News from Elkins Pointe Middle School Edition 2013-2014 Issue 9

November 1, 2013

Hello, Titans!

What a great Red Ribbon Week we have had. The students had fun with the events, the students learned from the visit with the Roswell PD K9 unit, and today's assembly provided by Linda Dutil, R.N. "A Dose of Reality" was a hit as well. See Megha Khosla and Eric Lee (pictured here) volunteering for a demonstration about what happens in the emergency room when teenagers make poor choices.

And by the way, the K9 visit did not turn up any suspicion, though I understand our teenage rumor mill made it sound far more exciting than it was. A special thank you to our wonderful PTSA for all of their work this week, with a special thank you to Ms. Quinda Smith for her efforts.

This week at EPMS

Let's Celebrate!

Congratulations to 6th grader Leah Faupel, who was published in Atlanta Parent - November 2013. She wrote two book reviews for Escape from Berlin by Irene N. Watts and Escape from Mr. Lemoncello's Library by Chris Grabenstein. Such an accomplishment!
Thank you to our business partner Crabapple Tutoring for awarding four scholarships to students in need who received their scholarships recently.
We are excited about our upcoming 8th grade trip to Washington DC! Attached here please find the itinerary, and if you forgot to make your final payment today, don't forget to do so before Monday using the MealPayPlus feature. This coming Friday, November 8th, Ms. Biccum will hold a parent meeting at 7:45am in the Media Center for parents who would like the opportunity to ask questions in addition to the attached itinerary.
Remember that we have two exchange programs from Japan this coming week. Teachers will visit the school on Tuesday to learn about education in America, and on Thursday, our exchange students for the Kakehashi program will arrive as well. We are hosting a special welcome reception for the students during 8th period on Thursday, November 7th. Mrs. Miyuki Johnson is communicating with her students' families about how they can be involved in this special occasion.
On Friday, November 8th, I will have the honor of attending Fulton County's Legacy of Excellence event to celebrate Mrs. Christine Vicente and Mrs. Andrea Smith as our employee and teacher of the year. As Principal of the Year for the school district, I will be giving a speech as well. I look forward to the celebration and the opportunity to celebrate the hard work of all FCBOE employees at this event.
Congratulations and good luck to the following students who are currently participating in the GMEA District V Honor Chorus. We can't wait to hear the results!
- Emily Salmond, Lucy Tschetter-Gaus, Thomas Penhallegon, Evan Jungslager, Andrew Meder, Owen Carney, Shelly Seth, Henna Mian, and Miles Demmings
I need your help .... Let's celebrate our community and wonderful partnerships here at Elkins Pointe Middle School. I am hosting an event on November 20th, at 9:00am, to honor our current business partners as well as invite new business partners and real estate brokers in the area to see EPMS. The event will include light refreshments, a school tour, a "state of the school" presentation, and opportunities to network and discuss opportunities for partnerships with EPMS. Would your business be interested? Do you know someone who may be? Or a real estate agent in our area that would like to learn more about Elkins Pointe? Please forward this on, and ask all interested parties to RSVP to me at springmanm@fultonschools.org. Thank you for your support.

VERY IMPORTANT!

Have you taken the GA Parent Survey yet? This survey directly affects the schools state CCRPI score and is utilized for discussions on how to improve our work at EPMS. Please take the time to complete the survey to help us out. GA parent survey (CCRPI) http://admin.doe.k12.ga.us/gadoe/sla/gaparents.nsf/Survey.xsp
Are you ready to vote for the School Governance Council Elections the week of November 13th-19th? Here is what you need to know and do to be prepared:
- Obtain your Home Access Center Code: Bring picture ID to the registrar's office and present it in order to receive your HAC code and password. Both parents can vote. Each must have a unique access code!
- Do you know the candidates? Have you thought about voting yet? Please take the time to educate yourself and get to know the candidates by clicking here to learn more about them. Remember that you will vote for one 1-year candidate and two 2-year candidates.

Be in the Know:

Don't forget that Picture Retakes will be this Thursday, November 7th, during advisement. If your child needs to do a retake or missed picture day in October, be sure that they remember to have their picture taken. If you would like details, email Mrs. Suckow at Suckow@fultonschools.org.
A message from PTSA president Ms. Brown: As the PTSA President, it is a pleasure to serve with a hardworking and active group of Titan Parents, Teachers and Students. Our school community is enthusiastic and passionate about our school. That makes being the PTSA President rewarding. To experience the same I encourage you to join us at our next PTSA meeting on November 6 at 8:30am in the teacher's lounge. This will give you an opportunity to meet the PTSA board members and hear about what's going on at EPMS. Our next meeting will be December 4th, same time.
In connection with the study of economics in Social Studies classes, the 7th graders will be taking a field trip to the Junior Achievement Finance Park which is located at the Georgia World Congress Center in Atlanta. The trip is being sponsored by Fulton County at no cost to the parents; however, we need approximately 20 volunteers (per day) who would participate in this fieldtrip as "consultants" for the students during their time at Finance Park. There is a document attached that better explains the volunteer requirements and any volunteers will be provided with training and lunch by Junior Achievement of Georgia on the day(s) that you volunteer. The days available are December 18th, 19th, and 20th from 8:30-1:30 and you must be able to provide your own transportation to and from the Georgia World Congress Center. This is a great way to be involved with supporting and encouraging our Titans to grow into financially responsible citizens. If you are interested in volunteering for one (or all) of the days, please contact Dr. Lorrie Bearden at beardenl@fultonschools.org for more details.
Did you know that November is Parent Engagement Month? Below you'll find the link from GADOE for the Parent Engagement Calendar with activities parents can do every day of this month. These activities are fun and connected to academics and best of all get parents and children together. They have it in Spanish too. http://www.gadoe.org/School-Improvement/Federal-Programs/Documents/Parent%20Month%20Calendar%202013.pdf