April 12, 2013

Hello, Titans!

We have had a great week here at EPMS, with a very positive start to CRCT testing. The students arrived on time every day, with a determined look on their faces. When I asked them afterwards how it went, most said it was "good" or "easy," and several said "It was hard, but I tried my best." I love hearing that from the students. This is such an opportunity for them to shine, and your support at home this week with getting them to bed early and getting them here on time has made a big difference. Remember that testing continues Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday next week, so let's keep up the good work.

Celebrations:    

• Congratulations to Cassandra Manrique! She was one of just a few winners in the 2nd Annual Drinking Water Week Poster Contest sponsored by Roswell. She and her teacher Ms. Okiyama will be recognized at a reception in Roswell City Hall on April 29th. Way to go!
• Thank you to SONIC and Ms. Hatcher who stopped by with a donation from SONIC for our students during CRCT. They provided enough mints for all students during all 5 days of testing. Sometimes this little boost of peppermint can make the difference in memory and energy levels on that second half of testing, so we are quite grateful!
• Our staff will be joining the efforts in Roswell's Relay for Life this year, and we are already ¾ of the way to our goal of $2,000! If you would like to support us in our effort to stop cancer, please visit this link to make a donation (no matter how small - it adds up).  http://tinyurl.com/ckxshjf.  If you are part of your own team at the event, I look forward to seeing you there, though  some of us will be late due to the 8th grade Dance.
• We are pleased to announce the winners from Battle of the Titans 2013! The students were so wonderful and had such a great day. Results came in with the Black Team as the winner with 131,550 points, and White with 95,300, as well as Blue with 81,430. Thank you to ALL of our PTA parents and Dad's Club members who volunteered to make it an extra special day.

Be in the Know:

• 8th grade Parents, several announcements:
• Please note that the students will return from the Washington DC Trip earlier than expected, Saturday night close to midnight. We feel that this is safer than driving through the night. Be sure to look for the letter from Ms. Resnick with more details. It went home with students this week.
• If your students are not going on the DC Trip, we will be taking all remaining students on a Walking Tour of Historic Roswell. This will take place on Thursday April 25th. The permission forms came home today. Though there is no cost to you, be sure to return the form so that your student can participate. Copies of the form are attached:  English   Spanish
• If you submitted a permission slip and money for Stone Mountain, you must email Ms. Vicente to request a refund at vicentec@fultonschools.org.
• Mark your calendars for the 8th grade dance "A Night in Paris" on May 3 from 7:00 to 9:30pm.  Tickets are $15.00 and ticket sales begin April 16.  For more information visit http://elkinspointe.my-pto.org.
• Don't forget about Taste of Broadway on May 1st and 2nd. Tickets are on sale in the front office and available through Drama Club students. I got a sneak preview Thursday night, and it promises to be a great evening!
• With the next progress report, we will send home summer school registration information. The cost per course this summer is $155. Please take the time to check Home Access Center and work with your child to get their grades up. We'd rather they pass with us than cost you money during summer school.
• Finally, due to a change in position for next school year, Ms. Karen Jones will no longer be the Yearbook Coordinator. Don't worry ... she is not leaving Elkins Pointe! This does mean that some of the processes for yearbook club next year may be delayed a bit. It also means that next year's program may look different, if the new sponsor is unable to teach it as a class (schedule permitting). Look for more details to come soon, but please know that we will work to continue producing one of the best yearbooks around.

Did You Know?

• Did you know that our media center had a "face lift" this year? Ms. Grigsby made quite a few changes, and they are catching notice from the media community. Our media center was recently featured in a blog that receives over 10,000 unique hits per month and is followed by over 4,000 twitter users. Check it out: http://tinyurl.com/craj9jf.

Have a great weekend, everyone!