November 30, 2012  

Hello, Titans!

As always, we've had a lovely week here at the Pointe. Progress reports went home Tuesday, our 7th graders enjoyed the Health Fair on Wednesday, and quite a few students took advantage of "Buddy Pictures" on Wednesday afternoon.

Things to Celebrate:

• We want to recognize our students who recently participated in the American Mathematics Competition. We are pleased to report that 9 of our students performed in the top 25% of the nation, with a special kudos to Andrew Lang for scoring in the top 5% of the nation, and an enormous round of praise to Roopsha Bandopadhyay, who scored in the top 1%. Way to go, Andrew and Roopsha!

Look for a photo of the students who participated in the test on our website soon!

• Congratulations to Cassandra Manrique, our 7th grade Student of the Month. She was recognized by the Roswell Rotary at their luncheon yesterday and gave a tremendous speech. Congrats, Cassandra! 
• Our Health & Science Fair was one of our best so far this year. Thank you to Ms. Vance, our Parent Coordinator, for all of her hard work. A special thank you to all of our presenters who gave their time to the students.

• We are so proud of Mrs. Okiyama's 7th grade Language Arts classes, who raised $1,636,64 for Pennies for Peace. MORE

Things to Know:

• 'Tis the Season to Help One Another ... We would like for the EPMS community to rally behind us in our support of North Fulton Community Charities this holiday season. This organization does so much for our community, and many of our EPMS families. They are looking for our support as they provide for our families in need.
  • How can you help? Please drop off a toy or non-perishable food items in the front atrium starting next week. We will collect gently used and new toys, as well as food (gift cards are accepted as well) and bring them with us on December 12th as we volunteer our time for an evening. December 12th will be the final morning to make your donation. We appreciate your support, as always.
• If you have not already heard, the FCS School Calendar for the next two years has been approved. Visit this website to view them: http://portal.fultonschools.org/Calendars/Pages/default.aspx.
• We have received multiple requests lately for teachers to complete surveys and recommendations regarding your students. Please remember that Fulton County policy states we must have a signed waiver, from you, stating that we have permission to complete these forms. All of these requests should be sent to Ms. Ellen Walsh in the Counseling Office. She will be glad to help you.
• Final Exams are December 17-19. Remember that all three grade levels will be taking assessments, with only 8th graders taking a cumulative test over all material from this semester. Please plan vacation accordingly so that we can have them here for their assessments. Remember that students will not be permitted to take exams early. I will grant special permissions for students to take exams after the winter break, but those requests should be sent to me in advance. Click here for the schedule.
• Don't miss out on the Music Concerts coming up soon!
• The Chorus Concert will be a joint effort with RHS, and they perform at 7:00pm on December 4th in the RHS Auditorium.
• The Band Winter Concert will be here at EPMS, on December 6th,  starting at 6:30pm in the Auditorium.
• The 8th Grade Orchestra Concert will also be a joint effort with RHS, and they perform at 7:00pm on December 13th in the RHS Auditorium.

Did You Know?

• On November 19th, teachers spent their planning time observing other teachers in the classroom. This is an excellent opportunity for our teachers to find additional strategies to help your child. We did this in October with the new teachers as well. What better way to fill our toolbox of teaching strategies than to learn from one another?

Have a great weekend, Titans.

Your partner in education,

Principal

Elkins Pointe Middle School

Empowering Students for Tomorrow's Global Society