Breakfast Items (bagels and cream cheese, muffins, doughnuts, pastries, and fresh fruit)
  • Monetary Donations (money always helps to buy the missing items...Thank You!)
Please bring all donations to the front office by Tuesday, October 21st. 
Thank you in advance for your support!!!

For more information, please contact Ava Moore at 678-676-7784 or Ava_M_Moore@fc.dekalb.k12.ga.us

 

DCPC Meeting Tuesday, 11/4
Preparing Your Child for College Acceptance

This next DCPC meeting is geared towards middle and early high school students and their parents. We'll have a panel of representatives from a variety of schools from around the state including 2 and 4 year institutions, small and large. We'll also have a parent who has experienced the college application process with several children and works in the state system so you can get an additional perspective. Our panel will be answering questions and giving tips for things you can do now to better prepare your child for college application/acceptance in the years to come.

Please note, this is an evening meeting and we hope the time change will allow for more parents to attend. For this particular meeting and topic, we also encourage middle and high school students to attend, as well.

Tuesday, November 4th

Time: 6:45 pm, social and light snack; 
         7:00 pm, meeting starts, panel discussion;
         8:30 pm, meeting adjourned

Location:
Dunwoody High School
5035 Vermack Rd
Dunwoody, GA 30338

 

Odyssey of the Mind -
Parent Coach Needed!

 

Thank you to all of the students that responded with an interest in joining Odyssey of the Mind. We definitely have enough students interested, but we still do not have a parent that has been able to commit to coaching the team. 

If you were considering taking on this position,
please contact Laurie Smith (teacher sponsor) at laurie_g_smith@fc.dekalb.k12.ga.us  

For more information about what it is, go to www.odysseyofthemind.com 

 

 
This week at PCMS!  

Mon
10/20


 
ITBS Testing Window-7th grade only
Mon
10/20


 
Picture Day - Make up Day
Tue
10/21


 
ITBS Testing Window-7th grade only
Tue
10/21
4:30pm
Executive Council Meeting
Wed
10/22


 
ITBS Testing Window-7th grade only
Thu
10/23


 
Dress Down Day (American Cancer Society)
Thu
10/23

 
ITBS Testing Window-7th grade only
Thu
10/23
4:30pm
Parent Teacher Conference Night
Fri
10/24


 
ITBS Testing Window-7th grade only
Fri
10/24
4:00pm
Student Government Association Red Ribbon Week Dance
Sat
10/25


 
Fall GMEA Solo & Ensemble Performance Evaluation at Peachtree
   
      
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PCMS eNews!

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Please e-mail requests to:  pcmsnewsletter@gmail.com

    
Sent By:
The Parent Teacher Charter Council at Peachtree Charter Middle School. 

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GO PATRIOTS!