Happy Friday, Titans!

With two Bring Your Parents to School days and the 7th grade Honors Breakfast this week, we cannot help but end the week with smiles and joy in our heart. Just yesterday afternoon, a parent asked if he could talk to me for a few moments at the end of the day. As we sat down, it became clear quite quickly that this was a father who had enjoyed his day at EPMS and just wanted to take a moment to praise our staff, to tell me how impressed he was by their talent and dedication. Parent upon parent shared this with me in the hallway. We are so glad that you had the opportunity to see the amazing education that we provide to your children every day.

 Visiting Connections classes this morning, I got a kick out of seeing Ms. Petrie's students watch so intently, excited about their sewing project  Such a spectacular way to end the week!

• Congratulations to our Soccer Team for earning a win over Hopewell MS last Friday. We had to cancel a game due to rain this week, but we are excited to see how they perform in their next game. And don't forget the Staff vs. Student Game on October 10th. We start at 4:30, and it always turns out to be a fun event.
• 6th graders, on the same day of October 10th, will celebrate the start to their middle school career with our 6th Grade Tailgate Party! Click here to view the details and permission slip. We hope to have a great turn out for this fun event.
• A huge thank you to business partner Crabapple Tutoring, who just donated four scholarships for students in need to receive 10 hours of instruction. They are a great business partner and resource for our community.
• Thank you also to business partners Krispy Kreme, Cici's Pizza, and Chik-fil-A for supporting the Honors Breakfast and making it extra special. Our glorious P.T.A. worked tirelessly to make it a great event - and a special shout out to Casey Mellor who coordinated the event.
• Today our students who received all A's on the most recent progress report had an opportunity to "cut loose" during lunch. We allowed them to come down to the field, have lunch, throw around some footballs, frisbees, and even a bit of soccer. We are so proud of these hard working students and wanted to do something extra special for them. Different groups of students will be recognized with each progress report this year. Stay tuned!
• We've hired our new teacher for Connections, named Colleen White-Hayes. She will teach our Study Skills and Leadership Courses, beginning October 7th. We can't wait for the students to meet her!
• Don't forget about Roswell High School's Movie Under the Stars night, featuring our very own "Remember The Titans!" Click here for more details.
• We need your help! It's time to get the good news out there about EPMS. Parents moving into our community often make decisions based on websites containing reviews that are several years old. And my how things have changed since then. Please take a moment to visit this site and make some comments about EPMS and all the hard work we are doing. This is just one site; there are others if you choose to do an extra PR for us as well.  http://www.greatschools.org/georgia/roswell/2598-Elkins-Pointe-Middle-School/?tab=reviews

• Finally, I need your support as we prepare to have our first Local School Governance Council. The candidacy window closes October 15th, and we currently only have one parent running for three positions. This council will make decisions that affect our school for the next four years, and it is critical that I have your support. Remember that there are one year terms and two year terms, so you can choose the length of your commitment. With only one training this January and then one monthly meeting before school each month, the time commitment is not as large as one may think. Attached here please find the candidacy forms, and note the link at the bottom of the second page that allows you to submit online. Please contact me if you have questions.