Hello, Titans!

Four day weeks always go so quickly, and that was not any different here at Elkins Pointe this week. The students came in excited from their weekend adventures, buckled right in to work, and even began attending help sessions with more diligence so that they can get their grades up before the upcoming progress reports on 9/17/13.  I even had the great opportunity to visit our 7th grade Adventure Quest class just this morning while they prepared for a trust circle activity on our nature trail (pictured here).

On a note of safety, we chose to do an Intruder Drill yesterday, in addition to what is required by the county. In light of recent occurrences at other schools in Georgia, we felt this was something we could do to help our students feel safe and, most importantly, practice our procedures so that we can be prepared in case of an emergency. As I shared before, we have added additional security measures at EPMS, and we will continue to do all that we can to keep the children that you entrust to us safe on a daily basis.

The news below is lengthy this week, so thank you in advance for your attention.

• Please do not forget that the window is currently open to submit your candidacy form for the Local School Governance Council. The training is in the spring, with the term officially beginning in July of 2014. Remember that we are seeking one parent for the 2014-2015 school year and two parents for 2014 - 2016. This will create a proper rotation so that we do not replace an entire council at once.  Click here for the candidacy forms, and visit this link for more details:  http://portal.fultonschools.org/chartersystem/pages/cohort2implementation.aspx.  I hope to see plenty of candidates who are committed to EPMS and invested in the betterment of all students.
• Remember that you will need your Home Access Code to vote for the LSGC this year, so be sure to pick it up from the front office if you have not already done so.
• For those of you who did not hear the news right before school started, the State of Georgia has decided that we will not utilize the PARCC assessment to replace the CRCT after all. For this school year, it has little impact, as we were planning to still take the CRCT. During this year, the state will continue to seek out an assessment option that will maintain the rigorous expectations of the PARCC assessment. I will keep you posted.
• This year the PE uniforms arrive every two weeks; therefore, we encourage new students and the students who have PE for the next 1-3 quarters to purchase them but they must purchase them online on the PTA website. Students who wish to purchase them with cash should go to the front office to make their purchase.
• Are you a frequent volunteer at EPMS? Or do you plan to be? Remember that all volunteers are required to complete a short online training each year, about mandated reporting of child abuse. Click here for the form with the link so that you can complete the form and turn it in when you come to volunteer. If you have already completed this for another school, please just bring a copy of the certificate with you. No need to repeat. Thank you!
• Please help us expedite student pick up from school. If you plan to pick your child up early, remember to send them to the office with a note in the morning. We can sign the note, which they can show their teacher at the appropriate time. Best of all, they can be waiting for you in the office when you arrive. This is a simple practice that makes things simple for you as well. Please remind your students.
• Did you know that, starting this year, 9th graders must select a Career Pathway as they begin high school? Click here to learn more about this endeavor. As I learn more, so will you.