MEET YOUR TEAM
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Check out the bulletin board in the front hallway - we have added little fun facts about every teacher and staff member at school and are featuring two here each Friday. This week: Ms. Jsames and Mrs. Konenkamp!
Ms. Jsames 3rd Grade Teacher Hometown: Tacoma, WA College: Washington
State University Favorite Ice Cream: Mint
Chocolate Chip Favorite Childhood Activity: Climbing trees Favorite Childhood Book: Where the Sidewalk
Ends
Name: Mrs. Konenkamp Speech and Language Teacher Hometown: Portsmouth,
Ohio College: The University of
Kentucky Favorite Ice Cream: Vanilla Favorite Childhood Activity: Tennis Favorite Childhood Book: Charlotte's Web
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CALENDAR
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CLICK HERE FOR THE FULL 2014-15 SDC EVENT CALENDAR!
(updated as of 11.14.14)
11.17.14
School Governance Council meeting
Teachers' Lounge
Public Comment
7:30 am
Parents welcome
11.20.14
Thanksgiving Feast
Kindergarten, 2nd and 4th grades
11.21.14
Thanksgiving Feast
Pre-K, 1st, 3rd and 5th grades
11.21.14
Deadline to Order Square 1 Art
12.5.14
Trot-a-Thon Superstar Party 1:30 pm
3.6.15
Save the Date
BINGO Night
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COMMUNICATION:
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We strive for clear, current and consistent communication with parents. There are FOUR main ways to find out about announcements and upcoming events. We strongly advise you to sign up for all of them:
FACEBOOK - We have a private Facebook group titled: Spalding Drive Charter PTA. If you haven't already, please find us on Facebook and ask to join the private group!
TIGER CONNECTION - We have streamlined Tiger Connection and the formerly published Tiger Talk into one weekly Tiger Connection eblast (which you're reading right now!). It will be published this year on FRIDAYS. If you are not receiving it, please send your email address and preferred phone number here: [email protected].
ROOM PARENTS - Once room parents are established for each class, they will begin sending home some paper reminders and mostly email communication about your child's class and school happenings. Please make sure you provide your email address to your teacher's room parent in order to receive these important messages.
SCHOOL MESSENGER - From time to time, SDC administration will send an official school email and/or phone call with special announcements or updates on weather events. PLEASE make all the parents or guardians in your family have provided us with your preferred email address so that you receive updates from Spalding Drive Charter. We want to keep you informed!
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YOUR PTA
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Tiger Connection is published by the PTA in conjunction with the SDC administration. We hope you find it useful and it helps you stay connected with what is going on at our wonderful school. If you have information you would like to include in an upcoming issue, please contact me.
Sincerely,
Jennifer Lott
VP of Communications, SDC PTA
Visit the Spalding Drive Charter website for current school information!
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JOIN OUR LIST | |
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A NOTE FROM THE PRINCIPAL | |
Good afternoon, Tiger parents!
I hope you and your child have had a great week! I know I have! The Book Fair was amazing - thank you to chairs Aimee Waters and Lynn Moore and all of the volunteers who help students with purchases! Our Jump Rope for Heart went well, too! Thank you so much to Kibbe Horne, Ms. Hutcherson and all of the volunteers for the event and for raising money for a great cause! I also had my first Principal's Coffee Chat - thank you to all the parents who came. I was the one who learned so much about your concerns, heard about your thoughts from a parent's perspective, and shared a laugh or two! I will use what I've learned to refine our policies and practices to make our school an even better place for children!
No surprise - next week will be exciting too! On Monday and Tuesday, I will have guests who will be serving as Principal for the Day! Well, technically, it will be a half-day. On Monday, Mr. Jeff Petrea from Georgia Power will be with me, and on Tuesday, Ms. Trinita Patton from Northside Hospital-Atlanta will be with me! I can't wait to show them our wonderful school and let them see "a day in the life" of a principal!
Our governance meeting was rescheduled for Monday, November 17 at 7:30 - it is still a public comment day. Next week is also our Thanksgiving Feast days...as a reminder, K, 2, and 4 will have their feast on Thursday and PK, 1, 3, and 5 will have their feast on Friday. If you did not send in a reservation - no worries! We still want you to come and enjoy lunch with your child. You can bring as many or as few people as you'd like! Also, although it sounds a little strange, there is a nationwide turkey shortage. Therefore, we will be serving chicken instead of turkey. I do apologize, but the rest of the feast will be the same! I look forward to seeing all of you!
Have a great weekend! Lynn Johnson, Principal
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SGC MEETING - PARENTS WELCOME | |
Monday, November 17!
Parents are welcome to attend this Monday's SGC meeting at 7:30 am. The meeting includes time for Public Comment and the RFF vote on full vs early release days for the 2015-2016 school year. Please note, you do NOT need to sign up in advance to make a public comment.
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THANKSGIVING FEAST | |
You're Invited - November 20 - 21!
The Spalding Drive Charter Elementary annual Thanksgiving Feast will be on Thursday, November 20 and Friday, November 21.
Kindergarten, 2nd grade and 4th grade will have their Thanksgiving Feast on Thursday.
Pre-K, 1st grade, 3rd grade, and 5th grade will have their feast on Friday, November 21.
You should have received an invitation with each class's lunch schedule last week in your child's backpack. If you did not receive it, please contact your child's teacher for another one. There will not be a winter holiday feast this year as there has been in the past.
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NEW TIGER NEWS NETWORK LINK | |
Tune In Every Morning at 7:40 am!
Periodically, the LiveStream link for Spalding's Tiger News has to be updated. Please tune in every morning at 7:40 am to see the news of the day at Spalding! The new link is here and below in case you need to copy it into your browser.
https://new.livestream.com/accounts/10069709/events/3587467
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I-READY PILOT PROGRAM | |
Free Trial - Feedback Needed!
Last week, Spalding began a pilot for i-Ready, an adaptive diagnostic and instructional tool for the computer that individualizes instruction for each child. You can access this program from home as well (login.i-ready.com). Each child's login is their student number (lunch card) and the password is abc123. Try it out and please let Mrs. Johnson or your teacher know what you think! If you don't have your child's student number, you can find it on the Home Access Center or through your child's teacher.
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SUPPLY WISH LIST UPDATE | |
Click Here to Pick an Item!
Thank you for all the generous donations made toward the SDC teacher and staff's wish list items! If you are interested in donating an item(s), please click here. Please label all items with the staff member's name and your name when delivering or if you leave at the front desk. Thank you! If you have any questions or comments, please contact Holley Griset by email or phone 404.277.1110.
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TROT-A-THON SUPERSTAR WINNERS! | |
Congratulations Trot-a-Thon Superstar Winners!
We would like to thank again everyone who participated and donated in this year's Tiger Trot-a-Thon. It was a huge success and we raised almost $18,000!! This money will be put to wonderful use for our teachers and students!
We will end this Tiger Trot-a-Thon season with the Superstar Ice Cream Party! Invitations went home this week with all of the students who earned the Superstar Party!
Originally scheduled for Monday, November 17, we have actually MOVED the party date to give the party planners time to make the party extra special for all of these top fundraisers. The new date is Friday, December 5 at 1:30 p.m. in the cafeteria!
Superstar Party Winners Include:
Frederick Barnes Steele Bickers Catherine Busch Jameson Carney Braden Castiglia Carly Castiglia Charles Collins Saena Cox Su Lin Cox Warren Cox Rober Fedack William Fedack Robert Fuss Joseph Gewertz Emma Hanse Gregory Hanse Sean Hanse Amanda Hassler Max Hassler Chloe Hipps-Gravitt Kara Hutton Lacey Kass Samantha Jefferson Katie Johnson Nicholas Johnson Kate Lott Henry Lott Margaret Moore Maxwell Moore Gabriel Nagy Joseph Roseberry Reid Roseberry Julia Rutledge Jack Schimelman Benjamin Singer Sydney Smith Stella Snyder Steven Snyder Graham Swerdlin Trey Walker Reese Weinberg
Thank you again to so MANY of you for supporting your teachers through the Tiger Trot-a-Thon! If you have any questions at all, please let Amy Schneider know!
DONATING ONLINE
You, your family, friends and neighbors can also still donate online via PayPal by clicking here:
You may also copy and paste the following link:
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SQUARE 1 ART FUNDRAISER! | |
Deadline Extended to Friday, November 21!
By now, parents should have received your child's personalized order form and stickers. I hope you are as excited about your child's artwork as much as they are!
It's not too late to order your child's keepsake art and your generosity is greatly appreciated. The deadline to order has been extended to Friday, November 21. Act now to receive *free shipping which is only available during the fundraiser sale!
Three easy ways to order: Online: www.square1art.com/shop
Phone: 888.332.3294
or fill out the paper order form on the back of your child's custom catalog.
Remember your child's access code located on their catalog! If you have any questions about ordering, need another catalog, or did not receive your child's custom art, please email art teacher Mrs. Kim right away!
*All orders ship to the school.
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SAVE THE DATE - SPALDING'S ANNUAL BINGO NIGHT | |
Favorite Tradition Continues March 6!
We know it's early but the 5th Grade is gearing up to host an incredible BINGO Night at Spalding on March 6th! Please keep BINGO in mind when you are cleaning out closets/playrooms/basements to make room for new stuff that we will happily accept any BRAND NEW & UNOPENED toys, puzzles, craft kits, games, & sport stuff for prize donations for BINGO Night.
Prize donations can be dropped at the front office.
Thank you in advance! Any questions, please contact Amy Murphy or Tracie Bernstein.
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A GREAT START TO THE SCHOOL DAY! | |
Morning Carpool! At this point in the year we have established clear routines and procedures during afternoon dismissal. Thank you, parents for your support! Now that those procedures are established, we want to review our morning procedures to make sure that all kids are safe and ready to learn.
Here we will address some questions raised by our SDC families:
When is my child late? -- The "warning bell" rings at 7:35. This signals that there is only five minutes left to enter the building. At this time, a minimum of two staff members will remain outside on the sidewalks to encourage children to exit their cars and enter the building. At 7:40 the second bell rings indicating that our instructional day has begun. If your child enters the building after the 7:40 bell has rung, they are considered tardy.
What can I do to help? The traffic is causing my child to be late. -- We understand that traffic can be bad. We suggest that you leave earlier which allows your child more time in the classroom and reap the benefits of extra academic support.
Why does the number of staff vary in the morning? -- Each morning we have staff members assigned to multiple duties throughout the school. This is why we ask that you help us by having your kids exit out of the car on their own. While we do our best to open car doors, this is a courtesy we enjoy providing and may not be the most efficient use of time. If we are down staff members or are busy opening other doors, please help us by having you children exit the car onto the sidewalk.
My child was marked tardy at 7:40. Why? -- The official start of school is 7:40. If a child is not inside the building when the bell rings, they are considered tardy.
At SDC we want our students to have a good start to their day while giving them the tools they need to be successful throughout their educational career. Feel free to contact either your child's teacher, Mrs. Johnson or Mrs. Walker, should you have any questions or concerns.
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HELP MRS. WARD WIN A GRANT! | |
FARMERS INSURANCE
THANK A MILLION TEACHERS
Help Mrs. Ward win a grant! She has submitted a proposal for a $2,500 grant on www.thankamillionteachers.com. During the month of November, you can vote once a day for her proposal. Thirty grants will be awarded from around the country and with your help, Mrs. Ward's can be one of them!
Just visit www.thankamillionteachers.com and click on the "vote for a proposal" button in the upper right hand corner.
Thanks for your help!
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SSCMS Open Houses | |
Save the Dates - December 9 and February 10!
Sandy Springs Charter Middle School is hosting two open house events for prospective parents over the next few months. SSCMS, our middle school, offers every student opportunities for academic achievement by providing broad academic programs and extracurricular activities. SSCMS also offers a rigorous academic curriculum, including TAG and advanced classes, to accommodate the highest levels of academic achievement among its students. SDC's parents are cordially invited to join SSCMS staff at a Chat and Chew event and learn more about our programs. Dr. Massey, Principal, will welcome all interested parents on Tuesday, December 9 and again Tuesday, February 10. The program starts promptly at 9:00 a.m. and there is no need to R.S.V.P. Parents and guardians will enjoy a cup of coffee and refreshments in the Media Center during the information session; after the presentations, parents will be able to tour the school. Please check in at the front office of SSCMS, 8750 Pride Place, Sandy Springs GA 30350.
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