On our last Friday of the 2012-2013 school year, I cannot help but feel blessed to work in this community. Earlier this week I had the pleasure of having breakfast with our P.T.A., last night I had the great opportunity to watch our students perform at Alive After Five in Roswell, and today we are preparing for the last week of school and all that it has to offer.

We have a lot of information this week, of course. Please take the time to read carefully.

Celebrations:

• As I mentioned above, we are proud of our performances at Alive After Five yesterday. The chorus, band, and orchestra all sounded wonderful!
• Our chorus and band also performed at the Six Flags Performance Festival last weekend and did quite well. Our chorus group earned a rating of Superior, which is the highest possible rating. They also brought home the trophy for the 3rd place Treble Choir. Our band received the Esprit de Corps award, which is an award for demonstrating the best spirit and heart at the competition. Also, they were very excited to bring home 1st place for the 6th grade band. We are so proud of these groups and their stellar representation of EPMS.

Surveys:

• At the end of the year, it is important for us to gather feedback from the community, so that we know how to improve going forward. I know that it takes a bit of your time, but if you could (pretty please) take a moment to take these surveys, it would be most beneficial to the school, and your students.
  • TITLE I - FY2013 Parent Feedback Survey https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1K1caHSvCaDuGGKM7fv9KeLHz9TblVvo2EvWf0tvGfP4/viewform
  • Fulton County School System is conducting a Parent Survey. We value your opinion and ask that you take the time to complete this survey. In order to complete the survey, please go to: http://www.advanc-ed.org/survey/public/7210774 Please be assured that your responses to this survey will be anonymous. Your honest opinion is appreciated. Thank you for your time and attention to this matter.

Be in the Know:

• As you know, final exams begin on Monday. I have attached the schedule here. Students will have one exam on Monday and then two each on Tuesday and Wednesday. While 6th graders will take their final test of the year, remember that 7th and 8th graders will take cumulative tests. It is important that they get lots of rest and keep up with their studying.
• For  the last day of school, we have several reminders:
  • Remember that students should dress nicely so that their award ceremonies are extra special.
  • We encourage all 6th and 7th grade students to bring a bag lunch if possible, though we will be selling bag lunches to be picked up before school as well.
  • Students will not be allowed to bring book bags, tote bags, or large purses to school on the last day (this includes Kava purses). All they need is their yearbook and their smile.
  • Ceremonies are at 9:00am for 8th grade, 12:15pm for 6th grade, and 2:15pm for 7th grade.
  • All 8th grade students will be honored, so all parents are welcome to attend.
  • For 6th and 7th grade students, you should receive an invitation from your child's teacher if they are receiving a special award. Outside of these invitations, remember that if your child received Student of the Month from Roswell Rotary, Shining Star, or received all A's and B's on their most recent progress report, you should plan on them receiving honors and attend if you are able.
  • Parents are welcome to check their child out of school after the ceremonies, just be sure to do so in the front office so that we know where your child is.
• As for the Academic Excellence awards on the last day, please remember that we must use the grades from the last progress reports since final grades will not be available yet. We are aware that some additional students may achieve official Honor Roll through their report card grades that come home in June. However, we do not want to refrain from honoring academic excellence on the last day. We intend to honor our official honor roll students next year in the fall, as we always do. I wish that grades could be available in time, but with our focus on maximizing instruction the last few days, it is just not possible. I hope this helps clarify our awards a bit more.
• 8th grade parents - If you have not attended EPMS all three years but have a student that made honor roll for 6th, 7th, and 8th grade, we would like to see if they are eligible for the President's Award. Please provide evidence of grades for the other grade levels to the school before 12:00 (noon) on Tuesday of next week. Since we do not have electronic academic records from other schools, this is not possible without your help. We will review everything to determine whether or not they are eligible for the award.
• Remember that students who will take Honors  English at Roswell HS next year have a summer reading assignment. Click here for details. Your student should have received this information from their current Language Arts teacher as well.
• Are you looking for a job? Or do you know somebody who is? Fulton County needs MORE BUS DRIVERS! Please click here for more info.
• Did you know that one of our parents, Ms. Pabian, has started an EPMS Parent Facebook page? The purpose of this page is for parents to stay connected about EPMS events and opportunities. Though it is not sponsored by the school, I want to pass the opportunity on so that those who are interested can get involved. Check out https://www.facebook.com/groups/ElkinsPointeMSParents/ if you are interested.
• CAMP Opportunities for the summer:
• Boys Basketball Camp for Milton High School - June 17-21: Click here for more details.
• Girls Basketball Summer Camp - June 10th-13th!! The Milton High School Lady Eagles program invites rising 3rd graders & up to an exciting summer camp!  Whether your daughter is just beginning or an experienced player, join HS Coach Deb Schaefer, MHS Varsity players & special alumni to take your game to the next level!  Rising 9th graders desiring to play in high school are urged to attend. For more info, visit: http://miltongirlshoops.com/Summer_Camp.html. 
• Softball Summer Camp - June 10th-13th!! The Milton High School Softball program proudly invites rising 2nd graders through rising 8th graders to learn the fundamentals of the game for the next level!  Join Coach Shane Holcombe, his staff and the Regional Championship high school players, as participants sharpen their skills and increase their understanding of the game of softball.  For more info, visit: http://www.miltonfastpitch.org/Summer_Camp.html
• Fencing Club - Did you know that Roswell High School has a Fencing Club?? You've probably seen fencing featured in movies like The Princess Bride and Pirates of the Carribean or as an Olympic sport, but it's also a great sport for high school students, and some colleges even offer fencing scholarships! At RHS we are a club, so there is not a huge time commitment. We meet once a week after school and about once a month we spend a Saturday competing with other high schools in our area. We do not fence as a club over the summer, but we might get together for some mini golf or bowling, so if you would like to come out and meet us over the summer, or just want more information about our club, email Kelley Smith at smithseaside@yahoo.com. There is absolutely no experience necessary to join our club, we'll teach you everything you need to know to parry and riposte your way to the chamionships. But if you would like to start fencing right now, you can check into classes at Dunwoody Fencing Club (near Trader Joe's, http://www.dunwoodyfencingclub.com/ ) or Roswell Rec (Waller Park, starts May 30!) Sixth and Seventh graders, even though you can't fence with RHS next year, you can take these classes, too, and start at RHS as an experienced fencer!

As you see, we have lots going on these last 5 days, so do not hesitate to contact us if you have any questions.

Have a great weekend, Titans!